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How Not to Turn Crazy This Holiday Season

This time of year, I am particularly prone to “hamster wheel brain” and “chicken with my head cut off syndrome”.  I mean, let’s be honest here, I’m prone to it all year long.  So, add in multiple deadlines, revenue goals, holiday cards (both personal and professional), Christmas gift shopping, all the events and parties, and the one enjoyable task on my holiday to do list, pie baking, and I am ripe for anxiety overload. Self-care is important this time of year and I mustn’t let that go slack, that’s for damn sure.

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Tags: abstract art, abstract expressionism, abstract painting, anxiety, art, art therapy, contemporary art, creative, exercise, faith, fear and art, fear of failure, forward momentum, Gratitude, love yourself, meditation, mindfulness, negative thinking, Ocean, ocean art, pacific northwest, surf art, surf paintings, surfboard, surfergirl, surfing, west coast artist

Three Steps to Move Through Overwhelm and Gain Clarity and Strength

I have figured out three steps that I take when anxiety and overwhelm strike, that help me break everything down into manageable actions.  Oddly, these steps have nothing to do with organizing or making lists.  Those are procedures that come out of clarity. The three steps that I am referring to help me gain that clarity and in turn, strength and confidence to deal with the various shit shows that arrive unexpectedly.

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Tags: abstract art, abstract expressionism, abstract painting, anxiety, art therapy, contemporary art, depression, exercise, Expectations, faith, fear, fear and art, forward momentum, getting organized, Gratitude, hearts, inner critic, loneliness, love yourself, meditation, mindfulness, negative thinking, ocean art, pacific northwest, reclaimed hearts, rest and relaxation, routine, surfergirl, tortured artist, west coast artist

Allowing the Ebb and Flow of Anxiety and Growth

This past week, I slipped into old patterns, and ended up in my doctor’s office due to out of control anxiety.  I was pretty sure that what I was experiencing was anxiety, but when you feel like you’re having a heart attack, it helps to have a professional tell you that you aren’t actually dying. 

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Tags: abstract art, abstract expressionism, abstract painting, anxiety, art therapy, contemporary art, Control Freak, creative, depression, exercise, faith, fear, fear and art, fear of failure, Feminist, forward momentum, Gratitude, hearts, inner critic, loneliness, love club, love yourself, meditation, mixed media, negative thinking, Ocean, ocean art, outdoors, pacific northwest, process, reclaimed hearts, rest and relaxation, sobriety, surf art, surfergirl, tortured artist, west coast artist

The Things I Do to Feel Safe within My Surroundings

I was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana.  Although I’ve been in Southern Oregon for over a decade, I still consider New Orleans home and myself, a NOLA Girl.  You’ll find me adorned in Saints black and gold on Sundays, I have boudin and andouille in my freezer, I know how to fish and how to costume.  I also know how to watch my own back.

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Tags: abstract art, abstract expressionism, anxiety, art, art as business, contemporary art, costume, creative, fear and art, Feminist, inspiration, love club, metoo, negative thinking, New Orleans Girl, NOLA Girl, pacific northwest, process, SSDGM, tortured artist, Visual Deterrent, west coast artist

How Compliments Make Me Uber Uncomfortable and What I Do to Keep My Cool Under Praise

When people pay me compliments, what they say doesn’t equate with how I feel about myself.  Therefore, I feel like a fraud.  Like I’m about to be found out.  It’s easy to think the positive voices are wrong when I’ve been bombarded by an inner negative one all my life.

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Tags: abstract art, abstract expressionism, abstract painting, anxiety, art, art therapy, be of service, Community, community service, contemporary art, Control Freak, depression, fear, fear and art, fear of failure, forward momentum, Gratitude, inner critic, inspiration, love yourself, negative thinking, pacific northwest, surfergirl, tortured artist, west coast artist

How I Predicted My Last Anxiety Attack and It Made My Brain Go Wonky

I sat down with him to eat dinner and felt the anxiety building up behind my eyes, like my head would explode any second.  The familiar thoughts that everyone would be better off if I wasn’t around, that I’m a nuisance, and that he was completely disgusted with me because I was crumbling right in front of him, all began to dig deep and set roots into my brain.

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Tags: abstract art, abstract expressionism, abstract painting, anxiety, art, art as business, art therapy, artist, be of service, Community, community service, contemporary art, depression, fear, fear and art, fear of failure, forward momentum, Gratitude, inner critic, loneliness, love yourself, negative thinking, pacific northwest, 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

Be a Lighthouse: How I Protest Every Day

Since my rant last week, I’ve been thinking… I was at my wits end, throwing my hands up in the air and waving them like…well…like I care.  I have a ton of care in my heart, as I think many of us do.  We are not ok with watching our country’s shit show from the side lines but maybe we’re not quite sure what we can do, what difference we can actually make, and exactly how to go about making it. 

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Tags: abstract art, abstract expressionism, abstract painting, anxiety, art, art therapy, artist, be of service, Community, community service, contemporary art, creative, depression, faith, fear, fear and art, Feminist, forward momentum, Gratitude, I was a promiscuous teen, inspiration, love yourself, metoo, mixed media, negative thinking, Open letter to men, pacific northwest, process, reclaimed hearts, Sexual Education, teach your daughters, Teach your sons, tortured artist, 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 Getting Lost in Gratitude Shows Me the Way

I’m grateful for the practice, the work, the seeking and the finding.  It’s all part of a process called growth.  After all, it is Spring and I am a wild flower.

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Tags: abstract art, abstract expressionism, abstract painting, anxiety, art, art therapy, artist, contemporary art, creative, exercise, Expectations, faith, fear and art, fear of failure, forward momentum, Gratitude, hearts, inner critic, love yourself, negative thinking, outdoors, pacific northwest, reclaimed hearts, tortured artist, west coast artist