GROW--4 little letters to enrich your creative soil

Today is day 4 of a self-granted "quarterly retreat." Last fall I promised myself that four times a year I would all but remove myself from the world in order to concentrate on one thing: painting.

Since it's winter and my secret place in the north woods is snowed under, this time I have decided to use my studio as a retreat space. It is, after all, fresh and new and calling my name.

I took these photos yesterday to share with all of you. I often find myself wishing that I could invite you in for a cup of coffee. I imagine us making art together, talking, creating, thinking, simply just being. This is one of the things I love about our blogging community...the way I feel your presence even when I'm not sitting at my computer.

Today I have packed a thermos of homemade chicken dumpling soup (made by my ever-loving husband), another thermos with fresh coffee, and an apple. I'll continue to work on the paintings I've started and feel inspired by all that is in the process of manifesting itself. One of the things I like best about this new studio space is how naturally it invites me to grow in new ways. I feel like a plant that has finally been moved to a sun-filled window.

And so, today's Word of the Day, fittingly, is: GROW


One thing that I am learning is that there is just no end to growth. Last night I met with friends--a gathering of women that are both strong and beautiful. I listened to them talk and was amazed by how wonderfully wise each one of them is. I left the gathering feeling intrigued by the notion of growth. It is something that must be cared for and tended to--and, yet, it often happens when we're not looking.

This week I have found myself standing in the middle of my life--a life that is offering me room to grow in more ways than I'm even quite able to comprehend. These days, I often feel like I am looking at myself for the very first time. And I am both honored and grateful to be surrounded by such an incredible tribe of women.

These letters are part of an ongoing project: "WORD OF THE DAY :: living life one word at a time."
Today's word is GROW. May you thrive beautifully.
See more letters and words at my Patch of Sky Etsy shop, here.

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CREATE--6 little letters to inspire you

To create.

Today I have been creating like it is my life--and, luckily, it is. Even so, sometimes it takes great effort to make it a priority.

Today there will be no cracked windshields to repair. No photo shoots. No extraneous phone calls. No whining dogs. No house cleaning.

Instead I am spending the day in my sun-filled studio. I am surrounded by dogs. That is, half-finished paintings of dogs. Have I mentioned yet how much I LOVE my new studio space?

I have only one word to describe it and it is: HEAVEN. I've been listening to music, taking short breaks to love up my wolfie (who always accompanies me), drinking coffee with cream and sugar, and moving from one painting to the next. Oh, sweet S-P-A-C-E! I am currently in the midsts of 5 portraits--three on one wall and two on the other. A portrait of a cat sits on an easel in the corner. I feel surrounded by love, by creativity, by powerfully positive energy.

I hope you will find some time in your day to do a little creating too.

These letters are part of an ongoing project: "WORD OF THE DAY :: living life one word at a time." Today's word is "CREATE." I am living this word from the inside out--and it feels good.

See more letters and words at my Patch of Sky Etsy shop, here.

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MONDO-BEYOND 2009 :: attaining dreams...one word at a time

Hello 2009! It's 4:28am and I've been up for almost a half hour. I have no idea why I'm up so early, but I am enjoying the sound of pitter-patter-puppy feet as little Ella comes looking for me. I like the sound of heat whirring through the vents and the otherwise silence of the world. Although this hour is quite a bit earlier than my usual preference for being awake, I do love the darkness of morning and the sense of contemplation it provides. This is the one time of day that doesn't demand anything more than it has to offer.

I've spent a lot of time this past week thinking about what I want for 2009. I have a feeling, both strong and deep, that this is going to be my year to take a giant step forward in living my dreams. The past year has shown me just what truly powerful creators we are. I made my annual list of accomplishments for the year (like I do every year--instead of New Year's resolutions) and (oh, mama-mia!) it was staggering. Granted, it was excessively Stray Dog Arts obsessive, but I was amazed to see how many things manifested and changed for me in one short year.

The best part is knowing that it is only the beginning.

Late last night, after a long day of photo shoots, phone calls, emails, and (joyously!!) finally moving my canvases and paints into the studio, I came home and sat on the couch with my husband and dogs. This is a luxury I don't usually grant myself...but there was a documentary on India and, well, what can I say?

Last year my big Mondo-Beyondo request for the Universe was to attain my dream studio. I can't even tell you how close to IMPOSSIBLE that was at the time of asking. This has truly been the most incredible year of my life. The Universe has proven to me, with flying colors, that ANYTHING is possible when you live from your heart. This year, one of my most important Mondo-Beyondos is to return to India. The other one is to significantly increase the flow of money into my life. And, dear Universe, I am soooooo ready!

