Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Ebb and Flow. Trusting Your Intution and self expression. Update.


It has been a while since I have sat down and written a blog post. The summer has come and gone and the air and scenery is changing as all things do. I was in need of a breather this summer, needed to inhale, take in nature and feel with all my senses, which is why the blog sort of took a back seat. My friend Jean (of the amazing Drossintogold) told me recently life is full of ebb and flow, and I couldn't agree more. The only constant in life is change. I think sometimes I'm happy with my presence being more outward, through social media and blogposts and other times I need to renew inward and take a break form the internet. I think I took a little longer than I needed because I missed it and missed all of you!

What have I been up to? Lots of reading, researching/taking in knowledge, enjoying time with family and friends, the outdoors, a little bit of traveling and of course work. I did a few weddings/sessions, some I can't share because the families requested privacy and others I would love to share on the blog eventually. Hope you all enjoyed your summer and are ready to jump into fall or whatever season you are transitioning into.


One of the books I really enjoyed reading was one called Divine Intuition by Lynn Robinson.  It talks a lot about listening and trusting your intuition. Trusting the voice of love inside, trusting yourself. It infuses a lot of the follow your dream mentality, follow what you enjoy doing, follow your excitement. What is sort of divine is I picked this book up at the thrift store. It was exactly what I needed at that time.

The reading follows a workbook format where there is content and little blurbs or pages allowing you to pause and answer questions based on your life experience. One of the exercises had you imagine yourself enjoying something. What does that image look like? What are you wearing (loved that one)? What are you doing?

I pictured myself decked out in this unique ensemble. I was at an exhibit, my exhibit! Proud of work that I had put so much of myself into. Then I realized that is what I love to do. Create art, and be art both inwardly and outwardly. Self expression is like breathing to me. There's no other way for me to describe it. I notice how I feel when I'm not doing it, the build up of this uneasy feeling that I have to release. Which is what I'm feeling right now. My sister (of Dream It Up Cookies) who also has the artist bug says artists are gifted and cursed at the same time. I have to agree, it can be both a blessing and a source of anxiety. I find myself constantly trying to find a balance between that ebb and flow.

Do any of you get this overwhelming emotion to express yourself? How do you work through it? Would love to hear your stories.

I've been feeling a divine push lately and I'm ready to jump in. I have three projects I'm so excited to be working on in the next few months. I'm collaborating with Papaya! on something that is very special to me. If you haven't read my feature on artist Anahata Katkin's blog go check it out. It is one of the most beautiful things I've read about my work and I have to admit it was a revelation to me! It was really the boost of assurance I needed as I continue on this interesting path I have taken. I'm also working on an editorial with a great team of artists that will be exhibited this winter (Inshallah), and my personal ongoing project Red, White and Blue.

Hope you are all following and trusting your intuition. Go for it. Don't let the past or your negative thoughts hold you back. You are a unique expression of life. Don't let society dictate that expression. It can't be put into a box. Be aware of it, explore it, hone your craft and let it out!

Much love,
Feda

P.S. The images are double exposure using two images. Portraits of myself and images of flowers I took in the spring. I love how they turned out. 

7 comments:

  1. Lovely pictures and lovely words. Looking forward to more when the time is right. It's definitely been a season of outward activity but also of introspection. Bouncing back and forth makes it hard for anything to come to fruition, but it always does eventually, right? I've been in exactly the same place, and you describe it so well. XXOO

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Jean! It is hard to relax and be in the present moment. It's even harder when you're juggling so many things at once which most of us are. I'm finding it takes a lot of practice and sort of watching and feeling my body and the motions/thoughts that come up. I guess it's about enjoying the now rather than waiting for some other moment to fulfill us. Always something to ponder about and I love doing that with you! XOXO

      Delete
  2. Love seeing your work and hearing more abut what's going on in your internal landscape.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Dorothy! Always appreciate your kind words.

      Delete
  3. I found out about you from dear sweet Jean and I think your style is pure art! This summer I felt the same way you did, I craved more time offline so I could really take summer in. Go with the flow, it's sounds so cheesy but it's so true!
    Xxoo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Krista! It is true..we all have our own flow that we need to listen to.Thank you for stopping by and leaving this lovely comment! xo

      Delete
  4. This portrait of you is very moving, beautiful, true art! All you are saying here rings true to me. I only started learning about my artistic nature in the last few years, and I am still not completely comfortable with it. There are periods when it's all quiet, almost like I hibernate. But I realize (with my husband's help who is such an amazing and creative soul himself and my great supporter) that we need such quiet periods - for observation, reflection, for a lot of invisible inner work which some day will express outwardly. Creating is life - just like you say, it's like breathing... and just like breathing, we need both - breathing in and breathing out, two parts of the same process. Thank you for encouraging us, Feda! You are such a breath of fresh air! All we need is listening to ourselves, all the answers are always there. xxxxx

    ReplyDelete

Share some LOVE