We are all artists. Every one of us. We all have courage. Put the two together and what do you have.? A courageous artist who is the creator, painter, director and architect of their own life. We think of an artist as someone who creates, correct? Beautiful music, paintings, designers, renaissance masters of days gone by.
Each one of us, each human is a work of art, a work of courage. We are all here to design and create, yet we do it outside of ourselves for the most part. What about designing from the inside? In this way we each become the unmistakable master artist of what shows up in our lives. How about the art of seeing yourself as you really want to be – in all your perfection. Creating a perfect vision of your life and holding that so close to your heart KNOWING and FEELING the reality of it. There are universal laws that apply to everything. We KNOW the sun will rise in the morning and set in the evening. This is a universal law that will act as long as the intelligence behind it desires it to. Universal law is changeless, eternal and in perpetual motion.
The “Great Art of Becoming” who and what we want always includes the “Great Art of Undoing.” How about deciding that any unacceptable appearance that comes into your life has no universal law to sustain it? Remember, you are the intelligence behind the appearance and have the power to undo it. Move into a place of Knowing. Feel the difference between Knowing and Believing. Compare the feeling or vibration of the two words. Knowing is light, Believing carries a heavier feeling. When you Know it is so easy to feel secure and safe. When you Know, you are the artist painting a life of beauty and perfection.
There is only one universal law that has no opposites and that is LOVE. When you have a belief in two powers that is duality. I like to think of it as The Tree of Knowledge (duality) and the Tree of Life (love) – we have a choice. What kind of artist are you? Will you live from fear or love? Because you are a great artist now and Know the universal truths of perfection – when an appearance shows up, you know it is a complicated and compromised manifestation that has shown up from a belief in duality (good vs evil.) You do not believe in that anymore – no no no, you believe in the Tree of Life which is the one law, the law of Love. In fact, you take another step as the artist, you do not believe at all! Believing has been replaced with Knowing. When you Know, you do not have to Believe. Are you getting this? Just know that love is the answer and has no opposites. Love is a universal law that is changeless, eternal and in perpetual motion. In truth, you are Love and nothing else. The return to Love is the long journey you are on. I am here to provide you with the tools to take that journey. These tools have been given to me to share with you for a life that is well lived and a life of Living in Courage. It takes courage to live from the Love of your heart, but I KNOW you are the most exquisite artist in all the universe. By the way, this journey is supposed to be fun, so while you are painting, do it with joy and laughter. The universe will hear you and respond with gifts you can only imagine. Oh, and never forget to express gratitude for that is the signature on your beautiful painting of a life well lived.
This painting was created by my new friend on Facebook, Sheryl Brown. We have developed a wonderful friendship. Sheryl, coming from her heart with light and love, was inspired to paint “Peaks and Valleys” after visiting Living in Courage and reading my story. I love Sheryl’s authentic art, spirit and courage. It is my pleasure to introduce you to Sheryl Brown, a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist with a private practice & Artist.
“Here is one of my recent paintings, “Peaks and Valleys,” which was inspired by reading some of the life story of my new Facebook friend, Debra Oakland. Though she has lost a number of close family members, she explains how she has chosen to be happy and not remain stuck in grief and the pain of loss. Interestingly enough, when I started out this painting, I enthusiastically loaded up the canvas with rather too much paint (some of which I transferred to another canvas – to be posted later). I had in mind some colors from looking at photos of a joyful occasion. In the process of working on this painting, however, the phrase – “oh, the jagged pain” – (or something close to that) went through my mind. This painting then became about my perception of Debra’s experience. Our lives here on earth really are characterized by both jubilant and sorrowful times – and everything in between. And sometimes, it really ain’t pretty. I had the feeling that I muddied up the warm colors as I was mixing them, and pondered whether to “clean” them up some by adding another layer. In the end, I decided to leave it as it is. Life isn’t perfect, but we still love it.”
Looking forward to reading your comments and feedback on this new painting.
If you do not have the courage to draw and paint, but really want to try, watch this video. Try everything you dream to do. If an elephant can draw, so can you. Listen to these quotes from National Geographic and Novica.
The elephants at the art academies in Southeast Asia are taught to hold a paintbrush with the tip of their trunks. Initially, the mahout guides the elephant’s trunk over the canvas and offers rewards for good performance.
“It only takes a few hours to a day to teach them,” said Mia Fineman, an art historian whose book When Elephants Paint is an illustrated history of the Asian Elephant Art and Conservation Project.
“But the elephant has to want to learn,” she added. “Elephants in captivity are definitely bored, but it’s a matter of disposition, an innate proclivity. Some will do it and some won’t.”
Stars of the Elephant Art Scene
Not all elephants can paint, and of those that do, some are better than others.
“Ramona in Bali is really a star among elephant artists,” said Roberto Milk, co-founder and CEO of Novica.com. “She’s been painting for a long time, and her work has sold well in earlier auctions so she’s really elevated her market level.”
There’s definitely a learning curve.
“The elephants learn quickly and clearly get better over time,” said Catherine Ryan, vice president of communications for Novica. “‘Better,’ of course is an aesthetic judgment, but you can see the paintings get more complex when you compare an elephant’s early work to later pieces.”
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