Holding your flow.

A friend told me about a dream she had…….In the dream she saw me holding a diamond shape between my hands, really focusing on that act. The shape was glowing with a red light. There was a lot going on around me, but all my focus was on me holding that diamond shape. 

I was laughing, because it is exactly where I’am at. I see it as me holding my flow. Because it’s all I’am doing. The only thing that matters to me is holding that flow. It’s to substain that feeling of aliveness.

 How do yo substain the flow. ? Hold your flow.

If your only aim is to hold that flow, your energies will get higher and higher, more and more aligned with all that you are. You will begin to operate from within.  You will act from your inner knowledge and guidance. So hold your flow. Your flow is the feeling of being alive. It’s the feeling of being vibrantly alive. It’s the feeling of endless possibilities, and no fear.

What actions makes you feel alive? What do you really want? Ask yourself these questions. Because your flow is not mine flow……..What makes me feel alive, is proberly not the same for you. Find your own path. Without looking for outer validation. Without caring about what other people does, or thinks. Don’t do your actions to please others. Do what makes you feel alive. Go for that feeling. It’s not being fine or okay. It’s being ruthlessly honest about what you want, and what really matters for you.

 Then you will start glowing from within. Nothing can stop you, when you don’t operate from fear.

Marie J.Engelsvold. Process. Diamond shape. Hexagon. 2020

For me there is no choice. It’s about being alive or death. I choose to be alive.  For many years I was in between, half death half alive. In between. Just living, doing what I thought I had to do, trying to get by as an artist.  Buying into all the rules about being an artist. Giving my power away. Not really daring to stand up, to step out of the shadows.

I thought I would be happy if I had success as an artist, if I could sell my works. Being in the right galleries or museums. I didn’t really realize what success was for me….what made my heart beat stronger. What made me feel empowered and free. 

A lot of outer circumstances…shaked med alive. I was in a kind of roller coaster of events…..that forced me to reinvent everything in my life. I had a spiritual awakening

Now it’s all about  being alive. All about love. All about being me. I can’t just be satisfied with being okay, and getting by. Nothing can tempt me, if the feeling is not right. I have been there, long enough….and so have you….maybe?

My art praxis has totally changed. I’am not so interested in just get my works to be exhibited….I’am not so interested in the right places, the art places. Nothing wrong with galleries, and museums…but I just don’t get so excited about these places.

I’am not interested in struggling, and making it so hard. Struggling to get recognition. No, that energy is too hard, too forced, it doesn’t feel right. It doesn’t feel good.

The flow energy is strong, but very gentle and light. It’s easy going, and full of fun, play and adventures. It’s loving and free. You do what is easy, and fels right. You don’t plan everything, every little detail.  

Marie J.Engelsvold. Process. Diamond shape. Hexagon. Drawings. 2020

No, you let things be open…open so you can be fully present to play…..and go with the flow….you have to make room for the flow to expand. 

 I really get into my flow, when I’am building, playing and experimenting with a lot of different materials, just playing with all the possibilities. Creating and decreating. Lately  I have moved my art praxis out of my studio….taking my materials outdoor. I go to the forrest , or the city. Making art in public. It’s fun to do art in other places than in the studio or in exhibition places. It’s fun to play outside, speaking with bypasses. Feeling alive. Because it’s so new and fresh. You don’t know what will happen. How people will react. How you can create in the new surroundings. You are out of your comfort zone. It’s an adventure.

 It really makes me feel alive.  Sometimes other people or artists  are joining me. I like to play and build with others…..to see what happens…how can we interact?

 It’s fun to be spontanuous, to not have everything planned. It’s all about the energy, the feeling. You know when you get there, nothing else matters really.

Marie J.Engelsvold. Process. Building in public. Roskilde Cathedral. 2020.

So how do you hold that flow. That aliveness? To hold it, you have to let go of everything that is keeping you small and limited. 

You have to let go of fear and doubt. You have to let go of not being good enough. You have to let go of what you thought you can or cannot do. You can’t be in flow, or feeling alive if you have fear.

In my experience what happens in the flow, is that everything in you, not alligned with that conciousness will come up. I regulary go through purging. I don’t resist when emotions are getting triggered, I just accept them, or express them…through rage or crying. I know I just have to embrace the feelings so that I can go back in the flow. 

Marie J.Engelsvold. Process.Building in studio. 2019

Go even higher. But the purging of emotions is also part of being alive.

I mean you are truely not half dead in that state. You expand. In the acceptance of all your feeelings, in the acceptance of all of yourself. You are not afraid of any feeling or emotion. 

When you are in fear, when you go around half dead, thinking everything is okay…you resist feeling your emotions. You close yourself from feeling anything. You numb yourself. Then you are operating from the mindstate….where everything is about control.

You can’t be in flow operating from the mind state. That’s not possible.

If you numb yourself from feeling, how can you feel alive?  You can think how it feels to be alive. You can think how you think it feels to be alive. And you can act acording to what you think will make you feel alive. But it doesn’t make you feel alive. You can’t really feel, when you want to control what to feel. 

Marie J.Engelsvold. “Trophy of self love”. 100 x 70 cm. Acrylic paint on paper. 2019.

So coming back to holding the flow. It’s to feeling alive. It’s to connect with your feelings. What do you really want. Not what you think you want, or what other people wants…but what you want. Go within. What actions, what situations makes you feel alive. Really glowing. Really vibrating.

It’s to stop struggling, and instead go for fun. It’s where you feel light, and free.

It’s to love yourself, so much that you don’t do anything that makes you feel just okay. That makes you settle for less than what makes you glow. What you really deserve. Don’t settle for less. 

Hope you enjoyed this post. Have a very nice day. :-)

I’am sharing this information to you freely, from my own experiences. Hope you can use it in your own process. Any donation, is deeply appreciated. :-)

Donate

• Turtorials and tips
  • May 15, 2019 How to take your drawings, to the next level.
  • Apr 30, 2019 Be bold, let your light out.
  • Apr 6, 2019 How to start your drawing praxis.
  • Mar 8, 2019 What to do when you are stucked in the creative process??
  • Feb 13, 2018 How do you work with composition?
  • Jan 8, 2018 Make a kickstart.
  • Nov 20, 2017 Go bigger.
  • Nov 8, 2017 What is your drawings all about?
  • Oct 31, 2017 Wait!! Before you throw that drawing in the bin!!!!!
  • Oct 12, 2017 Find inspiration everywhere.
  • Oct 12, 2017 Experiment with shapes and lines.
  • Oct 12, 2017 Want to find your own visual language ?
• psycological aspects
  • May 26, 2020 Holding your flow.
  • May 6, 2020 The world is yours.
  • Apr 22, 2020 Let your heart decide.
  • Apr 18, 2020 Create from your self.
  • Apr 4, 2020 Expand your own signature.
  • Oct 9, 2019 How to shift out of the 3d perspective.
  • Sep 20, 2019 What is it, to be grounded?
  • Sep 10, 2019 How to follow your own flow.
  • Jul 28, 2019 Releasing your resistance to the moment.
  • Jul 15, 2019 Don't wait for life to be perfect, let go of control.
  • Jun 1, 2019 How to raise your vibration, through the creative process.
  • Apr 1, 2019 How embracing all parts of you, will help you in your art making.
  • Feb 20, 2019 Don’t resist the moment. Live your dream.
  • Feb 10, 2019 Why are we so hard on ourselves?
  • Feb 1, 2019 It's okay to say NO.
  • Jan 2, 2019 Let yourself shine in 2019 :-)
  • Nov 22, 2018 Look at your obstacles as adventures.
  • Feb 2, 2018 How to stay in the process?
  • Dec 20, 2017 Slow down
  • Dec 12, 2017 There is no "right" way.
  • Dec 5, 2017 Why it's important to unlearn.
  • Oct 12, 2017 Let your feelings be your guide.
  • Sep 5, 2017 Don't be afraid of change:-)
  • Sep 5, 2017 Express your feelings
  • Sep 5, 2017 Can drawing be a kind of meditation?
• turtorials
  • Apr 6, 2019 How to start your drawing praxis.
• video
  • May 15, 2019 How to take your drawings, to the next level.
  • Apr 30, 2019 Be bold, let your light out.
  • Apr 1, 2019 How embracing all parts of you, will help you in your art making.
  • Mar 8, 2019 What to do when you are stucked in the creative process??
  • Feb 20, 2019 Don’t resist the moment. Live your dream.
  • Feb 10, 2019 Why are we so hard on ourselves?
  • Feb 1, 2019 It's okay to say NO.

The world is yours.

Today I didn’t plan to make any podcast, or blog post. I didn’t plan anything, actually.

This day is mine. I can do what ever I want. I really like that. But I remember for some years ago, It made me uncomfortable, I didn't like not to have a plan. I always knew what to do. I made a to do list, the night before, or even the week before. So I knew exactly what I needed to do, to reach my goal. What I wanted.

But I don’t work like that anymore. I can’t do it, I have to go with my energies. Go with the flow. So I need to become aware of what is the right action. How can I use my energies in the best possible way? In a way that I feel really empowered. Instead of feeling that I have to do this..I have this on my “to do list”, so I have to go check, check, check.

I call it the hard way, the struggle way. If I do this, it drains me. I can’t do that anymore. I go for the easy way.

Today, I was sitting in the sun enjoying a coffee on my balcony. Enjoying the moment. But to be honest, I wasn’t quite enjoying it. I was a little worried , a little doubtful…it was very subtle…like a quiet nagging feeeling. I felt I had to go to the studio. I have an upcoming exhibition, but I haven’t really been diving into the process. It’s very open still. It’s have been very open for a long time. So I thought I had to go to my studio, the whole day, and really get it going. But I felt a little resistant, not so inspired.

Actually I felt fearful and doubtful because I have this open day, and I didn’t know what to do. Eventhough I’am quite used to go with my feelings, to tap into my body, and go with my energies and what I want….Today I was just not so grounded in that. But instead of going with my fears, and what I thought I had to do…I pulled my energies within.

I go within. Collect myself. Being present in my body. Because when you are in your fear mode, you are only centered in your mind. If you take action from that place, it will be full of fear. When you are in your mind, you are always in the future or in the past, trying to fix things from that perspective. But you can’t really fix anything which is rooted in this mind based fear. So I center myself. Pull my energies inside. Filling myself up, with my own energies. Sometimes if you give yourselve away to projects, ideas, other people, and situations. You will feel totally drained, because you are not rooted in your own reality. In your body.

Marie J.Engelsvold. “Alignment of energies” 70 x 100 cm. Naked heart. Swim Gallery. 2018. San Francisco. U.S.A. For purchase. Contact: Marie J.Engelsvold.

So I go within, just feeling my body. Sometimes it helps to go to my feets…when I go to my feets with my consciousness , with my thoughts….I go deep deep within. It’s grounding. I begin to relax, being still. My thoughts stops racing. In this relaxed state I start to pull my energies in.

But how do I do it? If there is a situation…for example I thought I had to go to the studio, but I didn’t felt like going. So I have given this situation a lot of energy, by thinking about it. I then take the energy back, by seeing the situation before my inner eye, taking my energies out….I always see my energy as a color. So I pull this energy out, by seeing this color leaving the situation, and taking it back within. I take it back. My energy.

It will feel very good, because it’s your energy, so it’s okay to take it back. When you are focusing on all these things outside of you, all these things you think you have to do, worrying about money, other people and their opinions, social media, projects.

Take your energy back from all this, and you will really feel how you recharge. You will feel so empowered by your own energies. When I do this little exercise, I feel really good. I’am coming back to myself. From that place I can take some action, that is rooted inside of me. From what I want, and not from worry or fear.

Marie J.Engelsvold. “My energy” 54 x 42 cm. Acrylics and paper cuts on paper. 2018. For purchase. Contact: Marie J.Engelsvold.

So I was sitting on my balcony, doing this little exercise, because I felt this doubt. Then I felt so much better, but I still didn’t know what to do today. I have a lot of options, cause I have always a lot of things going…

I went inside the apartment, and I noticed a magazine on a table. On it’s front cover it was saying “The world is yours”, with big bold letters. Wow, so strong. The world is yours, this sentence just got my energies in motion. Because it just reflected what I was at. So I grab a piece of paper, and started writing down some ideas. This sentence, and this episode/blog today I have named “The world is yours”

It’s so important, the world is not outside yourself. (It’s within. It’s my experience, you can disagree, of course.)

But I think the world is inside of you. Your world is inside of you. Everything you are experiencing in the outer world, is actually you.Your perception of the world. So, if the world is really yours…you don’t have to go out and do anything out there, that is not rooted inside of you. Because you create your outer wold inside of you. The world is yours inside of you.The world is inside of you. So start the action inside yourself, and you will see how everything will fall into place, with you taking the right action. You will feel really good.

You don’t have to worry, because you come from another place. You don’t come from fear, or doubt. You will not give all your energies away, to something outside of you. You are taking your energies back, so you can create your world from inside of you.

I noticed this sentence, and I got the spark, the energy the idea for this podcast/blog. It came from within.

Marie J.Engelsvold. From studio. 2018.

I have just started this podcast, I’am usually writing here on my blog. But one day I just wanted to do something else, to shake the energies out of repeating mode. I have made 5 episodes, so far, every time reading aloud from a manuscript. Actually I wanted to speak more freely, but it was a little hard for me to keep the track. But the original idea with the podcast, was to be more direct, to be more alive. But today coming from my grounded vibrant energy, I just wrote down some notes…and spoke without the usual manuscript.

It was so freeing.( If you are only reading, try to lisen’t for a change, it will make you perceive differently. )

So to come back to the sentence “The world is yours”. You have to go within. To be centered inside. Feeling your energies. Take your energies back from the outside world. Instead of separating you and the world, you become one with the world. You are the world. The world is not separated from you. it’s in you. You have total control, because the world is inside of you. It’s you. it’s the only thing you can control, it’s you. So when the world is inside you, it’s actually very easy to be in control.

Marie J.Engelsvold. "Release" 29,7 x 21 cm. Acrylic markers on paper. 2017. For purchase. Contact: Marie J.Engelsvold.

So don’t freak out, if you don’t know what to do, or what project to work on today. Try to go within, instead of following your “to do” list. We all have all these things, we think we have to do. If you have this feeling of obligation, I have to do this, I should do that, even though you don’t really feel like it. Just try this experiment. Instead of going with this energy of fear and doubt, go within. Feel your body, feel your feets. When relaxed, take back your energy from all the things you think you have to do. From all the people you think you have to please. Take it back, and fill yourself up.

Then you will feel energized. You will feel boosted, and centered. From this place you can ask yourself. “What do I want to do”? What do I really want to do today?” Not “What do I have to do today"? It’s your world. you decide. Allow yourself to go with that energy.

Hope you enjoyed this post. Have a very nice day. :-)

I’am sharing this information to you freely, from my own experiences. Hope you can use it in your own process. Any donation, is deeply appreciated. :-)

Donate

• Turtorials and tips
  • May 15, 2019 How to take your drawings, to the next level.
  • Apr 30, 2019 Be bold, let your light out.
  • Apr 6, 2019 How to start your drawing praxis.
  • Mar 8, 2019 What to do when you are stucked in the creative process??
  • Feb 13, 2018 How do you work with composition?
  • Jan 8, 2018 Make a kickstart.
  • Nov 20, 2017 Go bigger.
  • Nov 8, 2017 What is your drawings all about?
  • Oct 31, 2017 Wait!! Before you throw that drawing in the bin!!!!!
  • Oct 12, 2017 Find inspiration everywhere.
  • Oct 12, 2017 Experiment with shapes and lines.
  • Oct 12, 2017 Want to find your own visual language ?
• psycological aspects
  • May 26, 2020 Holding your flow.
  • May 6, 2020 The world is yours.
  • Apr 22, 2020 Let your heart decide.
  • Apr 18, 2020 Create from your self.
  • Apr 4, 2020 Expand your own signature.
  • Oct 9, 2019 How to shift out of the 3d perspective.
  • Sep 20, 2019 What is it, to be grounded?
  • Sep 10, 2019 How to follow your own flow.
  • Jul 28, 2019 Releasing your resistance to the moment.
  • Jul 15, 2019 Don't wait for life to be perfect, let go of control.
  • Jun 1, 2019 How to raise your vibration, through the creative process.
  • Apr 1, 2019 How embracing all parts of you, will help you in your art making.
  • Feb 20, 2019 Don’t resist the moment. Live your dream.
  • Feb 10, 2019 Why are we so hard on ourselves?
  • Feb 1, 2019 It's okay to say NO.
  • Jan 2, 2019 Let yourself shine in 2019 :-)
  • Nov 22, 2018 Look at your obstacles as adventures.
  • Feb 2, 2018 How to stay in the process?
  • Dec 20, 2017 Slow down
  • Dec 12, 2017 There is no "right" way.
  • Dec 5, 2017 Why it's important to unlearn.
  • Oct 12, 2017 Let your feelings be your guide.
  • Sep 5, 2017 Don't be afraid of change:-)
  • Sep 5, 2017 Express your feelings
  • Sep 5, 2017 Can drawing be a kind of meditation?
• turtorials
  • Apr 6, 2019 How to start your drawing praxis.
• video
  • May 15, 2019 How to take your drawings, to the next level.
  • Apr 30, 2019 Be bold, let your light out.
  • Apr 1, 2019 How embracing all parts of you, will help you in your art making.
  • Mar 8, 2019 What to do when you are stucked in the creative process??
  • Feb 20, 2019 Don’t resist the moment. Live your dream.
  • Feb 10, 2019 Why are we so hard on ourselves?
  • Feb 1, 2019 It's okay to say NO.

