Tag: inspiration

Creativity, Discovery, inspiration

Use Your Right to Create

by Erika K Rothwell2 Comments on Use Your Right to Create
Use Your Right to Create

“Do not let your left brain outthink your right to create!”

Excited by my new brush pens I attempted to “paint” a flower subject for the first time.  At first it appeared my left brain, leaning on its own experience, overthought the process by starting with an outline before filling in with color.  

Quickly, frustrated with my lack of ability, the desire to complete the task took over.  An elementary-level rendition of the flower was born. It was certainly not the detailed and logical result you might expect from a left-brain activity,   So normally I would have given up at this point. As it clearly appeared, I had little ability in this arena.

My right brain appeared to be enticed by a second look. So I made another attempt moments later.  I found myself immersed in a feeling of timelessness, seamlessly connected to creative inspiration. And I was now able to move effortlessly, almost thoughtlessly, in the direction of creation.  Finally, the second endeavor resulted in a piece resembling artwork. It was certainly not perfect either, yet clearly designed from a presentness in my heart.

Do you see the difference?

Awakening Your Right

From further research, I read that through the right brain we are able to be present and therefore become imbedded in the process rather than being overly concerned with the destination. The right side of the brain is responsible for empathy, intuition, imagination, and creativity.  It is no wonder that dreams are born from our right brain.

“Logic will get you from A to B.  Imagination will take you everywhere.”  Albert Einstein

Words are the same.  We cannot overthink as we write and expect to create a connection, a meaningful rendition of thoughts from our heart.

This exercise was undertaken simply as a step to awakening.  My life’s purpose is still somewhat unclear, yet I am drawn to create from the heart ignoring self-interruptive negative messaging and help others find a connection to their own creative centers.

If you are one who struggles with organizing your thought process, you may appreciate that logic does not always hold the answer. Our creative journey cannot be dictated by thought.  Rather, our authentic work must be guided by the heart.

AND, I have just personally discovered a whole lot more heart and art in the right brain.  

Happy Creating!

©Erika K Rothwell

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creative, inspiration, Nature

Jewels of Nature

by Erika K Rothwell2 Comments on Jewels of Nature
Jewels of Nature

I love jewels. Not jewels of luxurious and wealthy means, rather the magnificence presented in tiny morsels each morning in simplistic excellence and elegance. Nature’s jewels exist for me as they appear in a raindrop, a perfectly shaped bud of a flower, a molded stone discovered in a riverbed or an iridescent shell plucked from the seashore.

Adorning myself with the inspiration of nature on a daily basis brings me closer to answers I seek. My thoughts arrange themselves in a pattern of words, formed by simply gazing deeply into the heart of each stunning treasure, by connecting to each unique design of powerful creation.

And so, each day I wake and explore a kingdom of unimaginable and glorious riches as I behold diamonds glistening on the surface of the water and emerald blades of grass clothed with fringes of iridescent baubles on their surface.

Wrapped luxuriantly in the chiffon of wispy clouds, as the spotlight of dawn showcases the earth’s museum of artistic treasures, I am grateful to visit without an admission fee once again.

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hope, inspiration, Nature

Painting with Words – Hope Blooms

by Erika K RothwellLeave a Comment on Painting with Words – Hope Blooms
Painting with Words – Hope Blooms

A faint vision, a random thought and a perplexing question all lead to the potential of a word painting.  I immerse myself in the fleeting illumination as my pen-brush touches the page.

The ink begins to flow, colorful images formed in words move the story forward.  Unclear at first yet steadily engaged, a message begins to form.  Hope blooms once again from a masterpiece of nature, a love flower, captured as a photograph unsuspectingly in the early part of my day.

In a coffee house far away, where plants are grown from air, I found inspiration to share.  So my words began to thrive without roots as I expanded my predetermined horizon into poetic expression.

As we know, life’s picture is never revealed all at once.  Rather, meaning is often gathered in pieces over years of soul searching.  Sometimes, however, a revelation is discovered in a crucial missing element while taking a rest off the beaten path.

