Hello fellow artists,

While working as a massage therapist in Berkeley in the 70's and 80's, I learned as much as possible about the relationship between the body and the mind. This has helped me heal myself of most of my problems, except for the headaches. However, I'm 64 and do not take any medication, except for an aspirin once in awhile.

When I tell a doctor this, s/he usually double checks, "Are you sure you don't take any medication?" Well, I meditate, listen carefully to myself, and follow my intuition. This is good medicine, but most doctors don't know what to do with this kind of thinking.

Two quotes about health that I think have power --
"Keeping your body healthy is an expression of gratitude to the whole cosmos - the trees, the clouds, everything." -- Thich Nhat Hanh

"The higher your energy level, the more efficient your body. The more efficient your body, the better you feel and the more you will use your talent to produce outstanding results." -- Anthony Robbins

Technorati Tags: health, body and mind

Watercolor #7
Patricia Roshaven
Mixed Media Album

Hello fellow artists,

Have you ever been to a concert where the musicians did not play well together? The other night there was an opening foursome that played as if there were two groups which had little connection with each other. It was disconcerting!! (pun intended) People were chattering and moving up and down the aisles, wiggling in their seats, and turning around to see who else was there.

The second group came on like gang busters and played as a unit. The audience quieted down and was glued to the music. Such a difference!

I thought how much these two examples apply to any kind of art -- if you can bring all parts of yourself into unison to make a focused statement, people will pay attention. Meditation is an excellent tool for focusing your mind. Practicing your art over and over will give you control over your tools and the confidence to make your unique statement.

Technorati Tags: meditation, focus, confidence

Midway
Patricia Roshaven
Photo Album

Hello fellow artists,

If you are just starting as an artist, or if you tend to choose complicated projects, you may not feel confident that you understand how to complete your project successfully. This is a good time to back off and spend time mulling it over or, better yet, do something entirely different. Creative solutions often pop up during these times. If you try less hard, you will find other ideas eager to move in.

Technorati Tags: creative process, relaxation

Columbus Fog #4
Patricia Roshaven
Photo Album

Hello fellow artists,

Strengthening your boundaries is a way to place limits on the people and situations that create tensions in your life. Examples: insisting that family members remove muddy shoes before walking in the house or that co-workers talk to you with respect.

To create a visual picture of the sorts of things you want in your life, draw a large circle. In the circle, write what you want in your life. Outside the circle, write what you don't want, or want only when you are ready to handle them. Inside the circle might be love, laughter, creativity, honesty, pleasure, prosperity, joy, friendship, generosity. Outside the circle might be stinginess, anger, pain. This is a way to clearly state your boundaries to yourself.

I've found that meditating on the items in the circle has helped me keep these boundaries more firmly in place. With fewer annoyances niggling at me, I have more time for my art work.

Technorati Tags: boundaries, art tutorial

Hello fellow artists,

Just after I drew the first headache picture, Bill Moyers had a special on Faith and Reason, featuring Jeanette Winterston, who is a specialist on mythology. She spoke about Atlas, carrying the world on his shoulders. I thought about the headache, and how it seems to originate in the shoulders. I am the sort of person who feels she should take responsibility for healing the world. As a massage therapist, I went about healing the world one person at a time. Of course, each person came back with the same or similar knots or tensions in the body, making it seem that I was barely healing a few people, let alone the world. I eventually stop giving massages, partly for this reason. But, as you can see from the intent of this blog, I have not given up on healing the world. I would like to eliminate my shoulder tension at the same time. Interesting problem. My dreams last night were optimistic, showing me happily organizing my home.

Technorati Tags: headaches, Atlas, mythology, art and healing

Hello fellow artists,

There are many levels to being an artist. If you want to be a weekend painter and do pretty flowers, it doesn't require much inner struggle for most people. I enjoy doing that kind of work from time to time and quite a bit of it is in my photo albums. However, it took considerable inner struggle to get even this far.

In the early 1970's I had a nervous breakdown. I understand from the inside out just what this means. I had very little control over my emotions, my mind or my body. I was as vulnerable as a child and ready to cry at the least disturbance. I was also crazy with anger and impatience, but knew enough to stay alive and get through each day. This is when I bought some paints.

The paints helped me get through each day, gave me a sense of satisfaction that I did not get in any other part of my day, but also taught me how little hand-eye coordination I had. The nerves were shot. It took years to build up to the point where I was able to produce a painting or a photograph that looked like I wanted it to look. The art work itself was my teacher and my motivation to heal myself. The work that I have today is a celebration of victory over this breakdown. As I grow as an artist, I am returning to those tools which helped me over the years. What are these tools?

Technorati Tags: nervous breakdown, art tutorial, inner strength

Hello fellow artists,

So, being an artist in a deeper sense has to do with being radically yourself. It has to do with being as honest as you know how to be, as a child is, and a little bit crazy.

Children, especially young children, and those who are crazy are outside the mainstream. They do not follow the conventions of the civilized world, so are able to be creative without being influenced by the opinions of others.

If you can balance the innocence of the child and the crazyness of the madman with the strength of your intellect, you will be a powerful artist. You will be able to stay outside the conventions of civilization and all of its emphasis on "this is right and this is wrong." At the same time, you will be able to live productively in the world without being swallowed up by it. This takes a strong person. Many creative geniuses have been in touch with their inner child and their crazyness but have not had the strength to keep it from spinning out of control. How do you do you acquire this strength?

Technorati Tags: truth, children and art, madness and art, art tutorial