Amazing Color Combinations
Speckled Beauty
Tiny Orchids
Beautiful Painted Colors
Orchid Surprise
Tiger Orchid
Crimson Flash
Tropical Blooms
The colors of a Giraffe
All Photographs copyrighted by Barbara Mattio 2013
Orchid Mania
Tag Archives: creativity
Celebrating Each Day of Our Lives
Make sure you dance every day so you can feel your joy
The days of our lives are filled with many things. They can be filled with hard work, illness, anxiety, passion, protesting, child care, doing laundry and a million other things which are not exciting. Life can make us very numb where we just go through the motions. We can look but not see what is right in front of us.
There are days where getting out of your comfort zone is rough. Some days it is easier to over look the song of the bird or the honk of a goose. Some days you don’t hear the music, it swirls around you without being able to get near your heart or soul.
Some days life feels right as soon as we open our eyes. The air smells sweet, you can hear a robin looking for materials to build his nest, you can hear your favorite music in your head and it lifes your heart. You can do a little dance as you make breakfast. A smile graces your face all day and you in turn, can share it with everyone. In short, these types of days show our celebration of  life.
Celebrating life comes in sections .One section is praise for the blessing in your life. Those things that could be material or simply the note you received from an old friend. Praise is easy on the good days. It will flow out and around you as it gently floats upward toward the heavens. Praise on the hard days, when sickness, problems, uncertainity plague you, make praise be something you need to work at. It is just as important on these days and probably more appreciated by The One.
The other section is gratitude. This is not the same. The gratitude raises up out of your soul and engulfs you as you take every breath of air and as you take each step. Gratitude is the ability and intention of seeing every little gift given to you. It is the ability to recognize that you are surrounded by tiny miracles and they make you feel so loved and cherished by the Divinity in life.
When you put gratitude and praise together, you find the ultimate goal. You find yourself celebrating life. Celebrating life takes the weaving together of gratitude and praise to create an emotional quilt to wrap around yourself. So try each day to find a way to be in touch with your innerself and celebrate life as often as you can. Life, here on this plane, won’t last forever. There will be a day when we move on to the next plane of existence. We go forward experiencing the cycle of  life. So today, try to really see and hear your world, dance a few steps, and sing your favorite song, even if it is off tune. Celebrate! Celebrate and see what comes back to you. Blessings to all, Barbara
Butterfly whispering. Photo by Cliff Mattio
Celebrate with praise and gratitude.
Glimpses of Paradise
You’ve Got Me Walking in the Rain
Wild Nights
Wild Nights–Wild Nights!
Were I with thee
Wild Nights should be
Our luxury!
Futile—the winds—-
To a Heart in port—-
Done with the Compass—Done with the Chart!
Rowing in Eden—-
Ah, the Sea!
Might I but moor—-Tonight—-
In Thee!
—–Emily Dickinson
“Love is a crooked thing, there is nobody wise enough to find out all that is in it.” —-W.B. Yeats
Glimpses of Autumn
Blue Ridge Mountains, NC Photo by Barbara Mattio
” There are countless paths to the mountain’s summit. Yet from it the same moon pours radiance over the landscape.”
—-Ikkyu
Blue Ridge Mountains, NC Photo by Barbara Mattio
“Entering the forest he moves not the grass; entering the water he does not make a ripple.”
Niagara Falls, Ontario Photo by Barbara Mattio
“It is deep autumn. What kind of life is my neighbors I wonder…”
Niagara Falls, Ontario Photo by Barbara Mattio
” One day a monk spoke bitterly to the Buddha about the unbearable sorrows of the world. The Buddha remained silent. Then he pointed at the earth between his feet, and said: ” On this earth I have attained awakening.”
Splendor of the World….no Why.
All quotes excerpted from Zen Seeing, Zen Drawing
Emerald necklace parks, Ohio Photo by Barbara Mattio
Lake Erie Islands, Lake Erie, Photo by Barbara Mattio
” Wherever you are is home
And the earth is paradise
Wherever you set your feet is holy land…
You don’t live off it like a parasite.
You live in it, and it in you,
Or you don’t survive.
And that is the only worship of God there is.”
