thru my lens lightly

Breathe

 

The sun is a steady 28 C. (83 F.) degrees here every day with gentle, cooling breezes...absolutely perfect!

Last winter this was a busy and bustling little Mexican town and reservations were required a year in advance to ensure a room.  This year is a very different story.  It's much quieter, with rooms available almost everywhere.  The economy here is very dependent on North American tourism...especially retiree's...and there have been many cancellations this winter.  On our walks around town, there are "for sale" signs everywhere...another indication of a suffering economy. 

Our world is now so intricately intertwined and interconnected in so many ways and what happens "here", affects everyone over "there". It's almost as though we inhale and exhale as a planet now.

 

We're all feeling buffeted by the "winds of change" even though we realize that what we had, wasn't sustainable.  But how do we stay positive and hopeful when the media screams at us "it's only going to get worse!" ?  I'd like to share some words spoken recently by Pepper Lewis of The Peaceful Planet.

Look for good news, not in the day's headlines, but within yourself. Look for the good within you and put that to work for you, for everyone else, for the planet and for life itself. This tool is lifetimes old and will always serve you. Offer something good to others and to the world every day. To offer is to extend; it is a presentation or extension of quality. Even as large-scale events unfold, remember that life is lived in the smaller, more personal moments. You are more affected by the breath of a butterfly you have never met than by the heated breath of world debate. Breathe deeply. Breathe because there is life force in the breath and this same life force has the brilliance of a thousand suns.

I've been practicing daily deep breathing for over a month now and although there was a strong resistance to it to begin with, it's effect over the long term has been quite remarkable.  I feel stronger, healthier, more peaceful and balanced.  It seems so simple...too simple really...but it's very effective.  I breathe deeply for 1 full minute and because I had difficulty consistently integrating this into my daily routine, I now tell myself that I can't brush my teeth until I've finished "breathing".  Silly, but it works!  I inhale while stretching up over my head and exhale while bending over and sweeping my hands down to the ground.  My next step will be to begin doing this twice daily. Yoga and meditation are other ways to bring the breath more deeply into the body.

(and yes, there are people living in the home above.  What I love about this place is that although it's in ruins, it's situated on a beautiful estuary filled with egrets, pelicans and many other varieties of birds.  But the piece de resistance is the riot of flowers that blanket the top of the home!  It's as though nature herself is compensating for the lack of "structure" by covering it with a crown of stunningly beautiful blossoms.)

Heading Downstream

The idea of turning and flowing downstream with the current, has been something that I've thought a lot about over the last year.  The phrase...travel downstream...is one that's heard over and over in the Abraham Hicks material.  We've all had the experience of struggling to get something or be somewhere (even struggling to find a place of peace!) and no matter how much we huff, puff, push and pull...it just won't work.  Letting go of the struggle, relaxing into a state of allowing and trusting that something else...something even better...will come to us, allows us to "be" peace.

And of course having friends along on the journey is so important...helping us light our way and sometimes even holding the light for us when we can't do it ourselves.  My little friend the squirrel here, has his own wee lantern and is watching for rocks and other debris that may need to be steered around.  (This is my "playful" reminder in this piece that I spoke of in a previous post)   I've also added the observer...the solitary and silent crane.   There are so many people with whom we cross paths every day and although we don't overtly interact with them, on some level we touch each other's lives just by the act of observing.

I played with fairly strong light and dark contrast here which is something I don't normally do, but it was fun to try something different.  I haven't done a lot of digital work this year but now that I'm away from my studio I expect to do more.  It's a bit frustrating trying to connect to the wireless internet in the land of concrete and rebar but if it starts to take too long and I feel my frustration mounting, I pick of my book and start reading...I head downstream!  Mexico is the perfect place to practice going with the flow...manana!

A Peaceful Easy Feeling

 

The view from our patio looking east towards the mountains of Nyarit...where I'm sitting as I write

We've been in Mexico for four days now and we're just starting to unwind.  It's amazing how the body responds to warmth...the muscles relax and the brain get's very choosy about what it wants to engage with!  We're reading and snoozing and chatting with our neighbours.  All mindless and all wonderful.  A 15 minute walk into Rincon de Guayabitos or a 20 minute walk to La Penita to pick up the daily necessities, seems to take all our focus and energy for the day.

 

The view looking west to the pool

I haven't done anything creative yet and don't feel inspired to begin anything either.  I'm just "being" right now and that's what this time is all about for us.  The pace will pick up in a few weeks as my father, my brother and his wife, and an old friend, arrive for a family gathering.

Meanwhile....back to my nap.

A New Day Dawns

Paris rooftops at dawn, 2006

The world took a deep breath of hope and optimism today as all eyes turned to the inauguration in Washington.  President Obama has taken on a role of leadership...not just for America, but for the planet.

We watched the historic event from Mexico.  For a short time the pools were empty and the beaches deserted, as a young man stood before millions and took on the hopes and expectations of the world. 

The dawn of a new day, indeed!

Believe in Boldness

I often ask myself  "where do they get it from?"  Not from their mother, that's for sure!  Both of my daughters have ventured into entrepreneurial waters and have created their own business'. Kirsten, my oldest daughter, owns a very successful day spa...re:fresh skin and body and just last week, Meghan, opened a Cross Fit studio...Bold Moves Fitness.  Three years ago she started her business with an outdoor Boot Camp, utilizing  local parks and public spaces as her venues.  Last year she chose to focus solely on the Cross Fit method of training and began working out of a small fitness studio in her basement.  Quickly outgrowing that space and fueled by her passion to help others achieve their highest potential, Meghan took a huge leap of faith and followed her dream to open her own gym.  She recently said that she's done it all on a wing and a prayer and was supported hugely by her clients who encouraged her and believe in her potential.

