Inspiration Wednesday: Myk Gordon

Here's a tune to make your day!

Singer/songwriter Myk Gordon

is one of the many talented jewels

in Vancouver's music scene.

Myk and I played a gig together

many years ago in a little venue

on Granville Street

called the Sugar Refinery. 

I remember the night clearly because

the cops came due to a noise complaint,

which is pretty funny considering

we were two folksy singer/songwriters

with nothing but our voices and guitars ;)

Anyhow, enjoy the song

and visit Myk's website to

purchase more of his music.

Hope you are having a beautiful day!

Inspiration Wednesday: Jay Peachy

Jay is an amazing example of what it means to live an artful life. As a painter, musician, radio dj and activist for environmental and mental health issues, Jay lives his life with intention and artfulness in every aspect. And Jay's approach to his dream home is the perfect example of this. Jay is bartering his way to building his dream home. With a plot of land in Anmore and the concept to trade goods and services for building supplies, Jay plans to have his dream home within a year.

“The bartering is really an art project in itself,” Peachy told The Tri-City News last week.

He plans to use as much reclaimed, recycled or donated building materials as possible, winding up with what he hopes will be a sustainable, eco-friendly piece of inhabitable art, complete with a personal studio and public gallery. (Courtesy Tri City News)

I believe the most important aspect of living life as an artful endeavour is INTENTION. Jay knows what his values are, and applies those values to every aspect of his life. In his artist statement, Jay expresses this beautifully:

"I am a contemporary outsider artist who believes in the healing properties of the natural environment. I paint landscapes in abstract as an expression of my connection with nature and its ability to provide me peaceful inspiration. As organisms on this earth I believe we are interconnected with nature and highly interdependent."

We may not all be able to tackle a grand project like Jay's Barter home, but we can take the spirit of it into our lives and ask the question "How can I live more authentically? How can I make my daily life reflect my values?"

For more information on Jay's Barter Dream House, visit his listing at SwapSity or follow his blog about the process at Anmore Home.

I would love to hear your stories about living your artful endeavours. What big or small ways to you live artfully? How do you create a life that reflects your values?

Light My Fire

Come join me over at Studio Mothers today for some thoughts on lighting your own fire! I'll see you back here for Photo Friday.

Have a beautiful day!



Northern Voice Artists!

This past weekend I attended the Northern Voice Social Media conference, and got to meet some really talented and inspiring artists. Check out the work of these three dynamos:

Darcie Frederick creator of the beautiful online graphic novel Ada Starfield

Here is my favourite quote, from Chapter 1 of Ada Starfield:

her mother said,

Ada close your eyes

close your eyes, my dear

feel the earth,

feel her deep down below.

feel your gratitude

she receives it.

gratitude, Ada

send it down, into the dark.

if you can't find gratitude

then what will you give her?

what part of you goes down

into the cold press of earth?

Next up is Leah Gregg. Leah has taken on a wicked iphone photo project called onetwofiveVANCOUVER, celebrating the city's 125th birthday. 

Photographer Leah Gregg documents Vancouver

I used to walk past this building every day on my way to work. Her portraits of the city remind me why I love living here.

Last up, the paintings of Uma Sharda. I love this Lotus dancer:

Artist Uma Sharda paints spirit 

What I love about the work of all three of these women is the passion that jumps through the image. This is true inspiration!

Please visit their websites to see more of their work.

Have a beautiful day!

the beautiful world

Today I am inspired by the work of Brian Andreas.

I have one of his books of poetry,

and it is the most profound guide to pure creativity

I have ever seen.

I am also inspired by James Blunt today,

and by all the other singer-songwriters

who nightly bleed their hearts onto the stage

so that we can vicariously feel our own passions.

Thank you James for a fantastic show last night!

Have a beautiful day!

Inspiration Wednesday: Got Craft?

I am so excited for the Got Craft? show in Vancouver this Sunday! I have been perusing the list of vendors for the show, and there is going to be some amazing stuff there.

Here are a few of my favourites so far:

1 Raven's Rest Studio: Home decor and gorgeous necklaces 

2PoMoMama Design: Quirky wire, metal and fibre jewelery

3Inspyred Creations: Steampunk Jewelery

4A Cagey Bee: Amazing paintings, prints and jewelery

5The Beautiful Project: Best Cards Ever!

Get crafty!

Inspiration Wednesday: Beautifully Different

Hello all,

In my Song Sunday post I mentioned The Beauty of Different, a book by Karen Walrond, which explores how our differences make us beautiful. Just in case you didn't follow the link though, I though I would post this video for you. I think as artists, some of our greatest work is that which asks us to question the status quo. Karen's work is absolutely stunning, and just watching this video will inspire you to ask, can you find the beauty in different?

Have a beautifully different day!



