the naked truth

I am really hesitant when it comes to talking about what I am doing but since this blog is about my creative journey my intention is to bare it all.  

As you may or may not know I lost my job mid January due to restructuring of the company. (no moaning and groaning, please) At first it set me into a tail spin, oh hell, I'll even admit that I was frickin' lost.  Fourteen years is a long time.  It didn't take long for fear to set in by dangling all the "what ifs" in front of my face and trying to convince that doomsday had arrived.  Yes I was faced with the fact that I no longer had a steady job or a steady income.  But fear made it seem ten times worse.  I bought into it for a while.   I cried, I moped around, I felt really sad, I  felt broken.   All the while I kept my smile face on.   No one knew what I was feeling on the inside. 

It was around my birthday in February that I had had enough, I was tired of the pity party.  I resolved to pick myself up by the seat of the pants and move on.  The core of who I am has always believed that everything happens for a reason.  It's when we embrace the reality, get busy looking for the lesson(s) to be learned, and being grateful for what we do have that things will turn around.  Above all else is to have faith in the Universe/God.  That was my new approach.  I created a new routine.  I started going to the gym, I continued with my daily meditation followed by writing in my journal, and I immersed myself in creating art with abandon.   I look back at the artwork I have produced since January and my heart smiles because each piece mirrors this path I have been on.  

I firmly believe that this creative path I am on is exactly where I am suppose to be.  I'm not sure where is will take me, I just know that I will continue to put step in front of the other and be on merry my way.     

I can not be successful alone.  It takes people buying my art or items I make and sharing them with their friends and family.  I sincerely want to  my website as appealing as possible and your opinion would be extremely helpful.  I am open to constructive criticism.   Please browse thru my website at http://www.teresacashart.com and then send me an email at www.teresa@teresacashart.com providing me feedback.  I realize that your life is busy and I  am very grateful for your assistance.

yes I can do that

A friend of mine posed a question on FaceBook the other day asking us to share something about our self that others do not know.  I responded back by saying, "from the outside I appear to have it all together when in reality most of the time I fake it until I make it".  That does not imply that I am phony it simple says that I will take risks to step out beyond my comfort zone even with my knees shaking and I haven't a clue what to do next.  YET... there are times that fear has engulfed me so tightly that I can't seem to get loose.  In the past I would beat myself up over it to the point that I felt like I couldn't overcome.   I am glad to say that hardly ever happens to me anymore.  When fear of reaching out of my comfort zone presents itself I get quiet and allow myself to feel the feeling, then I release it.  I often come up with a way to encourage myself to move forward.

Which brings me to the point of this post.

Lately I have been feeling the intense and exciting urge to paint big.  I've been preparing by buying large canvases and gradually increasing my acrylic paint supply to the 4oz. bottles.    I am enrolled in an on-line class with Donna Downey called 48 Weeks that has stretched me to paint in a journal that measure 16.5" x 21".  This is the largest I have painted.  Now it's time to step it up.  I will admit to you that fear is rearing to the surface again yet I know there is nothing to fear.  This is what I am doing to overcome this feeling.  I have hung a blank canvas on the wall in our Living Room.  My husband just shook his head when he saw it.  I believe it is just the little bit of encouragement that will turn this big white canvas into a beautiful piece of art.

In the meantime, I will fake it til I make it.  When guests come over and and see the blank white canvas on the wall I will confidently say, "I'll be painting a piece of art to take it's place."

just in time for Mother's Day

JUST IN TIME FOR MOTHER'S DAY - ONLY 3 LEFT

I created these 8x10 Gallery Wrapped canvases as a unique way for you to send a message "from your heart" to someone special or even your mom on Mother's Day. Above the heart is a place where I will add your message. It was always hard to figure out what to get my mom for Mother's Day because she had everything and if she needed something she would just go buy it for herself. (know what I'm talking about?) One thing she always craved was to be appreciated and loved. Any pressent that expressed how much she meant to me was always the perfect gift.

You can check them out closer in my shop-simply click the link below.

http://www.teresacashart.com

1st semester of 48 Weeks

The intention of this blog was to be about my creative journey, as I set forth with joy in my heart and follow the path of my dreams.   I am an example of what can happen when we make a conscious decision toward change.  I believe we all are creative in one way or another.  Sometimes we just convince ourselves otherwise.  Remember... it was just a little over 3 years ago I did not know that I could draw or paint.  It was when I decided to let my creative spirit out to play that my creative life began to evolve.  It  is my mission to encourage each and everyone of you to let YOUR creative spirit out to play, too.  You will be amazed and joyful at what unfolds.

