Joyous Moments of Cosmic Recognition

I can almost hear the question being asked.  What are joyous moments of cosmic recognition?  It is that amazing day or time where everything goes your way.  It can also be an experience that even when things are not quite going your way, everything works out and often leaves you in a better place than where you were before.

In the sixth book of the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, there is a potion called “Felix Felicis” or  “Liquid Luck.”  Harry has been given a task by Dumbledore, to get a memory from Professor Horace Slughorn.  Harry had been trying for weeks to get alone with Professor Slughorn to ask him for this memory to no avail.  He had won a vial of the potion “Felix Felicis” in a competition during potions class.  One day in desperation, Harry drinks the potion.  Ron and Hermione urge Harry to go see Professor Slughorn.  Harry, under the influence of the potion, decides that he needs to go see Hagrid.  It is through his visit to Hagrid that he is able to talk to Professor Slughorn and convince him that this particular memory is necessary in the fight against Lord Voldemort.  Professor Slughorn gives this memory to Harry and in turn, Harry gives it to Dumbledore completing his task.

In my creativity classes we call this synchronicity.  The definition of synchronicity is the simultaneous occurrence of events which appear significantly related but have no discernible causal connection.  When connecting with your creativity, you may notice that there are things that you need to continue your creative work.  You may need a teacher or individuals to collaborate with.  You may need a new job or a space for a studio.  Be careful what you ask for because you just might get it.

One of my first experiences with synchronicity had to do with a search for a very specific type of paper for a series of collage pieces I was trying to complete.  I needed a very specific red hue of paper that had poppies on it.  I have a lot of paper in my studio and I went through every single piece looking for the right poppy paper.  But I didn’t find anything even remotely close.  This was at a time in my life when I didn’t have a lot of extra money.  And as you may know, art supplies are not cheap.  I went through and collected the change at the bottom of my purse and found a forgotten five dollar bill.  With luck may be I would find a sheet or two of poppy paper.  I left my studio and went to Michaels.  I thought to myself, “why not check out the clearance section?”  In the clearance section was 2 pads of poppy paper that was the exact colour I needed.  And I had enough money to purchase them both.  Which I did and I finished the series of collages.  Synchronicity!

Art series featuring the poppy paper

These moments can also manifest themselves in what I would consider to be a perfect day.  The featured image for this blog post is a leaf on the window of my car.  I captured this photo on what I would call a day as close to perfection as possible.  It was in October 2022.  I had contacted my friend, Faith and we were meeting at a spot along the Flathead river to do a bit of plein air painting.  We had mango smoothies from City Brew.  (Mango smoothies are like drinking liquid sunshine, in my humble opinion.)  The colours were changing and the river bank was a riot of every fall hue.  It was warm but not hot.  I finished one canvas and got a good start on a second one.  I enjoyed the time spent with my friend, sunlight on my face, time doing something I love and being out in nature.  It was the perfect day.

When you trust the creative process and are open to positive possibilities, no matter where they take you, anything can happen.  You may be surprised at all of the amazing opportunities that open up before you.

Why So Fearful?

I had read an interesting article many years ago about culture.  This was in college so forgive me for not remembering the author or name of the article.  The premise of it was that the fears of a culture are more telling than the achievements.  Blew my socks off.  The idea is that what scares us tells more about us than all of the accomplishments.  Ponder that for a moment.

Fear is very powerful.  Franklin D. Roosevelt said that we have nothing to fear but fear itself.  In the novel “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” the boggert caught by Professor Lupin would turn into a dementor when Harry approached it.  Which meant that Harry was more afraid of fear than Lord Voldemort the most evil wizard of the time.  Harry’s best friend Ron was scared of spiders.  Other people in the novel were afraid of snakes, full moons, etc.  What students of Hogwarts learned by facing the boggert was to face their fears and overcome them.  Well, at least make them less scary.

Thinking about the article for a moment, as a culture or society that expresses so much through the internet and social media, could these outlets become amplifiers for our fears?  Just as the “boggert” of Harry Potter stories reflected fear, could the internet and social media be doing the same thing?  I remember when the internet was beginning.  One of the things that was said in praise of it was that you could find anything on the internet.  And when social media started, it was said that you could find anyone or any group you could ever want to identify with on social media.  It could be said that there is good and bad aspects to both of those things.  And I am not going to go into what is on television and the news.  (War, inflation, disease, hate.)  Scary things happen in the world.