——-Wilfred Pelletier and Ted Poole
Chautuaqua Institute, NY Photo by Barbara Mattio
Mellow Yellow Monday for Art and Artists
Vincent Van Gogh was one of the Impressionist artists. The book My Life and Love are One contains excerpts from his letters to his brother Theo. He and Theo were very close and Theo sold as many of Vincent’s paintings as possible. Van Gogh’s art was expressive and his writings were equally expressive. Whether he wrote about art, turmoil or love you can feel his inner passion. Sunflowers were one of his favorite things to paint. He was brilliant and suffered from depression. His art does give a voice to his suffering.
One day, the story goes, Vincent took his easel and paints to a meadow and began a painting and also committed suicide. Recently there has been controversy over the possibility that he may have been murdered. Whatever happened to Van Gogh, he left us with some very brilliant art and writings.
“Since the beginning of this love I have felt that unless I gave myself up to it entirely, without any restriction, with all my heart, there was no chance for me whatever, and even so my chance is slight. But what is it to me whether my chance is slight or great? I mean, must I consider this when I love? No, no reckoning; one loves because one loves. Then we keep our heads clear, and do not cloud our minds, nor do we hide our feelings, nor smother the fire and light, but simply say: Thank God, I love.
Meaning Crisis
Lake Erie sunset by Barbara Mattio
Finding our voice is most important to any artist, regardless of their medium. Looking for the authentic voice within is important for all creative people but it is not always easy. Â All people, including all artists must find their authentic self within. That doesn’t happen without real work and self examination. This is not an easy excavation but it is a necessary one for each of us. Finding inner authenticity is harder than most imagine.
There are those who hear the call early, as early as 6, and find their voices. The voice of a creative person is one that leads them to the place where they know they are separate, yet they are not alone.
We struggle to fill our bellies, we must find a shelter for our heads. As humans we stop at times, just a pause and look with wonder at what we find around us. There is only one conclusion we can come to. Without the creativity we have inside, Â we are shocked by the world. By the emptiness of the world without, art, literature, music, performance art. Without art, life can appear to be an empty vessel. We have a great desire to fill the empty vessel with the beauty within us. We have to create. We have to have solitude at times to find the deepest parts of our souls. That is what gives us the urgent need to continue to create. The creations represent our humanness and we find our solace and courage.
The courage to be an artist is great. It takes a greater need to produce something which reflects what is inside than to protect our egos and souls from the words of others due to our creation. This is a joy and a burden for artists.
We are subject to meaning crisis. Sometimes these can lead to depression which is why it is so important to be aware of every moment that The One is within us and therefore we do have meaning.
Meaning comes and goes, it ebbs and flows. We must, as creative people learn how to find meaning for ourselves. Life can puncture us and our meaning can leak like an old rusty pipe. Meaning then drains away and we are left to dry up and become unproductive. This is what we must be aware of and change before it lasts too long and we aren’t able to hear the voice within. Each of us must find our own meaning and keep the spark of meaning fed and the spark burning bright. We must not let this effort wear us out. If you are an artist, you are supposed to create and to make the mainstream search the lack of meaning in their own lives. For all who have not struggled with meaning and for those who haven’t tried, depression can be a huge roadblock. We need to find out what we need to make our life meanful. Start now and you will find a new life in your creativity. The beauty you create will make everyone experience your meaning. That increases their own meaning.
Now Where Did I Put That Artist
Oil Pastel by Barbara Mattio 2011
Here we are and where I live, it is the middle of the night. I worked on a painting earlier. At some point during my session I reached the zone. I believe it is an interesting place. It is where creativity and spirituality meet and become one.
“Paradise is at your own center
unless you find it there
there is no way to enter.
—-Anglus Silesius
The Buddha says, “We do not learn by experience, but by our capacity for experience.” The creative person has a capacity for experience. It is our ability to not just look at something, but to really see it. Is what we see exactly what we will paint, draw or sculpt? No probably not. There is a place within ourselves where the artist meets with the Divine. This is the place where the created and the creator blend. The blending of the two conditions is the place where we do not move our hands anymore to compose a song, write a novel, arrange flowers in a vase or paint what your soul experiences.
