2015
Obstructed light
halts the stubborn scuttle.
Then,
gently draw a different map.
Acrylic 24″ x 30″
$500
Donated to the Black and White fundraising auction 2016 for CEPIA, Guanacaste, Costa Rica.
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“I always finish a painting in a day – max 2 days” she said. And I thought Wow.
“I can work on a painting for up to 6 months.” was my response.
We both looked at each other in awe.
The creative process takes many forms and there is no one right way. But lately, I have been exploring my limits and then pushing them.
What if I’m abusing the seemingly Unlimited and Abundant? In this case – Time? So I experimented.
I sat down and painted these three 12″ x 16″ watercolors with these constraint; paint for 2 hours max and when the time is done, you are done, no fixing, no double backing, no thinking about it – You Are Done.
Here is what I learned:
Constraints paradoxically Facilitate Freedom. Without a time constraint, there was actually too much to consider and too much time to think about it. I moved forward from stroke to stroke without doubt because there was not time for doubt!
Constraints provide Focus. With a constraint, I knew I had to finish and with that tension came precision in my artistic decision making.
Constraints encourage Experimentation. Knowing I had to finish on time, made me more likely to try some things I wouldn’t have before and to follow my instincts as I painted.
Breaking Down Limits yields an Abundance of Creative Energy. Since trying this experiment, my work has exploded and creative blocks have disappeared. I’ve grown more appreciative of my technical capacity and believe in my ability to do this work. And I more implicitly trust my artistic instincts.
I’ve come to regard the practice of painting with constraints like writing freely in a journal. Set a timer, choose the colors and just paint, see what happens, follow your instincts, Let Go and the world opens up.
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Loss is felt as much as for what we have as for what we think we could have had. A wound and scar, internally, spiritually, emotionally. We carry on, even thrive, but the wound reverberates.
Watercolor 19″ x 19″
Original is Sold.
This painting was a commission. My client wanted me to paint the feeling of loss that comes from a wound unreconciled. Both visceral and emotional. A tight twinning of psychology and body.
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There is so much about this whole being human thing that I can find wanting. My imagination paints the ideal picture and nothing will measure up. It is after all, my imagination. And my perfectionism. And my idealism. Which are flip sides of criticism. It is easy to criticize. And sometimes criticism is good. It can make us better.
I’ve finally got this watercolor paper prepped to my standards, (my perfectionism) for my next commission.
This next commission is not a perfect story. It is a completely wanting story and one that breaks my heart. Because we are human. Because we are mortal. Because in the end, we may not get everything we want out of this life. It doesn’t really all lay in our hands, there is fate and forces completely out of control. There is death.
And the most not perfect thing of all is love. There is Love. Love is not wanting. It just is. The act of appreciating Love in the face of nothing perfect is what this commission is about.
The trust placed in me in enormous.
It is teaching me to balance my perfectionism with pure and loving appreciation.
The specter of climate change is an underlying disquiet. What unusual weather we are having is small talk, a subtle code and acknowledgement. There is change emerging around a corner too sharp to see around.
The question is not if it is a hoax or who caused it. The real questions: What will humans do about the impending change? Can we adapt? Will we fail or thrive as a species?
I do not know.
The Earth is healing. She’ll be fine. She may throw us off like unwelcome parasites to make room for her rebirth. But this world will re-emerge, glowing, growing and beautiful.
Watercolor 21″ x 30″
The Original Unusual Weather is available for sale: $800
21″ x 30″ Limited Edition Prints: $95
5″ x 7″ Cards are available to order. Pack of 10: $35.
Contact me directly for smaller prints and I can quote them for you.
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Don’t worry, I did not forget about Magic. Never. I’ve said it before, magic takes time, patience, investment and belief. I’ve been working on all these things myself. I hope you have to.
If you did forget, here are posts 1 and 2. They are critical prerequisites to reading Part 3.
Now that you have been working on a strategy and guiding your belief. You are ready for the last and most challenging steps for creating magic. Steps 4 – 6.
This is the critical hard and easy part. NOW you must do what you say!
No one is going to give this idea to you. You will have to give this idea to the world. Do this as if your life depended on it. Because it does.