Believe it or not, there are benefits to fear.  What might those be, you ask?  Don’t worry.  I have a list:

1. Fear keeps you safe.  You have an internal danger alarm.  It notifies us of dangerous situations and compels us to take action.  Helps you make a wise decision.  For example, if you are crossing a street and a car comes toward you, your inner alarm urges you to get out of the street and away from the car.
2. Fear helps you lose weight.  Feeling a bit of fear helps burn calories.  While walking through the haunted house a ghost jumps out at you.  Your body releases a surge of adrenaline.  Adrenaline causes your metabolism to go into high gear, causing you to burn more calories.
3. Fear temporarily boosts immunity.  In 2009, Coventry University in the United Kingdom did a study where Scientists tested white blood cells in participants.  They then scared the participants and measured the number of activated white blood cells.  Activated white blood cells are the ones that help fight disease and repair the body.  After being scared, the participants had an increased number of activated white blood cells.
4. Feeling fear can be exciting.  Feeling fear, in the right dose, makes you feel alive.  Stepping out of your comfort zone can be exciting.  Have you ever given a speech or had a role in a play?  Feeling nervous before you start speaking or the play starts leads to the feeling of excitement and being alive after the speech or play has ended.
5. Fear gives you a natural high and sense of empowerment.  Not just adrenaline, the body releases dopamine and the endorphins, serotonin and oxytocin.  Serotonin helps the brain work more efficiently under stressful situations.  Fear is energy.
6. Fear relaxes you.  That’s right.  You read it correctly.  The adrenaline has surged and dopamine has been released into the body increasing blood flow.  After the fear or situation has been faced.  You are now in a safe location and there is no danger.  Your body has had influx of oxygen to the heart and muscles.  When the body comes off of this natural influx, it relaxes completely in a healthy way.
7. Fear helps you stay in the moment.  Focus.  The hormone norepinephrine helps keep you focused instead of panicking in stressful situations.
8. Fear helps you socialize and bonds you to other people.  If our ancient ancestors had not bonded together and helped each other survive, our society would not exist.  It is in our best interests to help one another.  The hormone Oxytocin produces pro-social behavior.  Bonding.  Every see a race, like Ironman, and notice that the contestants competing against each other also help each other by encouraging each other.  The hormone Oxytocin in action.
9. Fear allows you to live life to the fullest.  Fear tends to cause people to make one of two choices.  They can either stop and limit themselves or face their fear head on and expand the possibilities of their lives.  Personally, I am in favor of the second option.
10. Fear gives clarity on what is important.  Fear makes one realize that the only time is now.  How often a terminal diagnosis or finding out about a disease like cancer causes people to live their life fully.  Spending time with those they love and doing things that they have always wanted to do.  The fears they had before become less important than spending the time they have to the fullest.

Maybe fear can help us as a society.  Help us be better people.  Learn from our mistakes.  Make the world a little less scary.  I certainly hope so.

Featured Image is from the above listed company

Starting Something New

In the movie “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” there is a scene where Harry is teaching other witches and wizards about defense against the dark arts.  He tells them that every great witch and wizard started where they were, that they had been students.  Every great witch and wizard had to learn.  It is only through practice and mistakes that the students will become great too.

Think about this concept for a minute.  Do you remember when you were learning to walk?  Toddlers are called toddlers for a reason.  They don’t have the best balance and often toddle over.  They are learning how to keep their balance and put one foot in front of the other.

Think about how you learn new things.  Where do you start?  Some things are easier to learn with a group or in a class.  Sometimes it is easier to learn things on our own through trial and error.  Some skills are best learned from one-on-one instruction by an individual who has mastered a particular art.  Sometimes you can read a book and figure out how to do something.  Another way to learn may be by watching a video.  What I am trying to say is that there are lots of ways to learn things and we all have unique learning styles.

I have been teaching art and creativity classes for almost 20 years now.  Every couple years, I encounter an individual who after their very first experience painting, drawing, etc. give up because whatever they were working on did not turn out like what they had pictured in their mind.

As an artist who has worked on her art for over 20 years, I can tell you that the finished artwork rarely looks like the image you first had in your head.  Usually, the finished piece is way BETTER!  Better than you could have possibly imagined.

That kind of better doesn’t happen with your first canvas, watercolour or drawing.  It takes time and practice.  I have entire sketch books of awful, marginal and just okay.  I didn’t think of them as awful, marginal or just okay at the time I made them.  I thought they were pretty good or at the very least a start of something that could be good.  But when I compare them to what I can do now after years and years of practice, the improvement is quite noticeable.

“Have no fear of perfection – You’ll never reach it.” -Salvador Dali

Go ahead and imagine.  But be prepared that things may not turn out the way you imagined.  There is a distinct possibility that things will be different.  An even better possibility that you will do even better than you imagined.  Have faith and let the creative process work its magic.

