Creative Juices Arts

Love The Muse You’re With

chrisz — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 04:27:17 +0000

I have a confession to make. In writing this blog I talk a lot about the creative process which makes it sound like it's something that's kind of abstract. Or at least part of the workings of my own mind. Which isn't exactly the truth. I've been avoiding telling the truth because I'm afraid that if [...]

Art Love Is Good Love

chrisz — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 22:28:14 +0000

Today is the day when we all celebrate love. Or are at least thinking about love. Or trying not to think about love. And mostly what gets celebrated is romantic love. Which is great. But it's not the only love game in town. There's another kind of love that we all have some [...]

Happiness Is A Warm Glue Gun

chrisz — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 02:12:03 +0000

I have been on a quest lately to find out what it is that truly makes me happy. I'm trying to learn to tell the difference between the considerable fulfillment I experience when I am being productive and simple, straightforward happiness. I have actually had them very confused my whole life. I have often [...]

The Problem With Dragon Love: The (Sometimes) Torturous Path To Your Creative Treasure Trove

chrisz — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 01:32:21 +0000

I have a new creative project that I am in the very beginning stages of and it is a big project. It's something that I've been thinking about for a long time and haven't been able to get to because of lack of time and because I couldn't figure out exactly how to make it [...]

If Dancing In The Streets Means You’re Crazy I Don’t Want To Be Sane

chrisz — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 19:11:51 +0000

I have a new intuitive painting student who has been surprising herself by how often she finds herself asking the question "You mean it's really OK to do that?" This question comes up around simple things like " You mean it's OK to make a mess? Is it really OK to use this much paint? [...]

Hot Pink, 60’s Stoners and Dead Painting Masters

chrisz — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 19:14:12 +0000

When people come to my classes they often show up because they are enticed by a promise. I find them on my doorstep because they've been to my website, or they've seen a flyer or read my blog. They come to me believing that what they want are all the things that I say I'm [...]

Why I Don’t Believe In The Whole Idea Of Bad Art

chrisz — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:03:20 +0000

When I was a kid I absolutely adored Christmas. I loved the twinkly lights and the schmaltzy music but most of all I loved that sense of anticipation and wonder and surprise. My family and I lived in a rowhouse that had three stories and two flights of stairs. On Christmas morning I would wake [...]

Art Every Day Month- Day 29- Painting The Invisible

chrisz — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 18:09:24 +0000

One of the things I love about the intuitive painting process is how much it encourages me to go under the surface of things. To explore what I can't always see. To dive into my inner world and try and express visually what is not readily visible. This can sometimes look like feelings or moods, [...]

Art Every Day Month – Day 27- Underwater Ocean Queen

chrisz — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 17:38:21 +0000

This piece is done with my little handy dandy portable water color set, which I love, love, love for traveling. Again, I don't know exactly what to make of this one. It's just another experience of trusting the brush or as one of my students puts it "following orders from headquarters." I start painting and [...]

Art Every Day Month- Day 25- Imaginary Doggie Love

chrisz — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 14:20:45 +0000

I don't have a dog. In fact my hubby and I don't have any living furry pets at all because we both have pretty severe animal allergies. But we also love animals. And so we have many stuffed animals, carved wooden folk art animals and tons of imaginary friends in our house. I also have [...]

Art Every Day Month- Day 24- Happy Desert Girl

chrisz — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:36:23 +0000

My hubby and I are on vacation and right now we're in the town of St. George Utah and visiting the various national and state parks in the area. Yesterday we went to a place called Snow Canyon State Park and today we are going to the world famous Zion National Park. I am definitely [...]

Art Every Day Month – Day 23: Shaman Girl

chrisz — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:27:24 +0000

This piece is a painting using watercolors that I have in a little travel watercolor kit. I'm away on vacation and am in one of my favorite places in the whole world which is the Southwest desert area- Nevada, Utah and Death Valley in California. I have a pretty strong relationship with the land in [...]

Art Every Day Month- Day 22- Who Needs Reality When You Can Make Up Your Own?

chrisz — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 08:51:07 +0000

I love how this one felt to do. Even though I have no idea what it is. If I had to identify it I would say that it looks kind of organic- like a flower or plant from another planet. But it was very absorbing and relaxing to create it. I do enjoy letting the [...]

