Do you have a cup of tea? You might want one for this post…it’s a bit of journey in and of itself. I promised I would go out with a bang, so here goes. May I present…the never before told story of my most daring and life-changing act to date…
The story of changing my name.
DetailsYowza, 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 🙂
DetailsI 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…
DetailsFor 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.
DetailsIt’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
DetailsWe have an event here in Portland called the Last Thursday Art Walk. It started fourteen years ago as a sort of the rebel offspring of the First Thursday Art Walk held in the downtown galleries. It is truly a renegade DIY event in every aspect of the word—equal parts carnival, garage sale, art fair, burning man, protest, karaoke, dance party, art experiment, parade, ______.
Detailsou asked for crush details, so I’m going to be brave and spill the beans…at least a few beans for now.
If you have been following along in my world at all, you have probably noticed that I never, like ever, talk about my romantic life. In fact, up until this lil’ blog experiment, I’ve talked very little about my personal life off the canvas, AT ALL. There are a couple of reasons for this. One is that I have a story about keeping things private online which is really interesting because I’m really quite the open book in real life. The other reason is that I’m totally scared I might jinx a good thing.
DetailsIt’s crazy beautiful today in Portland and my spirits are flying high. I spent the day doing exactly what I love to do: painting and connecting with awesome people. My friend and peer, Rachael Rice (aka the Cosmic American) came over for a painting date. We rolled out a big drop cloth, flung open the studio door, cut up some potato stamps and went to town. Our conversations drifted between blogging, boys, current inspirations and our mutual love for fluorescent pink. Rachael is a new friend but hanging with her is always super effortless and inspiring—exactly what I’m welcoming into my life these days.
DetailsToday is Day #22 which means I’ve now written 21 blog posts in a row. Wow. What an interesting journey of the soul this has been! I was telling a friend of mine a little bit about the process today and he mentioned that it is supposed to take 21 days to create a new habit. Aha! This totally resonated with me because I can honestly say I feel like writing this daily post has officially become a part of my everyday experience. It is no longer “something I think I should do.” Instead, it is “something I actually do”—everyday. In other words…
DetailsAfter yesterday’s thoughts on how I find inspiration directly from the creative process and taking risks, I thought I would give a nod to some of my more obvious sources of inspiration today. Although I find plenty of inspiration from things like textiles, graffiti, shamanism, tribal patterns, personal transformation and music (hmm, that sounds like…
DetailsThere’s a question that seems to come up in every single interview I do. It’s the “Where do you find inspiration?” question. It’s easy to answer this question with the obvious: nature, color, form, movement, trips to the woods, looking at other people’s art, etc. But, when I really get to the heart of…
DetailsHi ya’ll. I thought I would allow myself to do a little *shining* today and share with you my feature in the most recent Where Women Create Magazine. To say I feel honored to be included in this publication would be a serious understatement. A more accurate description of my feelings would be something…
DetailsWoah. This week has been so weird. Everyday has turned out to be so different than I expected. Another way to say that would be: I cannot seem to get anything done! All week, I have been battling my own procrastination monsters, along with what seems like a constant string of interruptions (some created by…
DetailsYesterday was my sister’s birthday and this is my Ode to her. Erin is three and a half years older than me and lives with her husband, Jeremy (he is an amazing painter…check him out!) in Minneapolis, MN. There are a few words that definitely come to mind when I think of my sis: smart,…
DetailsAfter the heaviness of yesterday’s news, I’m going to keep today’s post pretty and sweet by sharing a few photos I took today on my annual trip to visit the blooming magnolia trees in Hoyt Arboretum. There is a very special window of time when the entire grove of magnolia trees is exploding with pink…
DetailsI spent a decent amount of time this morning thinking about happiness, contentment and connection. I was pondering how to cultivate them, how to recognize them and how to maintain them. And, then I heard the news. Another bombing and this time at a freaking MARATHON, a place where people come together to express their…
DetailsI mentioned a couple days ago that one of my words for 2013 was EASE. Since I can never seem to settle on just one “word of the year,” I thought I would share my other word with you today… COLLABORATION Why collaboration? Well, ya see, I’m kinda tired of doing…
DetailsI’ve been thinking a lot about DREAMS lately…not so much the kind I have in my sleep (although that might be a whole different post..woah). I’m talking about the kind of dreams I have in my waking hours. “Daydreams” if you will, but not the kind of daydreams I have while I’m staring off into…
DetailsSpring has definitely SPRUNG here in Portland and it’s all I can do to not drool all over the amazing flowers blooming everywhere. I rode my bike across town today listening to Sigur Ros on my headphones, allowing my intuition to lead the way. I have an exercise on my online course called, “Intuitive Wandering” that is all about wandering (walking, biking, even driving) without a plan.
