The Red Road

The Red Road

Long road winding began in the stars,
spilled onto the mountain tops,
was carried in the snow to the streams,
to the rivers, to the ocean…
It covers Canada, Alaska, America,
Mexico to Guatemala,
and keeps winding around the indigenous.
The Red Road is a circle of people
standing hand in hand,
people in this world, people between
people in the Spirit world.
star people, animal people, stone people,
river people, tree people…
The Sacred Hoop.
To walk the Red Road
is to know sacrifice, suffering.
It is to understand humility.
It is the ability to stand naked before God
in all things for your wrong doings,
for your lack of strength,
for your uncompassionate way,
for your arrogance - because to walk
the Red Road, you always know
you can do better. And you know,
when you do good things,
it is through the Creator, and you are grateful.
To walk the Red Road
is to know you stand on equal ground
with all living things. It is to know that
because you were born human,
it gives you superiority over nothing.
It is to know that every creation carries a Spirit,
and the river knows more than you do,
the mountains know more than you do,
the stone people know more than you do,
the trees know more than you do,
the wind is wiser than you are,
and animal people carry wisdom.
You can learn from every one of them,
because they have something you don’t:
They are void of evil thoughts.
They wish vengeance on no one, they seek Justice.
To Walk the Red Road,
you have God given rights,
you have the right to pray,
you have the right to dance,
you have the right to think,
you have the right to protect,
you have the right to know Mother,
you have the right to dream,
you have the right to vision,
you have the right to teach,
you have the right to learn,
you have a right to grieve,
you have a right to happiness,
you have the right to fix the wrongs,
you have the right to truth,
you have a right to the Spirit World.
To Walk the Red Road
is to know your Ancestors,
to call to them for assistance…
It is to know that there is good medicine,
and there is bad medicine…
It is to know that Evil exists,
but is cowardly as it is often in disguise.
It is to know there are evil spirits
who are in constant watch
for a way to gain strength for themselves
at the expense of you.
To Walk the Red Road,
you have less fear of being wrong,
because you know that life is a journey,
a continuous circle, a sacred hoop.
Mistakes will be made,
and mistakes can be corrected -
if you will be humble,
for if you cannot be humble,
you will never know
when you have made a mistake.
If you walk the Red Road,
you know that every sorrow
leads to a better understanding,
every horror cannot be explained,
but can offer growth.
To Walk the Red Road
is to look for beauty in all things.
To Walk the Red Road
is to know you will one day
cross to the Spirit World, and you will not be afraid…

Author - The Red Road

Success and Creativity

I found a very interesting author, Malcolm Gladwell, who has written several books, one in particular grabbed my interest called, Outliers. It explores the topic of success and creativity. Very compelling and important information to anyone interested in education, creativity and success.

- Kind regards, Catherine

Just transformed my long url http://appleriverartstudio.googlepages.com which is like 42 characters into this...http://tinyurl.com/49n6d8 only 25 characters now! Magic eh?

Some Thoughts About Changing and Doing New Things

I have been busy doing the Christmas baking and decorating thing, which I love by the way, no stress here. I refuse!

Being that the end of 2008 is fast approaching, I have been reflecting over the past year. I realize I have been changing and have been doing alot of new things I have never done before and some, I never thought I would do. I am not one to be making New Years resolutions but have always been interested in challenging myself, and getting out of my comfort zone. Doing such things like applying for government art grants, changing my career, my art, my attitude toward marketing myself as an artist, that's major for me. Making biscotti, venison vegetable meat pies and decorating my stairs bannister with spuce boughs, all of which I never done before either that's minor. Some of these might seem inconsequential but they have added up to a rather subtle change in my attitude, that is really very signifcant to me.

I have always been one to want to face my fear. I try hard to push through what it is I am feeling fearful of in my life, even though it scares the bejesus out of me. This is not always easy but very rewarding. We are all fearful of people, places and things, big and small. This is all very normal and what is essential to me is realizng and actualizing my ability to walk through them and know in my gut this is the only way to overcome my fear. The Serenity Prayer helps me enormously as well. This all affects my creative process and it is important for me to remember always.

Kind regards - Catherine

Christmas Reflections

Christmas is soon approaching. I have no money to shop. I am not giving into the pressure of being the typical Christmas consumer. Not that I have ever done this really, because I have made a conscious decision to avoid certain consuming Christmas traps I'll call them, like going to the Malls, listening to AM radio, or watching TV with all the commercial garbage with the exception of some programs, but presently I have no TV hook-up which was another conscious decision. That said, I can let all the Christmas pressure get me down in the dumps, if I let it, for a myriad of reasons, that I really don't wish to expound upon. Regardless, I can find the Spirit of Christmas if I choose to look hard enough and put some effort into finding it.

