I'm a self-taught mixed media artist and have been creating art and a positive atmosphere in my life for as long as I can remember. I live in sunny South Florida, which serves as my inspiration for my use of bright fun colors with a whimsical flair.
My goal is to inspire and empower you to find your inner happiness through creativity, as I have in my life. This website includes different tips and techniques that will hopefully inspire your inner muse to create.
Welcome and join me on a wonderful journey in creating art!
Most of you know I recently participated in Jodi Ohl’s Color Lovers Challenge. Since I used a canvas for Day 24, Red & Green, I saved a place in my journal to come back to and this is what I ended up with.
This journal spread really makes me laugh. The poor little red bird doesn’t seem too happy with the notes the little green one is belting out. He’s almost looks like he’s freaked out by it 😂
With that said, I chose this quote from an unknown author that I thought went well: “No matter what people think of you, always keep singing your own song.”
What are mirror neurons? Mirror neurons are the part of the brain that cause us to mimic or reflect back what we are seeing in another person. For example when you see some one hurt themselves, you may winch and feel their pain. Or when some one yawns, you’ll have to yawn yourself even though you’re not tired. The same also holds true for when some one is in a bad or good mood. Their mood may rub off on us. This is because of the mirror neurons in our brains.
When I first started my morning walks I’d smile at strangers and most often I didn’t get much of a response, much less a positive one. But I didn’t let this stop me because I was determined to share my happiness.
As I continued my walks day after day, I’d smile bigger and longer. If that didn’t work I’d follow that with a twinkling wave and a cheerful “Good Morning!” I completely understand that not everyone wants to be happy and that’s ok.
But smiles are contagious and are universally understood. If you smile at some one long enough, you’ll most likely get a smile back due to the mirror neurons. Whether you’re in a good mood or not, the fact that you’re smiling instantly raises your energy and you can’t help but feel uplifted.
After a couple of weeks something magical started happening. These strangers who were not the happiest little campers suddenly became friendlier. I began to get big smiles, twinkling waves and morning shout outs of “Good Morning!” So much so that some would go out of their way to greet me. It made me feel even happier that I was able to share my positive energy with others. I may not have changed the world, but I changed my corner of it, just a bit.
Imagine if everyone tried to “Share the Happy” with those around them. Life isn’t always perfectly happy but when we put more of that positive energy out there, it will surely come back to us ten fold. So what are you waiting for, get out and share a great big smile with some one today 😊
Thanks for stopping by!!
Share the Happy 💖
“Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.” ~Buddha
My newest Star Angel painted on 8″ x 10″ 140lb Watercolor Paper. She’s painted with beautiful hues of blue, pink, purple and yellow. She emits visions of peace and tranquility and is made with lots of love!Â
Jodi Ohl recently hosted a Color Lovers Challenge that I participated in. I loved every moment, especially the challenging ones. But for Day 12 which was Vibrant, I used a canvas I was working on for the challenge and saved a place in my journal to come back to and finish at another time.
So this was the vibrant watercolor abstract painting I made in my journal. I added a quote by Zig Ziglar which pretty much summed up the challenge: “If it doesn’t CHALLENGE you, it won’t CHANGE you.”
Sahara Rose is an author, inspirational speaker and host of “Highest Self Podcast” which I enjoy listening to. In her latest book, “Discover Your Dharma,” Sahara shares her ancient wisdom but with a modern day flair. I recently finished reading her book and loved it!
When I started reading, I didn’t have any expectations as to where it will go. But I have to say, that I was quite surprised in the accuracy of finding my Doshas and using them to fulfill my Dharma.
In Ayurveda, Doshas are the 3 energies that make up every human being, Vata (air), Pitta (fire) and Kapha (earth). We have all three but in varying amounts. Your Dharma is to find your soul’s purpose.
The physical imbalances we experience in our minds and body are a reflection of what is going on at our soul’s level. So having a better understanding of your Doshas and Dharma will help you to heal your body and move forward which Sahara does an excellent job of explaining in her book. She gives you the tools and knowledge you need to better understand your soul’s purpose.
I also learned that your Dharma is not set it stone. You may end up taking a completely different path than when you started on your journey or you may just make minor changes to the path you’re on. But ultimately you need to live a life that makes you happy and share your special gifts and talents with the world in a positive and fulfilling way.
I highly recommend reading “Discover Your Dharma.” It’s a well written book that is easy to understand with tools to help you find your soul’s purpose. To find out more about Sahara Rose, visit her site at iamsahararose.com.
Thanks for stopping by!!
Share the Happy 💖
“The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give your gift away.” ~ Pablo Picasso
I’m really loving abstract art more and more. This is my newest piece. It’s similar to my other one but painted with brighter and very happy colors. This piece is simply titled “Happy.” Would love to hear your thoughts.
I’m continuing with my online course at Udemy.com by Broderick Wong, a very talented, award winning watercolor artist. Having lots of fun with these paintings. These are a few of the pieces I worked on in my Strathmore 5.5″ x 8″ Watercolor Journal.
I’ve been listening and reading a lot of inspirational works. There’s one thing I’m noticing that keeps coming up and that’s “Attitude.” Attitude is defined as: A manner of thinking, feeling, or behaving that reflects a state of mind or disposition.
Attitude seems to be the foundation of our lives and is a reflection of what is going on in our minds and where we our in life. Our success or lack of, is based on our attitude, and it is tightly woven in with our thoughts. The two are pretty much intertwined.
It stands to reason then that a Good Attitude gives you good results. But if you have a poor attitude towards learning something new that could move you forward in your life, you’ll just get stuck in the mud and won’t go anywhere. If your attitude is one that all the cards are always stacked against you, then you’re powerless to change anything.
All of these negative attitudes make you a magnet for attracting more negative situations into your life. Have you ever had a day that starts with one thing going wrong and then there seems to be a domino effect of one thing after another that keeps going wrong? By allowing yourself to dwell on the negativity in your day, you allowed your attitude to become negative and thus made yourself into a human magnet for attracting more negative situations into your life.
So how can we change? Start each day with gratitude and the intention of how you want the day to go. Don’t jump out of bed, rushing through your morning and responding to the day as you go. Instead, take a minute to set a clear intention on how you want your day to play out. I mean really think about it and allow yourself to feel how wonderful it is to have such an awesome day!
Do this every day and you’ll be surprised at how your life improves when you set a daily intention to maintain a positive attitude.
I hope this inspires you in some way today. Thanks for stopping by!!
Share the Happy 💖
“A great attitude is not the result of success; success is the result of a great attitude.” ~Earl Nightingale
When I finished painting this angel the first thing that came to my mind was the song by America, Sister Golden Hair. With that being said, I named her Golden Hair Angel. It seemed to be a fitting name, lol. She is my latest angel in my Strathmore 5.5″ x 8.5″ watercolor journal. I didn’t think I would like her yellow hair that much, but it grew on me. What do you think?
I recently started taking online classes at Udemy.com. One of my favorites is by Broderick Wong, a very talented, award winning watercolor artist. I love his energy and enthusiasm, he keeps things interesting. I’ve been learning a lot of new tips and techniques in his class, and just having lots of fun. These are a few of the pieces I worked on in my Strathmore 5.5″ x 8″ Watercolor Journal.
I’m still fairly new to Udemy.com but they offer a big variety of online courses covering many subject matters. Not to mention, the classes are reasonably priced especially with the sales they have. I highly recommend you check them out.
Flowing Waters Art 