Art Every Day Month- Day 19: Toxic Comparison, Soul Sucking Creativity Demons and The Healing Power Of Napping

chrisz — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:13:32 +0000

I have the great good fortune to be surrounded by many, many amazingly creative people. People that are bursting with creative energy and ideas, talent and enthusiasm. Friends and colleagues who are living wondrously creative lives and by their example are serving as a creative catalyst and an inspiration for me and everyone who [...]

Day 18- AEDM: Entering The Dream Time

chrisz — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:15:42 +0000

This is another one of my pieces that I did with colored pencils which are a total godsend because they are so easy to just whip out and use when I don't have a lot of space or time to set up my paints. First of all, I have no idea what this drawing is [...]

Art Every Day Month- Day 6- Doodling and Dying

chrisz — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 01:04:03 +0000

Today's a busy day...in fact it's going to be a busy weekend. I'm co-facilitating a new workshop with a friend of mine we're calling Death Rehearsal: A Playfully Reverent Exploration and Artful Preparation For the Final Curtain Call where we will be using creativity to explore our feelings about death and dying. I know it [...]

Day 5- Art Every Day Month- The Mystery Headless Woman From The Future

chrisz — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:04:10 +0000

Whenever I am painting or drawing I often don't start out with any particular idea. I just start moving the brush or the pencils and let the drawing or the painting lead me. It's relaxing and nerve wracking at the same time to create in this way. Relaxing because the pressure is off. I don't [...]

Art Every Day Month- Day 4- Flying Heart Lady

chrisz — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:07:17 +0000

Today I played around with watercolors in my sketchbook. What showed up is another one of those images that is puzzling to me on a lot of different levels. Although its certainly not the first time THAT has ever happened! I've been going through some serious dental trauma the past month ..... lots of dental [...]

ART Every Day Month: Day 3- Dem Bones, Dem Bones….

chrisz — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:25:13 +0000

I love Mexican and Southwestern folk art and Day Of The Dead stuff. My house is just filled with all kinds of art and figurines that depict those lively skeleton figures. In fact, here's one of the altars that I have in my house. I was so happy to find a Day Of The Dead [...]

Day 2- The Care And Feeding Of Your Creative Flow

chrisz — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:16:51 +0000

I am participating in something that Leah Piken Kolidas of Creative Every Day has developed which is called Art Every Day Month that she hosts during the month of November. The commitment is to do something creative and then post your latest creation on your blog. Today my creative juices are manifesting in a blog [...]

Creative Every Day- The Journey Begins

chrisz — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 21:46:40 +0000

YAY for the opportunity to get back into being visually creative on a regular basis. I've been focusing on my writing and my business recently and my painting life has been somewhat on the back burner. So I'm grateful to have the support and encouragement of this creative community and see what wants to come [...]

CREATIVITY TIME BANDITS: What Stops YOU From Living A More Creative Life?

chrisz — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:45:18 +0000

In my work as a creativity coach I talk with many, many people who want to be more creative, either as a way to deepen their spiritual practice of self nurturing or who have a specific dream that they long to manifest, like writing a book or spending more time in their painting studio [...]

Abuse Your Art Supplies

chrisz — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 21:41:31 +0000

It took me 15 years to discover that I had no talent for writing but I couldn't give it up because by that time I was too famous. -Robert C. Benchley Who says you have to be any good in order to be creative? The very first (and last) painting class I ever took (which was [...]

Ghost Ranch 2009: Bringing The Magic Of Being On Retreat Back Home

chrisz — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 06:31:57 +0000

About 11 years ago I attended a class at the Ghost Ranch Conference Center in Northern New Mexico for the first time and fell head over heels in love. With the landscape, the culture, the history, the big sky, the silent open spaces. It felt like a homecoming of major proportions and I couldn't wait [...]

I’m OK. You’re OK. We’re All OK. Really.

chrisz — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 07:44:42 +0000

Somewhere along the line.... and maybe it's just because I've gotten old.... I got kind of burned out on trying to fix myself. I had spent most of my 20's, all of my 30's and half of my 40's trying to get better. To heal old wounds and improve myself so that I could have [...]

