The Bridge Over Tomorrow...

"When you cry a river of tears, build a bridge to your heart and get over it! Becca is the Muse of reconciliation. She has been through a lot in her life. She has cried. She has survived. She has thrived. We go to her when we need to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and start all over again.

If you have been following my blog you know that I am walking over several bridges right now. A move, a job change, a health issue... I am working through these life decisions with the help of God, family and friends.

Transition periods are always difficult because you are no longer where you were and you have not yet arrived where you are going to be. You are just somewhere in the middle of the bridge, hopefully moving forward. It is a scary place to be even if you desire to get to the other side. Leaving something behind, even if it was bad for you, is leaving a place of comfort because it was familiar. Sometimes you jump over the side and swim in the river of tears for a little while longer. Sometimes you are so focused on getting to the other side you forget to enjoy the journey. The more chaotic the transition period, the better suited you are to enjoy the outcome. A friend told me last week, "God must have something very special planned for you because great grace springs from bitter turmoil."

Building a bridge to my heart is the easy part. Getting over it, letting go of the things left behind and fully embracing the other side with no regrets is the hard part.

Today's aMUSEment - Take out a pencil and paper and draw your bridge or cut one out of a magazine. Then draw a heart at one side. Paste the bridge going into your heart. It does not have to be perfect, just representational. Visualize yourself on the bridge. With colored markers write the answers to the following questions: What kind of bridge are you on today? Is it a covered bridge, a swinging bridge, a suspension bridge, a rope bridge...? Where are you on that bridge? One foot on and one foot in the past, the beginning, midway, near the end...? Are you running across, strolling, dawdling, standing still? How long have you been on the bridge? How does it feel? Are you alone? Are you secure or shaky? Are you looking ahead, backwards or at the sky? Did you stop to fish (distract yourself) over the edge? Did you dangle your feet? Is the bridge over water, a road, railroad tracks? Can you see the other side? Is it for cars or people? What color is the bridge? Now look at your creation. Does it tell you something?

U Be Creative Today!

Perceptions - Who's stopping you?

Percepciōn has great insight and intuition. She can look at both sides of anything and come away with a clear understanding. We call on her to help us sort through what something appears to be on the surface, but actually is something very different. The really big life lessons are sometimes contained in seeming innocent or small occurrences that have an impact far beyond their original intent.

One of these situations happened to me yesterday. I was making the morning trek to my favorite blogs when I came upon DJ Pettit's post entitled Large Painting. I had a flash of insight so powerful, it shook me to the core. I have been attempting/struggling to paint on the exact same size canvas (23' X 30" and larger) and 'perceiving' it to be small. I realized how everything in this world is really only our perception of it. What she sees as large, I see as small. My perspective changed in that instant and it freed me to stop using the size of the surface as a block to my creativity. Thank you DJ!!!

I did not know, at least not consciously, what looking at the canvas as small was actually doing to me. Perception itself became the stumbling block. My 'naive realism' was limiting me. It is a complex head/heart problem.

DJ's comment made possible a shift of my perception that has freed me to create without limits. The stumbling block that this removes is the 'self-imagined' impossibility of painting with tiny brushes on what I had perceived as small canvas. She may never understand the immense gift she has given me, but I will always be grateful.

I actually sailed into my studio yesterday morning and had the most productive day I have had since I began this life transition. I felt comfortable sitting down before this canvas and the paint flowed from my brush. I had amazing results. At left is DJ's angel entitled "Fly Forth, O Gentle Dove."

Today's aMUSEment - Who knows what lurks below our perceptions? I am intrigued by what other perceptions I have that may be causing me to act counter productively. So I ask you to look at your perceptions, real or imagined, that may be limiting you at this moment. They may even be preventing you from doing what you were put on this planet, at this exact moment in time, to do.

A Buddhist friend of mine once asked me, "Who is stopping you?" Try to understand. See if you can see. You think you are asking a simple question. You are not. The answer is: "Who's stopping you?"

U Be Creative Today!

Hamana Muse of Rhythm

Hamana is a very spiritual person. She connects easily to her inner self by singing, dancing, and drumming. Have you ever drummed? I love the rhythmic beat of drums. I like to feel the vibration in my hands and in my body. I like how my hands speak the rhythms of my soul as they move across the surface of the drum. I like how it sometimes matches the beating of my heart. It is very comforting.

Today's aMUSEment - Let's drum. If you don't have a real drum, a large flat stock pot will do. Actually any flat surface is fine, but something you can turn over in front of you is best. Take your drum to the middle of your living room or any room where you are free to make some noise. Sit on the floor with the drum before you and start to tap. One hand then the other. 1LEFT, 1RIGHT, 1LEFT, 1RIGHT. When this feels comfortable, do two taps with one hand. Always alternate hands. Like 1R,1L,1R,1L,1R,2L,1R,1L. Repeat this rhythm a few times. Then do a 2R,2L,2R,1L rhythm. Keep going. Create your own tap series. Go fast or slow, hard or soft. Just make noise. The drumming brings you to a centered place where only the beat and the feeling in your hands and body are in your awareness. If you like this you might want to invest in an inexpensive drum.

