Go on don’t give up
You are here, you are needed
Answers might be right in front of you
They can go unseen
So simple
As this present moment
It takes courage to be here
To continue
You have it in you
You are not alone
Life is your teacher
Turn the page with every moment
Let mystery lead the way
Join hands
There is more
Asking for your presence
You are here, you are needed
Go on, don’t give up
– Rebecca Maloney
Blog with Right Thumbnail
Mirror
Something about him
Stirred an awakening in me that made me feel
I needed his presence in my life to maintain
Was I in love?
Am I in love?
Or do I long for a love like that?
One that stirs an awakening inside me
And because our love runs so deep
We both stay
We are in presence with each other always
So I’ll take the gifts this man brought to me
And cherish them
And be grateful
For he is a reflection of what is already inside of me
Which I am now awake to
To experience this is to fully live
My tears are in gratitude for the experience
And the possibilities of what will come
Magical Radical and visits in Portland
This summer I went out to Portland for two separate visits. One visit was to see my cousin get married and my second visit to attend Magical Radical an Art and Writing Retreat with Rachael Rice. Both events filled me up with love, for real, geesh.
The wedding was so great and I got to hang out with my parents during this trip too. Here is me and mom, not the best photo but whatever, we were both having a martini and we were in the moment, photo credit: DAD. Lol.
I gifted my cousin Nick and his wife Lindsey with a painting of their favorite peak in Oregon, Mt. Jefferson. If you go to my Instagram I posted a video of their reaction (just scroll down a bit): https://www.instagram.com/rebeccamaloneyart/. I love them both so much. Congrats you two!
Now if all this wasn’t good enough, I got to reunite with my friend Lisa who I met last year in Glacier NP! She recently moved to Portland and graciously took me out to see a ton of waterfalls. Oregon has got it all. Thank you Lisa, so good to see you!
Fast forward a few weeks after this trip and I was back in Portland to attend the retreat a double perk was I was able to see my family again, my cousin Nick, Lindsey, Eric, Hazel and their friends. Love you guys thanks for your hospitality as usual. You guys are the best.
I never attended a retreat like this before, something that included thoughtful and important discussion, art, and writing. In my inner most being I felt like I was holding in a lot and the idea of being surrounded by other women who could hold space for that and let me be seen was inviting. Being there I received that support and was able to give it back. I appreciate Rachael’s authenticity and big heart as well as that of all the women there. This retreat was incredibly refreshing and inspiring.
Oh… and we made a lot of art!
Through writing prompts, meditations, and the art, I rediscovered what was within me, which I had forgotten, like revisiting an old friend that says, “Hi I’m here, I never left, you can depend on me.”
At the beginning of the retreat one of the things we shared with each other was what we were there to receive and give. I was asking to receive clarity and I was there to give love. I gave lots of love in the form of hugs and listening. We all shared laughter too. I did receive clarity in different forms which will be expressed through my art as time passes and also through just who I am. That is the thing with growth you can un-grow, you can’t retreat back to who you used to be, thankfully. For all this I am grateful.
More writing and art to come.
Thank you all.
I’ve been waiting for inspiration to hit me like a brick.
I’ve been waiting for inspiration to hit me like a brick. I have been waiting and ready.
I have been noticing the things that grab my attention. The issues that show me where I can serve and create change. The conversations I have been having with friends and family that bring excitement. The sensations I feel on days that are overcast and days that have clear blue skies. The physical sensations in my body when I feel strong and when I feel my chronic aches. I notice when there is no aching. I have been noticing when I am triggered and inquire. I notice my neighborhood and the similarities and differences from one street to the next. When I go for a walk in the woods I listen to the sounds the beautiful and the ones that make me look to see whats rustling. When I am around my mother and father I listen to their stories and feel the love they have for each other. When I am with my sisters and brother I notice how they all bring something unique to the table and I am grateful. I watch the wonder in my baby nieces eyes when they look directly into mine. I sit in quiet stillness in the morning in my own company. I savor the taste of a fresh cup of coffee. I feel the softness of Mossie’s fur. When I am motivated to reach out to someone I make the call or send the text. I notice when fear is present and choose love instead. I open up when love is present. I make decisions that excite me. When I create I listen to all the voices in my head until they silence and I enter the flow. I find new colors to use and notice my excitement when something is visually stimulating. I notice courage when I write because I don’t know what the hell I am doing. I notice courage when I don’t know what the hell I am doing. I don’t know a lot of things and it makes me excited cause there is so much to learn and I can begin anew.
