When the muse visits

When The Muse Visits

 

            I am so blessed when I am in the creative rhythm zone.  I am learning that fresh ideas and paintings flow when I pay attention to my creative energy. It is like connecting the dots and discovering that everything is easier when I go with the mojo of the day.

            This week I felt the muse come.  So, I slowed down my week of appointments, lunches, and exercise classes and painted. The sounds of Mozart from my Boze player propelled me into a wonderful journey. Spring blossoms inspired me to paint landscapes and flowers.   I marvel at God’s ability to make so many greens.  As I have grown older, I appreciate perennials with varied green leaves. Lush leaves of hostas and ferns bubble happiness into my soul.  The blue flowers of the brunneras, pinks in the bleeding heart, and brilliant colors in my freshly planted annual baskets bring constant joy through the season.
            My youngest granddaughter, Ellis, said, “ Mimi, you want to paint every flower and every plant, don’t you?”  She is right, I do.  Carving out time for art and writing can be a challenge.  However, this week I made it a priority.  When I paint , I feel God’s pleasure.  When I write, I feel God’s pleasure.  He is the Creator and that creator in me recognizes a bonding when I paint or write.  Ellis is right.  I do want to paint all the beauty He has created in our world.

            I recognized that some weeks bring more creative energy than others.  So, when the momentum and speed of creative rhythms are with me, I have purposed to indulge deeply into my painting and writing.,  On days when ideas are less or a little dormant, I will look for other ways to express God’s love.  Saying words of silver to a friend in despair is as creative as writing books and blogs.  Giving my beautiful flowers in a special vase is an act of love and creativity.  I never tire of sharing the word of God with others.  Again, I have had to learn the rhythm and timing, not mine but the Creator’s.  So, this week whether you are painting, writing, or sharing your love in a creative way, I hope you find your creative rhythm and dance to your own song.
           Alexandra Franzen says it well when she encourages us by saying, "Today: I hope that you write, make, say, or do something wonderful.  Something that leaves the world in a better condition than you found it."

New plantings, new beginnings.

           

The Influence of Light

Today I have been meditating on light.  I am realizing how light influences my thinking.  Since I was a small child in Florida, I loved watching the beacon of the sun turn the sea into a glittering mass.  The light created fresh, new beauty. By watching the light each day, I quickly learned that it was the angle of the light that mattered.

Many years later, I am realizing the same truth.  The amount of light outside directly influences my mood, my thinking, and  even my creative energy.  More importantly, I understand how the absence of divine light affects me.  Without a daily dose of scriptural light and understanding, my day becomes askew, obscure, and out of perspective. My lens are blurred. I see things in a shadow, instead of being focused.

I can best explain this when I am painting.  I must have clear daylight in order to create images on the canvas that are in perspective.  The angle of the light in the painting creates understanding to the viewer.  I need correct lighting to paint accurately and see clearly. Without light , a painting would be a dark shapeless mass.

When writing, my slant, my voice, my choice of characters and scenes are created by me, the writer.  My excitement is generated through the dialogue of the character.  My fears are demonstrated in my characters inability to take certain risks. My internal light and understanding propels the story and helps  develop a lasting impression on my reader.

I realize it is the angle of light that changes my focus and perspective each day.  I no longer view life and its problems with shortsighted limitations when I read the Bible.  Instead, the amount of light I take in from meditation and reading God’s word influences my eternal perspective and sheds light in my creative realm.  The amount of light within and without directly relates to my ability to create and live life abundantly.

Perhaps this is why I am eager for each new day that breaks the darkness of the night.  New light brings fresh perspective.  I pray that others might see the grace and light of my communion with God in my writing, painting, and daily living.