Miracle Life

The Documented Life Project

And you know I'm always happy to hear from you, right?

Please, feel free to leave a comment here or contact me at ritajc(at)inbox(dot)lv

Friday

Hooked And Happy Again :)

As my loyal followers know already, I had a dry period for about 1/2 year in my creative life. After a couple of months of feeling really depressed, I could at least start knitting again in September, but I still couldn't touch any paints, papers or canvasses, except for very short episodes now and then.

By the end of 2013, ladies in a Facebook group started to share about these two FREE year long art journaling projects some of them wanted to participate in:

Journal52

And I totally got hooked! After I stopped art journaling in March 2012, now, I am preparing 2 altered books for these projects and picking up unfinished paintings whenever I can!

This is, how it looked in my creative space on January 1.

YAY! I'm feeling alive again! And hoping it lasts!

And you know what? You can still join me and the others, if you would like! And, if you feel a bit lost in those crowded Facebook groups, you can join the small one I have created on Facebook for a more intimate experience.

To see more inspiring creativity jump over to any of these sites

And you know I'm always happy to hear from you, right?

Please, feel free to leave a comment here or contact me at ritajc(at)inbox(dot)lv

Monday

A PIECE A WEEK - DECEMBER 3-9

Are you still up to A PIECE A WEEK?

Let's share and inspire each other! Adding your link to the pool is easy-peasy: just follow the instructions! And if you want your blog visitors to see all your pieces together don't forget to tag your posts with apieceaweek!

If you'd like to steal the badge, you don't have to. It's for free! :) Just save the image from my side bar to your machine and connect it with this link wherever you put it on your blog.

Everybody is welcome, but only with post related to this challenge, OK?

Do you like to connect and chat?

Join our closed group on Facebook and let's see, if we are the right match!

And you know I always love to hear from you, right?

Please, feel free to leave a comment here or contact me at ritajc(at)inbox(dot)lv

Tuesday

A PIECE A WEEK - NOVEMBER 5 - 11

Are you up to A PIECE A WEEK?

Let's share and inspire each other! Adding your link to the pool is easy-peasy: just follow the instructions! And if you want your blog visitors to see all your pieces together don't forget to tag your posts with apieceaweek!

If you'd like to steal the badge, you don't have to. It's for free! :) Just save the image from my side bar to your machine and connect it with this link wherever you put it on your blog.

Everybody is welcome, but only with post related to this challenge, OK?

Do you like to connect and chat?

Join our closed group on Facebook and let's see, if we are the right match!

And you know I always love to hear from you, right?

Please, feel free to leave a comment here or contact me at ritajc(at)inbox(dot)lv

Saturday

The Feather Project

Do you remember my post from last week about starting to work at feathers for Yanik's project. They are finished and on their way to Canada now.

As I often do, I chose a different technology than suggested. That made my process pretty challenging. :)

At first, I just splashed and spritzed inks and acrylic paints onto pages from my kids' old school workbooks. Layer after layer.

I had 6 sheets going on at the same time, but didn't want to flood Yanik's project with my feathers. So, I chose 2 of them to draw stylized feathers on with a gold marker.

I selected 6 I liked the most, but, when I started to glue them down, they all started to scrunch and bleed.

Obviously, the very fluid acrylic varnish I used was not the best for this type of paper.

When the sheet was dry, I was happy to see, that most of the feathers looked still usable.

So, I grabbed my scissors ... only to discover, that the good heavy cardboard was too sturdy for them. And my punch turned out to be too weak for the job as well. :)

If I wanted to give my feathers any good chance to reach their destination in time, waiting until I get new supplies was not an option.

So my old paper knife and awl had to do the job.

At the very end, I refreshed the gold marker, inserted a fuzzy yarn into the holes, and sent them out to Yanik. I really hope they arrive in time :)

(Sorry for the poor quality of the images, but day light has been scarce here lately.)

To see more inspiring creativity jump over to any of these sites

And you know I'm always happy to hear from you, right?

Please, feel free to leave a comment here or contact me at ritajc(at)inbox(dot)lv

Besides: there is still time to join Yanik's project, if you would like. ;)

Just a Couple of Strokes

Time and energy just seems to be seeping away through my fingers, so my "piece" for this week are just a couple of charcoal strokes on a large painting I started in this one day course with Shiloh Sophia McCloud back in July :)

To see more inspiring creativity jump over to any of these sites

And you know I'm always happy to hear from you, right?

Please, feel free to leave a comment here or contact me at ritajc(at)inbox(dot)lv

Tuesday

A PIECE A WEEK - SEPTEMBER 10 - 16

Everybody is welcome, but only with post related to this challenge, OK?

Do you like to connect and chat?

Join our closed group on Facebook and let's see, if we are the right match!

And you know I always love to hear from you, right?

