Tag: Art Journaling

full moon

I hope you’re enjoying the first full moon of 2019! I was driving along the freeway this evening and caught a glimpse of the supermoon just over the horizon. According to yoga teacher, Natalie Perez of Roaming Yogi, every single full moon gives us the chance to embrace changes and to let go. Since we’re experiencing the first full moon of the year, it’s the perfect time to reflect on our new year’s intentions. My intention was to bring more balance and strength into my life; however, during my morning yoga practice, I felt that I needed more courage, as this year, I’m stepping into a new role that I’m both excited and nervous about. It will require more time and energy I’m sure than I anticipated.

So, this morning, I began sketching and eventually tore up the sketch because it was just awful. What I wanted to draw just wasn’t happening. I started another sketch, which morphed into the work above, a kind of selfie. Nothing was flowing today, and I felt stuck, blocked. I think I’ve been afraid of experimenting for fear of messing things up. I remember an artist I follow said you have to make a lot of bad art before discovering your personal style. And of course, practicing and refining your skills requires time and patience. I get frustrated with my lack of improvement, but then remind myself to chill and just enjoy the process. As Henri Matisse quoted, “creativity takes courage.” Letting go and making bad art is part of the process in order to get to the good stuff, and that takes courage. It takes courage to try new things and to step outside of your comfort zone, to fail, but keep going.

So, my plan is to keep working on this piece, experiment, let go of perfection, judgment and self-doubt. To just flow with it. I hope to further bring courage into my new role. I start my first parent training group on February 1st. It will be a challenging, yet I hope, rewarding position. May you also find flow and courage to explore your creativity with abandon. Oh, and enjoy the full moon!

Cheers…

on the rise

How has your January been so far? I’m happy to say that my intention to have a healthier 2019 is going pretty well. I follow Natalie Perez of Roaming Yogi on YouTube and Instagram and have been starting my mornings with one of her videos, sometimes a couple if it’s a video on a specific asana or meditation. I love her teaching style and get so much from each of her videos. Today, I learned more about pranayama, or the practice of controlling energy through the use of breath. She has a great post on pranayama on her website. Already, I feel stronger after a couple of weeks of regular yoga practice. I’ve made a shift and believe that even a 10-minute morning yoga flow is better than none at all! I prefer her longer videos, but sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do.

The piece above was inspired by wanting to really rise up this year in my level of confidence and at the same time, live a life of more ease despite difficulties. I typically undersell myself and don’t feel as though I deserve anything. But, I’ve come to believe that I do deserve to be happy and to chase after whatever brings me joy. Natalie led a yoga session today called Joyful Yoga Practice: Vinyasa Practice to Spark Joy. I envisioned all the things that bring me joy, including family, drawing, music, writing and my home. I love that yoga is becoming my reset button, and it’s bringing so much joy to learn more about yoga through Natalie and Roaming Yogi.

It’s still early in 2019, and yet in the two weeks back to work, I feel as though three years have gone by.  So, to remedy that, I hope to engage in more things that bring me joy, even if it’s something small, like taking a short walk or observing the beautiful clear sky after it rains. My intention is to identify at least three things I did well during my day at bedtime instead of fussing over what I could have done differently. It’s a process to invite more joy and ease into your life. May you rise up this year and and go after the things that bring you the joy you deserve.

Cheers…

balance & power

May your 2019 be your happiest, healthiest and most peaceful year yet.

Hello and Happy New Year! It’s been a beautiful morning thus far. I started my morning with a hot cup of coffee and finished my first pencil sketch of 2019. It’s still a little rough, but I like how she’s turning out.

I’m thrilled to let go of 2018 and to usher in a brand new year. I don’t typically set New Year’s resolutions, but I have set an intention for 2019, as the title of this post alludes to: Balance and Power. Last year was one of professional discovery and growth; however, I did a very poor job taking care of myself physically, emotionally and spiritually. It was a challenging year, yet that is how growth occurs, through the bumps, scrapes and bruises. I have a much greater sense of who I am and where I’m going in 2019.

Personally, I did not make enough time for good health, nutritionally or physically, primarily because I was so tired! My work/life balance was seriously out of whack, and once that happens, it becomes a vicious cycle. I’m making self-care and self-compassion a top priority this year. My intention is to create a more balanced life, daily, and to increase power within by recognizing/accepting my strengths, gifts and talents, not allowing my weaknesses to limit me. I feel that the piece above inspires me to face what may come with strength, balance and grace, one day at a time.

May your 2019 be your happiest, healthiest and most peaceful year yet!

