A Mandala A Day - Superchicken Rides Again

Last weekend, I spontaneously created a private group on Facebook, to offer a safe space, in which to share a process, of creating a mandala every day, to see what would happen... I've never created a group before, but I took up the challenge, & it's going very well.

Last year for a month, a couple of online friends joined me to do this, and the effect was amazing... the boost in creative thinking was very noticeable, and I've been working hard ever since...

The image above is a personal symbol of mine, that I call "Superchicken". She appears from time to time, to encourage me to rise to life's challenges, and to remind me that I can do so many things if I just try...

Superchicken arrived this morning, to re-assure me that I'm doing well, in spite of feeling overwhelmed by the shear volume of work I've taken on this year.
She tells me that:
I AM the Little Red Engine ( I think I can, I think I can...)
I AM my own  Powerhouse
I AM staying afloat over big waves, as my creative babies all need my attention

I DO sprout blooms & bells off the top of my head...

Superchicken is kitted up to fly, and with a lot of fiery energy beneath her wings...

She tells me firmly, that I must make a supreme effort... and I'll be alright.

Art as therapy is powerful medicine!

Creativity comes in Disguise

The table in my studio is a sacred place for making things appear that otherwise wouldn't...
It's a place of joy, where beauty arrives, and departs to places where it is needed...

Just now, it's covered with paper from a course I'm doing online... I'm struggling.. the goal posts keep changing, & more assignments need to be done, as I ask more stupid questions... I'm learning not to ask anything, & to have as little interaction as possible...

I gained this qualification, Certificate IV Training & Assessment, in another guise, in 2004. Now I'm upgrading it, so that I my credentials are current & relevant...

I'm impatient to finish... I want creativity & colour in here, & I have online courses of my own that I want to offer online..

My sacred space is invaded by the outside word... Yes, the dry, automated world, that I've so far managed to keep at bay, by living a secluded life on a mountaintop & spending most of my time in a forest... 

"But wait!",I tell myself, "this is an inspiration in disguise". Artists need to earn their living, & the mundane world needs some joy. I can offer some bright, creative juice... I want to offer the world some real lushness so it can flourish...

So, I am treating this study as a sacred exercise, and making a promise to myself that when I offer online courses, my expertise as a trainer will shine through, as I offer real people well crafted programs, that evoke joy, a dash of whimsy, a splash of colour to people's lives... 
I want to help them put a song back into their day-to-day... 

                                          AND...

I vow to allow people to ask as many questions as they like, and I aim to make the work so enjoyable, that they will LOVE doing extra work! 

I'm learning quite a bit, actually...

Friendship & the Sacred Heart

A new note to myself appeared this week, reminding me to be my own best friend... 

... to entrust myself with the care of my passionate, vulnerable heart...

... to be the one that shows up when I'm needed...

... to honour the relationship I have with me...

... and guard it fiercely...

... remembering that friendship is a sacred bond...

... and that a heart, precious beyond anything else, can be broken 

.... so easily...