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Facing the Empty Space: Practicing Mindfulness Through Art

06.20.2018 by Amy Johnson Maricle // Leave a Comment

Dear Wonderful, Creative You:

Since last fall, I’ve been participating in a practice called authentic movement. It’s a movement-based mindfulness practice and active imagination process. I’ve been inspired by all of the parallels between the movement practice, and my art practice, and I wanted to share with you about one of them today.

Just so you understand, I’ll give you the basic layout. We practice in a light-filled renovated barn – a big open space. There is a facilitator who is the witness, and there are movers. Each of the participants moves with her eyes closed for about 45 minutes. The idea is to tune into what your body wants to do, and to follow the impulse as closely as you can. So if your hand wants to make a fist, you do that. If your feet enjoy sliding on the wood floors, do that. (I do that often.) But it’s not a planned movement or a performance of any kind. It’s about being mindfully, non-judgmentally present to your body and what it wants and needs in the moment.

When the movement is over, the witness reflects back something she saw and what it made her feel and experience. Her job is to help you feel that you were non-judgmentally seen, not interpreted. It’s a very beautiful practice, and I find it more accessible than regular meditation practice. There’s something really powerful about being seen non-judgmentally, both by yourself and by another.

Before we begin, we stand at the periphery of the room and make eye contact to honor each other, and then we do something interesting – we look at the open space to honor it too. We do this again at the end. At first I wasn’t quite sure what this meant, but recently, my teacher offered a little nugget of wisdom that really struck me. She said:

“In the beginning, there is nothing. In the end, there is nothing.”

It’s the same with art. In the beginning, there is nothing, and in the end, there is nothing once again. You begin a piece in the empty space, fill it with your marks, complete it, put it away, and return to the emptiness. We face the possibility, the curiosity, and the anxiety of not knowing.

So much of what scares us about art practice stems from facing this empty space. So much of what excites us about the art process stems from the emptiness too. What helps me to face the possibilities and the anxieties is knowing that I am not alone. I face the unknown in community.

Fluid Art Workshop:

We’ve been talking a lot in my Diving Deep class about how important community is in building our courage as artists. I want to help you build your art courage too. I’m inviting you to a free workshop tomorrow, Thursday, June 21st at 12pm EST. There’s still time to register, and you’ll get an amazing PDF with all the goodies from the workshop. There’ll be a 48-hour replay as well. I’m thrilled to tell you that I’ll be announcing an AMAZING freebie at the end, so stick around for that. Click here to register now.

Creatively Yours,

Amy

Making Each Day More Art-Ful

01.09.2018 by Amy Johnson Maricle // 6 Comments

Dear Wonderful, Creative You:

As I reflected on my goals for this new year, one thing was very clear: In 2018, I want to make my days more art-filled, everyday. I’ve got a few ideas on how I’ll be making each day more art-ful, and I am excited to share them here. At the end, I’d love to hear about your creative goals for this year too. While I’ve made it my business to teach others about the healing powers of art, I know that setting art goals is important for YOU as well. If you don’t make your art a priority, it won’t be. As you read through my goals, perhaps you might think about which of them apply to you and how you can prioritize your art. You get inspired here at Mindful Art Studio for a reason, let’s answer the call to honor your personal art process.

Goal #1: Make more art.

I’m going to spend more time in the studio, and waste less of my precious time and creative energy on screens. To do that, I will chunk the time I respond to Mindful Art Studio comments on social media. Secondly, when I get on after work, I will ask myself why I’m online and whether I’d rather be making art.

This work is part of a series. The bear is a hand cut stamp which I painted with acrylic paint and printed on mixed media board. The background was done with high flow acrylic paint, which is such a blast to work with. (You can learn more about how to use them in my class, Fluid Art.)

I made all the flowers and botanical bits with white Posca pen. Exploring the different ways I can present the same subject helps me to grow as an artist. (Find out more about working in a series in this quick and fun video post.) I’ll show more in the series as they develop. Here’s a closer up view of my little lady:

If you don't make your art a priority, it won't be. #creativegoals #carveouttimeforart Click To Tweet

Goal #2: Connect with other artists.

Last year I also had a goal of connecting with other artists. Hanging out with artists helps me in making each day more art-ful because art friends affirm my choice to prioritize art making. We talk about art, we make art, we admire art. Art friends are really important. One of the main ways I did this was to attend an art retreat last fall. It was mind-blowingly good. I made more artist friends and have had more artist dates. I’m already registered to go back again this year and I’m looking forward to connecting with more awesome artists in 2018.

Goal #3: Teach more art and creative empowerment through free, live classes.

In my opinion, one of the best things we did as a community in 2017 was to begin connecting live on Facebook and Instagram. These platforms offer an easy-to-use, interactive interface for make-inars and creativity classes. My next Facebook Live event is Friday, January 26th at 12pm EST. Get in your RSVP right now, even if you can only catch the replay. I always keep the class posted for an extra 48 hours, so no matter where you are, you have a chance to catch it. Wait till I tell you the topic next week!

Goal #4: Share more of my art.

Last year my goal was to get more of my art into shows and magazines, and while I had some very disappointing rejections, I also got my work in a couple of shows and print magazines, as well as some written pieces in a few notable online and print magazines, such as The New York Times. (That was exciting!)

