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Nov182014

TRIBE Tuesday: Lori Tapani + New E-Course Content!

Hello friends! We’re happy to share another Bloom True story with you today for our TRIBE Tuesday feature.

Introducing E-Course student, Lori Tapani…enjoy.

Lori’s Story…

I am so very thankful for the Bloom True class! It was by chance that I noticed Flora’s book and decided to buy it. Once I read the book, I knew that I needed to take the class. This has been my first experience using acrylic paints and I have loved it so much. The act of picking a color or colors that I love and just “going with it” has been so rewarding.

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Oct212014

TRIBE Tuesday: Janine Adamo Lancour

I love sharing the inspiring stories of the ever-widening Bloom True Tribe, and I hope you are enjoying them too!

This week’s TRIBE Tuesday continues with Janine Adamo Lancour, who took my September 2013 E-Course. She remains an active member of the Bloom True Tribe and has graciously shared her story here…

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Sep292014

Bloom True Boot Camp: Final Prompts + E-Course Winners!

Welcome to our final two days of Bloom True Boot Camp…woohoo, YAY, we did it!

I want to thank you so much for joining me on this month-long creative journey. What started out as tiny flash of inspiration during a swim in a lake turned into such a beautiful and inspiring creative global adventure.

Your posts, pictures and reflections have brought me so much joy and reminded me (once again) how powerful it is to join together with like-hearted people dedicated to their creative paths and waking spirits. {{THANK YOU}}.

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Sep162014

STEPPING OUT BRAVE

SIX DAYS AGO, I ARRIVED AT SQUAM ART WORKSHOPS IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.

The woodsy scene there is all kinds of gorgeous — quaint cabins, an unbelievable lake, awesome women everywhere — but there I was with knots in my stomach.

I was there to teach a totally new class — one that involved more movement than painting and more watercolor, ink and pastels than acrylic. Most of my security blankets, comfort zones and feelings of “I got this,” had left the room.

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Sep22014

TRIBE Tuesday: Rhonda Groves

Our TRIBE Tuesday Series Continues! For this week’s TRIBE Tuesday, we are happy to feature Rhonda Groves. We hope you enjoy her story… Hello, my name is Rhonda. I took Flora’s Bloom True E-Course in September 2013. The magnitude this E-Course has had on me is phenomenal. I have created paintings I never dreamed of.…

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Aug262014

TRIBE Tuesday: Fay and Tam

For this week’s TRIBE feature, I am very pleased to present two incredible women I had the pleasure of meeting in Bali last May. Dr. Fauziah Mohamed Yunus or “Fay” (or “Mom:)) as we came to know her, took my E-Course, followed by my in-person retreat in Bali. Tamara Laporte, or “Willowing,” as she is lovingly known to her online following, joined us in Bali as well.

Here are their beautiful stories.

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Aug192014

Introducing…TRIBE Tuesdays!

I am continually in awe of the amazing tribe of students I have all over the world, and the truly transformational stories they share with me about their Bloom True experience. In an effort to spread their inspiration and good juju beyond my own head space and email box (and to connect you all to…

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Jul22014

FROM STUCK —> TO FEELIN’ IT :: A ROAD MAP THROUGH PAINTERS BLOCK

LAST NIGHT WAS THE PERFECT NIGHT TO PAINT.

My schedule was clear, the air felt delicious and it was still light out at 9pm. I turned up the music, cleaned off my palette, lit a candle, burned some sage and hung a halfway finished painting on the wall. To be honest, I wasn’t feeling incredibly inspired, but typically I just need to START in order to find my rhythm.

So, I started…

I choose a few of my fave colors of the moment (grey, yellow, violet, magenta and white), and began to move the paint around. I tried out some of my signature moves, turned the canvas upside down and waited for the magic to take hold. Any minute now…

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Jun132014

PROJECT GROUND OUT + THE ENJOYMENT FACTOR

“REMEMBER THE ENJOYMENT FACTOR”

This sweet reminder was offered up by my yoga teacher yesterday. In fact, remembering to enjoy the experience was the focus of the entire class. We were given permission to throw away strict yoga “rules” and ideas about what the practice was supposed to look like. Instead, we were encouraged to move and breathe in a way that simply….FELT GOOD.

