Looking Back at 2014

What an amazing year! Preparing this post for the last 8 hours has reminded me of all my blessings, which I’m glad to share with you here.  It was a great exercise that also had me revisit all my 2014 photo albums.  I feel I’ve not only done and seen a lot in the past year, but I’ve also grown a lot – as an artist and as a human being.

To start, I continued my studies at the Vienna Academy of Visionary Art full time for 3 months (Jan-March) and part time for 2 (May-June). This also gave me the chance to travel a bit in Austria.

While there, I took several trips to see my long-time friends in the Czech Republic.

and a weekend to be with new friends in Germany.

I spent the whole of April in Bali, taking art workshops with Flora Bowley and Phil Rubinov, as well as exploring the island’s sacred sites and culture on my own or with a wonderful guide, Nicole Lawrence.

After that, in May, I spent 8 days as artist in residence at The Awakening Arts Center near Assisi, Italy.

If you haven’t been following this blog that long, there are lots of photo albums and blog posts to enjoy (you can use the search window top right in my blog)..

In July, I moved back to St. John’s, Newfoundland & Labrador, where I was blessed with wonderful teaching opportunities – ESL at Memorial University of Newfoundland, intuitive painting in French across the province, and personal growth workshops at the Body, Mind and Spirit retreat.

I also got to spend several months integrating all I learned overseas into a growing collection of artwork, which I displayed in exhibitions at the MUN Botanical Garden, the Arts & Culture Centre (AANL), Soothe Spa, and Goodvibe Tattoo Company.

I’m glad to report that I still absolutely love where I’m living and feel so grateful that my friends helped me find Orinda, a like-minded landlady, housemate, and friend. Truth be told, my new home is a perfect environment to simply be as well as paint.

It hasn’t all been easy, of course.  Despite all I’ve learned about following my heart and manifesting, I still have my moments of doubt, indecision, fear, and scarcity.  Luckily, these are but clouds that pass through an otherwise clear sky where love and abundance always exist.  It all depends on what I choose to focus on and what I let simmer in my mind.  I’d say, however, that looking in the rear view mirror at 2014, I did pretty well and learned lots from the process.

So what’s ahead for 2015? With no fixed plans, I’ll continue to love the mystery and stay open to the opportunities that this frame of mind brings.  One thing I know is that I will not be teaching ESL in the Winter term.  Instead, I’m going to focus my time on my art – the creative and business ends of it.

I pray for guidance on developing a creative business model that is in line with my purpose of traveling through life exploring and expressing my love of beauty and the beauty of love.  My fundraising efforts for my year overseas certainly taught me to think outside the box so that I could both serve myself and others.  I’m open to more of that.  If you have any ideas, let me know.

Thanks for having been a part of my journey in 2014.

May your holiday season be filled with love, joy, and gratitude.  Peace!