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How I Find Strength in Surrender

If I allow surrender to guide me, I create space for new and endless paths to show themselves. We think of surrender as giving up when really surrender is peace in action. 

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Tags: abstract art, abstract expressionism, abstract painting, anxiety, Anxiety blog, art therapy, business growth, Control Freak, Expectations, fear and art, fear of failure, negative thinking, surrender, west coast artist

How Guilt & Shame Block Success and My Way Past the Road Block

I am having a complicated day.  I had a work misunderstanding and it has ended up costing me money, which in turn makes me feel totally guilty, like I messed up big time, and now I’m a failure. 

In an attempt to re-frame, I could also say that I learned an important lesson, I won’t make that mistake again, and I’ve been offered a way to re-coop some of the lost dollars.  That should make me feel better, right?  It doesn’t.

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Tags: abstract art, abstract expressionism, abstract painting, anxiety, art, art as business, art therapy, artist, business growth, Community, contemporary art, Control Freak, creative, depression, Expectations, fear, fear and art, fear of failure, forward momentum, getting organized, Gratitude, inner critic, loneliness, love yourself, negative thinking, process, procrastination, tortured artist, west coast artist

How I Found Calm within the Anxiety Tornado by Organizing My Life

We all go through moments of overwhelm.  For me, the key is to not let the overwhelm grow and take over.  I managed to avoid that by keeping momentum. By concentrating on actions that further something that I care about, I didn’t head into panic central.

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Tags: abstract art, abstract expressionism, abstract painting, anxiety, art, art as business, art therapy, artist, business growth, contemporary art, creative, depression, faith, fear, fear and art, fear of failure, forward momentum, getting organized, Gratitude, negative thinking, tortured artist, west coast artist

That Year I Had a "Lump" in My Throat: How My Anxiety Manifests Physically

One morning, a little less than 3 years ago, I woke up with a mass in my throat.  I could feel it all the time.  It was ever present.  When I talked, swallowed, yawned, laid down to sleep, it was always there.  I could actually press on my throat and feel a little "pop" happen.  I went to see my doctor...and there was nothing there.

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Tags: abstract art, abstract expressionism, abstract painting, anxiety, art, art as business, art therapy, artist, business growth, contemporary art, creative, depression, faith, fear, fear and art, fear of failure, forward momentum, hearts, inspiration, love yourself, meditation, mixed media, negative thinking, ocean art, outdoors, pacific northwest, process, sobriety, west coast artist

How Going with the Flow Tames the Chaos

I’m choosing now.  I’m choosing happy.  I’m choosing the path of least resistance.  And want to know a secret?  We can all make this choice.  It may seem scary and it may not look how we think we want it to look, but then that’s the point, isn’t it?

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Tags: abstract art, abstract expressionism, abstract painting, anxiety, art, art as business, art therapy, artist, business growth, contemporary art, Control Freak, creative, depression, exercise, Expectations, faith, fear, fear and art, fear of failure, forward momentum, Gratitude, hearts, inner critic, inspiration, love yourself, negative thinking, Ocean, ocean art, outdoors, pacific northwest, process, reclaimed hearts, rest and relaxation, sobriety, surfergirl, surfing, tortured artist, west coast artist

How Faith is a Path Towards Flow and Away from Fear

I chose to change my way of thinking, and do more of the things that I love for no other reason than that is what feels good.  It may seem silly and perhaps a bit naïve, but I was testing a theory that by flowing with the things that are placed in front of me, by following the signs that I usually pass daily without much notice, I would grow not only in my personal life, but in my art as well. 

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Tags: abstract art, abstract expressionism, abstract painting, anxiety, art, art therapy, art workshops, be of service, business growth, Community, community service, contemporary art, Control Freak, creative, Expectations, faith, fear, fear and art, fear of failure, forward momentum, Gratitude, hearts, inner critic, inspiration, loneliness, love yourself, mixed media, negative thinking, Ocean, ocean art, pacific northwest, process, surf art, surf paintings, surfergirl, surfing, tortured artist, west coast artist

6 Questions I Ask Myself to Determine if I'm Doing My "Best"

“Do your best” is something that I say to myself and my daughter pretty often.  Recently, however, I have found that even though my intention is to “do my best”, I usually feel as though I should be doing more than I am, that I should have more accomplished than I do and that I should be somewhere further along by now in my business.  Don’t ask me to define where I think I should be…I can’t.  It is an arbitrary finish line that I understand I will never, ever reach.  I will never think I’m doing enough therefore, I can only do my "best" and try to be kind to myself in the process, right?  

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Tags: abstract art, anxiety, art therapy, artist, business growth, creative, depression, fear and art, forward momentum, Gratitude, meditation, negative thinking, outdoors, process, routine, tortured artist, west coast artist

Want to Make Money While Making Art? Treat Art Like a Small Business.

I have officially been a professional West Coast Abstract Artist for 1 year.  By treating my art like a small business, I have seen growth that many professional artists have told me they didn't see until about 10 years in.  

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Tags: abstract art, abstract expressionism, abstract painting, art, art as business, art therapy, artist, business growth, contemporary art, creative, fear and art, forward momentum, Gratitude, mixed media, process, surf art, tortured artist, west coast artist