imagine...

                                                         (arms to sky, Sante Fe, New Mexico)
"To me, forge your own path means to proceed without permission. Imagine there being no bounds to what you can do or be. Imagine if we used the gifts bestowed upon us for our highest good without saying I can't do that because it's never been done before or because They wouldn't like that or they would think this of me. Imagine if you just friggin' did the damn thing you want to do. Imagine that!"- Ava Duvernay
I have been thinking a lot about opening doors within mySELF, possibilities and daring lately...and these posts right here are giving me strength, clarity, inspiration.

* am so digging this manifesto right here and ordered the book (Daring Greatly)...can't wait to get my hands on it!!
* 100% agree and believe in this post right here. My own personal story is this: after I became a mom I became more ambitious with my art, more honest with my words, more vulnerable in my life. Quite simply because my baby needed all of me...broken and shining.
* loving all the bravery and truthtelling spilling out of this post . Don't we all get rejected?? But the work we have to offer the world and ourSELVES don't rest upon the shoulders of a few. They rest within us: our tenacity + bravery + heart.

* Luv you Susannah!! honesty, putting it all out there, cussing and all:)

living true

(living true, archival prints available here!!)

 When I was in my twenties, I didn't even think about what living authentically was! Did you? I was too busy getting by; trying to find my way...trying to find mySELF. To be quite honest, I was just trying to heal and make sense of the world and... life. I had such deep pockets of pain locked away in my heart...I was simply unable to live from a place of joy and truth. So what inevitably happened was that I was living a life based on my past; based on other people's definition of me. There was no direction or clarity of purpose...just floating around in a sea of unhappiness.

And then my thirties rolled around and I found mySELF in quite the opposite direction. I analysed everything to death!!! I thought through choices and outcomes and and and...on and on. UGH!! It was so draining let me tell you! Being stuck in righteousness is not a pretty place to be!! It really all came down to me not trusting mySELF. However, in retrospect, all important steps on my journey.

Now...living authentically is bare bones simple. It all comes down to making the best choice in the moment. Not thinking about things as much as listening to my heart and intuition. I mean...of course thinking things through (!!!) but also-equally- listening to my deepest self. It all comes down to leading the very best life I can...in being the best person (wife, mamma, artist, friend...) I can be. It comes from not wanting another person's journey in any way, shape or form but simply accepting my very own path. It means-in the very deepest sense-honouring my stories and mySELF. What does "living true" mean to you?
P.S. These are some of the stories behind my new painting...living true