Appreciate What You Have

"For everything you have missed, you have gained something else, and for everything you gain, you lose something else." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Attention, Purpose, and Consciousness

Everything we do has a purpose - unconscious or conscious. We are Soul, divine beings. The way we view life has a profound affect on how we experience it. If we strive constantly to tune into the very highest part of our self (the divine), our experience is from that standpoint. If we are concerned and occupied constantly with material and emotional comfort, are attention is riveted to that aspect (the temporary passing show) and we begin to feel identified with that aspect of living rather than seeing the body, emotions, and mind as a house for Soul (the divine aspect). Am I caring for the well-being of my body so that I can be of greater service to life? Are my actions designed to give me the opportunity to give more light and love to others? Or I am simply and purely concerned completely and totally with self and it's physical, mental, and emotional comfort?

Be True To Yourself

Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Self Observation - An Instrument For Awakening

"Self-observation brings man to the realization of the necessity of self-change. And in observing himself a man notices that self-observation itself brings about certain changes in his inner processes. He begins to understand that self-observation is an instrument of self-change, a means of awakening. " - George Gurdjieff

Purity Of Expression

One of the most important things in an artist's work is the need to protect his/her purity of expression, and not allow promoters, or society's expectations, or the lure of money to taint what the artist truly wants to express. This isn't always easy, and requires a considerable degree of self-honesty. However, the experience of freedom and joy that comes with a pure expression of the artist's love is well worth the sacrifices made, and benefits the viewer/listeners in a more substantial way.

Making Time For Gratitude

With the tempo of life as it is today, it is sometimes difficult to find time for a sincerely spiritual activity. Making time for recognition of the Source of all the blessings in our life becomes increasingly difficult - and simultaneously more important. The world pulls at us from every direction, leaving us spiritually destitute if we're not careful. An easy exercise to counteract the distractions from our attention to Spirit is simply to be very grateful for every thing in our life - to say nothing of the gift of life itself. That we have existence is, in itself no small miracle, if we stop to consider the complexity of even a single human being - spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically.

A Post About Meaning

click on the following to view: http://sivers.org/meaning

Our System Of Economics & Happiness

An interesting (short) video on the Economics of Happiness : http://youtu.be/t5Xjr0gqJK0

A Love Story

Following is a wonderful example of what it means to put your heart into an act of love. Click on the following: http://spiritclips.com/page/stories/read?story=400#.Tj8SsHfkqEw.google

ART NOTES: ANGEL OF THE MUSIC ARTS

I was inspired to post this lovely work of art on my blog. It seemed to belong there. Click on the following: ART NOTES: ANGEL OF THE MUSIC ARTS

oceanoazul.sonhos: esta noite tive um sonho...

This is a wonderful poem by a fellow blogger - originally in Portuguese - that is still beautiful when translated to English oceanoazul.sonhos: esta noite tive um sonho...: "Sonhei que me tinha encontrado com Deus, num jardim florido, com leve perfume a rosas silvestres, onde pombas brancas voavam em paz. No..."

Liberation

Here is a wonderful poem by a fellow blogger. Click on the following link: silver glimmer dust: Liberation: "We are the divine among the divine Lion cubs separated from the sheep Refusing to succumb to the bleating Somehow buying into the manifol..."

On Trying To Be Perfect

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering.
There is a crack in everything,
That's how the light gets in.
~Leonard Cohen

There's Room For Failure

Click on the following link to see: http://inspirationalvideos.net/2008/08/life-risk/

A Moment Of Humor

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oHBG3ABUJU&feature=youtu.be

Wisdom Of Will Rogers

Will Rogers, who died in a 1935 plane crash with his best friend, Wylie Post, was probably the greatest political sage this country ever has known.

Enjoy the following:

1. Never slap a man who's chewing tobacco.

2. Never kick a cow chip on a hot day.

3.. There are two theories to arguing with a woman . . Neither works.

4. Never miss a good chance to shut up.

5. Always drink upstream from the herd.

6. If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.

7. The quickest way to double your money is to fold it and put it back into your pocket.

8. There are three kinds of men: The ones that learn by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence and find out for themselves.

9. Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.

10. If you're riding' ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it's still there.

11. Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier'n puttin' it back.

12. After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good he started roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him. The moral: When you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut.