Ah yes. That.

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May132014

Bloom True TRIBE :: Student Gallery!

Today is a big day around here. It’s the very first day of “school” for my latest group of Bloom True E-Course students and excitement is in the air! In honor of this new brave beginning, I’m sharing some of the awesome work and reflections from past bloomers. Gotta admit, I’m pretty proud of them — you’ll see why.

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May82014

Bloom True Giveaway Winners Announced!

It’s time to celebrate!!

Whohoo! I’m super excited to announce the winners for the Bloom True E-Course Giveaway, but first let me just say WOW…wow wow wow.

We had over 430 incredible nominations for ten tiny gifted spots, and the nominations were all so heartfelt, so sincere, soooo hard to choose! (need a little pick me up?…read these stories.).

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May52014
Bloom True Painted Hands

Bloom True Giveaway Time!

Hi friends. It’s GIVEAWAY time around here, and I want to make sure you are all in the know! We are excited to be giving away TEN FREE PLACES for the upcoming Bloom True E-Course beginning on May 12th, but here’s the deal…we want you to nominate someone else to win the prize! Why? …

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Apr232014

SCHOOL OF LIFE

HOME

I’ve been home from my month-long trip to Bali for exactly one week, and I gotta say TIME is so strange when flying halfway around the globe is part of the deal. In some ways I feel like I was just there, but mostly it feels like a distant exotic dream. You know how that goes…

Anyhooo, my trip was lovely. Bali is lovely. My students were awesome and many thresholds were crossed. I know I’ve said it before, but AGAIN, I can hardly believe I get to do this work in the world…and all over the world at that.

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Feb52014

GROWING OLDER = GETTING WISER = FREEING UP

THE BEAUTY OF AGING

When I received an invitation from Susannah Conway to participate in a blog series about the AWESOMENESS of aging, I got full body goose bumps, aka “truth bumps.”

How refreshing to focus on the positive aspects of aging, rather than replaying the same old, “how to hold onto your youth” conversation, over and over again.

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Feb32014

BLOOMING TRUE IN SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE, MEXICO

WHAT AN AMAZING WEEK THIS HAS BEEN.

Sharing seven soulful days of painting, laughing and connecting with sixteen amazing women gathered from all parts of the globe (U.S., Canada, Honduras and South Africa), has left me, once again, in a state of gratitude and awe for the work I get to do in this world.

Although an incredible amount of energy goes into creating these special retreats, I can’t think of anything more rewarding than being a part of the beautiful transformations I witnessed here this week…on and off the canvas.

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Jan222014

SEEK YOUR TRIBE

I believe the commonly held idea of artists toiling away alone in their studios, isolated from each other, guarding their techniques and often in some state of despair is becoming a thing of the past.

It’s a myth that no longer serves our collective human need to come together, support each other and move our evolution story forward. The bottom line is:

We need each other.

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Jan202014

Dreamy San Miguel de Allende

Hi friends….and greetings from beautiful San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

I’m in the midst of fulfilling a dream I’ve had for awhile to live and paint in this magical mountain town, and I’m happy to say it’s finally happening!

This is not my first time here. For the past two years, I’ve taught workshops in San Miguel, each time craving more time to soak up the colors and vibrant culture here and to translate this inspiration into my own paintings. I’ll be teaching here again next week, but first…some me time.

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Dec312013

2013 :: Thank You + Good Bye

I’ve always had a thing for New Year’s Eve. Even when I was little, I felt a strange mandatory pressure to stay up until the apple dropped in New York City…while the rest of my family was fast asleep. Alone with the T.V., I would do a little New Year’s dance, watch the crowds of…

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Dec282013

Embracing awkward

Question: Is there something you have always wanted to do that lingers in the back of your mind…whispering? I actually have a bit of a choir going on up there, so much to do in this one short life. But I’m happy to say I just checked off one lil’ desire: TRAPEZE & AERIAL…

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Dec92013

Online Mini Painting Sale Tomorrow!

One of my favorite conversations to have with people is about what REALLY lights them up. It is one the most direct ways to understand a person’s heart and soul-calling and often leads to the kind of juicy conversations I love the most.

