Unbounded

I've been incredibly sick for the past week and a half. I do believe it's directly linked to the thoughts you think. If they're stressful thoughts, your body reacts in a fight or flight way which lowers your immune system and then you become susceptible to getting sick. Being unwell is kind of a strange thing because it allowed me appreciation for what it really is. Getting sick forces you to stop thinking, stop doing and just be. Not even all the Netflix movies can get you away from yourself. It's a beautiful thing how sickness forces you to take care of yourself and focus on yourself. When you're sick, you're stuck. And for this weeks art piece I felt stuck. Stuck because I have an upcoming art show where I need to make repeating patterns. While I love making patterns, I was feeling the pressure of the deadline and for some reason the pressure always makes me feel like drawing something else! When you're stuck it's because of two opposing thoughts are felt strongly at the same time and it puts you at an impasse. In my case, draw what I'm supposed to or draw what I want. So I sat with the stuck feeling until it came to me to go ahead and just start drawing what I wanted to. I really wanted to draw characters and then somehow a pattern showed up all by itself. You see, I didn't have to choose one or the other, just draw. I'm pretty pleased with the results that came from just giving myself a little time to get out of my own way. And there's always time. You can't not have the time to basically meditate to find an answer, to become unstuck or to be surprised. It was a good reminder to practice the art of allowing.

Happy Wednesday ❤

Beachcombing

I grew up near water my whole life and hadn't lived more than 30 minutes from a beach somewhere. But now I live a little over an hour from the ocean and it feels like another world. Since the beach is a little further away, a little planning is involved or I don't get out there as often as I like. There are lots of rivers and lakes to suffice but there is nothing like breathing in the negative ions of that blustery, fresh ocean air. Growing up on Long Island Sound, the waves were super tiny (because Long Island was in the way of the Atlantic) but the Sound provided lots of beachcombing for me as a kid. That's pretty much where I started collecting little bits of nature. There were mostly muscle shells, oyster shells, horseshoe crabs, sea stars, fiddler crabs and lots and lots of old sea glass. Here in the Pacific Northwest, you'll find giant sea kelp, unusual seashells and driftwood, the biggest and most colorful starfish I've ever seen, anemones, agate rocks and tide pools. I am so appreciative of the coast here and to be able to collect nature (sparingly of course).

We spent time at the beach this past weekend. The tide was way high so it didn't leave much beach walking space for looking around but here is my art piece inspired by beachcombing.

Happy Wednesday ❤

Revisiting

I am not immune to getting bummed out about life sometimes. For the most part, I try to look for the best in every situation and that's how I climb out of "the dip", I like to call it, in the roller coaster of life. Whatever it is that causes the dip, just know that depression is at the bottom of the emotional scale and any feeling other than that is moving up the emotional scale. So if you're blue and you then find yourself frustrated, just know you're heading out of the dip and on the upswing of the roller coaster ride. People don't often think frustration is good but it feels a heck of a lot better than feeling depressed. It's kind of comforting to know that there is an emotional scale and all your feelings can lead you to another and another and another, until you eventually find some relief. You move up the scale and down the scale and it's just part of life. I love to travel and often joke that I want to be teleported to the places I dream about. I've found that reveling in good memories or doing creative visualization is a great way to stay in a hopeful and appreciative place without noticing the absence of what is wanted. For this weeks art piece, I drew this a couple of weeks ago and came back to it to finish it. I love revisiting art pieces to see things from a different perspective with new energy. This piece was from an actual photo I took on a road trip just outside of Steamboat Springs, Colorado - it's called "All the Pretty Horses".

Happy Wednesday ❤

adriennevita_revisiting

Early Spring

We've been seeing signs of spring here as early as mid January. Warmer weather is happening, daffodil shoots are coming up, crocus' are up and people are talking about wanting summer to come already.  This kind of weather happens sometimes here in Portland. It's always weird seeing it so early and somehow I don't feel quite ready. To celebrate this kind of "cusp", I created a spring floral pattern but with a nice moody darker color for the background as an homage to winter's end. Maybe there's some truth to the groundhog not seeing his shadow? What kind of weather are you seeing?

Happy Wednesday ❤

Cats and Flowers

I spent a little time around cats recently and for this weeks art I was supposed to make floral repeat patterns... so I thought it fitting to add some cats to it! I love things that are unusual and unexpected. On the mystical side, cat animal totems mean mystery, magic and independence. They embrace the spirit of adventure, curiosity, patience, and a deep, relaxed connection with the self. They can also help you with knowing when is the right time to act. They also symbolize strength, confidence and fearlessness.

Happy Wednesday ❤