“ FINDING YOUR VOICE"

                                                     

I own and operate the " Dancing Lily Art Studio Art Studio ", 60 miles  northeast of Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. Coming from a jet setting life to the dilapitated acres of a 150 year old heritage home could have been a dismal  journey.  

I have lived in, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Vancouver, on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia, in sunny Florida, the Grand Bahaman Islands  and exotic  Japan. Go GIRL  Go...Go... Go.  ... It's been an interesting but exhausting pace of life.

Seven years ago, I was embarking into a part of Canada that I knew nothing about. ( Yikes)  It definitely meant, that I was slowing down and retiring from the bright lights of the stage, into the deep, dark  ' void ' of, " WHO AM I  ".

Have you ever found yourself lost like some boat adrift  in the sea of life? Have you ever sat in a quiet place contemplating, "WHY"  you are where you are ?

The answer is YES, we've all been to that world of OZ, where nothing makes sense. We are  just,so caught up in the self pity!!! Actually, we are sabotaging ourselves, because we can't control what is happening around us. In general, the stress of life  gets in the way, of what we think, is our happy and perfect life. Sorry ... "SOMETHINGS GOTTA GIVE".

DON'T LOSE YOURSELF !  If life gives you lemons, make  lemonade and drink it in, by going back to your earliest dreams and pastimes. Pull out your childhood pictures. Try to remember your happiest and saddest moments. Work hard at  finding a place where you can BREATHE.

When  I relocated, I knew that I had to re-invent myself, AGAIN ...  So ...  I started doodling happy faces in a memory journal. Then, I rekindled my love of photography, taking pictures of flowers, rainbows and sunsets. In a sense, I was trying to recapture  the " AH " moments  from inside my soul.

I listed all the things that I enjoyed most as a little girl, like blowing dandelions seeds, watching my father's tulips grow, swinging and marveling at the  cloud murals in the sky.

I also remember smashing small rocks into a myriad of textures, shapes and sparkling gold and silver speckles. I think that is where I discovered my  true love for glitter.( Ha Ha)

Art was central to my creative development as a child.  I delighted in painting seasonal  mural on the walls.  My working mother always came home to an exhaustive mess of paper cuttings and paper dolls. She never complained, only complimented me on my creativity.

Yes, when you tweak that inner child, " finding your voice" becomes clearer and clearer ... thus  the " Dancing Lily Art Studio  " was a dream come true ... like the Walt Disney song , "When You Wish Upon A Star ". It doesn't matter who you are. When you wish upon a star, your dreams come true."

The New Year is sure to bring a mixed bag of experiences for us all. Seek and you will find your voice, no matter how daunting your present  situation is. Art is a therapy filled with  an  never ending  circle of hope and Friends who are are always willing to see and hear you. TRY SOMETHING NEW !!!!  

START, by creating little masterpieces this year.  Dabble in mixed media, collage, paint, take a class or maybe even  sculpt with clay. Why don't you begin the New Year, by painting a picture of yourself, using a full spectrum of colours, to lighten and brighten your creative outlook. 

Change is healthy. Change is progressive. Change is a gift that enlightens and brightens the pathway ... NOW GO  and  "FIND YOUR  TRUE VOICE ".