Amanda's Story

I woke up to check on all the Hartist updates when I came across Amanda's Story. I think a lot about the things art helps us to do. It helps us accept, laugh, grow, connect, create, imagine, dream, and Amanda reminded me grieve. Art helps us not only celebrate the best moments of our lives but it allows us to make sacred the saddest moments. What Amanda did with my Tutorial for Spirit really moved me and touched my heart. She has agreed to allow me to share her story so that someone else could be helped by it. I feel blessed and honored by her open heart. I hope that all who need this message find it and the healing it would bring.

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  May 19

  Amanda Williams

  • Hi Cinnamon,
    I have recently started to paint after about 3 years of paper crafting and I thought I would try one of your tutorials for beginners. I never realized how personal this would get.. I watched the spirit horse video multiple times but didn't quite have the confidence to try it. After visiting my grandfather last night who was ready to die, I knew that painting this horse would give me some sense of relief. I am so glad I did! He passed away last night but now I have something to look at that reminds me of him. So thank you, art matters in my life and it helps to repair my broken heart.
    Here is my spirit horse, I know my grandfathers spirit is now free to run as fast as the wind will carry him!
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  May 19

  Cinnamon Cooney's Hart Party

  • Amanda your story touched my heart so much and so deeply. I am grateful that you shared this with me. I am deeply sorry for your loss but so moved by your painting and its deep spiritual meaning. I think this may help others and would love to share your story and painting. But only with your comfort and permission. You have inspired me! I truly hope you will continue painting. Please stay in touch and let me know how its going
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  May 19

  Amanda Williams

  • Thanks Cinnamon,
    I give you my permission to share my story because it may help someone else see that creating is a wonderful way to release pain, to show that unlike any other creature God has given us the ability to create wonderful things!!! Bless you and I will definitely stay in touch! I look forward to trying some more of your paintings..

  

  
  

Art Studio work space as Sacred

Work space as Sacred is not a unique idea in traditional business around the world. Walk into a power players office and you know who you are dealing with and where you stand. They accept the necessity of a well designed office as theater. It is where everything important happens so make no mistake you are walking into a temple. Pay close attention and you will quickly find the alter of the room. However how does a mom with kids create a space that reflects how divine the act of art is. Perhaps you are not making 6 figures with your work. Perhaps is is something wholly necessary but not profitable, Something people in America have a hard time really dealing with. Add the mom guilt and thats a tremendous amount of shame where only light and love should be. I know singles have a similar struggle as the pressure to push forward in career surges like Mavericks. Hard to justify the space, the money, and the effort to stage the studio. However just like a well set dinner table stages the ambiance of the party a well kept and appointed workspace set the tone of the work. When I paint I am giving back to myself a sense of being whole and real. I feel my connection to things that are divine and creative and feel that ever present love. I must honor the holy nature of the work and the process of working. I know I do not do this alone or at least thats my deep feeling. I feel the concert of that which is greater than me calling me to higher purpose. Yes even for the silly fun work. So I add a little theater to my workspace. Fill it with items and things that are pleasing to my soul. I clean there more often then I clean other things. Sadly I  can not get the feeling of the sacred in the giant pile of clothes waiting to be washed. I am sure its there and I have not felt it yet. My point is that the things that fill our souls are our churches. They do not have to be built by other people they just must the be the conduit of love,hope, and joy. Where ever you feel blessed and connected!

Tree Painting with a Twist beginner art lesson acrylic online tutorial w...

Tree painting with a Twist is up and ready for viewing. The obvious twist here is the stained glass feeling and the drips. There is a secret twist. I am excited for people to do this painting because I know what trees mean in the creative process. They are challenging and rewarding, because almost everyone has had a relationship to at least one tree. Some trunk has been witness to life's ups and downs. At somewhere along the way everyone has laid in the ground and starred up through the branches at a blue sky and DREAMED. I had a willow by a stream when I was growing up. It had large rocks to sit on and iris's planted around the base. I sat there daily and imagined all the amazing places my life might go when I grew up. I told stories to no one and sang songs to frogs. A true Judgement free Zone.

This personal painting party needs YOU to be that, a judgement free zone. When we all do this Step by Step painting lesson together I want YOU to be kind to you. The way that beautiful spiritual tree in your heart was kind to you. Listen, allow, and grow with out tearing yourself down. The biggest obstacle  to a new artist is the internal criticism. When I am teaching a class 80% is you fell your doing just fine and 20% is how to paint the painting. The reason is people are the least forgiving of themselves. I want you to be like my willow tree, silent, steady, and comforting. As long as you stay on the painting journey and don't give up you will find an inner artist. The sooner you can embrace today, except that you are in process of becoming more creative everyday  the better artist you will be. Today is wonderful and tomorrow will be better! This gift I am sharing with you will be one you unwrap all your life. Just accept that there is more to you! More than you know, more than your family knows, and more then your friends know. No matter when you pick this artful habit up there will be more! Shel Silverstien knew something very important tree's are giver's of great gifts the greatest of all just being there everyday of our lives.

Enjoy your tree art lesson. Embrace your acrylic painting tutorial. Because like the Tree painting with a Twist you gave room to grow and branch out! The secret of this painting is that the Tree is YOU! Love you Bless you and I hope to see you at the Easel real soon!   https://www.facebook.com/hartparty