A Bunch A Mumbo Jumbo

Published on July 31, 2011

I’m so freaking excited about tomorrow.

{Can I get a Whoo! Whoo!}

We’re talking five straight days of FEARLESS™ Painting invitations to help beautiful fabulous YOU get more in alignment with your creative source. I’ll be posting the link to the Total Alignment Flicr group tomorrow as well AND I so look forward to seeing what all of you do. But remember painting FEARLESS™ is more of an attitude and way of being–than it is about the painting. (Got that?)

Sure, I say it’s all about the process over and over again–but what I really wish and DESIRE for ALL of you is that you radiate your beautiful shiny bright light that IS your pink juicy heart–and what better way to let that glow shine-baby-shine than with a bit of acrylic paint!!!

So paint FEARLESS™ my little Sugar Cubes!!

Paint FEARLESS™!!

We’re all doing it together!

Second, I’m beyond excited about tomorrow because I open the doors over at BIG. I’m welcoming with open arms my SEVENTH Tribe of FEARLESS™ Painters–and they’ll spend the week getting to know each other better and preparing for the BIG FEARLESS™ Painting Adventure!!!

I’ll tell you something kind of funny though…this is always the time–when my FEARLESS™ Painters are getting ready– that I feel like a dentist.

Yes, a dentist.

Because I get tons of emails from my Loveys explaining how frightened they are–even though they know that BIG is going to be the best thing for them. And I’ve come to expect this–I’ve learned that this fear that they feel is all a necessary part of the process–of growing into stronger, more confidant and truly self reliant Artists. The best part–the juiciest and most rewarding, of course is at the end when they send me emails exclaiming with joy what BIG has been to them. My FEARLESS™ Painter Michelle just wrote me an email asking if she could share her story on Dirty Footprints Studio–in hope to inspire others to be brave enough to join the FEARLESS™ Painting Adventure. Here’s what Michelle has to say…..

I first heard about Connie Hozvica and Dirty Footprints Studio about one year ago, right after I first came to art journaling. Connie was getting ready for her first tribe of BIG Fearless Painters and I remember that I really wanted to join in the fun, but I thought that 1. It was too expensive for me, 2. I had just started up with art again after 7 years of next to no arting at all and I was intimidated and 3. I had never done an online art class before and I figured they weren’t all that rewarding anyways.

Over the next year I made a lot of art journal pages, I started exploring various techniques and media and I signed up for various online art classes that I started full of energy and enthusiasm, and then after 2-3 weeks my enthusiasm died out a bit, I got sent off with work or let some other aspect of life distract me and I never really completed the class I had payed for. And every time Connie sent out an announcement that she was taking on a new tribe of Fearless Painters I wished I were one of them. But I wasn’t Fearless and I talked myself out of it. That is until May came around and Connie was once again opening the studio for a new tribe of BIG Fearless painters. This time my heart won out and I signed up, and I was terrified. And more than anything I was afraid that I wouldn’t commit to the journey and the money I had payed to sign up would be wasted.

Two weeks before BIG started my boss announced to me that I would have to go away to New Orleans on business, with an open ended return meaning I didn’t know how long I would have to stay. I was very concerned that I would miss out on my first week of BIG, and while Connie opened the Studio so that the tribe might get to know one another before the class started I returned home to Norway on the day Week 1 of BIG Fearless Painting was made available on ning.

I really enjoyed the exercises and the people in the tribe and I liked the paintings I was producing, however Connie kept talking about the process and I watched her paint Fearless and I knew there was something I was missing. I was unable to free myself from my expectations of the painting and was always trying to recreate and image I saw in my mind. I wasn’t able to lose myself in the process, until this painting came along. I created it by simply putting down colors on the page and as I was working shapes were emerging from the brush strokes and I realized I was giving myself over to the process.

In many ways it felt like a defining moment in my exploration of Fearless Painting. However at the same time I was once again required to go away on business, meaning I would be missing weeks 5 and 6 of BIG. I was concerned that the painting practice I had built would disappear and I wouldn’t complete the BIG workshop. I brought my sketchbook and a some art supplies and managed to do art most days of those two weeks. When I returned I found that the rapid pace and furious energy I had had for the first part of BIG was gone and instead doing my paintings was more of a contemplative meditation. Of course this might have been because the canvas was bigger, but I think it was because I was much more focused on the process of the painting. Of listening to my heart and painting what I felt rather than what I knew or saw in my minds eye. And despite having been away from BIG and the canvas for two weeks I completed all the assignments. Like Connie said: “Fearless painters don’t make it to the finish line and give up before crossing it.”

The real defining moment for me though, the moment I realized I had embraced the Fearless Painting Process and incorporated it into my life came this weekend. Like I said I live in Norway, and this weekend Norway was subject to a bombing of a government building and a massacre at a youth summer camp by a nationalist with ties to extreme right wing factions. It is difficult to describe exactly how this made me feel and the impact it had on the Norwegian people, but for the space of a weekend our country drew a collective breath and stood together as one in the face of a great tragedy. With all these confused feelings swirling in my mind I was uncertain how to process them, and then I realize what I really needed was to paint Fearlessly, to stand in front of a white sheet of paper and let my heart and mind manifest through paint. And that’s when I finally understood what Connie had been telling us for 6 weeks of Fearless Painting and I realized I had embraced Fearless painting in my life.

~~Thank You Michelle~~

BIG officially starts Sunday, August 7th–

there still is space for a few more FEARLESS™ Painters!

Come join the Adventure HERE.

Monday is super duper awesome as well–because Miz Andrea Schroeder from ABCcreativity–glitter sparkly shiny mama herself will be adding her flavor and wisdom to 21 SECRETS!!! Yep–her 21 SECRETS workshop DREAM SPARK starts on Monday! (Those that are already members of 21 SECRETS have gotten a sneak peek–lucky ducks!)

I just love Andrea to pieces and I’m so glad that she’ll be sharing her magic in the playground!

Monday is special for me as well because I’ll be on my way and beginning my 7 day kirtan retreat with Jai Uttal in San Anselmo, California. I feel like I’m taking a pilgrimage–like I’m embarking on an adventure. And I guess I am. I have no idea what to expect–but I feel deep in my heart that this retreat is going to open my heart even wider–and allow more space for creativity and FEARLESS™ Painting to grow. I look forward to sharing my experience with you.

The beautiful song above has Jai Uttal playing in it–even though the singer is not him. A lovely soul on Twitter sent me the link and I’ve been listening to it all weekend. It’s a perfect chant to still your mind and FEARLESS™ paint to.

Press play.

(Deva Premal is singing the Moola Mantra–

it asks for freedom from all suffering and sorrow.

You can read more about it HERE.)