I believe art is a result of creativity. And, I know many of you have heard this before, but I will reaffirm the truth in this, “everyone is creative”. All breathing and pulsating beings are creators. I’ve been allowing a series of messy artworks and unplanned moments of working with mixed media materials to lead me through what I have been calling my “Creative Pilgrimage”.
It stared with an allowing and an unraveling of my deep longing to live creatively without having to fill-in the already made templates of others. Loosely, spacious and totally unplanned. Creativity; the synergy that moves us to put experience into form, freely. It doesn’t do well trying to fit into boxes. It’s like the deepest parts of us coming out onto canvas or paper, inked in fingerprints or splashes of watercolors. To be birthed. To be alive. To guide you and whisper hints throughout your journey. This practice has been immensely healing and has introduced me to a realm that, I confess- is not one I am used to working within. That realm I’m talking about here flourishes with possibility and potential. I was caught by surprise when I discovered it is so big and full! I used to live in a very constricted life; only within the boundaries of my limited perception. In fact, I’ve come to know that our perceptions are just that- the view through our limitations. Let’s blow them up a bit! Let’s love and allow endless possibilities to find us.
This is- what this simple and sometimes messy creative process has given me. A true gift. It has inspired change, growth, and e x p a n s i o n.
“Therefore they called the closing of the gates the Receptive, and the opening of the gates the Creative. The alternation between closing and opening they called change.” ─I Ching, page xxvii
Granting myself permission to creatively play opened up my senses to the many energies and realms that often go unseen. It led me to discover how much spiritual support is present and how I could hold the “holy” in my body to express my stories, regardless of what they may look or sound like. I believe Women need to share their stories! Whether it be in word, color, design, images, dance, because our stories give life to our voice and that creates a language that the next woman can resonate with. And in return express her own, as Carol Christ calls it: “sacred text” (in her book, Diving Deep And Surfacing: Women Writers on Spiritual Quest). This allowed for my messy art to be my sacred expressions. A documentation of my creative cycle. This process has unveiled my potential and added some umph to the vision of who I continue to become.
My wish to you is: may you discover your own exhilarating creative process. May it grant movement and flow for your expressions to unfold and shine in all their radiance. May you know that your artful creations are worthy and of value, they offer guiding lights in the dark for yourself and for others. May you create your life according to your rightful choosing.
Love and Blessings,
Melissa Ixcheldevi
Hi Melissa, your pieces are beautiful. I find that my art is still quite controlled. I am just now opening up my writing (my preferred art form) to more intuitive flow and it is really showing it the power that comes across. I am inspired now to move this ‘letting go’ my other art forms.
Beautiful Eliza,
I too love the art of the written word and more-so the allowing it to flow through me is an art form in itself that I continue to practice. In fact, the allowing part should be the “art” and all that is birthed in the process is the result of our art-making! Let’s keep connecting to our flow!
xo + free flowing art sparks!