‘Lotus Symmetry’ – Day 365/365

‘Lotus Symmetry’ – Day 365/365

ORIGINAL COPY POSTED ON INSTAGRAM DURING THE CHALLENGE

A story for the Last Day of the 365 challenge before the reveal later 😋

Today’s painting, my not quite as mini, miniNature, is dedicated to my love.
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To those who have followed this journey, it may look like I did 365 paintings alone, but the truth is, we did it together.
Vic, my babe, I could never in a million lifetimes have achieved something like this without you. Not without your willingness to make 332 miniature frames (I started with only enough for a few weeks) because I refused to buy plastic-wrapped canvases off Amazon made in China and flown halfway around the world!
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Not without your endless kind words of encouragement or your willing support of breaking and making my own rules along the way (today included).
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I couldn’t have done it without your daily ‘that’s awesome, my love’ assurance of every damn painting (even the ones that were lacking in the heart).

And not without your quiet company in the studio on days that I struggled. I couldn’t have done it without your financial support in months where work was slow. Or without your back rubs and heart hugs in weeks where it all felt like too big and too dumb a challenge to take on. .
The whole challenge may have crystallised my understanding of the ‘no mud, no lotus’ analogy for the symmetry of artistic existence, but you never needed the challenge to love all my mud moments as much as my lotus moments. You’ve pushed me to grow more than you know.
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You’re my diamond from the dust and I’m ‘vrek’ grateful we’re in this together. 🙏🏼
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✨Undertakings like this cannot be done without those who love us, the parents who root for us (thanks mom and Steve!!!) and the friends who believe in us with SO much love and kindness.✨
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I took me the better part of 12 months to fully learn this: 💙the people in your life, WANT to be there for you.💙
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Not everyone is that fortune, so if you are – let your friends and family support you in chasing your dreams. You’re depriving yourself of the chance to feel major love, abundance and joy for everything you already have before you achieve any goals.
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I want to say a massive thank you to all the nature photographers who kindly let me use their images this year as sources to my inspiration. You did a majorly generous thing and I will always be grateful to you all.

And NOW – You glorious gems!!! To every single human who stuck around while I did this thing, who commented, who engaged, who liked and who shared my work, fuck man, I want you to know how much I appreciate you. You all occupied invisible space in my tiny studio, encouraging me onward with your genuine messages of kindness and appreciation.
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If I could hug every single one of you, I would. 🤗It was never about reaching numbers for me. It was about gathering connections along the way.
If you’re reading this now, on 31 Dec 2019 – you are part of the number that helped me see this year through. That pretty much makes you the biggest number my heart could ask for or handle.😍
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If you resonated with what came out of my paintings or writings this year, please head on over to www.mininature.co.za and sign up to my newsletter.
I am bursting with content ideas (and more) for 2020, and I can’t wait to get cracking on creating it all, in hopes of inspiring more creatives to chase their magical dreams.
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THANK YOU again. 🙏🏼💙✨🌈
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🙏🏼💙 Have a wonderful new year and be kind to yourself. This is the only moment you’ll ever get 🌱🌞
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From my wild heart to yours,
Thank you!

(artist retains all rights to print reproductions of this painting)
Inspiration image: artist’s own

‘Simplicity’ – Day 295/365

‘Simplicity’ – Day 295/365

The word ‘simplicity’ means to have a “singleness of nature, unity, indivisibility; immutability.”⁠
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Isn’t that so awesome? To develop a singleness in your nature and to be immutable in it – unchanging over time… holds the key to experiencing an amplification of who you are.⁠

(artist retains all rights to print reproductions of this painting)
Inspiration: artist’s own


ORIGINAL COPY POSTED ON INSTAGRAM DURING THE CHALLENGE

A gem of a Marie Forleo quote for you today:⁠

“Simplify to amplify”.⁠
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To be multi-passionate is not something you can just stow away. But it took me all my twenties and a nip of my thirties to begin feeling like more of the artist whose spirit rummaged in my bones by giving myself fully to only painting. I so badly wanted to be an artist, a creative misfit that I did everything all at once – sculpting and felting and beading and photography and candle making and scrapbooking and whatnot all else…😂⁠