Featured image courtesy of pixiby.com.

Know Thyself

With the release of the movie “Matrix Resurrections,” I was inspired to watch the original “Matrix” film again.  (I have not seen the newest film, at the time that I am writing this, so no spoilers please.)  I had not watched the “Matrix” in a long time and several things caught my attention.  However, this is not by any stretch of imagination a film review.

After watching the original “Matrix” film, I was discussing with friends about how ground-breaking this film was.  Special effects have been changed forever thanks to this movie.  There are a lot of really good life lessons in this film as well.  The biggest is the question “Are you really experiencing your life?” and “What does it mean to be alive?”  Whole philosophy classes could be taught based on the “Matrix” movie.

One of my favorite scenes in the first movie was when Neo is sent to meet with the Oracle.  He is in a room with other potential candidates, most of them children.  One child was bending a spoon and makes memorable comment “Do not try to bend the spoon.  That is impossible.  Only instead try to realize the truth.  Neo asks, What’s that?  The boy, There is no spoon.”  Philosophical question, “What is the nature of reality?”

When Neo goes into the kitchen to see the Oracle, she is baking cookies.  She directs Neo to look at a plaque on her wall with the words “Temet Nosce.”  Temet Nosce, or when translated from Latin to English, means know thyself.  I always thought this was interesting direction.  We are all trying to find out who we are and where we are going in a universe of limitless possibilities.

How hard it is to know oneself.  We are told things about ourselves from the instant we are born.   We have our own ideas of who we are.  There are things that we do not like to face about ourselves.  Sometimes our ego gets into the way.  Sometimes someone else’s ego gets in the way.

The journey of knowing who we are is the adventure of our lifetime.  The point of this journey is not to arrive.  It is to live, become and to grow.  Discover yourself every day.

I would go on to say that the Oracle missed something in her advice to Neo.  Not only should we work on knowing ourselves, but one needs to learn to love thyself as well.   There is a quote attributed to Buddha, “Love yourself and the rest will follow.”  Love is an important step in knowing oneself.  It is the basis of compassion and forgiveness which help us in loving others.

Have you heard the saying that you cannot truly love anyone else until you love yourself.  In the gospel of Matthew from the Christian Bible, Jesus is quoted as saying that the second greatest commandment is “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”

The month of February is often associated with Valentines Day, an annual festival to celebrate romantic love, friendship and admiration.  Every year on 14 February people celebrate this day by sending messages of love and affection to partners, family and friends.  For Valentine’s Day this year, I challenge you to follow the advice of the Oracle from the “Matrix” and know thyself.  But I further challenge you to love thyself and as attributed to Buddha allow the rest to follow.  Allow forgiveness and compassion, for yourself and for your neighbor, following the second commandment as quoted by Jesus.  This year let’s make Valentine’s Day a celebration of love that not only begins with us, but within us.

Temet Nosce!

Blank Canvas

“It is so fine and yet so terrible to stand in front of a blank canvas.”  Paul Cezanne

Every artist and creative person understands Paul Cezanne’s quote about the blank canvas.  What can I paint?  What does my artwork say?  How can I explore this subject in a way that feels new and fresh to me?  These questions can be asked by any creative person: writer, dancer, poet, chef, musician, weaver, photographer, etc.

The creative block in the quote does not necessarily relate only to canvas.  The month of January has been a challenging blank canvas for me.  The art classes I am teaching start in a couple weeks and I did not want my classes to be the same as they were before.  All month I poured over previous lessons, new art books and supplies in fierce determination to make my classes even better.

Last night at 8:30 p.m., I felt like I accomplished my goal for all of the classes.  I think my students will learn new and interesting techniques, try new art supplies, and learn fun facts.  But I couldn’t have gotten to that point without facing my blank canvas. 

To all artists and creatives feeling the challenge of the blank canvas, you will make it through.  It is only through facing our blank canvas moments that we become stronger, better artists.

Enjoying the Possibilities

There is a lot of hype around New Years Eve and the ushering in of a new year.  (Even more so this year.)  I get that for some it is a time to party.  Others see it as a time for reflection and sending well wishes to friends and family.  Many people make new year resolutions.

The word resolution means a firm decision to do or not to do something, or the quality of determination or resolve.  But this is not a post about resolutions.  It is a post about possibilities.  A possibility is a thing that may happen, a state of being likely and/or a thing that may be done out of several possible alternatives.

Where resolutions are determined, a possibility is a maybe.  Resolutions are guidelines to getting things done; possibilities are open ended options.  Resolution is an exclamation point.  Possibilities are question marks.

