Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
Artist Statement for the Artists Wanted Power of SELF competition
In 1999 I created MOONbow ARTworks, for the purpose of exploring the sacred feminine within myself and nature...intuitively creating works of art that express my deep longing for balance and healing and my ongoing path to inner peace and greater sense of oneness.
After giving birth to my son in 2006 it became apparent that I had a massive amount of healing I needed to have happen in my life. The desire for my son to be a whole and happy person became the catalyst for the breaking of old patterns of behavior and the beginnings of the healing of my family lineage from damage created in the distant and more recent past. This I felt sure could be done by breaking the cycle...by first healing myself and giving myself an opportunity to become a more whole and happy mother.
More than ever, my art became the means of exploring my inner world as I worked with traditional therapists, shamans, energy healers, prayer and meditation. My work became a means for me to not only subjectively put my heart and soul into something two dimensional, but to create something that has allowed me to see objectively what it is that I am dealing with internally and where my path has taken me and where it may need to go...a tool to see where I have come from, where I want to go, and in some ways how to get there from here.
I am so thankful for the grace that comes from my creative process. It is a gift, to have the ability to make things that make a difference, not just in my life, but in the lives of others that come into contact with my work. I feel it is a large part of who I am and why I am here. I am so blessed and so grateful. My life is abundantly joyful because of the knowledge of who I am and what I am to do. Each day is a new opportunity to give, grow, receive and share. Creativity is what I was born for. It is my SELF.
In 1999 I created MOONbow ARTworks, for the purpose of exploring the sacred feminine within myself and nature...intuitively creating works of art that express my deep longing for balance and healing and my ongoing path to inner peace and greater sense of oneness.
After giving birth to my son in 2006 it became apparent that I had a massive amount of healing I needed to have happen in my life. The desire for my son to be a whole and happy person became the catalyst for the breaking of old patterns of behavior and the beginnings of the healing of my family lineage from damage created in the distant and more recent past. This I felt sure could be done by breaking the cycle...by first healing myself and giving myself an opportunity to become a more whole and happy mother.
More than ever, my art became the means of exploring my inner world as I worked with traditional therapists, shamans, energy healers, prayer and meditation. My work became a means for me to not only subjectively put my heart and soul into something two dimensional, but to create something that has allowed me to see objectively what it is that I am dealing with internally and where my path has taken me and where it may need to go...a tool to see where I have come from, where I want to go, and in some ways how to get there from here.
I am so thankful for the grace that comes from my creative process. It is a gift, to have the ability to make things that make a difference, not just in my life, but in the lives of others that come into contact with my work. I feel it is a large part of who I am and why I am here. I am so blessed and so grateful. My life is abundantly joyful because of the knowledge of who I am and what I am to do. Each day is a new opportunity to give, grow, receive and share. Creativity is what I was born for. It is my SELF.
Friday, December 10, 2010
I wrote this in response to someone asking me what my definition of the Sacred Feminine is....it is a start....
You are creation; you are creator, you are the breath of life in all nature....Devi, Devi, Devi. - Ammachi
Sue Monk Kidd has a wonderful book call The Dance of the Dissident Daughter. Which if you have not read it...it is a small gem, full of good juicy stuff. Anyway, she talks about her journey of awakening to the Sacred Feminine. She realized as have alot of us, that God has more than one face...there is the Masculine face as presented in religions all over the world and there is also a Feminine Face. Many of us grow up not even cognatively knowing that there is a feminine face at all...although our spirit, our souls, as women and men innately know there must be more. The Sacred Feminine is the mother, the female lover, Shakti (the destroyer), the Creatrix. In the Bible it states that we, as men and women are created in the image of God...that is proof in itself that God is both masculine and feminine. There are lots of other theological, philosophical, spiritual, and religious texts worldwide to support this thought, as well. Sue Monk Kidd states that the Sacred Feminine "simply means the divine in female form."(pg. 72 Dance of The Dissident Daughter). Another interesting tidbit is that...."The word mother comes from the Latin work Mater, which means matter. Mother and Matter are both the stuff out of which everything is composed."(pg 65 Dance of the Dissident Daughter)
Balance is the key...balance between the masculine and the feminine...this is my quest, anyway. Sue Monk Kidd says, "men and women contain both "masculine" and "feminine" qualities and the goal is to balance, blend, and honor both within the individual culture." (pg63 Dance Of the Dissident Daughter) All of this is within each individual to heal, nurture, balance, and celebrate! The Zohar states, "Male and female He created them." From here we learn: Any image that does not embrace male and female is not high and true." (The Kabbalah)
To me and from what I have read The Sacred Feminine, the Mother, allows you to go into the darkness, the shadow...to find a place in the light. It is the aspect of God/dess that allows for your healing, holding space for you inside and out. China Galland is another writer that delves into that shadow. She has an awesome book called, Longing for Darkness.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
An interview with Aja from Moon Woman Rising
Here's the interview...