Your Creativity WILL Talk To You… But Only When It Knows You Are Ready To Listen

chrisz — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 00:41:12 +0000

I just returned from a fabulous week working with an amazing group of women who have decided to commit their time, money and energy to becoming expressive arts intuitive painting teachers. The teacher training program is a year long and happens in four weekly segments. In the first week of the training we go over [...]

How I Learned To Trust In The Creative Process – Whether I Like It Or Not

chrisz — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 23:41:33 +0000

I recently had a pretty amazing synchronistic and serendipitous experience that I wanted to share with you all, partly because I am just excited, but partly because it's such a great example of the ins and outs of the creative process. I've always wanted to see my name in lights! About a month ago I got [...]

INTUITIVE PAINTING AS A JOURNEY INTO THE UNKNOWN

chrisz — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 00:37:05 +0000

ANNOUNCEMENT!! I'm trying something new in my blog posts which is to include my original art work with some of my writing. The piece below is done with colored pencil and I chose it for this article because I don't know WHAT the heck it means or why I drew it. All I know is [...]

ARE YOUR ART SUPPLIES KEEPING YOU FROM BEING CREATIVE?

chrisz — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 01:03:31 +0000

Like most creative types I have an ongoing love affair with art supplies. It still thrills me no end to go into an art store and walk up and down the aisles looking at the multitudinous tubes and colors of paint, fondling the different sizes and types of brushes, inhaling the scent of the [...]

Who Is Your Creative Alter Ego?

chrisz — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 23:30:33 +0000

I have a friend who is a musician. And more than anything else he wants to write his own songs and eventually put them together on a CD. But it's not really happening. So he is in that particular type of artists hell where the creative longing is terribly insistent but the creative manifestation is [...]

Creative Miracle Grow: The Crazy Wonderfulness That Can Happen When Someone Believes In YOU!

chrisz — Mon, 04 May 2009 23:57:04 +0000

I don't really watch television, (well OK, except for LOST which I only watch on my laptop so somehow that doesn't seem to count), but I know that there is a show out there called Britain's Got Talent. I THINK it's one of those shows kind of like American Idol (which I have also never seen) [...]

THE WISDOM OF NO MISTAKES: DRIPS CAN BE FUN (or at least not total torture)

chrisz — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 02:52:35 +0000

In my intuitive painting classes the first thing that I tell people is that there are no mistakes when you are painting. Everything that shows up on the paper is something that needs to be there. This idea that you really can't do anything wrong is a concept that most people agree with in theory. [...]

CATASTROPHES R (NO LONGER) US

chrisz — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 21:44:32 +0000

I am somewhat addicted to personal growth. I can't even begin to tell you how many thousands of dollars and thousands of hours I have spent attending workshops, reading books and talking with my friends, husband and various paid professionals about the complicated inner workings of my heart and so called mind. Because I am also [...]

SECRET # 8: CREATIVE COLLABORATION

chrisz — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 07:45:01 +0000

In this next chapter of Gail McMeekins 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women she is talking about the issue of creative collaboration, and I realized as I was reading this that my professional creative life has been one long journey of collaboration. I really couldn't be where I am today without the various partnerships that [...]

SECRET # 7: FINDING CREATIVE GUIDES and CREATIVE GUIDANCE

chrisz — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 20:44:54 +0000

This post is in response to chapter 7 of 12 secrets Of Highly Creative Women by Gail McMeekin and the topic this week has to do with guides. The question posed is " How are we guided, who guides us and where does guidance come from? What kind of creative guidance do we need so [...]

CONQUERING THOSE NASTY, INNER CREATIVE SABOTEURS

chrisz — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 18:03:29 +0000

I recently came across a fabulous group of women blogger artists who are being organized by Jamie Ridler and are working with the book the 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women by Gail McMeekin. Each week whoever wants to reads the assigned chapter and then crafts a blog post in response . I have come [...]

