How to Live Art Everyday

Welcome to my Art Everyday Series!










My dear friend, rad visionary/creative career guide, Britt Bravo always hooks me up with juicy, inspiring goods. Recently, she turned me on to ArtEveryday Month, (a genius creation of life artist, Leah Piken Kolidas). This is a wonderful month long invitation to create art everyday.

I felt totally inspired for many reasons. I love living life as art. I love the practice of focused intention to live creatively everyday.

Here are snapshots of the week in review.

• Day 1: "The Art of Lounging" I slept in till 9:15 am (a rarity in our household, which I have done less than 5 times since becoming a mama 4 years ago). Later I enjoyed a lounge on the Hammock, with my sweet hubs, Kenya and daughter Talia. Laughing, snuggling and swinging together was luxurious.
  

• Day 2:"The Art of Sharing" I posted 10 Pearls of Wisdom for Living Love. Being a true believer in our unity and shared dreaming, I shared highlights from a recent vision quest. Today I felt into my broad definition of Art. I feel so grateful for all the ways that art reflects the beauty, mystery and infinite possibilities of life. True art touches me on a heart/soul level. Later, I played around with watercolors, for the first time in years! Painted a "You Are Love" sign for Talia's room. She loved it!

• Day 3: "The Art of Gift Making"Talia and I played for 2 hours with a sprawl of art supplies, making holiday cards and bookmarks as gifts. We talked, laughed, listened to music, sang and enjoyed a quiet shared creative space.

• Day 4: "The Art of Haiku" I love this Japanese poetry practice, inspired by Zen/Buddhism (5-7-5 syllables). Ideally, it encapsulates deep feeling and gives a sense of the infinite- in a nutshell. Take a deep breath in between lines as you read.
  
  Renewal, Rebirth
  Gut, Release, Dissolve
  Steeping in the Love.
  

OK, by now, I am also in awareness and celebration of how much art expression there is in my life! Improvisational play, puppet shows and family dance parties, singing, chanting, drumming, strumming are a daily part of life. We host a chalk mural canvas patio, the length of our home, 3 cupboards loaded with art supplies and a wide ranging family of instruments. We bring love and creativity into cooking, parenting, relationships, professional work and to the chop wood carry water details of life. And while this lifestyle is the norm for us, I notice that the exception is not nearly as fun or life giving. Surrounding ourselves with art creation and creativity, in all forms, feels good! It is a way of being good to ourselves.

• Day 5: "The Art of Earthing" Yes, Earthing is actually a real word and a movement to stay connected to earth energy as a sustaining factor of vitality and health. We enjoyed an afternoon out in Bear Canyon, with 3 kids under the age of 4. With head to the big sky, sun kiss upon us and bare feet in the ground (literally), we dug in sand, splashed in the creek, played on rocks and communed with nature and friends. First thing that morning, I created a tiny 5"x3" bookmark of Sky/Starfish/Ocean with brush pens. Knowing it would be a full day out, I wanted to begin with the practice of "creating art everyday". Even small expressions of creativity can be so fulfilling.

• Day 6: "The Art of Blessing" I savored a full day in meditation on divine love, peace and unity. I was initiated by soul kin, Zelie and Lucia, beautifully tuned medicine women, as a Deeksha-Oneness Blessing Giver, This profound transmission of divine love, intended to inspire global peace, comes to us from the Oneness University . Check out their amazing vision. Also highlighted today was the "Art of Yoga and Napping in the Garden", on our midday break. I *LOVE* when these art forms blend together.

• Day 7: "The Art of Play" I played with Talia and two of her pals at our home. Hubs was giving their parents a djembe drum lesson, while we romped. We played karate/yoga class, zoomed on scooters, climbed the fort, drew with sidewalk chalk, went on the swings and hammock, shared snacks while coloring with Crayons, told knock knock jokes as we played with the sand and water table, read books (I read), pretended a birthday (complete with gift offerings and song), and had a bubble party, dancing to One Day and Give Love. Thoroughly playful. And they played ten times as much on their own. Children are masters of presence, play and wonder. They are natural life artists.

All that in just week one! I am finding that living Life as Art and Art as Meditation are my ideal lifestyle. Art Everyday Month has already been such an inspiration, to deepen and grow this life long practice that gives so much-inside and out! What's more, this week I got that it is not just "Art Everyday", it is also "Art Everywhere" Thank Goodness.

There are still 3 whole weeks left. Join me, and comment on your experiences here! I'd love to hear about your journey. Stay tuned for week two.
Let's Live Art Everyday, Everywhere, Together!
LeHaim! To LIFE!, G

Taking it To The Streets! One Love Alliance Update July 2010

Love and Blessings to you all!
The Summer Monsoons are just about to blow into the Sonoran desert, complete with rainbow sunsets and pure magic.

