“The art of art, the glory of expression and the sunshine of the light of letters, is simplicity.” – Walt Whitman
“If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.” – Vincent Van Gogh
A paper plate, some paint and fingers meet and dance, art blooms.
Uninhibited and with delight, a child reminds us to return to this place again and again.
No boundaries, no rules, no judgment.
Colors, shapes, beauty.
New day, fresh palette.
Paint.
“The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.” – Pablo Picasso
“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” said Picasso
The Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit is art, music and technology merging into one experience. Sitting surrounded and washed in color. Dust off and soul wash daily to immerse into the breadth, depth and expanse. Beauty and color abound.
“Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.” – Vincent Van Gogh
“For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream.” – Vincent Van Gogh
“What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?” – Vincent Van Gogh
“If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.” – Vincent Van Gogh
“Imagination is the highest kite one can fly.” – Lauren Bacall
“This world is but a canvas to our imagination.” – Henry David Thoreau
A fresh coat of snow to carve and draw on.
A blank canvas to fill with color and movement.
A new start with the sun rising and light glistening off the snow.
Reawaken or perhaps awaken for the first time to the beauty abound and around.
The possibilities in this very day and what we choose to notice.
Nothing before.
Nothing after.
Now alone.
Now enough.
Trigger your curiosity.
Jumpstart your imagination.
Entertain joy.
Dance with laughter.
The pen, the brush of your thoughts anew.
Fill your canvas today with inquiry, exploration and awe.
A masterpiece in the making.
“Joy in the universe, and keen curiosity about it all – that has been my religion.” – John Burroughs
“Choosing to be curious is choosing to be vulnerable because it requires us to surrender to uncertainty. We have to ask questions, admit to not knowing, risk being told that we shouldn’t be asking, and, sometimes, make discoveries that lead to discomfort.”— Brené Brown, Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience
To what do you tend to? To whom?
Where do your thoughts lie, linger and swirl?
Restrict or expand?
Move out of the zone of familiar into curiosity and inquiry.
Allow answers to come as well as be pursued.
Ponder, challenge and push through assumptions and old stories.
Wash the dust off.
A bit of elbow grease to remove the residue.
Put a shine on.
Be renewed in possibility.
Clear the clutter.
Patterns and connections.
Unmuted, brilliant color.
Fresh air, breath deep and clear the lungs.
Detox and cleanse, making room for mystery, unlearning and discovery.
Experience over transaction.
Deep dive from the waves of the surface to the power of current and flow.
The through line, the arc of the story.
The art of living.
“Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.” – Scott Adams
“Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others.” – Jonathan Swift
“Art, in itself, is an attempt to bring order out of chaos.” – Stephen Sondheim
As each moment appears and unravels, may peace be the ground you walk on.
Carrying what is necessary for the journey, laying the rest down to travel lightly in grace and ease.
Same place, fresh eyes, new place appearing as if for the first time.
Invisible revealed.
Order from chaos.
Keeping the beauty, releasing the rest.
Clarity and discernment.
Surprise and awe.
Witness and engage.
Focal point, art unfolds.
“The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.” – William James
“Imagination allows you to bend the rules of the temporal world.” – Amy Sheral
“A line is a dot that went for a walk.” – Paul Klee
On the canvas of today, what colors, shapes, strokes will you brush on the white space?
How will you see the same differently, be changed, moved, uprooted, furled into awe?
Where will you reside and where will you venture to?
You are the artist, the writer, the creator of today.
Do not let the past, circumstances, others take that responsibility and power from you.
Own what is yours and create something beautiful that only you can create.
Be generous, invite whimsy, take the voyage, shine your light.
Blank canvas, create a masterpiece, unfolding a brushstroke at a time.
“Every painting is a voyage into a sacred harbour.” – Giotto di Bondone
Deep breath.
Grateful heart.
Light spirit.
Wake up.
Stay in awe.
Feed your soul with beauty.
Look, listen, go beneath the surface of activity and checkboxes.
See depth, dimension, color.
Respond rather than react.
Take a different route to see new things.
Turn off autopilot and take the wheel.
Joy, optimism, gratitude are daily decisions that require intention, rigor and practice.
It’s our job, our vocation, our calling to find awe, be kind and cast light right in the middle of ordinary days.
“What art offers is space – a certain breathing room for the spirit.” – John Updike
“In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous.” – Aristotle
Poetry in motion
Color defined
Beauty exploding in view
Nature bursts with life, joy, celebration
Enter the gallery and come alive
Dance, delight, praise!
“Nature always wears the colors of the spirit.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
“To love beauty is to see light.” – Victor Hugo
“Simplicity is natures first step, and the last of art.” – Philip James Bailey
“What the caterpillar calls the end of the world the master calls a butterfly.” – Richard Bach
“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” – Albert Einstein
“Beauty is power; a smile is its sword.” – John Ray
“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” – Walt Disney
The windows were open at Como Conservatory, so we dipped our heads in to steal a glance. Tempted to climb through but remaining on the outside gazing in for but a moment to allow curiosity to be unleashed.
Go off the beaten path, open windows, gaze at the same with new eyes.
We are called to both witness and participate in life each day.
Do not get tangled in the mundane and petty, in rules and regulations.
Make each day feel like a Friday filled with anticipation of play and rest.
Invite delight and joy in to take a place at your table.
Allow awe and reverence to dance on your stage.
Be on the lookout for joy, on the watch for adventure in reach.
Off leash, outside the fence, finding new paths to explore.
“I can just let my curiosity wander unleashed.” – James C. Collins
“Art begins with resistance – at the point where resistance is overcome. No human masterpiece has ever been created without great labor.” – Andre Gide
“Your life is your canvas, and you are the masterpiece. There are a million ways to be kind, amazing, fabulous, creative, bold, and interesting.” – Kerli
Last Sunday as the morning was slowly unfolding by the lake, Liam sat next to me and drew this picture for me. He wanted to spell my entire name but ran out of space. Close enough. He explained that the two smiling hearts are him and me and the other hearts are my dogs Abby and Sasha.
It’s a masterpiece because it holds special time with him in conversation and simple presence on a quiet summer morning. Children draw from the heart, from intuition. They live from that vantage point too.
Daily, spend time drawing outside the lines, tuning into your heart space, tapping into your intuition. Create a masterpiece of your life through the strokes, lines and shapes of simple moments woven through each day waiting to be drawn by your attention, awareness and gratitude.
“That is what the intuition is for: it is the direct messenger of the soul.” – Clarissa Pinkola Estes
“Everything can be taken from a man or woman but one thing: the last of human freedoms to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” – Viktor E. Frankl
"Cast Light" is a call to release your inner light, your true self every day. Choose light and cast it to the world.
Featured Quotes
“I travel light. I think the most important thing is to be in a good mood and enjoy life, wherever you are.” – Diane von Furstenberg
“In every day, there are 1,440 minutes. That means we have 1,440 daily opportunities to make a positive impact.” – Les Brown
“You cannot have a positive life and a negative mind.” – Joyce Meyer