As I sat and watched images of India move through me on the television screen, something shifted. Yes, it was that special sort of shift that means something real is happening. Something real and wonderful and life changing. I've come to understand that all of life's biggest transformations happen in this way--and, every time, it comes as a surprise. You can't make it happen--it's more like something that happens to you and, yet, it occurs from the inside out. In my experience, molecular shifts always come about at the most unexpected times.

Anyway, I felt it. And somehow, somewhere deep inside of me, I know that it is going to happen. I am going to travel back to India to paint stray dogs and tell their story. I don't know how and I don't know when...but I do know that I am going to get there. I also know that, on a personal level, the work I do there is going to be profoundly important.

I get the sense that our life is a thread and that each thing we experience is connected to what is both before and after it. Even when things don't make sense as we're living them, those moments create our story. It is what makes sense of the difficult parts. It is the journey, not the destination. That thread is what make us beautiful.

This morning is the day that I am launching a new project and am calling it:

WORD OF THE DAY:: living life one word at a time

Every day for the next year (or more!) I am going to post a word that I have decided to dedicate my day to. These words will be built from my alphabet paintings and, every day, will be posted on my Patch of Sky Etsy (the first word can be found here). I also hope to post and write about these words here on my blog as often as possible.

In honor of my Mondo-Beyondo 2009 list...my very first WORD OF THE DAY is:

BELIEVE

I believe that everything is possible. I believe that we are powerful creators of our own reality. I believe in love and magic and dreams. I believe in miracles.

2009 is my year for life to break open. Last year was about gaining the confidence to live from the center of my Self. This year is about breaking into wild bloom.

Believing is a perfect place to begin.

Last year I accomplished the majority of my list. At the time of writing it, a lot of it felt nearly (if not completely) impossible. ha! Nothing is impossible.

Click on the image to read my Mondo-Beyondo for 2009. What about you? What's on your Mondo-Beyondo list??

Here's to BELIEVING in 2009!

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what it feels like to live an inspired life...

I feel refreshed today. As long as I don't think too hard about the long to-do list that grows each time I give my attention to it, I feel like I've entered yet another new beginning. I am bringing my very first year of the creation of Stray Dog Arts to a close...and I am looking forward to all that the next year will bring.

This morning I feel like anything is possible. I feel hopeful, expectant. I believe that, in my own way, I am capable of changing the world for the better. For me, that change comes through helping dogs in need. It comes through my art--both painting and writing. It comes from following my heart and, in turn, sharing that journey with others who are trying to find their way to their own heart's path.

What if we really, truly believed in ourselves? What if we actually did all the things that we are pulled to do? What if we let inspiration lead us in whatever direction it might take us--however unexpected?

Today I can feel my heart. And, even better, I can feel what it wants from me.

It has been a successful year of finding myself. It contained the full range of highs and lows and, in the process, I came to know myself better than I ever have before. I feel a sense of confidence that has deepened and expanded the possibilities in my life. The terrain has been treacherous in getting to this place, but I'm loving the view from where I now stand. I'll probably be tested over and over again--even so, I'm beginning to understand that taking those lessons in stride will always bring me to an even better place than the one I leave behind.

Today I am thankful for this space--this blog--and all of the powerful, empowered women that it connects me to. It is good to be reminded that everything we do does matter. What we are capable of matters. We matter. Our hearts' desires matter. Our passion, our inspiration, our dreams--they matter because they are capable of changing everything.

And a beautiful example lives through Maggie Doyne. I found this video over at Superhero Journal.

Watch. Enjoy. Dream.
And most importantly: Do.

That's me in the middle. In the Himalayas of Ladahk (northern India). Circa 1997.
My heart feels pulled.
May I return someday soon.

Namaste,
Jessie

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lately...

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if my life were a painting...

Recently completed portrait:

"Mr. Pete"
12"x 12" Oil on Canvas

Notes from the studio: It's easy to fall in love with a dog named "Mr. Pete." Oh, those deep brown eyes, that snuggle-bum paw and kissable nose. I admit: I fell for him. ;)

***

These days I have been busy painting and planning and reading and dreaming. My world is covered in a deep blanket of snow. It is a soft phthalo blue in the shadows and a dazzling burst of sunrise in places where morning brushes another layer to its surface.