DetailsTruth be told, I’m not really in the mood to blog today. There, I said it. So, I’m going to take the road of EASE (one of my words of the year), and simply link right on over to another blog. Shazam! So easy. I’m actually really happy to…
DetailsAs I type this, my friend Tara is across the street on a massage table receiving an hour of healing energy work from one of my healer angels, Mandy. I gifted this session to Tara because I believe so much in this work and there is nothing I would rather give…
DetailsI woke up yesterday to a text message from one of my oldest and dearest friends who lives in Boston. It read, “Can I come visit you…like tomorrow?” I would be lying if I said this was totally out of the blue, as we’ve been hoping to make this visit happen for awhile now, but WOW, it was suddenly happening…like tomorrow, which is now…like today. Of course my answer was a resounding, “YES!” and in about three hours, I’ll be on my way to the airport to pick Tara up.
DetailsThe image above is just a small bit of a painting that I’m working on right now, but I decided to post it on Instagram last night with the caption, “Digging more quiet space in my paintings these days…perhaps a reflection of what’s goin on inside? Probably so.”
DetailsI’m reading two books right now that are totally rocking my world, and I’d love to share a snippet from each book. Both these passages stopped me in my tracks while I declared something like, “ooooh yeeaaaah…that’s good” to the quiet space around me.
DetailsWell, well, well…what do you know? Seems the topic of shining and celebrating (ala yesterday’s post) was a topic many of you could relate to. It was awesome to read all your supportive comments and it got me thinking about this SHIFT that appears to be happening.
DetailsOh my. This has been a seriously exciting day. Two pretty major things happened today, both in the category of “dreams coming true” kinda stuff. Interestingly, I’ve been feeling this low grade stress (beneath all the happiness, that is) regarding how to share all this goodness without sounding “braggy” or “too happy.” Blah. blah. blah. …
DetailsToday’s post will be short and sweet—just a little peak into the current state of affairs in my studio. There’s a lot going on in here! I’m experiencing one of those rare and precious periods of time when my inspiration is flowing effortlessly and everything that is emerging on my canvas feels new and exciting.
DetailsWow. Can I just say how much I am seriously falling in love with my blog…it’ true! I’m actually a bit floored by how EASY this is feeling, and not just easy, but exciting and soul-filling…like I’m looking forward to writing everyday. What a turn-around.
DetailsWell hello there and welcome to Day #2 of the Blog Love Affair!! Whahoooo! First of all THANK YOU for all the sweet comments yesterday. I didn’t even consider the ripple effect this little love affair might inspire, but I am so stoked to hear that some of you might join me in re-igniting your blogging relationships.
DetailsI was originally going to call this little experiment my, “30-Day Blog Challenge” but after some consideration, I quickly realized that calling this challenge a challenge would only make it feel, well, more challenging. So, I’m doing what any firm believer in the Law of Attraction would do, and calling it what I hope it will become a good ol’ fashioned love affair.
DetailsBloom True the E-Course starts TOMORROW!
Kick off your year by treating yourself to this very special gift.
Five weeks to tune in, get messy and connect with your true self.
It’s a course about intuitive painting. But it is so much more than that.
Details“This class was just what I needed to get painting again and try acrylics. Flora taught me to see all that is perfect instead of the faults. It’s been so long since I’ve enjoyed painting this much!” Cinda Bauman
Do you want to access your inner creativity, feel more connected to your life and feel confident to express your true self on canvas? Bloom True might just be for you. Take a look at these paintings created by participants of the class
Details“This class brought a whole new level to my artwork. The color, layering and freedom bring pure joy along my artful journey.” Marji Thompson
A lot of people take ‘Bloom True the E-Course’ expecting how to learn how to paint with acrylics. Of course they learn that, but more importantly they learn how to paint like THEM. Like their true selves. And how do they do that? By learning how to tune into their intuition like never before. This course is not just about painting, it is about life, and it is a revelation. Look at the gorgeous images which emerged from class participants. If you want to join us for the next session of this extraordinary class (beginning on January 28), find out more and register here.