U Be Creative Today!

Enter Into Your Heart

My heart overflows when I take time to remember the sacrifice of those who fought for our freedom.

Aauricle is the Muse of the heart. She is fully in touch with her heart. That is the first place she visits to listen to her inner self. And she always listens!! We call on her when we need to get connected to our heart and feel unconditional love in its most blessed form.

I have been living outside my heart for a few weeks now. Worrying, stressing, and not taking care of me. Now it is time to listen to my heart, that always knows what is best for me, even when I do not consciously know.

The stress of the pending things on my to-do list - move, job, houses - have put me in a state of confusion. And everything seems to be 'pending' at the moment. I feel like I have not accomplished much of anything, even though I did manage to paint three Angels of Destiny last week, enter an emerging women artist contest, and begin making plans to move. So I guess I did accomplish a few things.

Today's aMUSEment - What is pending in your life today? Is it in line with your heart? Is there something you have been avoiding or putting off until the right time? Take a few minutes and look it those things and see if there is one, just one, action step you can take that will bring you closer to completion.

U Be Creative Today!

My STUFF Now Owns Me

Elizabeth is the hoarding Muse. She likes STUFF, lots of STUFF. It makes her feel comfortable to be surrounded by things she owns and bought so lovingly. She remembers how she felt when she got it, where she got it, why she got it, and who she got it from. Every piece that she owns has great sensory associations either pleasurable or sentimental. She has a closet full of her Mother's clothing, seven years after her Mother passed, because she feels that letting them go is letting go of her. The upstairs, the downstairs, the basement and the garage are overflowing with her beloved STUFF!! How can she possible let go of them? It is like letting go of a piece of her soul. (Did I tell you she is a little dramatic?) She's the everything to excess Muse. And she's bad news for me.

Do you have a disconnect with the amount of STUFF that you own? You may not have STUFF like me. You may just have stuff. But is it blessing your life or overloading it?

Jen Lee posted about "all that we already own" on her blog. She says, "One of my favorite hobbies now is to look at shops not through the lens of What do I want here?, but I look instead for staging ideas."

I look through the "I love it. I want it. I must have it now" lens when I need the "How am I going to feel about this when it is on my driveway and people want to give me 50 cents for it?" lens.

Do I know about STUFF!!! I sooooooo relate to this!!! I am having to move back into my old house (Florida) because it did not sell in a year!! It is smaller and I have happily/blissfully filled this new house (Georgia) with even more amazing STUFF!!! The STUFF that now owns me, not I it.

The thought of downsizing again is overwhelming to me. I paid to move over 25,000 pounds (12-1/2 TONS) to Georgia a little over one year ago. I cannot take all that back!! But what am I going to do with all this stuff??!!?!?!?

You see I am not very good at selling anything. Of the two houses I have tried to sell in my lifetime, one I put on the market two days before 9/11/2001. Nobody was buying for months!!! The other my beautiful Florida home is caught in the midst of the current economy/hurricane/war scare real estate bubble thing!! You can bet if I ever want to sell a house that some major world event is about to take place!! And I have an even harder time (self-imposed feelings of immense/boundless loss) parting with my STUFF!!!

I had the same problem when I moved into my Florida house from my old house in Georgia. I had a 'moving' sale which is a fancy, self-deceptive term for what is really a 'people think I am desperate and want to ditch all my belongings for nothing' sale. I did manage to 'give away/donate' a lot of furniture/household stuff over that dreadful weekend of haggling over dimes. (One incident was the woman who said $2 was "way out of her budget" for a hundred year-old wicker mirror in excellent condition. I sold it for 50 cents!!) Afterward, I had to call a thrift store that sent a truck, refused to take some of my stuff (10' Henredon couch) and threw/tossed/heaved the rest onto the truck with no regard to keeping things intact. It was a terrible thing to watch. I may try Craig's List this time at Jen's suggestion. It could not be any worse!!!

While I still owned both the old Georgia house and the Florida house my daughter threatened to call the Clean House/Simplify Me Please show because I not only had one cluttered mess of a house, I had two!! She called it an intervention. The above moving sale/thrift store experience took care of some of it, but I am still holding on as tightly a I can to this 12-1/2 Tons. The thought of leaving anything behind makes me nauseated. The thought of moving it make me nauseated. What is the matter with me?

I have come to the realization that this 12+ Tons of STUFF now owns me. I have to protect it. I have to insure it. I have to clean it. I have to fix it when it breaks. I have to pack it when I move. Sometimes I have tripped over it and broken a toe. It is toooooo much!!!!

Today's aMUSEment - Take a slow walk around your home. Really look at the stuff you own. Look at it through the lens of an outsider. Do you really need all that stuff? Does it make you happy? Does it burden you? Does it squander valuable creativity time taking care of it or paying for it? Can you begin to simplify your life? What would happen if you did simplify?

U Be Creative Today!

PS - I think I will encourage Casey (daughter) to make that intervention call.

