Sunday, October 25, 2009

brave me

colored pencils, oil pastels, watercolor on muslin

it's been a week of reflections and revelations... i think the sale of my lampworking stuff was the primary catalyst, but also the exercises in 'the power of your other hand'. i ended up not selling most of my lampworking equipment... suffice it to say that by the end of the week it felt like my old thoughts about bead making had been snapped like a dry twig...

i realized something very fundamental about myself while doing the exercises in 'the power of your other hand'. the basic idea is that your non dominant hand represents your child self - your creative, playful, imaginative self, while the dominant hand represents the adult you. you can have conversations with your 'selves' by writing alternately with each hand - one asks the questions and the other answers. in the course of doing this i saw clearly that my brave self, my risk taking self, is the child me! omg! how could i have missed that all these years?! the adult me is many things, but brave is not one of them - controlling, yes, and cautious and quite often fearful. but not brave. how liberating it is to know that my creative self is the brave and fearless one...

oil pastels, colored pencils, watercolor and acrylic paint on muslin


and now i'll let the pictures do the talking about the rest of my week. (when i wasn't reflecting and revelating ; )





















What moves men of genius, or rather what inspires their work, is not new ideas, but their obsession with the idea that what has already been said is still not enough.

Eugene Delacroix


XO

31 comments:

  1. So Mr Eugene Delacroix, does that mean that there is no such thing as a new idea?

    Left hand, right hand, left brain, right brain. Now that is not a new idea but one that helps me today too - in ways that are not for telling in blogland - but for simply saying...

    Thank you.

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  2. loani, well the way i intrepret mr. delacroix is that he's saying it's just not enough - we feel we can add to the whole shebang with our contribution. and i feel it's definitely the case with your tea cosies... the world has never known anything like them! look at the voice, the vision they contribute! it's true!

    you're welcome...

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  3. Lovely artwork, brave revelations (I understand exactly what you mean,), and stunning photos. Thankyou for sharing all this beauty.

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  4. Don't you love these revelations that pounce and surprise one? I suppose too that the dominant hand is easily led by ego whereas the non dominant, child like hand is more spontaneous.

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  5. Lynne, this post is a reveltion to me as I too suffer from adult weediness! I'll give the exercise you have outlined a go and see what transpires. I did do one very brave thing last week, I finally got up the courage to go down one of those scary-looking water pipe-slides. It was fantastic!!! I yelled and sang all the way down. Whatever next???!!! Your artwork and images are beautiful, as ever x!

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  6. The non dominant hand is the one that would have all the fun! I'm not sure which is mine. I was left handed as a child a my aunt, (who babysat me) insisted I use my right.... so maybe I am using my non dominant hand...lol!

    Love your work girlfriend! I always smile when I look at your pieces!!
    Love the quote!

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  7. Quite the epiphany, Yes?
    I agree with Mr.Delacroix and your comment above whole heartedly!!! -J

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  8. Lynne, that is quite a revelation and upon reflection, I would say it is true for me as well. I did try your exercise and it was very interesting to note the feelings that came out of it. love the Delacroix quote.

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  9. beautiful shots, revelations, and sharing. Love those conversations with self you share lynne, while exploring your passions, obsessions, and loves in search of personal 'enoughs'. if that makes sense!
    wonderful quote and all,
    xox k

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  10. Your muslin art continues to be some of my favorites!! I love the looks you create with it.
    xo

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  11. Hey Beautiful-Spirited Girl : ) wonderful, wonderful, WONDERFUL posts : ) thanks for sharing your insigts, revelations and the "brave you" side - it's all wonderful : ) you've started my week with such a happy smile and bright outloook - thank you : )
    XXXOOOOBlessings, Sandra in AZ

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  12. thank you, ann... i appreciate your words, especially the part about 'brave revelations'. after i posted this i was gripped by "why'd you do that??!!" brave me had to step in and speak up. ; ) xo

    robyn, yeah, exactly... historically the vast majority of people have been right handed, which is the hand that's connected to the linear, non spatial hemisphere of the brain. it's all very fascinating...

    lol, lumi! who among us does not suffer from adult weediness?!! that was *very* brave riding on the water pipe thingie - and childlike! who knows what's next? it looks to me like you might jump over the moon any day!

    yeah, manon, you are using your non dominant hand according to this book. she actually has quite a lot to say about people who were forced to switch hands as a child... it's all very interesting, and i'd sure never thought about it this deeply before.

    jayne - yes!! HUGE epiphany!

    hey cat, i think it's bound to be true for many of us, and i sure appreciate your telling me that you tried the exercise... i felt it was worth sharing, but also felt vulnerable at revealing so much of me/my process. xo

    yeah, k., personal enoughs completely! the top pic is surely child me telling adult me 'enough!'. sending you smiles... : )

    thank you, julie!

    heya sandra, and *you've* started my week off with a big smile! can you see me sitting here smiling as i think of you a couple of states away smiling and creating? : ) exo xo blessings!

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  13. i yelled through the house and it went flying outside, i yelled YES! Its bouncing down the river and to the sea, how far will it travel>>>?

    i yelled Yes to that quote. Thank you.

    A> your child self - your creative, playful, imaginative self, you write and i think yes, too. The imaginitive creative is the link to the gift LIFE... as is Love. The rest i think is woven culture threads; what the hell is an adult anyway? I still try to ask myself this...

