Passion

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Seriously…I look crazy!! All the painting is starting to sauté my brain!!!

“When I remember to make an intention to connect with the Creative Source and also fulfill my obligations, time expands.  I engage in artmaking from a place of dedication to the Creative Source, and duty becomes joyfully rendered.”

-Pat B. Allen from the book

Art Is a Spiritual Path

Lately I have been on a creative high.  But I’m not sure calling it a high is even the right word.  I feel more like I have gone mad with creativity.  Artmaking has taken over my life.  I’m not eating well–my Yoga practice is sadly neglected–and I keep waking up during my sleep with these amazing ideas of stuff to work on and either I act upon those thoughts….or I get up and write it down.  But then the excitement of it all keeps me up.

Did I mention though that I am happy from morning till night?  Did I happen to say that I’m loving every second of this madness and have delusions of it going on forever?

But the truth is…I’m starting to feel sick.  Not flu, or cold, or any of that viral stuff.  The kind of sick from over-doing.  The kind of sick you feel when you are juggling way too much in your life, like most of us do all the time anyways….but with the boring stuff.  The kind of sick from not being fully in the moment.

That’s right…all this creative bliss pouring out of my pores, and I just realized that I am not fully living in the moment of it all.  I’m getting lost in this land of colors, pigments, brushes, and journals.  Yes–you heard me right, I’m getting lost.  If you look out your window right now you’ll see me floating out there on a cloud high above painting the sunrise!! Yep, that’s me!  It’s not a rainbow you see—just my headband!

I think some might label this craziness I’m experiencing as passion.  Picasso was passionate–he lived in the studio.  Nobody will argue with me that VanGogh wasn’t passionate.  Same with Frida Kahlo, Leonardo DaVinci, the list can go on forever.  I’m sure they started feeling sick too.  Well, there’s proof that they did.

So what’s wrong with passion then?  Makes life exciting–vibrant–exuberant–WILD!!!  Right?

Passion is a force.  An energy that must be used wisely, with moments of reflection–or you’ll be out there on a cloud with me!  Passion is a gift from the Universe, so that amazing things can happen and be created.  But it must be treated with respect.

Passion is sacred.  Not an excuse for overdoing it or neglecting other aspects of  life that are important..such as laundry, bills,  relationships, and most importantly–your health and well being.

Lucky for me, in the midst of all this madness, the Universe delivers me a little gift.  As I searched through the closet in my studio looking for some images I wanted to use for my  journal, I came across a book I haven’t read yet:  Art Is A Spiritual Path by Pat B. Allen. That little voice told me it is time to read this, and there, in the first chapter, already the Universe is speaking to me–curing me of this madness.

The author speaks strongly about how important the connection to Source is in artmaking.  The way we initiate this connection is by taking a moment to create an intention before we begin.  She suggests even writing it down in a journal, then closing it, forgetting it even, and proceeding with the act of artmaking.

That is the key to balancing passion!  Without awareness and intention, the Universe will not meet us and support our dreams.  Eventually we’ll just feel like we’re running on fumes, like I do.  Maybe you’ll even be inhabiting a fluffy white cloud wondering where you’re going with all of this.

So now, it’s only been a couple days, but I take the time to create an intention–to fully be aware that what I am embarking on is a sacred contract between my passion and the Universe. I am no longer working on this material plane, or dangling my feet off a cloud, I am following a sacred path.  You do not go to church wearing only yesterday’s underwear–do you?  No.  You shower, dress up possibly, and prepare yourself for a moment of communion with your Source.  So goes the same for artmaking.  We need to be ready, prepared, and healthy in entering this sacred act.

For me, that means crawling back onto my Yoga mat first thing in the morning again.  That means eating when I’m hungry.  Listening to what my body needs. Sleeping without interruptions.

Passion, like I said, is a strong force.  If you have it—it’s not going to go anywhere.  It will wait for you to do the laundry, have a smoothie with a friend,  and do the dishes.

Peace & Love.

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