I've Got Ideas

Oh boy do I have ideas!!! Muse Mynda is Imagineer Extraordinaire. She has that look, that spark in her eye that says - I am about to be up to something big!!!

Mynda and Imaginata helped me with the list from yesterday's aMUSEment. We got a little carried away as you will see below. How did you do? Did you get way outside the box and think of alternate words for the heart? Did you use the Thesaurus? Did you ask for help from someone? Did you review some country song lists? Did you stop at 10 or 15 titles? All of these are creative ideas. Share with us what you did to come up with ideas?

1. My fractured-vascular organ


2. Heartbro-ken ov-er you


3. Heart bro-ken open


4. Heart failure


5. My cracked auricle


6. You're under cardiac arrest


7. My-ocardial infarction is you


8. I've developed heart disease over you


9. Scars on my hear


10. You broke my cardiac organ


11. These chest pains were caused by you


12. Coronary contusion


13. My affliction is a broken heart


14. My heartache was started by you


15. You gave me heartsickness


16. With a heavy heart I say goodbye


17. I rue givin' my heart to you


18. Lovin' you was a grievous sin


19. Broken pieces of my heart


20. My angina started when you left


21. You scarred my heart


22. My heart is worn and torn


23. My puffer was broken today


24. My scarred heart will survive


25. You jumped on my pumper


26. My ticker is sicker


27. My heart is black and blue


28. The pieces of my vascular organ


29. Heart breaker


30. You broke my heart to pieces


31. My heart breaks and aches for you


32. You fractured my heart


33. Only a few fragments of my heart remain


34. You split my heart in two


35. You cracked apart my heart


36. My heart is broken from the fall


37. My heartbreak is inoperable


38. My heart collapsed


39. You busted my heart


40. You shattered the source of my being


41. My auricle was shattered by your love


42. Cardiac organ repair


43. My pumper is a thumpin' for you


44. My heart is in critical condition


45. My heart has been downgraded to critical condition


46. Livin' you is heart-rending


47. Which ventricle will you break this time


48. Heartbroken lament


49. My pitiful heart


50. Tragic misuse of my heart

Today's aMUSEment - Pick one of your titles and finish the song. Write, at least, three verses and one chorus. Don't know what a verse and a chorus are? Go here to learn the structure of a song. Another interesting site for songwriters is called "The Muse's Muse." It is loaded with helpful info.

U Be Creative Today!

Imiginata - Imagineer

Muse Imiginata has hundreds of ideas swirling around in her head at all times. This resourcefulness is a great asset when you need to brainstorm because she can come up with 44 ideas in a minute or two. You can see it in her eyes when the wheels begin to turn. Creative thinking is her strong suit. She is an Imagineer.

She possesses an uncanny knack for forming mental images or concepts. The fruits of her imagining are often fanciful. Imaginata's creations are consistent with reality, but shaded with a hint of illustrative or decorative imagery that makes them her own. This gift makes her an excellent writer.

Do you understand what a great gift your imagination is? Your imagination is what sparks your daydreams, fuels your hopes, and completes your creativity. It can also cause distress if it runs wild without all the facts. Your imagination can be fanciful or whimsical, sophisticated or casual, amusing or serious. Imagination is what created the wheel, the printing press, the computer, the Internet, the automobile, the airplane, the television, the steam engine, the laser, discovered the earth was round, DNA, cures for polio and smallpox. You get the idea!?!?!

Imagination is thwarted in schools today. You are taught to know the answer to the question, not to question the answer!! Children blessed with an overabundance of imagination (me) are often classified as difficult, daydreamer (me), class clown, etc. because for some reason we want to be classified as something. And those classifications were looked on as bad things. It took me many years to overcome the labels placed on me by well-intentioned and loving people. We are taught to color inside the lines and live within your box. Those of us who did not think of lines as stopping points or our boxes as prisons, developed and fed our fertile imaginations and became the visionaries and creative thinkers who discover new frontiers and dream dreams that can change our world.

Today's aMUSEment - Encourage yourself (and your children) to use your imagination to discover new things about yourself. Let's start thinking outside your box and get your brain cells activated. Get paper and pen and write in big bold letters across the top -

BROKEN HEART

We are going to write the title of the next country hit song. Now find 25 different way to express broken heart. I will share my list tomorrow but here are a few to start:

1. my bro-ken ticker
2. ache breaky heart (that's been done)
3. my divided heart
4. a heart torn asunder
5. my ventricles have been stomped on by you

Become an Imagineer - U Be Creative Today!

Muse Parlatore

"First learn the meaning of what you say, and then speak." –Epictetus (55 AD - 135 AD)

Muse Parlatore (talker in Italian) is a chatterbox. She loves words and uses them frequently. She can hold conversations anywhere with anybody at any time. She talks to people on the subway, she talks to people waiting in line with her, she talks to mimes. You know her, she has cornered you somewhere. Parlatore has a way of bringing you into her world that does not bother you. Her joy is infectious. You walk away smiling.