There is nothing wrong with resolutions.  And to those who accomplish or keep them, I say, “Way to go!”  Making and keeping goals is part of the creative process.

But sometimes one doesn’t need resolution.  Nothing so firm.  A possibility, however, is just right.  Options.  Ideas.  Could be and may be.  Optimistic hoping and wishing.

The idea for this post came about from a conversation with a friend about receiving new art supplies for Christmas.  We are both in the process of organizing the spaces in which we create art and our supplies.  While I was going through a box, I found some paper that I hadn’t looked at in ages.  I went through the box touching each sheet of paper, enjoying the possibilities.

When I purchase paper I don’t always use it right away.  But I don’t want to miss the opportunity to purchase this sheet of paper.  I may not know right now what I am going to use it for, but I will use at some point in my artwork.  I am very aware of the possibility each sheet of paper holds.  A new tube of paint.  The purchase of a printing press.  The blank page or the blank canvas.  A yard of fabric or a skein of yarn.  A new herb or spice.  These all have possibilities!

Good and or bad outcomes may happen.  The paint may become part of a stunning landscape.  The story written on that blank page may fizzle out.  The printing press produces many beautiful prints and some major flops.  The dish made with the new spice is not to your tasting.  The socks you knit from the skein of yarn fit perfectly.  Yes any and all of this could happen.  But right now, in this moment, there is nothing but possibility.

And this brings me back to the beginning and perception of the new year.  One could think of this as a very negative time or could look at it as a opportunity for possibilities.  It would be very easy to get caught up in the negativity of the current state of our world: isolation and masks; lockdowns and travel restrictions; censorship and unrest and much more.  This is enough to cause depression in the most positive people.  If we allow it, these critical and negative thoughts will take control.  That is why enjoying the possibilities is so important.   Yes, the possibilities or outcomes could be a disaster, but they have just as much chance as being something wonderful or amazing.

I would like to leave you with this quote which has been accredited to Eleanor Roosevelt.   “Yesterday is history.  Tomorrow is a mystery.  And today?  Today is a gift.  That’s why we call it the present.”

Take the gift of today.  Be in this moment.  Enjoy the possibilities.

M is for Migraine

This post is for those lucky humans out there that have never had the experience of a migraine headache.

The reason I am writing this post is because of something that was said to me recently by someone who has never had the experience of having a migraine headache.  She said, “You need to go to the doctor.  Wouldn’t it be better if you could find some medicine, or change your diet, or an exercise or something to make these ‘headaches’ go away.”

Having recently read a post about choosing to be offended, I thought long and hard about whether I was offended and whether I should be writing this post.  I am not offended by the speaker’s words.  I realize that they didn’t understand because they haven’t experienced a migraine.  It is easy to be critical of others when you don’t understand what they are experiencing.  I felt the need to write this post to help this person and others understand.

Migraines are NOT the same as headaches, a friend, who also gets migraines, reminded me recently.  Migraines can cause someone to vomit.  Smells and light can make them feel nauseous.  Some people when experiencing a migraine cannot stand any noises.  Others experience an aura.  Migraines can cause someone to be sensitive to hot or cold.  Cluster migraines are a series of migraines that can continue for several days in a row.  A migraine may have certain symptoms, but they are different for everyone who experiences them.

My typical migraine often starts with my eyes feeling weird and the onset of an aura.  Once the aura has finished, the pain and nausea begins.  I am often overly warm and need to keep cool during a migraine.  Sometimes I throw up.  I often cannot stand light, sounds or even smells. I have to lay down in a cold dark room.  This is a typical migraine for me.  However, a migraine can be different each time a person has one.

I have been to the doctor.  My migraines are triggered by excessive stress.  I have tried a couple different medications.  Ibuprofen taken at the onset of the aura often lets me manage my migraine.  But not always.  Certain types of coffee cause me to have what I call an insta-migraine.  I don’t drink them and avoid them.  Too much processed foods with dyes can cause a migraine.  I try to avoid those as well.  Linen scented candles and room sprays cause me to have a migraine.  I don’t purchase those products and try to avoid them if I smell them.

A bad migraine year for me is five to fifteen migraines.  I have been migraine free for years at a time.  I have friends who have three to five migraines a week.  For one of them, Botox injections work.  The other friend gave up dairy and grain.  That was three years ago and she has a lot fewer migraines.

Be kind to someone who is suffering from a migraine.  Depending on their symptoms, even speaking to them could be causing them pain.  Understand that having a migraine is not something they can control and their isn’t a quick fix.  They probably have been to see a doctor or doctors.  The person who is having the migraine knows what they need to help get their migraine under control.