Seeing Through The Eyes Of Soul

"Shakespeare says a poet's function is to reach to heaven for ideas and bring them down to earth. It is true that thought does not originate with man, but in heaven. Where did Beethoven go to find his Fifth Symphony? Did Jesus originate the Sermon on the Mount? When great poetry and great music inspire you, what is conceived, gestated, and born of that? You can choose between noble and ignoble. You understand poetry and music. Love them, and let them flow into your consciousness. So you see that we are all linked to the sun, moon, and stars. We can lift our consciousness to higher planes and see from above, as if from the masthead of a ship, the past, present, and future, all in a moment, through the eyes of Soul." - from"The Spiritual Laws Of Life" by Harold Klemp

Light Changes Everything

Click on the following link: http://inspirationalvideos.net/2010/03/light-changes-everything/

Life's School

"Soul's single purpose in life is to come into harmony with Spirit, " he added. "Life's school of hardship buffs smooth the sharp edges of bitterness, anger, passion, miserliness, pettiness, scorn, dishonesty, small-mindedness, perversion, lust, meanness, poverty of Spirit, corruption, vanity -and every other negative trait that comes to mind. " - (excerpt from the book "Soul Travelers Of The Far Country" by Harold Klemp)

Virtual Time Travel Over The Earth

http://vimeo.com/5273209

This creative video gives one the feeling of traveling over the earth without the constraints of time. Click on the link to view.

How To Stay Out Of Negativity

There is always something left to love. And if you ain't learned that, you ain't learned nothing.

- Lorraine Hansberry

Seeing In Color

Click on the link below:

http://www.greatdanepro.com/Just%20Colors/index.htm

Cherish The Gift Of Life

"Creative people who cherish the gift of life often slip into the secret chambers of the creative mind. Their solutions are well-rounded, more sensible than those of people who rely upon reason as their mainstay. Gratitude unseals fountains of creativity, because a grateful person is relaxed. This allows him to take stock of his circumstances with an objective mind. A creative person often gets three-dimensional answers to his problems." (from the book "The Language of Soul" by Harold Klemp)

Painting On Water

I love creativity! Click on this link and see one man's version.

http://biertijd.com/mediaplayer/?itemid=21674

A Fellow Blogger's Creative Project With Music By Betsy Grant

Please enjoy this beautiful example of loving creativity by a fellow blogger, with music by me! Click on the following link to view:

art is a process: wing dress update: ready for love: back in may 2007 i had gone to see a nine inch nails show it was so impacting i felt compelled to do something myself yes, that was the...

How the Book "Ignore Everybody" Helps the Artist

What is an artist? I say it's someone who expresses themself creatively. In his book "Ignore Everbody", Hugh Macleod includes references to the creative person (artist in my terminology)in a broader sense which includes the creative person with a new idea to express, wether it be an idea for a business, a painting, a piece of music, a dance...the list could go on and on. Macleod is a cartoonist, though he wasn't always one. In a sense you could say there's an artist (or aspiring one) in all of us. We all have talents and skills of various kinds. The difference lies in what we choose to develop. Two ideas from this book stand out especially to help the artist/creative person. The first one he recommends is to not quit your day job, if you are starting a new creative project/idea, and the other is to keep your joy. He also shares his experience of well-meaning others in his life who tried to steer him in directions he didn't feel right about going. His concern was that following their suggestions would take away the simple joy he got from drawing his cartoons. This is always the concern of the truly creative person, in all walks of life is to maintain one's interest and spontaneity in their creative endeavor - even if it means keeping your day job.

Art and The Planet

The recent oil spill is a reminder to not be so careless with this planet we live on. As artists, some of us seek to capture the beauty of the planet, while others are recklessly ignoring the part they play in imbalancing it's delicate state. It's this way with some artists too, who's art expression is more designed for it's shock value rather than it's appreciation of the beauty that already exists in nature, architecture, and human beings. It would be interesting to see what would happen if people would spend a little more time caring about how to protect and appreciate the beauty and resources of the planet rather than always seeking to take without thought of what they can give back. The same goes for artists who's art only chips away at man's love of harmony, form and beauty. The outer reflects the inner.
(Written 5/8/10)

Today's Thoughts

Difficult Days
Sometimes we can have very difficult days in our life, despite our best effort. That's when it's time to be very, very grateful...even for the thing that seems to be difficult. Past experience would remind us that difficult experiences often lead to greater depth, understanding, wisdom, compassion, and empathy. These qualities are good for anyone - including the artist.

