Welcome to 2025

Each year, I choose a personal study. 

This not only enriches my life but also flows into my art and how I live it.

 Focus. Word of the Year 2025 

We all know what it is to focus, and in today's world, with all the outside planned interference, we all know what it is to be unfocused. Distractions have become a natural part of our lives.

The internet propels our distraction. When I am working on a creation, my mind tends to wander, and the next minute, I find myself at my computer looking up some odd subject...

How do bluebirds make their nests?

Where is the Oracle Temple located?

What are the oldest languages? (This question came from a dream of seeing a chart of old languages.)

What do Japanese women wear for shoes in the winter?

How did Leonardo Da Vinci keep his notes?

AND...what does focus mean, and how does it differ from focus spiritually?

FOCUS: can be defined as the ability to see the spiritual aspects of life that might not be immediately obvious. It's more than just focusing on details; 

it's having the vision to see the spiritual world around you.

Isn't it fascinating how personal our spiritual practices can help our creative practices when we can let go of trying to control and just let it happen?

Each of us has our unique way of connecting with the Divine, and that's its beauty. This personal connection is what inspires and guides us in our creative journey.

Here are some ways to find the spiritual path when creating art (or life):

• Pray: I believe the act of creating is prayer. The Divine has given us a gift; creating is the best way to show gratitude. This appreciation fuels our creativity and motivates us to produce our best work.
• Read or listen: What you fill your mind with feeds your heart. I focus on things that inspire me to be the best person I can be, translating into being the best artist I can be. This means books on personal development, podcasts on spirituality, and conversations with wise friends. Please take a moment and think about what resonates with you, and let it fuel your creative journey.
• Meditate: I could be a better sitter. Yes, I can do it, but it doesn't always fit. My downloads come in the early morning. I am in the stage of being awake and asleep, hypnagogia. It is when an image (or two) will pop into my mind—very clear and detailed. The only downfall in this peaceful state is that I must get up and write it down or draw it; otherwise, it is gone *poof*.
• Movement: This is a must for me. I can do many things to focus my mind, but it is within my body that holds the real power. I need kickboxing to work out the over-excitement so I can concentrate. It gives me a strong body so I can work fully. Yoga to balance everything. It is in the movement that we find our inner self. Each is a must.
• Worship: This comes to me when sharing my art's physical and mental parts with my community—my students and collectors. It is a beautiful gathering of different and unique souls held together with great love.
• Devotional: I love to begin my day by writing on a specific topic in my journal. I admit I float in and out of the practice or ritual of writing by hand, a tactile art, but I type intentional words on my computer almost daily.
• Conversation with the Divine: My ideas come from a higher source -the Divine, and I am merely the vessel that brings them to life. But to do that, I need to be at peace and trust in the process. When these two elements are balanced, creativity flows effortlessly, and I feel calm and reassured in my work.

So, my word of the year is focus. 

Through my spiritual sense of mind, body, and soul, I will create my best- for myself and others who wish to share their time and energy with me.