STAYING CREATIVELY ALIVE: KEEPING YOUR EYES OPEN, YOUR JUICES FLOWING AND YOUR SHADOW GREASING THE WHEELS

chrisz — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 03:32:58 +0000

One of the things that I love about the creative process, at least most days, is how it keeps me honest. The truth is where the juice lies and as long as I'm "keepin it real" I am continually blessed with an abundant sense of energy and aliveness. However, aliveness does not always translate [...]

The ART OF INNER CLUTTER CLEARING: MAKING ROOM FOR WHO YOU REALLY ARE

chrisz — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 23:34:45 +0000

My husband is very anxious when we travel because he is always afraid that we are going to be robbed while we are out of town. Not too long after we first bought our home, we went away for a weekend and before we left we asked our new, friendly next door neighbor to keep [...]

PAIN FREE CREATIVITY: YOU DON’T REALLY NEED TO SUFFER FOR YOUR ART

chrisz — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 23:01:14 +0000

In a recent article that I wrote I talked a lot about being willing to accept whatever shows up in your painting, even if it doesn't match up to your hopes and expectations about what you want it to be. One of my students got back to me and said "Yes, that article was a [...]

WHEN I WRITE…. my creative process in seven (very short) acts

chrisz — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:20:41 +0000

When I'm writing my creative process looks like this... Yes, first the inspiration. I get an idea to explore something or another and then I hook up to wherever this stuff actually comes from and begin the process of downloading words and phrases and sometimes whole pages, courtesy of my muse. When that is flowing it's [...]

BEFRIEND YOUR INTUITION : CULTIVATING A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LOUD and BOSSY VOICE WITHIN

chrisz — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 19:12:47 +0000

The other night I was headed to my studio to teach a painting class. My route to work is along the freeway and I am normally a speed demon behind the wheel, but for some reason on this particular evening I was driving at a reasonable, non breakneck pace in the slower right lane. All [...]

PINK BARBIE POOLS, ALIEN SPACE SHIPS AND LIVING A LIFE OF YES!

chrisz — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 19:33:43 +0000

I have been doing something interesting in one of my weekly women's groups as part of our commitment to creativity. In my Thursday evening group we spend an hour each week engaging in some kind of creative process, and we have done many kinds of things over the years ranging from writing to painting to [...]

ADDICTED TO TECHNIQUE: THE SAD AND SORRY TALE OF CREATIVITY GONE WRONG

chrisz — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 01:36:16 +0000

When I am needing some cheap and easy stress reduction I take a couple of minutes to visit a website/blog called www.cuteoverload.com. This site is filled with absolutely adorable photos and videos of all types of critters from doggies to donkeys doing whatever it is that animals do. But the thing that is really [...]

GIVE IT UP AND LET IT GO: CREATIVITY AS A PRACTICE IN SURRENDER

chrisz — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 02:06:39 +0000

I was at a woman's writer's workshop in Taos, New Mexico last year, and found myself at dinner sitting across from a riot of a feisty old woman who was talking about these children's books she'd written. Her main character is a rascal and an adventurer, a boy named Weldon. This child came by [...]

HOLY MESS, SACRED CHAOS AND THE INNER CREATIVE CHILD

chrisz — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 04:33:10 +0000

by Chris Zydel, MA Recently I was shopping at my local art store. Now when I go shopping for art supplies I buy LOTS of stuff because I have the excuse that I am buying all these great things for my students and classes. It's actually one of the best parts about being a creativity teacher. So [...]

SCIENCE DISCOVERS SPIRIT THROUGH A STROKE OF INSIGHT!

chrisz — Wed, 07 May 2008 06:56:04 +0000

by Chris Zydel, MA A few weeks ago I came across an astonishing lecture that was given by a woman named Jill Bolte Taylor, PhD. also known as The Singin' Scientist. The talk she gave was titled My Stroke of Insight and she presented it at the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) Conference that is held yearly [...]

INTERVIEW with CHRIS ZYDEL for the CREATIVITY PORTAL

chrisz — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 16:30:08 +0000

by MOLLY CHILDERS Copyright © 2008 Q: What can you tell us about Wild Heart Painting as a spiritual path? As an artistic process? Since creativity and spirituality come from the same source, if you open the channel to one, you automatically open the channel to the other. So the Painting From The Wild Heart process is [...]

