Lonely Artist

Lets let it out now. I am sick and tired of so many negative people around me. Why are people so selfish thinking of themselves and how they are so sad and upset about something that they want to include everyone in the world to their misery. It really pisses me off to the point where I just want to leave the busy life and be alone. Painting until my last days. Creating my art for myself. A large warehouse where I can hang everything and just stare at it everyday relishing in my masterpieces. Yes they are my pieces of work. They are my creations my babies. I gave my works birth. I gave them a soul. All art works have a soul. Some have empty souls. Some have passionate souls. Some have angry souls. Some have happy joyous souls. We as artists give our pieces of works life. We give them life. Our works inspire others in different ways. Our works give other people life. So I guess the answer to my little paragraph of bitching and moaning and self pitty of being around challenging people is that they all need people like us to inspire them. To love them. TO hug them with our art. To show them affection. The kind of love that humans have to show each other for us to survive. 6 billion or more people in this world and we are cramped with negativity. Dont believe me? Look at the news. But do not let that leave you in depression and despair. There is a lot of good out there. In all this death destruction perverse nature our world is spiralling into we can see hope. Hope in humans. We can see people gasping for love and joy. People looking for change. The kind of change that brings love and hope. Not the Obama change or the Humanistic change. A deep change in our belief system. A spiritual new beginning people are yearning for. We are all looking for a deeper happiness. We need to allow the joy we were born with to permeate through our soul. We need to expose that love from our birthright. Yes it is a birthright that society has robbed us of. Society wants us to be robots. Believing that the technology of today is replacing our joy. But technology is just like a drug desensitizing our emotions. Technology is a way if distracting us from what our soul is trying to feel. A deeper connection to each other. We need to connect with each other on a deeper level. Talk face to face not text. Call or visit to say I Love You. Not a text or email. travel to visit that loved one. Take the future event of regret out of the possible equation and feel the joy from contact. We are headed in the wrong direction. Turn this technology into an enhancement to our lives and not a detriment. I am using technology to reach some of you knuckleheads that look into this little screen for your information on life. Intead of talking to the elders about love and life you "google" it. You might find a great opinion. Have you ever talked to a person with life experience and have tea or coffee sitting talking to mom or uncle and auntie about life? Or a good friend? No. You would rather chat or text randomly to strangers. Go on a forum. Game until the wee hours of the morning numbing yourself from the world while your little children turn into adults. And then they wonder why they are all screweed up? Where were you? Distracted. Years ago it was the alchohol or drug. Now it is technology interrupting our lives. I might be overreacting. I might have it wrong, I know. Think the way you want. I closed my facebook. I deleted 12 of my 14 email accounts. LOL I have streamlined my life on the grid. My focus is on me and my loved ones. My loved ones are focused on themselves. I still love them. They are distracted like you. But I have hope that the values I have beat into them all these years and the loving I kissed them and hugged them with will prevail. I will never give up on you. I will never go away to the solace of my fantasy life of being a hermit artist. I will always be here for you because I love you. Wake up people! If you think I offended you then good! I got through.

Creative Frustration

So what do you do if you are always happy and things seem to always still be challenging in life? If everything you do seems to still take you in a dead end. If the world is ending despite your positive attitude. I do not recall anyone so happy and positive that has had a bad life experience. I see some people come down with end of life illnesses and have an amazing experience in their last days. Reconnect with loved ones lost. Experience times that filled them with completness. Gave their family and friends loving last memories of them. We all have something good to give each other in any time of our life. We all can be so giving of ourselves and make someone feel empowered by the gif of love you offer. There is enough to go around. Al you have to do is turn to your flank and smile. Give a hello. Compliment someone. Wave to the beggar. If you cannot afford to support him smile. Greet a co-worker. smile at the cash register person.  Let a person in your lane once in a while. Wave at the person that lets you in their lane. Say thank you. Open the door for someone. Small things that will in turn give you a greater chance of having that reward of joy. Change your attitude towards people. wish well not bad. Do you get what I am saying here? KARMA is a bitch that never forgets.

