life lesson?

what i didn't expect when i started on my creative 

journey a few years ago is how much of the painting process

can be used as an opportunity for growth and possibility in my every day life. 

many experiences and emotions 

that show up while painting

are very similar to what happens off the canvas:

resistance, blocks, trust, distrust, doubts, 

ego-trips, expectations, hope, despondence, 

frustration, successes, courage, leaps, failures, learning curves... 

for example, i have noticed that most of my own work

that is hanging around our house and that i still love,

are paintings that emerged from a first attempt at something new, a place of curiosity,

no expectations, a place of playing and experimenting. 

i didn't worry whether it was meant for a gift, or for a specific wall or what it was

 "supposed" to look like... 

i was unattached to the outcome, no expectations, just playing. 

i do believe that when i approach life the same way, 

with playfulness, with a child like willingness to explore new things,

when i immerse myself in the process without worrying about the outcome, 

with endless curiosity...

then life is that much more 

SUCCULENT! 

"FREEDOM LIES IN BEING BOLD." Robert Frost

my bright sunflower still life, oil on canvas, 

still a work in progress. 

PLAYING!