Today, self-renewal as an art form is on my mind. We do enough of obligation, and quite enough of what we think we “should” do.  Doing lots of what you want to do in the space between what has to be done is the way to create incredible momentum, confidence and a creative  joy that feels unbreakable.

I’d like to welcome you to my new favorite Matisse, second only to the Cezanne still life of impossibly balanced peaches that took my breath away at LACMA.  Literally, I gasped for ait looking at the peaches.  As I strolled through the gallery space, I got taller. A smile washed over me that wouldn’t fade.

If you are in Los Angeles, I highly recommend taking a stroll through the museum and seeing a few of the gems hanging in the Resnick Pavillion.  What is most notable about the exhibit- besides the Matisse and the Cezanne and a few other Fauvist bright wonders in big gold frames- is the wall color of the entire exhibit.

Dark, deep navy walls are absolutely surreal.  Its like swimming, diving, feeling deeply connected to your cellular power.  Navy walls are so emotionally powerful that they are challenging to live with at home for many… but they are radically enriching for a day to experience.

Yes, I am recommending you go to LACMA to see the wall color.  At one point when I was 16 I was committed to being the person who selects wall colors for exhibits at the Metropolitan Museum Of Art (*was this a psychic future flash?!) because they had such an effect upon my experience of art and my mood.

And, with that, let’s get into the deep of your own artful renewal!

Self-renewal comes in many forms… Like…

• Physical
• Mental
• Emotional
• Creative
• Environmental

And, of course, Spiritual, encompassing all of the above.

How much time do you spend giving yourself some love in any or all of these ways?

How often do you clean your house, read a great book, make some art or live in more love?  

When is the last time you did something to make yourself healthier, wiser or even more physically challenged that had nothing to do with an obligation? 

As I sit right now, my puppy Bob is in a spa day, getting a full-scale bath experience.  He needs renewal, too!

And where I sit, above in my view of jars stuffed with wildflowers and big jars of Himalayan pink salt soaking in water.  Did you know that people put a spoonful of this “soleil” salt elixir into their water as a cleansing cellular renewal?

In fact, as I sip on turmeric juice (*so yuck, but makes me feel so good!) and eyeball my giant coconut milkshake I have this wild sense of color starting to swirl over my head.  Its my own renewal day… and it is the most important thing I have learned to give myself.

If you are in a space where life has gone dull, become overwhelming, exhausting, feels stifled or otherwise routine in a way that lacks inspiration, you are in for a great treat: the only way is up from where you sit right now!

Master your own art of renewal.

Key word: art.

This means: no punishing exercise in the name of self-love unless it is your passion, no “should” or “must” activities. No forcing yourself through a day, no taking yourself to do physical cleanses that feel horrible… Seriously, for every wellness activity, there is an extreme and somewhat dark side in the extreme.  I happen to be a cautionary tale, having almost died doing an extreme physical cleanse!  Stay in the art of it, in the light.

Start with the premise that you have so much good inside of you (you do!)  and that you want to shine more light on that good.

Give yourself time to indulge in things you love, even if it is during odd hours that happen to work for you.  I have been known to take lunches at art galleries, to do late-night yoga and beach walks at sunrise.  Part of artful living is flow. Let things flow more easily.

Unload some of the obligations that stifle you.  We have all said yes to things when we know we should have said no.  Create clear space for more and more artful life.

Here’s a piece of my closet. It was the big block in energy in my new home.  Last night I literally took it apart and kissed my bulky wooden hangers that were awkward and filled with bad memories goodbye.

You heard me right: my hangers were full of bad memories.

Objects all have energy.  We attach and assign meaning to this energy based on experience.

This morning- after the closet got switched over to ivory velvet hangers- my mind feels free and my awareness is so much higher.

Now… it is time for more artful life!

If you are readng this saying to yourself, I am not an artist, I’m just not creative, I am here to tell you that you are! The fact that you are living in a body right now is an act of creation so enormously complex and a masterpiece so huge it is unreal.  Your every step, your every thought, is all pure creativity.

Take your time. Don’t assign yourself creative tasks like they were a job.  Instead, move toward the things that call to you and make you feel taller and smile brighter.  This is where inspiration is waiting. This is where you get to re-wire your mind.  This is the place that great expectations and more vivid dreams come from.  And… it is waiting for you.  xoxo Dana

 

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