Last night I drove through downtown Minneapolis in a blizzard. After several days of losing myself to the last minute influx of holiday commissions, it felt surreal to be out in the world for the pleasure of dinner. Cars occasionally skidded on a patch of ice or crust of accumulated snow. I was but one slow moving car in a stream of many.

To my left I saw several dozen individuals huddled together inside a bus stop shelter. They all had funny looking winter hats on. They all had dark colored jackets. They all stood stiffly, close to each other but with invisible thresholds holding them in solitude. In the cold, waiting for the bus, they stood in unison and worlds apart. A yellow light from the top of the shelter shined down on all of them. I wanted to paint that scene--desperately--because it was so strangely beautiful in its normalcy.

To my right, there was a young woman, perhaps in her early 20s. She trudged down the neon light-filled sidewalk with determination. She had a strong, but petite body and a wonderful red and white winter hat with long tassles, one flying in the wind and the other caught in the folds of her heavy jacket. There was something about her that made me smile. Her movement, her energy (she seemed more alive than most), her reflection in the glass windows along the 900 block of Hennepin Ave. I wanted to paint her also--in motion, if that could be possible. In motion with lights that look real.

I drove and I wanted to paint everything. And I wanted to transplant a dog into every scene.

That's what happens when I paint a lot. Everything becomes a painting. I find myself living in a world where everything is a potential creation. Once, I went out for lunch with another painter and the silver tray they served our food on became a painting.

I get lost like this sometimes. And, I must admit, I do love the way it feels.

I woke up this morning wanting to be more. I want to capture everything. I want to give myself completely to every waking second of my life. And yet, I know this isn't completely possible....but there is a freedom inside this thought that I am attracted to.

These days, I am attracted to the feeling of freedom. The best part of it is that I am invited to experience it over and over and over and over... We all are. And all we have to do is give ourselves to it.

I like imagining what my life and the world around me would look like if it were a painting. The desire to know self and place from the inside out? The desire to put words or brush strokes to every last beating second--if only to catch a glimpse of myself...

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rooting and blooming.

I woke up to December rain this morning. This is Minnesota and it's not supposed to rain in December. But, alas, it is--and I am enjoying the softness of its sound on the roof and snow. Rain has a different sound when its not met by leaves and green.

I've been wanting to write for days. I turned 34 this week and it feels important that I somehow record this journey. 34 is going to be an important year. 33 was also. It was the year I walked smack dab into the middle of my heart and started living from my center. 33 was a new beginning in my life. It was also a year of tremendous growth and change. A lot of the time it was really painful. And yet, in the passed year, I have also experienced more love and passion than I have known what to do with. This was the year I planted roots. I watered, tended, and nourished them. I planted myself in vibrant soil and have felt the deliciousness of growing myself into its depths. 33 required faith of the most profound kind. 33 was about merely establishing myself. And 34?

34 is my year to bloom.

I came to this analogy of rooting and blooming during a recent coaching call with Jamie. During a particularly intense session, she told me the story about planting clematis two years ago and how she lovingly tended to it...and, still, it did not bloom. Worried and frustrated, she asked her mom what she was doing wrong. Her mom (oh, I just love her mom) wisely told her not to worry. She explained that the clematis was growing deep and strong. It was taking root, taking hold. The clematis was putting all of its growing energy into its roots and foliage so that it could be strong and big and beautiful and could weather anything. The next year, sure enough...

It bloomed (BIG TIME)!!

(Thank you, Jamie, for sharing this photo with me!)

During this past month I have been doing one-on-one coaching with Jamie of Jamie Ridler Studios. Let me just say: she amazes me. Last year was my first experience of coaching with her when I joined Circe's Circle. Holy profound! That group got me started. They were the ones that nudged me off of my big duff and supported me in taking bigger leaps than I might have taken otherwise. The result: Stray Dog Arts. Although I was already personally motivated to bring change into my life, I have to give Circe's Circle (Jamie, along with Melba, and Mardougrrl) a lot of credit for helping me make it happen at such lightening speeds. Needless to say, a year later, I was in need of another dose of Jamie's extraordinary coaching talents--and, of course, she did not let me down.

This year I am ready to stop beating the drum of struggle. Lately I've been asking myself: "What are my old stories? And what are the new stories I now want to tell?"

This is my new year. This is the year that I get to turn another page, begin a new chapter. I am grateful for every beating second of the past year. But now I am ready to take a step forward into the new story of my life.