Let your heart decide.

How can you use your mind more constructively? And why is it sometimes sabotaging your creative process? Your joy and playfulness?

It's about knowing who is in charge. Very often we let our minds control it all. But in reality, it just needs to be used to back up your own creative power, that is centered in your heart.  You must let your heart decide. And this is where we often stumble. Our brains and control mechanisme are so trained to step in, sabotaging our process, making us doubt, making us feel we are not good enough. 

In your creative process, the brain should not be allowed to control. Here it can only be used for practical purposes. And to set the framework for the process.  

Marie J.Engelsvold. “My heart, my soul” Yarn, photo, wood. 2020.

The most important thing is to allow yourself. You have to take the lead, and tell your mind to let go as long as the creative process is in progress. When you have told the mind what to do, it calms down. Show it that you are in control. It’s you. You are acting from your core. Supported by your heart and feelings. You decide. Only you. You have to be very clear about that. If you want to express yourself from that inner wholeness and excitement. That feeling of aliveness. You can’t play any mindgames. There are no room for fear. You can’t allow any kind of fear.  

Marie J.Engelsvold. Sculpture play in local park. 2020

When you listen to your heart and your body you are grounded.

You could also say that when you operate from the heart, you are grounded in yourself and your emotions. You take your own feelings seriously, you take your own inner experiences more seriously than your external world. You believe in yourself. 

 When I am grounded, I am present with myself. I listen to my body, my heart, my inner child, my higher mind. Not fear, not worry. Not the things that everyone else tells me is the right way. It is only me who knows what makes me present, and at peace.  It's about trust. It is about trusting oneself. Then I'm grounded. It has nothing to do with how busy I am with the materialistic world. It has nothing to do with how big an income I have. 

 It has to do with how willing I am to be my own leader. Be my own guide. To take ownership of my life, and listen to my own needs and what I really need.  Taking care of myself. Defend myself. Being whole and honoring all my aspects. That is, dare to change direction.

 It's not like standing in the same place all your life, like a rock. I'm not a rock. It is to be open and to dare taking risks. To play with life. Life can be an adventure if you trust it. When we have no confidence, when we worry, we tend not taking risks. We do not go out of our own comfort zone. We remain limited, because the slightest movement from what we are used to is making us afraid.

You must be rooted in your own reality.

It is the only reality you are meant to be in. There is no reality outside of yourself, everything is a mirror of you. Because you can only experience reality through you.

We all have our own unique way of interpreting our reality.  We can be in the same place, we can maybe do the same things, meet the same people. But our experiences is completely different, or more accurately, our emotions are different. What we notice is different.  Our inner experience is completely different. We may agree that the grass is green, but the emotions around the grass are different. We have different memories when we see grass. When we smell grass. 

When I’m not grounded, I tend to live in a limited version of myself. I'm not really in touch with everything I am. With my wholeness. My core. I tend to live only on what I accept in myself. Because of this, I become very vulnerable. I become very unstable. I'm not really comfortable with my own diversity.  Sometimes it feels like I'm afraid of myself. Because I don't feel safe, I don't feel like I can trust who I am. 

 When you're only in the mental, it's a way to keep track of yourself. You control yourself. It's not a nice place to be. Constant concern. Comparison. Self-criticism. Selvsabortage. You are not supportive of yourself because you are not listening to yourself. You do not feel your feelings. You are only focused on the outside world. Of what you should be. Who you should be. You live in a mental picture. The key is to listen to your feelings. Thrust in yourself.  Listen to your body, what does your body want? What do you really want? When you honor your feelings, you are grounded.

 When I feel at peace, I can feel this grounded feeling in myself. It's like my roots are very stable. At the same time, I am moving. Constant movement. Constant in deep, intimate contact with my emotions, in every moment.  It makes me more curious, more spontaneous and more alive. When I am alive, I am very alert and very grounded.  

Marie J.Engelsvold. “Heart home” 78 x 44 x 3 cm. Wood, foam, textile, yarn. 2019. For purchase. Contact: Marie J.Engelsvold.

It's about finding and keeping your own flow.

I have experienced that you get so much more done if you go with the energy. It may look chaotic at the moment, and for some time. But you expand yourself in ways that are not possible if you limit yourself. Or stick to a fixed defintion, and go into automatic pilot. You can actually get stuck for years this way. 

 Instead, follow your feelings and sensations, even if you do not know where they are leading you. If you just do things because you have planned it and feel obligated to maintain your intention, you will experience being very heavy.  It will be boring, and will drain you, instead of lifting you up.

 Why spend your time that way? Why not ask yourself what you want to do instead?  Maybe you need a break.? Maybe a walk in the park will make you more inspired. Maybe it's your surroundings? Or you need to talk to someone? Sleep? You may be tired? Maybe the whole project is wrong? Maybe your relationship is draining, and negatively affecting you? Maybe your whole project, or your work, is not what you really dream of? 

Marie J.Engelsvold. “New pattern” 15 x 10,5 cm. Yarn, paper cuts, acrylic marker and pencil on paper. 2017. For purchase. Contact: Marie J.Engelsvold.

 Only you know it. No one but you.

 How easy can it be? Why fight and make it tough? If you follow your desire, the place where you feel lifted, go in that direction. If you feel heavy and drawn down by something, or someone, leave it. Go in a different direction, and most importantly, nourish the feeling of excitement and play.  

 Perform the activities that make you happy. Don't think about the result, just absorb yourself into the activity. What makes you happy and excited? You will attract more happiness into your life the more you allow yourself to go with your energy. Why go against your own energy?

 It all depends on your willingness to listen to your heart. To listen to your own truth, your own voice. Because you have to follow your flow, you don't have to follow other people's definition of flow, or your own definition. When you try to make a definition, it is your mental control that tries to settle. It loves recipes, so we can say "Then we do this"

 That's what we're up against. Our need to make recipes and then keep repeating the same acts. And why do we need the repetition? because we feel fear.  

Marie J.Engelsvold. “Nature nurture” Photo. 2019.

You cannot stop the power, from your deepest desire in your heart. Sometimes we ignore this heavy feeling, we go against our own power, our own life force. Because we get scared to go with the flow. You need to float. But most of us don't like to float, letting go of our beliefs. 

 We get so scared of this force because it is actually a huge force. So we fight it. But the power of our deepest desires from our hearts cannot be ignored. At some point it will force you down the river. But this is only if you have completely ignored your own inner guidance, your inner voice. Because if you're used to shutting down the energy and putting it in a box, making it into a fixed recipe, you can't feel your flow. You cannot feel your heart. You've shut your heart down. 

 To follow your flow, you have to be open to all possibilities. It can be hard work to begin with, because we are so used to holding on to energy all the time.

 Very often we lie to ourselves, we say, "Oh, I'm so happy about what I'm doing," even if we're not. Or we say, "Of course there are a lot of boring things, but that's life." Frankly speaking? When something is boring, it is actually a sign that we are not in our flow. We are moving against our own flow. 

The heart is not interested in settling down.

I am coming to the conclusion that it has something to do with the heart. The heart is not interested in settling down, sticking to one thing being so bored. The heart is not interested in hard work. The heart is not serious. The heart is not interested in being wise and skilled. The heart is only interested in love. To love and be happy. The feeling of being light or heavy comes from the heart. It is a kind of heart language.  It is not interested in having status in the community. It is not interested in putting things in boxes and categorizing things. It's only interested in how it feels. And wow! Isn't that so? You can make all the right choices from the outside, but if it doesn't feel right, it doesn't matter.

 So listening to your emotions is the key to getting into your flow. Not other people's definition of happiness and success, but your own.  So maybe that's why we're having a hard time being in flow? Very often the heart wants something completely different from our ego. It does not accept that you are lying to yourself. It does not accept pride, or status. It is not afraid of other people's opinions. 

 So if you are someone who has never really fit into a category. If you've done most things just because you wanted to. Could it be you have an open heart?

But it is not easy. Other people may not like your way of life. Why? Because it goes against the norm. You make other people uncomfortable.  We have learned to shut our hearts down, not to listen to our feelings. We live in a society that loves hardworking skilled people who are bored to death. Fear is the weapon.

 Maybe because of that, we think it is bad to change direction. Being open to all possibilities. To listen to one's own feelings, and follow one's own guidance.  To live life the way we want. Be happy and feel alive. To be blown away by energy, excitement and love. Can you tame such people?  No. You can't scare free people. You can only be in the flow if you listen to your own feelings and act on what you feel is right.  

Marie J.Engelsvold. “Inner knowing” Paper cuts, acrylic marker and pencil on paper. 2019. For purchase. Contact: Marie J.Engelsvold.

You have to follow your emotions without seeing the whole picture. Yes, the emotions can change. Like the wind, like the waves. But it's only on the surface, down in the depths, it's your heart that decides. That's your captain. The ripples on the surface are the captain's messages. The messages from the heart that you can follow. You have to follow your emotions without seeing the whole picture. the direction appears to you little by little.

You might think it has nothing to do with creativity or being an artist. But if you're not free, you can't really create.  That's my experience.  

 Use your mental skills to support your heart and flow.

In our society, it is often our brains and mental abilities that get overstimulated. We are generally very good at planning and structuring. But whay about playtime and the deeper meaning ? What about feeling alive? If we have to express ourselves. Our whole self.  We have to be in balance between the heart and the brain. So we must spend extra time and attention on the ability that is under-stimulated, which is typically our ability to play, and follow our heart.

 When you are in the creative process it is an interaction where you use your two abilities alternately. It happens completely automatically, but often the brain begins to interfere in the process and begins to sabotage, control and judge.   Instead, use what your mental abilities in a constructive way. You need its ability to control and discipline, to support your own creative power. To define the space in which you can create. So you decide that now you want to play. You set the time and the framework, which of course must be allowed to be changed along the way.

 But in the beginning you will feel most comfortable with having the framework of the process decided. For you are probably very good at following rules. So here you make your own rules, which you then follow.

Marie J.Engelsvold. “Green portal” in the making. 2019.

Make a plan around the process.

It is a good idea to start with a plan around your process. For example, start by setting a stopwatch for 20 minutes. In the 20 minutes you do exactly what you want. Your brain sets the frame, but in the process itself, it must not interfere. If your thoughts go in and analyze, evaluate or judge, you must shut it down. Show you are in charge. If it is very provocative, then start with 10 minutes, next time 20 minutes. Practice how long you can stay in the process. How long can you be present in the flow?

But how do we create and maintain the flow?

And how do we shut down the comments, sabotage, and self-criticism of our minds?  Very often, our minds /reason thinks it knows best. It will come with rules, and opinions and comparisons.

 We have learned a lot of things about being creative and there are a lot of rules. But being creative is actually about breaking rules. To shift out of the black and white mindset, the notion of something being right and wrong. We have to empty ourselves of all that we have learned, to start from scratch. To create without judging. To be able to step into the present.

To make contact with the deeper layers of ourselves that scream to be expressed. Create a space around you where everything is allowed, and measure your success on how free you felt.

Remember to be kind to yourself. Allow yourself to play. Be curious about the process. When the time is out, you can go back being mental. Look at what you have done.

It doesn't have to be a long process and be careful not to get into self-criticism and start judging your work. Unfortunately, this is often what happens when we are coming from the mind , we are sabortaging ourselves. The brain generally wants a result reasonably quickly. It becomes uncertain in a long process, and does not understand the meaning of surrendering and letting go of control. 

Try to pay attention when you are self-sabortaging. What can you do when that happens? Breathe all the way down to your stomach 3 times. Tell yourself and your brain that it's okay to be insecure. Accept the feelings that come up. Tell yourself that you are in a creative process, and it is normal to get scared. Tell yourself that you are in control.

Marie J.Engelsvold. “green portal ll” 84 x 54 cm. Pencil, textile, foam, paper cuts and acrylic marker on paper. 2019.

For purchase. Contact: Marie J.Engelsvold.

 Once you have reassured yourself, you go on to make your decision on how to move forward.  Sometimes you have more ideas on how to proceed, and may have difficulty choosing. Write down all your suggestions on a piece of paper and select one of them. You may want to use the other suggestions later or in another process.

 Primarily if you have any doubts, use your instinct. The most important thing, is to get past the doubt. When your mind is going in circles, then act. For everything you need happens in the process, you can't figure it out in advance. So embrace the process and don't be afraid because you have no control about the outcome. Trust your knowing in your heart. Trust your feelings and you will be safe.

If you want some more tips on how to silent your mind, and your inner critic read this previous blogpost:

What to do when you are stucked in the creative process??

I’am sharing this information to you freely, from my own experiences. Hope you can use it in your own process. Any donation, is deeply appreciated. :-)

Donate

• Turtorials and tips
  • May 15, 2019 How to take your drawings, to the next level. May 15, 2019
  • Apr 30, 2019 Be bold, let your light out. Apr 30, 2019
  • Apr 6, 2019 How to start your drawing praxis. Apr 6, 2019
  • Mar 8, 2019 What to do when you are stucked in the creative process?? Mar 8, 2019
  • Feb 13, 2018 How do you work with composition? Feb 13, 2018
  • Jan 8, 2018 Make a kickstart. Jan 8, 2018
  • Nov 20, 2017 Go bigger. Nov 20, 2017
  • Nov 8, 2017 What is your drawings all about? Nov 8, 2017
  • Oct 31, 2017 Wait!! Before you throw that drawing in the bin!!!!! Oct 31, 2017
  • Oct 12, 2017 Find inspiration everywhere. Oct 12, 2017
  • Oct 12, 2017 Experiment with shapes and lines. Oct 12, 2017
  • Oct 12, 2017 Want to find your own visual language ? Oct 12, 2017
• psycological aspects
  • May 26, 2020 Holding your flow. May 26, 2020
  • May 6, 2020 The world is yours. May 6, 2020
  • Apr 22, 2020 Let your heart decide. Apr 22, 2020
  • Apr 18, 2020 Create from your self. Apr 18, 2020
  • Apr 4, 2020 Expand your own signature. Apr 4, 2020
  • Oct 9, 2019 How to shift out of the 3d perspective. Oct 9, 2019
  • Sep 20, 2019 What is it, to be grounded? Sep 20, 2019
  • Sep 10, 2019 How to follow your own flow. Sep 10, 2019
  • Jul 28, 2019 Releasing your resistance to the moment. Jul 28, 2019
  • Jul 15, 2019 Don't wait for life to be perfect, let go of control. Jul 15, 2019
  • Jun 1, 2019 How to raise your vibration, through the creative process. Jun 1, 2019
  • Apr 1, 2019 How embracing all parts of you, will help you in your art making. Apr 1, 2019
  • Feb 20, 2019 Don’t resist the moment. Live your dream. Feb 20, 2019
  • Feb 10, 2019 Why are we so hard on ourselves? Feb 10, 2019
  • Feb 1, 2019 It's okay to say NO. Feb 1, 2019
  • Jan 2, 2019 Let yourself shine in 2019 :-) Jan 2, 2019
  • Nov 22, 2018 Look at your obstacles as adventures. Nov 22, 2018
  • Feb 2, 2018 How to stay in the process? Feb 2, 2018
  • Dec 20, 2017 Slow down Dec 20, 2017
  • Dec 12, 2017 There is no "right" way. Dec 12, 2017
  • Dec 5, 2017 Why it's important to unlearn. Dec 5, 2017
  • Oct 12, 2017 Let your feelings be your guide. Oct 12, 2017
  • Sep 5, 2017 Don't be afraid of change:-) Sep 5, 2017
  • Sep 5, 2017 Express your feelings Sep 5, 2017
  • Sep 5, 2017 Can drawing be a kind of meditation? Sep 5, 2017
• turtorials
  • Apr 6, 2019 How to start your drawing praxis. Apr 6, 2019
• video
  • May 15, 2019 How to take your drawings, to the next level. May 15, 2019
  • Apr 30, 2019 Be bold, let your light out. Apr 30, 2019
  • Apr 1, 2019 How embracing all parts of you, will help you in your art making. Apr 1, 2019
  • Mar 8, 2019 What to do when you are stucked in the creative process?? Mar 8, 2019
  • Feb 20, 2019 Don’t resist the moment. Live your dream. Feb 20, 2019
  • Feb 10, 2019 Why are we so hard on ourselves? Feb 10, 2019
  • Feb 1, 2019 It's okay to say NO. Feb 1, 2019

Create from your self. →

Get in touch with your core. (your self, your inner diamond, your being, your soul, your heart ……. find your own word, the word is not important. The feeling of being you is important.)

Do you want to lisen’t to the podcast? Go here.

Don’t give yourself away

When we talk about being creative, being artists, being creators. We talk about self expression. What is this self? How can you express yourself from that place

 Of course you already know that feeling of being you. We all do. Feeling happy, alive, free and excited. In this state or conciousness you don’t fear anything, and you feel you are enough. You feel everything is possible. Why do you feel everything is possible? Because when you are feeling whole, you are infinite. 

In this consciousness you can create everything. Everything you imagine or dream about is possible. We can say that we are God in this consciousness. 

