BETWEEN THE LINES
Encounter - A Story Unwritten
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"Everybody is original, if he tells the truth, if he speaks from himself. But it must be from his 'true' self and not from the self he thinks he 'should' be."
- Brenda Ueland -
SPENDING SACRED ME-TIME
WRITING PROMPTS​
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SLOWING DOWN​
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Living in a slow pace relates to our heart as a garden by encouraging a mindset of patience, care, and appreciation for natural processes, much like nurturing a plant.
Just as a garden requires time, mindful tending, and seasonal rhythm to flourish, the heart can be cultivated through slow living by focusing on meaningful, present moments rather than instant gratification.
This approach fosters inner growth, emotional balance, and a deeper connection to oneself and the world, transforming the heart into a place that can exude an aliveness much like a vibrant, thriving garden.
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Living conscious and in a slow mode encourages savouring the small, incremental steps in personal development. It fosters a sense of accomplishment and connection to the inner progress - an appreciation for growth.
Who are you when you slow down, when you look in the mirror, when you look inside...?
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Do you 'just' yourself?
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What do you nurture in your life? Where do you feel a need to slowing down?
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What does it look like to tend to your inner garden?
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4. Consider your soil... Is it welcoming and rich in nutrients? Or does it need your attention? How does it feel, your soil?
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5. Give yourself space and awareness to let what wants to emerge, emerge...
6. Notice the difference: Wanting to grow something vs. wanting to fix something.
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7. Go outside and observe what is growing around you. How does it mirror or relate to your garden within?
8. Allow your breath to be a tool for tending...
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SPENDING TIME IN THE STUDIO
"The seeds power can only be unleashed by the soil."
- Dr. Anita Phillips -
DOCUMENT:
These examples are sketches from a Live Class I did couple years ago and show how the Interior Simple Body Sketching Lines are integrated, leading to the Outer Body Lines of the figures.
Mindful Exercise
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MIND FULL ... MINDFUL​
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Heart and mind are connected and interdependent. But so very often we don't fully live that connection, one part often overweighs... a result of that can be exhaustion, headache, overwhealming. Sometimes it can get so intense that finally our body takes over and lets us cry because it cannot hold the energies any longer - energies that should not stay within our body but move... e-motion, the word itself gives the hint. Emotions are to be felt in a flowing motion and then released.
Living with our mind and heart in unison, we should integrate both emotional wisdom and logical thought by practicing mindfulness and self-awareness to understand our inner state - engaging in activities that promote self-care like connecting with nature or loved ones, and using logical analysis to balance our emotions.
We can create a harmonious balance that leads to inner peace and a more fulfilling life. ​​​​​
Breathing in and out. Letting go.
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To foster creativity, contrast a 'Mind Full' state of overwhelming thoughts with a 'Mindful' state of present-moment awareness by engaging in exercises like Mindful Observation (focusing intensely on a single object), Brainstorming Mind-Full Session (releasing all the junk onto the paper) and Mindful Clearing (letting ideas surface before clearing the mind to allow connections to form).
​A never tiresome exercise are the so called Morning Pages by Julia Cameron... Releasing on three pages all that makes the mind full to clear it and transform it into a mindful space.​
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What does the idea of 'slowing down' open up for you, in you? Reflect on your initial thoughts and feelings when you consider slowing down. Do you feel relieved, anxious, or something else? What does my body tell me?
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When and why do you most feel rushed? Identify specific situations and triggers... and your behaviour.
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How has my business affected my relationships... with others and myself?
- Imagine living with a slower pace... how would you feel, how would it change your routine? How do you feel when you slow down your thinking? When you cultivate your mind from a full mind to mindfulness?
- Pay attention to your emotional feelings and intuitive insights from your heart, asking yourself if your feelings stem from love or fear. Simultaneously, acknowledge your thoughts and the logical pros and cons presented by your mind.
- ​Allow your heart to lead, but use the mind for healthy skepticism and strategic thinking to bring ideas into physical reality.
- Trust the process of life and work toward goals with love and positive impact on others. Accept what is and be open to what will be, responding with love in all situations.
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Broken Brush Strokes or Broken Colour Technique involve applying small, distinct patches, dabs or strokes of pure unblended color next to each other on the canvas. From a distance the artist's and viewer's eyes then optically blend the separate colours, merge them so that the colours are creating a new blended colour that feels more vibrant and shimmering. It is a stimulating effect. The strokes themselves are often "broken" or varied in direction to add to the painting's texture and energy.
The individual colours maintain their purity and intensity but are giving the artwork an extra quality... it's a dynamic effect that captures the interplay of light and atmosphere, a fleeting feeling.
This technique was pioneered by Impressionists to achieve a sense of luminosity and spontaneity in their paintings. ​
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The Impasto Technique involves applying paint very thickly to a surface, creating a noticeable, three-dimensional texture where the brushstrokes or knife marks are visible (fingers are a great tool as well). This creates depth and dimension, allowing artists to convey feeling, emphasize specific details, or mimic the properties of the materials being painted.
The word impasto comes from the Italian word for 'paste' or 'dough', reflecting the thick, viscous application of the paint. Using modeling paste can be used to build up even thicker, more dramatic layers, really 'dough'-like.
By using the Impasto Technique the artist can create an emotional expression by energetic and visible strokes. The raised paint catches the light, creating shadow. This is giving the artwork a vibrant, luminous quality and highlights specific areas or supports certain parts to stand out.
In Renaissance this technique was first used to depict realistic textures of the skin and fabric. In Baroque it was applied to create rich visual effects and to intense the light. Impressionist artists used it to capture the light or to express vibrant and emotional responses.
NURTURING THE BODY:​
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DRINKING PURE ARTESIAN WATER
​​​​EATING GREEN FRUITS & VEGETABLES​​
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BODY AWARENESS SCAN:
Give attention to your inside on a feeling level AND on a physical level...
Scan your body beginning at the feet and working your way up to the top. Notice how each part feels and say a deep and honest Thank You - for example your feet, they carry you all the time, they walk for you, give them feeling nurture in return.
When you have scanned your body this way turn your attention inwards and notice how muscles, ligaments and tendons feel, how every organ feels and how your blood feels - for you. For example your heart, it is beating without ceasing. Try to listen then to what these interiors have to say - not from a feeling level where you focus on the emotions, but really what your the physical parts want you to know.
So often we think we're listening but we're not. Often the mind and heart connection is weedy because both work for themselves. The mind says 'I need exercise, it's healthy', the heart says "I need rest, it's healthy". Then we exercise in a certain way and feel good and rest. But after quite so time (it always takes time) the physical exercise isn't enough or too much and the heart needs even more rest or is tired of rest. The equilibrium is unbalanced.
What could be the best solution is finding a 'resting exercise'...