Behind the Scenes Since My Disappearance in August

Where Have I Been as an Artist Since I Last Posted?

Artist Mary Rae Rush (Mary Gravelle)

It's a been awhile since I've written a post here on Blogger. I shifted my focus from writing about my art and art business to blogging only on my art website. Now, I'm thinking it'll be good to post both places. Any thoughts on this subject?

So, where have I been since posting last August? I committed to completing my book on my creative process. I created an online course to match the book. And, I've been painting. My progress seems slow, but now that I read this, I've come along way. Below are snippets of updates on each of those.

Book

My proposed book cover for the forthcoming book on Kindle: INTENTivity

I'm at the end of that completion cycle finally. The title changed from Ignition to INTENTivity. It's been one of the longest, largest creative projects I've undertaken thus far in my life.

I decided to self-publish after receiving one rejection letter from an agent. In hindsight, I might have been better off sending out 100's of book proposals until I received a YES. But, I didn't, so I've been learning the ropes of self-publishing. There is so much to learn and know. As I work to complete uploading to Kindle on Amazon, I see that I've learned a lot. There is still so much more to learn. Perhaps I'll write another blog post of advice to others who want to write a book. The featured photo is where the book cover stands at this point. You would not believe how many book covers I have designed for this book over the past 7 months!

See links below to follow me on social media for updates.

Online Self-Discovery Course for Creative Confidence

Coming soon, online course for self-discovery and transformation.

The book is a "workshop in a book" that outlines a 6-week program. New material had been added since working with clients on this work. I enlisted the help of beta-testers to read over my book and take the course as they read. Much to my delight and surprise, it went very well!

Although during the process, I hardly had time to come up for air in this time period from September through November. I'm deeply ingratiated to the five beta testers who were still standing at the end of this procedure. It was intense for all of us. They were taking a deep dive into the self-discovery process, Igniting Your Intentions, and giving me feedback on the book and the work at the same time. I was recording video and audio and preparing PDF's of the work, building my online course as I went. All through this, I was daily checking in with my student beta testers helping them out with their process.

What Paintings Have I Been Working on and Completed?

Cross Pollination of the Cosmic Bee.
11 x 19 inches.
Tempera on paper.

I think this will be the subject of a separate blog post. But, I painted nothing in September and October of 2017 while I was heavily focused and working on the book and online course.

Then, because I sincerely have to paint for my sanity, I came back to it with a lighthearted approach in November, following prompts from a Facebook painting group. In January I did two paintings, two paintings were completed in February, and in March I did none. I picked up again in April working on a redo of a painting that didn't work from many years ago. That's where I am right now in my oil painting adventures. I've discovered that I need to take a more balanced approach to my goals.

Until Next Time

• Buy Art
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• Make Art

Show me the Love

Please comment below with your thoughts after reading my musings. Do you find value in reading it? Your comments and likes inspire me onward...

About the Author, Artist and Writer, Mary Rae Rush

Mary Rae lives in Camp Verde, Arizona with her loyal assistant, Sir Kitty. Visit her websites for more information.

Websites

• Igniting Your Intentions (INTENTivity)
• Art website

To follow my work, catch me on social media:

• Instagram-my art
• Instagram-INTENTivity
• Facebook: My Art Biz page
• Facebook: INTENTivity Biz page
• Facebook: INTENTivity Intro Group

No Art Today

FREE video series of my Igniting Your Intentions program
This program will help you tap into your inner wisdom.
It is also a creative process that artists and creatives
will love! Sign up.

I missed writing my blog last week. I'm in the middle of doing other things besides creating art. As I went about my day today wondering what to write about, the title came to me: No
Art Today. When I lived in Hartford, CT many years ago, there was a restaurant called No Fish Today. That's where the idea came from.

Art is in the works, however. I put the first coat of varnish on the commissioned painting that was completed a few weeks ago. I also have started a painting I would love to use for the cover of my upcoming book, Ignition. So, my art is in there, just taking a different kind of journey for a week or two.