INTUITIVE PAINTING AND THE WILD RIDE OF RISK AND CHANGE

chrisz — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 19:34:09 +0000

by Chris Zydel, MA One of the places where my students will often find themselves getting stuck or stopped in the intuitive painting process is when they encounter the common fear of ruining a painting. One moment they will be happily painting away and then they get an internal directive to paint something that scares them. [...]

INTUITIVE PAINTING AS A SPIRITUAL PRACTICE

chrisz — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 20:00:59 +0000

Chris Zydel, MA People paint for a lot of different reasons. To relax, to express themselves , to create beauty and meaning, to make money, because they have a passion to create, to gain approval, to stay sane, to make sense of the world, to play and have fun. All of the above are wonderful and [...]

INTUITIVE PAINTING AS A JOURNEY INTO THE UNKNOWN

chrisz — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 22:04:09 +0000

by Chris Zydel, MA “We’re lost but we’re making good time.” Yogi Berra As I walk through my painting studio on any given day I am sure to hear at least one plaintive cry of " I hate this painting because it doesn't make any sense!" or " I can't believe that I've spent so much [...]

“My Technique’s Bad And I’m So Sad” Intuitive Painting Blues

chrisz — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 05:51:12 +0000

by Chris Zydel, MA Over and over again, I hear a common complaint from students in my intuitive painting classes that goes something like this... “My painting doesn't look the way I want it to because I don't have enough artistic training . I can see this perfectly formed image in my head and I want [...]

Your Natal Astrology Chart: The Map of Your Souls Purpose

chrisz — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 20:18:18 +0000

by Chris Zydel, MA What is it that allows you to wake up in the morning feeling energized and inspired? The particulars are going to vary, but I think the majority of us feel most alive when we experience being aligned with some greater purpose. That purpose is often related to becoming more of who we are, [...]

ONE MAGIC QUESTION TO MOVE YOU THROUGH CREATIVE BLOCKS

chrisz — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 23:44:31 +0000

Chris Zydel, MA The creative process is a journey, and like any journey there are times when things are going smoothly and you are just humming along. And then there are the times when everything feels frustrating, blocked and in a tangle. The sticky times are never fun, but what makes them even worse is when [...]

CREATIVITY TIME BANDITS: Making Wise Choices for a Fulfilling Creative Life

chrisz — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 19:48:45 +0000

by Chris Zydel, MA In my work as a creativity coach I talk with many, many people who want to be more creative, either as a way to deepen their spiritual practice of self nurturing or who have a specific dream that they long to manifest, like writing a book or forming a rock band. But [...]

WOMEN, PAINTING AND POWER

chrisz — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 03:55:57 +0000

by Chris Zydel, MA I'm standing in my studio, watching ten women painting in silence with exquisite focus and concentration, and the energy is just humming. All of a sudden I hear a groan from one of the women and the words "Oh no, I hate it. It's so ugly". I smile, feeling a [...]

WHO IS THIS INNER CRITIC AND WHAT THE HECK IS IT DOING LIVING INSIDE MY HEAD?

chrisz — Mon, 17 Apr 2006 01:49:08 +0000

by Chris Zydel, MA I came across a startling statistic recently, which is that more than 90% of all children consider themselves to be creative yet only 10% of adults see themselves as having any creative capacity. So what happened? How do so many of us lose our connection with the basic truth that we are all [...]

Just Say “Yes” to Your Creative Self

chrisz — Fri, 15 Jul 2005 10:22:29 +0000

by Chris Zydel, MA How many times have you told yourself, “I want to be more creative in my life” and how many times has that ended up on your New Years resolution list along with wanting to exercise or eat better, with similar disappointing results. Well, I have good news and bad news for you today. The [...]

Nancy Mills interviews Chris Zydel

chrisz — Fri, 15 Jul 2005 09:18:31 +0000

Nancy Mills, the founder of the Spirited Woman Approach to Life, has put together a fun, user-friendly blog, www.TheSpiritedWomanBlog.com, where you can subscribe to her fabulous free newsletter, sign-up for the popular Spirited Woman Workshop (we've hosted several at Creative Juices Arts), connect with other spirited women, and tell the world why you feel you [...]