Marie J.Engelsvold. “I catch me, if I fall” Yarn, wood, foam, textile.“Purple heart” Wood, foam, yarn 2018. Swim Gallery. San Francisco. 2018

I know it is kind of difficult to use the word God. Because there is so many assumptions on that word already. It’s so powerful. That is why I use this word, because I want to point to the fact that you are that power. You are not a victim. You are the creater. You don’t have to give your power away to any external God. To anything outside of you. It can be a lover, a parent, your friends, the art world, the government. Don’t give yourself away

 If you don’t like to use the word God. Then don’t. You can also use self, or core. Or find your own word. It could be Inner diamond. You decide. You have the power. 

But sometimes this core, and the awareness of it, is hidden. You can’t find your self. You can’t find that feeling of being whole and complete. But it’s not gone. It’s always there. You are just not in that that state of conciousness.. You can’t see it, it’s hidden because you are coming from your old believes. Your fears, and the feeling that you are constantly missing out on something. This nagging feeling that you constantly have to get a little better, learn some more, practice some more. You are not feeling you are enough. You are not feling good enough.

 You just have to make some more money. Or you wait for the right time. Because you are not quite ready yet. Or you compare yourself to other people, and listen more to their advice than your own.

Marie J.Engelsvold. Work process. 2019

When you are creating your artworks, trying to express yourself and you are not in that energy. You are not in contact with your wholeness, your joy and the knowing that you are enough. You will meet all your limitations. All your different believes, and assumptions. All your rules. What you have learned and decided is good or bad. What you can or cannot do. 

If you are open and aware of what is happening, you can letting that conciousness go. Everything that restricts you and makes you heavy. 

As you are letting go, you reconnect with yourself. You come more and more into contact with your pure creative power, that is wild and free. Full of excitement and love. Full of joy and play. Where everything feels possible. Because you are the creator. 

But how do you let go?  How do you go from being critizicing yourself, being hard on yourself?  To come into that place of wholeness and completeness.? To come into that notion that you can thrust yourself? You simply shift out of that state of conciousness. 

Because how can you be so hard on yourself, if you are actually whole and complete?

Marie J.Engelsvold. “Inner diamond” Pencil on paper. 2020. For purchase. Contact: Marie J.Engelsvold.

 Shifting your energies

I want to give you another picture. Because eventhough you are feeling low, you are feeling fearful, or limited you are still you. You don’t have to find your self. You just have to shift your energies. Or you state of mind. Your consciousness. Your awareness. Yes there are so many words for the same. We can also say, just change your mood. How do we go from being in a bad mood to a better mood.

 We can see ourselves as a radio with different frequencies. When you change frequency or channel, you change awareness. For example, you could be on the channel that says everything is tough. Life is hard. You have to fight for everything. Or you can switch to the channel that says everything is easy. Life is easy. And you have everything you need, everything comes easily to you. But it's still the same radio. You are still you, you are still full of love and joy even if you are on the channel that states that everything is hard. You just changed frequency. 

 But if it’s so easy to change moods.

Why are we often stuck? 

 Yes I know it’s not so simpel at first. Sometimes you just can’t seem to dig yourself out of this shitty state. You think everythink is going wrong, your art works are failing. You have always failed. You will never make anything that will ever be good enough. Your whole life is one big faillure. You are a faillure. 

 Yes. We know this state. How it can grow so quickly  inside you. Going from one failed art work, then accelerating into your whole life being a faillure. Yes I know that. You properly do too. You are not connected to your core. But it’s still there. You are still there. All these thoughts is not you. They are just a state of mind.

You can move to another state. Letting it build in the same way as any other state of mind.

Try to go back to that failed art work. Just accept it. Embrace it. Yes, it didn’t turn out the way you expected it. But it’s okay. You are okay. Then just feel you being okay. Breathe. Then you can go from being okay, to be fine. Relax in that feeling that you are fine. Accelerate the feeling, build on that….in the same way you did when you went from  having failed one art work, to your whole life being a faillure. Now take that feeling of being fine to the next level. Feeling complete. Feeling whole. Feeling enough.

Marie J.Engelsvold. Work process. 2019.

Now you can stay in this peaceful mood, or you can go even futher. You can go to the state of being joyful, excited, feeling alive. Now you are you. Now you are connected to your aliveness. To your beingness. Can you feel it?? 

 You decide. You can also choose to stay limited. To criticise yourself. Beat yourself up.

 Don’t pretend to be okay

 As I have talked about before, it’s not always possible to move out of a low mood so easy.

In my experience. When I feel this knot in my throut and stomach, I can’t just shift out like I just explained. I can try, but no. It doesn’t feel right.

In these cases, I just go deep into these feelings. I don’t just pretend to be okay. No, don’t do that. Because you can’t move them. They are coming up, for you to recognize them. For you to embrace them. For you to say it’s okay. Then the feelings will be released. But don’t be mad at yourself for having these feelings. Be gentle. Be kind. You need this love from yourself. You deserve it.

But in many cases, it’s just a habit to get stock in the low moods. You do it so easily, because it’s a mood you know. So practise this shifting. Practise how you can shift out of a low mood. Choosing another mood. Choosing to see everything in a new perspective.

Because when you move to another state, another mood, another way to see life. We see everything acording to that mood. Your artwork which was a faillure in your previous mood, might be a complete art work in your mood of completeness and love. Or it might give you a wonderful idea, to how you can make something new and radical

Energy is constantly moving, that is its nature. We are pure energy in our consciousness, so it should be very natural and easy for us to move our consciousness.? To move out of a bad mood.? Yes it is . And most of us actually do it all the time, too. But we just tend to stay in the moods we know. The moods that is most natural to you. What is your most frequent mood? That’s your home. So if you in a period of your life is in a depressed state, that mood is most naturel.  So you have to practise being in other moods, untill that mood becomes the most naturel.

So often we go against our own nature. We try to fix things. We try to force the energies. We are not so gentle with ourselves. We decide for an action, for a project. We make a to do list, and we stick to this list, eventhough we feel our energies are getting low. Eventhough we are not passionate about the project

Marie J.Engelsvold. Work process. 2019.

Do you want to be alive?

You may have decided on a project. You start and you are full of energy, but at some point you run out of fuel. There is something wrong. But instead of listening, you keep going. You probably know it. I do. I've done it a lot. Forced myself to do a project I didn't feel passionate about.

In this way we go against our own energy. That's when we force the energy in a certain direction, instead of letting it flow. Instead of going with your energy. Going with yourself.

 You are not in allignment with your feelings of joy and aliveness. The project doesn’t make you feel excited. Actually it is draining you, because it’s not coming from you. It’s coming from something else. You might do it because you think it’s easy to sell. Then you act out of fear. Or you do it because it will give you some status. Or maybe you do a project with some other artists, or people, and you feel that you have comitted yourself to participate. You feel shity if you let the others down. But in the end of the day, the price you are paying, is too much. Don’t let yourself down. Don’t give your power away.

 You decide. Do you want to be alive? Really feling alive? Move to that place in yourself.

See the world from that place. Everything is possible.

Try it. :-)

Hope you enjoyed this post. Have a very nice day.

I’am sharing this information to you freely, from my own experiences. Hope you can use it in your own process. Any donation, is deeply appreciated. :-)

Donate

• Turtorials and tips
  • May 15, 2019 How to take your drawings, to the next level. May 15, 2019
  • Apr 30, 2019 Be bold, let your light out. Apr 30, 2019
  • Apr 6, 2019 How to start your drawing praxis. Apr 6, 2019
  • Mar 8, 2019 What to do when you are stucked in the creative process?? Mar 8, 2019
  • Feb 13, 2018 How do you work with composition? Feb 13, 2018
  • Jan 8, 2018 Make a kickstart. Jan 8, 2018
  • Nov 20, 2017 Go bigger. Nov 20, 2017
  • Nov 8, 2017 What is your drawings all about? Nov 8, 2017
  • Oct 31, 2017 Wait!! Before you throw that drawing in the bin!!!!! Oct 31, 2017
  • Oct 12, 2017 Find inspiration everywhere. Oct 12, 2017
  • Oct 12, 2017 Experiment with shapes and lines. Oct 12, 2017
  • Oct 12, 2017 Want to find your own visual language ? Oct 12, 2017
• psycological aspects
  • May 26, 2020 Holding your flow. May 26, 2020
  • May 6, 2020 The world is yours. May 6, 2020
  • Apr 22, 2020 Let your heart decide. Apr 22, 2020
  • Apr 18, 2020 Create from your self. Apr 18, 2020
  • Apr 4, 2020 Expand your own signature. Apr 4, 2020
  • Oct 9, 2019 How to shift out of the 3d perspective. Oct 9, 2019
  • Sep 20, 2019 What is it, to be grounded? Sep 20, 2019
  • Sep 10, 2019 How to follow your own flow. Sep 10, 2019
  • Jul 28, 2019 Releasing your resistance to the moment. Jul 28, 2019
  • Jul 15, 2019 Don't wait for life to be perfect, let go of control. Jul 15, 2019
  • Jun 1, 2019 How to raise your vibration, through the creative process. Jun 1, 2019
  • Apr 1, 2019 How embracing all parts of you, will help you in your art making. Apr 1, 2019
  • Feb 20, 2019 Don’t resist the moment. Live your dream. Feb 20, 2019
  • Feb 10, 2019 Why are we so hard on ourselves? Feb 10, 2019
  • Feb 1, 2019 It's okay to say NO. Feb 1, 2019
  • Jan 2, 2019 Let yourself shine in 2019 :-) Jan 2, 2019
  • Nov 22, 2018 Look at your obstacles as adventures. Nov 22, 2018
  • Feb 2, 2018 How to stay in the process? Feb 2, 2018
  • Dec 20, 2017 Slow down Dec 20, 2017
  • Dec 12, 2017 There is no "right" way. Dec 12, 2017
  • Dec 5, 2017 Why it's important to unlearn. Dec 5, 2017
  • Oct 12, 2017 Let your feelings be your guide. Oct 12, 2017
  • Sep 5, 2017 Don't be afraid of change:-) Sep 5, 2017
  • Sep 5, 2017 Express your feelings Sep 5, 2017
  • Sep 5, 2017 Can drawing be a kind of meditation? Sep 5, 2017
• turtorials
  • Apr 6, 2019 How to start your drawing praxis. Apr 6, 2019
• video
  • May 15, 2019 How to take your drawings, to the next level. May 15, 2019
  • Apr 30, 2019 Be bold, let your light out. Apr 30, 2019
  • Apr 1, 2019 How embracing all parts of you, will help you in your art making. Apr 1, 2019
  • Mar 8, 2019 What to do when you are stucked in the creative process?? Mar 8, 2019
  • Feb 20, 2019 Don’t resist the moment. Live your dream. Feb 20, 2019
  • Feb 10, 2019 Why are we so hard on ourselves? Feb 10, 2019
  • Feb 1, 2019 It's okay to say NO. Feb 1, 2019

Expand your own signature.

I like to use the word signature instead of style. Signature is more about expressing your inner self. Your signature comes from the inside out through your hand. You create it yourself. It’s not something you are taking on. It’s what you create from inside of you. It’s you who are the creator. No one else, but you. Expand yourself, instead of limiting yourself.

Embrace all parts of yourself. Accept yourself in your full complexity, both the light and dark parts. We are all unique creatures, no one is exactly like you. You are a very special combination, that has never been seen before. Your way of seeing the world. Your upbringing and your experiences are unique to you.

Because of that, we all have our very own way of expressing ourselves, and what we want to express is our own. Of course, we also have a lot of things that are common to all of us, and one of them is the joy of creating. 

Creativity stems from our desire to create, and Creativity is not just about art. We can be creative in all fields of our lives. But here we talk about self-expression through creativity. Then you can use the same methods to other fields of life because when you learn to be free in the creative process, you learn at the same time to free yourself. And then anything is possible………… 

I talk about self-expression. And it is literally to express one's "self" 

Maybe you have heard that it is important to find one's style as an "artist", so you stand out from the crowd and get recognized. You create your own brand. The only problem is that you can't find a style in the outside world and then put it on or use it as a piece of clothing or furniture.

Get in touch with all parts of yourself. 

But in order for you to really create your visual language, you need to get in touch with all parts of yourself. Or at least as many as possible. After all, you have a very unique combination of qualities, and they should preferably be used in some way in your creations.  The more abilities you can express, the more rich and complex your finished work becomes. It will certainly also be more unique. 

 Sometimes we find an expression we like and we cultivate that expression until it’s automatic.

Maybe we have made a brand out of drawing plants with  a blue ball. We receive praises and recognition for our recognizable "style". All is well, untill you get so bored of making the same things. Especially if you do not dare to change direction, because you are stuck in the brand. It may be fine for a period of time to try a particular technique, but don't limit yourself and make a lot of rules. Remember, being creative is about breaking rules, about being free. Instead, spend some time experimenting with a lot of tools and materials you like.

Marie J.Engelsvold. “Fan of the human creative mind” Acrylics on paper. 52 x 84 cm. 2016. For purchase. Contact: Marie J.Engelsvold.

Be curious about yourself. Try expanding instead of limiting yourself. There are no rules about what you must and what you must not. Only you set the rules. 

 Often we can be very critical of certain traits in our expression. What do you dislike about that expression? Try to accept, instead of deny. Notice what kind of feeling is attached to that expression? Maybe it's a feeling you don't like in yourself. But everything you create is part of yourself, you can't cut anything out.

 Embrace all of your different qualities, and accept them. Then you will see how things expands and flows. If you use only a few parts of yourself in your creations, you will eventually become dissatisfied and feel blocked. You will skip from expression to expression, and constantly believe that now you have found it, until you feel this block again. You build a lot of  resistance, instead of going with the flow in yourself.

 I think it's about integration. Integrating your differences. Constantly making more space inside yourself. At first, it may feel like a lot of resistance, when a unconciouss part of yourself wants to be recognized. That's perfectly normal. We are all afraid of the unknown.

Do you feel resistance?

You can feel tnis resistance about new things. But doesn’t it make you excited?

Because when you act from an enthusiastic place, you come into contact with your core. The place where you are whole and free. It doesn't have to be a big act. It can be a small act. It doesn't matter what you do. What truly matters is that the action arises from that enthusiasm.  When I succeed, it gives me endless joy.  So why not do it all the time? Well, very often, it may feel like there is some resistance. You may feel like you're trying to postpone it, even if you're eager to do it. You say to yourself, "I want to do this, but it's a little late now. I'll wait until tomorrow" Or you say "Oh, I don't have time now, Oh, it's a bit silly."

Marie J.Engelsvold. In the forrest. 2019.

I can give you an example. For a long time, I had this urge to go out into the woods with my sculptures and take some photos. I had been wanting to do it for some time before I actually did. Why was it so difficult? I really wanted to do it, but I had this resistance.

 Every day there was a new excuse. The weather was too bad or the weather was too hot. The grass was too wet or I felt some pain in my leg. One day I very quickly put all the sculpture pieces into my car. I planned to stop at a forest, on my way home from the studio. But I couldn't decide where to stop. For some days the car was filled with sculptures. 

 I was going out of town to visit one of my artist friends. I planned to stop at a forest on my way home. I told her about my plans. She wanted to help me. "You can't do this alone"? "You need someone to take the pictures", "Have you thought about how to fix the sculptures"? "Do you have any cord?" She came up with a lot of advice that made me feel a little drained. I said, "If I have to think about all these factors and have it all planned out, it won't be fun. 

 I knew in my heart that I just had to act, to overcome the resistance. Waiting until everything was planned would have been another excuse for postpoding.

 It is a trigger from the ego. It wants control at all costs and it wants everything planned. 

 I stopped by the perfect  forest, on the way home. I played around for a few hours. I ignored people sitting in their cars in the parking lot of the forest.

The way they watched me as I pulled all my sculpture pieces out of the car. Or I thought they were watching me. Is it any wonder that so many people sit in their cars in the parking lot of a forest? Why don't they go out into the woods for a while? enjoying nature? 

 Maybe they felt the same resistance as me?

 You can't run from yourself .

This resistance is nothing more than fear, fear of showing a particular part of yourself. Fear that no one will recognize your "style" anymore. But you can't run from yourself.

You can change style as many times as you want, but you cannot change the fact that you did it. I have changed my expression many times and each time I think no one can see that it is my work. But very often, people can recognize your signature. And you think you've made a huge change because you're now using an acrylic marker instead of a paint brush. 

Marie J.Engelsvold. Work process. In the studio. 2019.

You can allow yourself to use all the technics, materials and medias you want. Why limit yourself? When we limit ourselves, when we feel we have to stick to some rules it’s because we are afraid. When we are free, there are no need for limitations. There are no need for rules.

For most of us, it's hard to change, and when we change something, we think everyone will see it. But just do it, it's not dangerous, and it's still you who did it.  Remember, we are always a duality. You cannot cut out your shadow, your so-called dark parts. And actually, there are no dark parts or shadow. It is only because we deny their excistance. That we don’t draw them forth in our consciousness.

If you accept all your parts, including those you dislike, if you learn to love them, talk to them, and understand them, then they will not be so dark anymore. They will be transformable. The energy you used to deny them, can be used to create new things and experiences in your life. Parts of ourselves that we disown, not only drain our energies they also tend to manifest as outside problems. We meet them in other people and situations.

How we can embrace our unrecognized parts, and come alive?

Marie J.Engelsvold. “Sliding on the staircase to heaven.” Acrylics, pencil and paper cut on paper. 72 x 50 cm. Swim Gallery. San Francisco. 2018.