Today's aMUSEment - Make a point of talking to the next five people you meet that you don't know. Just say "hi" and give them a second or two of eye contact. If that feels so very uncomfortable for you, then smile at the next five strangers you meet. A smile and a kind hello can change someones day. It can change you too!

U Be Creative Today!

PS - The Muses kidnapped us for a couple of days of chaos. But I am happy to report that we are back, a little bruised and shaken, but much wiser. We have been through full-blown spiritual warfare the past two days and have survived by the grace of God. We step into the world this morning with no safety net. Free to be whatever we can be....

OOPS!!!

I must apologize to my regular aMUSEment seekers for missing yesterday. I have a whole bag excuses/reasons/justifications/cop-outs. Let's just say I am creatively unemployed now and in no way aMUSEd!!!

Then, the Muses became unruly, contrary, peevish and mischievous. They began frolicking/toying with me. Early this morning (5 AM) I had written a most wonderful post, when I hit some key and blew it into cyber nothingness. It was gone, caput, nowhere to recover. I have a private student coming today, so I am limited in time to recreate. I also am at a loss for recreating it. I know the gist, but the phrasing escapes me. I trust it will come another day when I have the time to think.

Today's aMUSEment - Devote 10 minutes to your favorite art form.

U BE Creative Today!

Truth

"Life is difficult. In the hasty confusion of our days, we easily lose sight of basic truths. When we manage to make real contact with a basic truth, sometimes we are inspired to act upon it, and thus may change our lives radically and permanently." -P.M. Forni, Choosing Civility: The Twenty-five Rules of Considerate Conduct

Recently, I have come face to face with some harsh truths. Truths about my future on every level - financially, spiritually, physically, emotionally, etc. After much prayer and soul searching, I have taken the Florida house off the market and have decided to move back. I believe that truth, once told, releases your soul to find it's peace. That is where I find myself today, searching for peace.

It is a good decision because I am so very happy there. I have good friends, a wonderful church, and such peace. I believe it did not sell because I am supposed to be there.

I came back to Georgia to be closer to my doctors because I was doing so badly health wise a year ago. I have come to realize that I am going to have times when the pain is manageable and times when it is not. So it does not matter where I am because the doctors can not do any more for me unless I become paralyzed. If that happens, I will probably die before I get help anyway. I have accepted this and made peace with it. Days when I can't walk very well, I am thankful that I can walk at all.

Why? I broke my neck when I was 23 years old. I broke the same bone that Christopher Reeve broke. There are 18,000+ recorded instances of breaking this bone. Only 250 of those lived. Of those 250 people, I am the only one who walked again. I have an inoperable cyst on my spine that causes me much distress, bouts of immobility, and constant pain. But I have walked and lived for 32 years longer than I should have. So I am blessed.

The pain is the same in Georgia as in Florida. (It would be better in the southwest my doctors say) I am much happier on my tiny island. So why not be where I am happy and peaceful? It is a no brainer. DUH!!!

Thank you for listening to me this morning. I just needed to verbalize it; to bring it into perspective. I ask that you keep me in your prayers and thoughts as I find a way to make this all work.

Today's aMUSEment - Count your blessings. Face your truths. Find your peace.

U Be Creative Today!

Life Lessons - La Vie Leçons (French)

My French Muse Sophie has much experience with
leçons de vie-lessons of life. Her life journey(voyage de vie) has been strewn with learning experiences, small and large and huge. You can see the wisdom of the lessons learned (la sagesse des leçons a appris) written on her face. She has known, she has grown, she is wise (elle a su, elle a grandi, elle est sage).

Today's post was inspired by the ever-wise Corey Amaro at Tongue in Cheek. Yesterday she posted some romantic life lessons (les leçons romantiques de vie) that are wonderfully poignant.

The lessons below are less romantic, but hopefully as poignant. They spring from a potent inner wisdom I learned at a young age when a terrible (atroce) accident changed the course of my life forever. I learned pour être vivant parce que la vie est courte (to be alive because life is short) and:

1. Everything happens in its own time, exactly as it should.


2. Trust your instincts, vibrations, and gut feelings. It is God's way of speaking to you.


3. Focus on being of extraordinary value.


4. There are many perspectives to any situation.


5. Hold those you love, but never hold on to them.


6. Courage comes from our Spirit.


7. Once the future has become the present it, too, is perfect.


8. Develop soul power so that when your world unravels, your 'self' will remain intact.


9. There are no ordinary moments.


10. Forgive everyone everything, including yourself.


11. You always have choices. Happiness is one of them.


12. It is NEVER too late.


13. A lesson is repeated until learned.

Today's aMUSEment - If you could pass on one valuable lesson to the world before you die, what would it be?

U Be Creative Today! that's life! "c'est la vie!"

Fun Sign Letters - C R E 8 T I V A

Oh Joy - this will entertain me for some time!!! I just had to post twice today (see below why I need amused today!!) Spell with Flickr created by Erik Kastner and found through Kelly Rae's blog has amused me greatly!!!

U Be Creative Today!!!

Amuse Me - PLEASE!!!!

Chipper is always smiling, always happy. She is the Muse to visit when you are down or angry or out of sorts. I have been out of sorts for the past few days.