    (so everyone will immediately have an answer--but thinking deeper, what does all that jargon mean? )

    ..
    love the Shlitz can.
    Your trees blow my mind. So huge so beautiful.
    .
    not sure about my hands, they both seem delicate and then strong... want to think about it... Sondra Ray used to have exercizes like that way way back...

    ok.
    exoblessings ...yesblessings...smiles...blissblessings... braveblessings...
    etc.

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  14. A lovely post Lynne. Reading this made me think about my own dominant and submissive sides... Love your pictures :)

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  15. The tree altar... beautiful..

    That was/is my childhood design.

    to come upon something as lovely as that..stop and wonder for a minute... like a real shrine, I guess.

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  16. It's so good to be home again and visit your blog. Wonderful photos, thoughtful posts, things to think about, as usual. But, that's just me, happy to be here. :)Bea
    Since I type with both hands I don't know who wrote the above.

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  17. Omg, Lynne, my two me's are both grown up! I did this workshop a time back and there didn't seem to be a child in me. I AM A GROWN-UP!
    It was defeating to learn that I am not many faceted. I took the class with my mother when I was 15.
    EEEK!
    Good for you...and I really mean it!
    xox, Lisa

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  18. Viva the brave wild artist child in you and long may she fearlessly play!
    I so love how you see the world and how you express what you see and feel, beautiful Lynne. I makes me glad to be in this amazing world with you !
    Thank you for the heart food.
    much love !

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  19. I am such a tree lover and after always seeing the love and respect you share with the trees I feel that everyday I need to go and touch the trees in my yard and now I do. Thanks to you.

    Love Renee xoxo

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  20. you're welcome, m... that's how i felt when i read it too. i read a lot of quotes before that one, and none of them zinged me. that one sent a definite zing right through me.

    yes, yes, yes! this child self is the Inner Presence, Love, the ISness. the adult is what? social conditioning and programming, the facts/skills that we've learned, etc. i am truly freaking amazed that i have just put this together. the adult is the garment we've woven together this lifetime, and the child simply Is...

    your comment and bea's got me thinking about how we compose so many messages on a keyboard with *both* hands these days. surely that is significant...

    brave, ISness exo xo blessings are swirling!!

    hi jasmine, thank you... always smile to see you here... : )

    hello my dear grrl... sometimes i wonder if anyone has ever stumbled upon this green shrine. the creatures seem to dismantle it very quickly - it's rarely standing when i visit it. yes, surely that is what shrines are for - to make us stop and reflect... xo

    hiya bea! very happy to see you! as i just wrote to m., you've got me thinking about about how we're using *both* hands more to communicate these days. i think this is significant... thank you for leaving your thoughts...

    thank you, marilyn!

    lisa... oh, i love what you've written... are you sure that you're not all child? you're so straightforward, honest, playful, and funny - surely that is not an adult! but whoever you are, i appreciate you and your art... very much... xo

    god, kim, i love that -- 'brave, wild, artist child'... well, my fellow brave, wild, artist child, big heart walking, i say onward! and thank you for being you!! xo

    ahhh, renee... that's so beautiful... thank you... xo

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  21. clap! clap! clap! it is so important, so deeply wise and essential to crawl into the abyss that is our self and sort through all the mysterious bits that hold us together. without this examination and exploration, life would be about sitcoms strung together with pta meetings. to go below the surface and into the heart of the matter is to grow and learn and love in expansive ways. go, lynne, go! xo-k

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  22. Lots to ponder after this post...that wonderful quote. You definately have me thinking about my left and right hands (I am left handed in writing, but do tend to use my left hand for throwing balls etc.) I must try your question and answer exercise and go further into this.
    A visit to the mountains again...and that beautiful shrine. Thanks for the trip.

    Jacky xox

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  23. exquisite revelation
    deep breaths and joyous awakening you brave creative soul you ...
    And the quote - I think all creativity is connected ... an ever expanding mandala of awareness.
    blessings sweet one
    xoxo

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  24. Lynne,

    I'm so glad you DIDN'T sell your lamp work equipment!!! Thanks for sharing your revelation. Had a day last Saturday that your right/left hand practice could of really helped and still can!
    oxoxox,
    Anna

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  25. hear hear lynne, so happy to hear about your revelations! thank you for being you.

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  26. kelly, it's so amazing to me that i didn't see this sooner - bein' the excavator that i am... ; )

    ditto, jeane!

    yes, jacky, give it a try and see what happens... it sounds like you're very balanced hand-wise!

    kathy, yes, i agree - an ever expanding mandala. it's ALL connected - we're all connected!! love to you!

    hey sweet anna, i've thought about you so many times since we last saw each other. i'm sending you love and trusting that all is well and unfolding with you... xo

    vivian, and i say thank you for being you!! hear hear!

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  27. How fascinating. I ran over and bought that book and will be doing some reflecting myself.

    Love the can and the quote, and as always, love your work!

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  28. I have wanted to leave a comment here all day... but first blogspot was acting wierd and then my internet was... you have given me much to think about here... that the child in me also is the risk taker... the adventurous one... the brave one... Your revealations are quite profound Lynne... today I am having adventures in my art... love to you... Roxanne

    ...and the colors in your two facing journal pages... the green bird (!) i will be back to see more!

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  29. Love your faces! So wonderfully whimsical! As far as Delacroix's comment... I have known people like that adn not necessarily of the creative sort! LOL!

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