The Power of Music
Listening to music that is written and played from the heart is a powerful way to chase away undesirable thoughts and emotions that temporarily cloud one's outlook on life.

2010-03-22
Freedom
We complicate life and create problems for ourselves when we take away someone else's freedom of choice...
We sometimes even think we're being "helpful", but if we force them to do it our way without asking their permission we create more problems...
We can offer our thoughts, but then let them have their freedom...

2010-03-21
Insightfulness
This day is full of lessons, gifts and love if we learn how to teach, appreciate, and love ourselves and others...
2010-03-20
Inspiration
There's a reason why all the great spiritual masters have taught that love is the key to truly living...
I'm not talking about selfish or controlling love, that's not really love...
I'm talking about the kind of caring that turns a blank canvas into a painting of the Mona Lisa, or that turns an awareness of mold into life-saving properties for mankind...
Or the kind of caring that takes the time to be kind to a child who needs it...


2010-03-17
Moving Forward
Moving forward in life may mean leaving something behind...
We want to have our cake and eat it too...
Letting go can be one of the hardest things to do...

2010-03-15
Forgiveness
If I forgive you today, it will be easier to forgive myself tomorrow, and vice versa...
After awhile it becomes a habit, and pretty soon you find there's nothing to forgive...
Understanding has replaced all need for it...

2010-03-12
Life's Gifts
It is possible to have the experience that every human being we encounter (online and off) is a treasured gift if we look to see what the gift might be...
Some of the gift's others bring are obvious, some are not...
The enjoyable experiences are obvious, the others may take some time to place the value on...these are the ones we usually learn the most from...

2010-03-11
Why Are We Here?
I know I'm on this earth for a reason as are you...
If you don't know, look to Mozart, Abraham Lincoln, Edison, Einstein, Da Vinci, Michelangelo, and other great souls and see how they answer that question, both in words and deeds...
Then notice which you remember more, their words or deeds...
2010-03-10
Men and Women
If my masculine and feminine sides are in harmony, then I'm less likely to react to unwanted influences from either sex in my outer world...
Working to create balance in my art and life is the way of the artist...
It takes effort, that's why its called a WORK of art...

2010-02-25
Passion And Drive Or Love and Commitment?
What to you is passion and drive is to me intensity of love and commitment to my art form...
Paradoxically one can be simultaneously intense and serene when practicing one's craft...
Just as there can be both self and others...

2010-02-24
Life Is A Gift
True joy and freedom come from appreciation of the gift of being alive...
That I can think, feel, and know is a gift...
We lose our joy when we forget to be thankful for the gift of life...

2010-02-23
Everyone Has Their Own Truth
People generally aren't interested in your truth unless it agrees with theirs...
If you tell them your truth and they haven't the experience, they'll think your mad...
Experience may one day show them a different truth...

2010-02-21
Self Assertion Or Self Expression?
The true artist is never concerned with self-assertion, but rather self expression...
The real artist is grateful for his craft - his vehicle of expression...
The artist seeks a way to thank life for his artistic ability through his art form...

2010-02-18
Selfishness And The Artist
The selfish person is afraid...
The artist uses his fear to create something better...
The petty person is also afraid...
The artist never allows himself to become petty...

2010-02-17
Recognizing The Creative Spark
It's easy to forget that within each of us lies the spark of creativity that is capable of greatness...
Some of us can see it in ourselves but not others ...and vice versa...
In this world of immediacy we overlook the possibility that the creative spark is creating something that is not immediately obvious...

2010-02-16
See It Through
The darkness is always before the dawn...
One must survive the night in order to see it...
The caterpillar knows nothing of its future life as a butterfly...

2010-02-15
Love Is Always In Style
Love is something people will always need...
It will never go out of style...
It is always available, though sometimes you have to work at seeing it.

2010-02-13
The Artist's Journey
The artist's love for his craft drives him ever onward to new heights...
He/she is always on the look out for new ways to express that love...
The artistic journey is continuous...

2010-02-11
Humility Is A Requisite
The true artist knows there's always a greater level of skill and mastery beyond the one that he or she is at - thus the learning never ends...
When learning a new level of skill, patience is required...
One must first recognize that one doesn't know something in order to learn...

