A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.

"Do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great things while they are small. 

A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step". Lao Tzu

Um olhar

Um olhar

The life has many faces, it all depends how you look at it.

How Not To Drown When You're Swimming in a Sea of Ideas

How Not To Drown When You're Swimming in a Sea of Ideas If I had a finished piece for every idea and inspiration I had, I could fill the National Gallery of Art here in DC. I know you can relate. You and I both will always have more ideas than we could ever take action on. And to that I say – HOORAY! Problems do arise, though, when ideas outweigh time, resources and even space. I’ve identified the top four: 1. Overwhelm - When there are so many things you want to do you can often end up in overwhelm and do the unthinkable…..nothing. 2. Fear - “What if I start on this one and it doesn’t turn out the way I expect. Then I’ve wasted my precious time and money on materials.” So there goes that idea. 3. Regret - “If I work on this one, then I won’t be able to work on that one and what if I forget about the other great idea?” 4. Flitting – While working on this really great idea another even greater one pops into your head and you abandon the first and start on the second. Nothing ever gets finished and you end up with a closet full of unfinished projects you have lost interest in. So what’s an artist to do? How do you swim when you are drowning in a sea of ideas? To save you from one or all of these situations, here are four life preservers I’m tossing out for you: 1. Keep an idea catcher. It is inevitable that you will get many new ideas while you are working. Keep a note or sketchbook by your side so you can jot them down as you go. You’ll be amazed at how catching those ideas frees up your attention to focus on the work at hand. P.S. Use your idea catcher 24 hours a day. 2. Work on several things at a time. Who says you can only work on one thing at a time? Ideas need time to percolate, paint needs to dry, workspace shrinks and grows with each project. By having several things in the works at the same time, there’s always something to do, even at a moment's notice and even in 5 minute snatches of time. 3. Decide! Keep in mind that it’s the journey, not the end-result. Any art you choose to work on contributes to your success as an artist. Whether your reason is to reduce stress or to propose an article to your favorite magazine, knowing why you are making your art gives you purpose and direction and conquers the inertia, fear and regret. You will benefit no matter what your purpose is. The biggest reward is the joy and physical well-being that results from creating. 4. Have a goal in mind. If you don’t know where you want to go, you’ll never get there. Not knowing why you create can prevent you from creating, even if you have a bazillion ideas. Knowing what you want from your art will help you decide what to work on and why. P.S. If you want to know what opportunities are available for you or if you know what your goals are but are not sure how to accomplish them, be sure to sign-up for SEEK when you receive your special invitation on July 5th. It’s FR*EE and FULL of Solutions, Experience, Expertise and Knowledge to get you on your way. Want to use this article on your website or in your own ezine? No problem! But here is what you MUST include: Lesley Riley, The Artist Success Expert, is the creative founder of Artist Success, Solutions for the Struggling Artist. To receive her bi-weekly articles on creating your own success as an artist, visit www.ArtistSuccess.com.

Transition = Transição

Este quadro foi feito na época em que comecei a questionar a vida de artista. Muito trabalho, muita meditação, muita busca interior...uma jornada de dor e prazer.

It started at 1984 when I painted my first abstract painting. I didn´t want to look for outside the theme for my paintings. I preferred see what would come from inside me, and then the abstracts paintings showed up.

Rediscovering your inner artist

Rediscovering your inner artist

March 8, 2011

Dear Maria,

Yesterday, Darryl Daniels of Montgomery, AL wrote, "I lost my 'inner artist' over a period of years when I was taking care of my grandparents, trying to run a business and dealing with the challenges of marriage, etc. I stopped thinking about art and was knocked off course. While I now have art magazines, books and other forms of stimulation, I can't begin again and I have persistent feelings of failure. When I think about what I have not done, the work ahead seems like an overwhelming mountain. How does one recover from this condition?"

Thanks, Darryl. I'm willing to bet that every artist in the history of art has suffered from your condition. Some suffer for months or years, others weekly, others several times a day. I'm suffering from it right this minute, but there's a good chance I'll be back to work as soon as I get this letter written.

Generally speaking, books, magazines and other stimuli don't work. You have to steel yourself up and get yourself busy. It's the work itself that rocks the mountain. If there ever was such a thing as an "inner artist," it's something like a pile of loose bricks that you have to form into a small monument every day. This is the simple difference between dreamers and doers. I call it the "worker's edge."

