Blessed and filled with gratitude.

I have been blessed this past week!

I am filled with gratitude!

 In my heart I want to explode and tell you guys in depth all the details of everything I am feeling and why yet when it comes to the written word I lack in confidence.  I don't seem to find the right words.  So when I made the first two sentences in larger print just know there is a lot of heartfelt-ness that goes along with it.

On Wednesday I posted about being offered a solo art show, which is super cool.  Here's the link.
I SOLD 2 pieces of art.

It feels so good when people connect with my art, after all, you are my motivation and driving force.
Then we my art is purchase it I overflow with gratitude!  Seriously... tears and all!!!
It took me a while but now I realize that selling my art is part of the equation to continue being an artist.

Here are the two pieces that have found a new home.

Rise Up Toward the Light 

STEADFAST (like a tree)

I finished two pieces of new art.
The first one has been added to my website.  The other one will be added when after it's titled.   I am waiting on it to be revealed to me.

"And So It Is"
16" x 20" x 3/4"
gallery wrapped canvas
$260.00 includes US shipping
IF interested, let me know

not titled yet
22" x 28" x 3/4"
gallery wrapped canvas
IF interested, let me know

I have a piece from 2018 that became one of the 9 finalist chosen for the Cloth, Paper, Scissors magazine.  I fused the canvas onto textured wood and added more interest.  She's done and will be heading to my website soon.

"Reminiscing"
12" x 12" x 1/2"
canvas on wood
$180,00 includes US shipping
IF interested, let me know

Thank You for your continued support and encouragement.

Mary Kay Cosmetics

In my mid-twenties I was offered an opportunity to join Mary Kay Cosmetics.

I was shy and very insecure of myself

Yet the person who spoke to me about Mary Kay saw something in me that I did not see in myself, so I trusted her.

I went to a meeting to learn more.  

I was surrounded by positive, optimistic, encouraging women.  It was contagious.  I wanted more.

It didn't take me long to know this where I was suppose to be.

I thrived.

I was a wife, mother, full-time employee, and a Mary Kay Beauty Consultant all rolled into one.

Did I mention, one very busy lady?

I overcame many obstacles to make this work.  Most of them were in my mind.  Yet I did it.

Being in the company for almost 7 yrs. and surrounded by incredible women I did things I never would have thought were possible.

I kicked fear in the a** many times.

Beyond the cosmetics, Mary Kay is all about empowering women to be the best they can be.  

I am filled with tremendous gratitude for this woman and the empire she grew based upon her strong beliefs...

It's Not Where You Start, It's Where You Finish!

(P.S. I still listen to this song often!)

I am currently enrolled in several on-line classes that are offering the opportunity and tools to dig deep into our past for clarification.  

This prompt is from Jeanne Oliver's class Reflections : Paint Your Story . 

Creating a cast of characters who have played a role, good or bad, in your life. 

she loved them all

I am without proper words to express my full gratitude.  I am happy, yet not totally surprised, to say that I have found a boutique that is a perfect fit for me and my art.    I say I am not surprised because I have always known that all I need to do is show up and do the work, listen for guidance, then follow, and the vital step is to let go of the outcome.  When I let go The Universe/God will step in to take care of the results.  I will admit that some days it all seems bleak and my ego wants to take charge and plant negative ideas in my head.  Sometimes I buy into the nonsense.  I will even go one step further to say that it is not easy to quiet that chatter.  I just keep trying to be better.

Today I met with Charlene at the Sanctuary Community Center with the intention to show her my handmade journals to see if she was interested in having them in her boutique.  As soon as I walked thru the door there was this sense of calm that enveloped me.  I felt "at home".  The aura in the room was peaceful and serene.

Charlene began looking at my journals and one by one pulled them out and expressed her sincere appreciation for the art and for each message conveyed.  Needless to say, she LOVED them, all of them.  I will soon be delivering my art to be hung in the gallery space.

https://www.facebook.com/SanctuaryCommunityCenter/timeline

The last part of my Affirmative Prayer is...With quiet expectancy, I let it be.