(WARNING - This paragraph is whining. You can skip to the next one if you don't want to hear it) I am awaiting an answer to a job proposal I submitted on the 1st of this month.. It is to continue as editor of the magazine I have edited for 10 years. An acceptance will provide my income for the next year. A rejection will leave me without an income I have counted on for the past 10 years. It is a scary place to be since I have two houses (one has been on the market for about 9 months now). I am trying to let God sort it out and I know what ever happens will be exactly what is supposed to happen. But the unknowing and uncertainty is wearing on me. I put a 10 day limit on the proposal. That was last Friday and I still am waiting for an answer. I am the type of person who just wants to know the answer, good or bad. Then I can deal with it. The waiting to hear is almost unbearable for me. My stomach gets in knots, I imagine myself out on the street homeless, I do crazy things to myself. But it is a powerful decision. The results may determine moving back to my Florida house and finding a job. So it is a critical time. Enough about my proposal, I just had to get it out.
Let's talk about being amused. I love to dance. It always makes me feel happy. When my feet are moving, I am happy.

Today's aMUSEment - Happy feet are fun. let's get moving again. Turn on some music you love and kick up your heels, sway, twist, tango, shimmy, stroll, modern, belly, swim, booguloo, frug, hully gully, hitch hike, pony, (I am showing my age now) disco, hoochie koochie, minuet, interpretive, shag, one-step, two-step, polka, hip hop, black bottom, charleston, lindy, rain, tap, soft shoe, mexican hat, hokey pokey, line, table, swing, tribal, waltz, hustle, fandango, watusi, jitterbug, cha cha cha, electric slide, salsa, bossa nova, can can, hula, chicken dance, boot scoot, clog, conga, dance dance revolution, Irish, lap, jig, macarena, morris, YMCA, zydeco... you get the point. Make happy feet for 10 minutes today.

U Be Creative Today!

Susan of Art AngelIX has this beautiful creation "Kyabi is the part of life circumstances over which individuals have no direct control." Out of my control is where I am right now.

Corey of Tongue and Cheek has again amused me with seven wonderful vie lecons (life lessons). Merci!!

PS - Darla of Bayside to Mountainside left me this comment about yesterday's post that I love: "If you really do put a small value upon yourself, rest assured that the world will not raise your price." - Anonymous Thanks Darla!!! I am off to raise my prices!!!

Orangina-Illustration Friday

This is my first venture into Illustration Friday! A big step for me. Orangina is the muse of orderly rule. I am feeling very overwhelmed tonight absolutely seperate from orderly rule. Everything seems to be in a state of flux right now. My life, my career, my health, my art, my home(s), my dreams, my spirit... Nothing appears really stable. I feel on a precipice, hanging on, but just barely. If one thing shifts slightly the whole will slip. I am not typically sad and gloomy, but I long for that feeling of safe ordinariness that flows from balance.

I am desperately searching for a way to reinvent myself into an artist of smalls. What are smalls? Anything smaller than 6' X 6'! A muralist who can no longer climb scaffolding is a muralist without a means of support - literally, figuratively, and financially!!! It is a scary place to be.

I have managed to keep myself afloat by teaching, editing an industry magazine, writing for publications, and doing some graphic design work. But I long to be painting again. That is where the smalls come in. I had a talk with Michael deMeng last weekend about the fear I am feeling putting my smalls out there. It feels like I am putting one of my children out into the world. Putting this out there for Illustration Friday is a big step for me - a coming out.

I need for my small artworks to sustain me and that places an urgency for creation that can sometimes stifle creativity. I do not know how to proceed. I have no idea how to get my art before the buying public or if they will buy it. I am gently searching for a mentor who can lead me through the maze or, at least, give me a good shove in the right direction. I have to begin selling my art now.

Today's aMUSEment - Are you having trouble putting your creations out into the world? We must find a safe and supportive venue in which to do that. If you do not already have one, consider starting a blog to put your work into the public. It is fairly simple to begin blogging. Blogger.com is free. Or create something to enter into Illustration Friday, Poetry Thursday, 3 Word Wednesday, Self Portrait Tuesday, Sunday Scribblings, etc. I am sure there are others that I have not found as yet. Get your stuff out there!!! I will take the journey with you.

U Be Creative Today!

Heart of My Heart

"One hour of thoughtful solitude may nerve the heart for days of conflict - girding up its armor to meet the most insidious foe." -Percival

This is my pensive muse Pietra who is disposed to serious, deep thought. Her musings posses a wistful, dreamy, and sometimes melancholy quality. Her contemplative, reflective, and meditative nature is the fount from which her expressively eloquent sacred poetry flows. Her sensitive and wistful words guide me to think things through without judgement of myself. She is the heart of my heart.

Hope

My heart, my soul finds hope in your words,
I reach out to grab, to posses the feeling
But it slips through my fingers and fades away
Without conscious intent to reveal it's true meaning.
Rebecca E. Parsons 2007

Today's aMUSEment - Take a deep breath and center yourself. Ask yourself how you are feeling today. Write a four line poem that reflects that feeling.