All ingredients to our potion are critical. Add Share and Act. You must.
I know this is scary. People will laugh. You will be rejected. You will not believe. Definitely, not everyone is going to agree. Your family will not think it is possible. Some people will make you really, really angry.
That is okay. You can survive these things. None of them are lethal.
Your greatest teachers are Rejection and Fear. They will lead you to your goals. They will teach you to appreciate your successes and fine tune your idea.
Here is a secret…
Having an Idea is like being a parent or gardener. An idea is born, you raise, nourish, teach and mentor this little being, from infant to adult.
Then you must let it go.
You can no longer protect it. It must go into the Sea of Big Ideas.
The Sea of Big Ideas is what defines the world. It is a swirling with ideas and people, just like you! And some of those ideas are really big, really old, really scary. Some of those people are too. But there are also really friendly, creative, delightful ideas here and there are really wonderful, amazing people here too.
This Big Sea of Ideas creates forces. Forces are made because an idea has power.
When you put your idea into the Sea, these forces will push and pull on your idea.
You must be flexible! Stay true to your idea and watch these forces. Determine if they are useful or corrupt. Be thoughtful and patient as you test your idea. Observe. These forces are complex and surprising. They can help you as much as they can hurt you. Learn from them.
You are an apprentice so be prepared. The first time in the Sea of Big Ideas unexpected things will happen, some good and some not-so-good. These forces are unpredictable and much bigger than you.
But always, remember your vision. Pay attention to this and learn. What needs to change? What can you improve?
You will begin to notice these forces pushing and pulling, accepting and rejecting your idea, providing feedback and influencing you are just collections of people who believe in ideas.
Remember: It is people who give ideas power.
That is all. That big scarey idea called capitalism – its’ success is determined by the multiptude of people that believe in it. Powerful ideas are empowered by a collection of people.
Your idea needs people. It needs community.
You must recruit people that believe in your idea. The more people you recruit, the more your idea will grow and the closer you will come to magic.
Remember: there are many forces, ideas and people. Some of them don’t want new ideas. Some people have ideas that make it impossible for your idea to happen. Some people will be grateful for your idea. Other people will need to hear your idea a few times and a few different ways. Other people will hate it… always. They will always hate it.
It is nothing personal.
Identify the people and forces that make your idea stronger and the ones that make it weaker. Focus your energy on those that will grow you and your idea. Enlist them, love them, nourish them.
Community and learning will feed your idea.
You have a timeline in your plan. Remember those forces pressing on your idea? They have different plans than you and there is nothing you can do about it. Your plan may speed up or slow down because of them. But that does not mean that your idea is not possible.
You need steps 1-5 to create momentum, your need this final step to tend to your momentum. Momentum is invisible. Believe that momentum happens as strongly as you believe in your idea. As long as you persevere and carry out your plan, you are creating momentum.
Momentum leads to magic.
Keep your Idea in the Sea. Keep talking about it. Keep asking people to nourish it. Keep asking for help. Keep rewriting it, repackaging it, redesigning and re-communicating it. Keep learning.
Keep your potion brewing. It is working.
Time is your ally. Your idea will collect people. It may become larger than you. It may completely change, just like you.
Keep going back through the steps 1 -6, this is a circular and iterative process. There is no such thing as a straight line in a magical world.
Remember, this is magic. This is going to test your belief. And if you don’t believe me, go back to Step 1. You Must Believe.
Are you looking for inspiration? A little down to earth reflection and renewal? Want to stay current on what’s new and what to expect from Marika? My emails are food for thought packaged with color, soul and humor.
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I dislike the word “disabled” and the word “disorder” is just as bad. These words focus on the many ways someone is not <some “normal” trait> which can be fairly translated as not mediocre. Words like “disabled” and “disorder” reveal weepingly dysfunctional thinking. Sadly, they are hurtful. Yet they are institutional terms we pretend are stripped of emotional impact.
Why focus on “not”? Why not reveal the strengths and nuance? Why not celebrate not mediocre?
So it is with dyslexia which at root means having difficulty reading. Many of you likely believe that it means someone who has difficulty keeping words still on the page.
