authenticity

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Wandering

I have been doing a bit of this and that lately. Always playful in my creative practice, I try to listen to the inner voice which lead to various expression of emotions and stories. 

   
 
And I continued with my palms series.. I’m having a lot of fun with this which made me think that series are actually good. It makes me digging deeper and further, experimenting through mistakes and learning!
   
 
And I have gone back on Artentwined workshop. Cy Twombly’s art and with his own language in abstract really talks to me. 

  

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shifting ground

I have spoken before about friendship that have developed via social media, mainly through Instagram, and the creative community that I am part of. Let me introduce you to a wonderful and very talented artist, writer and storyteller, my friend Robin.

Robin doesn’t only paint with her heart wide open. She writes stories that make you shiver or smile… or both… her stories stay with you for a long time…they are like a living thing…growing within you!

It’s because Robin creates from the soul.
She always surprises us. I think she surprises herself as well.

Here is one of her creations, art work and text

Robin art

The ever shifting ground that is our lives.

I believe that impermanence is the law of life. Comfort will transition to pain, ease becomes struggle, joy and grief are inseparable. And all the while darkness and light shift places within our hearts without prior notice or the opportunity to prepare. It’s just the way things are and struggling against what I think I cannot bear or yearning for what I do not have will do nothing but confuse and discourage. Fearless I am not; wisdom consistently shows up late or not at all. But loving and being loved is a grace that sustains hope and the desire for more of life, not less.
Robin

I feel very grateful that we’ve found each other…

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boldness has genius

Here is some wisdom from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“If you treat an individual as he is, he will remain how he is. But if you treat him as if he were what he ought to be and could be, he will become what he ought to be and could be.”

“Whatever you can do or dream, you can begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it!”

“Daring ideas are like chessmen moved forward. They may be beaten, but they may start a winning game.”

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heartening

In this new era of technology (which is not really new anymore, I know) where everything and anything is instantly accessible, we probably still think that we need to protect ourselves from what could get us…Some weird monster hiding in a corner of the computer or something…

Well…recently, I got reminded that it is larger than this and the fact that our humanity is not lost at all…that genuine friendship and generosity can happen via Internet.

Clearly Instagram has been a propulsor to my creativity but not only. I have found a supportive community that is so encouraging, friendly and trustworthy, where we all feel safe with each other. More to that is that I am finding real friends across the world…friends that I am hoping I will meet one day.

The other day, Lyn contacted me to ask if I’d be interested in receiving Alena Hennessy’s One Year Painting online course, as she was offered to gift it to someone. She thought of me! whom she had never met! how incredible is that!!?! I was stoked, speechless and so grateful!!

Later, as I knew I would be travelling to her city, I asked Lyn if she’d be keen to meet up! So we did! Instafriends becoming friends! it happens people!!! and it warms my heart!!

Lyn shared about her new art project… have a look here http://lynmarguerite.com/

Thank you Lyn! Thank you friends around the world, whom I have not met yet, whom I will meet one day…thank you! You are awesome!

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Some reflections about assertiveness, spirituality and how much we decide to engage…

The other day, I was reflecting while reviewing a program I run for separated parents. The program is already well constructed, however I felt that it needed to be sharper, more edgy and challenging, with the aim to foster reflection and self-awareness.

Then I shared some of my reflection with my friend Sue on Skype… always a stimulating chat… We always jump from personal updates to psychology to spirituality and so forth. We both agreed on the need for us, me, you, individuals, to engage more, to take responsibility for our own actions (big debate, I know!), which was so aligned with my thoughts about the need to be more assertive and challenging in some aspects of my work.

This could go on and on… reflecting on assertiveness in our work…the importance of challenging beliefs and values, sometime the authority or the more simple course of things; to have a pro-active role in everything we do. I like this quote from Brene Brown Daring Greatly’s book “if you are comfortable, I’m not teaching and you are not learning”.

The path of self-development is about seeking our own truth, developing our identity, our relationship with ourselves and others; for some, the opening of a spiritual path… the danger though is to stay ego centered, to feel complacent about our own quest and about the rules we re-design for ourselves, in order to live our lives. These are at time much-needed defense mechanism, with the risk though that it will prevent us to go further.

Self growth or self-development is paramount and yet, it will not help the self without any interaction or engagement with the external world. Being self-righteous, or proud about my own growth will not help me nor the world or the environment around me if I don’t engage. This is the paradigm between my inner world, my healing path (and its sacredness) and my spiritual life vs the outer world, its requirement, the friction it will produce when in contact with my encapsulated spiritual self (and the challenge I will experience). With what I know and what I’ve learned, what will I do…?

This is about pro-activeness, taking responsibility, owning our stuff, engaging, becoming a role model. It’s about being vulnerable and still being ok.

With what you know… what will you do?