The Secret WildGoddess

Taking Poetic License With Your Life

WildGoddess — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 09:05:19 +0000

As an artist, I try to take poetic license every time I paint, or speak, or sing…..this is the moment when I get to be totally and completely free. I can be wild, or silly, slapdash or clumsy, and get away with it! So, while I’m creating, I give myself glorious permission to just “let it all hang out.”

So, yeah, well, that’s the easy part, but what about the rest of my life? How much poetic license have I truly granted my Self?

Have we, as creative beings expressing ourselves, truly given ourselves free rein in every moment? Permission to be free, to dance and to sing, to scream and cry, or just be still – all of the time, or only when we’re working at our craft? Right now I’m wondering if that frustrating challenge known as a “creative block” might happen simply because we are not free enough with ourselves in our day-to-day existence.

For example, I sometimes catch myself being concerned with “fitting in,” even to the clothing I choose to wear on a particular day. Or I’ll be out shopping, and catch myself thinking, “Well, I can’t buy those shoes because even though I LOVE the color, they’re just TOO bright, and I don’t want to attract too much attention. People might stare at me.”

Here’s another example: once in a while I want to try a great new restaurant, or go out to hear some jazz, but then I’ll think, “But I can’t go by myself! Oh, no, people might look at me funny, I’d feel self-conscious.” Give me a break!

Now, these are just examples of my own neuroses, and yours might be totally different. But I do sense that limiting my personal self-expression just has to translate in a negative way with the freedom of my creativity. So then I have to honestly ask myself, “How free do I truly feel when I’m expressing? Or am I holding myself back, just a little – letting that judgmental, critical voice inside of myself whisper in my ear?”

From time to time I actually do go out by myself to hear music or dine out, and most of the time, it’s been okay, even a little fun. I don’t think there are any limits to our imagination, except what we have placed upon ourselves. And as artists, it’s important to feel as free as possible in our daily lives, so that our innate creativity can express itself freely and effortlessly through us. We have to love ourselves enough to honor whatever it takes to give us that sense of poetic license. After all, we’re always creating all of the time, even while we’re asleep, so why not maximize our efforts?

Begin by taking a clear-eyed look at your life; it is your divine creation, and it can look any way you want it to. No one owns you, but you. Therefore I advocate making your whole life a creative expression, that simply and beautifully reflects out to the world who you really are. Be free to be yourself. And once you accomplish this, I bet your art will also reflect your inner freedom, your wonderful self-integration.

This is the goal I’m working towards – taking more poetic license with my whole life. Wish me luck and I’ll do the same for you. After all, we’re all in this together!

If you’re interested in exploring more of your Self, go here daily. And now, I leave you with another beautiful song by Francis Cabrel.

Francis Cabrel – C’ était l’Hiver

Posted in Artists, Arts, Consciousness, Digital Art, Personal Artwork, Watercolor Tagged: archangel, art, artist, Consciousness, creativity, expression, Francis Cabrel, freedom, Osho, panpipes, poetic license, portrait, Spirituality, Watercolor, WildGoddess

Francis Cabrel and the Creative Process

WildGoddess — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 05:03:26 +0000

While listening to Francis Cabrel, one of my favorite songwriters from France, I set to working with Photoshop, and this is the result:

I find that there’s nothing more inspiring for me while working on my art than when I’m listening to plain old good music while I’m doing it. It always seems to work together somehow – jammin’ sound uplifts and encourages me and keeps my creative juices flowing fast. Hopefully, it’s reciprocal – the artwork I or another artist create may someday inspire those who write and/or perform music as well.

What do I like to listen to? My taste in music runs all over the place! I listen to jazz, reggaeton, pop, world music, country, Brazilian, Afro-Latin, hip-hop, classical, experimental – and on and on and on. I’m a singer/songwriter myself, so I always love listening to other songwriters, especially guitarists like Bruce Springsteen, Dave Matthews – oh boy, there’s just no limit there!

Now I gotta go all “mystical” on you again! I have also been doing mantra chanting for the last six months, and I have experienced a marked improvement in most aspects of my life, including my creativity.

I began the practice out of a desire to grow in my spirituality, and hopefully improve more tangible needs, such as finances, etc., but I’ve experienced some surprising improvements in areas I would have never expected, including how I “see” as an artist. I sense a difference in my artwork, too – what do you think?