My “light up” moments usually happen when I’m painting and connecting with people I am truly inspired by. So, for the past year I’ve been combining these passions by exploring collaborative painting, and guess what? I love it.

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Dec22013

Introducing: “Heart to Hand: A Love Letter Project”

I love this time of year for all the obvious reasons…the coziness, the boots and scarves, the deliciousness of gathering with friends around a fire, the steamy drinks. You know, all the usual suspects. However, the real magic of this time of year comes for me in the form of gratitude and time for deep soul reflection (i.e. getting my priorities straight). I’ve been doing quite a bit of both lately.

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Nov152013

Saying YES, feeling CLEAR, and making RAD stuff

As you likely know, I’m a big fan of collaboration, so when Matt Butler, the dynamic conductor of the amazing Everyone Orchestra, asked me if I’d be interested in painting a tuxedo jacket and matching hat for him, it was a very clear YES.

Let me start by saying that I totally dig the whole concept behind the Everyone Orchestra. Their positive high-energy shows blend a unique line-up of different (always uber-talented) musicians and there is no “Set List” … only improvisation, talent and trust.

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Oct292013

Registration for February Bloom True class now open!

Hi everyone! Just a quick note to let you know that registration is now open for the next round of my Bloom True E-Course. The next five-week course will begin in February, 2014, and you will have six months of extended access after the course finishes (so you can go back over it whenever you want during that time).

I continue to be floored by the response to this course…

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Oct122013

On Letting Go

One of the big changes I made to my current Bloom True E-Course was shifting the theme of Week Two from ‘Play’ to ‘Letting Go.’ The other week’s themes — Intuition, Your Inspiring Life, Being Brave and Blooming True — remain the same, but there was always something about ‘Play’ that never totally resonated with me.

And then it hit me. ‘Play” is simply one way of letting go.

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Oct102013

Prettiest holiday cards EVER

OK. I’m admittedly not being very humble here, but seriously you guys, these new holiday cards designed by Papaya! are so GORGEOUS…so much so that I’m actually feeling inspired to send holiday cards for the first time in, like, fifteen years. Perhaps they will inspire you too? We are selling packs of five (of the same design) for $20, and packs of ten (one of each design) for only $30 (shipping within the US is included).
Get your holiday cheer on today!

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Oct42013

Life Book 2014 Give Away Winner Announced

Hi all. Just a quick note to thank you for your wonderful comments about why you would like to participate in Life Book 2014. It was a pleasure to read them all and feel your excitement. I’m happy to announce that the winner of this year-long art making extravaganza is Maureen McCauley of lightofdaystories.com. Congrats Maureen! Hope you enjoy the journey that is Life Book…

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Sep262013

A Give Away to Life Book 2014!

Hi everybody. Have you heard about Life Book yet? It’s a really lovely year-long mixed media online art class put together by Tamara LaPorte. I had the pleasure of meeting Tamara last year in the UK and she is super fun and dedicated to spreading the joy of creativity far and wide. Life book offers creative insights through video lessons, prompts, images and writing by 22 amazing teachers throughout the year. What a great way to learn some new approaches and techniques!

Life Book 2014 registration opens next Monday. Join us for the adventure?

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Aug302013

On *not* going to Burning Man

As I sit here in my neighborhood coffee shop in Portland, OR, there are 60,000 plus people gathered in the Nevada dessert celebrating creativity, community, art and radical self expression — yep, pretty much all my favorite things. I do not hesitate to say that these lucky people are attending the best party on Earth right now and that party is called Burning Man.

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Jul312013

Joying Up!

This post is part of my friend Hannah Marcotti’s The Joy Up Stories Series. The Joy Up begins August 1st (that’s tomorrow!) with hundreds of women who are ready to claim their joy and deepen love, ritual, trust and rhythm. Join in the joy by clicking here.

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Jul202013

Late night inspiration + bloom true mini lessons

I’m happy to say I’ve been on a bit of a painting roll over the past few days. My inspiration has been striking late at night when it’s super quiet and cool and my intention has been to explore new territory, have fun and play. Aaaaaaaaand, guess what? Every time I approach my work with this attitude (ie: not making it MEAN more than simply playing with colors and marks), rad new things seem to transpire. (note to self).