Please, feel free to leave a comment here or contact me at ritajc(at)inbox(dot)lv

A PIECE A WEEK - JULY 23 - 29

Everybody is welcome, but only with post related to this challenge, OK?

Do you like to connect and chat?

Join our closed group on Facebook and let's see, if we are the right match!

And you know I love to hear from you, right?

Please, feel free to leave a comment here or contact me at ritajc(at)inbox(dot)lv

Monday

Working With My Second Chakra

Last week has been pretty intense for me again with
- a couple of courses
- training an adolescent Kelpie mix
- supporting my youngest son, who had his entrance exams in the Art school
- and much more.

My son was accepted! Still feeling pretty proud about it, as it took me 4 months to get him willing and prepared. :)

And our doggie is doing much better after only one week of training, but, somehow, my creativity felt blocked.

I couldn't even start the e-book I made a decision to finish until the next session with my coach.

Today, I started to work with my second chakra and discovered, that it was totally blocked with fear.

It turns out, I'm afraid of my own creativity and sexual energy, because it has brought me some serious trouble in the "past".

And I realized, that for the last couple of days, the Source has pointed me into that direction already,
for example,
with information about The Shakti Summit
or this Relationships course with Tamara Lackey.

Today, I felt really tired of it and willing to start cleaning it out. So I did a search on YouTube and tried a couple of meditations. This one worked the best for me.

I feel, I have to stay with this longer, although, I'd really love to move forward in the direction of an established new business.

I still feel the fear of failure rearing its head. So, I'm willing to stay with this as long as it takes.

Even more so, as there are many signs, that support it, including Lauren C. Gorgo's latest channeling with these words being part of it:

"...no matter how much we want out of this uncomfortable place, it's still not time to move (all parts of ourselves) forward yet ... unless your goal is to create more of your past..."

I most definitely am sick of what I have created in my "past", although it brought me to this spot, what I really appreciate. :)

To see more inspiring creativity jump over to any of these sites

And you know I'm always happy to hear from you, right?

Please, feel free to leave a comment here or contact me at ritajc(at)inbox(dot)lv

Wednesday

All Those Who Wander Are Not Lost - J.R.R. Tolkien

It's summer in the North hemisphere, usually - a pretty slow time in the usual meeting places. So I decided to invite guest posters to my blog, to add some fun here :)

Meet the first one of them: Meg from Wonderland!

I wonder and I wander.

And I wondered while wandering... if I was the only one.

That couldn't be right, there most be more people out there like me. Who want to create with a SOUL-purpose.

So I looked and I found them here and there shouting quietly with their pens and paint brushes.

Shouldn't there be a place where we could all be together, to connect, to not feel so alone.

But I didn't find this place.... what other choice did I have but to create it.

And WONDERLAND was born.

And I waited, and waited and only a few people came, like sitting at the biggest Tea Party expecting hundreds of people and only a handful showing up.

So I put this little dream in my back pocket too delicate to let out, to be disappointed about.

Then, after losing so much in my life, death of a friend, loss of job, loss of my mans job, no money, no prospects and nothing left in the void but fear. I tried again.

And they came.....and I cried... I still break down into to tears over the beauty of all of it.

And we are all Wonderers and Wanderers who can be together and not feel so all alone. We can meet and support and collaborate in WONDERLAND.

....and I am happy.

Meg Boone is an Artist, creator, Creative Coun-SOUL-er and Happiness Instigator. You can find her playing in WONDERLAND most days or on her site, instigating happiness.

If you think you'd like to join her in WONDERLAND (along with me) check out this special Very UN-BIRTHDAY Sale to get a years subscription to WONDERLAND for only $33.33 (hurry though only 18 spots are left at this price).

Remember: Not all those who wander are lost. J.R.R. Tolkien

Tuesday

A PIECE A WEEK - JULY 2 - 8

Everybody is welcome, but only with post related to this challenge, OK?

Do you like to connect and chat?

Join our closed group on Facebook and let's see, if we are the right match!

And you know I love to hear from you, right?

Please, feel free to leave a comment here or contact me at ritajc(at)inbox(dot)lv

Thursday

Dark Mother 2

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you must already know, that, last week, I got inspired by the Dark Mother and started a painting dedicated to her, practically an icon, as I had no plans whatsoever, before I started it, and, I believe, the Dark Mother itself guided me to start it and through the whole process.

To be honest, we had some pretty tough moments together, especially, when she decided to show up naked. :) These are some of the phases we went through together.

I'm not sure, if we are completely done with each other already, but we most definitely are coming along well again and this is more or less, how the manifestation of the Dark Mother looks right now.

Now, I have to complete the week 2 assignment for the Introduction to Art course. As my youngest son is having his graduating party this coming Saturday, I have to push myself a bit not to miss the deadline. :)

Update: We seem to be done with each other now

To see more of the stages we went through, visit this album on Facebook.

