YES!!!

I was driving my girl to kindergarten the other day and she was in the back seat in her booster talking and singing to herself as she does, when I heard her say, passionately, YESSSSS!

You know there are probably books and magazine articles and scientific studies that I could look up and quote and hyper link to but assuming they are all in agreement my sense is that saying the word YES!!! in a positive passionate way is pretty darn good for us and our momentum our physiology our brain state and moving us along with our paintings, business goals, dreams and whatever else we are doing.

What about working on a painting and we do something that we are really happy with and saying YES!!! out loud and having a mini little celebration? Now wouldn't that be a great re-enforcement to keep going. ( I think when I start 

teaching Illuminate the Artist Within (R) workshops we will incorporate this somehow into the class. YES! the concept perhaps being to 'embrace' our mistakes and allow the process)

Now, what abut taking that even another step and doing it when you think you've fucked up and something happened with the work that wasn't planed, expected, wanted, anticipated - say in my case Ruthie comes in to the studio and decides to "help out" with my paintings ( we caught a great clip of this for the video and it ended up being an awesome co-painting experience! YES!) and at first we are initially not so happy about this thing. So what if we say YES!!! with Passion and enthusiasm?

Kinda like a  big YES!!! to life even if its going our way or not our way. Because its all beautiful. The mess the planned and unplanned parts. 

and YES I am intending on seeing YES Man as soon as I can get a sitter! 

Ruthie Firefly age 5 1/2 my little Yes girl, shining bright. 

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate

My current  inspiration and favourite quote:

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.  It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.  We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world.  There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.  We are all meant to shine, as children do.  We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; its in everyone. And as we let out own light shin, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are all liberated form our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

By Marianne Williamson, from A Return to Love

Pure Abstraction...work continues

Here is a sneak peak of a painting which we used during the video filming recently. 

It's part of the Pure Abstraction series and incorporates beach sand, moulding paste, gloss medium and varnish, heavy gel matte, soft gel gloss, irridescent pigments, acrylics, alcohol, tissue paper and probably more I can't remember at this point. 

This piece will take a few more weeks to finish as every layer as to dry before I add to the next one. Need I say...so much fun!!!

Here's your chance to name a painting!

I need your help and would love your input! This painting needs a title!

Best name will be chosen and winner will receive an 8x 10" print of this art piece.  Please leave your title suggestions in the comments box below this blog. Thank you. And Thank you Tai Kerbs for coming by to photograph this piece last minute in the studio!

(untitled)

Pure Abstraction Series

(c) Deb Chaney 2008

Mixed Media, Sand, Acrylics on canvas

24 x 36 x 1 1/2 "

Feng Shui Recommendation:  To support spiritual and personal growth place this piece in the left hand corner of your room .

Original available for sale, inquire debchaney@live.com

Support team & fabulous friends

When I was doing the voice over for the video Josh and I are making about myself and my art- i an audio visual artists statement/bio if you will-  we went through a list of prompts or questions one of the last questions we went through was what advice I would give other artist or artist starting out?

I know I said a lot of things that I would encourage artists starting out to do including...writing morning pages, using affirmations, reading the Artist's Way, and setting scheduled work habits.

 

However, if I were to pass on one gem to other artists  starting out, the TOP thing, it would be to create a support system and surround yourself with a cheering team. 

Surround yourself only with people who believe in you, see your dream, applaud you, cheer you on, make you laugh, ask you question that propel you to move forward, bring you dinner, help clean your house, listen to you and call you at your darkest hour. Discard the rest. If they are bringing you down they are bringing your art down. Life's too short. 

As Madonna says: "Don't go for second best baby..."

So, I want to thank just a few member of my stellar team and keep on cheering and being in my life supporting my dream to sell my art to movie stars and support my family lavlishly from the production and sales of my work. Thank you!

The photo here is of me and my friend Meg hiking in Montecito. Meg  just had a piece published in the newly released book Conscious Choices An Evolutionary Woman's Guide to Life. Congrats Meg and thank you for continuing to inspire me on so many levels. 

Mathew- san...'darling you...bring me....bring me home" for the paperwork, love, pizza, stories you've read to Ruthie and pure friendship. Here's to sailing down the coast. Thank you.