U Be Creative Today!

Venus Anadyomene

Venus Anadyomene, the Muse of love and beauty. This is my meager rendition of her face after The Birth of Venus painting by Sandro Botticelli that hangs in the Uffizi Gallery, Florence. Art History is fascinating. If you are an artist who knows little of the history of art, you may never achieve the success you are seeking with your art. Let's take a quick stroll through the history of the works known as Venus Anadyomene.

Venus Anadyomene has been painted frequently throughout history. Masters and lesser-known artists have tried to capture her beauty. "Venus Rising From the Sea" is the iconic representation of Aphrodite made famous in a painting by Apelles. The painting was described by Pliny the Elder in Pliny's Natural History. The image represents the birth of the Goddess of Love as she emerges from the sea. According to Greek mythology, Aphrodite, born an adult, was the first born of the sea who perpetually wrings out her hair. Sadly this work no longer exists.

Many Renaissance artists, after reading Pliny, tried to recreate or outdo Apelles. Besides Botticelli, other early Venus Anadyomene's are a bas-relief by Antonio Lombardo and Titian's Venus Anadyomene, c. 1525. In the 19th and 20th centuries Venus Anadyomene became a natural subject for fountains: Venus and Cupid the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC is a life-size bronze plumbed so that water drips from Venus' hair. Rococo sculptures of the subject were modestly draped across the hips, but bolder nudes appealed to male nineteenth-century patrons: Théodore Chassériau executed the subject in 1835 and Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres' Venus Anadyomene, completed in 1848, is one of the painter's most celebrated works (Musée Condé, Chantilly, France).

The painting 'Naissance de Venus' (The Birth of Venus), by Alexandre Cabanel, 1863 (Musée d'Orsay, Paris) was shown at the Paris Salon in 1863 and was bought by Napoleon III for his own personal collection.

The Birth of Venus, by William-Adolphe Bouguereau, 1879 (Musée d'Orsay, Paris) reimagines Botticelli's composition and is another testament to the theme's continuing popularity among the academic painters of the late nineteenth century.

Pablo Picasso recast the image of Venus Anadyomene in the central figure of his seminal painting Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (1907), a modernist deconstruction of the icon, and one of the incunabula of Cubism.

Today's aMUSEment - What do you know about art history? Visit some of the above links for a quick art history lesson. Buy a used copy of 'The History of Art' and begin teaching yourself or begin a walk through Wikipedia's History of Art section now.

U Be Creative Today!

Happy Mother's Day - The Beloved Women Before Me

"When I find myself in times of trouble Mother Mary comes to me. Speaking words of wisdom, let it be, let it be." -The Beatles, Let it Be.

This is my beautiful and spirited Mother in one of her musicals (circa 1945). She was a singer and a dancer. She loved music. She had a radio show for years. I used to listen as a baby with my beloved Grandmother Annie Niland. A tale from my childhood: When I was about three, I missed my Mother. I was precocious, to say the least. I thought if I could get her out of that radio box, she would come home. I sent Annie to the kitchen to get me some juice. While she was gone, I took the opportunity to knock the radio off the stand and break it. Annie came rushing back in and found me standing amidst the pieces of the radio. Looking up at her with wide-eyed expectancy I announced, "Mommy will come home now." She didn't come home.

Me with the said radio





Let us pray for all of those who have ever undertaken the profession of motherhood and all the women who have come before us who helped shape us into the women we are today.


Mother and I circa 1953




My beloved Grandmother Annie Niland (she was in a play called The Girl of the Golden West)




















My beloved Grandmother Connie White



















My beloved Great Grandmother "Nana" Casey


















My beloved Great- Great Grandmother Penrod

Today's aMUSEment - Tell your Mother how much you love her - in person, by phone, or in a prayer lifted up to her by angels.

U Be Creative Today!

My Retablo/Michael's First Book Review

WOW!! What a weekend. Sorry that I could not get on the Internet last night or this morning. I am home now and here is what I did the first day - a cigar box retablo. It is not quite finished, but is good for a 6-hour class.
Top left is the outside. It is a leather glove wrapped around a door lock plate. I placed and eye from one of my faces inside the opening. The gloves are fingers thru which the eye peers. It is full of mystery. Left is the inside view. It is more active but invites you to finish the story. Notice that the key is on the inside!!! Can one get in without it? Are you not supposed to be in there? Michael said he liked the "rawness of the outside, left natural. It tells a story and invites you in."

Random Arts is a beautiful store. Jane and her staff are welcoming and gracious spirits. But alas, Michael's book is not ready as yet. He did allow us a peek at his advance copy.

I hesitate to call this a book because it is a work of art itself. The book takes you on a journey into the midst of the myth. Michael's compelling masterworks are mingled with his allegorical prose on this adventure into the creative heart and soul of an artist. You sense his spirit on every page. If you have not met this remarkable gentle man run, don't walk, to his next workshop. And order an advanced copy, a special signed edition, of this beautiful book today. It promises to be one of your most often used sources of inspiration.

U Be Creative Today!!

