I created a quick video tutorial to share how I made the Aloe Vera jewelry design pendant with Soft Flex beading wire, Jesse James Beads focal bead and Superduos from my beading book, Seed Bead Revolution.
P.S. I love how much this jewelry design mimics a dreamcatcher! 🙂
I teamed up with intuitive life coach Kerry Burki to help launch her upcoming membership site The Dreamcatcher Circle with a Catching Dreams: Intentional Creative Workshop.
Some believe feathers hanging from a dreamcatcher are a soft ladder for good vibes to glide down.
We had such a great day! Each time I facilitate a workshop I’m reminded of how blessed I am to do this work, to have brave creative hearts sign up to journey with me and to have friends in my life like Kerry to collaborate with. It fills me with joy to help others discover their creative magic.
Spirals are a powerful symbol to open the door to our biggest desires and summon them into being!
I know the term SELF-LOVE gets tossed around a lot and honestly, I think it’s for good reason. We are starved for compassion towards ourselves. Being okay with who you are, just as you are – imperfections and all is what it all boils down to. It’s those imperfections that make you, well, YOU.
We are not taught to love ourselves unconditionally. “I will be able to love myself when …” is an all too common loop that happens inside our heads. I know growing up if you thought too highly of yourself you were called names like conceited or arrogant. So, I would knock myself down a notch. But, over time, knocking myself down became quite the nasty habit. You then look for love outside of yourself when what you really need is to LOVE YOUR WHOLE SELF.
This is a great excerpt about self-love from Whitney Freya’s book Rise Above:
“The only source of true unconditional love is within YOU.
No one else can possibly love you EXACTLY, 100% of the time, the way you really, really want them to. Only you can do this.
Until you rediscover this unconditional love you have for yourself, you will continue to look to others to provide this energy, this feeling, for you.
And when they let you down, because they don’t love you perfectly, your love for them becomes conditional. Then, their love for you becomes conditional. Or it feels that way. And you feel like you’ve been cheated or robbed, or somehow left out. You become the victim.”
Wow! Do you see how the act of not fully loving yourself ultimately puts you in place where you put conditions on your love and give others permission not to love you unconditionally either.
I saw this prickly pear cactus heart on my walk this morning. Seeing a heart out in the wild is a message of unconditional love and support from the universe. It all starts with you. The more you practice being loving, to yourself as well as others, the more love shows up in your life. Love is all around you.
Have you seen hearts around? What do their messages mean to you?
My Buddha painting shown above was painted live during the Phoenix Festival of the Arts. If you are interested in purchasing this Buddha painting (mural #9) or any of the murals that were created during the festival, please contact the Phoenix Center for the Arts at info@phoenixcenterforthearts.org. All murals are $300 + shipping.
Be the LIGHT – A message from my muse:
Rise up towards the light, rising sun, shining moon, illuminate and birth ones self. Smile. Notice the beauty that surrounds. Make more art. Let your inner radiance show. When you are in love with life, you naturally radiate that love.
You are here to light up the world. Take time to listen to your inner voice, that is all you need to inspire. Shine with the purest intentions. Show up as the shining light that you are and the best qualities of being human will continue to flow and circulate throughout the world.Â
This little light of mine … I’m going to let it shine!
My heart has chosen LIGHT as my sacred word for 2018.
Choosing a sacred word of the year is one of my favorite New Year rituals. I love how it weaves it’s way through my year. It usually shows up in unexpected ways and always prove to be a guiding light. This is my 6th year choosing a word – I have chosen ABUNDANCE, CONNECTION, NOURISH, DEVOTED and PRESENCE. Some words served me better then others, but they all had something to teach me.
In sharing my word of the year, I believe that it creates a sacred energy that nourishes it’s intention.
I “tried on” a few word variations of light such as shine, illuminate, radiant and vibrant but, LIGHT felt right. Light brings visions of sunlight, moonlight, starlight that literally enables vision guiding us on our path. My 2017 word presence helped me to focus and re-focus on the now and with 2018 my desire is to focus and refocus on the light that surrounds. Allow it illuminate the dark places and bring forth goodness.
“We never really see the world exactly as it is. We see it as we hope it will be or we fear it might be.” ~Maria Popova on the podcast On Being with Krista Tippett
I’m tired of seeing the fear it might be and want to see it as I hope it will be.
Ways I wish to embody LIGHT
Why Choose a Sacred Word for the Year?
ONE WORD deepens change. It relieves the pressure of having to make too many changes all at once and provides a laser focus on one significant change. Most of us forget our long list of intentions. It is easier to remember one word.
Tips to Choosing your Sacred Word
➳ Ask, “What word do I want to embody into in 2018?”
âžł Intuitively choose a magazine.
âžł Flip until you find a word that surprises or delights you, cut it out.
âžł Research and contemplate what your word means to you.
➳ Let your word pick you. If you “think” it’s not right but, you can’t shake it – honor it.
