Hi! I'm Mary.
I am a creative soul, laughing!
As a visual artist, of course I believe that art plays an important role in authentic self-expression! My creative practice has opened a way to clarity and deep intuitive knowing. I have become more trusting of my own inner wisdom rather than waiting for external permission and approval.
And that’s what I want for you.
Playing with art materials can be fun, joyful, and cathartic. It can drop you into the flow state and help you move and release negative energy. Most importantly, you can express what is truest deep in your heart through art. I believe that everyone should be able to have access to all of that.
To be honest, it can also be frustrating, uncertain, risky, and challenging! I want to normalize the frustrating and risky bits of creating art by showing my own fits and starts. For you, I am willing to show up here with vulnerability because my creative foibles might empower you to create around or in spite of your own!
As your art guide, I want you to be able to express your truest self freely, boldly and in living color.
— I want you to listen to your soul’s wisdom and allow yourself to be guided from that deep place.
— I want to lower the barriers to your beginning a creative practice, using simple techniques and readily available supplies (hello, crayola products especially water soluble colored pencils, oil pastels and air dry clay).
— I want you to give yourself permission to follow your joy, to do more of what makes you happy and less of what society tells you that you should be doing with your one wild and precious life.
— I want to empower you to make that choice for yourself!
As your cheerleader-in-chief, I want to encourage you:
— To take up your favorite color and make whatever marks your soul suggests;
— To be a beginner and try new things; and
— To let yourself play.
As your spiritual guide, I want you to find your way to connecting to a good and loving force that envelopes and energizes the whole universe.
I am here to walk with you on your journey into the mystery we call God or Spirit or Universe or The Ground of all Being.
— I recommend to you the books that helped me find a more expansive and life giving understanding of how God shows up in my life.
— I’ll hold your hand on the path of deconstruction if you are ready to question old religious believes that no longer resonate, and help you knit together the kind of faith that nurtures your soul.
— I offer you one-on-one accompaniment along the way because I am a good listener and I’ve been down this road before.
C’mon, I’ll show you….
Click here to schedule a complimentary thirty-minute time to talk with me about where you are on your spiritual journey and where you want to go.
To get you well started on this rewarding journey, I have a whole library of resources for you to draw on! You’ll find:
— Lists of essential creative supplies while you are traveling or creating at home;
— Mindset tools to help you deal with your crabby inner critic and impactful book recommendations that have helped me develop an artsy growth mindset that clears the path to a more creative life;
— Easy to follow directions on drawing flowers that you can play with right away; and
— Books and a Guide to bring your spiritual journey to a deeper level.
When you subscribe to my Substack, you’ll to unlock instant access to my resource library called “A Place to Begin.”
creative soul, laughing
Why is creative expression so important to me?
It has something to do with endless piles of laundry…
Many, many years ago, in the basement while folding laundry (seems I was always folding laundry), I was finally able to name the feeling that I had been carrying with me for so long: DESPAIR.
I dragged that feeling with me as I carried the clean laundry back up the stairs and filled the dresser drawers again. I dragged it behind me as I vacuumed the floors and put away toys. Despair was in my shopping cart at the grocery store and packed in the bags I loaded in my trunk. It was on the countertops, wiped clean again and again after every meal prepared and eaten.
I wondered if this was all there was to life. The heaviness of despair sapped my energy; I was always tired. It sucked all the joy out of my days. Nothing stayed clean. Nothing stayed finished. No one stayed fed. The next morning, it started all over again. I felt like I was walking up a hill of sand. Every step seemed to bring with it a bit of a backwards slide.
My naming the feeling of despair allowed me to see beyond it. Surely, there was more to life than laundry. There is more to life than motherhood. There must be more. More joy. More aliveness.
And then, I discovered a measure of creative joy through scrapbooking and art journaling. Creativity brings me joy!
- Creating gives me that sense of more.
- Creating stays done!
- Creating brings me an opportunity to play and try new things!
- Creating allows me to make my own decisions without checking with anyone else first (it’s only paper!)
- Creating fills me up like a delicious big meal.
- Creating nourishes my soul, allows me to tap into my inner wisdom, and discover images and metaphors that bring clarity on my spiritual journey.
That’s why I try to engage in creativity every day! If it helped me find my way out of that feeling of despair, maybe it can help you too.
If you want to figure how to weave more creativity into your day, have a look around my website, connect with me on social media, or contact me below and let me know how I can help you get started!
a couple of fun facts about me!
Kaba
I have the world’s cutest dog. I may be biased. Kaba is a miniature labradoodle. He’s been with us for 12 years and is still excited to see me every time I come home. He is my morning walking buddy.
I’ve rediscovered poetry
I love reading it, not so much writing it. Especially poems by Mary Oliver. And Julia Fehrenbacher and Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer. Some poets can say so much with such few words, it is amazing. I also love incorporating text elements in my artwork, either like this example, or by using old book pages as collage bits.
I love hiking!
We’re taking a break on a hike along the Blue Ridge Parkway in western North Carolina. I love the smell of forests! I’m always lagging behind because I stop to take pictures of all the mountain views and colorful wildflowers.
For too many years, I avoided moving my body. Now, after have a couple of major joint replacements, I have embraced movement as an important part of self-care, and try to get out for a hike or a bike ride a couple of times a week.
Questions? Comments?
Click below!