Risking an Open Heart
Is Your Heart Open?
In the ever-evolving spin of life, it's easy to retreat into ourselves and protect what we hold dear. After all, we're all navigating this tiny sphere we call Earth without a seat belt. We naturally seek ways to "buckle up" to feel safe.
Two Realities, acrylic, oil on paper (unframed) 17 x 21, 2023
However, the truth is that life offers no guarantees. Lately, I find myself returning more quickly to the concept of surrender—a complete reorientation toward the present moment. This allows us to let go and place our trust in a higher spirit, God, or the world's omnipresent force. While understanding this concept intellectually is one thing, putting it into practice may seem like it would cause one to recoil. In reality, it calls for an even greater opening of one's heart.
Our hearts serve as the conduits that connect us, helping us realize that we are not isolated beings. Regardless of our political affiliation, spiritual ideologies, or religious beliefs, taking a moment to acknowledge the fear is what will guide us through these times.
Processing pain on a somatic level keeps us close to the ascension of humanity.
I've said this before—I believe that creative acts have the power to keep us open and to heal. Creating art with wild abandon serves not just as a form of self-healing, but also as a way to heal others. When we engage in art or take the opportunity to surround ourselves with it, we open ourselves up to healing on a somatic level.
Violet Ray, oil on panel, 16 x 12, 2023
I’ll direct you to a beautiful article by Buddhist practitioner and teacher Paul Levy: Artists As Healers of The World. I have read this article numerous times and each time I return to it I gleam new learning,
In my painting practice, I generally work large scale. However, as I work, I also create smaller pieces that inform my larger projects. These more accessible pieces are my way of bridging the gap from my heart to yours, inspiring both healing and the unleashing of the creative, loving force within us.
Be kind to each other. Be brave
Lauren