As the years go by, at this time of year I will often have memories of feelings of Christmas's past. I don't dwell on them, just glimpse back at the happy times and a few of the sad. All in all it is just one day. But Christmas to me is a spiritual frame of mind that needs to stay with me all year round. I keep little reminders of this up around the house, leaving some favourite ornaments up all year round to help me do this. I think deeply now, about those who have little, who hurt alot and have tragic circumstances to deal with during the season. What has all this to do with creativity I am asking myself? Alot upon reflection. I have to find creative ways to make Christmas more meaningful. Not so much to me directly, but to others around me and a distance away from me. This isn't always the easiest thing to do because there is a tendency to get focused on myself. A case of the poor me 's.
So I have to put my imagination to work and see what I come up with. I hope you can find ways to do this also. I love to know what others do to enable a Christmas in the heart all year round. For me this is what it is all about, not to forget to have Christmas Spirit in my heart, all year round. As my good friend Chris from Nebraska says. Pray for Peace... and I will.

With kind Regards - Catherine

Artist's and Marketing

I've been busy painting over the weekend and then yesterday, spent the day exploring some very exciting sites online.

I found some very interesting information regarding marketing ourselves as artists and found other fellow artists interested in the same. Here are the links listed below.

ttp://chrisbolmeier.com/gallery

http://www.pauldonnell.com/

http://www.emptyeasel.com/

http://www.robertgenn.com/

The Blank Canvas

I am about to embark on a new painting. Facing me is the blank canvas. Seems this always is a daunting endeavour. It doesn't matter how many times I begin a new painting, to some degree or another it always happens, regardless of me knowing before, this is going to be my experience. All the negative voices of my inner critic come rushing in that say. "You can't do this, who do you think you are , an artist? Crazy stuff. Now I don't really hear these exact words of my inner critic, it is more of a feeling. I wonder when these kinds of feelings leave an aritist or if the ever do. More importantly for me, what matters is to ignore these thoughts and feelings and let them go, as easily as they come. I continue to move forward inspite of them, and perhaps even because of them and make a conscious choice to take a proactive, positive approach to my creative undertaking. Thank goodness I have learned to do this and that my need and desire to be creative far outways the negative mind set and attitude I could easily take on, but choose not to today, and for that I am grateful.

Kind regards - Catherine

Creativity - Basic Principles

BASIC PRINCIPLES - from the book, The Artist's Way a Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity - Julia Cameron

1. Creativity is the natural order of life. Life is energy:pure creative energy.

2. There is an underlying, in-dwelling creative force infusing all of life-including ourselves.

3. When we open ourselves to our creativity, we open ourselves to the creator's creativity

within us and our lives.

4. We are, ourselves, creations. And we, in turn, are meant to continue creativity by being

creative ourselves.

5. Creativity is God's gift to us. Using our creativity is our gift back to God.

6. The refusal to be creative is self-will and is counter to our true nature.

7. When we open ourselves to exploring our creativity, we open ourselves to God: good

orderly direction.

8. As we open our creative channel to the creator, many gentle but powerful changes are to be

expected.

9. It is safe to open ourselves up to greater and greater creativity.

10. Our creative dreams and yearnings come from a divine source. As we move toward our

dreams, we move toward our divinity.

- The Artist's Way - Julia Cameron and Mark Bryan

The Artist's Way - Julia Cameron  and Mark Bryan

Reflections

I had a chance to reconnect and catch up with some old friends lately. People I haven't seen for many years. It really rather amazes me how things change but in many ways stay the same. It was wonderful to discover they are really neat people; creative, imaginative and rediscovering this about themselves perhaps, because they have lost the fear of being able to be themselves, for fear of rejection, failure and have redefined what it means to be successful. I have also changed in many of the same ways. Maybe it comes with age, being comfortable in my own skin and having the freedom to be myself, a creative being, my higher self. This is whom we are all meant to be. I believe this in the depths of my soul. This is the way we are born.

Today I submitted the second of two completed applications for art grants. What a wonderfully empowering feeling it has been to go through this process regardless of the outcome. I have learned much, yes had doubts but risen above them and finally been able to see this through with support and encouragement from friends, family and co-artists. I 've been able to demystify this process, face my fears and doubts, and it ceratainly has given me a sense of freedom to believe in myself and be who I am...no better, no less than anyone, a creative human being who happens to be an artist.

With kind regards - Catherine http://appleriverartstudio.googlepages.com/

Babies

Yesterday I went with a friend who was babysitting. There was the sweetest newborn I met. We both enjoyed ourselves as I cooed, gooed and held her in my arms, until her mum swept her up to go, as she had to take her with, due to still breastfeeding.

Today I reflected on this experience with this blissful little bundle and thought how beautifully innocent and open she was. I found myself wishing human's could all be this way. Open to the light and love, with a natural connection to the Great Spirit. It seems so many of us are out of touch with the Great Creator and as an artist I know this is always my daily goal to re-connect and maintain my conscious contact with the God of my understanding; just wished I didn't have to work so hard at it sometimes. Babies have this perfected.

Kind regards - Catherine

Sir Ken Robinson On Creativity

Here is a very important video in my opinion. I hope you will take the time to view it. It is a great confirmation of what I personally believe to be true about creativity. Here is the link below.

Creatively Speaking, Part One: Sir Ken Robinson on the Power of the Imaginative Mind . The internationally renowned innovation consultant calls for transformation, not just reformation, of public education. .