“Draw a Sacred Circle Around Your Recovery”

You and I must remain protective and nurturing of our growth and healing. Prioritization is at times genuinely agonizing, the worst of most growing pains, because the way we prioritize is influenced by our very core, so to change, we must change our most inner structures. Consistency in our dedication to our development is not …

Why I Sketch

What we see and experience is a powerful influence on our being. Our sensory input designs our reality. Receptors take external stimuli and curate logical imagery. Sketching, putting lines on paper, is a way we can once more replicate reality having passed into us and then out through us. When drawing studies of the world …

The Pull: Describing Inspiration

Certain aspects of reality appeal to us by crossing the boundary between Self and Other. Not just reflections, inspiration is an external twin of our most internal core. Exactly the same, yet separate, in union they form something new. Within me is the child naturalist and when I stumble across something related to the natural …

Alchemy of Self: Cauda Pavonis

This phase of Alchemical transformation often coincides with the phase of doves and swans. It’s indicated by explosions of colour and light, as the phenomenon of the colour white is made up of all colours and all colours equal white, one is all and all is one, as such the Peacock's tail often acts as …

We Wonder, How Do We Engage with Nature?

How many times will you be told the importance of connecting with nature? People, including myself, will tout speeches on the interconnectedness of life and the necessity of a healthy relationship with the natural world, but rarely will be specific about how. Go for a hike, take up gardening, paint landscapes, these are actions that …

Good to Be Bad: Making Art

Are you afraid to create ‘bad’ art? The answer for myself is invariably yes, as is the answer to the question of failing or underwhelming, but it’s an incomplete response. Yes, I’m afraid, and I understand why I am, and why ‘bad’ art is important. Being aware of the whats and whys brings about a …

Learning to Flow: Word Counts and Short Story Writing Goals

I’ve dedicated this month of November to finishing the first draft of my short story compilation during the annual novel writing contest NaNoWriMo. On November 24 I surpassed the 50k word count that signifies a winner and continued on as my compilation wasn’t complete. Yesterday, just a day or so shy of December 1st, I …

Learning to Flow

When doing anything, we tend to second guess ourselves or meet roadblocks built by our own unconscious hand. Getting things done means finding rhythm in our work, pushing forward. We can’t always be confident but we can do our best to be persistent. NaNoWriMo is a good example of learning flow, National Novel Writing Month …

Art Practice: Stream of Consciousness

Art practice is a tool belt. We collect exercises and processes to advance our creativity and ability to derive and hone in on inspiration. My fiancé’s professor recently advised the two of us to start every day with stream of consciousness writing.  Much like brainstorming (which I write about in Making Conceptual Connections in Art) …

Uninspired, Thinking is Rebellion

Wide and narrow, an unlimited net of influence and a refined sense of value— we absorb the world around us, but must have a clear understanding of what appeals or interests us. To look inward at what drives us and connects with our unique perceptions and struggles, this is crucial self reflection. I aspire to …