Ruby Mamas

I am offering another Ruby Mamas workshop Thursday January 27th in Courtney from 7:00-9:00pm. This will be an amazing evening of pregnant mamas coming together as we explore our deep inner wisdom through art and meditation.

We spend so much time filling up our heads with information when we are venturing into the unknown world of birth and mothering, filling up our baskets hoping we will be prepared for the unknown. What we don't do is prepare our hearts and internal wisdom that we all possess. Information isn't what will help a woman when she is trying to cope with contractions nor is it what will support her when she is trying to figure out why her baby won't stop crying. It is her intuition every single time. That is what will be her survival skill in this journey ahead.

This class is for all pregnant mamas and you do not need to have any artistic skill. This is not that kind of class. All you need to bring is yourself, an open heart and some comfy clothes, everything else will be provided for you. Dorothy had the answers within her the whole time as she journeyed to Oz, just as you do. Come and discover how wise you are and create art from the heart. The fee is only $30.00 and the experience will be priceless. You are most welcome here.

there are many different ways

So, after my sense of defeat in front of the canvas last week, I decided to take myself out on Saturday to look at art and lots of it. I haven't done that since I was in my 20's and it was wonderful. I soaked in the pure pleasure of being alone in Munroe's bookshop and spent a long, quiet time flipping through all different kinds of art books. Some I liked, some I didn't and some I discovered for the first time.

I purposely avoided predictable books showcasing artists like Michelangelo and Monet. Not that I don't like their work, but I wanted to get inspired to do something new or at least something I knew I could do. So I stuck mainly to abstract and modern art, and I'm so glad I did. I saw it in a whole new light.

There were paintings that were beautiful, some that were weird and some that I thought were a bit ridiculous (like the black square on canvas). But whatever the art, what I loved was that there are so many different ways to create. OK, this may sound obvious, but don't we forget that sometimes? I think so often when we look at an artists work and say, "I can't do that" we negate any ability we may have to do something equally amazing and completely different. If a black canvas can be called art, then why not streaks of your favorite colour or the way you see the sky? How do you see the sky? Is it just blue or does it move in shades of blue, purple and gray? What would it feel like to paint in a way that you see the world? How does your soul sing on the page? This is what art is all about, it is self expression and each of us express ourselves differently. Beauty really is in the eye of the beholder and the most important beholder is you.

So today I went back into the studio and I saw everything in a brand new light. I'm working on something new, something that I am enjoying, something that I actually like. It feels so good to let go of what I think something should be and to embrace what is. It's kind of like riding a bike after a long hiatus away from one, you are a bit wobbly at first, but once you get going, it's like you never stopped.

i get it.

First of all, Happy New Year everyone! This is the year of the Rabbit, which I am, and it is going to be the year of creativity. This year I am going to be expanding my classes and living into my dream of making creativity and art applicable and accessible for everyone. More on that later...

So to start this year, it is my task to reconnect with my own creative self in the way I used to eat, breathe and sleep art. It was not only something I did, it was who I was and it was a very empowering place. So on Monday I brought out a blank canvas and some beautiful paints, put on my favorite music and started to paint.

What surprised me was how hard it really was. Painting on paper with tempera paints (which is what we do in the class) has allowed me the freedom to paint anything without attachment. Painting on a canvas, well, that was intimidating. I struggled, and then I tried to fix what I didn't like and then I looked at and realized that I hated it.

For the rest of the day I felt terrible. Was this idea that I was an artist some kind of dream? Something that happened in a past life but no longer exists? Was I a fraud? It took the rest of the day and a conversation with a friend to realize that it wasn't that all was lost, it had just changed. What I had been trying to do on my canvas was the same thing I tried to do 15 years ago and it was no longer real for me.

And so begins my journey, to rediscover myself and a new way to express my soul. It also lends a great deal of compassion to those that come to my class. Looking at that big white piece of paper is scary, intimidating and it is easy to run from it. You may say, I'm not an artist, I can't paint. Yes you can. Maybe you aren't VanGogh, but really, no one is VanGogh except VanGogh. Even he copied other paintings before he found his own voice. You are unique. What you have to say is meaningful. You can paint and express yourself with freedom, without judgment and find your own voice to express what is in your soul. All you have to do is pick up that paint brush and you may be surprised to find where it takes you.