With a much-needed break, a momentary breath of fresh air and a blank white canvas, endless possibilities burst forth in a fantastic display of color as I am left luxuriating in a new and vibrant inflorescence of hope.

© Erika K Rothwell

“Sometimes nature guards her secrets with the unbreakable grip of physical law.  Sometimes the true nature of reality beckons from just beyond the horizon.”

Brian Greene

Today’s post was inspired by the magnificent Lily of the Nile, known in Greek as the Agapanthus, derived from the Greek word – Agape – Love and Anthos – Flower…and my first purchase of a Tillandsia air plant found in the lovely Plant Shoppe, in Oklahoma City.

My new air plant.

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courage, Creativity, Discovery

Color Outside The Lines

by Erika K Rothwell4 Comments on Color Outside The Lines
Color Outside The Lines

“Do one thing everyday that scares you.”  Eleanor Roosevelt 

Challenge your boundaries, allow them to stretch your status quo, courageously step out of bounds at times even if not within your comfort zone and expand your creative horizons.  Protecting what we have always been, doing what we have always done will bring us the results we have already received.

Perhaps our past experiences, fears and expectations of others and ourselves have darkened the outlines of our potential, holding us back.  Sadly, we may hide behind walls containing our gifts neglecting the work that defines our unique contribution to this world.

Follow the lead of a child where lines don’t seem to exist, only possibilities.  Flawless work is not the ultimate goal and individual expression comes naturally as they move freely and fluidly through their creative process.

Through years of setting up borders and boundaries for ourselves, we unknowingly create an outline of our envisioned lives hardened with continuous and tedious strokes keeping us functioning safely within the lines.  Over time, after producing generic pictures colored within the lines of our own making with repetitive skill, it’s no wonder that creative inspiration often fades away.

Don’t let your self-imposed limitations close you in.  Allow your creative imagination the expanse of an entire coloring page of life, rendering your authentic self in your artistic expression, as you relearn to color outside the lines.

© Erika K Rothwell

P.S. I love you all.

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Creativity, hope, inspiration

Kaleidoscope of Hope – True Inspiration

by Erika K Rothwell2 Comments on Kaleidoscope of Hope – True Inspiration
Kaleidoscope of Hope – True Inspiration

Fragmented, broken pieces of myself have formed into a moving creative pattern appearing through a kaleidoscope induced image of myself. My feelings of inconsistency remind me to accept the orderliness of a divine arrangement marked with symmetry and cohesiveness to produce authentic work reflecting my individual design.

Psychology of perception ground up learning theory would state that I am a product of experience. What I see is because of what I already know. Having learned to finally tweak the vision of those broken parts into some sort of manageable recurring design for others to view plays on this well-accepted theory.  However, what is perceived still remains subjective.

Events can turn the environment causing a new realm of stability, slightly shifting the lens, and strikingly new patterns emerge.  Consider too that each repetitive pattern is continually morphing into a modified version of itself until it becomes completely unrecognizable in the metamorphosis, retaining only some of its original colors.

We can all recognize the beauty in the constantly changing visions of a kaleidoscope.  But can we accept change in ourselves?

Vivid colors surround me daily, awakening a deeply-rooted purpose to express my feelings and reflections in the form of artistic creation.  I cannot deny the profound effect of colorful displays of inspirational images on my heart.  Motivation to share and create is born from these visions of delight.  Flowers, birds, and trees, as well as oceans and mountain streams, enlighten me and guide my heart deeper into a natural realm of being where self-acceptance combines with a desire for a non-hurried lifestyle to allow my dreams to thrive.

As in the turn of a kaleidoscope, creative development often remains a work in progress and a mystery.  A journey refined by every step.  Joy felt from our individual perspective of each design as seen today without our eyes on tomorrow or our hearts left in the struggles of yesterday.

It is for each of us to appreciate the constantly changing visions of our inner kaleidoscopes.

For what we think to be true, is often only true because of how we see it.  

© Erika K Rothwell

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