Todd, thank you for being here, iphoto, mac support and being your cute barbie doll self - Ruthie just loves you!

Misty, for our call last week. For telling me I will find the positive in hard times, that i will thrive no matter what. Thank you for calling.

Heather, for your feedback, input and love. Can't wait to see your new house and hike in the rockies again.

Jeff for bringing over dinner the other night, hikes, calls, friendship and showing up.

Kath, Grace, Sharon, Jackie and all the girls I get to share and be with when we have our groups.

Geoffrey and Laurel, Miss Sal and Miss Liz for taking such great care of my girl, Ruthie Firefly!

Peter for your love, art, smile, understanding and friendship.

Lana Grow for being my pillar of art, teaching, mentor.

Michelle Y Williams for being a success, inspiration and creating the beautiful amaizng work that you do. 

Josh and Zach for all the work on the video, filiming, place to crash, love & encouragement. 

April for our hike and making me laugh big time! I'm never going to think about rent money the same again! Here's to Lazy Acres and cashmere blankets. Lov eyou babe.

Ann Blachke for yoru honesty and groundedness.

Sloane and Bob and Peggy Reali for Christmas dinner, love, music, understanding. 

Tai Kerbs for the encouragement and willigness to help me create this dream.

Hunter & Troy for those digital photos!

Jolina for the start of something great. Thank you for our awesome meeting and wonderful chat about men and motherhood.

Jordon at infusionsoft for staying on my butt!

Reyna and the team at back 40 Designs for patiently waiting...

Lyza loo I love you!

Jenn....my singing in the rain at Interlaken girlfriend, always there for me, standing by through the good and the bad. I love you woman. You are my pillar. Thank you for being so strong.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Getting started Painting, or getting back to it....

I got a message on my facebook wall ( facebook is mylatest addiction, I confess!) the other day from a friend I met at business seminar in San Diego, specifically Sales Explosion by Frontier Trainings, several months back. He asked me how to get started painting....

It's a good question and something to consider is one that a child would never even think about, they just go for it. Somewhere along the way into adult hood we get all this beliefs and notions and fear and so on in our heads and even the smallest thing, like writing a few lines in a journal, let alone picking up a paint brush and pushing paint around become monumental, difficult, overwhelming....

I paint nearly every day and have been for years - 8+. I write in a journal almost daily. There is nothing special or different about me. Just that I went out of my way to find out how to overcome procrastination, overwhelm, artist's block and all the other things that stop us from pursuing our creative callings.

Here are my favourites that keep me charged up:

• Look what I've already done - I was just at Samy's Camera working with Troy and going over the digital photos he'd shot of the first 8 Patchwork Paper paintings and I kept commenting on how energized I felt seeing m y completed work. Well done, Deb I kept saying to myself. Troy & I were laughing but it really was a genuine feeling of pride. That feeling keeps me going.
• Bridging - Setting up the studio so that when I next come to it everything I need to start painting is in place ready to go, organized, water containers filled, paper towels available, counter space cleared to lay down a  painting.
• Writing. See the photo above I am painting on a piece of paper in which I wrote using black  india ink (I like Higgins Black Magic) just to release some feelings and thoughts. After I clear out mentally it makes room for creativity to flow. In this case I was thinking of incorporating this into another patchwork painting piece....but anyways I'm working on some other stuff...( so much to do, so little time)
• Evening ritual of writing down my successes. Every night before I go to bed I write out my successes. When I take the time to congratulate or honor myself for what I did today as a forward movement towards my long & short term goals - IE success - showed up at the studio, worked in Pure Abstraction paintings today! It makes  me want to do more. Hence it gets easier and easier to come back and start because I've created a positive neuro association with the task at hand. Make sense?
• Looking at other artists work - this Friday my friend Lyza Loo and I are headed to the LA art convention in Santa Monica to look at other artist work! Do you know how jazzed I get when I see other artist making it happen and succeeding big time? Very. because I know if they can do it, so can I.

Keep feeding your well. Please feel free to share with us what keeps you going or gets you started. Best, Deb