A goodly part of the worker's edge is the knowledge and understanding that your personal creative processes are their own reward. Painting, for example, can be a parade of minor defeats and failures, but nevertheless the personal and individual working process is more positive than negative. Up here in Canada we call it "beavering away." Beavering can start at any time, even with old beavers. Our national animal serves us well. Beavers pay little attention to the overweening mountain. Simple accumulation changes the course of rivers.

What happened to your inner artist? Your inner artist has just been temporarily out of action. Your basic human instinct to invent, create and build is still just below the surface. To flourish, you need to exercise. Ready or not, you need to start. The philosopher Lao-Tzu(604 BC--531 BC) said it some time ago: "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

Best regards,

Robert Genn
rgenn@saraphina.com

PS: "Just keep going--no feeling is final." (Rainer Maria Rilke) 

Esoterica: Failure is a basic ingredient of success. Simply accept the notion that failures are the stepping stones to your greater self-realization. Looking at art magazines will only show you how imaginative others are, and how well some of them are doing. The time to look at magazines is after a busy day in your workplace. You need to know your inner artist will come to life only when you start. Now is as good a time as any. "Boldness has genius, power and magic. Engage, and the mind grows heated. Begin, and the work will be completed." (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe) 

Filhos são do mundo (José Saramago)

Filhos são do mundo

(José Saramago)

Devemos criar os filhos para o mundo. Torná-los autônomos, libertos, até de nossas ordens. A partir de certa idade, só valem conselhos.
Especialistas ensinaram-nos a acreditar que só esta postura torna adulto aquele bebê que um dia levamos na barriga. E a maioria de nós pais acredita e tenta fazer isso. O que não nos impede de sofrer quando fazem escolhas diferentes daquelas que gostaríamos ou quando eles próprios
sofrem pelas escolhas que recomendamos.

Então, filho é um ser que nos emprestaram para um curso intensivo de como amar alguém além de nós mesmos, de como mudar nossos piores defeitos para darmos os melhores exemplos e de aprendermos a ter coragem.

Isto mesmo! Ser pai ou mãe é o maior ato de coragem que alguém
pode ter, porque é se expor a todo tipo de dor, principalmente da
incerteza de estar agindo corretamente e do medo de perder algo tão amado.

Perder? Como? Não é nosso, recordam-se? Foi apenas um empréstimo! Então, de quem são nossos filhos? Eu acredito que são de Deus, mas com respeito
aos ateus digamos que são deles próprios, donos de suas vidas, porém, um tempo precisaram ser dependentes dos pais para crescerem, biológica, sociológica, psicológica e emocionalmente.

E o meu sentimento, a minha dedicação, o meu investimento? Não deveriam retornar em sorrisos, orgulho, netos e amparo na velhice? Pensar assim é entender os filhos como nossos e eles, não se esqueçam, são do mundo!

Volto para casa ao fim do plantão, início de férias, mais tempo para os fllhos, olho meus pequenos pimpolhos e penso como seria bom se não fossem apenas empréstimo! Mas é. Eles são do mundo. O problema é que meu coração já é deles.
Santo anjo do Senhor...

É a mais concreta realidade. Só resta a nós, mães e pais, rezar e
aproveitar todos os momentos possíveis ao lado das nossas 'crias', que mesmo sendo 'emprestadas' são a maior parte de nós !!!

"A vida é breve, mas cabe nela muito mais do que somos capazes de viver "

José Saramago

Bons tempos de criança

Bons tempos de criança

por Maria Avila

Bons tempos de criança
Cheia de esperança,
Um olhar centrado
Um sorriso fechado
mas coração aberto
para a vida....bem vivida.

E o laço...
Tão grande quanto a imaginação,
e naquela ocasião nem sabia,
o que Eistein dizia:
"que a imaginação é mais importante que o conhecimento".

Nem por isso parei
de buscar o saber,
mesmo sem ler
eu ja observava
os passos de quem passava
pela rua onde morava.

Ja queria ser artista,
educar o olhar atento
a todos os acontecimentos,
concentrada em cada momento
na certeza de que um dia faria
"Belas Artes".

Sem conhecimento acadêmico,
fiz e faço o que meu coração dita.
Sou Feliz,
sempre fui.
Basta estar vivo
e agradecer a vida que flui
sem esforço e com a alma lavada,
nem que seja de lágrimas,
de tristezas, nunca mais.
..................................
Esta foto, feita em Werneck, RJ, onde morei por 6 anos.
Não sei exatamente, mas creio que estava com 3 anos de idade.