The creation that is happening right now is that I'm about to launch a FREE video series of my Igniting Your Intentions program. It's a creative process of writing, drawing, and intention. It's my own process and I'm excited to share it with you! Head on over to the that page and check it out. Sign up. Learn something new. Enjoy the process.

And... I'm working on a 5-week Igniting Your Intentions workshop with special guest numerologist, Greer Jonas. It's a 2015 Discovery Session that will help you direct 2015 in the best possible way for you personally. You will be guided according to your personal numerology. And then, I'll help you create an intention statement. Then, there will be daily work to do. More details will be unfolded as you go. The FREE video series I referred to above is the introduction. Sign up to find out if it is for you. If you have questions about the process, fill out this quick two question survey. This will help me create the best possible program.

Until Next Week

Sir Kitty

Brianna Rush (Mary Rush Gravelle)

• Create art
• Appreciate art
• Buy art

About the author: Mary Rush Gravelle is an artist and writer who resides in Sedona, Arizona with her beloved cat, Sir Kitty.

Mixing it Up

Paint palette of mixed colors.
Copyright 2014 Mary Rush Gravelle.

How we mix up our experiences in life is just as exciting, most times, more so, than the final destination of arrival. Chance encounters and meetings as we go about our day add to the flair and fun of our lives.

I often fall in love with my palette when mixing colors while painting. The accidental occurrences that happen when colors, water, and gel mediums run into each other delights me. Eye candy, soul intrigue, and new possibilities ignite my senses.  Imagination comes alive on the palette, many times after the painting session has been completed. What is left on the palette afterward is the mess of the creative process where magic has just had its way with me.

Paint palette of mixed colors.
Copyright 2014 Mary Rush Gravelle.

Life can be a colorful adventure like that too, if only we will let it have its way with us. Planned experiences can be mixed with openness, flexibility, and spontaneity. With a little imagination and a touch invention, we can allow life to get a little messy. And... have much more more fun that way.

How can you use your creativity today and throughout this next week to energize your life in an artful, colorful way? How can you allow the merging of life circumstances and experiences to alter the perceived reality of the situation? How can you create something new and exciting in your life? Leave a comment below.

And while we're talking about colorful experiences, head on over to my art website to see how I mix up colors on my canvas and in digital media. Also, check out my prints for more colors! Consider adding one of my colorful artworks to your home or office.

Paint palette of mixed colors.
Copyright 2014 Mary Rush Gravelle.

Until Next Week

• Create art
• Appreciate art
• Buy art

Mary Rush
(Mary Gravelle)

About the Author

Brianna Rush (Mary Rush Gravelle) is an artist who resides in Sedona, Arizona with her beloved cat, Sir Kitty. More about her art and paintings can be found on her website.

Copyright 2014 Brianna Rush (Mary Rush Gravelle). All rights reserved.

Sir Kitty

Making Art is a Lot About the Artist Getting Out of the Way

Tracing a drawing onto my canvas for a commissioned painting.
I will use my own advice while doing this painting.
I have done the initial preparations toward my vision,
receiving input from my buyer. Now, it's up to my creative
process to take over. I will work on getting out of my own
way and let the painting breath its own life into existence.
I am merely the messenger at this point.
Copyright 2014 Mary Rush (Gravelle). All rights reserved.

As much as we artists would like to think that our art is all about us, I believe more and more, it isn't.

I think a lot of the creative process of making art has to do with the artist getting out of his/her own way. The "way" I speak of translates as "mind and brain". Too much thinking can impede our progress. It can inhibit new and exciting expressions from coming forth.

The Joy has Stopped

I was talking with an artist friend over the weekend who is in the midst of painting toward a show that will begin in about three weeks. She told me that she was no longer enjoying her painting process. And furthermore, 3-4 pieces were either in ruin or had been started and stopped. She was shut down creatively and had lost her joy of painting. The impending deadline weighed heavily upon her shoulders and mind. As the conversation unrolled itself, I realized that she had a big sister criticizing her, the little sister, both in real life and internally. This criticism and advice was robbing the fun from her inner child's creative process.

