my sweet, wise, beautiful very pregnant superhero friend andrea led some friends and i through a core values exercise a few years back... mine was, no surprise here, that i'm a treasure seeker. i wasn't really sure what that meant to live that out at the time, but as i paint it, it's coming into focus.
i believe dear kelly rae's core values phrase was brave in sadness and brave in love. i borrow this sometimes personally too to help me. i think she's shared this sentiment on her blog before and don't think she'd mind me telling you ;)
and andrea's i believe was fun and easy. i am just starting to understand how this can apply to my life more fully too.
andrea recently shared this in her interview that i linked to a while back. i love this concept she explains below:
MK: How do you nurture your creative spirit within the boundaries of the “do more with less” mentality of minimalism?
AS: I try to live by the law the buddhists call “The law of least effort.” This basically means
that more effort does not equal more results, but right effort equals right results.
I don’t like to pain over my work… write when it’s not coming, sit for many hours
at the computer trying to wring something out of myself when I really just need to fill the well and be replenished.
I listen closely to my intuition, live my real life as much as possible, and write in bursts
from the richness of my actual life. This is how I nurture my creative spirit. I listen for when there is a story that wants to be told.
i had a skype conversation with my brilliant smart agent/mentor Lilla recently about how can i "step things up"? and she basically said i'm doing everything right (thank you) and that i should paint things that are fun and easy for me~ smooshy color, line and what comes naturally to ME, not to others-- that's where your authentic voice lives.
it was a very big A HA moment. paint what is easy to me? wait, i don't have to WORK at it? make it perfect? make it like math? i can keep it mysterious and evocative and fun? i can play with color and paint and go off on little painting explorations? love. it.
thank you for helping me piece together these puzzle pieces friends.
intermixed are close-ups that my friend bob lake (the fantastic jen lake's mister... if you're in the bay and need a photog-- hit him up!) took of my recent treasure seeker series, which means, high quality prints soon y'all!
smooch,
mati
18 comments:
love this and much needed! you go !
Smiling ear to ear. Yay Mati!!!
PS. Will you tell the story of your name some time? Or if you haven already, show me the way. I love it!
A HA!! The words I needed at this very moment. Keep it fun and easy Mati! I <3 your paintings.
Those are such nice photos. I feel as though I could just almost reach out and touch those lovely colors! Killing me though, as I cannot wait to receive my 'Full Sail' painting :) But yes, totally, just keep on keeping on!
i haven't left a comment in ALONG time. mati your work is SO sweet, beautiful and freeing....i LOVE it!
hugs and smiles~ jill
nalettejm@yahoo.com
What a delight to read after a long week. Can't wait to see you & seek treasures together soon. xo
i love the way you draw on inspiration from our own experience and your lovely, wise friends. i look forward to seeing those gorgeous prints in your shoppe!
Beautiful!
Did you know that Mushaboom is in Nova Scotia?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mushaboom,_Nova_Scotia
I love this post, Mati! It gave me a lot to think about. A wise friend also told me recently, "Why must you make every thing so difficult!" It made me realize that sometimes we are our own worst enemies putting on all these expectations on ourselves.
I love your new series and it has inspired me to remember to paint what I love and stop worrying about everything else. <3 *hugs*
I absolutely love this post. Thank you for sharing. I love these images...are they all from one painting? Want more. Need more. Treasure seeker, brave in love, fun and easy. All of these are such great mantras. I think I could apply all of them to my life.
Lovely! Thank you for sharing : >
Beautiful! Exactly what I need, when I need it.
Mati, your work keeps getting better and better and richer and richer. Someday I will buy an original! keep on doing your very own thing. It's lovely. xoxo
you are right where you need to be and you are doing everything right! love that and love you! see you soon.
xoxox
awesome post, mati!!
:) brooke
Dam I loved and needed that. What comes easy to me....what a novel idea. its amazing how i and other talented folks i know actually devalue our work because it was easy. We're so twisted in thinking that to be good it has to be hard or be something that someone else can do and not us. big SMOOCHES for this one.
wonderful post. i needed to hear this notion of spinning my wheels in hopes for success.....good juicy advice mati! loves.
xoxo
this is perfect!! thank you!!
love, hugs and smiles~ jill
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