Turning word-wounds into gold; a journey of awakening

 

Hi Friends,

This is me arranging all my indigo pieces together in the hopes of beginning a new series of portrait paintings.

I feel myself slowly pushing to emerge from my cocoon as the light begins to come back and the new year dawns and I am very much hoping to have a new series of portrait paintings in the year to come. It’s been a difficult year for me, I’ve had a lot of confusion and fear and discouragement around my art. But at the same time, I also feel like I’m experiencing an awakening. I have never felt more aware, which I think is partly why I have been so introverted this year. There is a large part of me that wants to distance myself from society and just be alone in nature. But there is also a part of me that knows human contact is important and healthy for me too. I have been applying to art residencies lately. I think that would be such a helpful way for me to get back into my creative groove. Say a little prayer for me about that if you will. I finally finished writing out my life story, which is the first assignment in the workbook, The Vein of Gold, by Julia Cameron, which I have been working through. She is a genius. I already knew this, but I’m discovering it again. Writing out my life story has been so clarifying for me and as a result of reviewing past events so carefully, I have untangled confusions that I’ve had for decades. Among the next assignments is to “Go back through your Narrative Time Line and look for any damning or daunting words.” She then writes, “Claim the word-wounds and work with them. . . searching for the silver linings that will turn them into gold.” My “word-wounds” are: 1.Unfocused 2.Disrespectful 3.Talks too much 4.Distracting 5.Unconstructive 6.Too serious 7.Elitist 8.Unappreciative 9.Untrustworthy 10.Disorganized When I changed them into gold, as Julia says, I came up with: 1.Focused on what’s important 2.Free 3.Engaged in Community 4.Energetic 5.Diligent 6.Sincere 7.Intelligent 8.Honest 9.Insistant on Self-Care 10.Creative

She instructs the reader to create gilded forms of these words and to post them around where you can see them.

I was surprised how giddy I felt when I did this assignment. I am so delighted each time I look at the beautiful glittered words I created and read them to myself throughout the day. “I am diligent, I am free, I am honest, I am creative.” I say to myself.

Lastly, I wanted to highlight this book I’ve been reading by Matika Wilbur, who is a portrait photographer. She is from the Swinomish and Tulalip tribes, which are in the Pacific Northwest around Washington State. I found this book in the small library by my house. It just came out earlier this year. Then I discovered her podcast that she does with her friend Adrianne Keene from the Cherokee Nation. The reason this is important to me as far as my art goes, besides the fact that she is also a portrait artist, is that I love the spirit in which she engages in and goes about her art. She writes, “Before I ever picked up my camera for this project, I was advised by my elders to consult with spirit. We put up tipi and prayed through the night. When I was bringing in the water at sunrise, I asked the Creator for permission to do this project. Just then, ten flicker birds flew inside our lodge. The Roadman pronounced, ‘If you have the courage to take this journey, the path is laid for you. All the spiritual people will help you. You will never be alone in this work.’ The ancestors were right.”

This is the spirit in which I aspire to create my art as well.

Here is a little video I made about Marika's

book.

I love you and I hope that you are finding love, creativity and hope in your journey of awakening as well.

Peace,

Suzanne.

suzannejoyteune.com

p.s. I decided I'm going to write a blog post a week this year. Last year, I committed to writing one newsletter per month and I did it! I'm so glad that I followed through. There were several months when I felt I had nothing special to share, but I did it anyways and every time people responded saying they appreciated it and got something out of it. I think it's helpful for me to give myself assignments like that sometimes. It helps me to follow through and be consistent and I like it! I used to blog a lot, especially when I was in art school in Ireland and it was a really special way to document and process everything that was happening. I want to take up this practice again in an even more consistent and full way. Thanks for reading. It means a lot. 💛