Life Is Art. Art Is Life. Art Imitates Life

Dont mind the title. Whether it has anything to do with what I write has no relevance. What I tell you in my words is not to amuse you but to inspire you and sustain you through the good and the bad times. We all should have an outlet of sorts. An outlet to physically release. An outlet to mentally and emotionally release. We need to lean on something or someone from time to time in our lives. But only lean on that or someone for a short time and then get strong and move on. Do not linger in your self pitty. Do not feel sorry for yourself for very long or the powers of who ever may capture you in its prison and shackle you with desparety.

Recently I have had some trying times. Not drama or anything, just some challenges. As I break words with you here I am being challenged. I have some little battles to overcome. I worry for a bit. Make a plan if I can and then move on. Yes it is easier to say than to practice sometimes but we have to believe that we will overcome the obstacles the ultimately we have created at somepoint in our immediate past. And for some they created their own challenging situations years ago thinking they can run away but they caught up and all of the sudden. "woe is me, feel sorry for me".

We have to be strong and aware that we have control over our lives. We have to know that every action has a reprocussion. No one gets away with everything. At some point things catch up to you. I know. Boy do I know. We also have the option to be good. And all that is done good is rewarded. And we also have the choice and the gift of joy. This is the most important part of this rant of mine. For those of you that have been reading my blog regularly. It is intended to inspire the artist everywhere. I want you to understand that we have to keep the control in our hands. Do not give the control to others.

Let me put it this way. If I wanted to paint a masterpiece and be proud when I show up to the grand opening of the Gallery show, would I want to have someone else paint the masterpiece? Well. maybe some of you would. But I want to take credit for my creation. SO> why would I let others manipulate me into living anyother way except with joy. My Joy. Why would I let anyone take away my joy by believing falsehoods, lies and letting them control my emotions. I have done all of the above.

As life artists we have to create for ourselves a wonderful experience. Being happy and filling your mind with joy is a great start. Being happy where you are at. Right now. Go to the mirror. Tell yourself how much you love you. smile. Practice smiling. I know I had a problem smiling. Now I am loud and obnoxious and happy. I love to laugh. I love to hug everyone. I kiss my friends when I see them. they think I am weird but when I dont do it they think something is wrong. They ask me if I am ok because I am not as affectionate as the time before. We are all yearning for love. We are all born looking for that love and we never stopped. We just get used to being around negativity that we look for it. Stop that vicious cycle. Jesus said Love Thy Neighbor. I wonder why. Love thy self first.

I can go on and on about this subject. Instead I will save it for the next entry. Quit your bitching and moaning and get a life. Find the life of your dreams. Make it happen today. Smile. Love. Remember Joy. Love. Inspire someone. Take a deep breath. Smell the roses. Smell your feet. Wake up. Smell the coffee. Take some smelling salts! Do whatever it takes to know that life is here and now. We are guaranteed only the moment we are in. the next moment is not assured.

How Do I look Up To You?

I have been avoiding writing in the blog for a bit because I am undecided whether or not I want to keep it. I know the three people that read it will be disappointed. I initially wanted to have a place where artists can relate to the struggles and learn from each other. The information I write about are mostly from my self expression of life. I do relay the feedback from other artists. My blog has evolved into a hybrid of sorts. On the one hand it is for artists. On the other hand it is the creative idea that we are all artists creating a life for ourselves knowingly and unknowingly creating. We make for what we want in our lives. We are dreaming all the time using all of our senses asking God and wishing for something or a situation. We are always hoping and looking at everything in our life expecting something to change. We change it withour effort sometimes. The effort is in the emotion of it.

This blog has become a way for me to help others see what I have learned over the past few years. A new way of looking at life. I new way to create. A way that I finally know after a full life of living I have enjoyed my days. The finality of life is not so depressing anymore. I relish in today. I look forward to tomorrow. I cherish the connections, friendships and aquaintences I encounter on a daily basis. I love my family more. When I see them I hold them dear. On the other hand. I have been staying away from the negative that has afflicted me over the years. Not letting people get into my head so to speak. I will surely show them my love but when it is too much to bear I move forward. Moving forward can be painful. You leave the pain behind that was a crutch you looked forward to feeling. Sometimes the pain from our bad experiences is like an addiction. We love to have drama to justify the errors in our ways. We love to have THAT story as to why we have a desperate life. We do not have the courage sometimes to leave it all in our rear view mirror. Looking in the mirror is a challenge. We see what we really are. We see the soul in ourselves when we look into our own image.