I have been waiting for inspiration to hit me like a brick.
If I can stop controlling how inspiration hits, I can notice that its around me everywhere all the time.
Write it out
I feel confident with paint when expressing myself.
With words I get stuck. In this blog post, my goal is to not delete one sentence I write out, I will not try to fix anything, just free flow.
I have been painting these mini mixed media paintings recently. Its been a great experience because I feel so free when making them. Free to make mistakes. Or what I think are mistakes.
But free, feeling free.
When you feel free you can accomplish anything, in fact you don’t even realize you are accomplishing something because it happens as a natural by-product of feeling free.
So what makes you feel free?
Have you ever been in a relationship that offered freedom? Boundaries are in place and respected yet the freedom between you two is such that you feel alive in your connection. Feeling alive – freedom.
Those who allow you to be freely yourself are the ones you want to be around the most, right? It makes sense.
What about when you are alone? The only one to come up against yourself is the self. Can you allow yourself to just be, and love your being-ness? To me that is freedom, to love yourself as you are.
What about in the world? What freedoms do you have that others do not? Can you do something about it? Will you?
It all starts with you. The more you allow yourself to be free of the limitations caused by x,y,z… the more you can get out in the world to free others.
We are here to help one another and make our lives grand.
So I will start by making more of these paintings. Because feeling free within my being-ness will ripple effect out into the world. Even when I am alone in my studio painting.
I wrote this out and I will admit I deleted one or two sentences to restart. As with anything it’s a practice. But I learned something through this one. Maybe I don’t get as stuck as I think, when I write.
xo,
Rebecca
Music in the video by Foreign Exchange
Music and Inspiration
Thanks to Spotify I am hearing all this amazing new music.
One day a few months ago I was in my studio with my Spotify on and I heard this beautiful song click here to listen. It was so beautiful I replayed it a few times. The artist is Jacob Banks. Spotify is such that you can listen to all the songs posted by the artist you are interested in. So I have found several great songs by him.
I found out he was coming to Boston to open up for another artist named Leon. I mentioned it to my girl Chantelle who lives in Boston and we made plans to go together.
Fast forward to the night of the show (Feb 1st) which was at the Sinclair in Cambridge. We got right up to the front. Jacob opened up with a kick ass song called Monster, listen here.
After he got off stage we hung out and watched Leon do a few songs. Also a great voice and I like the melodies in her music, check her out here.
We decided to leave early and as we walked out, there was Jacob Banks hanging out near the front of the entrance at the bar! Let’s just say I definitely tried to act as normal as I could. I was most excited to tell him how talented I think he is and that his voice is like no other.
Sometimes I hear music and it is so beautiful that almost directly I see colors on canvas.
During my time in college I took a class in 2D Design. My professor at the time gave us an assignment to take a piece of music and create a color composition to it. I’ll never forget how psyched I was about this. I wish I could remember the song I chose. I think it might have been an instrumental Led Zepplin song? Not sure. Anyhow it was fun to create, and the memory of this project has stuck with me.
When a song touches me, and if I see colors or designs when listening to it, I save it to my playlist. I work in my studio to music that encourages ‘the flow’ the place where time disappears. It’s like the music is a means of accessing my creativity.
Here is a video I posted recently of me working in mixed media to some songs that I love. The music in this video includes the artists Chillhop Essentials, BeatPete & Jazz Spastiks, George Fields Instrumentals, & Nomak.
As I continue to find new and beautiful music I will share it here.
A few nights ago I was driving home and heard this one by Pablo Nouvelle click here. Just gorgeous music.
For me it’s important to find new means of inspiration. I also feel really connected to the arts more than ever with all that is going on in the world.