To see more inspiring creativity jump over to any of these sites

I'm always happy to hear from you. Please, leave a comment here or contact me at ritajc(at)inbox(dot)lv

Tuesday

A PIECE A WEEK - JUNE 4 - 10

Everybody is welcome, but only with post related to this challenge, OK?

Do you like to connect and chat?

Join our closed group on Facebook and let's see, if we are the right match!

A PIECE A WEEK - MAY 28 - JUNE 3

Everybody is welcome, but only with post related to this challenge, OK?

Do you like to connect and chat?

Join our closed group on Facebook and let's see, if we are the right match!

A PIECE A WEEK - MAY 21 - 27

Are you up to A PIECE A WEEK?

Let's share and inspire each other! Add your name and the link to your blog post about your piece FOR THIS WEEK to the link pool below. And don't forget to tag your posts with apieceaweek, so your blog visitors can see all your challenge posts at once.

If you would like to add the badge to your blog to spread the inspiration, please, feel free to save the image from my side bar to your computer and to add it to your side bar with this link:
http://alatvianrita.blogspot com/search/label/apieceaweek

Everybody is welcome,

but only with POSTS RELATED TO THIS CHALLENGE, please!

Would you like to connect with other participants on daily bases?

Feel free to join our closed groups on Facebook and Flickr !

Sunday

Loads of Pondering

The last week has been full of deep pondering for me, as I am trying to figure out my path at least for the next couple of years.

I had my first couple of sessions as a life coach. Really loved them, and the clients seemed to feel much happier and be much more focused and productive after our conversations. One of them said: "This conversation made me very sad and joyful! (We worked with her grief.) It was positive!" The sessions are free for now. So, if you would like to figure out, if you and me are the right team to get you unstuck and move on in your life, feel free to contact me via e-mail: ritajc@inbox.lv or on Facebook to schedule a trial session.

There are still many decisions to make, before my new business is launched, but I am working on it every day and most definitely moving forward. And my Soul Art piece is helping me a huge load. As some of you know, I started it 10 days ago. It has changed more or less every day since then, and this is how it looks now. I call her my inner Mother Goddess.

These are some of the phases it went through.

The Soul Art process has revealed to me so many things about me and the question I wanted to get the answer to! I would really love to become a Soul Art certified guide, but there are so many other techniques I want to learn and get certified at. Decisions, decisions... :)

One of them is about the place of fine art in my life in the next future. If it is meant to be a business, I have to work more on the commercial side of it. But where to get the time and energy for that, if I am launching a whole new other business already? If it stays just a hobby, I have to stop investing so much in it and, most probably, going to the public studio. The place of that studio in my life is unclear in general. The atmosphere is wonderful and the mentor is really inspiring and supporting! But, as he says, he has almost nothing to teach me, as he sees me as a mature artist. And working in the studio makes the creating process unnatural and pretty hard for me. As we live outside the town, it takes time and money to get there. Mostly, we have chores to do before the studio time and I arrive there tired already. And, then, I feel this pressure to paint even though I might not feel, what the painting wants, because that is the "studio time" and I have payed for it. After those 3 hours, I feel dead tired and, sometimes, not happy with what I have added to my work at all. Then, I have to get home and get back to the studio the next day for another 3 hours (still tired from the previous day), because those are the times it is open. What comes naturally to me, is living with a painting for the time it is being created and adding to it when I feel what it wants. Mostly, it takes me weeks and a huge number of short sessions to channel something to the canvas. Another thing I miss in the studio are my supplies. I love to have them all around me to pick the one that feels right at any given moment . It's impossible to take them all to the studio, as we don't have a car and my son has to carry them on his back. And it's such a stress every time to gather them and to predict what I could need over there... For now, I am still going to it to keep company to my son, who needs to prepare for the enrollment exams into the art school but doesn't feel confident enough in the town yet. Decisions, decisions...

Anyway, this is the first piece I created in the studio.

A couple of weeks ago, I started the largest piece ever over there (100x80 cm), as usually, with a layer of collaged paper scraps. These are some of the stages it went through so far. It has loads of circles in it, and, at one point, I covered it almost completely with a layer of the Chalkboard spray from The Tattered Angels Paint System.

This is, how it looks right now and I have no idea, what it wants.

To be honest, I liked all the previous layers better, than the current one, but that is nothing new for my creative process, right? The piece might be next to being finished. :D

I know, I know, the post turned out pretty huge. I would really love to make many small posts instead, thought about it every day, but couldn't bring me to it. Have no idea why.

I would really appreciate your ideas and suggestions about my struggles in the comments here or as a private message via e-mail: ritajc@inbox.lv or on Facebook.

Fancy to see more creative spaces and join the fun? Jump over to