âžł Create artwork to celebrate and illustrate your word.
This month, in my private Facebook community I’m sharing about choosing a word of the year.
I talk about how to find your word and then walk you how I created a word of the year visual intention collage as a reminder to amplify your intention. If you would like join, click here: Discover Your Creative Magic Community
Do you get excited about the new year and a fresh start? I absolutely love it!Â
I have been musing over my word of the year LIGHT, de-cluttering and re-arranging my studio space and dreaming about all the possibilities that 2018 holds.I love the Unravel your Year Workbook by Susannah Conway and use it at the beginning of year to look back and look ahead.
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” – Lazo Tzu
One single step I have made this month is that I created a private Facebook Group where you can hang out with me and other like-minded amazing creative hearts!
I wanted a little spot on the world-wide-web where I can show up, meet, connect, discuss, get inspired, motivate and support each others self discovery through creativity experience.
I will be hosting monthly themes and doing free live video check-ins.
This month, I’m sharing about your one word of the year. Choosing a word of the year is my favorite New Year ritual! I talk about how to find your word and then walk you through creating a visual reminder to amplify your intention. I’m super excited about it and would love for you to join us.
Join here >>> Discover Your Creative Magic Community
It is with great love that I wish you a year full of creativity and an abundance of joyful moments in 2018. Love and light xo
Painting outside, among other artists, and getting the chance to chat with with people in my community about art is right up there with my best. day. ever. This was my third year participating in the Phoenix Festival of the Arts event, held every December, and I love it more and more each time.
Check out this quick video walk around the artists mural area at the beginning of day 3.
This year I was called to create the Buddha below and had the pleasure of collaborating with each of the artists on ether side of my mural.
Here is a flipagram of my work in progress on the Buddha mural.
This painting was a collaboration with Carlos Mendoza during the Phoenix Festival of the Arts and it was SOLD! Hooray! It was a privilege to work with Carlos, as you can see here he’s a very talented artist.
If you are interested in purchasing the Buddha (mural #9), the Eagle (mural #8/9), or any of the murals that were created during the festival, please contact the Phoenix Center for the Arts at info@phoenixcenterforthearts.org. All murals are $300.
I have been bogged down with all the “should’s” lately that I have been having a hard time doing anything! I find that overwhelm is the quickest way to stop me in my tracks.
As I was reflecting on the root of my stuck-iness I was pretty frustrated with my apparent lack of motivation (ego’s words) because the reality of it was that this year has been FULL.
I took on a number of big projects like co-authoring and designing the beading book Seed Bead Revolution and diving into a Creativity Coaching program for the last 6 months. In addition to these two huge projects, I took part in two creative challenges – the 100 Day Project and 30 Days of Painting, had my first podcast interview with Cracking Creativity, my first solo artist reception at Alis Living Boutique, and next week I will be making my first television appearance on Jewel School – say what?! It has been an expansive year and for that I am REALLY grateful. When I stopped beating myself up and acknowledged what I have done, I felt immense gratitude for all that has transpired.
So why was I so stuck and cranky? Two reasons: I took too long of a break from creative practice and I needed to make time in my life to LIVE.
Everything in my life has been on an upswing. After an emotionally stressful year things are brighter now then they have been in a long time and instead of celebrating, I was feeling timid about allowing myself to feel the joy of this abundance. I was acutely aware that everything could be taken away in a moments notice and that held me paralyzed in that fear.
I was fed up with my attitude and knew it was time to move some color around.
Below is the simple way I used color and words to express my emotions, process my feelings and get myself unstuck.
I used my art journal/sketchbook or you can use any paper you have on hand. I used a watercolor set, one brush and water for the coloring. You can easily substitute crayons, marker or whatever you have on hand. Watercolor paint allows my words to peek through underneath, if you don’t want your words to be read you can use acrylic paint, markers or collage over the pages instead.
On the left side, I wrote how I was feeling. The words came pouring out. On top of the words I painted colors that felt as heavy as I did in that moment. On the right side, I wrote out my desired feelings and painted colors that felt light and joyful. When I was done, I looked it over. It was all there, so clearly, and in that moment things shifted. When you look at the pages above, there is nothing super exciting about them really – except for how they made me FEEL. Such is the power of tapping into your own wisdom and creativity.
That same week, I visited with a soul sister and we had a deep nourishing conversation followed by a family road trip to my favorite place for inspiration; Sedona. I started to re-fill my cup and ideas started pouring out of me on how to step into a new role as a “creative guide and inspirationalist”. Excitement returned!
And while it’s true, everything could change in a moment, I asked myself how will I be able to cope during hard times if I do not embrace the joy this present moment has to offer?
So, my message to you if you’re stuck, the antidote is to get out into the world – LIVE and CREATE! Make sure your cup is full and inspiration will pour out of you.