What is not well known is that this common assumption is not always true and more interesting is this difficulty keeping a word still on page is a symptom of a fascinating, beautiful, amazing talent.
Research has emerged that dyslexics are particularly advantaged in a bouquet of abilities and one of them is three dimensional spatial reasoning. A high percentage of architects, engineers, artists are dyslexic (Leonardo DiVinci was all three and dyslexic). They are genius visual thinkers.
The problem: a word on a page is two-dimensional and highly symbolic. A dyslexic intuitively seeks to understand the word by picking it up with his/her mind, turning it around, understanding it on a contextual three-dimensional level. This strategy works in almost any other context but symbols on paper. And this strength, that will help a dyslexic excel in construction, sculpture, problem solving, visual reasoning, creativity, management, advanced mathematical concepts and even planning will only send them down the path of failure at a traditional school.
Disabled is not the word I would use to describe a dyslexic. Perhaps it suits the education system better. It is certainly not a just system.
Those strengths are not assessed in school but in the real world, watch out. A dyslexic will score 30% higher on a creativity test than a “normal” person. 35% of entrepreneurs are dyslexic. Some of the most creative thinkers and leaders are dyslexic; Einstein, Henry Ford, Charles Schwab, Winston Churchill, Ann Rice and John Irving. A blind sample of the population, regardless of gender or culture reveals that up to 20% of the population is dyslexic. (See Reading List below.)
My son is dyslexic.
This also means he is a right-brain visual thinker with weak neural circuitry to his left brain language processing center. He is six and in kindergarten. It is a research-bound fact that if he is taught with a functional multi-sensory explicit phonics-based teaching approach now, he has a high chance to learn to read just as well if not better than his peers. Currently, schools tend to eschew this method because the assumption is it isn’t fun, familiar or popular though more children can learn to read and become better spellers with this method.
So, if your learning style isn’t fun, you are out of luck? And the “disorder” award goes to…?
Most importantly, a dyslexic mind is a Beautiful Mind.
Achingly so.
It is a world of exploding visual imagery. It is a space of diffuse connections, creative problem solving, intuition, enhanced awareness and rapid analysis. But it is a wordless, though not silent, world. A dyslexic does not reason verbally. Words come later on, after the unfolding imagery has revealed sometimes astounding insight.
It is difficult for a dyslexic to access the right word while speaking. The clutter of visual imagery, the diffuse connections stall the verbal processing and the neural connection just isn’t as tight as the images, sounds, emotions, patterns that are dancing in their thoughts. A word is trapped. It can not come loose. But don’t mistake this for a still mind, this mind is dancing in the jittery shadows, clutching its fluid jail bars and searching for a pattern to un-rip and let loose the word.
This brain will always process words differently. Because a dyslexic’s strength is diffuse connections, every word is layered with an explosion of meaning. Not just synonyms, but pictures, experiences, sounds, patterns, physical feelings and emotions. The word unravels into an explosion of possibility and meanings. A mind capable of turning over so many possibilities means a deeper understanding of a single word. The trade off for a deeper understanding is speed, reading will often be slower, but comprehension is so much richer.
Because the gift of dyslexia includes a rich internal visual reasoning capacity, a dyslexic will often come to amazing intuitive conclusions that reveal a rich and complete understanding as well as astounding creativity. These insight can appear like flukes, because to us this mind can’t seem to properly verbalize or read a simple word like “it”. But they are not flukes. They are the result of complex and rapid processing undefinable by words. They are the result of a thinking system unrestrained by the limits of symbolic and analytical language.
My son continues to inspire me. I’m so thankful to have identified this early. More importantly, I’m grateful for what he teaches me about the brain, creativity, intuition, problem solving and teaching. And Love.
These lessons are gifts as beautiful as his mind.
Buy A Beautiful Mind here.
The Original A Beautiful Mind is available for sale as a triptych (all three): $350
Prints of All Three: $75
A Single Print of one of the three: $35
5″ x 7″ Cards are available to order. Pack of 10: $35. Please specify if you want the triptych or a single image.
Are you looking for inspiration? A little down to earth reflection and renewal? Want to stay current on what’s new and what to expect from Marika? My emails are food for thought packaged with color, soul and humor.
