Hafiz did it.

Posted by Anita Bondi on March 6, 2012 under Anita Bondi | 3 Comments to Read

Hafiz did it. He got me to dance. He got me out of my head and into my body. The leader for our Journeys of the Heart retreat this past weekend was funny, smart, gifted, and very intellectual. Her brain excited my brain for sure. I loved the power point presentation, all the amazing quotes from authors, scholars, and well respected people in the field of psychology and self-help, and the way she zipped along with all the information. I was grinning from ear to ear. I was engaged in all of the small and large group dialogues. I was journal writing like mad.

Enter Hafiz and his poem, I have learned so much, and that is where my mind began to unravel. Thank goodness for my body and its infinite wisdom and longing.

Our instructions were to journal, reflect and then share in a small group dialogue. I read the poem at least 10 times and then got up and promptly walked out the front door into the bright sun and crisp winter air. I could no longer deny my body and its need to move. It was the only way I could make sense of the line that was inspiring me and confusing me:

Love has befriended me so completely It has turned to ash and freed Me of every concept my mind has ever known.

There are some things that the body just knows so completely and fully; the mind pales in comparison every time.

Note for Tuesday: Trust the body! (and dance for heaven’s sake.)

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Tags: Anita Bondi, dance, hafiz, inspiration

patience

Posted by Marci Molina on March 3, 2012 under Marci Molina | Be the First to Comment

photo art by Marci Molina

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Tags: art, artist, inspiration, Marci Molina, motivational, nature, photography, quote

What Do You Mean?

Posted by Susan Bradford on March 1, 2012 under Susan Bradford | 2 Comments to Read

That is the title of this painting which may or may not be finished. Or may need some minor adjustments. Or may just be one that I’ll never feel resolved about.

I like to work on several things at once, and I like the idea of doing several paintings of the same size at one time. This was one of a series of six paintings on paper, five of which I finished last summer. But this one had me stumped then and it still has me stumped now. I keep working and reworking it. I’ll feel good about it for a day or so. And then I’ll want to tweak one little thing and that will lead to something else, and then I just keep painting until the surface of the painting starts to feel good again. Then I work on other paintings for a while, and I keep looking at it. Then the whole process starts all over again.

I keep asking what the painting is trying to teach me. Every time I work on it, I ask, “What Do You Mean?” So no matter how many more times it changes, that is the title.

What I like about this version is that the colors are a bit loud, a little blunt. That’s not usually me. There is chaos but order, too. I like that they are playing with each other, but not at odds. This piece might defeat me in the end, but I am thoroughly enjoying the process.

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Tags: abstract art, artist, creative process, creativity, inspiration, oil painting, painting process, Susan Bradford

Across the pond

Posted by Anita Bondi on February 28, 2012 under Anita Bondi | Be the First to Comment

Caroline wrote to say that Mairi would really like to have InterPlay jewelry and The InterPlay Inspiration Decks in Scotland as they are bringing InterPlay to various regions in the next few months. WOW! Yeah for them, and for me. Caroline leaves on Friday and called me to say that she would be happy to carry them “across the pond” for me. That is the coolest expression, isn’t it? Especially given the expanse of the Atlantic ocean and this cool fact that I found…Approximate distance as the crow flies in miles from New York United States to Glasgow, Scotland Great Britain (UK) is 3213 miles or 5169.72 Kilometers.