Inspiration Wednesday: Ramblings

If it's ok with you, today I'd just like to ramble on a bit about some thoughts running through my head. Feel free to just scroll through the pictures if you are in a hurry.

Last August I made a commitment to myself to live creatively, to fully embrace all my creative outlets without judgement, without expectations. I would follow the muse wherever she lead, take courses when I felt like it, and not be afraid to try new things. I have throughout my life dabbled in many forms of creativity, some moreso than others. I dove into music for many years, releasing a CD in 2004 with my band Sonicjoy. But although I love music, I found the music industry a soul killer for me. I met my best friends through my music pursuits, but in general I felt like a freak, like I was just not cool enough to fit in with most of the people I met.

After my son was born in 2007, it took me a few years to return to music, and even when I did, I couldn't find the passion that had been there before. The drive wasn't there. So I turned to photography and painting, which had been other interests for me. In fact, right around the time I was releasing my CD, I was also taking a self-employment program with my photography as the business. But at that time I couldn't see a way to make that happen, so it fell into the background, and for a few years the only pictures I took were of my son.

At the beginning of this year, I set a goal for myself to create enough of a catalogue of images to create an Etsy store. I had no idea what I was going to make, or how I would find my "style".

Then a few weeks ago I was looking through the images that I have posted on this blog and realized that I have already created the collection, that I have already found my "style". And it has been incredibly freeing, and a little scary, to realize that I am ready now. Ready to come full circle back to the photography, which has always pulled at my heart. Ready to declare myself to the world an artist. Ready to become who I was meant to be. I know that this is just the beginning, that there is more unfolding to come. I feel a strong pull to writing, and know that there is a book inside of me waiting to be written. But for now, I am happy to take the next step and begin the work of assembling my products and learning about the business of selling my art.

Inspiration has come to me so abundantly since I started opening myself up to the muse, allowing her wisdom to guide me. I am finding my place, where I am not a freak, where there are many others like me. It feels really good.

And I would like to say thank you, to all of you who have joined me for the journey this far. I am so grateful to this amazing community online, which has given me a place to discover and express myself.

Have a beautiful day!

Inspiration Wednesday: Artwalk

This weekend in Port Moody, it's time for the annual Artwalk. This event features artists displaying their work both in their studios and in businesses around the city. I thought I would share my favourite venue and artists, which just happen to coincide. The venue is Rueben's Chocolates, so you can understand why I am excited about that part;) The artists are Kathleen Tennant and Masha Levene. Kathleen makes beautiful one of a kind journals, sketch books and canvas art using torn paper, torn images, acrylic paints, inks and various other things. Kathleen’s art often contains an inspirational message conveyed through words or images she creates on the covers of her journals or canvases. I saw one of her journals in a display case at the library, and was instantly drawn in to her brilliant colours and original designs. Here are a few samples from her Etsy shop:

How gorgeous are those? And speaking of gorgeous, here is the painting that Masha Levene recently co-created with Tammy Pilon and Mandara Lebovitz for the Golden Brush Competition. It is titled Spirit of Spring.

The original painting is on display at city hall right now, and if it goes missing, I had nothing to do with it;)

Time for me to go get ready to teach a toddler music class now. Have a beautiful day!

Inspiration Wednesday: Domestic Goddesses

I recently watched an amazing documentary called Who Does She Think She Is? which explores the works and lives of female artists. It is absolutely amazing, and I hope you get a chance to view it.

One of the artists featured is Edith Vonnegut, who creates these amazing domestic goddess paintings. I really can't say anything that would add to the discussion, so I will just show you some of her work and encourage you to visit her website to see more!

Electrolux

Hot

Sun Block

Have a beautiful day!

Inspiration Wednesday: The In-Between

Sometimes all the inspiring sources in the world are not enough. You could look at the most beautiful painting, listen to the most moving aria, or read the most eloquent writing, and you feel... nothing. Or maybe just a bit depressed that you could never create anything that beautiful. The direction and passion you previously felt has faded, and nothing has come to take its place. You have half a dozen unfinished projects, but none of them is calling to you. What do you do in these times? I am asking because I am stuck in a creative void right now.

I am reading 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women, and an entire section of the book is dedicated to "Surrendering to Creative Cycles". Here is the beginning of the chapter:

Experienced creative women know that their creativity moves in cycles of birth, death, and rebirth. Surrendering to the cycles instead of fighting with them is a skill of the creative warrior.

So what to do in the meantime? How can we nurture ourselves while we wait in the in-between? While blog surfing at Live Creative, I read about Yoga Journal's 21 Day Challenge. I was inspired to commit to practice yoga every day for 21 days. Sometimes it was just 20 minutes of relaxation yoga before bed, sometimes it was an hour long class of Hatha Flow. But each day, I did something. And I know I needed to do this, because throughout the creative streak that marked the previous seven months I was completely neglecting my body and spirit. 

