Issue 3 of Diana's Art Blog

​If you are anything like I was, you have always felt there was an artist in you, that you could create beautiful paintings and drawings...sculptures...jewelry...pottery...basketry...or so many other things! Or maybe you were so deeply conditioned against it that you had no idea what that quiet yearning gnawing forever at your gut was all about. You just knew that you ached for more! And also, if you are anything like I was, the world did not encourage you in this. Maybe your 7th. grade art teacher told you you had no talent. Maybe your parents and other authorities made sure to tell you that being an artist or writer or creative artisan is not a REAL job. Heck, I was so discouraged in going the artist's way that it took genetic and chronic illness and trauma, culminating in serious disability, to get me to the place where I would even let loose and try this. I had exhausted all other possibilities. The road for me had dead-ended (or so I thought!). I was in deep despair for a time, questioning all I ever thought I knew or believed. There was nothing left for me because I could no longer continue to be a nurse--again, so I thought! 

Yes, I had come to the end of my rope, and though I didn't know it right away, the way UP and OUT of the abyss of disability was ART, both painting and writing. I had no formal training and little knowledge, no tools, and no confidence. But I did have the desire. The creative spirit was always strong in me, and now it could no longer be denied. I was determined somehow to follow my secret passion and learn to be a painter. I already could sketch a little when necessary. And I felt I had a good eye for color and composition. I had always been good with my hands. So I began the process of gathering the skills and tools I needed, one baby step at a time. I tell you these things NOT because it is all about me, but because I believe my experience can encourage YOU to get YOUR art on. 

And so it began. I was sitting alone most of my days in a studio apartment in San Francisco, having lost everything: my mobility, my health, my former ability to make a living as a nurse. I was weak, obese, constantly in a state of physical fatigue, and felt defeated. I had actually become homeless, but a kind hospital social worker or two helped me get established in life again. Soon I had the apartment, a power wheelchair, could get around a little better in my building and in my apartment. Later, advenuresome me actually went out on the streets of the Tenderloin district of San Francisco in that power wheelchair, seeking out beauty and art supplies!! But even before this, I found I had cataracts, and my vision was going. Surgeries ensued. I could still not do anything to begin painting. However, I was able to fuzzily watch the adorable Bob Ross on television as he softly intoned his sweet instructions on painting, the joy of it, the happy little accidents of it, and how we could do whatever we want on the canvas, our own world! What a dream of a teacher and artist he was! And I am sad that he is gone so young! 

But still, it took me a while to begin painting. So I watched his show and a couple of others through blurry eyes during the year it took to get my cataracts removed and lenses replaced. But I could see and hear well enough to pick up on the important things. I got the gist of things. My desire was strong to create beauty with a message! For me, there MUST be a message of some kind, something uplifting or revealing. And I did get to that place. As I slowly regained physical strength through certain inner processes and meditation, I began to dream that I was painting, that it was easy, I dreamed full-blown knowledge about the processes and techniques. I had to begun to absorb and bring out of my inmost self the knowledge and skills that it would take to manifest the painter in me! 

But again, this isn't about me. I tell you all this because I KNOW that I know that I know that there is some sort of artist in us all, some sort of creative maker and doer of lovely things. If we are at all made in the image of a divine uber-soul creator/God/Divine Presence/Consciousness, it is in this, that we ARE creative! ALL of us. And we are ALL connected at our core, without exception. And so, when we bring out the artist in ourselves, we have a hand in bringing out the artist in all of our human siblings. Together, with our creative selves awakened, there is nothing we can't do. We can create a new and harmonious world. We have this power within us. 

However, don't be like I was; don't wait for calamity to slow you down before you begin to connect to your artsy self! Buy, beg, or borrow those books that will give you the knowledge you need. Spend time in contemplative silence so that you can begin to hear the voice of your muse, the voice that calls forth the artist in you. The painter. The sculptor. The chef. The decorator. The basket maker. The beading or jewelry maker! The photographer! The videographer! The candle maker. The potter. The artist of LOVE (most important!) who knows how to make others feel better about themselves, to reflect back to them their whole, balanced and creative selves! What an art real love is! The material arts are all truly and best motivated by this inner Love Artist! 

And once you have found that calling you have to create something, whatever it is, then jump in! Read the books, watch the television shows and the Youtube tutorials. Then begin to gather the materials. It may be no more than a piece of paper and a pencil at first. Or a hank of grasses or reeds for basketry. Or perhaps it will be a pound of clay; or a skein of yarn and a crochet hook; some fabric, needle, and thread. Perhaps your art is writing. The tools for that are not hard to find. Don't be afraid. Have faith. Jump in without a parchute and let loose, immersing yourself in the process. To do so will free you and heal you, inside and out. Ignore the old, loud and insistent negative voices and listen instead to the muse within. That voice, your gut, your intuition, though still and small and almost always going against the grain of the status quo, will not steer you wrongly!  