In Joy,
Jen
Q. How do you show up as an artist each day - what are you challenges, joys and processes for creativity?
A. I like to think that I show up each day...although some days more than others. On the days that I really show up, things just flow and the paintings and things that I am making and creating just materialize before my eyes as if they created themselves. This is when I know that I am in tune with what God/Goddess is whispering in my ears...telling me and showing me what I...the microcosm of the universe...and the universe as a whole need, in order to heal. On the days that I am unable to put in a lot of time I try to do at least one thing to keep my creative juices flowing....even if it means picking up my knitting and just sitting for a moment in the quiet after my four year is in bed, fast asleep. I also like to take time each day to stop, slow down, pray, quiet my mind and then ask what it is I need to see, hear, and feel...and then it just comes...sometimes slowly and gently like a whisper and sometimes in an intensely roaring blur of color and imagery. When I'm feeling uninspired I talk to the women I know and listen to what they are doing, going through, and feeling or needing empowerment in and then I check in with myself the same way with what resonates with these other women. I also spend time looking for inspiration...in nature and through books, magazines, calendars, and websites that feature art that is spiritually empowering. I also read a lot of stories, fiction and nonfiction that share the spirit filled paths of people, particularly women. I especially like stories of rites of passage or pilgrimages...as I view life as a pilgrimage of sorts. These are the ways I "show up" or as I like to say...stay in the flow.
Q. I am always struck at how important it is to quiet down and I love the idea of listening, whether it’s to other women or to the god/goddess, as a path towards expression. How did you first come to tune into a relationship with the divine and how did this relationship finds its way into your artwork?
A. My whole life for as far as I can remember, I have been talking to God....mind you, I was "talking" not so much listening. I went through some things as a kid, as we all do in our own way and on our individual paths....some of it was really challenging and hurtful and scary....the kinds of things that cause a young girl to learn the patterns and cycles of giving away your power....particularly to men. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a man hater...in fact I love men. But, I went through some stuff and watched my Mom go through some things that further reinforced the idea that I was powerless as a woman.
Anyway, to swing this around to a positive place....I started college in 1994 to receive my degree in Architecture. Something inside of me really wanted to prove to myself that I could do this...that I could get a degree in a "Man's" field and be successful...that I could be as powerful as a man....At the time I had no idea that I was missing the point. But, I did it. I got into a top rated school and I worked hard and I got the degree. During my last year of school I began to meet people that were really exploring their spirituality. I started talking more and more "to" God/Dess....not so much "with" God/Dess. My second to last year of school all hell broke loose at home and my parents decided to pursue a separation/divorce. I was ok with the idea....in fact in full support....but, while I was working a lot at my job, pulling crazy hours in studio, and doing the rest of my school related stuff, my parents started calling and utilizing me as a counselor. I didn't know I could say NO. I nearly had what I felt like, was a nervous breakdown....this is when I started "listening" to God/Dess. I asked for help...I prayed for help and I listened with all of my being for the answer...and I got it..."Go to New Mexico at the end of the semester and stay there for the Summer"....So I did. I packed up my car and my dog and my faith and I headed out to save myself from myself, my past, and others cyclical B.S.
While I was there I learned about alternative healing, reiki and energy work...I spent time every day in the woods...I learned about crystals...and I built sweat lodges with some native kids. I learned about sacred ceremony and meditation....I learned more about what it means to listen. I also met a lot of artists that were expressing themselves and their relationship with the earth and with God/DESS in ways I had never seen before...beyond just a one to one painting....deeper. Now, let me digress for a second and say...I am still learning lots and lots about all of these things and more...and I am learning more and more about what it means to listen...not just with my ears...but, my heart, my soul, and everything. When I paint I am wide open to receive.
I have grown since those months in New Mexico to realize that there is power in being a woman...there is power in femininity...I no longer pursue things in a way that a man might....as I am not a man and will not find joy in this way. Balance between the masculine and the feminine is what I seek...daily and have been for about 15 years now. I have traveled many miles and lived in many places seeking that balance....and that has been good for me, as it has afforded me the opportunity to meet people that have taught me things and places in nature that have fed my soul. Now I realize that it was all there within me the whole time...it was with me everywhere I've ever been and it will continue to be....
That's a powerful journey, thank you so much for sharing it. You work under the studio name "Moonbow" - I find that women often have a special relationship with the moon. When I was young and struggling, I used to pray to the moon. I had no idea what I was doing, I would just look out my window and pray to the moon because it felt right. Moonbows are often hard for the human eye to see, which makes me think of the process of listening, feeling and seeing with our whole beings, with our souls.
Q. As you journey, as both a woman and an artist continues, what are you listening, looking and feeling for?
A. Healing, Healing, Healing, Healing....this is what I am listening, looking, and feeling for. As I find myself more and more healed and more and more in my power I want more and more to continue getting stronger, shining brighter, and being more ME....the ME I that I am to the core. I truly believe that the more I step into my true being and the person that God/Dess wants me to be from the inside out...the more capable I am to make a difference in the world in a positive, loving, compassionate, meaningful, healing and powerful way. I want to challenge others through my art and my own path of healing in a way that positively encourages the healing of old wounds, the breaking cycles of abuse and patterns that no longer serve the soul, and the growth of joyful people.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Inner Children