Music, the arts, dance, literature, etc, feeds the soul.
It was so great to get out and see a live show, especially with my good friend.
I currently have a giant canvas that is about 2 feet by 4 feet and it’s waiting for me. Maybe it will become a piece inspired by a song or song(s). We shall see.
What are you listening to? What artist makes you drop what you are doing and buy tickets to see them live? How does music inspire your creativity?
Welcome to my Studio(s)
The art studio, a place just for you to be creative.
Sometimes you have a whole room.
Sometimes you have a corner.
Sometimes it means you don’t have a place for guests to sit.
But you always know it’s there when you’re ready to work.
Tips for Motivation
Over the last several years I have made art-making a priority along-side everything else. Some weeks are easier than others and it’s important to me to stay disciplined and motivated.
The artist Chuck Close says, “Inspiration is for amateurs — the rest of us just show up and get to work.”
Here are some ways I stay motivated…
I write about it.
I like to write, I write morning pages when I wake up. Sometimes they make no sense and that’s all good. If I am trying something new I’ll write about it. I include any thoughts that come up for me in that moment. I believe getting things down on paper helps make it tangible and as a visual person I like to see it there in front of me.
I’ll pick up a good book.
I like to pick up books that can motivate me and get me thinking creatively. I even started a book club recently. Getting into a quiet space with a book is a peaceful thing. When there is some peace around me new ideas can have space to pop up.
I do something little everyday.
This week I needed new motivation. I decided to play with texture and use some mediums that have been sitting on my shelf for months untouched.
Here is a small piece that I played with.
I used tar gel, acrylic skins, coarse textured medium, and modeling paste. The new materials brought me the excitement I was seeking.
After I started playing with these mediums I felt I was in a flow and now I am excited to see where these pieces will go from here.
I think of it like everyday a drop of water in a bucket, eventually those drops will turn into a bucket full of water.
Lastly, I like to set goals.
I decided to enter a juried show in November this year for artist’s who work with paper. This will be something I look forward to and because there is a deadline, I have to stay on schedule.
What do you do to stay motivated? What are you working on? Lemme know in the comment section below 🙂
Art & Hiking in the Wild West – Part 2
Here is Part 2 of my trip in the Wild West!
I am SO grateful to have held two collage workshops during my trip. One in Kalispell, Montana and one in Las Vegas, Nevada. Thanks to my friends, Amy and Erica for their support and helping me set them up. Both groups created their own Landscape Collages from images they personally selected. It is great to see everyone’s finished artwork, they are always unique to each individual.
Most of us find it hard to make the time for our creative sides. But when we do and open up to the experience, we realize it’s just what we needed. Thanks to everyone for coming out and exploring your creativity. So fun to see you all!
In Nevada, I also met up with my hiking buddies. The plan was to attempt Mt. Whitney, August 31st. To prepare we hit the trails…those are my friends Lori and Steve at the bottom of the pic. This is an area right outside of Las Vegas near Mt. Charleston.
As a group of 6 we started Mt. Whitney at 4:30 am on the 31st.
Mt. Whitney is located in California, and is the highest summit in the contiguous United States and the Sierra Nevada. My friend Steve comes here often and we all thanked him for leading the way to the summit. As a marathoner most of his life and now being 76 years old, he hasn’t slowed down. You can find him leading groups of hikers around the Las Vegas area (and as he would say) and beyond!
We stepped foot on the summit after climbing some steep sections. If you look in the picture above of Steve and I, directly above our heads is the route to the top. This is called the mountaineers route. Its shorter in miles but very tough in elevation.
We reached the summit at 11:30 am. It took about 7 hours to get there. Total – we hiked 14 miles that day with over 7,000 ft of elevation gain. We were all excited at the top. It was my second time being there and just as amazing. With these guys, we always celebrate with Fritos and yoga poses. Lol!
After the climb I had a few more days before heading back east. During a resting day I created this landscape collage inspired by the Nevada blue sky, mountains, and desert. The night before I headed back east I had a nice dinner with friends.
That’s all for pictures! Thanks for taking a look!