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Jul22013

Introducing Soul Shine Studio!

I’m happy to say I’ve been on a bit of a painting roll over the past few days. My inspiration has been striking late at night when it’s super quiet and cool and my intention has been to explore new territory, have fun and play. Aaaaaaaaand, guess what? Every time I approach my work with this attitude (ie: not making it MEAN more than simply playing with colors and marks), rad new things seem to transpire. (note to self).

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Jun292013

I Heart Bali.

I seriously cannot believe I have been home from Bali for almost a month already!

Woah….life….moves….fast.

However, between jet-lag recovery, a sick week in bed, a rare five-day visit from my best friend and a week of catching up on piles of life and work, I guess it all pencils out. In some ways, the trip feels like a distant exotic dream at this point, but every time I burn one of my treasured Balinese incense sticks, I am magically transported right back to my tiny beloved island on the other side of the world. Swoon.

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Jun102013

Uniquity + the Declaration of YOU!

After a pretty major spin around the world (aka: my trip to Bali), I am now cozied back up in my Portland studio — favorite mug in hand, favorite tunes playing on my ipad and an epic amount of stories and thoughts to share…soon. As I allow my experiences in Bali to sink in a little more deeply, I want to take a minute to share with you a very special book.

The Declaration of You!, is written by two superstar ladies (and lovely friends of mine), Jessica Swift and Michelle Ward. I’m really proud of them for putting together such a beautiful and important book, because it dives right into the heart of a conversation I seem to be having so much lately. It’s that one about…

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May72013

Vulnerability—the new “keeping it cool”

Hi ya’ll. Look at me…writing a post AFTER the 30-Day Love Affair is over! It’s true. I feel I have officially transformed my relationship with this lovely blog. Dreading my “blog homework” has now been replaced by thoughts like, “Write a blog? Sure. Totally. Why not? No big deal. Sounds fun.” So, that said, I’m officially popping in to say hello and to thank you for your ah-MAZE-ing comments in response to my last post about my name change. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend reading the comments—so moving and inspiring. Reading your comments reminded me why…

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Apr302013

30-Day Blog Love Affair:: Day #29!

Yowza, Day #29, ey? I have to admit that all day I’ve been a little stressed about what I would write today. The “second to last day” of this month-long experiement seems like some kind of big deal that deserves some kind of amazingness. I even considered making a little video for you to really prove how brave I am (ha ha), but after investigating iMovie for about ten minutes, I gave up. My truth tonight is that I’m tired, my hair looks like shit, I’ve been on my computer waaaaay too long already today and I’m definitely not feeling very inspired or inspiring. Huh, I think my shoulders just dropped about two inches after I typed that. The honest truth will do that to you 🙂

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Apr292013

30-Day Blog Love Affair:: Day #28!

I realize this might verge on giving away the ending of a book, but I am going to risk it and share with you the list of “friendly reminders” I offer on the final day of my online course. I hope you find these reminders helpful, and if they leave you craving more elaboration, my next online course starts in one month. I would love for you to join me on the adventure!

I also want to share with you a few of my latest paintings in progress…

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Apr272013

30-Day Blog Love Affair:: Day #27!

For my entire adult life, I have lived communally (yep, like a true hippie) among diverse and wonderfully inspiring groups of creative folks. Over the past four years, I’ve lived with a mandolin player, a photographer/videgrapher, a raw pie maker, a bike shop owner, a massage therapist/gardener and a shaman-in-training. Our house is now famous for it’s house concerts, potlucks, art nights and backyard sauna parties. We have 15 bikes parked under our hand-built bike storage area right next to our front yard food garden. We don’t have chickens anymore, but all our neighbors do, so the air is still filled with the sound of clucking. Basically, we are our own little Portlandia episode around here everyday.

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Apr272013

30-Day Blog Love Affair:: Day #26!

It’s ‘Sweet Reminders Friday’ brought to you by two of my favorite wisdom keepers…

All the possibilities of your human destiny are asleep in your soul. You are here to realize and honor these possibilities. When love comes in to your life, unrecognized dimensions of your destiny awaken and blossom and grow. Possibility is the secret heart of time.— John O’Donohue from Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom

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