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Following is a list of books I’ve read and that provided the much of the background, research and facts expressed in this post.
Overcoming Dyslexia: A New and Complete Science Based Program for Reading Problems at Any Level by Sally Shaywitz
The Dyslexic Advantage: Unlocking the Hidden Potential of the Dyslexic Brain by Eide, Brokck & Ferentte
The Gift of Dyslexia: Why Some of the Smartest People Can’t Read… and How they Can Learn by Ronald D Davis
I did it again. Art in the Park! The second time was nothing of the feat that I accomplished the first time. It was soooo much easier my husband and I wondered what the big deal was the first time around.
1. I improved my work flow. I quit talking about it and I actually did this. I now have a list of everything I must complete when I finish a painting, receive prints or create pendants. This include logging inventory, creating certificates of authenticity and marketing notes. It isn’t a long list but it isn’t painting and I generally don’t want to do it. I really dislike doing it in bulk leading up to an art fair more.
2. I changed my work spaces. My laptop lives in the dining room now. My paints live in the studio. I finish the grunt work then enter the creative space guilt free and glowing with freedom. This has made me so much more effective.
3. I’m packed up. I have labeled boxes of supplies. A box of fabrics, a box for stands, a box for prints and signs, a box for scarves, a box for hanging supplies, a box for originals in frames. I have a file system for certificates, storycards, display mapping and change. I have an improved display for pendants that I can literally take off the wall and take anywhere.
4. I’m stocked up. I have a ready stock of bags, boxes, storycards and marketing materials. Now all I have to do is order them when I run out.
5. I have a sturdy setup. It is windy by the lake. And it was windier the second time. The first time, I had to take down my scarf display when the wind wrecked it. This time, I watched a centerpiece painting face plant on the gravel when the wind hit it. Ouch. Another wall of prints collapsed in a gust. Jewelry displays flew across the path or crumbled.
My canopy shook (a lot) but nothing fell. I didn’t have to change anything thanks to sturdy walls built by my husband and a 4 x 4 we used to anchor the display on the wall-less side. Plus, don’t forget the canopy weights and have duct tape around just in case. I didn’t use it but I would always bring it.
I sold some originals between fairs which meant I had to rearrange the configuration of paintings on my walls. I also reconfigured tables and displays. Because we didn’t have time to practice beforehand, this slowed down setup. We are going to add more hooks to the top of the panels so that reconfiguration isn’t problematic and bring lots of hanging wire. Even without sales, I’ll have some new paintings to display and that will cause another reconfiguration.
My daughter learned how to use iMovie at school. This inspired me to make this little one minute movie of the adventure that is prepping and setting up for an art fair. Please enjoy. Take a look at those awesome walls by my husband and improved pendant display.
The best way to contact me directly is at [email protected]
Are you looking for inspiration? A little down to earth reflection and renewal? Want to stay current on what’s new and what to expect from Marika? That is what this mailing list is all about. Some food for thought packaged with color, soul and humor.
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Like any artist or lover, I love Beauty.
But here’s a challenge: define Beauty. And why does it matter?
I intuit Beauty is important to the human experience. I’m sure some happiness researcher has done a study that shows Beauty is important to cultivating happiness. And geesh, happiness is so important these days that scientists study it. The magic happiness pill makes lots of money.
Beauty is healing too. And Beauty is more.
I’ve started to sell a little on Etsy. A customer approached me in a conversation about a print Fertility. She has been having a hard time conceiving and she wanted a piece of art that would help her imagine conceiving but also a healthy reproductive system. She wanted to know what my thought process was going into this painting.
It took me a year to conceive my daughter. I relate to this struggle. It was one of my most difficult times.
Here is my response.
I painted this when I was having a hard time conceiving as well. It is such an exhaustingly emotional and baffling time. I didn’t know what was wrong or if there was something wrong. It was just hard and trying and gut wrenching. As you know. I was learning a different relationship with my body. I didn’t have full control of it. I was powerless in a way I never expected.
With this painting I was trying to imagine what my body looked like from within. I was learning to love me as I was. That it could be beautiful, not a scientific drawing, an x-Ray or broken somehow. It was and is amazing.