2010-02-10
The Artist's Experience
The artist allows himself to experience/see life in his own unique way regardless of being outnumbered by opposing views...

2010-02-08
Winning And Losing
Sometimes to win something of real value, it may appear to others that you are losing...
True humility comes with a price...
It may take a long time to realize that your losses are actually getting you closer to winning something of greater value...

2010-02-07
Treasures
The gift of love from the heart of a child is more precious than gold and silver...
Remember to cherish your loved ones no matter what their age...

2010-02-09
Acceptance
Some days despite yout best efforts, your feet just seem to drag, so we do the best we can and learn to be kind to ourselves...

This Complex World

As the pace and complexity of this world picks up more & more, the need for simplicity, calm, and tranquility picks up right along with it. Artists, musicians, creative people have never been more needed. Every moment spent looking at a beautiful painting, or listening to inspiring music is a moment that helps bring balance to society's trend towards over-mentalization and over-stimulation. The movie Koyaanisqatsi(means life out of balance) which came out in 1982, was visionary and spoke directly to this issue - and that was 1982! It's wonderful to see all the beautiful art work that's being produced (especially you, dear readers),and artists, please know you were never more needed than you are today.

Attitude is Key

Service with a smile is a rare and precious thing. So often those who are in positions to be of service to others forget how their attitude affects those around them. Anyone...teachers, ministers, artists, the guy at the local burger place, grocery store, library, you name it, the list goes on...they all pass on their attitude to those that they serve. If one is full of gratitude for the gift of life and all its blessings, then that can be passed on to those they serve, otherwise they pass on whatever thoughts & attitudes remain unexamined. Something for us all to think about...

Need

Who decides what an individual needs? The doctor, counsellor, family, friends, mate, church, government, social groups?... They might mean well, but do they really know?...

The Blessed

Anyone who works in the arts is blessed - knowingly or unknowingly...

Love Your Work

If you have a love in life, whether its a relationship with a person, your business, or your art form, it requires regular care and nurturing and attention for it to survive and prosper. In some ways its harder to do this with your art form. In a relationship you have another person there to let you know one way or another when they are being neglected, but with art or music you just have a blank, inanimate canvas, or untouched instrument, which doesn't say "Hey I need some attention". All you have is yourself and how YOU feel. That's your only reminder, unless of course your love is your livelihood - in which case your reminders may come in the form of bills.

Opinion Poll: What Are Some Of The Rewards Of Being An Artist?

Love and Gratitude to Art and Artists

Love and gratitude and appreciation for art and artists and all things beautiful that inspire and uplift. Here's to you! Keep it coming!

Keys To Accomplishment

I've noticed that when I want to accomplish something (whether it's a short term project or a long term goal) I try to find points along the way - ministeps that are easy to succeed at - to build my confidence for the more challenging steps that might come later. I train myself this way to get in the "habit" of being sucessful or to at least enjoy myself along the way - thereby associating the whole project as being something fun and enjoyable.

The Creative Process

What is the creative process? It is really the process of LIVING creatively. How we live our daily lives is more important than we realize if we want to truly become the artist. We need to learn to LIVE creatively. That means if we're here to bring inspiration to others through our art form we need to be creative in our thoughts and feelings about living (rather than destructive) This requires paying attention to our thoughts and feelings in our interactions with others,or at the very least, reflecting upon them at the end of the day. How many times were our actions life-giving (creative)or at least harmless/neutral when with others? Were we thankful for this day and the people in it? If not we can look deeper into our lives and see why not. I didn't say this was easy - but neither is being a good artist. We get better at it with practice, and then we create the greatest work of art...painting designing, sculpting our own lives...

Visionaries

How do we view life? People tell us very much about how they view life by how they live their daily lives, how they treat others, and what they do with their time. The Wright Brothers may have seen it as a grand adventure in which one could go beyond the limitations that were part of widely accepted belief. The same could be said of Edison, Galileo, Harriet Tubman, or any other visionary human being that refuses to stand still just because everyone else is. This is the great gift, goal, and life pursuit of the artist or creative person, who has the potential to expand the vision of others by expanding his own.

Perspective

The years teach much which the days never knew. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Speaks For Itself

Good for the body is the work of the body, and good for the soul is the work of the soul, and good for either is the work of the other. ~Henry David Thoreau

What Made Today Special For You?