Thank You for your continued support and encouragement.

the story behind the art

Last week, Thursday, I oozed enthusiasm because I was in the midst off creating what I deemed would be my signature piece.  By Friday, it was hard for me to contain my excitement.  But, I did!  This was my second day working on this project, I felt it was worth every minute of it.  I only showed two people the preliminary photos.  I used some of the mediums that I enjoy creating with the most ~ joint compound and hot glue.  The background began with a layer of joint compound for texture.  After it was dry I gave it a coat of matte medium to seal it then I painted several layers of acyclic paint followed by stenciling and mark making.  The flowers + stems + the hand + her face and neck are all from hot glue. (and yes, I burned my fingers a lot!)  I  painted all of these items with several layers of acrylic paint to get it "just right".   After all the pieces were done I laid it all  out on the canvas to determine the placements.  That's when I snapped the photo.   By this time I was so excited that I could actually feel my heart smiling, too!  I was in artistic heaven!!   Saturday was met with trepidation because it was time to complete the project by gluing it down.  We all know what it's like to do the final stage on a piece of art.  It can be daunting.  I pushed thru fear and glued everything down.  It all seemed like a walk in the park.  I carefully placed it in another room to dry overnight. When I checked it this morning the first words from my mouth was "Holy Shit!  What the f**k happened?" The rest I will not repeat!  She was a BIG  mess!!! All over her face and neck were bubbles.  It looked like she had cysts all over her.  My heart sunk!  Most of my day has been devoted to trying to resurrect my would-have-been signature piece.  Nothing I did was flattening the bubbles.   Later this afternoon I succumbed to the fact that it was useless to try any further.  So you may wonder if I was disappointed?  The answer is YES, I was.  Altho... I didn't cry.  After a short while I did what I know best, I got out my journal and started writing.  I wrote about how much and what this piece meant to me,  I relived the pure joy from several days ago when she looked awesome (to me), I wrote about my sadness that all the work seemed to be a waste of my time.  I evaluated what I can do technically different the next time.  Last, but not at all least, I wrote about what I was to learn from this experience.  So many personal and spiritual thoughts rose to the surface.  From the very depth of my heart I can say that I am grateful for this experience.  My signature piece still lives within me and one day will be exposed.  I will continue to show up and inspiration will find me working.

I was able to salvage her head.  Not sure what to do with it.

As the Terminator says:  "I'll be back!"

Fort Vallonia Days

This past weekend I participated in the Fort Vallonia Days.  

It was a grand opportunity to show my art and to take another step in an onward direction.

On Saturday it was rainy, windy, and very cold.  Luckily my brother-in-law had provided me with 2 heating units.  We fondly advertised that we had the "hottest tent in town".   Sunday rolled around and the rain was gone but the temperature dropped even lower.  It was downright freezing!

My niece, Zenitha, was with me during those days.  It was great spending time with her.  I admire the person she is becoming.  She, also,  has a vibrant personality which drew the goofy side of me out of hiding!  Thus… this silly selfie!

The people who stopped by our "hottest tent in town" were delightful to talk with.  I was enriched with each encounter.   We had really good conversations.  We shared heartfelt stories that were provoked by a sentiment written on my art.  Some laughter, some tears, and many hugs were present in those few days.  I am most certain that friendships were sparked, too!  I was filled with gratitude that my Art From My Heart was felt within this small space.  I left that event believing, even more, that I am creating inspiring work that will help change the world, even if it's one person at a time.

Because this blog is about sharing my creative journey, it is important to be honest enough to share the other side of the story,  about the process of my creative dream coming true.  

The legendary question was asked:      "How did you do?"  This is often in reference to "did you sell alot of stuff".  The answer to that question invoked my inner critics and stirred some unsettling thoughts, that I should quit, that I am doing alot of work and not getting paid for it.  All of which seem to be valid.  Don't get me wrong because I agree that earning a living and providing income for my household is important, yet  I can't shake the feeling that this dream of mine is far bigger.  It was only a little over 3 years ago that I did not even know that I could draw or paint.  That day in August 2011 when I sat down with a pencil in my hand a drew a face was the beginning of a whole new world for me.  I am forever changed because of art.  I represent the average person, OK… older person, who has found a way to let her creative spirit out to play.  I am not in this alone, my soul has been stirred and together we can make this dream come true.  That is what fuels me.

My heart is filled with gratitude for all the people who encourage me along the way.

gratitude

Gratitude is the appreciation of what is valuable and meaningful to oneself; it is a general state of thankfulness and/or appreciation.  