For purchase. Contact: Marie J.Engelsvold.

You go to your head, when your heart hurts.

To be free in the creative process and in life, it is important to be present. And to be present, you need to connect with your heart and body. But why is it so difficult? and so much easier to be mental with it. I woke up one night and was very unhappy. These words came to me "You go to your head, when your heart hurts".

 We want to be happy and positive and then it is easier to suppress all the negative emotions. It is easier to be mental, and understand and categorize. But the feelings do not disappear when you try to ignore them, they stay and they keep growing.

 So to be present with yourself is about being present with everything inside you. Also the hurted parts. What to do?? 

 If you feel unwell, upset, angry, ashamed. Yes you feel those feelings you would rather not feel. Instead of pushing them away, feel them. Tap into your body and be present with those feelings. Recognize the emotions, say it's okay that you have those feelings. Give them space.

 Sometimes it can also happen that you just fall into total hopelessness and despair, even being completely knocked out. Maybe because you do not accept and feel your feelings, and give yourself the support you need?  We may be sad and angry, but if at the same time we feel that it is wrong to have these feelings, they will not disappear.

Marie J.Engelsvold. “Dark greeness” 30 x 21 cm. Photo mounted on dibond alu plate. 2019.

 It’s really about feeling all your emotions, comforting yourself as you would do for a child.  Once you have tried it just once, and been able to be present with your emotions and thus integrate them, you do not have to sit so long each time.

Because what happens when you say tha your felings is not okay, you are actually destroying your own guiding system. When I was a child I was not allowed to be sad or angry, it was not okay. I had to very quickly be happy again. But the feelings didn’t dissappear, and as a child you will feel that there is something wrong with you for having those feelings. You learn that you can’t trust your feelings. You learn that your feelings is wrong. I think many people have learned the same. We have learned that our feelings is wrong. So if you feel some resistance when you actually try to feel your emotions, that’s why.

 I think that is the reason we are so scared of those feelings, because we have never really learned how to understand them. Never learned how to recognize them, and integrate them.

Once you have integrated a feeling, you can immediately feel that you have much more energy available ..  Just because you have allowed yourself to feel, Letting yourself be yourself. Accepted yourself. It is a very small act, but it is not easy. Instinctively, we tend to escape from everything that hurts.

All it really takes is to sit still for a moment with yourself. And it takes some practice, be patient with yourself. You are okay. You are okay, no matter what feeling you are feeling. You are okay no matter if you can’t feel any. You are okay in letting go of everything that is not you.

Marie J.Engelsvold. “Trying to stay present” 27,9 x 42 cm. Paper cuts, pencil and acrylic marker on paper. 2015.

For purchase. Contact: Marie J.Engelsvold.

You cannot follow a must, a mental plan or an idea.

Don't do it because you think you should. You have to do it because you feel like doing it. Sometimes you cannot feel what you want because you are so used to doing what you think you should.

When do you ask yourself what you really want from your heart? If there were no other boundaries? Let your heart fly. Don't plan, let it grow. Just do something, just a little thing you feel like. Then you will feel the energy, you will be happier and it will grow in you. And it will grow out of you. 

 The more I dare to be in that space with my art, the more free I become. Release the rules. Release the restrictions. It's all mental, it's not you. Every time you can transform your "negative" feelings, you become more fearless. You will not be so afraid of the dark feelings in you. You energies expands from all the things that you have accepted in yourself, and all the things that you have letting go of. The false notions and limitations.

 So do not be afraid to feel your heart, to feel all that you often avoid. Grief, anger and abandonment. You have to feel it, to free yourself. To be free to express yourself in all your true colors.

Marie J.Engelsvold. Sculpture making in the local park. 2020

Hope you enjoyed this post. Have a very nice day.

I’am sharing this information to you freely, from my own experiences. Hope you can use it in your own process. Any donation, is deeply appreciated. :-)

Donate

• Turtorials and tips
  • May 15, 2019 How to take your drawings, to the next level. May 15, 2019
  • Apr 30, 2019 Be bold, let your light out. Apr 30, 2019
  • Apr 6, 2019 How to start your drawing praxis. Apr 6, 2019
  • Mar 8, 2019 What to do when you are stucked in the creative process?? Mar 8, 2019
  • Feb 13, 2018 How do you work with composition? Feb 13, 2018
  • Jan 8, 2018 Make a kickstart. Jan 8, 2018
  • Nov 20, 2017 Go bigger. Nov 20, 2017
  • Nov 8, 2017 What is your drawings all about? Nov 8, 2017
  • Oct 31, 2017 Wait!! Before you throw that drawing in the bin!!!!! Oct 31, 2017
  • Oct 12, 2017 Find inspiration everywhere. Oct 12, 2017
  • Oct 12, 2017 Experiment with shapes and lines. Oct 12, 2017
  • Oct 12, 2017 Want to find your own visual language ? Oct 12, 2017
• psycological aspects
  • May 26, 2020 Holding your flow. May 26, 2020
  • May 6, 2020 The world is yours. May 6, 2020
  • Apr 22, 2020 Let your heart decide. Apr 22, 2020
  • Apr 18, 2020 Create from your self. Apr 18, 2020
  • Apr 4, 2020 Expand your own signature. Apr 4, 2020
  • Oct 9, 2019 How to shift out of the 3d perspective. Oct 9, 2019
  • Sep 20, 2019 What is it, to be grounded? Sep 20, 2019
  • Sep 10, 2019 How to follow your own flow. Sep 10, 2019
  • Jul 28, 2019 Releasing your resistance to the moment. Jul 28, 2019
  • Jul 15, 2019 Don't wait for life to be perfect, let go of control. Jul 15, 2019
  • Jun 1, 2019 How to raise your vibration, through the creative process. Jun 1, 2019
  • Apr 1, 2019 How embracing all parts of you, will help you in your art making. Apr 1, 2019
  • Feb 20, 2019 Don’t resist the moment. Live your dream. Feb 20, 2019
  • Feb 10, 2019 Why are we so hard on ourselves? Feb 10, 2019
  • Feb 1, 2019 It's okay to say NO. Feb 1, 2019
  • Jan 2, 2019 Let yourself shine in 2019 :-) Jan 2, 2019
  • Nov 22, 2018 Look at your obstacles as adventures. Nov 22, 2018
  • Feb 2, 2018 How to stay in the process? Feb 2, 2018
  • Dec 20, 2017 Slow down Dec 20, 2017
  • Dec 12, 2017 There is no "right" way. Dec 12, 2017
  • Dec 5, 2017 Why it's important to unlearn. Dec 5, 2017
  • Oct 12, 2017 Let your feelings be your guide. Oct 12, 2017
  • Sep 5, 2017 Don't be afraid of change:-) Sep 5, 2017
  • Sep 5, 2017 Express your feelings Sep 5, 2017
  • Sep 5, 2017 Can drawing be a kind of meditation? Sep 5, 2017
• turtorials
  • Apr 6, 2019 How to start your drawing praxis. Apr 6, 2019
• video
  • May 15, 2019 How to take your drawings, to the next level. May 15, 2019
  • Apr 30, 2019 Be bold, let your light out. Apr 30, 2019
  • Apr 1, 2019 How embracing all parts of you, will help you in your art making. Apr 1, 2019
  • Mar 8, 2019 What to do when you are stucked in the creative process?? Mar 8, 2019
  • Feb 20, 2019 Don’t resist the moment. Live your dream. Feb 20, 2019
  • Feb 10, 2019 Why are we so hard on ourselves? Feb 10, 2019
  • Feb 1, 2019 It's okay to say NO. Feb 1, 2019

How to shift out of the 3d perspective.

Do you know the situation where you feel that other people measure you with a measuring tape? You feel that they think, you are not good enough. They are putting you into a box, without even knowing you at all. But is it true? Is this what happens? Think about it one more time, YOU think that they think. Why do you think, that they think certain things about you?

It’s you, who are thinking that you are in this box, if you didn’t think you are in this box, other people won’t think it either.

So everything is returning to yourself. Your relationship with yourself.

If you stop putting yourself into boxes, other people will stop too. We all know it, we all do it. What is really happening?

When you measure yourself from the 3d perspective, other people will measure you from the same perspective, and you will measure other from this perspective too.

I’am really tired of this 3d measuring tape perspective. It happens all the time, because we have all learned it.

Marie J.Engelsvold. “What are you hiding?” 30 x 20 cm. Photo mounted on dibond alu plate. 2019.

When we measure from the 3d, it’s only from the external perspective. It’s how you are looking, education, status, job, where you live, behaviour, age. Sure there are a lot more, but these are the most common ones.

We are putting each other into these boxes all the time, without even being conscious of that. Sometimes when I feel bad about something, if I feel I’am not worthy. It’s because I have been putting myself into a box. I have limited myself, and only been looking at myself and my behaviour, from a 3d perspective. But we have no limits, our consciousness are limitless.

Try to look at yourself, and life through an energetic viewpoint. Feel life, feel free, feel love. That’s who you are.

The more I dig into my own energy, to see how I’am behaving or reacting. The deeper I go. It’s about expanding the room inside of myself. Expanding my heart. That’s more and more the essence for me, to expand my heart to a wider and wider level. How much can I love? How much can I allow and accept in myself?

Every time I feel unease, I feel something is nagging me, I feel something isen’t right. I’am not in my highest vibration. I tap into my feelings into my body, to get an answer. Very often I end up breaking down crying, or getting very angry. I let myself express all these emotions, to release them. Because these feelings bring me down to a much heavier level, and I don’t want to be there. I don’t want to live my life on automatic pilot. I don’t want to push my feelings under the rug. Or just drinking another cup of coffee.

Every time I have to tap into my feelings of doubt, unworthiness, anger or pain, I feel the resistance. I don’t want to wrap myself up in these feelings. I don’t want to cry. I want happiness. But I know, that I will feel so uplifted, and truly released afterwards. And by letting myself cry or rage, while at the same time holding my hand, saying to myself it’s okay to feel this way. Every time I expand.

My heart expand, because I accept everything in there.

It’s not the same feeling, if you are fighting the proces. If you are mad at yourself crying, and say you should not have these feelings. Telling yourself you are wrong to have these feelings.You will drag yourself even lower. That’s why we very often avoid going into our deeper feelings, our experiences has learned us, that it can be dangerous, it can drag us down.

Sure, the resistance is right. If you fight and kick and scream. If you are so hard on yourself, it’s going to b a tough fight. But it hasen’t have to be that way. It can be so beautiful.

When I’am laying on the floor in the mittle of the day, crying my eyes out. I feel free. I feel so grateful that I allow myself to do this. It’s so pure, it’s such a simpel act. It’s so beautiful to let myself be me, in all my aspects. The good part is that you automatic shift to a higher level than before, because you don’t use your energies to hide your unowned parts under the rug. Pretending everything is okay.

When you raise up from the floor, you don’t have to pretend you are okay. You are okay. You don’t have to measure anything. You don’t have to live from the 3d perspective any longer. You lift yourself out of that vibration, of judgement, self sabortage and comparing. You are free.

Marie J.Engelsvold. “It just is” 40 x 30 cm. Photo mounted on dibond alu plate. 2019.

Marie J.Engelsvold. “Love is love” 50 x 70 cm. Photo mounted on alu plate. 2019.

When I feel low, heavy. When I start measuring others as well as myself, I know what to do. I don’t wait for days, going around feeling low. I do it right away, or as quickly as possible. I want this high and happy feeling, which is way beyond pretending to be so. I want it real.

So my best advice, is to tap into your own vibration. If something isen’t right in your outer world, if there is conflicts, if you experience a lot of challenges. Don’t fix it out there. Go inside, and fix yourself, fix your own vibration. But do it with love, allow yourself these feelings, allow yourself to cry. It’s so so beautiful. Every time your heart breaks a little bit more, it also opens up a little bit more. The more it opens, the more you can shine through, in all your aspects.

The more you dare to be vulnable, the more other people around you will dare to be true too. They will mirror your inner beauty back to you. They will not judge you, if you don’t judge yourself. They will not measure you with a measuring tape, because your inner room is so huge it can’t be measured.

It’s the same with the creative proces. If you go on measuring yourself and your art form a 3d perspective, you will also be measuring other artists out of the same perspective. It will all be external. But if you can shift into how it makes you feel, how it makes you feel to make your art. If you can find a space where it’s fun, where you feel alive. You are feeling so good about what you do, that the external measure or labeling doesn’t matter. It doesn’t even exsist. Because you have moved yourself away from this perspective, you will not attract it into your experience.

So let’s take a look at the creative process, and see if we can use this same consiousness to shift out of being blocked, which is actually us being caught up in the 3d perspective.

Marie J.Engelsvold. “Dark greeness” 30 x 21 cm. Photo mounted on dibond alu plate. 2019.

The 3 main stages of the creative process.

Flow:

When you are in flow, you are completely in tune with what you do. You see endless possibilities, and it's exciting because you're so much out of your comfort zone, that it feels exciting. You don't quite know what it will end up with. You will be surprised.

Autopilot:

You do what you are used to. It feels safe and good, but a little boring and monotonous, because there are no challenges, and it’s just about the result. You are not truly present in the act. You know the result.

Blocked:

You are stagnated, you cannot move forward. You see no possibilities, only limitations. You are going in circles, as you see no solutions. You have been putting yourself down in a sealed box, with no where to escape.You totally give up.

When you are in the flow, you are actually fully anchored in your own vibration, you don’t measure yourself from a 3d perspective. You are not bothered about other peoples opinions, or the result. You are totally in tune with what you are doing. You are feeling free because you are not afraid of anything, you can do what you want, there is absolutely no limits of what is possible. You feel so much joy, and excitement.

But if you try to settle the energies, you try to repeat this flow feeling, and do the same without being totally in it, you will drop down a bit. If you keep on settling the energies, wanting to repeat the flow stage, you will end up in the autopilot vibration. This vibration is where we feel safe. We like to feel safe. It’s a place most of us are settling in, most of the time. We don’t have to question anything, we know what we are doing and why. Of course it can be okay to rest a bit, for a while. But don’t stay there too long, because it will eventually drag you down further. You will end up being blocked, drained, stagnated, because to be in the auto pilot stage is not where you feel the most alive.

You can say, but it’s impossible to be in the flow all the time, who can be in this place more than 5 minutes. ? I know, it takes practise, bot it’s possible to be more and more in this vibration. It’s quite naturally, when you get used to it. It’s just as naturally as to be in the 3d external perspective. It’s just because we have learned to live from that mind set, it takes some time to shift and hold the shift.

By tapping into your own feelings, your own energy, you can shift into the flow stage. Because when you are in flow, you are only anchored and grounded in your own feelings, your own energies. If you feel a lot of heavy energies, if you are blocked or is in auto pilot mode , you can release these energies, while giving yourself total love and acceptance.

Try it. :-)

Hope you enjoyed this post. Have a very nice day.

I’am sharing this information to you freely, from my own experiences. Hope you can use it in your own process. Any donation, is deeply appreciated. :-)

Donate

• Turtorials and tips
  • May 15, 2019 How to take your drawings, to the next level. May 15, 2019
  • Apr 30, 2019 Be bold, let your light out. Apr 30, 2019
  • Apr 6, 2019 How to start your drawing praxis. Apr 6, 2019
  • Mar 8, 2019 What to do when you are stucked in the creative process?? Mar 8, 2019
  • Feb 13, 2018 How do you work with composition? Feb 13, 2018
  • Jan 8, 2018 Make a kickstart. Jan 8, 2018
  • Nov 20, 2017 Go bigger. Nov 20, 2017
  • Nov 8, 2017 What is your drawings all about? Nov 8, 2017
  • Oct 31, 2017 Wait!! Before you throw that drawing in the bin!!!!! Oct 31, 2017
  • Oct 12, 2017 Find inspiration everywhere. Oct 12, 2017
  • Oct 12, 2017 Experiment with shapes and lines. Oct 12, 2017
  • Oct 12, 2017 Want to find your own visual language ? Oct 12, 2017
• psycological aspects
  • May 26, 2020 Holding your flow. May 26, 2020
  • May 6, 2020 The world is yours. May 6, 2020
  • Apr 22, 2020 Let your heart decide. Apr 22, 2020
  • Apr 18, 2020 Create from your self. Apr 18, 2020
  • Apr 4, 2020 Expand your own signature. Apr 4, 2020
  • Oct 9, 2019 How to shift out of the 3d perspective. Oct 9, 2019
  • Sep 20, 2019 What is it, to be grounded? Sep 20, 2019
  • Sep 10, 2019 How to follow your own flow. Sep 10, 2019
  • Jul 28, 2019 Releasing your resistance to the moment. Jul 28, 2019
  • Jul 15, 2019 Don't wait for life to be perfect, let go of control. Jul 15, 2019
  • Jun 1, 2019 How to raise your vibration, through the creative process. Jun 1, 2019
  • Apr 1, 2019 How embracing all parts of you, will help you in your art making. Apr 1, 2019
  • Feb 20, 2019 Don’t resist the moment. Live your dream. Feb 20, 2019
  • Feb 10, 2019 Why are we so hard on ourselves? Feb 10, 2019
  • Feb 1, 2019 It's okay to say NO. Feb 1, 2019
  • Jan 2, 2019 Let yourself shine in 2019 :-) Jan 2, 2019
  • Nov 22, 2018 Look at your obstacles as adventures. Nov 22, 2018
  • Feb 2, 2018 How to stay in the process? Feb 2, 2018
  • Dec 20, 2017 Slow down Dec 20, 2017
  • Dec 12, 2017 There is no "right" way. Dec 12, 2017
  • Dec 5, 2017 Why it's important to unlearn. Dec 5, 2017
  • Oct 12, 2017 Let your feelings be your guide. Oct 12, 2017
  • Sep 5, 2017 Don't be afraid of change:-) Sep 5, 2017
  • Sep 5, 2017 Express your feelings Sep 5, 2017
  • Sep 5, 2017 Can drawing be a kind of meditation? Sep 5, 2017
• turtorials
  • Apr 6, 2019 How to start your drawing praxis. Apr 6, 2019
• video
  • May 15, 2019 How to take your drawings, to the next level. May 15, 2019
  • Apr 30, 2019 Be bold, let your light out. Apr 30, 2019
  • Apr 1, 2019 How embracing all parts of you, will help you in your art making. Apr 1, 2019
  • Mar 8, 2019 What to do when you are stucked in the creative process?? Mar 8, 2019
  • Feb 20, 2019 Don’t resist the moment. Live your dream. Feb 20, 2019
  • Feb 10, 2019 Why are we so hard on ourselves? Feb 10, 2019
  • Feb 1, 2019 It's okay to say NO. Feb 1, 2019

What is it, to be grounded?