Frangelica

Frangelica is a dreamy Muse. Her head is always in the clouds. She is wistful. We go to her when we want to get away from it all - Frangelica take me away!!! Today she has brought us to the North Carolina mountains. The morning fog is creeping its way through the mountaintops like fingers running through long lush hair. It was a beautiful, spiritual beginning to my day. I will post pictures soon.

I met Michael deMeng last night. He had an advance copy of his book and read us a few pages of his magical mythological and allegorical work of art. It is a true expression of himself as an artist and a philosopher. He discussed his art making process as intuitive and how it flows from him at best times. He also shared how he reignites his creativity. His class promises to be an adventure.

Today's aMUSEment - Take a few minutes to day dream. Go sit on the porch or by a window. Get really comfy and quiet. Close your eyes and breath deeply for a few minutes. Try to focus on your breath. Eventually a thought will come floating into your mind. Go with it, see where it leads you. Enjoy it!

U Be Creative Today!

Today YOU Can Do Anything

I am soooooo excited!!! The Muse & aMUSEment are below, I just had to share first. Today I am off to North Carolina to spend two days soaking in everything Michael deMeng can teach about Cigar Boxes and Toilet Paper Holders (cheap ones). I will be taking his workshops offered by Random Arts in Saluda, NC. I can hardly wait. I have been gathering lost bits for so many years now. I can finally make something with them. My family will be so glad they are being consumed into something!!

I snagged the photos from the Random Arts site for you to see why I am excited.













This is Surety, Muse of absolute belief. Surety has the type of belief which cannot be false. She is sure that she can accomplish anything she decides she needs to do. She is a classical pianist, a tri-athlete, and a doctor who went on to become a lawyer. Yes, we call on Surety to give us confidence supreme. That is exactly why this Muse is going to NC with us. We need a good dose of confidence!?!?!

Today's aMUSEment - What do you lack confidence to do? What is that belief that stops you before you begin? We all have beliefs, but not all beliefs are equally worth holding to be true. Make a list of 5 things that you are convinced that you can not ever do. Pick one of them and go to Google and type it in. Follow the first five links and see where they takes you. Then decide to let go of that belief. Over the next few weeks, repeat the process with everything on your list.

My Mantra - If You can conceive it, and You can BELIEVE it, You can achieve it!!!

U Be Creative Today!

My Heart Sings

Muse Allegra sings with joy. She is lively and cheerful. She makes happy music with her beautiful voice.

I have come to the realization that I am truly happy. It was kind of a shock for me for there are a plethora of stressors in my life right now. I was in the pantry when it hit me. I am at a place in my life where I have grown to like and accept the me I am, with my faults and failure and weaknesses. I have done some deep soul work in the last few months. It has deep spiritual rewards. So I sing praise in thanksgiving to my Creator.

Today's aMUSEment - Get a piece of paper and write the five things that make your heart sing. Mine are:
1) The ocean
2) Contemplative prayer
3) Eating cherries
4) Waking to a crowing rooster
5) Creating anything

Draw or paint your singing heart.

"Singing has always seemed to me the most perfect means of expression. It is so spontaneous. Since I cannot sing, I paint." Georgia O'Keeffe

U Be Creative Today!

Simplifying My Life

My daughter called me this morning and was talking about clearing her desk at work and how good it made her feel. She then decided to do the same at home. I have been meaning to simplify my vast holdings ever since my last move showed the weight of my possessions at over 25,000 pounds!!! YIKES!!! And I moved some of it myself. SO I need a lot of simplifying.

Then I opened my morning prayer site Sacred Space and found the following:

Something to think and pray about this week: In one of the gospel parables, the rich man is mulling over his treasures, and plans to build even bigger barns to store all his crops. He relishes his security: My soul, you have plenty of good things laid by for many years to come.

Jesus reflects: A man’s life is not made secure by what he owns. As we grow quiet in prayer, our hearts can be invaded in the same way by false securities.

In the measure that my heart is in past treasures, I am fossilised and dead, for life is only in the present. So to each of these past treasures I am grateful yet I say goodbye, explaining that, grateful though I am that it came into my life, it must move out, or my heart will never learn to love the present.

Today's aMUSEment - Simply: What needs simplifying in your life?

U Be Creative Today!

A Rose for Corey

My soul weeps at the kindness. Corey of Tongue in Cheek is in Lourdes today. She made a selfless offer to carry prayer requests with her. Several people asked for prayers. She wrote our names on rose petals and tossed them in the water at the grotto today. A beautiful gesture by a beautiful spirit. I am sure that God's grace will pour into her as we all share the experience. I humbly thank you for the love you showed for strangers and people you may never meet. I count you among my kindred spirits.

Blessings Today,
Rebecca

I See the Light

"The aim of life is self-development. To realize one's nature perfectly - that is what each of us is here for." –Oscar Wilde (1854 - 1900)

Ok, so I am coming to know myself. I see the light. Results say I'm Creative and dreamy-DUH!!! I am Cre8Tiva after all.