So grab that brush, that canvas, that paper, pen, pencil, needle and thread, that colored ink, that hunk of clay just asking to be molded into life! Take hold of that laptop and write that poetry, that uplifiting fable, that novel of overcoming! Make those beautiful pictures that speak of what lies within us all. Pour your heart and soul, your intent and emotion into making this world a better place through the art that has chosen to express through you. Listen to the voice, follow its instructions, step by step. Persist. Believe. Never give up. You can DO this. You can GET YOUR ART ON and make a REAL difference in the world. I've got your back.

You can contact me via the form below. Call on me when you feel down. I will encourage you because I did it. Up and out of the abyss, the higher self of me lifted me. It took near death and calamity to get me there, for I was so deeply indoctrinated into my own worthlessness, despite being gifted with many gifts, that I was afraid to step on on a limb and really try. I listened to the WRONG voices. Most of us do. We are deeply conditioned. It does NOT have to remain that way for us! We can GET OUR ART ON, no matter where we are or what our circumstances might be. We can create a new reality if we have a mind to! As the saying goes, we are only just walking one another home. And what is home? It is that place in us where we realize that we are truly connected, where we see no division, where we can know harmony. This is my wish for us all. 

Please subscribe to my newsletter using the form near the top of this page. Simply fill in your email address and clicking the submit button. You will receive NO MORE than one newsletter per week, probably less! I know that no one wants to be inundated with emails. But I will put out a newsletter with my announcement of my latest blog, whenever a new one is posted, along with other tidbits, gems, and who knows what else. Subscribe and enjoy. You can always unsubscribe. 

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Feel free to check out the other pages of this website. There is lots of content here, though it remains a work in progress. Also, below are some links to different content that I produce, including FB writings, my FB paintings page, my Twitter page, and my Redbubble pages... You will also find me on Instagam as "revdirain".

My Twitter page: https://twitter.com/LovingUnity
Facebook profile page: https://www.facebook.com/lovingunity
Facebook paintings/product page: https://www.facebook.com/spiritwindartandsundries
My Redbubble Shop (for even more variety in products decorated with my art images): https://www.redbubble.com/people/spiritwindart?ref=account-nav-dropdown&asc=u

Issue #2

I have a friend in Mississippi who says he can't even draw a decent stick figure. But he takes incredible photos of snakes and other things he sees in nature as he goes about doing his job as a forester. He says he is not, nor could he ever be an artist. He also has a certain amount of artistry and skill when it comes to making others feel good about themselves. He is also a singer and song-writer and expresses things with words like few can. I say he IS an artist. His intellectual vision is clear and concise, and he is not fooled by political rhetoric. I say there is an artist in him that cannot be denied. And he proves it every day. He is just ONE of many, many people I know of, from painters to day-laborers, to artisans, to gardeners, to parents, to elders, to bakers and candlestick makers (and more) who are living out from the artist in them to make this world a better reality for us all. 

It is my mission, with this blog, not only to convince you that "YES! There IS an artist in you," but to encourage you to--and to offer some tips as to how you might summon up YOUR inner Michelangelo, Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollack, Da Vinci, Julia Child/Jamie Oliver, Hemingway-Shakespeare-Steinbeck, Anne Sullivan of "Miracle Worker" fame, Aristotle, Jesus, Buddha, Salvador Dali, Jessie Owens, Michael Jordan, and yes, even Giacomo Casanova (the artful lover!).

You see, all these people above and many more I did not mention have or still do live out the artist that is or was in them, be they painters, sculptors, writers, chefs, athletes, business owners, entrepreneurs, teachers, philosophers, spiritual leaders, or famous lovers. Each of those I mentioned above, along with countless others, has gotten in touch with the energy of the true inner self that has flowed within them and has brought that inner self powerfully forth to enrich, improve, transform, even transcend the world. 

Some call this true inner self and its silent voice "the muse." Whatever you call it, it is within you, and making contact with it, calling it forth, is the means by which you can/will fulfill your function and purpose in life! It is the means by which you find true peace and happiness apart from the mundane and humdrum droning on of the human condition, i.e.,, the pre-programmed role you have hitherto played in the proverbial rat race. 