At first it takes some discipline; I chant every morning and evening for about 20 minutes, but after the first 30 days, the chanting became easier to do and began to feel soothing and more “comfortable,” for lack of a better word.

If you’d like to learn more about mantra chanting, go here and here. I highly recommend it.

And now, enjoy this video by my beloved Francis Cabrel:

“Je t’aimais, je t’aime et je t’aimerai”

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All photos, artwork and writing on “The Secret WildGoddess” blog by WildGoddess are protected under copyright ©2003-2009 WildGoddess, and cannot be copied, distributed or reprinted without written permission from the artist. If you would like to use something from this blog, contact WildGoddess to obtain her permission in advance. Thank you for your consideration.

Posted in Arts, Consciousness, Digital Art, Personal Artwork, Sound, The Goddess Tagged: Arts, cave, chanting, creativity, Francis Cabrel, mantras, meditation, music, musing, oracle, Photoshop, portrait, prayer, shamanic, Spirituality, The Goddess, WildGoddess, woman

I Love Color!

WildGoddess — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 04:09:15 +0000

Isn’t She gorgeous? I’m currently working on a whole series of these sacred portraits, and when they’re ready, I’ll have prints available for sale in my WildGoddess Arts Etsy store.

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Posted in Arts, Digital Art, Sketches, The Goddess, Visual Art Tagged: art, digital, print, shamanic, sketch, Spirituality, spring, The Goddess, WildGoddess, woman

Ephemeral Solar Night Garden in Jerusalem

WildGoddess — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 23:20:46 +0000

I think there is nothing more magical than softly glowing lights on a soft, summer night, and this remarkable work of art truly serves as a beautiful example.

This stunning work of art is a solar night garden at the Light in Jerusalem Festival at Gan Habonim (Migdal David, Jerusalem Citadel).

The Solar Night Garden in the evening.

This stunning work of art was created in cooperation with Israel Electric Corporation to demonstrate the importance and beauty of alternative energy in protecting the environment. Powered entirely by solar energy, the flowers are charged by sunlight during the day and illuminated through energy-saving LED lights at night.

The Solar Night Garden at daytime

Alas, this lovely solar night garden is no longer; the exhibit ended June 16, 2009, but thank goodness for the pictures that remain. They stand as a beautiful reminder that eco-conservation can be magical and beautiful.

Artists do indeed have the power to heal the world, so let’s create our own solar-powered night garden!

More pictures can be seen here. (via O*GE Interactive Gallery)

Video:

Posted in Arts, Visual Art Tagged: art, Arts, ephemeral, Gan Habonim, glowing, Jerusalem, Jerusalem Citadel, light, Light in Jerusalem Festival, magical, Migdal David, Solar Night Garden, WildGoddess

Incredible Paper Art in Tokyo

WildGoddess — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 17:47:04 +0000

I found this amazing artwork via Tokyobling. It’s a magical castle completely made of paper, exhibited on the ocean!

The exhibition is called Umi no Ue no Oshiro (A Castle On the Ocean). It was created by Wataru Itou, an art student in Tokyo, and it took him four years! (That’s dedication!)

Waturo’s commitment to his art should be inspirational for all of us artists. I know I’m speechless! Go here to read and see more pictures about this remarkable work of art.

Posted in Artists, Arts, Visual Art Tagged: art, Arts, castle, commitment, craft, cutting, Japan, ocean, paper, Tokyo, Tokyobling, Umi no Ue no Oshiro, Wataru Itou, WildGoddess

“Moon Goddess” – commissioned portrait

WildGoddess — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 16:39:11 +0000

I just completed this commission for my girlfriend, who requested a shamanic portrait with her power animal, Raven. It was a delight and an honor to create a piece for this warm, open-hearted healer. Here’s to you, Kaja – I love you!

If you’d like to see more of my custom work, visit my Etsy shop. I love Etsy; I just got a request to design my first book cover – whoopee! And don’t forget to read about the materials I used in creating my artwork. They include the following: “… blood, sweat, vision, intention, imagination.”

I’d also like to thank the “Found Handmade” blog for featuring my “The Guardian, Raven” giclee print in their latest post. I appreciate it! This print is also available for sale in my Etsy Shop – so, go get it! : )

Talk to you soon!

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Posted in Arts, Commission, Digital Art, Personal Artwork, Shamanism, The Goddess, Visual Art Tagged: art, Commission, custom, digital, found, found handmade, goddess, handmade, moon, portrait, raven, shaman, shamanic, Spirituality, The Goddess, WildGoddess, woman

Photoshop-a-Go-Go!