What is it really to be grounded? This is my experience.

I have always been told, I’am very airy, very detached, and like living in another world. I was not grounded.

You need to be more realistic, more grounded, I was told. People who seemed like doing well in this materialistic world, was more grounded. (Of course you can be totally grounded being very materialistic orientated, it’s not wrong. Nothing is wrong. It’s just about what you really feel like doing, what makes you alive. Doing it from a place of being fully conscious.)

So I thought it was wrong not to be so occupied with this 3d world. That’s a notion I have incorporated in me. Marie you need to be more grounded. You need to do what everybody else is doing. Being very concerned about education, status, where you are living. Life was a picture.

I tried to do that, but it wasn’t what made me really happy. It only made me comparing myself to others, made me anxious to make the wrong choices, to do something wrong. I was actually very afraid to do things the wrong way. I was in conflict with what my heart told me, and what my mind told me. My heart wasn’t concerned so much, it was my mind based thinking that made me worry.

Marie J. Engelsvold. “My nature in nature” Image from video. 2019.

When I’am grounded, I’am present with myself. I’am listening to my body, my heart, my higher mind. Not the fear, not the worry, not the things everybody else told me was the right way. It’s only me who knows what makes me present and at peace.

It’s about trust. It’s about trusting myself and my own notions. Then I’am grounded.

It has nothing to do with how occupied I’am with the materialistic world. It has nothing to do with how big income I have. It’s has to do with how willing I’am, to be my own leader. My own guide. To take ownership of my life, and to lisen’t to what I really need. Taking care of myself. Standing up for myself. Being whole, honoring all my aspects. It’s to dare to change direction. It’s not to stand in the same place all life like a rock. I’am not a rock.

It’s to be open, and to dare taking risks. To play with life. Life can be an adventure, if we trust it. Actually sometimes when we don’t trust, when we worry, we don’t tend to take risks. We don’t tend to go out of our own comfort zone. We stay limited. Because the slightest movement out of what we are used to, is making us afraid.

You need to be grounded in your own reality. That’s the only reality you are meant to be in. There is no reality outside yourself, everything is a mirror of you. Because you can only experience the reality through you. We all have our own uniq way to interpret our reality.

We can be at the same place, we might do the same things, meet with the same people. But our experience is totally different, or more correctly, our feelings is different. What we notice is different. Our internal experience is totally different. We might agree on that the grass is green, but the feelings regarding the grass is different. We have different memories when we see grass. When we smell grass.

Marie J. Engelsvold. “My nature in nature” Image from video. 2019.

When I’am not grounded , I tend to live in only smal part of myself. I’am not really in contact with all I’am. With my wholeness. I tend to only live from what I accept in myself. Because of that, I becomes very vulenable, I becomes very unstable. I don’t really want to get to know myself. I’am not really intimate, with the diversity of myself. Sometimes it feels like I’am afraid of myself. Because I don’t feel safe, I don’t feel I can trust who I’am.

So to be in the mind, it’s a way to stay in control. Control of yourself. It’s not a nice place to be in. Have been there. Constant worry, comparing, self critic, self sabortage. You are not nice to yourself, because you don’t lisen’t to yourself. You don’t lisen’t to your feelings. You are only focused on the external world.

The key is to lisen’t to your feelings, start to take yourself serious. Lisen’t to your body, what does your body wants?

What do you really want?

When you honor that, you will be grounded.

When I feel at peace, I can feel this grounded feeling inside myself. It’s like my roots are very stabel.

At the same time I ‘am in movement. Constant movement, constant in deep intimate contact with my feelings, at every given moment. It makes me more curious, more spontaneous, more alive. When I’am alive, I’am very aware and very grounded.

Marie J. Engelsvold. “My nature in nature” Image from video. 2019.

In my creative process, it’s just about the same thing.

I felt limited to be inside my studio, so I went out in the woods, because I liked to be more outside. I wanted to play more. I just really enjoy not being so serious. I brought my sculpture parts with me, and I started to play. Building up tree trunks, rebuilding. Creating and decreating. Feeling myself being free.

So if you don’t feel grounded, maybe start to lisen’t to yourself. Lisen’t to what YOU really want. Read theese previous blog posts for more about this topic.

Follow your own flow

Releasing your resistants to the moment.

How to raise your vibration, through the creative process.

Hope you enjoyed this post. Have a very nice day.

I’am sharing this information to you freely, from my own experiences. Hope you can use it in your own process. Any donation, is deeply appreciated. :-)

Donate

• Turtorials and tips
  • May 15, 2019 How to take your drawings, to the next level. May 15, 2019
  • Apr 30, 2019 Be bold, let your light out. Apr 30, 2019
  • Apr 6, 2019 How to start your drawing praxis. Apr 6, 2019
  • Mar 8, 2019 What to do when you are stucked in the creative process?? Mar 8, 2019
  • Feb 13, 2018 How do you work with composition? Feb 13, 2018
  • Jan 8, 2018 Make a kickstart. Jan 8, 2018
  • Nov 20, 2017 Go bigger. Nov 20, 2017
  • Nov 8, 2017 What is your drawings all about? Nov 8, 2017
  • Oct 31, 2017 Wait!! Before you throw that drawing in the bin!!!!! Oct 31, 2017
  • Oct 12, 2017 Find inspiration everywhere. Oct 12, 2017
  • Oct 12, 2017 Experiment with shapes and lines. Oct 12, 2017
  • Oct 12, 2017 Want to find your own visual language ? Oct 12, 2017
• psycological aspects
  • May 26, 2020 Holding your flow. May 26, 2020
  • May 6, 2020 The world is yours. May 6, 2020
  • Apr 22, 2020 Let your heart decide. Apr 22, 2020
  • Apr 18, 2020 Create from your self. Apr 18, 2020
  • Apr 4, 2020 Expand your own signature. Apr 4, 2020
  • Oct 9, 2019 How to shift out of the 3d perspective. Oct 9, 2019
  • Sep 20, 2019 What is it, to be grounded? Sep 20, 2019
  • Sep 10, 2019 How to follow your own flow. Sep 10, 2019
  • Jul 28, 2019 Releasing your resistance to the moment. Jul 28, 2019
  • Jul 15, 2019 Don't wait for life to be perfect, let go of control. Jul 15, 2019
  • Jun 1, 2019 How to raise your vibration, through the creative process. Jun 1, 2019
  • Apr 1, 2019 How embracing all parts of you, will help you in your art making. Apr 1, 2019
  • Feb 20, 2019 Don’t resist the moment. Live your dream. Feb 20, 2019
  • Feb 10, 2019 Why are we so hard on ourselves? Feb 10, 2019
  • Feb 1, 2019 It's okay to say NO. Feb 1, 2019
  • Jan 2, 2019 Let yourself shine in 2019 :-) Jan 2, 2019
  • Nov 22, 2018 Look at your obstacles as adventures. Nov 22, 2018
  • Feb 2, 2018 How to stay in the process? Feb 2, 2018
  • Dec 20, 2017 Slow down Dec 20, 2017
  • Dec 12, 2017 There is no "right" way. Dec 12, 2017
  • Dec 5, 2017 Why it's important to unlearn. Dec 5, 2017
  • Oct 12, 2017 Let your feelings be your guide. Oct 12, 2017
  • Sep 5, 2017 Don't be afraid of change:-) Sep 5, 2017
  • Sep 5, 2017 Express your feelings Sep 5, 2017
  • Sep 5, 2017 Can drawing be a kind of meditation? Sep 5, 2017
• turtorials
  • Apr 6, 2019 How to start your drawing praxis. Apr 6, 2019
• video
  • May 15, 2019 How to take your drawings, to the next level. May 15, 2019
  • Apr 30, 2019 Be bold, let your light out. Apr 30, 2019
  • Apr 1, 2019 How embracing all parts of you, will help you in your art making. Apr 1, 2019
  • Mar 8, 2019 What to do when you are stucked in the creative process?? Mar 8, 2019
  • Feb 20, 2019 Don’t resist the moment. Live your dream. Feb 20, 2019
  • Feb 10, 2019 Why are we so hard on ourselves? Feb 10, 2019
  • Feb 1, 2019 It's okay to say NO. Feb 1, 2019

How to follow your own flow.

I have been wondering lately, about energy. Is it bad to change directions, to change your mind, to reset, to go in circles, to be in between, to start all over, to shift the focus.?

I have always learned that you have to stay persistent, you have to focus, you have to be determinded to reach your goals. I also learned, that it was bad to change your mind, to change direction too often, to start all over. Because then you are weak.

That’s what I have been told in childhood. Especially from my father…uhh it was very importent to have a strong will, to be a strong character. So I think I tried to be like this. I always had to know which way I was going, I had to have a plan. I had to show other people that I was so sure of what I was doing….but in the reality I was not. It was a fake. It was a front.

I did it so well, that I actually believed it myself. That I wanted to be persistent, goal orientated. Actually I was so afraid to loose the grip, that I had a very hard time changing my mind. I was so single minded. I worked really hard.

Marie J.Engelsvold. Sculpture experiment. 2019

I think I knew deep inside, that I was not this person, that I was more easy going and playfull. But I was afraid of the chaos, to get drawn in the big ocean of possibilities.

I think many of us, have learned this. We avoid the chaos of not going a straight way. Not having everything figured out. We always try to get things fixed. But everything is energy, and you just can’t fix it. Energy is moving all the time, aren’t we supposed to move as well? To go with the energy, to go where it feels easy and light. But how can we get anything done, if we don’t do what we have planned?

I have experienced, that you will get so much more done, if you go with the energy, go with the flow. It can look chaotic in the moment, and for some time, but I actually think you can expand in ways, that is impossible if you stay fixed. Or settle into some defintion of what you want, and then just take blinkers on. You can actually be stucked for years, in this way. Instead follow your feelings and nudgets, even though you don’t know where that road will lead you. If you just do things because you have set your mind on it, and feel the duty to stay with your intention, you will experience getting very heavy. It will be boring, and it will drain you instead of lifting you up.

Why use your time in that way? Why not lisen’t to that heaviness, and ask yourself what you will feel like doing instead? Maybe you just need a break, maybe a walk in the park would make you more inspired. Maybe it’s the place you are sitting in, maybe you need to shift location. Or you need to talk with somebody, or even sleep. You might be tired. Maybe the whole project is wrong. Maybe your relationship is wrong. Maybe you want to do something entirely different. Only you knows, nobody else, only you.

Marie J.Engelsvold. Sculpture experiment. 2019.

How easy can it be? Why struggle, and make it hard? If you follow that light energy, that place where you feel uplifted, then go in that direction. If you feel heavy and dragged down by something or someone, leave it. Go in another direction, and most importantly nurture the feeling of excitement and playfullness. Nurture the activities that make you happy. Don’t think about what will be the outcome, just absorb yourselves in the activities. Nurture that happy feeling. You will attract more happiness into your life, the more you allow yourself to go where the energy flows. Why go against your own energy?

It all comes down to your willingness to lisen’t to your heart. To lisen’t to your own truth, your own voice. Because it’s you that have to follow your flow, don’t follow other peoples definition of flow, or your own definition. When you try to make a definition, it’s your mental control that tries to make things more settled. It want to settle. That’s what we are actually up against, our need for settlement. And why do we need settlement? because we feel fear.

Sometimes we ignore this heavy feeling, when we go against our own flow, our own life force. Because we get frightened of going with the stream. You have to flow. But most of us don’t like to flow, to let go of our perceptions. We get so frightened of this force, because it’s actually a force. So we fight it. But the force of our deepest desires, of our heart can’t be ignored for good. At some point it will drag you down this river. But that’s only if you have totally ignored your own inner guidance, your inner voice. Because if you are used to settle in that heaviness, you can’t feel the energies, you can’t feel your heart. You have closed your heart down, and you have to be forced out of your comfort zone.

To follow your flow you have to stay open to all possibilities, and that can be hard work to start with, because we are used to settle the energy all the time. Very often we lie to ourselves, we say “oh, I’am so happy with what I’am doing here”, even though we are not. Or we say, “of course there is a lot of boring stuff, but that’s life. Isen’t it”? Honestly?

When something is boring it’s actually a sign that we are not in the flow, we are resistent to being in the flow.

I more and more come to this conclusion that it’s something to do with the heart. The heart is not interested in settling into something, and then stick to that, even though you are bored to death. The heart is not interested in hard work. The heart is not serious. The heart are not interested in being clever and skillful. The heart is only interested in love. To love and be happy. The feeling of being light or heavy is coming from the heart. It’s a kind of heart language. It’s not interested in having status in society. It’s not interested in putting things in boxes, and labeling things. It’s only interested in how it feels. And wow, isen’t it so……you can do all the right choices seen from the outside, but if it doesn’t feel right, then it doesn’t matter. So to really lisen’t to your feelings, it’s the key to come into your flow.

Not other peoples definition of happiness and success, but your own.

So maybe that’s why we have a difficult time, being in flow? because very often the heart want something entirely different from our ego. From our mind. It will not accept that you are lying to yourself, it doesn’t accept pride, or status or being afraid of what other people might think.

So if you are a person, who never really has been fitting into a category, if you have been drifting, flowting, doing things just because it made you feel good. It might be you have an open heart.

But it’s not easy, because other people, the society might not like your way of living. Why? Because it goes against the norm. It makes other people uncomfortable.

We have learned to shut down our hearts, to not lisen’t to our feelings. We live in a society that loves hard working skill full people who are bored to death. Fear is the weapon.

That’s why we think it’s bad to change direction, to be open to all possibilities, to lisen’t to your own feelings and following your own guidance. To live the life as you want it, to be happy and feel alive. To burst with energy, excitement and love. Can you tame such people? No. You can’t frighten free people.

You can only be in flow, if you lisen't to your own feelings, and takes action on what you feel is right. Yes, it might change, like the wind, like the waves. But it’s only on the surface, underneath in the depth is your own heart who knows, that’s your captain. The ripples on the surface is the captains messages. The messages from the heart, for you to follow. You have to follow your feelings, without seeing the whole picture. You just take one step of the time, following your feelings of joy, excitement and happiness and trust that the direction will be shown to you bit by bit.

You might think it has nothing to do with creativity or being an artist. But if you are not free, you can’t really create.

That’s my experience.

Hope you are getting real out there, in life as in art. Hope you will act on your urges, everything is about how you feel. Don’t compromise on that.

