The journey to finding peace starts with...

July 23, 2024

'There is always hope' and 'What guides you'

 

What happens when you create from a heartfelt place?

You find your inner peace

The cold of winter can feel like a dark place, yet amidst the harsh daylight, it holds the potential for hope—if you are willing to see it.

The release of ‘Always be open’ and ‘What guides you’ - a pair of two limited edition prints is tied to this encouraging concept.

‘Always be open… to possibility, joy and hope

and you will be rewarded with an inner peace that guides and grounds you.’

Inspired by the imposing Lindis Pass and the bare rolling hills of the Pisa Range both in Central Otago the large original watercolours were created from a deep and beautiful flow state. It was through discovering that finding joy every day was essential to my evolving inner strength. To not just let it find me and to wait for joy to show up, but to actively look for it. Then I found the same thing was true for hope, so now I share that with you with ‘There is always hope’ and ‘What guides you’

 

 

It's always about the journey of discovery. Thats where I learn.

It's where my creativity blossoms.

Even when I haven't created for months.

It's still growing inside of me.

Then it comes back stronger than ever.

 

 

 

I give thanks

I walk

I notice

I rest

I think (maybe too much sometimes)

I stop thinking

I just be

I stay open

Then the world expands

I feel joy

I relish small moments like they are big moments

I see things with clarity

I reflect on what I've experienced

Then I see how things really are

Thoughts of impossibility feel possible

I'm filled with hope

Then action

Then that action turns to daily action

And it grows

It feels aligned

And peace becomes my anchor

Guiding me to

Always be open

 

Filled with hope I go forward and enter through my days with confidence and commitment. But then I forget. I become fixated and blurred at the same time. I call on that inner peace I had worked so hard to cultivate and I ask it to come back. I call out for hope, I call it in. I nurture it.

I look for joy and try to see it in the unlikeliest of places. I always find it. It's not hard but it IS a practice. One that I must constantly strive for now that I know

'There is always hope'

 

 

This is something I have had to re-learn. I used to have a confidence about me that others admired. Often eager to jump in to new adventures, sometimes unprepared but so keen, I'd just go for things. Unafraid I'd travel alone and not worry about what others thought.

But then I lost that confidence. I'm not sure when. I was in my late 20's.

I felt like I was unraveling but supposedly had all the things.

A husband, healthy young children, our first home in an idylic mountain town.

Then the darkness grew inside me. I felt hopeless and I felt hopelessness leading me.

 

This went on for years. ( I wasn't painting then.)

So I slowly did something about it. It wasn't intentional at first but I kept wanting to try new things, like whole foods and meditation to see if they would fix me. On reflection, I guess they did eventually as I've stuck with them and transformed my lifestyle but it’s never just one thing and you can't fix yourself, you can only aim to work on yourself. You can't rush the outcome, it takes time.

 

 

 

I don't see my journey as a straight line but rather several lines that intertwine and go up and down and backwards and sometimes they spiral….

 

It is always unfolding, becoming richer with each step, every block, every failure. But also in building layers of resilience, tenacity and belief.

The lessons are always there, we just need to stay open to them.

I think it starts with getting out in nature, appreciating the moment regardless of the weather and then letting it help you reflect. Daily habits lead to the greatest change. One small walk can lead to a daily walk and after a little time it's a habit. It's not something you have to do, it's something you can't do without. So true in my case.

This journey is a culmination of a pursuit that is seldom finished but always fulfilling.

 So as winter threatens our light….

 

Don't let your darkness guide you, there is hope.

Always be open.

 

See more of the winter art prints

 

 

 

 

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