"Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without." Buddha

"m" is for mantra

Being an artist can sometimes leave me swimming in self-consciousness due to the immense amount and level of sharing I do with the world around me. Of course, I can be no other way, because what makes me an artist is my intense and unwavering desire, need and drive to express and to create. I could write for ages about what that means to me....but, I'll save that for another day.

What I'm thinking about today is the spectrum I bounce up and down pretty regularly. On the one hand I cannot live without expression, because it is the ultimate release for me. I find myself lost in "being," uninterrupted by thought, worry or outside opinions. It's blissful and magnificent....I wouldn't give it up for anything. And the final leg of the process (and joy) is being able to share my expression or end products with the world...or perhaps even just one person. This is what I live for, what I get out of bed in the morning for (fyi: expression and creation includes love in my world, just another form of art as far as I'm concerned).

But, sometimes it hits me: I'm out here, exposed, naked, soul on display, imperfection and beauty dancing together for all to see. And that can be terrifying.

This existence of mine isn't always easy to live. It has dramatic ups and downs, and my creative ability and talent ebbs and flows along with those ups and downs. Knowing this, I have a toolbox full of survival techniques. One tool that I pull out every day is the power of mantra (and affirmations, which I find interchangeable). I have a list of mantras I have created for myself and repeat constantly, I have a list of mantras created for me by others, and I admit that I also love the Affirmation app on my iphone (it's amazing and free, check it out). But today, I remembered that I have a pile of Yogi tea tags that I collected and forgot about years ago to use for a mantra art project....hence, the new prints shown above.

The words you repeat to yourself daily are a more powerful tool than most human beings realize. As Buddha said "we are what we think." So why not make those thoughts a vehicle for positive change and the life you've always dreamed of?

To that end, I am working on a few projects for my Etsy shop. I will be adding a section devoted to positive words...a visual reminder. One such example is my collection of mantra prints shown above. These will be sold in sets, and also individually. They will also be printed on canvas. Look for them soon!

www.lolarain.etsy.com

clay happy

I have always loved clay, and truth be told, I always thought I'd get into making pottery. Perhaps someday, but in the meantime I will continue to collect inspiring pieces from other artists. I am not sure if it's the connection I feel to art or the connection to the mud of the earth, or something else entirely, but eating, drinking and decorating my home with handmade pottery makes my day so much brighter.

Here are some of my favorites:

Chirpy Birds Sugar Pot by Julia Smith

IMAGINE Earthy Latte or Soup Mug by Crop Circle Clay

Lotus Flower - Breathe- Mug by Terra Works

Two Tumblers by Mud Stuffing

Royal Blue Mug by Darrielle's Clay Art

Five nesting lotus bowls by Whitney Smith

the gems of life

When I was a little girl, my mother would send my sister and I outside with a set of Audubon field guides from time to time so we could keep ourselves busy trying to identify trees, birds, plants and rocks. Some days we'd take the books into the forest in back of our house and look for edible plants to dig up, some days we'd watch the birds visit the bird bath outside our kitchen window, other days we'd collect leaves from the many trees on our property...and then there were the days I was convinced I would split open one of the rocks I had collected to discover it was really a gem.

This anecdote quite obviously provides a glimpse into the roots of my nature-loving ways, but it is the less obvious piece of my existence that can be gleaned from the tale that actually called this memory up for me today. Those Audubon books suddenly came to mind when I picked up the hunk of amethyst that sits on my bedside table (one of many gems that sit there). I recalled all the times I sat in my driveway, by the side of the river, or in my backyard, splitting open rocks and hoping to discover its guts were made of gems instead of stone. What warms me is knowing that no matter how many rocks disappointed me back then, I always believed I'd find my gem eventually....I believed in finding beauty inside otherwise ugly or plain pockets of life, I believed in finding whatever it was my little heart was looking for at any given time, and no amount of disappointment or failure ever kept me from believing.

The image of that little girl with her rocks is so precious to me, and she has never left my soul. It is that little girl piece of me that has allowed me to manifest all my dreams into reality. I continue to live my life in search of the gems I know I will find along my way, and over the years I've begun to find them more quickly and more frequently. In my experience, it is the strong ability to "believe," regardless of failed attempts or other people's disbelief, that leads to a life filled with gems. And the interesting thing is, I still appreciate the rocks that are simply made of stone, because they are just as important.

It's no wonder that I have decorative vessels filled with both (rocks and gems) placed throughout my house....a subtle reminder to appreciate all of your experiences and all of your attempts, all the while maintaining your faith in life, in yourself, and in the realization of dreams.

xo

the emotion of politics

Yesterday was another exhilarating day at the House of Representatives in Hartford, CT, bookending my experience since I first attended on opening day of session this year. And I have to say, the excitement level, dizzying pace of action, and pulse of this colorful alternate universe, were utterly palpable.

