Body, Mind, and Spirit Originally posted: August 20, 2014
First blog post ever….pretty exciting to start something new, but why am I blogging? How does my blog relate to my art? I hope my art and my blog will work together to spread light, love, and laughter in the world. After all a picture is worth a thousand words ~ or more! Art, ok, but how am I going to do that with a blog you ask? Well, here is how I hope to: First by connecting with other people. We learn so much from interacting with others. We are all unique individuals ~ seeing the world in our own way, and that’s what makes life more interesting. I also hope that sharing some of my own experiences might help or encourage other people as they journey through their time on earth. I think we should all be looking to lift one another up. Lastly, I’d like to create a community of kindness where hope, encouragement, love, support, and laughter can be shared. The world needs more communities like that! I hope you will join me.
“Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures.” Henry Ward Beecher
In 2012 I started a journey, my health was not great and seemed to be heading downhill. It might not be everybody’s choosing, but changing to a Whole Food Plant Based eating lifestyle allowed my body to heal and has proven a great fit for me. No more medication no more pain. Then along came 2013, still eating plants, but not emotionally where I wanted to be, or even sure where that was. I was pretty sure I was depressed. With a healthy body, the next step was my soul journey. My faith was shaken and really confused and I wasn’t very happy even though my day to day life was great. Something wasn’t working for me. I worked to get my energy unstuck and flowing and began to be much happier. Then everywhere I turned I kept seeing this CS Lewis quote, “You are never too old to dream a new dream or set a new goal.” Do you ever see a quote and wonder how it happened to cross your path just at that minute? Well, I turned fifty this year and that quote was definitely coming across my path at the right time. Things started coming together and I realized I did have a dream that was out there waiting for me to be ready and to go for it. Fifty is a great milestone and I was ready, I don’t feel old; I do have a lot of life experiences to look back on and starting something new, reinventing myself if you will, seemed a bit, well, just like, really?, start over at 50? Our thoughts are very powerful, they create our reality. If this was going to work, I had to change my thinking.
Healthy body, healthy mind, and healthy spirit ~ this took me to the new bend in my path; a journey that is about being the best me I can be, which ultimately allows me to better give to and serve others. Dreaming another dream, doing what makes me happy. I think we humans have a pretty good idea of what brings us joy when we are children, and then we seem to forget as we spend our lives trying to figure out who we are and what we want to ‘be’ ~ I did! I already knew what made me happy back when I was kid. Sometimes those things just get put aside so we can get that job that will pay the bills, give us stability, and afford us a retirement; at which time we might have more time to do what we enjoy. I needed to look at life a little differently. I needed to listen to that little voice inside (you know, intuition) a little better. Everything I have done has made me who I am today, so its all good, but here I am finally getting back to what I loved so much as a child and still love today ~ painting! I’ve set a goal not to wait, but to take more time to paint now, to spend time doing what brings me joy and sharing it with all of you. Body, mind, and spirit ~ getting it all together.
Starting Bold Moves Studio is a bold move for me; to share my art with the public. Selling my art is too, but if you want to share your light with others you have to be bold, hang it high for all to see and cast some light not only on yourself but also on others. Art is definitely an extension of one’s soul, however once you share it, it becomes something more. Something for others to be moved by, relate to, and enjoy. We interpret what we view based on what we ourselves have experienced, what emotions we are feeling, and where we are on our own life journey. That’s the human experience. Its not always about what the artist is sharing, but also what the viewer sees. Reflecting and taking a look at my current body of work I wonder what you see? I hope it shows that I am a joyful, energetic, bold, zany, and colorful person. Loving life, creating, and enjoying every day ~ not hiding my light, but choosing to share it. I hope my art will bring some of those feelings to each of you, or perhaps encourage you to share your light with the world!
Light, Love, Laughter,
Shannon
“Creativity takes courage.” Henry Matisse
In honor of Robin Williams, a light gone too soon from our lives, I want to add this quote of his, that a friend of mine shared with me:
“The human spirit is more powerful than any drug and THAT is what needs to be nourished: with work, play, friendship, family. THESE are the things that matter.”
“If we’re going to fight a disease, let’s fight the greatest disease of all, INDIFFERENCE.”
Robin Williams
