The Art Of Living

Namaste' fellow earth aliens! I thought I would share with you something I just started yesterday. Today I am going to apply subtle color then the glaze today, I want to keep it subtle as I like the contrast with the other tiled art I have already fired up, and they have lots of color. This will be a part of a 7 foot by 7 foot mural I am doing for my bathroom wall. It has my girl Tibet, Legend and Eco on this panel.

Art has always been a link to me a lifeline so to speak, it is as a part of me as my wild natural being is, and has always been there when I need to call on it most in my life. It has been a best friend through thick and thin.

A lot of people that meet me, seem to think I am really outgoing, but I blush so much too and that is definitely my shy side coming out, and I have to force myself to not crawl off into that dark corner at times still. (Oh let me be a spider!) Over the years working in the public eye has helped. At first it was HARD, I was that kid that if you looked at me even at 18, I would cast my eyes down, not wanting to ever offend or impose. I did not want to be the center of ANY attention.

Like a wolf I was content to watch from a distance, curious, but very shy. But very very happy on my own, away from crowds. To this day I avoid malls in the city, not only to not subject my sanity to huge crowds, but I do prefer to go to little tiny shops to support more small business owners, than big box stores. So have a better excuse than simply not wanting to be around huge crowds. ;0)

But when I started working in fields that FORCED me to be more outgoing, against my natural inclination to shy away, the feelings started to come with the actions.

The action of simply doing REGARDLESS of the feeling.

I knew this would be a HUGE mountain to climb, and a real challenge.

Oh boy it was painful, let me tell you for all those people who truly are SHY and not just a little shy but SHY, they'll relate. I'd rather be off on my bike somewhere in the middle of nowhere looking for frogs in a creek (Yup fav. past time ;0) of mine, )

But you know, I also realized something that our inherent *selves* don't ever leave us, even if our actions change. The actions may just get *easier* to perform. And I don't mean acting, as it certainly is not that, but you are creating a new self, another part, as part of the whole. Not necessarily dumping the *old* self either, as I don't want to disrespect or dishonor ANY side to who I am.

I often tell people I really did not like doing the dishes, I think I did far too many from the time I was 5, I became the official dish dryer for a family of 5 and my older sister was the washer, I remember having to stand on a chair cause I could not reach the sink LOL.

My little spoiled brother got to sit it out ;0) by the time I was 10 I graduated to become the official daily dish washer, but as much as I disliked dish washing, I disliked the drying by hand towel even more. So that was moving up in the world for me hahaha. No dishwashing machines except litle human kids in my household. Now by that time, my little brother who should have filled in my old job of dish dryer, (I was sooooooooo evily relishing that) my parents told him he did not have to hand dry each and every dish and utensil like I did . I was to rinse each one with very burn your hands water, hand them to him, and him set them out on a towel to air dry! Oh I so wanted to plan ways to get back at him for that. ;0)

Where am I going with this? you'll see. As I used to sit there year after year first dish drying, then dish washing, I would *create*, I would sing, I would draw images, and sculpt within my mind, I would continue to LIVE and do whilst I was performing an action I TRULY disliked, with a passion.

Over time, as I did those dang dishes with soul, with heart and art within, the *feelings* started to follow, bit by bit, the actions. Just as my little shy girl story above.

So now when I don't feel like doing something that has to be done, I simply do it with *soul* within, so yeah, okay busted! you got me in another indiscretion, *sigh* as if telling you all I run around with not much on around my land singing to wolves wasn't enough, but I dance with the dang vacuum cleaner, picture that! or uhm NOT! *grin*

Art comes in various forms, when I say artist it can be someone whom collects bottlecaps and covers their house with them, to a graceful ice skater, to the person who travels to the farthest corners of the world to discover ancient cities, and to listen to their whispers and secrets untold. It can be a gentle mother, whom sings to her children at night as she tucks them in, or tells them bed time stories you can't find in any book on the shelf!

Art is universal it seeps from every pour, to glisten and shine.

Art is a life vein of discovery, or dusting off what already lay beneath the dirt.

I have freely throughout my life given away art pieces be it beaded art pieces I have made, or be it a painting. When questioned why I have *given* away so much, and not sold it, when I very well could. I simply respond...Because I can.

Because I can bring that out anytime I want to, I can create anything I see, why wouldn't I want to give that away? Why would I be born with a gift, if I was not also meant to truly take that world, share and apply it sometimes? When I meet people for the very first time I get really excited cause I want to share my life, my music, my dance, I have learned over time that as much as I feared people, I also loved them very deeply. I fall in love truly, on a daily basis.

Art has allowed me to step on the box and borders, life has tried to place around me. I pull from it, and it from me, for it it helps to create who I am, for I am not the only artist.

When I create it is a dance between me, that which is my inspiration, and that which is created as the result.

All that said you want to know a secret? I TRULY disliked doing the dishes period, cause I had to wash them with palmolive dish soap, and let me tell you in my household growing up you so much as said damn, you'd have that soap going down your throat, or a bar soap of zestfully clean, (ahuh, what a lovely name NOT) would be pushed in and out of my mouth grating along my teeth. I'd rather take the belt my dad would give us , than that dang soap. To this day I avoid looking at zest and palmolive, and you will NOT find those in my house! I had to use my torture devices daily hahaha.

Oh palmolive would you like ME to do a commercial for you? *grin* I'd do a really bang up job for you :0)

The moral? Get out, and just CREATE if it means mud patties, then mud patties it be! and hey don't knock mud patties, they're good for so many things like a mud fight, who's game? ;0) cause them after the mud fight you can take out the water guns. Okay, Okay, I admit I have a couple water guns, too. :0)

Pssst the title of this post reminds me of a really GREAT song by the boomers, (The Art Of Living) if you dont know who they are, oh they are truly wonderful I discovered them at 17 whilst traveling in the back of a little toyota pickup extended cab on my way to a canoe trip, and friends in their thirties at the time had that tape just cranked. But here is another great song from them since I could not find the art of living on youtube, this one is called You Gotta Know, check em out!but turn off my music to hear them

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UYOib_M_wk