Due to economic restraints schools are reducing their art and music classes. Reading and math and science are totally necessary. What they don’t teach our children is not just to look but to really see..
Not seeing is becoming rampant is our culture.There are some who that when humans do not “really see” what they look at, Then they lose the ability to look at other humans and care about their sufferings or sorrows. They lose the ability for compassion.
When I draw a flower, it is not the little “I” or the ego which is expressing itself, it is the flower that is being able to express itself.When the creativity inside meets with The One, then we are really one with the Universe. We are part of the Creative Process which unfolds continually in Nature.No matter what your medium is, you become part of the cosmic consciousness. The eyes really see and the hand moves and we are in a state of grace. Here we stop looking at and begin firsthand seeing. At this moment, you find the artist you are looking for.
Angelus Silesius wrote the first Western haiku.
“The rose is without why
it blossoms because it blossoms.”
So exactly what am I attempting to say? I am saying that for creative/artistic people there is a point when their medium becomes meditation. It is actually meditation in motion. The hand and eye work in tandem. Quiet and solitude are not the place where art and meditation meet. So if you haven’t seen the artist within for awhile,simply start living the “artist within.” Peace will descend and your work will pour out of your hands. M.C. Escher did a plate of his hands and it is my favorite. The amazing energy which flows from his drawing makes you know you are standing in the presence of Divinity.
Just be yourself, the unique and creative person that was created out of star dust and allow the creativity to flow out of your soul and into your work.
Artistic Voice
Charcoal sketch by Barbara Mattio
We are creative by nature, not choice. Creativity seeks us out. This must just be accepted. Finding your artistic voice can be like trying to move a boulder. Slow progress and time may pass before you may see measurable progress.
An artist needs balance in his/her life. The myth that artist must suffer is just that a myth. So don’t invest in the myth. Don’t force your creativity into a square others think it should be in. There is no reason to create drama or hardship to fuel your talents. Life will provide plenty itself.
Don’t try to force your talent and work to grow as an artist without concern with where the art is taking you. This is true for all mediums, including music, acting, performance art or sculpting.
What the artistic person creates is a representation of your subconsciousness. Don’t get bogged down with past failures, or a creative block. This will stop you from living in the present moment and enjoying the beauty of the day.
You can’t be your own critic and need to silence your doubts. I realize that that is a constant struggle. This is a huge block to finding your artistic voice.
When you are working and in the zone and the creativity is just streaming and uninhibited, you are releasing your creative voice. You approach artistic purity when your work is absent of everyday concerns. You have given yourself over to the flow of the subconscious mind. The great Masters worked from this place within themselves. Remember, anything is attainable and never limit yourself. Art is communication and you are creating that conversation.
Mellow Yellow Monday #2
It is Monday again. It always confuses me how quickly that happens! So it is here once again and I want to talk about art. There are many people who believe, and I agree, that the love of beauty is inborn. Landscapes are more popular than graffiti. Harmonious music is enjoyed more than discordant music.
Whether we look at pottery, writing, performance art, or music composition. Many feel that human traits are evolutionary and cross cultural lines. Scientists feel that tastes in art are shaped by natural selection.
I feel the love of beauty is inborn. Artistic values restore pleasure, beauty and skill back to a prominent place in our culture. The arts are no more remote from the evolved features of the human mind and personality than a magnolia tree is remote from the soil.
The tendency is to treat any form of art as secondary and essentially fluff. That is so far from the truth. The human soul needs beauty and beauty is as essential to the soul as oxygen is to our lungs. Creativity is a bridge between cultures and stimulates the brain so learning is increased.
Creativity is a way to discover your authentic self and to express that self by composing, dancing, acting, throwing a pot or painting a landscape. The creative soul is tied to the Divinity within. People often recognize this and some don’t. What they create still brings a message to those who see the end product be it a play, a symphony, a pastel drawing, an amazing garden or a smashing novel. Without the creative urge, we become diminished as humans and we don’t experience all of the life we have been gifted with. Creativity, of any kind, helps us to be more fully alive and to more fully embrace this plane of existence. Don’t hesitate, listen to your heart and soul and create what is inborn within you and be at one with the Universe.
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