Creating from Deep Places

I am often asked what it takes to make great art

My first reaction is to say all art is great.

But that is often met with qualifying words of what they think is great.

Making any art in general, is directly related to; learning a process, practice, refining that process, more practice, changing that process to fit your “voice”, even more practice…practice, practice, practice. But even this, although true, is only part of the equation. It’s just the basics of what it takes to make art.

Great art on the other hand, comes from a much deeper place.

GREAT art is part desire, part suffering, a little bit of desperation, and a whole lot of SOUL.

Great art doesn’t just happen, it is born.

So what do I mean by great art….it isn’t what you may think. Sure, the Masters did their fair share of suffering, and created some of the worlds greatest masterpieces. Feeling is evident in the brushstrokes, even love, compassion, curiosity and a desire to know the subject matter more intimately. These are all qualifiers.

But just because you didn’t study under the masters, doesn’t mean that you can’t create a GREAT work of art.

Great creative works aren’t always born by the most gifted person, or even the one who has invested hundreds of hours into a creative piece or practice. It isn’t necessarily the most “beautiful”, or the most expensive, and they aren’t always found in galleries.

Truly Great pieces of Art make people feel.

They bring out emotion, memory and sometimes even tears. They are a culmination of what the artist feels deep inside during the creative process….often mirroring the heart of THE CREATOR, for it is in those deep places of the soul that ours touches HIS.

Heart beating fast, as the bush hits its mark with an accuracy you simply KNOW isn’t yours.

And then there is that one person who sees it and is overcome; sometimes with joy, sometimes with grief – and they experience feelings they often don’t understand. In this moment, that art, that masterpiece, that Truly. Great. Soul-work. is a conduit connecting the Creator to His creation; for that is what we all are, whether we readily acknowledge it or not.

It is a call to recognize that deep place, to “SEE” what only some will choose to see.

In that moment of clarity, all of our questions fall into place, and a knowledge that surpasses understanding finds its way into our souls…into those deeper places where art and creativity are born.

I invite you today to go deeper, to choose to see what is hidden deep inside of you, and to create that Great Work of Art that can touch the souls of others.

I would love to hear how you are connecting to that creative center of your being. What do YOU do to connect to your Creative Soul? Let’s start a conversation….this is a place of safety and love…your feelings mean something to us

with love and creativity ~lisa

when life sucks…

We all know that life has a way of taking you places you didn’t want to go, bringing you things you didn’t want to have, and leaving you feeling broken and alone.

Life – it sucks!

…but only in the sense that it has a tendency to suck time, resources, energy and purpose.

That is why every now and then we just need to refuel.

  • Take a new class
  • Change our surroundings
  • Do something different

Often it is in that ‘different‘ that we discover who we are. When life is noisy, it tends to drive you, instead of you determining the path which you will take. I get it. February was that month for me – heck, January too! I’ve been soul searching, making changes, and trying to be still and listen.

What am I hearing?

Spirit longings

I will be sharing these with you over the next month as I delve deeper into what my spirit is telling me and how to hear what your spirit is telling you too.

For Today, lets start with just being still….

Find a quiet place – inside, outside, whatever works for you in your corner of the world. But preferably a place that you will not be interrupted for a period of time. no noise except for the murmurings of nature

Close your eyes – shut out everything except your inner eyes. Distractions abound for me…even in nature – squirrel! Need I say more?

Listen – This is important. You don’t want to listen with your ears…listen with your heart. If you can’t get to a very quiet place, try putting in some earbuds and listening to some soft sounds of nature or instrumentals. No words….those are distracting – squirrel. you only want to block out the noise of what is going on around you, not create more.

Complete quiet is of course best, but if that is not an option, or if quiet distracts you, the music might be necessary. As you practice this it will become easier.

As you listen, what words pop into your head?

Jot those down in a journal or on a piece of paper, no matter how weird they seem. Sometimes words will come and they won’t make any sense- write them anyway. Let them go as you write and then listen again. Try this for 5 minutes the first day and increase your time by 5 minutes each day if possible.

{do you need a new journal? I have some really beautiful ones in my etsy shop. You can visit that here}

Spending time each day in the presence of the Creator – Spirit to Spirit, will reveal things you never imagined. By next Monday, hopefully you will have increased your listening/meditation time to 30 or 35 minutes. Then check back here for the next part of the Spirit led journey.

May your Spirits hear the words of the Creator. Words of life, words of love

Words that will bring you closer to who you were always meant to be.