Gratitude List for today: I laughed at least once today, I got to to see friendly, smiling faces, I got to hear beautiful music, I saw the joy and wonder of imagination at work, I got to see the good work others are up to in their lives, and I got to see the incredible sweetness in the smile of a child.

Ruts

It never ceases to amaze me what creatures of habit we human beings are. Even when we're shown a new way of doing something that is better or more efficient, we do what we've always done - efficient or not...

The Secret To Great Art and Music

What is it about organized color and organized sound that people are so drawn to? I'm speaking of art and music, of course. All of an artist's years of study and practice, of learning structure and theory, and history, of studying the masters, of experimentation, of viewing/listening to other artists, still doesn't make for a great artist/musician. The most vital ingredient to great art/music is still missing. Why is it that we can listen to two different performers play the same piece with equal amounts of skill and years of study and yet one fills our hearts, and the other doesn't? The same can be said of painting - we can appreciate the level of skill and technique of one artist, but the other one makes us want to be INSIDE the painting, and we've forgotten all about looking for levels of skill and technique. Mozart said it best when he said "Neither a lofty degree of intelligence nor imagination nor both together go to the making of genius. Love, love, love, that is the soul of genius."

Growing And Changing

Have you ever noticed that when we grow and develop and mature as individuals it seems to upset the people in our environment who don't want to change and grow and who aren't interested in developing themselves. And conversely - those others in our environment who ARE interested in growing are spurred on in their own lives by our growth and development. They suddenly become more interested in their own growth, whereas the lazy person becomes more interested in controlling the one who is changing and growing.

Discipline

Some people think that discipline is a dirty word. I understand only to well how we learn certain concepts in life through our own experiences and frames of reference. But if we apply "discipline" to the thing we want or love, all it really means is sticking to a regular schedule with it and making it just as much part of our routine as everything else that we do daily or weekly. Why is it so hard for some people to commit to even 15 min. a day at their instrument, or computer, or medium of art?

Encouraging The Creative Flow

If one is to be creative it's important to know what destroys, so that it can be kept at bay. If the mind of the artist is at once expansive and visionary, then its enemies are selfishness and pettiness. An inner atmosphere of peacefulness, calm and joy is cultivated to encourage the creative flow.

Curing Man's Ills

Patience serves as a protection against wrongs as clothes do against cold. For if you put on more clothes as the cold increases, it will have no power to hurt you. So in like manner you must grow in patience when you meet with great wrongs, and they will then be powerless to vex your mind.

Leonardo da Vinci

A Bag Of Tools

a poem by R.L. Sharpe

Isn't it strange

That princes and kings,

And clowns that caper

In sawdust rings,

And common people

Like you and me

Are builders for eternity?

Each is given a bag of tools.

A shapeless mass,

A book of rules;

And each must make-

Ere life is flown-

A stumbling block

Or a stepping stone.

Allow Your Own Uniqueness

Being an artist means allowing yourself to experience/vew life in your own unique way, regardless of how many opposing views assail you. It means trusting that you may see or hear something that is not immediately apparent, and not to brush it over before you've allowed that "artist" to have it's voice. It requires patience, and training the eyes and ears to look for what's not obvious...like a reporter looking for a great story. The question should arise "what is unique, special, extraordinary about what I'm experiencing this moment (the moment of inspiration) that gives me material for expression in my chosen art form (music, dance, fine arts, writing, etc..). One cultivates the attitude that every moment holds a special gift for me...something to dance, write, sing about. It teaches one to appreciate what a gift life really is, and to not take one moment of it for granted. This moment is soon passed away to be replaced by another...The artist trains himself moment by moment in the art of appreciation...

Patience

As an artist/creative person, we may have a vision of how a creative idea/project should go. Sometimes, though, we may find that the project has taken on a life of it's own, and the finished product turns out even better than we imagined it. These can be magical moments for artists of all kinds when we look or listen to our work and think "wow where did that come from?" There's a certain receptive waiting involved here where we invite this something-greater -than-myself to transform our work. It requires patience, and sometimes it means not finishing something right away to allow for this possibility of transformation. We, as a society tend to be very product-oriented, and in a hurry to produce something - anything just to have something to show for ourselves. I wonder how many masterpieces were in the making, but never came to be, due to impatience...?