What I loved about this whole trip experience was that it involved so much creativity and inspiration. I am grateful for visiting friends and experiencing new adventures. I look forward to more.
Let me know if you have any questions about these hikes, Glacier National Park, the National Bison Range, or the North Fork Hostel. I would love to help if you plan to visit.
I would also love to hear about your trips or adventures this year, let me know in the comments section.
xo, Rebecca
I’m Back! Art & Hiking in the Wild West – Part 1
Hello! I recently returned from a trip out west! I visited Montana, took a quick stop in California, & ended in Nevada. My trip was centered around great friends, nature, & art-making. I had a wonderful time. I want to share pictures from my travels but in two parts, cause I have so many pics! Here is Part 1 🙂
For the first few days of my trip I stayed in Polebridge at the North Fork Hostel click here to visit the website. It was a great place and I had a comfortable stay with a lot of great company. I met new friends and ventured out to Bowman Lake several times. (pictures below from the website)
Sitting on the porch chatting with new friends, and we were visited by a deer and her baby.
Bowman Lake was where I took my watercolors to paint. It is located in the North Fork area of Glacier and not commonly visited by most visitors to the park.
Below is a picture I took off the web of The Mercantile “The Merc” click here to visit The Merc website. I could walk from the hostel to the Merc and pick up coffee and a bear claw – this place is known for the pastries. It was also a gathering place where everyone stopped before heading out on their adventures.
One of my new friends named Rick had asked me how I had found the hostel. I said I had found it on the web and it looked very inviting. He said, “Well you found a gem, I have been coming here for 32 years with my sons, and now my grandson.”
A group of us went to visit Rick’s friend, Joseph C. Moore, an artist that lives right outside of Polebridge in his artist’s studio cabin. When we arrived we saw that he left a note on his door that he was out running an errand (he doesn’t have cell service, so he leaves notes lol). We walked around his property and I got to look into the windows of his studio to see some of his work. On the outside of his home he displays these faces that he makes with cement:
I later got to meet Joseph that same evening but didn’t have my camera on me to take a picture with him. He had a gray beard and rosy cheeks. His personality was bubbly and friendly, he leaned in when he spoke to me, and asked me several questions about my art and travels. He doesn’t have a website and his studio can be visited only through word of mouth. So unless you talk to the people in Polebridge and ask about him, you’d never know he was there. He invited me to revisit that next week so he could give me a tour but I had to say no cause I was leaving the following day.
The North Fork Hostel does exhibit a few of his paintings in the common area.
I wanted to share the picture I took of his view from the backside of his studio… ahhh-mazing:
My last evening at the hostel I shared pizza and beers at the Northern Lights Saloon about a mile walk from the hostel. There Rick’s son played the blues while his grandson break-danced:
The National Bison Range in Dixon, Montana, is about a 1.5 hour drive from Kalispell. The NBR is one of the oldest National Wildlife Refuges in the United States. I saw bears, antelope, an eagle, deer, mountain goats, and of course the bison herd…all on a 19 mile loop. Seriously this place was freakin’ cool. So much to see!
I was longing to hike in Glacier National Park. I didn’t have a hiking partner so I asked around for what trails were most populated and was told The Highline Trail. When in bear country I especially do not want to hike alone.
I got up early one morning and headed for the trail head but first stopped at the Apgar visitor’s center. I talked to a park ranger who suggested the Highline Trail was best for hiking alone and she made sure I had bear spray…yes I sure did lol!
I left and while heading for my car a young woman named Lisa approached me and asked if I would like a hiking buddy? She said, “I overheard you say you were hiking Highline, I am too, and I would rather not hike it by myself” HOW COOL IS THAT?! I was so grateful that Lisa joined me… here are pictures of our hike. In the one with my hands in the air, I am standing in front of the Grinnell Glacier!
BTW this same trail was closed a week after our hike due to bear activity! yikes!
Lake McDonald is a great hang out spot for relaxing or several water activities. And Amy and I visited the local farmer’s market in Colombia Falls – Beers, food, art, and bluegrass music!
More to come! Thank you for taking a look at Part 1… Part 2 coming soon!
Xo
Rebecca