  

We can create art together.   We can have fun together.    Me & You & Your Friends, too!

 I was given sage advice from an artist friend of mine, Kelly Hoernig, "to explore who I am as an artist".  

Thank You, Kelly!

When the opportunity to join this class presented itself I knew it was going to be just the right fit.  It's hard to believe that 12 weeks have already gone by since I enrolled in  48 Weeks with Donna Downey.  It goes without saying that I am learning lots of techniques and using products I hadn't even heard of before.  I find this to be very exhilarating!!!  

I just finished the 1st semester and I wanted to show you the work I've done.  I am working in a moleskin journal, each piece measures16 x 23.  This is bigger than I am familiar with.   Since I have been doing this for 12 weeks I am really getting the itch to paint on a larger canvas.  One day soon!

WEEK 1

WEEK 2

WEEK 3

WEEK 4

WEEK 5

WEEK 6

WEEK 7

WEEK 8

WEEK 9

WEEK 10

WEEK 11

WEEK 12

Who knew? Certainly not me.

I am so excited about learning and implementing new techniques and finding ways to create with what would be considered a non-art products.  This one, I'm sure, I will use many times in the future.  I squealed with excitement as the results unfolded.  I added the finished page  to my Create Art with Abandon journal.  Here's the process: 

On a 7 x 11  140# water color paper  I adhered a sheet music for the background.  Followed by a white wash to tone down the image of the sheet music.  I, then, applied this awesome product in 4 different ways. #1 I cut strips and adhered it with soft gel medium.  After it was dried I took a heat gun to it.  It melted, the edges curled, small holes appeared and then this awesome texture.       #2 I cut a piece and sewed around the edges on my sewing machine (bottom)  then I used the heat gun.  It melted in areas and created rugged holes.  This was way too cool!            #3 Then I wanted to see what affect it would have if I only glued the edges (top left).  After the gel medium dried I used the heat gun, again.  The same thing happened as with the bottom.  It melted and created holes.  Because it was a smaller section it all became one big hole.  This created a frame and it became a perfect place to add my thought.                                                  #4  I cut out flower shapes and glued them down, after the glue was dry I used a heat gun.  Just look how those little flowers curled up!  I am smitten!

Of course, I then finished off the project with color.  All the while I kept smiling at the results of my allusive product.  Were you able to guess what product I used?  Drum roll please........ it was a used Priority Mail tyvek envelope.  Who knew?  Certainly not me.

Why don't you try it and let me see what you create.

5 pages to add

I have 5 more pages added  to my "Create Art with Abandon" journal that I want to show you.  The purpose of this book is to create just for the fun of creating, without any expectations.  That is what I am doing and it is so liberating.  All the while I am gaining experience.  Most of these pages started from left over paint from my brush or pallette that I didn't want to waste.   If I have a feeling I want to express,  I create art about it.  If I learn a new technique, I create art with it.  Through this process I am learning who I am as a artist and I am ever so grateful for this opportunity.  One day I will emerge from my cocoon just like a butterfly!  In the meantime I will continue to create art with abandon!

Thanks to all of you for your encouraging words and support.  I truly appreciate it!

I Choose Love

This morning I woke up with a case of the "blahs".  There was no special reason that I could think of but I had them anyway.  After I sat around for a while I wanted to change things up a bit.  I decided to intuitively create.  I went into my studio  and turned some music on, really loud.  Usually I create in silence because I enjoy the solitude.  I got a piece of watercolor paper and wrote how I was feeling on the entire page.  That felt good just to get all that sh*t out of my head.   Before long I was slapping paint on the page over my written words. I wasn't even aware of my paint colors.  I turned the page sideways and grabbed a marked and wrote in real big letter Balance is the key.  Then I ripped pages from a vintage book and tore them into hearts.   I painted, sanded and painted again.  I took out my charcoal pencil and started to draw and before I knew it an angel had appeared.  This was the awesome part!!  At that moment I knew, without a doubt, the answer of my blahs.  Life is life-it cycles up and it cycles down.  No matter what we experiencing we ALWAYS have a choice as to how we will handle it.  It boils down to a choice of two - love or fear.  I choose love!!