Stop Thinking So Hard

I basically suggested that she just let go and paint. Let the materials do the painting, much like I teach in Wisdom Painting. Stop thinking so hard and get back to playing at the painting process again. Allow herself to experiment a little since she told me she had bought some gel mediums that she wanted to try. The theme of her show also was all about channeling the paintings, a condition where you must be open to the process.

Commissioned painting, 18 x 36 inches.
The drawing part of the process is complete.
Now it's time to paint!
Copyright 2014 Mary Rush (Gravelle). All rights reserved.

Jazzed Again

I am happy to report that my friend just sent me a photo of the painting she worked on today. It is a dynamic and strong visual piece, not yet complete, however. She is totally excited and jazzed again. I would like to think that my conversation with her helped loosen up her process.

What I Suggest

So, here is what I suggest if you feel yourself stuck: just show up and then surrender. Take yourself out of the equation as much as possible.

Just Show Up

Just showing up to the materials will send a message to your inner child or creative muse that you are ready to paint. It's a physical commitment to your process. Show up with intent to paint.

Surrender

Surrender to the creative process. Let the colors, brushes, palette, and canvas all have a conversation with your intuition and your vision for this painting. There is an intelligence built into the creative process itself. Surrender to it and let it have its way with you and the painting. All those years of art school or training / learning will ensure that the painting is a painting and not a disastrous mess.

Try It

Try this out and report back. How did it work for you? Was it really bad advice? Or did it help you break through a block of some sort?

Mary Rush
(Mary Gravelle)

Until Next Week

Sir Kitty

• Create art
• Appreciate art
• Buy art

About the Author

Mary Rush is an artist who resides in Sedona, Arizona with her beloved cat, Sir Kitty.

Copyright 2014 Mary Rush (Gravelle). All rights reserved.

Creating Something New - Igniting Your Intentions FREE Video Series

I have been busy creating a new three-part FREE video series introducing folks to the Igniting Your Intentions™ program. This is a creative process that leads to personal growth and a deeper connection with the inner self and inner wise guide.

If this sounds intriguing, there is still time to sign up to hear them. The last day to subscribe is tomorrow. They will no longer be available on October 5. Check it out here. It's a great process to help you focus on some aspect of your life while deepening the connection to your inner self.

Coffee Pot Theory of the Creative Process: Part 3

Use this link to contact me: http://www.contactify.com/b83af

@2004-2011 Mary Rush Gravelle
This process may not be shared for professional gain.
Please obtain written consent. All rights reserved.
You may share it for consideration in the way I have set forth in the article.
Please share only by giving full credit as follows:
"A creative process developed by Mary Rush Gravelle."

Last week I explained Stages One and Two of my creative process: Coffee Pot Theory of the Creative Process. Today we will finish up with the remaining three stages. I have used the word “idea” throughout but you might also consider interchanging it with “project” because I think that the process is the same for any creative endeavor. No matter if you are an artist, writer, musician, businessperson, layperson, or another kind of person (;-0), this process applies.

Original article was published in 2004 in the ARTistic FX magazine in Hartford, Connecticut.

3^rd Stage: Revival

If the idea has managed to survive to this point that means that you have a newfound hope for the probability of your idea. You revive it and ask, “How can I make it happen?” You might research other ideas that are similar or ask others for advice. You might also enlist the help of an expert in the field of your idea. You begin to grapple with how to bring it forth. Possibilities exist.

4^th Stage: Shaping

Now that you have given your idea a reason for living, you move into action by organizing your thoughts. “Okay, I think it’ll work” is what you say now. You plan your strategy and feel confident that it can be done.

Featured artwork.
Snow Window, Photograph. ©2011 Mary Rush Gravelle
Purchase a print here:
http://mary-gravelle.artistwebsites.com/featured/snow-window-mary-gravelle.html

5^th Stage: Yippee!

You have given shape and form to your idea, and it is now a livable and breathable thing. “What a great idea!” you declare. You have moved through all the stages of moaning, groaning, crying, and laughing. Now it is time to celebrate because the idea has been made manifest into the real world.