Have a lovely day :-))

I’am sharing this information to you freely, from my own experiences. Hope you can use it in your own process. Any donation, is deeply appreciated. :-)

Donate

• Turtorials and tips
  • May 15, 2019 How to take your drawings, to the next level. May 15, 2019
  • Apr 30, 2019 Be bold, let your light out. Apr 30, 2019
  • Apr 6, 2019 How to start your drawing praxis. Apr 6, 2019
  • Mar 8, 2019 What to do when you are stucked in the creative process?? Mar 8, 2019
  • Feb 13, 2018 How do you work with composition? Feb 13, 2018
  • Jan 8, 2018 Make a kickstart. Jan 8, 2018
  • Nov 20, 2017 Go bigger. Nov 20, 2017
  • Nov 8, 2017 What is your drawings all about? Nov 8, 2017
  • Oct 31, 2017 Wait!! Before you throw that drawing in the bin!!!!! Oct 31, 2017
  • Oct 12, 2017 Find inspiration everywhere. Oct 12, 2017
  • Oct 12, 2017 Experiment with shapes and lines. Oct 12, 2017
  • Oct 12, 2017 Want to find your own visual language ? Oct 12, 2017
• psycological aspects
  • May 26, 2020 Holding your flow. May 26, 2020
  • May 6, 2020 The world is yours. May 6, 2020
  • Apr 22, 2020 Let your heart decide. Apr 22, 2020
  • Apr 18, 2020 Create from your self. Apr 18, 2020
  • Apr 4, 2020 Expand your own signature. Apr 4, 2020
  • Oct 9, 2019 How to shift out of the 3d perspective. Oct 9, 2019
  • Sep 20, 2019 What is it, to be grounded? Sep 20, 2019
  • Sep 10, 2019 How to follow your own flow. Sep 10, 2019
  • Jul 28, 2019 Releasing your resistance to the moment. Jul 28, 2019
  • Jul 15, 2019 Don't wait for life to be perfect, let go of control. Jul 15, 2019
  • Jun 1, 2019 How to raise your vibration, through the creative process. Jun 1, 2019
  • Apr 1, 2019 How embracing all parts of you, will help you in your art making. Apr 1, 2019
  • Feb 20, 2019 Don’t resist the moment. Live your dream. Feb 20, 2019
  • Feb 10, 2019 Why are we so hard on ourselves? Feb 10, 2019
  • Feb 1, 2019 It's okay to say NO. Feb 1, 2019
  • Jan 2, 2019 Let yourself shine in 2019 :-) Jan 2, 2019
  • Nov 22, 2018 Look at your obstacles as adventures. Nov 22, 2018
  • Feb 2, 2018 How to stay in the process? Feb 2, 2018
  • Dec 20, 2017 Slow down Dec 20, 2017
  • Dec 12, 2017 There is no "right" way. Dec 12, 2017
  • Dec 5, 2017 Why it's important to unlearn. Dec 5, 2017
  • Oct 12, 2017 Let your feelings be your guide. Oct 12, 2017
  • Sep 5, 2017 Don't be afraid of change:-) Sep 5, 2017
  • Sep 5, 2017 Express your feelings Sep 5, 2017
  • Sep 5, 2017 Can drawing be a kind of meditation? Sep 5, 2017
• turtorials
  • Apr 6, 2019 How to start your drawing praxis. Apr 6, 2019
• video
  • May 15, 2019 How to take your drawings, to the next level. May 15, 2019
  • Apr 30, 2019 Be bold, let your light out. Apr 30, 2019
  • Apr 1, 2019 How embracing all parts of you, will help you in your art making. Apr 1, 2019
  • Mar 8, 2019 What to do when you are stucked in the creative process?? Mar 8, 2019
  • Feb 20, 2019 Don’t resist the moment. Live your dream. Feb 20, 2019
  • Feb 10, 2019 Why are we so hard on ourselves? Feb 10, 2019
  • Feb 1, 2019 It's okay to say NO. Feb 1, 2019

Releasing your resistance to the moment.

Sometimes doing nothing, is the best way to really feel what you want to do. Instead of doing, what you think you want to do. I feel anew. I feel renewinated. I feel all the fresh juices coming up inside my body. I don’t need to struggle to make things happen, it will come exactly when it need to come. I don’t have to worry about it. I don’t have to force myself into action. The action will come.

I’am so tired of doing. I’am tired of making plans. I’am tired of using my time the most productive way. I’am tired of struggling. I’am tired of thinking about the outcomes of what I do. I’am tired of thinking, and organizing and planning.

I want to do nothing.

I have been doing nothing for over a week now, beginning to wait for that bad consciousness about my laziness. Waiting on some inspiration to do something. But I don’t have any bad consciousness. I’am feeling great. I know inspiration for action will come, I just have to let it build up.

It came now. I just feel the urge writing about this doing nothing stage. Because while I have been just indulging myself in simpel activities. Like going to the beach. Laying on the floor. Making a green juice. Going out for a run. Sitting in the sofa, staring out in the empty air. Meditating. Moving things around.

I have had this feeling of a huge need for this silence. This state of not being productive.This feeling of not using my time, for an outcome. I’am by myself. Don’t need to be in company with anybody.

It’s seldom I have had this opportunity, not to be surrounded with friends and family. No one is expecting anything from me, besides my cat. Cat quality time. :-)Actually I becomes more and more like my cat. My cat ia always sleeping, relaxing, living in the now.

I have been practicing for some time now, in not being so hard on myself. Not plan so much, and doing things just for fun. Trying not to control. If I felt that my energy got heavy doing a certain activity, I have stopped the activity. Before I would just have continued, because I had set my mind about doing it. But I would have felt bored and drained afterwards.

What I have seen is that the more I follow my desires, and not feeling bad about them, the more I feel really good. Of course there are tasks that need to be done, but often you can do it in another way, which makes it more fun and easy.

Marie J.Engelsvold. Packed artwork. Let that heart out. 2019

Also, eventhough I don’t plan things, I feel that the outcome is even better than from anything I could have planned.

So that makes me more courageous about doing things the easy way. Not struggling, not fixing my mind on a specific goal. Staying open, and feeling where the energy is going for me. I tune in to my body, my feelings and ask what do I want to do right now? What would be the most fun thing? What would give me this aliveness?

Because when you do an activity from this place of inner aliveness, from a place of eagerness and energy and power, it’s just so rewarding. It don’t have to be a big thing, it can be a little task, a little action. It doesn’t really matter what you do, just that the action is clear and pure. When I do the right action, I can be thrilled the whole day for just having done this action, that felt so right.

So why not doing them all the time? Well, the thing is very often it can feel like there is some resistance. It can feel like you try to procrastinate it, that you are a little anxious of doing it.

You say to yourself, “I feel like doing this but it’s a little late now. I wait to do it tomorrow.” Or, you try to make excuses, saying “oh I don’t have time now. Oh, it a little stupid.”

Marie J.Engelsvold. Experimenting in the wood. Green portal. 2019

I can come with an example. For a long time I had this urge to go out in the wood with my sculptures, taking some photos. I have been working with the color green for a while, and it felt right to surround the green with natural green. I had the urge of doing it for some time before I actually did it. Why was it so difficult? I really wanted to do it, but I had this resistance. Every day there was a new excuse. The weather was too bad, or the weather was too hot. The grass was too wet, or I felt some pain in my leg. One day I just very hastly put all the sculpture parts into my car. I planned to stop by a wood, on my way home from the studio. But, well I didn’t really feel for it, and I couldn’t decide on where to stop.

For some days the car was filled up with sculptures. I was going out of town to visit an artist friend. I knew I would stop by a wood, on my way home. I told her about my plans. She wanted to help me. “You can’t do this alone”? “You need someone to take the photos”, “Have you been thinking about how to fix the sculptures”? “Do yo have any robe”?She came up with a lot of advice, which made me feel a little drained. I just said “If I have to think about all theese factors, and have it all planned, it wouldn’t be fun. I knew in my heart, that to overcome the resistance I just had to do it. To wait till I had it all figured out, would have been another excuse for not doing it.

Actually this is another trigger, that the mind(ego), likes to set up. It wants control at all costs, and it want everything planned.

I found my wood on my way home, I played around for some hours. I ignored people sitting in their cars on the parking lot…The way they looked at me while I was dragging all my sculpture pieces out of the car. Or I thought they looked at me, properly they didn’t care less about me.

It’s weird, so many people sitting in their cars, on the parking lot of a wood? Why don’t they go out in the wood for a while? enjoying nature? Maybe they felt the same resistance as me?

Marie J.Engelsvold. Experimenting in the wood. Green portal. 2019

I think we can feel a little shameful of doing theese joyful activities. Because very often they don’t have a specific productive outcome, or they might actually have, but our minds can not grasp this outcome. The mind doesn’t have a category for this activity. Yes, that’s it. You are going out of your categories, and because of that, you feel this resistance. Because the mind doesn’t like to go out in unknown areas, it doesn’t like if it can’t see a tangible result from the activity.

Most of us are not used to do fun things, we have learned to do things for the outcome. We have learned that to work is hard. And we say when I have done this, I will celebrate. Then I will have fun. But it’s difficult to have fun, if you really are feeling drained.

When you are doing an activity out of the gain of a specific result, you will be completely exhausted afterwards. Eventhough you got the result, you are not feeling good inside of you.( If you have not allowed yourself to be present in the process.)

People around you might compliment you on your result, and you will have this image of success. You think you are happy, but it isen’t real. Soon you will start to think about a new project, because to celebrate for too long makes you nervous. The emptiness sneaks up inside of you. You need to stay busy, to not feel this nagging emptiness.

Marie J.Engelsvold. Experimenting in the wood. Green portal. 2019

When you do things, out of joy and passion while you are doing it, you don’t feel empty. You feel whole.

The reward are in the doing, the reward is an energy and a feeling of aliveness and everything is possible.

Because everything is. It just is.

You can ask, but what has all this to do with the creative process? Life and your creativity is intertwined. It’s going hand in hand. How you feel in your daily life, will influence your creativity. If you are not expressing yourself in your fullest capacity, expressing yourself honestly. The whole thing will be automatic, you will keep on repeating yourself. You will keep going in circles. You have to break free of your circles, break free of your habits and your self imposed limitations.

If you go about making art doing it in a rigid mindset, well that’s your choice. People might like it, because it feels safe.

It doesn’t shake them, it doesn’t go beyond the limits of some unsaid rule about what is art. You have to shake yourself, to shake others. You have to give from a place that’s real.

Here I will give you some tips on how to release your resistance of enjoying your moments.

Write a list of activities that would be just crazy fun.

How would it make you feel to do some of theese activities?

Choose one activity that you want the most. Could you do that activity today?

Write down any resistance you have about doing the activity.

What is this resistance about? Are you a little afraid?

Work on that resistance, have a dialog.

Write down all feelings you have thinking about doing and enjoying the activity.

Imagine yourself doing the activity, and having a lot of fun.

Try to get into that feeling of aliveness, and you will feel empowered.

Go do it, without thinking and controlling everything.

Hope you enjoyed this post, I did really enjoyed feeling this spark while I wrote.

Hope you are getting real out there, in life as in art. Hope you will act on your urges, everything is about how you feel. Don’t compromise on that.

Have a lovely day :-))

Hope you could use these tips.

I’am sharing this information to you freely, from my own experiences. Hope you can use it in your own process. Any donation, is deeply appreciated. :-)

Donate

• Turtorials and tips
  • May 15, 2019 How to take your drawings, to the next level. May 15, 2019
  • Apr 30, 2019 Be bold, let your light out. Apr 30, 2019
  • Apr 6, 2019 How to start your drawing praxis. Apr 6, 2019
  • Mar 8, 2019 What to do when you are stucked in the creative process?? Mar 8, 2019
  • Feb 13, 2018 How do you work with composition? Feb 13, 2018
  • Jan 8, 2018 Make a kickstart. Jan 8, 2018
  • Nov 20, 2017 Go bigger. Nov 20, 2017
  • Nov 8, 2017 What is your drawings all about? Nov 8, 2017
  • Oct 31, 2017 Wait!! Before you throw that drawing in the bin!!!!! Oct 31, 2017
  • Oct 12, 2017 Find inspiration everywhere. Oct 12, 2017
  • Oct 12, 2017 Experiment with shapes and lines. Oct 12, 2017
  • Oct 12, 2017 Want to find your own visual language ? Oct 12, 2017
• psycological aspects
  • May 26, 2020 Holding your flow. May 26, 2020
  • May 6, 2020 The world is yours. May 6, 2020
  • Apr 22, 2020 Let your heart decide. Apr 22, 2020
  • Apr 18, 2020 Create from your self. Apr 18, 2020
  • Apr 4, 2020 Expand your own signature. Apr 4, 2020
  • Oct 9, 2019 How to shift out of the 3d perspective. Oct 9, 2019
  • Sep 20, 2019 What is it, to be grounded? Sep 20, 2019
  • Sep 10, 2019 How to follow your own flow. Sep 10, 2019
  • Jul 28, 2019 Releasing your resistance to the moment. Jul 28, 2019
  • Jul 15, 2019 Don't wait for life to be perfect, let go of control. Jul 15, 2019
  • Jun 1, 2019 How to raise your vibration, through the creative process. Jun 1, 2019
  • Apr 1, 2019 How embracing all parts of you, will help you in your art making. Apr 1, 2019
  • Feb 20, 2019 Don’t resist the moment. Live your dream. Feb 20, 2019
  • Feb 10, 2019 Why are we so hard on ourselves? Feb 10, 2019
  • Feb 1, 2019 It's okay to say NO. Feb 1, 2019
  • Jan 2, 2019 Let yourself shine in 2019 :-) Jan 2, 2019
  • Nov 22, 2018 Look at your obstacles as adventures. Nov 22, 2018
  • Feb 2, 2018 How to stay in the process? Feb 2, 2018
  • Dec 20, 2017 Slow down Dec 20, 2017
  • Dec 12, 2017 There is no "right" way. Dec 12, 2017
  • Dec 5, 2017 Why it's important to unlearn. Dec 5, 2017
  • Oct 12, 2017 Let your feelings be your guide. Oct 12, 2017
  • Sep 5, 2017 Don't be afraid of change:-) Sep 5, 2017
  • Sep 5, 2017 Express your feelings Sep 5, 2017
  • Sep 5, 2017 Can drawing be a kind of meditation? Sep 5, 2017
• turtorials
  • Apr 6, 2019 How to start your drawing praxis. Apr 6, 2019
• video
  • May 15, 2019 How to take your drawings, to the next level. May 15, 2019
  • Apr 30, 2019 Be bold, let your light out. Apr 30, 2019
  • Apr 1, 2019 How embracing all parts of you, will help you in your art making. Apr 1, 2019
  • Mar 8, 2019 What to do when you are stucked in the creative process?? Mar 8, 2019
  • Feb 20, 2019 Don’t resist the moment. Live your dream. Feb 20, 2019
  • Feb 10, 2019 Why are we so hard on ourselves? Feb 10, 2019
  • Feb 1, 2019 It's okay to say NO. Feb 1, 2019

Don't wait for life to be perfect, let go of control.

Sometimes we have a tendency to wait doing what we really want to do, because we think a lot of things have to be perfect first. We think that if we have enough money, or we don’t have that draining job, or have the perfect relationsship, then we can do whatever we like.

But it’s an illusion. Because if you have this “everything gonna be perfect, when this and this happens perception”, it will never happen.

In life I have seen a pattern, that there is always something missing. Never have I experienced a lifesituation where everything was “perfect”.

I might have been very happy in a relationsship, and I might have felt fulfilled in my job, but then I was unsatisfied with where I lived. Or I might have been happy where I lived and happy with my job, or was going towards a dream ,but then the relationsship ended, or some conflicts with my family.

But is it life or your own perception that’s due to this? I think that if we all the time has this fixed perception about how our life is going to look like when it’s perfect, it never will. Because life will never be fixed, will never be an image. It’s movement. It’s to be in it right now. It’s not to be in it tomorrow.

So you might reach your perfect life image, but then you might have changed in the meantime, and what you once dreamt about, is not aligning with where you are now. So even if all your dreams would be real, it’s not a garanti that you will feel happy in that reality.

Because if all the outer things would be perfect, as you imagined. If you are not present in that reality, or are honest with who you are, it will never feel right.

Why not just say that it will never be “perfect”, so what?? Are you abel to be happy in the “not perfect”, can you have a happy moment in the “not perfect”

I think I have a very precious gift. Haven’t really thought about it before as a good quality. But from I was a child, I have always been abel to be in the middle of whatever situation I was in, and be creative. I have always had this urge to create. I could sit for hours making drawings, or small worlds on an empty bookshelf. A whole universe under a table. Also in my studio, it’s not so organized, I don’t really care about the surroundings as long as I can create. I don’t wait. I don’t wait for being ready, I just do it, because I need to be in that space. It’s recharging. It’s to be in the now.

But I do know, this feeling of waiting to do things, because I don’t feel ready. I don’t feel good enough. I don’t feel I deserve to do what I want.

But it’s a kind of control mindset. We want everything planned before we can do something. You set your own limits.

You decide what you can and what you can’t do. So why not do what you really want to do now? Today?

All what I write, is all the time around being in the moment. About being connected to the heart, connected to a place without judgement. When we are in the mind we judge all the time. We judge ourselves and other people. We judge our lifesituation. We judge our art. We judge other peoples art. We compare. We divide. We criticize. It’s exhausting to be in the mind all the time, and it’s exhausting to trying to be perfect all the time.

To make art is a kind of oasis, it’s an oasis from the mind. It’s an opportunity to be in the moment. If you dare.

How can we learn not to be in the mind? Not having to be perfect? not having to judge ourselves and others.

shaking

I love to see children doing art. Children playing around. They don’t have this mind set about being perfect. They just are. They don’t care about being messy. They play with seriousness, it’s important business. What I remember most from childhood, is this feeling of being disturbed. All the time, I had to do things I didn’t like to do. Then it was eating time, then we was going out on visit, then we had guests, then I had to go to school. Always interuptions. All I wanted was to be playing and creating. I really didn’t liked to be told what to do. I think that’s something we all can recall.

To be perfect is for me to be real. Not to put myself in a box, not to show only the nice facade and hide all the dirtyness and all the shadows under the carpet. It’s exhausting to try to be that perfect person all the time, and it’s very exhausting to be around people, who has this very perfect facade. I just feel very uncomfortable when I come into this kind of perfect home you see in the magazines, or theese perfect looking people with perfect clothes. Everything about them seems like something cutted out of a magazine. It makes everybody else filled with flaws. You just begin to see yourself through their eyes and you feel judged.

It’s the same with your artwork, what is a perfect artwork?? It’s the same as real people, people who can show and embody themselves in their wholeness. People who dare to be insecure, vulnable and true. People who dare to be unique and follow their own voice instead of the voice of the main stream culture. So to be perfect is to be you. It’s following your own feelings, your own guidance. It’s not to follow other peoples rules or control the outcome. How can you control life?? It’s not possible.