Today's aMUSEment - What number are you? Do you know your personality type? Have you heard of the enneagram? I am still trying to make sense of it and have never been able to quantify myself. People who know me guess I am a 4. This test verifies their belief. Read about my results below then click on the link to find your number.

Cre8Tiva is a 4: The Individualist

You are sensitive and intuitive, with others and yourself. You are creative and dreamy... plus dramatic and unpredictable. You're emotionally honest, real, and easily hurt. Totally expressive, others always know exactly how you feel.

What Number Are You?

Tom and Carol you must be right!!!!

U Be Creative Today!!

Pinkie D

Pinkie D is a hoot. She is the Muse of laughter and childlike frivolity. She is trying to look pensive here, but she can't keep that pose for long. She is ready to double over with laughter any second. That is why she is looking away. If she looked at you she would loose it.

Today's aMUSEment - This really is an amusement. Go to your nearest mirror. Gaze into your eyes. Then stick out your tongue and put your thumbs in your ears and wiggle them. Now start to hop on 1 foot. Maybe relax your tongue I don't want you to bite it off. Keep watching. Stop hopping and if you can keep a straight face yell, "I love you Cre8Tiva (use your own name)!!!! Yell it several times. Now is a good time to tell you that these aMUSEments should be done in the privacy of your own space without other people around. They might think you a little odd. But most creative people are a little odd. Right? Then yell, "You are a pink rabbit with floppy ears." or "You are a naughty vixen." Keep at it until you are laughing out loud.

"I was irrevocably betrothed to laughter, the sound of which has always seemed to me to be the most civilized music in the world."–Peter Ustinov

U Be Creative Today!

Sage

Sage is a Muse of great patience, profound wisdom and calm judgment. She remains calm in the midst of chaos. (The painting shows her calmly existing in the midst of all my chaotic energy.) We turn to her for her wise, judicious, or prudent advice. She is our mentor in spiritual and philosophical topics who is renowned for having wisdom that comes with age and experience.

I need a profoundly wise person today who can calm my anxiety with her clear thinking and philosophical perspective. I am waiting to hear about a job. I am very anxious because this will determine the direction I take professionally in the next year and, perhaps, the rest of my life. So it is difficult for me to stay balanced when a situation is out of my hands. Her advice shows me the upside and the downside of every outcome and how I can deal with either decision.

Today's aMUSEment - Do you have a Sage in your life? Who do you turn to when you need calming reassurance or advice? Close your eyes and think about that person who is always there with sound judgement and wise words. Spend a moment in gratitude that they are in your life. Write a thanksgiving letter to them. Write, in your own hand and from your own heart, what they mean to you. Put it in the mail. Spend the day in gratitude.

"In the Hundred Acre Wood and elsewhere, those who know how to write a proper letter are much respected and in great demand." -- Pooh's Little Etiquette Book

U Be Creative Today!

Angelface

Angelface is a departure from my regular faces but I need an angel today, so please accommodate me. She is one of a series of paintings I am working on. Let me know what you think.

Today's aMUSEment - What does your Guardian Angel look like? Today I want you to get an image of your Guardian Angel in your mind. Close your eyes and visualize your protector and guide. See the shape, the size, the color. Thank her/him for protecting you all these years. Be grateful. When you are ready sketch or paint your image.

U Be Creative Today!

Emerald

Emerald is inquisitive and wondering. She is inclined to investigate and always wants to learn more. She really can get the scoop on just about anything. We call on her when we need to know how something works or why something does this.

Rebecca bought a hammer dulcimer in 2001. It is a beautiful handmade instrument. It is made of three different woods with inlays and fretwork. It sits on a stand in the music room. Occasionally we will pick up the hammers and let them dance across the strings. I will drag my fingers gently over the strings just the hear the harplike sound. But we don't know how to play it.

We bought it from Annie Lough at John C. Campbell Folk School in North Carolina. She is a noted musician who teaches there several times a year. I also teach there and have taught on the same week with her many times. I have set the intention of taking a class with her to learn this musical instrument that I love.

Today's aMUSEment - Is there something in your life that you have been meaning to learn but keep putting off? Why do we do that? So today take an action step, right now while you are thinking about it, toward your goal. Pick up the phone and register for a class. Google your intention and get the info you need.

U Be Creative Today!

Lelahni

Lelahni is the Muse of flower power. She is eternally bright and cheerful. She wears beautifully colored floral fabrics that she made herself and always has a flower in her hair. Her smile warms your heart. She is simply happy.

Today's aMUSEment - Let's get out of the studio, even if it is raining. Get up and go to the nearest exit to the outside world. Take a deep breath. Lift you arms over our head as you breathe in deeply. Stretch them high to the sun. Ask to be filled with the Spirit of happiness today. Then start to walk. It does not matter where. The first flower you see, stop and look at it intently. It can be in your garden. It can be in a field. It can be on the table at the corner coffee shop. See all the colors of the flower. Look at the center and feel it. What does it feel like? Smell it. Does it have a fragrance? Linger with your flower for a while. Experience the happiness of the moment. Are you inspired to create?

U Be Creative Today!