Summary:

Although a coffee lover, I realize that I feel the same buzz from creating something new as I feel from drinking my coffee. 

Run my Theory through your own creative process, and see if it fits the way you create. I would love to hear your comments.

Coffee Pot Theory of the Creative Process: Part 2

Use this link to contact me.

Coffee Pot Theory of the Creative Process.
©2004-2011 Mary Rush Gravelle

Last week I introduced you to my Coffee Pot Theory of the Creative Process. This is a process that came to me in 2004. I called it a theory because it was something that I was thinking about as a possibility in outlining the creative process. Creativity is a rascal that does not want to be tied down. It is a free spirit. But, what if we can get a handle on the process of creativity? Wouldn’t that make life a little easier? Wouldn’t it help us create if we knew the process?

This theory was published in 2004 in the ARTistic FX magazine in Hartford, Connecticut. The magazine is no longer online, otherwise I would give you the link. I will reproduce it here on this blog for you over several weeks so you can take it in, or drink it in!

Beginning of article:

Published 2004 in the ARTistic FX magazine

“DID YOU KNOW THAT YOUR NEXT CUP OF COFFEE HOLDS THE SECRET TO THE CREATIVE PROCESS?

We are the Coffee Generation, judging by the many different coffee establishments. Why do we love our coffee so much? Does the idea of drinking a cup of coffee conjure up the scene in your mind of being jolted from your sleepy-headed state and revving your feet into action? It certainly does for me.

Let’s think about the act of drinking that cup of coffee as metaphor for the creative process. Think of the head as the beginning of the process and the feet as a completion of our process. Coffee wakes our head so our feet can get moving.

Now, let’s compare Coffee with Ideas. Ideas come into our minds so our feet can bring them out into the world in some form. We begin with an idea and find ourselves immersed in a process of making it happen.” [This is much like placing the coffee grounds and water into the pot and then letting the process take over to make that cup of coffee].

“Let’s begin with the old-fashioned method: the percolator coffee pot. How does it make coffee? The percolator takes its time heating the water and then takes more time sending the water upward only to come back down over the coffee grounds. Then, the water seeps over the grounds, and the fresh aroma of coffee fills the kitchen as the coffee makes its way into the pot with a final brew. [Let’s compare this process with the creative process].

1^st Stage: Yahoo!

This is the moment in time when an idea arrives in your wondering mind, ‘Hmm… I have an idea,' you might say to yourself. This is the very exciting stage when you salivate at the very prospect of pursuing this idea. It’s like the first kiss, so savory delicious you can hardly contain your jazzed-up emotion over it.

2^nd Stage: Ouch!

Featured artwork: Landscape of the Mind
Abstract photograph. © Mary Rush Gravelle.
Purchase a print.

Your idea takes a nosedive after running it through your Reality Checking System. ‘It’ll never work. What was I thinking anyway?” is what you might be saying at this stage. You ramble on, “There are no new ideas, anyway.” You doubt everything about yourself and this idea: its feasibility, your skill level, your thinking abilities, blah, blah, blah, etc. Your acrimonious remarks continue. Pragmatism rules. The Critic takes over.”

End of partial article

So, think about these two beginning stages of this theory. Run them through your own creative process and see if it fits. I’ll continue this next week unfolding the final stages to the creative process.

Coffee Pot Theory of the Creative Process

Coffee Pot Theory of the Creative Process.

©2004-2011 Mary Rush Gravelle

Part One: Introduction

Years ago I thought about the creative process quite a bit. As a result my intuition played along and gifted me with many ideas. The creative process was revealed to me in several ways.

One of these was a process that I developed (along with the Muse) which called itself “Coffee Pot Theory of the Creative Process”. After I wrote it up and talked about it in one of my creativity workshops I realized that the idea of the coffee pot was a dated one. Some of the younger people in the audience did not know what a percolator-type coffee pot was. Ouch. Did I feel old at that point? Oh yeah!

But anyway, I think the idea is still relevant. So if you do not know what a percolator-type coffee pot is, look at my illustration. That’s what it looks like. Sometimes they are electric. The simplest ones are heated on the stove. The water comes up from the bottom through a tube and falls onto the coffee grounds. See the links at the bottom of this article for more information.