Meghan had a unique experience a few years ago when she attended a conference in Vancouver called "Women of Worth", an event which encourages and celebrates every woman's potential.  One of the seminars she participated in was with a hypnotist who chose Meghan to assist him with his demonstration.  He hypnotized her to believe that she was incredibly strong..."as strong as steel" and then proceeded to have her lie with her head on one chair and her feet on the other.  To prove the power of our subconscious mind, he then stood on Meghan (the part that was suspended between the chairs) and she remained completely rigid!  She came away from that experience understanding that our potential is limitless and that everyday, in so many ways, we limit ourselves by our beliefs.  That experience was life changing for her and she now enthusiasticaly and passionately, helps others push beyond their own perceived mental and physical limits...as she herself has done by opening her gym! 

We have a lot to learn from our children!

Creating with Intent

I'm trying to get focused on packing but my suitcase is sitting on my bed....completely empty!  I've sorted out my art supplies and gathered my books together but I just can't get my head around packing my clothes.  I usually become more motivated as deadlines close in on me, so I'm anticipating that tomorrow I'll be very motivated to find all my summer clothes and throw them in the suitcase, as time is running out.

iHanna posted her annual "craft accomplishment report" on her blog today.  Every year, she photographs everything she makes and at the end of the year, posts the pictures...and it's an amazing amount of creativity!  She wrote the following at the end of her post and it got me thinking about my own creative "intent".

I was just wondering…

If you had, which you do have by the way, 365 days to do any art or craft, what would you spend your time doing? Would you craft love? Or create soft comfort? Learn a new skill? Stay still to smell the flowers? Or stripe wool into a sweaters that would warm you through the winter? String hearts? Embroider with gold? Reflecting, planning for the future, dreaming or doing something creative with your time?

I was just wondering… what would you do with your days? How will you spend this one precious life you’ve got?

I was thinking of my word for 2009...playful...and how I would love to make it a theme for at least some of my projects for this year....just as a reminder.  It wouldn't even have to be the major focus of a piece...I could tuck something playful in a corner somewhere or even have the word written somewhere...perhaps even in another language....just as a reminder.  I really like that idea.

Another creative idea that I want to pass along is Emily Falconbridge's Q52 project.  Emily is posting 52 questions during the year...one for each week...and creating a mini art journal challenge.  She's using manila tags and I just happen to have a drawer full of them so I thought I'd play along.  Digital designer Rhonna Ferrer, is playing along on her blog and making her mini journal in the format of artist trading cards.  Rhonna also has a tutorial for creating a beautifully personalized blog, if you're a Blogger subscriber...check it out!  (For us Typepadder's she's still researching it!)

(the alphabet soup generator above, can be found here.)

Art, Lists and Swiss Cheese

"1914"  mixed media collage...acrylic paint, paper.

the journaling reads:  Alex and Annie began their life together just as the world began falling apart.  They were married the same month that WW1 broke out in Europe and thus began their journey of 70 years together.  In 1924 they left their home in Aberdeenshire, Scotland and began a new life in a new land.  They were born in the era of horse and buggies in one century and lived to see a man land on the moon in the next.  Alex and Annie were couragous souls whose lives spanned almost a century.

Another "Memory" collage that I recently finished.  This is Annie and Alex...my maternal grandparents. The photograph was taken around the time they were married and the home in the background was where Alex grew up, in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.  He and Annie lived there for the first few years of their married lives while they cared for Alex's mother who was dying of breast cancer.  I'm currently working on another collage of my paternal grandparents.  I'm not sure what it is about these collages of my family that I love so much but I really enjoy working on them!

I'll soon be away from my paints and studio for awhile so I'm immersing myself in it as much as possible right now.  We're heading for warmth and sunshine soon (YES!) and access to my creative stash of supplies will be somewhat limited.  I'll be taking my computer and camera as well as a journal and my watercolour pencils and a few pens.  I plan to do more digital art as well as some writing and wrapping up a few book projects (Blurb) that have been on the back burner for awhile now. 

I've decided I need to start making lists again...I get so scattered and caught up in so many creative ideas that I jump from one thing to another and end up forgetting what I was working on last week or last month.  When I was working (for a living) I had a book that I wrote everything in.  My life was in that book!  At the end of each day I wrote what I needed to do for the next day, the next week and the next month.  That book kept me on track and focused. Without it...especially as I reached my 50's...I would have been lost.  Nobody tells you about that part of menopause...the decrease of estrogen, lack of sleep and depleted adrenals all conspire to make your brain feel like swiss cheese.  Everything just runs right on through it! 

I tell myself that I'm just focused on the bigger picture of life.  Details....who needs them!

Welcome to 2009!

The Awakening...mixed media collage (acrylic paint, paper, photograph (yes, that's me!), Caran d'Ache Neocolor painting crayons, watercolour pencil)

I finished this piece last month and the journaling reads:

"Just like the butterfly, I too will awaken in my own time" ...and many years later she did in fact awaken to find that life was not about struggle as she had thought, but about allowing and gently unfolding.

We chose to have a quiet New Year's Eve this year and it was just perfect.  It included the company of a good friend, a cheese fondue (I haven't had one of those for nigh on 18 years!) and an evening's worth of Inspector Rebus video's.  Some of you...especially if you live in the UK...may be familiar with author Ian Rankin's books and the BBC series of the same name.

And...after some deliberation, my word of intention for this year is "Playful".  Last year felt like a lot of hard work and although I really appreciate the end result, this year I intend to resurrect fun in my life.  I considered revisiting "Joy" but decided that "Playful" felt less esoteric and a lot more lighthearted and fun...and that's what I want. 

Happy, happy, happy New Year to all of my blogging friends.  You make life fun!