Here at The One Love Alliance our Summer has been packed with fun travels and adventures. The Flash Mobbers and Aligned Artists Alliance continues to grow. My thanks for your recent inquiries and curiosity regarding our next events. We are on hiatus till Autumn though we are in the pre planning stages for some awesome guerrilla street theater happenings that are sure to be a burst of joy. "Vitalizing communities through spontaneous acts of love in motion!" is the heart of the One Love Alliance, and 2010 promises plenty of opportunities to take it to the streets and delight in this playful exploration.

All are welcome! Please forward this update to your friends and come play with us! And if you live outside of Tucson and want to head up your own branch of The One Love Alliance, let us know and we'll help you get started!

Upcoming Events | Dance While You Shop!
Whole Foods Musical “Dance While You Shop.” Great for those of you who love the 80’s music in Whole Foods, have a loud voice and are happy to dance and sing in public. Please email us if you’d like to be on the core team for this event.

Upcoming Events | I AM HAPPY!
Inspired by Austin’s Improv community, we will march downtown with signs that say “Life is Good”, “I am happy”, “Peace”, etc. This is not to mock “real” peace marches, it is simply to have fun while transmitting a force of love, happiness and presence-on the street, in public, playful and free.

Upcoming Events | Tucson Free Hugs
This is open to courageous and adventurous peeps, who will hold a “Free Hugs” sign and venture out onto the streets with us. We will be trailed by a video camera.

Videographers, Volunteers, Participants, and new ideas are always welcome at The One Love Alliance. Just Contact us!

Blog Posts | Check Them Out!
The One Love Alliance Blog is going strong! Check it out, read the archives, savor those Nuggets of Wisdom and email in your questions to receive a poignant response with pure love and valuable insight. Sign up to follow us by Email, RSS Feed or Google Reader and receive your piping hot nuggets fresh off the cosmic cooker.

Intuitive Consultations | Tap Your Inner Wealth
Inner Wealth Intuitive Consultations, are now booking for September 2010 and beyond. Invest in your Inner Wealth and receive life changing support to catapult you deeper into the life of your dreams.

Wishing you all a glorious Summer, with much heart, play, laughter and love!!

Loka Samastha Sukino Bhavantu.
May All Beings Be Happy and Free.

Ten Guidelines for Glorious Living

Blessings and love to you!
I intend your Summer is flowing with joy. It has been weeks since my last post. I have been riding the current of grace, enjoying unplugged, radical playtime and lots of travel.

As I reflect on the past few weeks, I notice some basics that have enriched my living beyond measure. In the spirit of good sound advice, here are ten guidelines for uplifting, fine tuning and regenerating your glorious life.

• Be Love. Expand and deepen the ways in which you embody, receive, sustain and transmit the frequency of divine love.
• Create more. Consume less. Be creative and resourceful in your ability to enjoy more with less consumption. Examples? Buy bulk foods instead of massive packaging, eat locally grown, organic produce, make art or music instead of buying expensive entertainment. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle in all ways possible. It just feels wholesome and sane.
• Take a Media Fast. Get your consciousness deeper into the Dreaming and Mystical realms and out of the entrancing frequency control of the mass media machine. Dare I say it?...UNPLUG!
  
• Get your feet out on the Earth...In the sand, in the mud, in the water. Kick off your shoes, merge into the ground and be replenished. (Read Earthing, The Most Important Health discovery Ever?)
  
• Practice Satyagraha (Truth-force). Satyagraha is a relentless search for truth. Gandhi said, "It is an attribute of the spirit within....It is a process of educating public opinion, such that it covers all the elements of the society and makes itself irresistible....it teaches us the art of living. Satyagraha, is to me the universal law of life."
  
• Nap.
• Travel. See new places, meet new people, expand your world.
  
• Be still and Quiet. Savor even a little silence everyday.
• Laugh, Play, Sing, Dance.
  
• Serve-Touch and Be Touched by Life.

Now, it is your turn...Share some of your fave latest guidelines for glorious living...
Rock on! ZENJOY your every moment!

Generous-Gratitude Give Aways!

I am feeling Grateful! I am feeling Generous! I turned 40 over the weekend and I have never felt more happy, vital, at peace and in service of the One. I am IN LOVE with Life and to continue celebrating, I am offering some awesome giveaways, right here, right now!

• First, I am giving away an Inner Wealth Deck to the first 4 people who write a comment to this post. You must include "I am savoring my Inner Wealth" in your comment, as well as your address so that I can mail it to you! Yes, I am even paying the shipping costs! The Inner Wealth™ Deck is an interactive, expressive tool kit of 22 beautiful activity cards. Each card offers an insightful reading accompanied by compelling and engaging expressive art activities, journaling topics and experiential mind-body practices. The cards integrate appreciative inquiry questions, practical meditations, and simple universal wisdom. They rock. I love them.