If you do not experience migraines, I hope that you found this article helpful.  If you do and would like to add to this post, please leave a comment.

Risk = Growth = Rewards

All of the artwork featured in this blog post was created by students of the Art Sampler class that I taught in the fall of 2019 at Flathead Valley Community College.  The paintings are pallet knife paintings.  Two of the students had previous painting experience but not painting with acrylic paint.  None of the students had painted using a palette knife before.

Painted by Amy Kanewischer

In college, I took a class on American women’s history.  The class started with the  colonization of the original 13 colonies.  It focused on women who settled in the north (the area of what is now Massachusetts) and women in the southern colonies. 

The women who settled in the north were primarily wives and daughters.  They arrived with their husbands and fathers.  As long as they stayed within the confines of society and family these women had comfortable lives and very little risk.  

The women who settled in the south were wives and daughters also.  But most of the women who settled in the south went as indentured servants (their voyage is paid for by a third party [usually farmer or landowner in the southern colonies] and then they had to work for a certain amount of time to pay off the debt).  Once the debt was released, they were free.  They could buy land, start businesses, etc.  These women faced huge risks but if they survived the rewards were big and they had the opportunity to make choices for themselves.

One could argue that settling in the original thirteen colonies was a huge risk in and of itself.  And they would be right.  Some parts of those colonies were wilder and riskier than others.

The bonus question on the exam for this portion of the class asked where we would live if given a choice?  Would we live in relative safety of the civilized north?  Or would we live in the wild south?  We had to explain our reasons for why we made our choice.  I chose the south because if I could survive, I would earn my freedom and the ability to make decisions for myself.  There were only two of us in a class of 20 who chose settling in the south or greater risk for greater rewards.

“If you risk nothing, then you risk everything.” -Geena Davis

Where is all this talk of risk going?  Creativity is about risk.  I was talking to a friend recently about how the images in the sketchbooks doesn’t always turn out like the finished piece of artwork.  That the artwork is often better than expected.  Creating a piece of artwork, writing a poem or a novel, acting in a play, taking a photo, any and all creative pursuits are about risk.

Think about it like this, if everyone only listened to the music of Mozart it would get pretty boring after awhile.  But there is a lot more than the music of Mozart to listen to.  There is rap, jazz, blues, polkas, chants, rock, pop, etc.  You get the idea.  Here is the important part to remember the next time a song that you like comes on, the artist who wrote that song and the artist who is singing it (it may be the same person) had to take risks to get that music on the radio.  They had to have faith in their creative choices.  They had to be willing to grow creatively to reach the rewards.

Painted by Judy Territo

Speaking of creative choices.  My friend Samantha was at a point where she needed more business cards.  When she went to reorder ones like she already had, they didn’t have that design any more.  Samantha felt that she was at a crossroads.  She had branded herself with the old design.  Did she want to keep the old images?  Could she still keep her brand and create new and exciting business cards?

Samantha chose to take a risk.  She created new business cards, using new images and her original business name.  And the new business cards turned out beautiful.  So beautiful that Samantha ordered a banner with the same design.

Painted by Diane Whited

Teaching art classes can be a challenge.  Teaching often forces me to grow as an artist and an individual.  As an art teacher, I take risks in teaching my students.  There is standard techniques that one can teach over and over to each class.  And teachers often do this to make sure that their students learn the basics.  But teachers can take the time to really get to know their students and tailor the class around the skills and abilities of the students.  It is these subtle additions that really makes the difference from an okay class to an amazing one.  I decided to teach the acrylic technique of palette knife painting with this group of students because I knew it would be a positive challenge for them.  My taking a risk, helped my students grow and the reward was to see the amazing artwork they produced. 

Painted by Arnold Kanewischer

Just because you take a creative risk does not mean that you will not have anxiety and fear.  Part of taking a risk is learning how to manage the fear and anxiety that comes with it.  Not every risk you take will produce a reward.  Some risks will turn into creative disasters.  That is okay.  There is opportunity to learn from failure and that is one of the ways in which we grow.  That growth helps us reach future rewards.

What do you need to do today to take that next creative step?  What risk will help you grow regardless of success or failure?  How can going further with your art and creativity provide you with an opportunity to learn and challenge yourself?  What reward are you seeking? 

Remember risk causes growth.  Growth helps one reach rewards.  Risk = Growth = Rewards

2020 – Haiku January #4

Time is a construct

Used to track the hours and days

Till we meet again

2020 – Haiku January #3

Four shots of coffee

Not nearly enough today

Please send me some more