34 is capable. 34 is financially stable. 34 is confident. 34 has space to be. 34 is open to possibilities. 34 walks tall. 34 is beautiful. 34 loves deeply. 34 travels. 34 is filled with true friends. 34 surprises herself. 34 knows what she wants. 34 is a creator. 34 shines.

34 is in WILD BLOOM!!!!

ps.
Want to get inspired by Jamie?
Check out her video here.
Consider trying out Circe's Circle for yourself.
Or maybe join her upcoming book group (I am)!
Jamie is intelligent, sensitive, intuitive. She is magic. She is a gift.

~

Family.

After a long weekend of constructing walls in the studio space I am happy to say that I love my bro' and my dad. My dad drove all the way from northern Minnesota to help and my brother gave up plenty of weekend plans.

We worked our butts off and got an amazing amount of work done. The part I enjoyed the most: We work well together.




About 10 years ago my dad helped me to build a house (god, I love wearing a tool belt!). My brother helped with that project also. I've since sold that house and have missed that place beyond words...but this weekend was an enjoyable combination of good memories of old times mixed with new memories from the past two days.

It was also a step into the next stage of my life and I'm glad that I am able to take this step with such important people at my side.

There's still a fair amount of work to be done...but it's getting there! I will keep you posted along the way. Thank you, friends, for being with me each step of the way. ;)

And thank you, Marilou, for taking these photos!

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space :: to be

It's nearly December and I've yet to write a post about the new studio space. I get tired of saying that I'm busy all the time. So, instead, I will just say that my life has been very, very active.

On November 1st, 2008 Marilou and I used our very own keys to walk into one of the most beautiful spaces I have ever known. Never mind that it was Marilou's biggest event of the year that day. Never mind that I had a show to hang the next day. Never mind that nothing has slowed down since.

The space is ours--and, for this, I am supremely grateful. It has been a busy few weeks of designing the space, painting walls, and pricing materials. I've hunted architectual antiques; I've poured over paint chips; I've studied up on industrial hardware for sliding doors. I've looked at sinks and cabinets and closets. I have daydreamed endlessly over workbenches and am still on the lookout for that perfect desk.

Today, however, I set up my easel and simply painted. The photo (above) is of a work in progress--a farm cat (turned city cat) named Chubbie. I listened to music, took breaks to run circles with my wolfie, Anu, and, with paint brush in hand, stood bathing in a pool of sun. For lunch, I made a picnic on top of a four foot pile of sheetrock. I ate avocados and tomato with crackers, washing it down with coffee from my hot pink thermos. As I ate, Anu enjoyed her fair share of dog treats. We were happy.



Tomorrow begins Day 1 of construction. Somehow I've managed to talk my dad and brother into helping me build walls. My dad has somehow talked me into beginning at 7am.

Right now the space is 2,200 square feet of wide open bliss--but before the end of the weekend Marilou will have her very own office and I will have a private sun-filled studio--each will have large wooden sliding doors that open up into the rest of the room which we are dedicating to gallery and workshop space.

I've been daydreaming about this for so long now that I look forward to seeing the end result.

I have a feeling that a lot is going to change for me in the coming year. I don't know what or how...but I feel myself planting my roots deeply. Getting ready. Inwardly preparing.

This year has been thrilling and scary all at once. It has required great amounts of faith and perseverance. It has tested me to my core.

Tomorrow, however, is a new day.
Tomorrow, everything is possible.
And I find relief in knowing that tomorrow started with today.


"Be Brave: 7 Little Letters to Live By"
new addition on my Etsy here.

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Lovely Letters and Words :: Now Available! ::

I am proud to announce that I finally, yes FINALLY, have my alphabet prints for sale on Etsy. Just in time for the holidays. ;) These are Giclee Fine Art prints on gallery stretched canvas, each measuring 8"x 8". I don't mean to brag, but they doooo look pretty dang cool. Hang alone, build words, spell names, or collect the whole alphabet.

I have had so much fun with this project. It has taken me many months to complete, but well worth the energy. The originals are 18"x 18" oil on canvas and will be installed in a grid to create an 8 foot x 8 foot alphabet masterpiece. Each piece was inspired by vintage metal or wood signage--from the Las Vegas sign bone yard to Minneapolis, Mn...and everywhere in between. Needless to say, I have acquired a newfound love of LETTERS!!

They have now been added to my Patch of Sky Etsy and are available for purchase. Keep an eye out because I will be adding words and prints on a regular basis! :) In the meantime, hopefully this will be enough to get you started. ;)

Happy Spelling!!!
...and Thanksgiving love to everyone!

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