• Next, I am gifting 50% off Inner Wealth Intuitive Consultations for the month of June. Take your pick of a one hour Intuitive Reading, Dream Leaping or Expressive Action Consultation at half price! This awesome opportunity is a priceless investment in the life that most wants to live through you! These sessions are done in person or by phone. They make great gifts and are designed to reveal valuable insight and quantum leaping joy on your path of heart. Don't believe me, read the testimonials! 10% of all proceeds will be donated to my fave foundation, Amala, offering heart centered services that unify the world and create sustainable peace.
  

• And Finally, the most radical giveaway of all, an invitation to ignite and expand your whole being awakening. Participate in a weekend of Paradigm Shifting that will rock your world and deliver you to your most empowered, authentic, essential being. My long time mentors, beloveds, Diamond and River Jameson of the Total Integration Institute have an event, this weekend, and you should be there! Listen to this audio intro lecture. If this amazing information resonates with you, contact them, mention this blog post and receive $50 off your registration fee. The event is taking place in Tucson and promises to be life changing. I have been journeying with Diamond and River for over 15 years. They are among my greatest inspirations and models of life lived in total freedom, abundance, love and awakening. Whether you are in breakdown and need breakthrough or simply are ready to pop open onto the next level of your leading edge and multidimensional life, this is for you.

I offer you all this and more from a buoyant, happy heart. Say yes to your life! Drink it in and enjoy!~ And let me know how I may be of service on your Earth walk.

All Souls OM-Community Ritual at its Best!

The OM mantra is the eternal vibration of unity. It is considered the original sound of the Universe, the Supreme...and on November 8, hundreds of us at the All Souls Procession (the largest of its kind in the country)chanted OM together for an eternal moment that unified our energy and kicked off the evening festivities.

It was twilight on 4th Avenue in downtown Tucson, where thousands of people were gathered to march, dressed in outrageous costumes, carrying elaborate floats or humble photos of their beloveds, aligned for the intention of honoring All Souls. What better place to stage a One Love Alliance Flash Mob mission! Event producer and creator, Nadia, of Flam Chen, had sent an "OM" announcement out to all the "spirit dancers" marching in the procession, and had given us her blessing to attempt this orchestration of many voices making one sound. There was a cacophony of sound at the procession line up. Divergent conversations and energy mingled with jitters of anticipation. Then, at 5:55pm, Kenya's arm spiraled a start signal to our Batucaxe peeps and we began to sound the "OM"...the tones grew in depth and volume with every breath. Suddenly, the wave was flowing, and we were all bathed in the ocean of supreme unity. It was purely magical. Breathtaking and life giving all at once. And then a moment of silence, a pregnant void that lingered just long enough-and carried us right into a most smokin Brazilian percussive break calling the Batucaxe ensemble into a lively, infectious Samba Reggae groove and the start of the procession.

The next two hours, I danced in communion. I danced with my fellow band mates. I danced with the 20 thousand participants and spectators. I danced with the living, the dead, the seen and unseen beings. I danced in honor in what was a massive community ritual. I was honored to have the "All Souls OM" be among the many sacred, memorable moments of the evening. Special Thanks to Nadia, Cliff, Batucaxe, the One Love Alliance Members and Kenya, my partner in everything forever.

Were you at All Souls? Did you OM? Write and let us know! Stay tuned for our next Flash Mob "Mission Socks and Sandwiches" (for the Tucson Homeless).
Shanti OM! May Unity Ring!

Let The Flash Mobs BEGIN! Love in Motion!

“Creative work...is a gift to the world and every being in it. Don't cheat us of your contribution. Give us what you've got.” Pressfield
We are off and rolling...Yogis Dance Flash Mob Mission has had two successful runs already. The premise was to marry two of my favorite movement forms-Yoga and Dance, with live drumming! in a public eruption of uncorked joy and playfulness. "Devotion in Motion, Compassion in Action" (that is actually MC Yogi's) came alive both on the U of A Mall, on Equinox, Sept 2009, and again, on a busy downtown street on a Full Moon Friday night, in Oct 2009. In a nutshell...

A few dozen yogis and dancers met on a busy street corner at 8:00pm. We spontaneously began a flow of freestyle yoga postures, as if it was the most natural and normal thing to bust into a few poses on the sidewalk on a friday night. We moved for 3 minutes until 8 or so drummers emerged from the shadows playing outrageously infectious rhythms. We flocked to them, dancing joyfully and wildly, for just 3 more minutes. When they stopped we all dispersed and blended back into the scene, as if nothing out of the ordinary had just happened!

What uncorked playfulness, and a blast of community love!
Here's what some of the participants had to say!

“What a great party and all in 6 minutes” "What a blast!" "More, more” “Magic!”

"One Love...the magic of me and you and all of us in the expanding moment...anything is possible-why wait-be-me-not afraid to love- unique-bonding-share the unexpected- play like it's the real thing-and it is!"

Yes, it is the real thing. We were are not performing-this is real life. Thank God!