Details“My “breakthrough” piece. Happened freely following the images that emerged. I call it Shamanic Dream because it looks like shamanic journeying with dream images.“ Christine Kennedy
Let go. Be bold. Unfold. That’s what the Bloom True class did back in September, and look what beauty emerged.
DetailsWe called it, “Bloom True Moves.” It was an experiment in collaboration. It was new territory. And it was deeply healing. From our opening circle it was obvious that this group of 18 women were ready to step into something new. The feeling in the room was palpable—the feeling was one of readiness.
Details[Image: Zipporah Lomax] Wow, first of all, THANK YOU for all the lovely comments and positve feedback on my last post. It really means so much to feel all the love and support as I lean into my own vulnerabilty more and more. It’s also very motivating for me to keep diving in (to the…
DetailsHi. I'm so glad you are still here even though I've been such a "bad blogger" lately. To be honest, I've had this snarky little voice running through my head whining, "I don't wanna blog. I don't wanna talk about my life online. I only want to ride my bike through Portland's sunshiny streets and…
DetailsAnother batch of paintings and testimonials from my online course. Next course starts on June 11th! "Learned a lot about play,play, play..and let go! That is the right path I would take. My paintings came to the surface float without any effort. Thanks!" Yvon van Bergen -Yvon van Bergen "I work in collage and…
DetailsContinuing to share some of the work produced in my first Bloom True online course. The next course starts in just eight days, and there is still time to join! "Learning Flora's intuitive painting process has been quite profound. It re-connected me to the most important part of my being-my passionate, creative heart. Incredible!" -Loren…
Details"I sell most of my paintings, but I think this one I will keep. It is very special for me." Conni Altmann Sharing some more of the lovely paintings and testimonials that have come out of the Bloom True E-Course. Next class starts June 11! I "Bloom True is an incredible journey of painting through…
Details"I loved learning all the layering/mark making techniques… I think I am most proud of this painting as I really took my time with it and tried to listen to it unfold." Nathalie Vachon As promised, here is the first glimpse of some paintings that emerged from my first ever Bloom True online course. I…
DetailsHello and greetings from beautiful Bali. I am happy to report that the week-long yoga/painting workshop that took place here last week was amazing—almost dream-like actually. I'll admit, we went in a little bit blind on this one. The website for the resort looked great, but you never really know what you will find in…
DetailsIt's official people. My first book, "Brave Intuitive Painting" has hit the shelves—it's time to celebrate! Creating this book was truly an act of love, a deep journey of the soul and one of the most challenging things I've ever done. I poured myself into this baby, and I'm so excited to share it with…
DetailsAbout a month ago, I had the pleasure of returning to the lovely Teahouse Studio in Berkeley, CA, to teach two Bloom True workshops over the course of two weekends. During the second weekend, my sweet and talented friend, Zipporah Lomax (yes, that's really her name…she goes by Zippy, even cuter) asked if she could…
DetailsThe amazing Miss Robyn Kautz It is with great pleasure that I am finally able to share with you a very special project I have been dreaming into creation for months— Bloom True Moves! I am thrilled to join forces with two of my favorite movers who also happen to be two of the most…
Details"Write blog post" has been on my to do list for the past three weeks. Every time I look at my list it just stares back at me— "Hellloooo, remember me?" Well, let me just say that I have not forgotten about you my sweet little blog! I have just been completely immersed in my…
DetailsThere are so many wonderful new art books coming out these days—it's awesome. I love that artists are getting a chance to offer the world their unique perspectives and techniques and that so many students are able to learn from these inspiring people—inpiration at our fingertips! I recently had the pleasure of reading Traci Bautista's…
DetailsThe blooming continues around the world! I hope you can join me for one of these brand new workshops in England + Australia. Call of the Wild Soul (great name, right!?) The UK Sacred Art Retreat: Sept. 27 – 30, 2012 Somerset, England I am very honored to be a part of this inaugural sacred…
DetailsI must admit that trying to convey the magnitude of magic that was present during our week-long workshop in Mexico is a little daunting, but here goes… Yep, that's San Miguel de Allende, a beautiful gem of a city nestled in the Sierra Madres Mountains and fondly referred to as El Corazon de Mexico (the…
DetailsI'm guessing that many of you have already heard about this amazing new E-Course but just in case you haven't heard, I'm feeling moved to tell ya all about it. Why? Because I believe the world, especially the world of doing business, is in desparate need of a shift—a shift towards more passion, more purpose,…
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