Sometimes we ask ourselves who do I follow? What do I believe? Where do I go to get inspired? We run away from the fact that the inspiration is within. We follow our inner voice. I call it my soul. My spirit. My inspiration. The God inside of me. The creator's DNA. We all have that capacity to grow from within. We do not need a crutch or someone else to define us. We have our bearings. We have our faith. Our faith in the large voice that tells us NO when we are wrong. That GIANT desire when we are inspired yet we do not listen. We hear it but we are in denial that we are capable of the dreams we have. Dreams are those LARGE Voices. Dreams are our soul speaking to us. We are powerful. We are beautiful perfect creations yet we allow the worldly lies to impair our true vision for ourselves whatever that may be. So the question should be is How do I look up to you? And that should be addressed to the mirror every morning. Make yourself proud. Follow you. Inspire yourself.

Happy

Are you happy? Can you honestly say that you are? If you are not what is keeping you from being happy? Money? Status? Looks? Love? Relationship? Excuses? How do you get from unhappiness to happiness? Is it some level of attaining that something first before you can feel shangrilah?? Why can't you just make the decision to be happy. Feel complete because you want to. Why can't you just love the person you are and not let life's standards become you. We all have a choice to make our own. Yet we believe the lies. The world is caught up in this whirlwind of distraction and we cannot focus on what is important. Us. Our soul. Our dying spirit. If only we can hear that crying voice inside yearning to feel the joy we were born with. We miss that innocent happiness that we had as children. We avoid it. I can remember the feeling of being outside with my friends running all over the neighborhood playing chase, tag or hide and seek. Innocently , fearlessly. Not worrying about circumstances or the danger of young children alone on the streets. We were so very happy. Screaming making noise. Saying hello to the neighbors. Waving at the passersby in their vehicles. Talking with the local police officer. It was such an innocent time. I finally after all these years feel that happiness in my heart. Amongst all the daily stresses I face and not allow to penetrate. I arm myself with innocence. The innocence our creator gave us at birth. the joy we had as children. Some adults, and parents rob our youth of these delicate times. these memories never become. Their innocence is taken away. they justify this atrocity by pointing to their own childhood missing this glorious time. So now our children suffer. Is not the children of the world our most precious natural resource? A source of love and joy for all of us to protect and admire. To learn from to keep us sane? To remind us that life is precious. our world leaders are selfish. We are selfish. I can continue to go on about this. And with a passionate roar yell from the top of my rooftop. What will that accomplish. All I can do is love you. Love my family. Love my children and their children. Reach out to the reachable. help the people that allow. Look in that mirror of yours and listen to the image looking back at you telling you that you are a piece of you know what. The image in the mirror is perfect. A perfect creation or Lord has made. That image watches us all the time. Waiting for the image and the life to meet and become one. When will we become one with who we are suppose to be? When will we love innocently, fearlessly and unconditionally as a child does to their parents or caretaker. Nuf said. I love you!

What Do I Paint? What Should I Create? WIll Anyone Like It?

