Painting from the Heart

Giving voice to our wordless places

When emotion overwhelms you, how do you move through it? With the skill of a surfer or like a child still learning to swim? (When we’re tired we all tend to respond less gracefully than we’d like! 😅) For me I have a variety of tools: sitting in nature, journalling, being in the water, walking the beach, dancing, and singing.

For more complex emotions I make time to sit with a cup of cacao to understand the root of what is going on underneath the brambles.

But last week I realized most of those tools were mostly for emotions that needed release (and perhaps had been held back for too long), so it felt more like decluttering a house, ridding myself of unwanted things.  And they were mostly ephemeral, a fleeting moment in time to dance with an emotion.

So what about when we have big complex emotions that are a cause to celebrate, that mark our transition from one way of being to another?  I have one tattoo that has served this purpose, but I don’t want to do that for everything.

And then I realized I could paint with watercolor - allowing the layers to dry and mix, without knowing how it would turn out - became a new meditative experience for me.  And for the first time, my mind wasn’t critiquing the way I did something (“that looks nothing like we pictured!”), it was oddly silent while I had a conversation with my heart about how it needed to express itself.

So I sat and painted to honor the anniversary of my becoming a mother for the second time and the incredible transformation that unleashed within me. And I was so, so grateful for how far I have come, and humbled for what it’s taken me to get to this point.

I am so grateful to Sunny Stewart for the EcoExpressive Art container she’s been holding these past few weeks, slowly teaching my heart how to speak through art.  It’s also showing me how I can enjoy a group container and get a lot out of the process which has inspired me in other ways for my professional work.

I can finally emotionally connect with creating art and I am loving this new tool!  🥰. Looking at these pieces around the house now shows me the joy, the heartache, and the complexity of how I was feeling in a way that continues to inspire and teach me.

How do you honor and celebrate transformation in your life? 🐛🦋

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