Now that I have completed the 21 day challenge, I am going to try alternating yoga and creative time every other day, to bring things more into balance. I can't say that I am any closer to getting through the void, but at least I am more flexible;) And through my yoga practice I have realized that I want to return to my studies of Carnatic music, a classical Indian music style. 

Surrendering to the creative flow and trusting that this is all leading me to where I am supposed to go next is challenging. And yet, what choice do I have but to surrender? Life is a journey, and each phase of that journey has something to teach us, something to offer.

I recently spoke with Amber Strocel about creativity and motherhood for her e-course Crafting My Life. I will be taking Amber's course in May, and maybe that will provide some further clues as to where my journey is taking me. In the meantime, I would love to hear from you. What do you do in the in-between?

P.S. You can listen to my conversation with Amber here.

Inspiration Wednesday: Foxfires

I love discovering a new favourite artist, and the current edition of Somerset Digital Studio Magazine has introduced me to this amazing creator Aimee Stewart. Her work is the most incredible, fantastical universe of creativity and wonder! Here is one of her amazing pieces featured in the magazine:

To see more of Aimee's artwork and to purchase prints, calendars, and more, visit her website at foxfires.com

Here is a quote from the article in Digital studio that really inspired me:

"I stopped being defined by specific genres a long time ago. I've realized the wonderful freedom of simply letting my mind, heart, and imagination do the choosing for me. Music, books, artwork, creativity of any kind... all of it is fair game to me now. The only consistent thread that is woven through everything I collect into my life is that it needs to somehow inspire, resonate, and move me... You just have to be an open receptacle to the wonder of it all."

Those are words to live by.

Inspiration Wednesday: Dream

Priscilla Ahn : Dream 

(thanks to Bonnie Rose for posting this!)

Today let's talk about dreams.

If you have children, 

you know that they dream

all the time.

They tell fantastical stories to themselves.

They are transported to another place,

not limited to this time, 

this identity, 

even this species.

As we get older our days fill with 

to-do lists, deadlines and goals.

It gets harder to find time to dream.

Even in our creative pursuits,

it is so easy to get caught up 

in "measurable outcomes"

instead of revelling in the 

pure joy

of artistic play.

I have made this mistake.

I have made my life hell 

because of my wrong thinking.

Always looking to the future,

always planning.

Never playing.

I like to believe 

that I have grown a bit 

wiser over the years.

I am taking time to

slow down.

I am trying not to waste the 

precious gift

that is my life

on things that do not matter.

I am taking time to dream.

Inspiration cannot come

if we do not open the door

and invite it in.

Take a few minutes alone.

Let your mind play.

Let yourself dream.

This is your gift to yourself.

You deserve it.

Inspiration Wednesday: Get Happy!

Today let's talk about getting happy. Inspired by my recent read of The Happiness Project, here are some things that are making me happy right now.

1. Run the Red Light. This awesome pop band rocked the Media Club on Friday night! I could not stop bobbing my head all through their set. When they announced that they had only a few copies of their CD left for sale, I made my husband go buy it for me at the merch table because I didn't want to miss a minute of the show (thanks honey!)



2. Kindness Girl's Swearing is Caring campaign. How fantastic is this? It's an online swear jar, with all the funds for this month going to a non-profit that supports GLBT youth. While trying to clean up your language, you can make a donation to a local RVA charity for every moment a four letter word slides. Don’t wanna give it up? Drop some change in the jar and feel better about that sailor mouth! Make your mom proud or have her match your donation. Let’s see what kind of sharing our swearing brings! Every quarter counts!

3. My son's interpretation of the 7 dwarves song: My ho, my ho, it's off to work we go! Makes me smile every time.

Have a happy day!

 

Inspiration Wednesday: Pecha Kucha!

I am very excited to share with you my first ever Pecha Kucha presentation. Pecha Kucha is, according to Wikkipedia:

Pecha Kucha |ペチャクチャ, usually pronounced in three syllables as "pe-chak-cha", is the Japanese word for the sound of conversation. The equivalent English term is "chit-chat". Pecha Kucha Night events consist of around a dozen presentations, each presenter having 20 slides, each shown for 20 seconds. Each presenter has just 6 minutes 40 seconds to explain their ideas before the next presenter takes the stage. Conceived as a venue through which young designers could meet, show their work, exchange ideas, and network, the format keeps presentations concise, fast-paced and entertaining.

And here I am, talking about my fairies:

One of my favourite presenters of the evening was the incredibly talented digital artist Masha Levene. If you want to be inspired, definitely check out her work.

Pecha Kucha presentations are now a worldwide phenomenon. If you get the chance to see one, I would highly recommend it!

Have an inspired day!