This is a heavy subject for me to write. I, like so many other artists, are always struggling with what we should create. Is it in my best interest kind of thing. Should I create a piece that might not be marketable. Our society has given us so many lines not to cross. These lines are drawn in so many ways from different directions. We look at ourselves in the mirror and see what the media wants us to see. Im fat and ugly. I do not fit in. My art work is not going to  measure up to what standards the art world has put out there. This is so ridiculous. I am not a very intelligent man and I can only articulate myself a certain way. I speak from my heart and I do not give a shit what you think. I am who I am and I am a product of the likeness of perfection. My creator gave me a gift of life to do with it as I see fit. I have a freedom to feel the way I want to feel. No matter what chains are shackled on me I can feel the way I want to feel. I can imagine what I want to. I can smile, laugh and be happy whenever I feel. I can be positive and be a great person. I can be the light for anyone in despair. I can create my work to suite MY needs. IF anyone relates to it than it will be a plus. For all of you out there that are struggling with the lie, That you are not good enough and the world will not accept you.....wake up to your life today. To the gutter with everyone that thinks this way because that is where you belong. Be in love with yourself and all that you are. You ARE beautiful. All that you are is beautiful. Your gifts are yours. Do them. Bask in the sunshine of your life. It is your light. You were born happy. Be happy. Dont pray to God our Lord for happiness. Dont ask him to have pitty on you to give you the strength to be happy. What is funny is he gave all the tools we needed before we were born. We had that joy in us all along. Figure the shit out. He gave you Joy. You have it. Let it out. BE who you are. Ok. I know it is easier said than done. I am sitting here laughing because I remember when I would tell my mom the same thing. Yet my mom is my perfect example. Abused wife. The eldest of all her siblings. Immigrant. Yet she rose to the ocassion as so many other americans. She was positive above all of the challenges before her. She conquered her obstacles and tackled the most heart felt circumstances. She would turn to me and say: "Mijo! reach for the stars, they are right in front of you. reach out! Touch them! Dont make excuses. Life is short!" My mom is 74 and loves the marathon experience. She has been doing it over 20 years. Run walk jog crawl. She finishes it. She lost her son husband brother and over the past 15 or so years has lost many other younger siblings and still she is so positive. Wow . What a role model. She is an amazing woman. My best friend. The love of my life. Great example of joy manifested. So quit your bitching and moaning about your life. Suck it up! I am sure we all have that someone in our lives that is always running over the challenges in their lives we can look up to. Ask them yourselves what keeps them going. I am sure they will tell you their love of life and the joy they feel.

So. What should I paint. What ever the fuck you want to paint. Sorry for the profanity. But sometimes too much sugar in the morning coffee puts us to sleep. Sometimes you have to really taste the shit to affect you and wake you UP!. As always. I love each and everyone of you that read this blog.

Create Art For Yourself.

I have been ask recently why I have been writing about non art related subject on my blog. Am I writing non art related? This is about creating a life for yourself. A life of happiness. We are imagining something beautiful and we are creating this imagery in our minds. Then we contemplate and plan how we are going to manifest it in our lives. Isnt that the same process of creating visual art? So there is the answer. IF it does not resonate with you then click close on this blog. Besides in order for me to create art I need to be happy. Not sad. I am a moody person at my core. Moody in the sense that I feel emotion for everything. I am a softy when it comes to my grandchildren and kids. I always cry when it has been a while since I have seen them. I get emotional when people love my work.I hug everyone. I feel bad when the people that I manage have a bad day.

When I create it has to be a inspirational moment. It has to be a grand gesture to my soul. I have to create something that smiles. So I need to be happy. I need to feel joy. Part of being me is being able to have control of my life. For so long I did not have control. I let the world take control. Lately I have been feeling trapped and it is my fault. I have a wonderful job with good people. I have a great life. I have opportunities that only people dream about. I have my freedom. I love that I have a choice to be happy, healthy, able to wake up and choose to do what I do whatever it is I want to do. I live in a country where I have the choice to be good. Today I have a smile in my soul. I exist as I want to. I make the choices and it is so. My art is mine. I create for myself and I am thankful. I have had a wonderful few years meeting so many wonderful artists that come from different genres and paths. They create in so many different ways. They have their own special passions and I love that about each and everyone of them. They are all so special to me and have had so much of an influence on me. Some of them have been a joy to know and some have ...lets just say they were a learning experience for me. I have had a wonderful time creating with them and showing my work along side of them. Learning from them. Now I have backed off and am on my own. I will now go forward to pursue my vision. I have fulfilled that part of my life that needed to be experienced. This experience has been so beautiful. I have created work to make people happy. That has always been my dream. I still have that dream. I still have so much inside of me to give to others with regards to my art. The art I create for myself will hopefully be an inspiration to someone else.

 Isnt that why we create? To inspire? I hope this is why we create as artists. I hope that for you artists that create on a daily basis will not tell an artist with their passion that it will dwindle away and become a chore. I hope that you the artist that is so talented and it comes easy to you will always find the time to inspire someone young and old new or old to the arts. I hope and pray that you will inspire people with your gift. I hope that while you create the art for yourself you think of those eyes that are watching you and looking up to you hoping to be like you...I hope that you stay humble. Because to them you are something big. You are special. They wish they could create like you. Stay humble. Reap the rewards of good karma. remember why you do what you do. I want to always watch you because I think the world of you.