From Danielle LaPorte: “Do less of what you don’t like to do, and more of what you love. That’s it. Every self-help book ever written, mine included, can be summed up in that simple direction. Less heavy, more Light. Less drama, more calm. Less “should”, more shine. MORE PLEASURE.”
Doing more of what you love and makes you come alive is a sure way to get you unstuck and bring you back to joy.
“Emerge”
Original sold
Prints are available in my shop, here
I have always been drawn to lotus flowers, not only for their beauty but also for their symbolism. I painted this at a time when I was feeling the pull to create art intuitively. My life, as all lives, is full of challenges and opportunities to rise above those challenges.
The journey of the lotus flower is a wonderful analogy for the human experience and journey of enlightenment. In challenging conditions, the stem begins growing in muddy, murky water and slowly rises above the surface, just as we also rise above our challenges. As the petals unfold, we too unfold and bloom into something beautiful. According to a traditional story, the more muddy the water, the more beautiful the lotus flower when it emerges.
Its open blossom stands for enlightenment and beauty. Its flexible stem symbolizes resilience. At night the lotus closes and emerges again with the sunlight of a new day. Each day is a new life, a new rebirth for the flower.
The lotus is considered a sacred and divine flower in many religions, most notably Hinduism and Buddhism. The life cycles of the Lotus evokes how the human spirit unfolds: from humble beginnings in the mud to the blossoming of the soul in the light.
May we live like the lotus, at ease in muddy water.
20:06 “Just keep letting go. Just keep letting what happens, happen on the canvas. Paint dries. You can paint over it. You can always change the outcome… and that’s the same in life. You can always change the outcome. You can always do something different. Try something different. And that is so much more empowering and so much more exciting to me than being perfect.”
I also created a free email series for you called “7 Days to Awaken Your Creative Spirit” to go along with this podcast. If interested, click to sign up here.
Kevin Chung, thank you so much for this opportunity. It was a great conversation and you put this podcast newbie at ease! Kerry Burki thank you for introducing Kevin to me and for being an amazing friend and business guide on this path. I appreciate you so much! xoxoxo
Join us for an evening of art, music, light bites and beverages at our first Fall Open House Artist Reception “Rise Above,” featuring Kristen Fagan.
Kristen works primarily with acrylics, but is a talented multi media artist. Leading others in creative pursuit, Kristen helps the aspiring artist access her own unique inspiration. Her own work is joyful, soul nourishing, colorful, and playful. Come and meet Kristen and be the first to see our newest art installation featuring a selection of Kristen’s work. Have your photo taken with her newest work; a magical pair of wings; multi layered acrylic on canvas.
We are also excited to have the talented vocalist Nikki Shue performing live.
Alis Living’s inaugural Open House Artist Reception September 28th at 6:30 pm.
▫️Original art and jewelry for sale
▫️A free soul art activity
▫️Music by local musician Nikki Shue
▫️Refreshments and hor’dorvs
▫️New “Rise Above” wing painting will be on display for a special photo op
If you are local I hope to see you there! Please RSVP on Facebook, here.
My wings in process + watch video below to see this from the start, I’ll debut the final wing art at the Open House Artist Reception on Sept 28th!
Painting my Super Soul Flow Wings! Rise Above!!!The Whitney Freya Canvas, Alis Living Lifestyle Boutique, Janet Ellis, Len Springer, Kerry Burki, Joyful Roots – Art & Design
Posted by Kristen Fagan Art & Design on Monday, September 18, 2017
P.S. it’s also the Scottsdale Art Walk this evening so, it’s a great night to stop by and then wander through the other galleries and restaurants in old town Scottsdale!
#artistreception #riseabove #creativelyfit #supersoulflow #creativecoach #trusttheprocess #enjoythejourney #scottsdaleartwalk #oldtownscottsdale #scottsdaleartopening
Today, I worked on the art journal prompt for this months Meditate & Create art workshop at Alis Living Lifestyle Boutique in Scottsdale.
As nature begins to signal a change in the seasons, we’ll be focusing on gaining clarity; clarity around our authentic selves, and clarity around our heart’s desires as we prepare ourselves to embrace the changes we want to see in our lives.
Our evenings begin with a short introduction, a meditation journey where you will enjoy deep relaxation and an opening of your imagination in preparation for your intuitive art journaling experience where you can express your feelings and desires through painting, collage, drawing, and/or writing in your art journal – a safe, personal space all your own. This practice will inspire your sacred heart and enhance the meditative vibrations through creativity.
Meditate & Create will encourage you to quiet your mind, to welcome creativity with ease, and to connect with like minded people that will rejuvenate your souls. This experience is not about being perfect. This is about being free to create! No drawing, painting or meditation experience necessary.
To see the schedule of classes and register, visit https://alisliving.com/collections/workshops-and-classes/art-classes
Cracking Creativity Podcast
Art of the Soul Now
KERRY Magazine Issues 1-4