It's not surprising, given my personality, that what affected me most about the day was the emotion. There was the unexpected humor when session opened with superlatives being given out, such as "best dressed representative" and "best facial hair of a representative." There were the countless bittersweet moments as longstanding members took their final bows and voted on their final bills on their last day in session after decades in office. There was awe and admiration in moments of recognition, such as applauding the 99 year old man who has worked counting the ballots on every election of his working life...he will turn 100 next week (and still work the coming election).

Like anything else "human," yesterday was an experience of shared emotion. And although I was merely an observer in this strange world, I can liken it to watching a sports game: you don't have to be a lifetime fan or even watch the game from the beginning; you can simply find yourself sucked into the crowd by the contagious quality of the experience. You feel a vicarious sense of triumph, excitement, exhaustion, and camaraderie...you feel part of something.

cupcake

I'm looking at my pile of photography gear today thinking "I really miss my buddy!" There is simply no end to what Cupcake and I can create together and that is something I could use a dose of right now. Sure it's important to grow, motivate and create as an individual artist, but working with someone who has just as much passion as I do, in addition to a steady stream of new and interesting ideas....well, it's just incredible. It's the artistic version of a high. I feel completely present and pulsing with life, my true essence freely available and lit up. It's an experience that feels completely real and completely right. Anything is possible...

Well, I sure am looking forward to my week of adventures with Cupcake this summer!

a day in the life of lola rain

Yesterday I got to thinking about the uniqueness of my days and how breathtaking it is to step back and observe the exquisite colors I paint my life with. I felt deeply blessed to be living with utter commitment to my true path, fueled by a profound sense of faith. It takes a great deal of courage and strength to live this way, to abandon the roles and rules society and those around you seemingly inflict upon you from birth, to leave behind a high paying job and total security, to silence out the naysayers who shout their doubts at you as you hurl past them on your unbeaten path. But, it is all worth it. I simply feel incredibly aware of the preciousness of life. Why would I live my life sitting on the sidelines, why would I not attempt to live the life of my dreams, why would I keep my gifts to myself instead of bestow them upon this beautiful world? What do I have to loose? The fact is I have nothing to loose, and everything to gain...and now I gain something I've always wanted every day.

As one of my favorite inspirational authors (Tama Kieves) says: "Never let the fear of others determine the path that you are meant to take. It is never too late to start dreaming about what you want to be when you grow up...Prudence and conservatism have not advanced our culture. It took the voices on the outskirts to make a noise that changed the world...So dare the ridicule of the narrow-minded and dim-sighted. Dare to still believe. Dare to feel. Dare to trust your guiding light. Dare to ignore gravity and take flight. Dare to be a hero. Dare to be a fool."

So, are you wondering what one of these days of glory looks like for a self-employed artist? I'll give you a glimpse. Here is a day living as a fool in love with life:

6:30 a.m. Rise and shine. I'm woken up by kisses all over my face from my fiance...just like every sweet morning of my life.

7:00 Eat homemade goji berry, flax & maca oatmeal with my love.

7:30 Drop my love off at work. We share a car to conserve resources and cut our impact on the environment in half. We also get an extra 1/2 hour together each day by sharing the commute.

8:00 Check emails. Convo a few fellow Etsy sellers thanking them for promoting my art work...love the free advertising! Send off my rejection of the counter proposal I received for a possible photo project. Feel elated to be able to pick and choose my terms, hours and pay (and say no when they aren't met!).

8:30 Short morning yoga routine

9:00 Run 3 miles

10:30 Post a new blog

11:00 Hear from the yoga & wellness center that would like to meet with me. Rejoice at the possibility of working a few hours a week in the type of environment that would cause my heart and soul to expand in never ending waves of happiness, peace and inspiration....not to mention, give me a space to put my art up on public walls (for sale!).

11:30 Hear back from the PR rep whose offer I rejected earlier. He now wants to give me everything I asked for and a lot more! Giggle at the mention of being given 1-2 staff of my own for the day of the photo shoot. Feel victorious and proud of my business skills. Accept the offer.

12:00 Eat the homemade tofu spinach lasagna my amazing fiance baked for me.

12:30 Work on printing and pricing a 4 foot wide photograph I'm going to print on canvas to sell to an interested buyer. Email the buyer an update.

1:00 Add new pictures to my fan page. Check my website stats (yay Google Analytics!) for the past week and compare them with my promotional efforts to see what's working and what is not. Work on my Etsy shop. Research international shipping to add this service to my shop. Browse other shops to include in my next promotion. Read a few entries of my favorite small business and art blogs, and make comments to insert myself into the conversation and increase my internet presence. Work on new ideas for my own blogs. Make a list of current business to-do's.

3:30 Take a walk. Snap some pictures.

4:00 Afternoon yoga practice

5:00 Pick my sweetie up from work. Talk about our moments of triumph on the way home.

6:00 Cook dinner with my sweetie.

7:00 Check my emails, etsy and websites one final time. Edit some pictures. Get an email from a friend wanting me to photograph her family. Smile.

8:00 Take a bath. Veg with my honey until bedtime.

10:00 Zzzzzz