So it is a painting of a beautiful womb, artistically experienced (not scientifically rendered) from the heart. There are ovaries, and layers of red, shapes of the feminine ovals, circles and hearts. It is a place of love and power as it is. It is a place of potential.
There are suggestions of implantation. Yes. At the time that was my dream. But not a reality.
The blues are deeply soothing and mark and frame the womb. They bring power and contrast to the subject. They are organic shapes to suggest movement, other organs and life. I love that you see feathers! Yes!
Personally, I love the colors in this painting.
For my limited edition prints, I will hand highlight and embellish the painting with iridescent paints, silver or gold. If you have an idea you would like me to embed in the painting when I do this, I’d be honored to mark it that way for you as well. I embellish them when the order comes in. If you decided to purchase it, just send me a message and I can do this. They are high quality prints on watercolor paper and take this paint beautifully.
My hope is that it would help give you some peace and self-love in a difficult time and it would be meaningful for you as well.
In all, we exchanged 37 messages. By the 6th or 7th exchange she purchased a print. For the next dozen or so, we exchanged messages on how to hand embellish the print. This customer took full ownership of her print, directing me to mix a 1:1 ratio of gold and silver and very specifically directing me to the places she wanted highlighted. Here is the result:
I loved the exchange. We collaborated and connected. As we communicated, I learned about her and her trying time. I have deep empathy and hope for her. I hope that she loves herself and through her process she becomes a mother.
Equally, the process made us both vulnerable. I had hopes this print would bring her peace and support. She had hope this print would touch her and bring her beauty, healing, peace in an emotionally exhausting time.
I mailed the print and we waited, holding our breath that our hopes would be realized.
Here is the beginning of her 5 star review. I say we succeeded:
“When I saw my painting I could not restrain tears of joy and hope that filled me up. Thank you, Marika, for a beautiful custom work! …” Read more here (In my opinion, it’s a good read).
But also this is Beauty. Not just Art the Product, but the Whole Process. Beauty.
And I love Beauty.
Buy “Fertility” On Etsy Here
Buy Prints, Original and Cards at My Shop Here
Original: $250 with shipping
Customized Prints Available: $50 with shipping
Pack of 10 5″ x 7″ Art Cards: $35
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Truth: An artist comprehends no separation between art and life.
But recently I learned that I subconsciously regard aspects of my art as separate.
I have told myself this: Writing is not painting. But writing is most definitely art.
In this way…
When I decided to take the leap of faith and become a painter, I let go of others’ judgment and my worry. You know, that little voice that wants to please and seeks praise? I threw that out the window. It does not help the artistic process. Truth: I have an unique artistic voice that is not for everyone and that is the nature of art.
My paintings touch people and some people profoundly. I focus on this. When I paint for someone or some theme, I do my best to put their skin on and see the world from their perspective. The painting should be profound for that person or theme. If it touches more people in the process, that is a lovely side effect.
Paintings are an expression that creates meaning, relationships, and ultimately expand our understanding of life. Mine will do that for a few or many. But not all. Ok. I accept this and let go of worry.
When I handed “A Healing Place 2” off to my client, she stood in her living room and announced that she was going to read the story card aloud to her daughter and husband.
“Ack!” I choked and covered my face. I had a mini-panic attack right there. I wanted to run.
It was a Moment of Truth. A Teachable Moment.
Here on this blog and in all my marketing attempts I have exposed (one aspect of) my artistic soul in a gallery of public paintings and processes. I have no panic attacks. It is a struggle but ultimately I trust myself here.
But in that moment I could not listen to someone pronounce my words. I wring heartache into writing. I did not want to hear it and be faced with a critique.
Some damage, huh?
Writing is a cracked and bleeding medium for me. This is a revelation. I have been manipulating words and hiding behind the painting, a coward. Writing and I have a long history, longer than painting, but before I knew how to protect myself from all the real, imagined and self critics. It is my first love saturated with juvenile expectations and painful miscomprehensions. It is riddled. A puzzle of meaning and pain.
I need to get over it. If there is something my painting can teach my writing, this is it.
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