Cheers…

faerie maiden

Happy holidays, folks! I hope you’re enjoying the season and spending lots of time with family and friends. I’m in beautiful La Jolla, California, with my family enjoying the cool weather and magical sunsets.

We spent Christmas day at home in Long Beach with some good friends and ate plenty of sweet potato casserole and homemade apple pie. I’m officially sugared out. I began working on the piece above last weekend. I decided not to paint it. I love whimsical art, faeries and have always been drawn to the magical. Drawing this piece reminded me to stay young at heart for as long as possible. Life is so short, and you never know what tomorrow will bring. I’m not one for making New Year’s resolutions, but I truly hope to invite more ease into my life in 2019 as well as self compassion. 2018 was a tough year personally and professionally, and I’m more than happy to let it go. So, here’s to the last few days of 2018. I look forward to ringing in 2019!

Cheers…

snowflake girl

image 1It’s been awhile since my last post. I’ve spent less time in my art journal due to the busyness of the year. I can hardly believe that another Christmas is rolling in. My daughter is home from break, which is always wonderful, and like many of you, I’m going to try to get through the work week, despite a lack of focus getting stronger as the end of the year approaches. Luckily, I have the whole week off for Christmas. Thrilling!

Image 2So, my art blog is precisely six months old! It’s been a delight to create and to evolve. I’m still madly practicing my art skills – I guess you never ever stop practicing. I’m a late bloomer and have never taken any formal art classes. Nothing ever quite turns out the way I would like it to, but I do see how my work has progressed over the last six months. I feel that everything looks better in my sketchbook than in a photo! This latest is just a whimsical work in lieu of the winter/holiday season, although it’s hardly snowing in Southern California!

Wishing everyone a beautiful week. May you enjoy the holiday season!

 

Cheers…

ma

National Adoption Awareness Month 2018 is coming to an end. It’s been a very long, sad month for multiple reasons. Sometimes, I have to step away from social media because the chatter is too much. And, on Veteran’s Day, we had to put our beloved dachsund, Peppermint, down. It was one of the saddest days of my life, and I’m still grappling with the loss of my sweet friend. Life will not be the same, at least not for a while.

Ma SketchI was working on a sketch of my first mother earlier in the month and finally painted it. It was referenced from a black and white photo given to me by my sisters in Taiwan. I’m guessing ma was in her forties or fifties when the photo was taken. My sisters told me that I look very much like ma in her younger years. There are no photos of ma in her youth, as they were all destroyed. She also loved classical music, reading, and learning new things. We have that in common. My sisters and brother are also artistic – my second sister is a web designer, my elder sister draws beautifully and my brother is a photographer. I’m a late bloomer as an artist. I’ve never had formal training, and I am still not great at drawing eyes, shading and using paint, at least not in the way I’d like to be. In any case, I appreciate the art of practice and enjoy the creative process. I actually like the sketch better than the painted version. What I love about art is that it allows you to express without words. To this day, I’m not the best communicator. Perhaps that’s why I loved my dog so much – unconditional positive regard and love 24/7, without having to say a whole lot.

Pepper_11-30-2012

I’m glad that Adoption Awareness Month is coming to a close. Thanksgiving is around the corner, and I truly have much to be grateful for, despite the loss of Peppermint. May you make many happy memories with family, friends and loved ones, including furry ones, this Thanksgiving.

 

prayer of a birth mother

I never had the opportunity to meet my birth parents. They had both passed away by the time I found my biological sisters in Taiwan, whom I reunited with in 2012 after 40-something years of separation. I wasn’t surprised, as per my adoption contract, my parents were older when they had me. I once had a very vivid experience with my birth mother, however, that you can read about in my memoir. It was surreal to say the least. It is the greatest sense of loss never to know who gave birth to you. I am eternally grateful to be in reunion with my two sisters and extended family in Taiwan.

The piece of art above, prayer of a birth mother, is to honor mothers who have been forced to relinquish children due to a multitude of reasons, e.g., poverty, shame, lack of support, societal expectations and pressure, etc. They suffer great loss, and in many cases overseas, do not want to relinquish the child. I was told by my eldest sister that I was relinquished without the knowledge of our mother and my sisters by our birth father. My sisters said that after school, they would visit the babysitter and hold me. Then, one day, I was no longer there. To speak of our family’s history is very difficult for my sisters. I respect their privacy and am grateful for the knowledge that I do have about our family. Still, I’m left with so many questions. It pains me to hear others say of birth mothers that they relinquished or abandoned a child because “they wanted to give the child a better life.” Societies around the world do not make it easy for single, unwed mothers to parent a child due to stigma, lack of funding and programs to support family preservation, etc. Though I will never know my first mother, I believe that we are connected and always will be.