Many of you reading this will pooh-pooh the notion that there is an artist living in you who is a genius at fulfilling a certain function necessary to your own success and to the betterment of this world. At the least, many of you have despaired at ever finding that muse within, making contact and summoning it forth. So, I will offer some suggestions here that have seemed to make this happen for me:

1) Take a dispassionate, objective, and honest look at the lessons your suffering has brought. Consider gratefully what you have experienced and learned, letting go of bitterness toward the situations and persons involved. In those lessons is the key to your inner motivation and function in this world. No, I am not suggesting that you go out and experience suffering and revel in it. But we all do suffer on many levels in this world, whether it is apparent on the surface or whether we can get down into the trenches of our souls and admit, that yes, we are human after all, and we have suffered. Some have suffered more, some less. But we all have suffered. The areas in which we have suffered and the lessons we have learned from our suffering point right to the inner artist that has been there in us all the time, gestating, yearning to be birthed toward the end of helping to alleviate ALL such suffering! 

For example, my suffering various forms and abuse and neglect as a child (and sometimes as an adult), then realizing that it does not HAVE to be that way is what motivates my art as well as the writings that I share on social media and in a few books I have authored. It is not that I have become a flawless human by any means. But I have learned some lessons about gaining some inner peace, have garnered some insights about what goes on in the human psyche, and have been given clues and an understanding of symbolism that helps me to transmit peace, beauty, inner knowing, onto canvas and the written page. The canvas, for me, has proven to be the best route, as I believe its subtleties can reach past words and opinions to get to the heart of things. All of life is a canvas. And the artists within us all can paint a better world!

2) Learn to be still and make a daily practice of it. If anything will help to birth your inner artist / muse, this will. I do not suggest trying to stop your thoughts or to engage in any rigorous discipline such as yoga or any other such "spiritual" practices. I only suggest getting as still as you can and listening for that still, small wordless voice that the genius in you uses to point you toward YOUR light within and to help you bring that out. A walk in nature; sitting still petting your cat; gardening; doing NOTHING!; listening to peaceful, calming music; getting enough sleep to allow dreaming--these are all activities that foster the emergence of the artist in us.

Again, no efforts are needed to "stop your thoughts," but rather a daily effort to listen to the inner voice (the gut, intuition) and to dispassionately observe the maelstrom of busy-thoughts that try to capture our attention. This sort of observational attitude reveals SO much to us. Is this meditation? Contemplation? I guess you could call it either or neither. But yes, stillness, quietness, getting away from the rat race for a period every day is a great and easy means to get in touch with your muse. Sooner or later, if it hasn't already, your muse, your inner artist will begin to lead you to the means and activities that are the niche and function of your inner artist.

3) Once your muse has lit the way to YOUR artful expression in this life, follow the instructions your intuitive voice, your gut, gives you. This applies whether you are to be an expert in the art of loving unconditionally, in the visual arts, in the written word, in business, in social service, in helping others (this one is HUGE!), whether in helping others feel good about themselves or learn about themselves, whether in helping others to be healthy, or just to get more enjoyment from life---or more freedom---then follow that light to the activities and means of expressing your art. And once you have found those activities and means, make time and room in your life for them, and practice, practice, practice. Let the passion of your inner artist, your inner lover of your fellow human siblings grab you by the heart and lead you to your destiny. 

Understand that it is never about just the money or the living that can be made from your passion, from your art, though we all need to make a living in this material dimension. It is about fulfilling our place, destiny, function in making this world a far better place. When we follow our passion, the universe (God/Higher Self by whatever name) WILL honor that intent. And ideas and means to bring the resources needed to keep on living and pursuing our given art WILL come. Have faith. Persist. And practice, practice, practice. Let nothing get in the way. There are many siren songs in this world that would lead us away from following our inner voice. We must remember that the inner voice is still and small and we can ignore the loud, chattery, cacophony of the call of the Siren. It's not hard to tell the difference. It's a matter of changing our focus. 

Haha! Methinks I have rather waxed TOO eloquent here and enough has been said. I hope I have given hope. And I hope you have plenty of food for thought that will help you to summon forth your inner artist! Enough words for now...till next blog. Warm, positive, happy thoughts go out to you all. 

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Below are some links to different content that I produce, including FB writings, my FB paintings page, my Twitter page, and my Redbubble pages... You will also find me on Instagam as "revdirain".

My Twitter page: https://twitter.com/LovingUnity
Facebook profile page: https://www.facebook.com/lovingunity
Facebook paintings/product page: https://www.facebook.com/spiritwindartandsundries
My Redbubble Shop (for even more variety in products decorated with my art images): https://www.redbubble.com/people/spiritwindart?ref=account-nav-dropdown&asc=u