These experiences gave me the chutzpah to share my work in a very exciting and fun way. I’ve had some more inquiries to buy my art in the last year, and I haven’t had a good way to share it, until now.

I’m absolutely tickled to tell you that I’ve just created an online shop at Society 6. I’d love for you to come visit me there. I’m sharing art prints and products such as iPhone cases, travel mugs, and notecards to inject more art into our days. This is such an amazing way for us all to support small artists and be more artsy. I hope you’ll check out my work and that of many other artists.

Aren’t these so incredibly fun? I’ve already ordered myself the Bloom phone case. You can see it and all the other goodies I created for you here: https://society6.com/amymaricle

I love celebrating the many ways art connects and heals us. Will you share a bit about your creative aspirations and how you’ll be making each day more art-ful this year?

Creatively Yours,

Amy

*The product links in this post are affiliate links. This means that, at no extra cost to you, if you choose to click and purchase something, you’ll contribute to the work of Mindful Art Studio to empower the artist in us all.

Feeding Your Soul One Mindful, Creative Act At a Time

09.20.2017 by Amy Johnson Maricle // 16 Comments

Feeding Your Soul One Creative Act at a Time, mindfulness and art, mindful art — Photo credit: Tory Williams

Dear Wonderful, Creative You:

I’m coming to you fresh from my first Squam Art Retreat on Squam Lake in New Hampshire. As often happens with such experiences, I’ve arrived home inspired, slightly disoriented, and wanting to carry what I felt on retreat into my everyday life. One of the ways I want to do that is by sharing about it with you.

Choose to Live in Abundance

I was delighted by how every aspect of the environment and my experience was infused with generosity and abundance. Handmade flags, fabric garlands, and pom poms decorated our meeting spaces and popped up periodically on tree branches and swimming docks. Sleeping in cabins in the forest on the edge of the lake, we were blessed each day by still waters, the calling of loons, and star-filled nights sitting out on the dock.

'By doing what you love, you inspire and awaken the hearts of others.' - Satsuki Shibuya Click To Tweet

Of all the gifts I received on this retreat, and there were many, the one I found most transformative was the openness of all of the women I met. Each of my teachers generously shared as much as she could, and each of the attendees included me in her conversations, her projects, and her sisterhood. As I think about how a community like this springs up, it occurs to me that we all have an active role in keeping such a safe, creative, and welcoming environment alive.

We left fear at the door.
We walked in love, in hope, in openness.
We sang songs, danced, and let our childlike selves out to play in the company of women.
We stepped away from screens and dwelled in the company of one another, and the land and water that held us.

artist community, women artists, mindful art — Rae Hoekstra of www.made-by-rae.com

Mindfully Choosing More Creative Magic

I’ve been thinking about what this experience has to tell me about my life right now. Of course, much of it has to do with slowing down, paying attention to the moment, and choosing more art. These are some of my lessons learned:

Getting away to cultivate creative sisterhood feeds my soul. It’s a priority.
I need to limit my screen time and invest energy in the things that feed me.
There is more space for creative magic and wonder in my life.
I can choose to live in an abundant world, giving and receiving openly.
Stay focused on the positive. This brings more light to everyone.

mindful art, the art of mindfulness, art and mindfulness — What I made in my printmaking class with Penny Dullaghan.

mindful art, mindfulness and art, art of mindfulness — One of the many bits of wonder I found on trails around the lake.

imperfect art, mindful art, mindful fiber arts, Sew Liberated — Meg McElwee of Sew Liberated practicing some beautiful sashiko mending on her miniskirt. You can find her gorgeous patterns at: http://sewliberated.com – I want to do this to my jeans!

My Creative Self-Care

With these lessons in mind, I’ve been changing the way I do things. Some of these new habits may stick, some may change, but experimenting and writing about it are important steps in the process. So here’s what I’m doing now:

I’m writing a poem a day on my dry erase board to inject poetry into our family life.
I reorganized my studio to feel more welcoming and cohesive.
I leave my phone in the other room to minimize mindlessly “checking it.”
I keep a question on my art table: Is what you are doing right now feeding your soul?
I gifted a class to a couple of friends at Squam who really moved me.

There are things I still need to do, such as placing a few reminders from Squam around my home, and pulling together an art date with Squam friends. I know I will do these things though, because I’ve been reminded how much it matters.

Mindful Art Resources

Mindful Art Studio Classes – Learn to tune into the moment by playing with art.
Squam Art Retreats – Fall and Spring retreats on Squam Lake, NH – I’m almost afraid to share this amazing secret!
Tory Williams Photography – Her workshop was the BEST class I’ve ever taken. I hope you can see the difference in my photos!
Made by Rae – Find lovely patterns for making clothing at all skill levels. She’s the artsy lady pictured above with the glasses.
Sew Liberated – Meg is the funky lady making the beautiful patch on her mini skirt, and she also teaches and sells patterns, and blogs about sewing, home schooling, and parenting a child with medical needs.
Penny Dullaghan – See her beautiful illustrations and check out her moving post on parenting and pain.

I’d like to leave you with this image: As I drove away from Squam Lake, down sunlit, winding roads flanked by forests and fields, I felt a pure, warm lightness in me that I haven’t felt in a long time. I carry it now still, and hope I’ve offered some of it to you.

Creatively Yours,

Amy