WildGoddess — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 19:41:06 +0000

I’m having a great ol’ time slapping some of my sketches into Photoshop, playing around and seeing the magic of what results. Experimentation is key! For example, here’s one from my sketchbook:

And….this is what I’ve done with it using good ol’ Photoshop:

The texture I used on this sketch came from “Wide Open, a Creativity Notebook and Card Set” by Randi Feuerhelm-Watts, but you can easily make your own. I take my Pentax with me everywhere and photograph anything that I think would look great layered over a sketch. There’s certainly lots of goodies out there on the streets, that’s for sure! Just keep your eyes open and use a little imagination. (You can also lots of cool textures for free, online.)

Once you find a texture that you want to use, open up Photoshop, and layer it over your sketch. Then playtime begins! Have fun with your PS brushes, mix up those blending modes and: Voila!

I swear I never tire of Photoshop. That’s why it’s Photoshop-a-Go-Go, baby – Whoo-Hoo!

By the way, these two prints will be for sale as giclees on archival watercolor paper and also as WildGoddess T-shirts in my Etsy store soon. T-shirts are a first for me, but I know I want one, so, here goes!

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Posted in Digital Art, Drawing, Experimental, Personal Artwork, Photoshop a Go Go, Sketches, Tutorials Tagged: art, blending modes, digital, etsy, experiment, layers, man, Photoshop, Randi Feuerhelm-Watts, sketch, sketchbook, texture, textures, tutorial, Wide Open, WildGoddess

“Innocence Lost” by WildGoddess

WildGoddess — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 18:32:15 +0000

I created this using an old vintage photo. I am always taken by these boys piercing stare; they literally burn. Should little boys even be this intense? I guess if you were a slave, you would be, too! Nevertheless, it remains one of my favorites. It’s also for sale as a giclee print in my Etsy Shop.

Another watercolor from my sketchbook………….

Posted in african-american, Arts, Digital Art, Drawing, Experimental, History, Personal Artwork, Sketches, Visual Art, Watercolor Tagged: african-american, ancestors, art, black, boy, boys, children, digital, History, portrait, sketchbook, slaves, Watercolor, WildGoddess

New Name, Same Art Blog

WildGoddess — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 02:07:15 +0000

If you’re looking for the ” l’Artisana WildGoddess” blog, don’t worry, you’re in the right place. I’ve simply returned this blog to the original name of “The Secret WildGoddess.” Why? I like it better…….

I’ve been experimenting with watercolors as of late – it’s been a wonderful exercise in patience, patience, patience! I guess you could say that working with watercolors could be a spiritual challenge to be met. It gets away from you and runs around all over the place (like me), but I’ve learned that the effects are beautiful – even the mistakes.

Soon I’ll post some of my watercolors that I digitized in Photoshop – Wow! is all I can say! Talk to you soon!

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I am always seeking those whispers that fade, yet somehow linger on the edges of consciousness . .
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All photos, artwork and writing on the L’Artisana WildGoddess blog by WildGoddess are protected under copyright ©2003-2009 WildGoddess, and cannot be copied, distributed or reprinted without written permission from the artist. If you would like to use something from this blog, contact WildGoddess to obtain her permission in advance. Thank you for your consideration.

Posted in Personal Artwork, Sketches, Uncategorized, Watercolor Tagged: art, portrait, secret, sketch, Watercolor, WildGoddess, woman

Michelle Dukes It Out

WildGoddess — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 05:25:33 +0000

I’m a hardcore “Obama Mama” and make no apologies about it! And I just love this photo of Michelle Obama taken during last month’s White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner. It speaks to me, “Yeah, girl, we can do it!” (Plus her dress was gorgeous!)

It’s now the wallpaper on my cell phone.

Even her handsome husband, the President of the United States made a cute little joke during the dinner about the First Lady’s shapely upper arms. And the evening’s performer, comedian Wanda Sykes, cracked quite a few controversial jokes, but the one that tickled me the most was this one:

“How dare you people give her grief about showing her arms. The country’s broke! Sleeves cost money!”

To read more about the event, go here.

Posted in A New Day, Politics, Today's News Tagged: arms, Barack, dress, joke, Michelle, Michelle Obama, Obama, obama mama, Wanda Sykes, White House, WildGoddess, woman