“First, the prac­tice of grat­i­tude can increase hap­pi­ness lev­els by around 25%. Sec­ond, this is not hard to achieve — a few hours spent writ­ing a grat­i­tude jour­nal over 3 weeks can cre­ate an effect that lasts 6 months if not more. Third, that cul­ti­vat­ing grat­i­tude brings other health effects, such as longer and bet­ter qual­ity sleep time." ~ Psychologist Robert Emmon                             

"Develop an attitude of gratitude and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation" ~ Brian Tracy                                                                     

I implemented the practice of gratitude a little over a month ago.  What I discovered is my  outlook on life has positively increased.  I realize I unconsciously look & see the good things instead of dwelling on the not so good.  My focus is looking at the brighter side even in times that may appear to be not the best.  Have you ever heard this saying or one similar, "what you think about, you bring about?"  If I think about the things I am grateful for, it stands to reason that I will acquire more things to be grateful for.  Right?  I do believe that to be true.

Helping people bring the best of themselves is an integral part of my creative journey.  I enjoy writing in my special journal and I thought you would too so I made some extras.  Each mini journal is  3.25" x 4.5", there are 14 lines on each side of a page to write your  gratitudes, with a total of 160 pages.   What a start of a new way of life.  I have placed them in my on-line store if you want to purchase one. http://teresacash.com/shop/gratitudejournals.html

 They are extremely affordable with a low shipping cost.

if the shoe fits

We've all heard the saying,

I am feeling the magnitude of that expression and it feels "just right".

Last night was my first group Create Art with Abandon class.  Six wonderful women gathered around my kitchen table to allow me the honor of guiding them to create art without concern for the outcome (abandon).  I'm sitting here at my computer trying to come up with the proper words to express how I am feeling yet the words are just out of my grasp.  It came to me that I am too concerned about the outcome of my story telling so I am going to practice what we learned last night, I am going to write this post with abandon.  Straight from my heart.

I was all set  with the preparation of the class and ready to go, just waiting for my doorbell to ring.  I sat on the couch in a moment of silence to express to the Universe/God how grateful I was for this opportunity.  The more I expressed my gratitude the more I began to feel the depth of what I was grateful for.  In those moments I came to realize how much creating art with abandon mirrors our lives.   We all begin with a blank canvas.  Each layer of paint could represent each experience in our life.  We may not like the color we just added or what happens when we glaze over a painting because it changed the look of our art, just like in life.  We may have bad things happen in life that changes what was before.   In painting, as in life, we can choose not to like what we have and call it quits OR we can take what we have and make it into something we do like.   Sure it may take a couple more tries to get things to the point of acceptance.  When we choose to try something else it can make all the difference in the world.  We are painters, painting our life.  

We began the class with each person writing on their canvas "there  are no mistakes in art".  At first they were hesitant but with a little coaxing and assurance that it wasn't going to affect their art we moved on.  You know what?  There are NO mistakes in life, either.   As we added layer after layer   I started noticing a little bewilderment of what the outcome would be and together we would chant  "there are no mistakes in art".   As the class went on, I must have said the word awesome, it seemed like, a thousand times.  I could see each piece taking form, coming to life, and that really excited me!   When all  the layers were dry and it was  time for marking the piece of art by adding the final touches, excitement was  mounting as they saw their piece being transformed right before their eyes.  My heart was filling with pure joy watching this unfold.   Ah, hell... I'd even say I was as giddy as a kid in a candy store.  There was something special in every piece that seemed to "make the art".  Hands down...everyone left with an awesome (there's that word, again) piece of art.

This class marks the official beginning of my Create Art with Abandon classes.  What a relaxing and fun way to gather with friends or family.  If you are fairly local and want to invite your friends to your house, I have the paints and supplies and I will travel.  My house is readily available, too.  

My website is under construction please email me at teresa@teresacash.com with any questions.

gratitude

I am so grateful to each and everyone of you who have encouraged, supported, and been my cheerleader on this creative journey.

I have definitely been challenged to move out of many comfort zones.  With each step I take I know I am getting closer and closer to my dream. In the moment I might not always feel it, yet I know that I am only responsible for my action, not the result.  And by taking consistent action, I will achieve those results.

I want to continue to be grateful for everyone and everything in my life.  Sometimes when I am feeling the ebb of life I take my gratitude stone out of my pocket and stop for one moment to remember the things I am grateful for instead of dwelling on the unpleasant stuff.    Big or small, it doesn't matter.  In those few moments of concentrating on gratitude my attention shifts.  Which help me get back to where I want to be , in the flow of life.