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So today – while thinking these thoughts and feeling these truths, I looked up the origin of the word ‘simplicity’. It means to have a “singleness of nature, unity, indivisibility; immutability.”⁠
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Isn’t that so awesome? To develop a singleness in your nature and to be immutable in it – unchanging over time… holds the key to experiencing an amplification of who you are.⁠
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Have you found this to be true for you or does doing many different things totally light your fire? ⁠

.📸inspiration pic found on Unsplash.com⁠

‘Giving Death’ – Day 210/365

‘Giving Death’ – Day 210/365

ORIGINAL COPY POSTED ON INSTAGRAM DURING THE CHALLENGE

Mud today. Just so much mud under my lotus.⁠
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I have this paper stuck up on my studio wall – it’s an excerpt from the tale of Skeleton Woman in Women Who Run With Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes. I’ve reread it probably a hundred times and turn to it whenever I become deeply aware of mud in my spirit. These words always loosen the mud that’s stuck to my shoes. They always unearth that one thing I’ve been clinging to for far too long and help me find the courage to turn to it and say “I’m not taking you with me on the rest of my journey”. Since this is where I’m at today I thought I’d share them with you in case you’re confronting some of your own mud.⁠
.⁠ – Untangling Skeleton Woman – ⁠
What must I give more death to today? In order to generate more life? What do I know should die but am hesitant to allow to do so? What must die in me in order for me to love? What not-beauty do I fear? Of what use is the power of the not-beautiful to me today? What should die today? What should live? What life am I afraid to give birth to?⁠

If not now, when?⁠
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🖤⁠
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Ps: this is the very first miniature that contain mars black pigment – I never paint with it because I find it so.. well lifeless, preferring payne’s grey. But it felt necessary for today and in taking down another ‘never’ for myself I feel a little lighter already.

(artist retains all rights to print reproductions of this painting)
Inspiration: artist’s own

‘Unzip the Bud’ – Day 189/365 – Triptych

‘Unzip the Bud’ – Day 189/365 – Triptych

The expression to ‘nip it in the bud’ refers to halting it in early stages of development before it becomes a bigger problem.⁠ Expressions that are counter to nature’s way just don’t sit right with me. Buds are made for blooming.⁠
So, if it feels like there’s something unignorably bud-shaped inside you pushing from within – for goodness sake – let it bloom.⁠

(artist retains all rights to print reproductions of this painting)


ORIGINAL COPY POSTED ON INSTAGRAM DURING THE CHALLENGE

The expression to ‘nip it in the bud’ refers to halting it in early stages of development before it becomes a bigger problem.⁠
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But what if the bud stage IS the problem? Or rather, the containment in the bud, the stuck in early stages?⁠
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Often expressions that are counter to nature’s way just don’t sit right with me. Buds are made for blooming.⁠
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So, if it feels like there’s something unignorably bud-shaped inside you pushing from within – for goodness sake – let it bloom.⁠
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As Anais Anin says “and the day came when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.’ 🌺⁠

‘Mud Comfort’ – Day 187/365 – Triptych

‘Mud Comfort’ – Day 187/365 – Triptych

Here’s what I love about that whole ‘ No Mud, No Lotus’ analogy. ⁠ It’s not a ‘this, then that’ scenario. You don’t go through the mud and then have the beautiful lotus and pluck it for life in a pristine, flawless vase afterwards. ⁠ It’s a ‘this AND that’ scenario. You live in the mud. The mud is your sustenance. It’s where your roots feed your beauty and unfolding.⁠ Whatever your brand of mud, get comfortable there.⁠ That is where YOUR lotus WANTS to bloom.⁠

(artist retains all rights to print reproductions of this painting)
Inspiration image: common license photography


ORIGINAL COPY POSTED ON INSTAGRAM DURING THE CHALLENGE

This plinky-plonky rainy weather had me feeling all watery today.⁠
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Here’s what I love about that whole ‘ No Mud, No Lotus’ analogy. ⁠
One – it’s true – have you seen the muck that those beautiful flowers grow out of?⁠
And two – it’s not a ‘this, then that’ scenario. You don’t go through the mud and then have the beautiful lotus and pluck it for life in a pristine, flawless vase afterwards. ⁠
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It’s a ‘this AND that’ scenario. You live in the mud. The mud is your sustenance. It’s where your roots feed your beauty and unfolding.⁠
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Whatever your brand of mud, get comfortable there.⁠
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That is where YOUR lotus WANTS to bloom.⁠
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⁠🎨my abstract interpretation of a photo by Saffu on @unsplash ⁠