Sunday 1 June 2014

...why NOT?

Hello there, friends! You might want to get yourself a hot chocolate, a yummy pot of tea, or a glass of vino as you come and ponder with me...


Ever felt yourself wondering, "WHY?"....

(A glimpse of Teresa's exhibition)

Yesterday I had the chance to meet a few artists from around Sydney, at Teresa Myat Berg's beautiful exhibition. It was so great to meet these girls and to just chat "art" and life and share stories about living authentically and staying true to your own 'art language'. It was refreshing and inspiring to talk about the real matters and to know that we have all felt that "why" question at times. But the thing that seemed to resonate beneath the surface of these stories and musings was the notion to look at life with the resolve of "WHY NOT?"....

Why NOT give it a go?

I see my life the way that I see my paintings - a creation that is emerging, unfolding, mysterious, exciting, rich and multi-layered. The pure fact that nothing is particularly certain or guaranteed creates a momentum for seeing and choosing. I say choosing, because we are the authors and creators of the life we have. It is a dance that flows between us and all that we are connected to - you can call it the Universe, God, Angels, Light, One...whichever feels right to you. {Ah. Perhaps it all comes down to connection - but theres another post in that itself!}.

So, why NOT? Why NOT create the life you dream of? Why NOT create your life consciously and from a place of authenticity that values you for who you really are?

In saying all this, I also know there is such an ebb and flow of emotions and thoughts within this dance, within this life-painting, and as much as we would like... it is not always peachy. And yesterday I was feeling the full spectrum of this "ebb and flow"... there can be such a tension between "following your heart" and the reality of "getting shit done" (sorry - how else can I really phrase it... it is what it is). We have this habit, as adults, to always try and rush ourselves, to push and push and push. It rarely gets us very far, does it? We usually wind up in a bit of a heap, exhausted, disappointed, unhappy and depleted. So how does it work then? I don't have all the answers, though I'm working it out day by day (and I'm so lucky to have the best teachers -- the children I work with have such a way of making you see the world). I do know that by living intuitively we can find a way of these 'realities' moving together harmoniously... by making mindful choices that are in tune with your souls work (and yes, it can look however you want it to!).

(I took a moment to stop and see the view today before heading 
to the Biennale at Cockatoo Island with friends)

...So over this weekend I've been thinking about this quite a bit... about the choices we have. Dancing through the "ebb and flow" of life allows you to move in it's rhythm, whether it is fast paced or slow, soft and gentle or chaotic and loud. Sometimes in a dance you need to pause to hear the music and to find your step, and sometimes you just need to keep moving. (And sometimes you need a rest altogether, right?). Moving with this rhythm is so mirrored by the way that I paint that I often find myself actually visualising other parts of my life in the exact same way - like layers of paint on my canvas. Sometimes we can get so close to the layer we are experiencing that it can be overwhelming and hard to really see. We have to step back for a moment, to breathe and to pause, before spiralling back in - perhaps with a clearer vision, a new choice or direction to take, a new way of moving on intuitively. Sometimes we have to step away to nourish ourselves and "fill our well", to rest and restore ourselves so we can show up again and keep the momentum and the rhythm going.

Phwaaaa.... I hope this is making some sense, there is a lot swirling around my mind -- but I'll leave it at that for now. But I would love to hear from you -- tell me, how do you stay in your flow, in your rhythm? How do you dance your way through the "ebb and flow" of life? What does living intuitively mean to you? And remember.... why not?

Leave a comment below or email me at meredith@mallin.com.au :) :)

Peace, Love, Joy and Gratitude....... x

Meredith 

{.............I'll leave you with this image of one my current works-in-progress... this is a painting I've been working on mostly in short bursts of 10-15 minute speed painting sessions --- and it's very much in it's own "ebb and flow" phase of chaos at the moment. Perhaps I'll write a post about these speed painting sessions soon (what do you think?!)....................}





3 comments:

Unknown said...

So happy to have found your blog. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE IT! Such a talented spirit :-)

Mem said...

Hi Sheridan! Thank you so much, it is great to know you enjoyed stopping by :-)

I'm in the process of moving my blog over to my website - so sorry for not seeing your message straight away. If you like you can keep following me over there too - www.mmallin.com

x

Anonymous said...

I, too,am happy to have found you. Love the painting.