coming together

I'm sitting here nursing the headache from hell & watching these beautiful huge chunks of snow fall from the sky, while listening to "Beg Steal Borrow" on Pandora.  We're starting to get what is supposed to be a huge snow storm (for us; it's the South, okay?), and I'm oddly excited.

Confession:  I love snow. I love looking at it, I love the way it looks while it's coming down, I love that quiet that you get when snow is falling.  It's like the Earth is taking a small time out.

I'd love to say I've been uber productive this last week, but that would be a lie.  I'm starting to get back on track now.  I've read several books this past week, and I've got oh so many more that will have their pages turned over this next week.  I'm in the middle of Women Who Run With the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkston Estès.  A definite must read.  It talks about the Wild Woman archetype, how it's been lost, negated and often dismissed in our current society, and how it really is a part of every woman's DNA on some level.  If you're interested in feminine psychology and the role of the feminine psyche in the world, check it out.  You won't regret it.

I also spent about 4 hours in the studio last night.  I'm working to complete a series of 10 mini paintings (they are 8x8) that I've been working on for a couple of weeks.  I never intend for these things to take as long as they ultimately do.  Why is that, I wonder?  Why do things always seem to take longer than we think they will, even with the best of intentions?

Here's a little preview of what I've gotten so far (or at least what I was able to work on last night).

This one is finished.  Last night, as I was working on it, I thought "This isn't finished.. something is missing..."  But as I look at it right now, I thing anything more would be way too much.  So I call it done!  That said, it has no name as of right now.

Again, no name yet, but I feel good about this one.  Simple, definitely different from most of my work.  But I love that about it.  You have to be willing to step out of your comfort zone sometimes and do something way different.  I also love dreamcatchers, so.

This one is coming along, and is definitely better than I thought it would be as of earlier in the night.  I'm having trouble with the elephants face, though.  The colors just aren't right.  Don't worry, I'm not done with the background yet either. It kinda reminds me of working on the Buddha I did earlier in the year.  Slow to progress but ultimately one of my faves.

 Again, way different from most of my work.  (This is also kindof a crappy picture, so sorry about that.)  You can see more of the metallic and details in the next image.  It's done, but not named. Are you sensing a theme yet?

Now this one, this is my problem child.  I  just haven't been able to make much come out of it as of yet.  I think the two figures in the lower R corner will stick around, but beyond that, I have no plan.  No color scheme, no theme, nothing.  Hopefully I'll have more to report to you soon.

Let's see; what else?  Oh. I've been working to pick paint colors for when I move this Fall.  I know what you're thinking; way early.  True, but I like to have little things like that handled as much as possible.  Beyond that, I've been hangin' at the farm alot of late.  It's been nice being out of the city, though.  Also, seeing this guy more often:

Isn't he cute?! His name is Spencer; he's a 7 month old Bernese Mountain Dog.  Wild as the day is long, but such a big heart, as is typical with Berners. 

I've had so many great changes happen in my life since the start of the year.  They are big things, important things, things that needed to happen.  But they are also small things, things that are simple mindset shifts.  Either way, I feel blessed and incredibly grateful for the mindspace these changes bring.

Much love -
Candace

pieces of the puzzle

So you might be wondering why I created this space.  It's a simple yet complex answer.  In order to get to that, however, I have to stop and take a look in the rearview mirror...

Every year, no matter how amazing or how shitty, gives you both lessons and something to be grateful for.  But the overall vibe of 2013 for me was, well, disappointing.  The specifics don't really matter, but it basically comes down to this:

I had such great dreams for 2013, but in many ways, I let so much of myself get pushed to the side in preference of other things.  Busy work.  And putting myself last was profoundly disappointing.  Seriously, I thought I had worked through that crap already.  Le sigh. Truthfully, I don't even know how much of 'me' there was even starting the year.   It just felt like a year of striving, struggle and hustle.  And I know that I do not want that to be my life. 

I'm all for working for what you want, but not to the point that I no longer enjoy what I'm doing or how I'm doing it.  That's a big part of why I let go of Good In My Soul (my branding biz if we're just meeting).

I'm not willing to give up living to create a life.  

In late Fall 2013, I started finding myself again.  Looking at the pieces and putting them back together, but in a new way.  It started with Art Soul Glow & continues on.  2014 is going to be a great year, a year of change and amazingness.

This space isn't really about how many people read it or follow on social media, etc; this is really about getting back to me, back to my center, and (re)discovering myself now. It's also another creative outlet to share my life & my journey.

This year is all about being super creative & getting inspired to create this amazing life that fulfills & supports me, where I'm surrounded by amazing people & spellbinding opportunities. 

 
And part of that will be sharing lots of imagery, some from Instagram and some that are alittle more substantial.  I've always had a deep love of photography, but working as a commercial photographer took a lot of the joy out of it for me.  I feel like I've really let my photography become something I do occasionally rather than something that feeds my soul. 

My words for 2014 were simplicity and deep dive.  (This is a practice lots of people do; I was introduced to it first by Leonie Dawson and later Susannah Conway.)  At first glance, these may seem at odds with each other.  In letting go of so much from 2013 and beyond, I really started the ball rolling and realized that the more I have going on and the more obligations on my time, it really saps my joy.  So I'm simplifying.  And in simplifying my life, I'm making room to dig deeper into the things I love & that inspire me (art, great friends, inspiration, nature, reading, etc). 

I've worked to simplify my biz, and I'm working to simplify my daily life as well.  In the Fall of 2014, I'll be moving out of the city and leaving my 1200 sq ft townhouse in the middle of the hustle & bustle to rent a 600 sq ft farm cottage.  And I know you may be thinking "What the hell? Why?"  You may or may not know that I grew up on a farm, and that I love being out in nature. I also love the quiet of being in the country.  And it's what I need right now.  Space away from neighbors, from the constant 'chatter' of the city.  Space to be inspired, to create.  It's in a neighboring town, so not going far but seems like a different world. Also, cutting your living space in half is a great way to force yourself to simplify, am I right?

I'll keep you up to date on the journey, but in the meantime I just want to leave you with this quote that I so love:

via Elegantly Untamed

So much love -

Candace