Marie J.Engelsvold. Sculpture play. 2019

Another thing to this mind set about perfectionism, is control. We want to know and control the results, we want to reach a certain destination. Why not let it all be, and see what happens. When you try to control the situations and your artwork, you close yourself of being alive. Yes, I actually think it’s true. We are not really alive when we try to control every aspect of our life. Our art work will not be alive, if we try to control every stage of the process.

But why is it so difficult to let go of control? Because you have to stay true, you have to stay awake. You can’t just go about your days, as an empty robot. You have to embrace every minute. To stay open to all possibilities. To be new in every moment.

Staying in control and perfection mode is actually to close yourself down. I have experienced, that you also close yourself to other people. You can’t receive anything from anybody, if you all the way stay in your control mode. Besides, life gets really boring.

I just want to say, I think it’s freaking scary too. I mean I’am not perfect about being not perfect……this control mode is a monster which is implanted deep down in our beings….so don’t be too hard on yourself and your artwork.

A good way is to begin to notice how it feels to be in control and perfect mode, and how it feels to be free of that mind set. Because then you can begin to work on shifting back to being alive.

Here are some questions to ask yourself when you are creating.

Is this really making me feel alive, does this makes me feel full of passion and joy??

Is everything planned?? Do I know the result??

Do I let myself stay open to all possibilities.

How does it make me feel, to not knowing the result??

How can I stay open to trust the whole process??

How can I feel safe in the middle of chaos?

How can I let go of control??

Is this really fun??

Why am I doing this??

Yes, that’s a good question. Why are you doing art??

I guess you can come up with a lot more questions, make some notes. Be more observant about how you are feeling during the day.

Hope you can use what I write. I write because its a way for me to stay in tune about the small issues that can disturb the process. I like to find out what is triggering me, so I can stay free, to be me.

Have a very nice day, stay alive.:-)

Hope you could use these tips.

I’am sharing this information to you freely, from my own experiences. Hope you can use it in your own process. Any donation, is deeply appreciated. :-)

Donate



• Turtorials and tips
  • May 15, 2019 How to take your drawings, to the next level. May 15, 2019
  • Apr 30, 2019 Be bold, let your light out. Apr 30, 2019
  • Apr 6, 2019 How to start your drawing praxis. Apr 6, 2019
  • Mar 8, 2019 What to do when you are stucked in the creative process?? Mar 8, 2019
  • Feb 13, 2018 How do you work with composition? Feb 13, 2018
  • Jan 8, 2018 Make a kickstart. Jan 8, 2018
  • Nov 20, 2017 Go bigger. Nov 20, 2017
  • Nov 8, 2017 What is your drawings all about? Nov 8, 2017
  • Oct 31, 2017 Wait!! Before you throw that drawing in the bin!!!!! Oct 31, 2017
  • Oct 12, 2017 Find inspiration everywhere. Oct 12, 2017
  • Oct 12, 2017 Experiment with shapes and lines. Oct 12, 2017
  • Oct 12, 2017 Want to find your own visual language ? Oct 12, 2017
• psycological aspects
  • May 26, 2020 Holding your flow. May 26, 2020
  • May 6, 2020 The world is yours. May 6, 2020
  • Apr 22, 2020 Let your heart decide. Apr 22, 2020
  • Apr 18, 2020 Create from your self. Apr 18, 2020
  • Apr 4, 2020 Expand your own signature. Apr 4, 2020
  • Oct 9, 2019 How to shift out of the 3d perspective. Oct 9, 2019
  • Sep 20, 2019 What is it, to be grounded? Sep 20, 2019
  • Sep 10, 2019 How to follow your own flow. Sep 10, 2019
  • Jul 28, 2019 Releasing your resistance to the moment. Jul 28, 2019
  • Jul 15, 2019 Don't wait for life to be perfect, let go of control. Jul 15, 2019
  • Jun 1, 2019 How to raise your vibration, through the creative process. Jun 1, 2019
  • Apr 1, 2019 How embracing all parts of you, will help you in your art making. Apr 1, 2019
  • Feb 20, 2019 Don’t resist the moment. Live your dream. Feb 20, 2019
  • Feb 10, 2019 Why are we so hard on ourselves? Feb 10, 2019
  • Feb 1, 2019 It's okay to say NO. Feb 1, 2019
  • Jan 2, 2019 Let yourself shine in 2019 :-) Jan 2, 2019
  • Nov 22, 2018 Look at your obstacles as adventures. Nov 22, 2018
  • Feb 2, 2018 How to stay in the process? Feb 2, 2018
  • Dec 20, 2017 Slow down Dec 20, 2017
  • Dec 12, 2017 There is no "right" way. Dec 12, 2017
  • Dec 5, 2017 Why it's important to unlearn. Dec 5, 2017
  • Oct 12, 2017 Let your feelings be your guide. Oct 12, 2017
  • Sep 5, 2017 Don't be afraid of change:-) Sep 5, 2017
  • Sep 5, 2017 Express your feelings Sep 5, 2017
  • Sep 5, 2017 Can drawing be a kind of meditation? Sep 5, 2017
• turtorials
  • Apr 6, 2019 How to start your drawing praxis. Apr 6, 2019
• video
  • May 15, 2019 How to take your drawings, to the next level. May 15, 2019
  • Apr 30, 2019 Be bold, let your light out. Apr 30, 2019
  • Apr 1, 2019 How embracing all parts of you, will help you in your art making. Apr 1, 2019
  • Mar 8, 2019 What to do when you are stucked in the creative process?? Mar 8, 2019
  • Feb 20, 2019 Don’t resist the moment. Live your dream. Feb 20, 2019
  • Feb 10, 2019 Why are we so hard on ourselves? Feb 10, 2019
  • Feb 1, 2019 It's okay to say NO. Feb 1, 2019

How to raise your vibration, through the creative process.

This is going to be a little different. I have been experimenting a lot lately. Really asking myself every day what it is, that makes my energy moving? What kind of activities brings me the most joy? And what comes easy to me? I feel that I can’t work from the old me, on “how I’am used to do things, template”.

I need to come even deeper into beingness, into the now.The now is the only place, from where we can create something authentic. Something that is not controlled, but is experienced, is lived. Something which is not from the mind, and what we think we have to do, from this very logic place.

I want to feel alive, to feel joy on a daily basis. So I have committed myself to do something that I really want to do, every day.

Besides from drawing, I’am also very much into sculpture. I like to build things, and I like the rawness of the materials. I like to combine the materials in new ways, to use my imagination for what is possible.

It’s kind of the same process as when you are drawing, but you don’t have the limits of the paper size. Also you can play more with diffrent materials.

I have decided to rename this blog, because I do not only want to write about the drawing process, it’s just a nice way to get started. I don’t want you to be stucked in that limitation. I want you to stay open to all possibilities. You can draw, build, knit, make films…..in whatever medium you are most passionate about.

The blog I have renamed from “Drawings from within” to “Free yourself, through the creative process”

I found a new kind of freedom, in arranging different materials, not aiming for a final result, but just to discover all the possibilities. Not trying to make it nice, not trying to make it last. It doesn’t matter if it all just collapses in the next moment.

What’s really interesting is that it also shifts the energy. Lately I have discovered how draining it can be when the energy is stucked. It can be clutter in your home and workspace, it can be old mind sets, old believes, relationships which are out grown. In all areas of your life, the energy can be stucked, and a lot of miracles happens as you begin to move the energy. To look at other possibilities, instead of limitations. To look at what you can do, instead of what you can’t.

A lot of fear based thinking is what hold us back, things we cling to instead of letting it go. Habits that makes us miserable instead of happy.

Try to look for what actions makes your heart sing.

Forget about the use of the action, If other people likes it. If it’s a waste of time. Very often we have this very practical and logical mind set, that the things we do has to pay of. Our logical mind thinks it knows what is the most beneficial. But if your creativity are draining you, if you do it out of duty, or because you think it’s the most reasonable thing to do, you are cutting yourself out. You are holding yourself down. You will not find happiness or joy, only hard work and limitations. Our logical mind loves to look for limitations, and it uses fear to hold you in line. You have to raise above theese old believes, you have to raise above your mind and what you think is possible.

To be an artist you have to be free, you have to connect with your true power and your truth.

If you do art to fit into a system outside of you, it will not be free.

Me, myself are also on this journey, I’am also guilty of putting too much effort into making something I think is art. Something that can fit into a gallery, or something that people might buy. It’s not easy to be free.

But then I ask myself why do I make art? For whom do I make art? What are the whole purpose?

For me it’s about finding this connectedness in the now. This honesty, this playfullness, this place where everything is possible. It’s the whole process of creating and recreating, to bring something into an aliveness, that will never end, but is pure movement. But also about connecting the dots, to write about my experiences in the process, to make sense to it all. I really don’t need to fit into a category.

If you want to find joy in the process, you have to connect with what your heart longs for. If you think about your own creative process. Which stage, makes the most sense to you? What is the most fun? Where do you really feel excited and alive? When do you forget time and space, and it feels like you could go on forever? And where do you feel drained, bored, less playfull. Where do you begin to do things, because you think you have to do those things?

Then ask yourself, is it possible to only do the things you find the most interesting? Is it possible that you don’t have to do all the other things?

For me, I find it sometimes very draining to finish my work, to make it “presentable” for an exhibition, to make it enduring so it doesn’t collapse or breaks the minute you touch it.

Marie J.Engelsvold. “My sculpture process” 2019

I’am not so skilled in this craft of making it nice and enduring. I don’t think it’s funny, and It doesn’t really interest me. Very often we will not be so skilled, in the areas that we doesn’t find interesting. So why struggle with this aspect??

What I find the most interesting and fun thing to do, is allow myself to play around. To play with all the possibilities, and change things around. If I make a sculpture, I think it’s more funny to see how it can change, I don’t want to choose one fixed solution. I want to see all the possibilities, all the diffrent ways I can play with the expression, all the diffrent ways that it can be alive.
When I have decided on a way that I like it to look , and I come into this phase of finishing the whole thing, I literally feels the energy gets heavier, and the whole process around fixing the expression into something tangible, makes it less alive.

Actually, for many years I didn’t like to play so much around, because I got this fear. Fear of loosing control, fear of not knowing the outcome, fear of not having time for this endless experiments without a logical purpose. So now I had to go beyond that fear, to not lisen’t to my inner critic, to allow myself to play. To allow myself to do the things, which is beyond the limitations of my fear.

This is another aspect, very often we make it too hard, we think we have to struggle and put a lot of effort and hours into our creations. We have this old belief, that if we are serious we have to work for hours and hours. There are this saying “If you want to be something, you have to work really hard” We think we have to suffer, to do things that we don’t like, to neglect other areas of our lives because of lack of time. But if you have this mind set, you will be creating out of this mind set, instead of creating from inside of you. If you want to connect with your truth, with who you are, to express form a place where you are not afraid, you can’t create from this fear based mind set. And why do you need to be something?? You are something already, you just have to free yourself from your minds limitations. To set yourself free.

Marie J.Engelsvold. “My sculpture process” 2019

When I was a child my mother always told me, that it was so important to do your duties. “You can’t just do what is fun, you have to think of other people and their needs”. But I was always wondering. Was it really true? Was I evil to do what I wanted? Was I an evil person, to not be doing what other people expected of me? I knew in my heart that there was something wrong with this mind set, that keep you focusing on your duties, what you have to do.

Also this saying “First work, then fun”. The thing is, if you have this mind set, you will never come to the fun part. Because when have you been working enough to deserve having fun?? To deserve doing what you has a passion about??

Also I got this feeling that work couldn’t be fun, because you had to do it the hard way, you had to struggle. I always felt a little guilty, doing things just from the pleasure of doing the activity.

So instead of looking for more struggles, more things that you can’t do, because you haven’t learned it, or don’t have that education….do the things that flow naturally to you. Have fun. Enjoy life.

To allow yourself to have fun. To allow yourself to honor your feelings, and go with your dreams, it is necessary to empower yourself. You have to express what it is you want to do, to make space in your life that honor those activities that will bring you to your highest potential.

Because when you are doing those activities, it will raise your vibration, it will make your heart sing, and you will attract and see all the possibilities to bring more joy and playfullness into your life. More opportunities to do the things that is what brings you joy, what interest you in your deepest ways, what connects all your skills and experiences into your work.

So to empower yourself, you need to not agree with everyone, to please everyone. You don’t go about thinking what the rest of the world are going to think, about you having fun. You just have to allow yourself to do it, you have to say it’s okay for me to do this. I don’t need to know the result, I don’t have to know how to take the next step. I just take this step today, that will lead me to take the next step tomorrow.

So try this exercise:

Ask yourself, and write it down. Try to stay open for what is coming through.

When you are creating, what is the most fun part ?

Do you sometimes feeling the urge about creating something else, but you don’t allow yourself to do it? maybe out of fear, or that you have never tried it before?

What kind of art do you most admire? What medias? What topics?

When you are creating art, do you sometimes do things in a certain way, because you think about how to sell the work?

Do you limit your work, into a kind of product that people recognize as art? Or recognize as something that they can have in their home??

What comes easy to you?

How can I stay open to new possibilities?

Just write it down, and then put it away. More answers will surely come up in days to come. Because the subconscious will work with these questions, and connecting dots.

Hope you could use these tips. Have a lovely day.

I’am sharing this information to you freely, from my own experiences. Hope you can use it in your own process. Any donation, is deeply appreciated. :-)

Donate

I’am facilitating a workshop in my studio. Read more here

• Turtorials and tips
  • May 15, 2019 How to take your drawings, to the next level. May 15, 2019
  • Apr 30, 2019 Be bold, let your light out. Apr 30, 2019
  • Apr 6, 2019 How to start your drawing praxis. Apr 6, 2019
  • Mar 8, 2019 What to do when you are stucked in the creative process?? Mar 8, 2019
  • Feb 13, 2018 How do you work with composition? Feb 13, 2018
  • Jan 8, 2018 Make a kickstart. Jan 8, 2018
  • Nov 20, 2017 Go bigger. Nov 20, 2017
  • Nov 8, 2017 What is your drawings all about? Nov 8, 2017
  • Oct 31, 2017 Wait!! Before you throw that drawing in the bin!!!!! Oct 31, 2017
  • Oct 12, 2017 Find inspiration everywhere. Oct 12, 2017
  • Oct 12, 2017 Experiment with shapes and lines. Oct 12, 2017
  • Oct 12, 2017 Want to find your own visual language ? Oct 12, 2017
• psycological aspects
  • May 26, 2020 Holding your flow. May 26, 2020
  • May 6, 2020 The world is yours. May 6, 2020
  • Apr 22, 2020 Let your heart decide. Apr 22, 2020
  • Apr 18, 2020 Create from your self. Apr 18, 2020
  • Apr 4, 2020 Expand your own signature. Apr 4, 2020
  • Oct 9, 2019 How to shift out of the 3d perspective. Oct 9, 2019
  • Sep 20, 2019 What is it, to be grounded? Sep 20, 2019
  • Sep 10, 2019 How to follow your own flow. Sep 10, 2019
  • Jul 28, 2019 Releasing your resistance to the moment. Jul 28, 2019
  • Jul 15, 2019 Don't wait for life to be perfect, let go of control. Jul 15, 2019
  • Jun 1, 2019 How to raise your vibration, through the creative process. Jun 1, 2019
  • Apr 1, 2019 How embracing all parts of you, will help you in your art making. Apr 1, 2019
  • Feb 20, 2019 Don’t resist the moment. Live your dream. Feb 20, 2019
  • Feb 10, 2019 Why are we so hard on ourselves? Feb 10, 2019
  • Feb 1, 2019 It's okay to say NO. Feb 1, 2019
  • Jan 2, 2019 Let yourself shine in 2019 :-) Jan 2, 2019
  • Nov 22, 2018 Look at your obstacles as adventures. Nov 22, 2018
  • Feb 2, 2018 How to stay in the process? Feb 2, 2018
  • Dec 20, 2017 Slow down Dec 20, 2017
  • Dec 12, 2017 There is no "right" way. Dec 12, 2017
  • Dec 5, 2017 Why it's important to unlearn. Dec 5, 2017
  • Oct 12, 2017 Let your feelings be your guide. Oct 12, 2017
  • Sep 5, 2017 Don't be afraid of change:-) Sep 5, 2017
  • Sep 5, 2017 Express your feelings Sep 5, 2017
  • Sep 5, 2017 Can drawing be a kind of meditation? Sep 5, 2017
• turtorials
  • Apr 6, 2019 How to start your drawing praxis. Apr 6, 2019
• video
  • May 15, 2019 How to take your drawings, to the next level. May 15, 2019
  • Apr 30, 2019 Be bold, let your light out. Apr 30, 2019
  • Apr 1, 2019 How embracing all parts of you, will help you in your art making. Apr 1, 2019
  • Mar 8, 2019 What to do when you are stucked in the creative process?? Mar 8, 2019
  • Feb 20, 2019 Don’t resist the moment. Live your dream. Feb 20, 2019
  • Feb 10, 2019 Why are we so hard on ourselves? Feb 10, 2019
  • Feb 1, 2019 It's okay to say NO. Feb 1, 2019

How embracing all parts of you, will help you in your art making.

1) How to connect with your feelings, and feel them instead of being mental about it.

2) How it will help you to stay present in the creative process.

Take a look at my video, where you can follow my own process while you lisen’t to my experiences. Or you can just read the blog post instead.

