HAPPY EASTER

After a brief foray into Spring pastels last month my bold bright colours are back.  

And so am I!  I think I have already said in previous posts this year that up to now I have found 2013 tough going so far; some days it just felt like too much and I was worried that my black crow of depression had returned to roost. But sometime in mid March, just before the equinox, the pendulum swung back again and my mojo has returned.  Hooray!

My energy has shifted and it's feeling good. I think you can tell in my paintings.  This painting of Ostara, goddess of Spring and new growth, says exactly how I'm feeling.

I like the pastel colours, don't get me wrong (and so do lots of you - I had lots of lovely feedback on Facebook and IG about the pastel garden goddesses) they gave me a soft quiet energy when I needed it.  When my own personal energy was low and a bit lost, this is what was coming through in the art.  They were also an important part of my self care when I was not feeling like me - daily art practice even if it was just 10 or 20 minutes - using a different palette, gentle colours which spoke of hope and new growth.

But they're just not me, not the real me who wants to sing from the hill tops or run down the street and shout my joy to the world.  My true colours are strong and bold and alive. There are plenty of days when I don't feel like this but when I get the paintbrush in my hand and the goddess chooses the colours these brights are what my soul is singing about.

What makes your soul sing?  Do you do it often enough? What simple steps could take you there? What self care do you need to get your mojo back?

Have a lovely Easter weekend - go celebrate Ostara in whatever way floats your boat...

From my joyful heart to yours

Rachel xox

Happy International Women's Day

It's the 8th March - International Women's Day - first observed in 1909 -over 100 years of celebrating women!! And so it should be....

IWD was first celebrated on the 8th March in 1975 during International Women's Year. (I was 18!!)

Most of my paintings are about celebrating the divine feminine within us.  When I first painted this type of imagery in the 1980's the (predominantly) male art world didn't like it and couldn't cope with it.  It was one of the reasons I stopped painting for such a long time.  Thankfully, this time around I have a different audience now who love the goddess energy and celebrate the feminine. 

Are you celebrating today? Are you proud to be a woman? I am...very proud of my divine femininity and womanliness, I hope you are too...

From my heart to yours

Rachel xox

Marvellous mandalas

There's something in the air at the moment - everyone is making mandalas! 

Louise Gale is making them on the beach in Spain, Julie Gibbons has just opened her 'Great Round of Mandala' ecourse and over on Instagram Emily Lagore creates the most fabulous mandalas in her journals.

And I am planning my own Mandala workshop for the end of March/beginning of April (sign up for my newsletter to get the updates on this).

The word Mandala comes from a Sanskrit word meaning ‘wheel’. It is a symbol for the circle of life and for the great Creator (or Goddess). Mandalas are easy to create and a wonderful method of using art as meditation. When I was reconnecting with my creative self, I painted or drew them nearly every day.  I still use them as a way of quietening my mind and tuning in to my self, especially if I feel stuck or low.  And sometimes I make them just for fun!

Sometimes I paint them on canvas...

Sometimes, they are in my art journal...

And sometimes they're tiny...

I started this teeny little journal using words and mandalas in January.  I really did feel low then and this was an easy way for me to connect with my creativity.  The words I use are uplifting or life affirming quotes and the act of writing them helps to lift my mood.  Creating a mandala around them acts as a meditation to ease my soul.

The process of making mandalas has helped me over the past two years as a form of creative meditation.  I would highly recommend it and it's another of the exercises in my Goddess Inspirations Yearbook

I've added a few of my painted mandalas to the Gallery.

If you want to join the lovely Julie, registration closes in a few days, so be quick.

Do you make mandalas?  Have you thought about making them?  Would you like to start?  If you live in the north east of England (or even if you don't!) I will be running a workshop based on my own mandala practice very soon so make sure you sign up for my newsletter to get all the latest details. (Just go to the top right hand corner of the page and fill in your email.)

I'd love to hear your thoughts on mandalas, so leave me a note!

From my meditative heart to yours

Rachel xox

Visions, adventure and magic

This week I finally got round to vison boarding and creating my picture of 2013.

I love this process, opening up and seeing what the Universe has in store for me!

I always go for colour, but I love this mix of brights and naturals, the magenta alongside the seaside blues and ochres.  I also adore the hippy chic patterns and fringes.  There is a lot of art going on here, but fun too and some mayhem and mischief (For those Harry Potter fans out there, one of my favourite quotes is 'Mischief managed'!)  

But what I'm mostly loving is that the process of creating this board has unearthed my word for the year.

I have been thinking about my word all of January and not deciding on one.  I had in my mind the words 'brave' and 'courageous' and various others but nothing really felt right.  But when I was flipping through the magazines sourcing images and words for my vision board one kept coming up: ADVENTURE. 

This is what I love about the vision board process.  My conscious mind had been looking at my being 'brave' and 'courageous' etc but my soul wants Adventure!!

It's a little scary and I will still need to be brave and courageous as I step onto my path for the year ahead, but how exciting!!

And here's the other word that came up more than once:

Vision boards truly are MAGICAL!  

Have you made your vision board for 2013?  It's our first creative exercise in my 'Goddess Inspirations' yearbook and a tool I use throughout the year for exploring and manifesting.

It is such a great way to start the year and is marvellous for manifesting what you really, really want to come into your life.  And if you don't know what you want, it doesn't matter because the Universe does know and will point it out to you!!

What do you wish for 2013? What does the Universe have in store for you? What are you visioning for this year? I'd love to hear!

From my adventurous heart to yours

Love and light

Rachel xox

Baby steps count...

It's been a slow start to 2013 here.  The rush and self imposed pressure to get my Goddess Inspirations Yearbook finished before Christmas and then the holidays themselves left me feeling very low in energy.  

So, how to get back in the creative flow?  I reminded myself of the oh so useful mantra 'Baby steps count...'

The Universe just needs you to show up.  It doesn't matter how small a step you take.  Maybe, it's tidying your workspace or studio, prepping some pages for art journalling, collecting some inspirational quotes or even doodling on the back of an envelope.

I'm not preaching, I'm reminding myself (!) that this is what I need to do when I'm feeling stuck or (sometimes) so anxious that nothing seems possible, even while I truly believe that EVERYTHING  is possible and that we create our own reality.

With this in mind, not having picked up a paintbrush, glue stick or even a Sharpie since mid November, because I had been writing instead of painting, I ventured back into my little conservatory which serves as my studio.  I tidied up.  I gave myself a space to work in.  I did a little journalling and doodled some mandalas.  And I found some small canvases I prepped a while ago.  I decided I would try some 'tribe' work on canvas instead of paper.  

To keep myself on track ie being creative every day, I'm taking part in the Creative Every Day Challenge run by the lovely Leah Piken Kolidas.  It's an easy going, low pressure challenge.  Being a part of this is encouraging me to be creative every day but if I miss a day or two or do something other than painting/journaling such as baking a cake or going on an art date then that's absolutely fine.  If you want to join in just visit Leah's website at the link above and see how it could work for you.

I also joined a group on Facebook called 'A Piece a Week 2013' - a place to inspire and be inspired - to encourage and be encouraged.  A piece a week is a comfortable target for me to encourage my own creative process.  You can still join if you want to, just click the link and ask to join.

How is the new year finding you?  What baby steps are you taking in your creativity?  Or gigantic, magical, scary type steps!!? I would love to know what you are up to these cold winter days so please share in the comments...

Counting those baby steps, from my creative heart to yours

Rachel xox