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