I’ll talk more about the process in subsequent blog entries. Let’s start a conversation. What do you think about the stages of the creative process that I have outlined here in theory?

About the Percolator Coffee Pot -- the parts and the process.

Reviews on the Percolator Coffee Pot -- they make excellent coffee!

Percolator Coffee Pot at Target

Three Techniques for Creating Meaningful Art

Living with Faith, 72 x 106 inches, triptych, oil on wood.
©2003 Mary A. Gravelle.
Original is available. Contact me NOW!

Are you creating art that is meaningful to you? Or has your art making become dry, cold, and lifeless?

By meaningful, do we mean to the artist or to the viewer? Creating meaningful art, to me, means that I create art that is meaningful to me. I can only hope, that by creating art that is personally gratifying this will in turn be meaningful to someone else.

So, how does an artist go about creating meaningful art? I think that if the artist finds a heartfelt connection to something and creates from that perspective, this will indeed create a work of art that is meaningful to the creator. If a work of art is created from the heart, love energy will be implicit in the final creation. In turn someone looking at the work of art will feel this love energy.

As an artist, how do you find subject matter that is meaningful? Is the subject matter really important? Or do you create from feelings? Maybe the art materials used are themselves inspiring and meaningful to you.

Here are three techniques that will serve as beginning inspiration and fodder to instill meaning into your next work of art.

1. Observation

Get out of the studio and into the world. Go for a drive to a new place. Or simply take a walk anywhere. Movement is key. By moving, your eye is awakened and exercised to seeing new sights. Observe everything around you. What do you see that excites you? What are you feeling as you encounter this place? What colors and shapes do you see that are thrilling for you? Does nature bring you a sense of awe and wonder? Does the urban landscape arouse your curiosity? Could you extract any of these observations to be used in your next work of art?

2. Journaling

Journaling is an important way to capture your thoughts, ideas, and feelings. Vow to write everyday on what’s happening in your life and what is transpiring over time. This will give you insights into your own life creating material for what is meaningful to you. Use your journal in conjunction with the observation exercise above. There must be something that is happening in your life right now that you could use in some way to create your next meaningful piece of art.

3. Sketchbook

Many artists consider the sketchbook one of the most integral aspects to the creation of their art. Some use it as others use their journal, except they draw what they observe instead of writing about it. I suggest that you do both. Draw what you observe. Then write about your observations noting shapes, colors, content, smell, feelings, and anything else you deem worthy of capturing. Find out if there is something here that can be used in your next creation, if only a small part of it, that could create more meaning to your art.

Do you have ways that you create meaningful art? What does it mean to create a meaningful work of art? I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas.

The Muse is Waiting

Number 2: The Presence of the Other. Acrylic on Wood.
24 x 24 inches. SOLD. ©2008 Mary A. Gravelle. To purchase
a giclee print, click here.

Recently I began painting again after almost nine months off. To my amazement, the Muse is still with me!

My dreams during the last two nights were about painting. In the first dream, I was the artist doing very cool paintings hanging out with very cool people (of course! ;-)). In last night's dream, I was asked to look over a stack of paintings by a retired painting professor who was preparing for his retrospective.

My excuse for not painting is that I have been in art school. It never felt like I had time to paint for myself given the myriad of school projects to complete. I managed to paint one painting for myself last year. That was Sir Kitty at Home, a 36 x 60 inch acrylic painting on canvas.

So, my inspiring message to you dear artist is that the Muse is waiting. She is waiting for you to show up to your process. She is never the one that forsakes us. No, we ignore her effectively shutting her out. How can we listen and hear her prodding when we don’t show up to our creative process?

My inspiring message to the art collectors out there is to keep doing your job of appreciating the artist's work. If you have a favorite artist that seems to be stuck, prod them to just show up. If you know an artist that does show up, pat them on the back and tell them to keep showing up.

Is this your experience too? Do you find that merely showing up invites the Muse into your creative process? If not, why? How do you invite her in