There is another layer to the topic I talked about in my last video. “What to do if you get stocked in the creative process.”

When we begin to criticize and judge ourselves, it’s because we are too much in our heads. We don’t now how to be present with ourselves. Because it can be hurtful to embrace all our feelings.

To be free in the creative process and in life, it’s so important to be present. And to be present you must connect with your heart and body. But why is it so difficult?? and so much easier to go to the head and be mental about it. I woke up last night, and was feeling really pain. And these words came to me “ You go to your head when your heart hurts”. We want to be happy and positive, and then it’s easier to suppress all the negative emotions. But the feelings don’t go away when you try to ignore them, they stay and they build up.

So to be present with yourself, it’s about being present with everything inside of you. Also the stuff thats hurts.

What to do??

My process. here I start with painting the paper black. I always start with a white paper, but felt like doing the opposite would balance the energies.

You have to go down in the deepht of yourselves, to say hallo to that part of you which is in the dark bottom of that hole. To accept it, and get it back up. Don’t begin to analyze it, or judge if the feeling is going to be there or not, if it’s good or bad. Just feel whatever is inside of you. In the beginning it can be a little frightening, to go down there, if you are not used to confront it. And you sometimes need to stay for a while, to acknowledge these dark feelings. To be there in the darkness for your lost friend. To give comfort, and acceptance to that feeling.

When I was a child, I sometimes felt it was not okay to be sad, to be angry to be grieving. My mother said, you just put yourself togheter now, and up on that horse again. You know you will soon forget all this. But then you just put that lid on, and that feeling will not be allowed it’s space.

Sometimes it can also happen that you are too long in that dark hole with your friend. That you just fall into total hopelessness and despair, even getting totally knocked out. Maybe you don’t accept and really getting yourself the comfort you need? We can be sad and angry, but if we at the same time feel that it’s wrong to have these feelings, they won’t go away. It’s really about owning these feelings, and comfort yourself as you would to a child.

When you have tried it just once, and being abel to stay with your feelings, and drag it up in the light with you, you don’t have to stay so long each time. Imagine there is a trampoline down there, and you just can jump up and down, in a balanced movement between the light and the dark. Because we are both. We can’t just be happy and light all the time.

I think thats why we are so afraid to get down there, because we never really learned how to get up. To get up renewed and full of new energy and wholeness. Just because you allowed yourself to feel, to let yourself be you. To accept all of yourself. It’s a very small act, but it’s not easy. Instinctively we tend to escape from all that hurts. All it really takes is to sit quiet for a moment with yourself.

Marie J.Engelsvold. My process: Working with Molotow acrylic markers and paper cuts.

2) How it will help you to stay present in the creative process.

To be abel to stay present with all these feelings, it helps to release them through your creations. It helps to put them out on that paper, or any other medium you prefer. I just use the drawing as an example of an easy way to create without having to think too much about space and time and other practical things. The most important thing is to get started, to release the energy because it will help you to drag yourself out of that hole. And when you start it will develop in it’s own pace. You will by following your own guidance end up doing what will be the most beneficial way to express your uniqueness.

You can’t follow a must, a mental plan or an idea.

Marie J.Engelsvold. My process: Working with Molotow acrylic markers and paper cuts.

You can’t do it because you think you have to, you have to do it because you want to do it. But sometimes you can’t feel what you want, because you are so used to do what you have to do. Or what you think you have to do. When do you really ask yourself what you truly want from your heart?? If there was no limits?? Let your heart fly. Don’t plan it, do it and let it grow. Do just something a little thing you want to do. Then you will feel the energy, you will fell happier and it will grow in you. And it will grow out of you.

The more I dare to be in that space with my art, the more free I become. Drop the rules. Drop the limitations. It is all mental, it’s not you.

Every time you can drag yourself out of that hole, you will get more fearless. You will not be so afraid of the darkness in you, because you trust yourself to come up again every time. And not just up again being the same. No, you bring up new energy, from all the things you have accepted in yourself, and all the things you have let go of. The false notions, and limitations you have put onto yourself.

So don’t be afraid of going to your heart to feel all the hurt, the sorrow the anger and the abandonment. You have to do it, to set yourself free. To be free to express yourself, in all your true colors.

Marie J.Engelsvold. “Coming out” 29,7 x 42 cm. 2019

Here is a little tip.

Take a paper, and some drawing materials, paint what ever you want.

Then just start. Don’t have any agenda. Not thinking of a result. Just

try to empty yourself out on that paper.

Fell whatever is coming up. Allow whatever is coming out.

Don’t judge if it’s good or bad, ugly or beautiful.

Just let it be raw and what it is.

Create from a non judgment place, a no critic place.

Go with your nudges.

Hope this helped you. I wish you a very nice day, a day where you allow yourself to be present with all your feelings, and say it’s okay.

I’am teaching in “how you can free yourself in the creative process”, go to workshops, to read about my courses and workshops. Next ones is in Mai 2019.

I’am sharing this information to you freely, from my own experiences. Hope you can use it in your own process. Any donation, is deeply appreciated. :-))

Donate

• Turtorials and tips
  • May 15, 2019 How to take your drawings, to the next level.
  • Apr 30, 2019 Be bold, let your light out.
  • Apr 6, 2019 How to start your drawing praxis.
  • Mar 8, 2019 What to do when you are stucked in the creative process??
  • Feb 13, 2018 How do you work with composition?
  • Jan 8, 2018 Make a kickstart.
  • Nov 20, 2017 Go bigger.
  • Nov 8, 2017 What is your drawings all about?
  • Oct 31, 2017 Wait!! Before you throw that drawing in the bin!!!!!
  • Oct 12, 2017 Find inspiration everywhere.
  • Oct 12, 2017 Experiment with shapes and lines.
  • Oct 12, 2017 Want to find your own visual language ?
• psycological aspects
  • May 26, 2020 Holding your flow.
  • May 6, 2020 The world is yours.
  • Apr 22, 2020 Let your heart decide.
  • Apr 18, 2020 Create from your self.
  • Apr 4, 2020 Expand your own signature.
  • Oct 9, 2019 How to shift out of the 3d perspective.
  • Sep 20, 2019 What is it, to be grounded?
  • Sep 10, 2019 How to follow your own flow.
  • Jul 28, 2019 Releasing your resistance to the moment.
  • Jul 15, 2019 Don't wait for life to be perfect, let go of control.
  • Jun 1, 2019 How to raise your vibration, through the creative process.
  • Apr 1, 2019 How embracing all parts of you, will help you in your art making.
  • Feb 20, 2019 Don’t resist the moment. Live your dream.
  • Feb 10, 2019 Why are we so hard on ourselves?
  • Feb 1, 2019 It's okay to say NO.
  • Jan 2, 2019 Let yourself shine in 2019 :-)
  • Nov 22, 2018 Look at your obstacles as adventures.
  • Feb 2, 2018 How to stay in the process?
  • Dec 20, 2017 Slow down
  • Dec 12, 2017 There is no "right" way.
  • Dec 5, 2017 Why it's important to unlearn.
  • Oct 12, 2017 Let your feelings be your guide.
  • Sep 5, 2017 Don't be afraid of change:-)
  • Sep 5, 2017 Express your feelings
  • Sep 5, 2017 Can drawing be a kind of meditation?
• turtorials
  • Apr 6, 2019 How to start your drawing praxis.
• video
  • May 15, 2019 How to take your drawings, to the next level.
  • Apr 30, 2019 Be bold, let your light out.
  • Apr 1, 2019 How embracing all parts of you, will help you in your art making.
  • Mar 8, 2019 What to do when you are stucked in the creative process??
  • Feb 20, 2019 Don’t resist the moment. Live your dream.
  • Feb 10, 2019 Why are we so hard on ourselves?
  • Feb 1, 2019 It's okay to say NO.

Don’t resist the moment. Live your dream.

Not expecting anything. Not wanting any specific result. Not waiting to arrive to a certain destination. You know very often we say, when I have done this and this, then I will just have fun. We think that we have to deserve it. First work and then play. We have learned to struggle and to fight our ways through life. To be strong. To tame ourselves. We make “to do” lists. We have so may goals. But what when we get there? Is it worth it? I think to be present in the creative process, is a kind of learning how to live moment to moment. To learn to be in peace and harmony with yourself, eventhough your outer circumstances is chaotic. Allowing yourself to be you. That all about you is okay. That is your reward. That is your freedom.  

Sculpture experiments, from my own process.

Yesterday I had a day in my studio, where I didn’t come to any solutions. I played around with a sculpture the whole day, but it didn’t fall into place. It didn’t click. I’am learning all the time, and normally I would be a little unsatisfied with myself. But yesterday I was so happy on my way home. Because I had really had fun,  and I had this knowing that everything will fall into place. The energy from the day was still in my body the whole evening. 

The feeling of flow comes when what you are doing, is in harmony with where you are.

So I’am learning to enjoy the yourney, to relax in knowing that I can create more courageous, if I don’t fix my mind on a specific goal.

But I think the reason why we resist the moment, resist o be present, is that it triggers all our emotions. Because to be in the process is not just bliss all the time, you will meet all parts of yourself.

How do you forget the result ??

When we think of a result, it is often a mental picture of what we want. So instead of the mental picture, go for the flow feeling instead. The feeling of flow comes when what you are doing, is in harmony with where you are. For example, if you are sad, use that feeling and express it, instead of suppressing it, because you think you have to be happy. Every time you suppress an emotion, it builds up, and it takes a lot of energy. If you keep suppressing these more negative emotions you will eventually run out of space. Your body will be full. All the emotions will come to the surface, and you might get a serious breakdown. So release the feelings instead, allow them to be felt, express them in your art. Soon you will feel relieved because you are getting in touch with new aspects of yourself. Relieved because you have more energy, and more space inside of you..

Marie J.Engelsvold. “Don’t resist the moment.” Acrylics, pencil and paper cuts on paper. 30 x 30 cm. 2019

How do we go from the expectation to the dream ??

So one of the biggest challenges is to let go of the expectations of the result. If we always have a goal in mind, it is as if we are starting to hurry, and we reject everything that does not look like something that can lead to our goals.

Often the inner critic begins to beat us up. We begin to sabotage ourselves. It is not good enough. We try again and again, to get to the desired result but we fail. Sometimes we actually succeeds, and the result is satisfying. But often we have to cross both arms and teeth to get there. We can also have learned a lot of techniques, so everything we do looks okay, it is actually really nice and tidy and people like what we do. But you may not be completely happy, and you are dreaming of something else.

The dream you feel, is not the expectation. The expectation is that mental picture you have of yourself, that you have to feel and be a certain way. The mental picture of your outcome. The expectations will always get disappointed, and you begin to judge yourself if it is not met. So drop that mental picture, The dream cannot die. The dream is the one you think is unrealistic, the one that can't be done. The one who is only possible if you had lots of time and money and courage. But it is the dream that makes your heart beat, the dream that gives your life direction, and the dream which nourishes the flame in your passion. But how do we go from the expectation to the dream ??  It's a bit like the same mechanism as when we switch from the left side to the right side of the brain. And the harmony when we get all our parts to play together. I'm talking about the same thing, just in different ways. Because we constantly run into the same problems, but because the situation changes, we do not see it.

In the creative processes, you meet yourself head on.

The first thing you have to do is forget the result, go into the process, be present in the process and don't think about the end result. The dream is now, it’s not a destination. If you build a lot of expectations around the dream, the dream cannot come into your present reality. The dream is not a picture, it’s alive. That  is what is the adventure, to enter into the unknown.

These are the same mechanisms as in your life, if you are afraid of the unknown (and we are all to a lesser extent), then you cannot be present in your life. So that's why I say that in the creative processes, you meet yourself head on. And if you dare to go into the eye of the storm, you can free yourself from your limitations and learn to accept and love yourself in your wholeness. Without cutting pieces of yourself out.  This is also why we have such a hard time being present in the process, and accepting our own self-expression because we meet ourselves all the time. And we all have parts we don't like and don't accept.  So the expectation of the result is also the expectation of yourself.

When you expect things from yourself and other people, you also judge if your expectations is not met. If you judge yourself, you tell yourself that you are not good enough. You do not accept yourself as you are, but only as the image of how you want yourself to be.

Release the expectations on how to get there, and surrender to the journey.

So when I say, go into the process and forget about the result, it sounds very easy. But it's not easy, it's really challenging for most of us. And so, it is something you learn gradually.

I, myself have been a visual artist for 20 years, and of course I also love to be in the process when I am in flow. And I think that is why I became an artist. When I was very young, I discovered that I could disappear from the world and go into my own dream. I could come in a state of true presence and joy. That is the flow. Forgetting time and place, being fully present in what you do. That is the price. And then you have arrived. When you live the dream, the dream is all there. Allow yourself to dream big, and allow yourself to trust it. But the dream becomes reality only when you follow your inner voice and allow yourself to rely on the process.

 You still can't figure out how to get there ?? Take the first step, and that is your creative passion. You must turn on the spark, before you can burn. Release the expectations on how to get there, and surrender to the journey. And if your dream is more time to be creative and express yourself, take that time. Start with what you can today, and then expand slowly.

I’am sharing this information to you freely, from my own experiences. Hope you can use it in your own process. Any donation, is deeply appreciated. :-))

Donate

• Turtorials and tips
  • May 15, 2019 How to take your drawings, to the next level.
  • Apr 30, 2019 Be bold, let your light out.
  • Apr 6, 2019 How to start your drawing praxis.
  • Mar 8, 2019 What to do when you are stucked in the creative process??
  • Feb 13, 2018 How do you work with composition?
  • Jan 8, 2018 Make a kickstart.
  • Nov 20, 2017 Go bigger.
  • Nov 8, 2017 What is your drawings all about?
  • Oct 31, 2017 Wait!! Before you throw that drawing in the bin!!!!!
  • Oct 12, 2017 Find inspiration everywhere.
  • Oct 12, 2017 Experiment with shapes and lines.
  • Oct 12, 2017 Want to find your own visual language ?
• psycological aspects
  • May 26, 2020 Holding your flow.
  • May 6, 2020 The world is yours.
  • Apr 22, 2020 Let your heart decide.
  • Apr 18, 2020 Create from your self.
  • Apr 4, 2020 Expand your own signature.
  • Oct 9, 2019 How to shift out of the 3d perspective.
  • Sep 20, 2019 What is it, to be grounded?
  • Sep 10, 2019 How to follow your own flow.
  • Jul 28, 2019 Releasing your resistance to the moment.
  • Jul 15, 2019 Don't wait for life to be perfect, let go of control.
  • Jun 1, 2019 How to raise your vibration, through the creative process.
  • Apr 1, 2019 How embracing all parts of you, will help you in your art making.
  • Feb 20, 2019 Don’t resist the moment. Live your dream.
  • Feb 10, 2019 Why are we so hard on ourselves?
  • Feb 1, 2019 It's okay to say NO.
  • Jan 2, 2019 Let yourself shine in 2019 :-)
  • Nov 22, 2018 Look at your obstacles as adventures.
  • Feb 2, 2018 How to stay in the process?
  • Dec 20, 2017 Slow down
  • Dec 12, 2017 There is no "right" way.
  • Dec 5, 2017 Why it's important to unlearn.
  • Oct 12, 2017 Let your feelings be your guide.
  • Sep 5, 2017 Don't be afraid of change:-)
  • Sep 5, 2017 Express your feelings
  • Sep 5, 2017 Can drawing be a kind of meditation?
• turtorials
  • Apr 6, 2019 How to start your drawing praxis.
• video
  • May 15, 2019 How to take your drawings, to the next level.
  • Apr 30, 2019 Be bold, let your light out.
  • Apr 1, 2019 How embracing all parts of you, will help you in your art making.
  • Mar 8, 2019 What to do when you are stucked in the creative process??
  • Feb 20, 2019 Don’t resist the moment. Live your dream.
  • Feb 10, 2019 Why are we so hard on ourselves?
  • Feb 1, 2019 It's okay to say NO.

Why are we so hard on ourselves?

Why do we keep sabotaging ourselves?? Why is it never good enough?? How do we allow instead of forcing our artwork into a certain direction? Being open to all possibilities?

When I’am in a creative process I’am very aware of how I’am talking to myself, when do I start to judge, compare, being afraid of how it will turn out? Most of us have learned that we have to make a plan, have an idea and know what we are doing. That we have to face certain expectations of ourselves, and what we think others are expecting of us. When we start to criticize ourselves, and our artwork, it all goes down. We feel stuck, and we feel drained. We sometimes keep beating ourselves up, till we maybe drop all our creative projects. If you don’t feel good enough, your artwork will never be good enough. Eventhough your are very skillfull, it will never be good enough. Eventhough other people thinks it’s just amazing, it will never be good enough for you. So why not start to be a little kinder to yourself. ? Start to allow, instead of following a lot of rules and expectations you have been setting up for yourself. You see the creative process is not about following a mental regime, it’s not about going from A to G, in a linear motion. It’s about being open, being vulnerable being raw and honest. It’s about following your own guidance, trusting yourself, allowing yourself to have fun, to be curious, to play. Do it because you think it matters, because you matters. Because you can’t truly express anything which is not felt and experienced.

Marie J.Engelsvold. “Let it flow” Acrylics, pencil and paper cuts on paper. 2019

You are valid, whatever feelings comes up in the process is valid, is okay. It’s not all roses and butterflies, it’s about being real, being you and showing that to the world. To express it all in your work.

So why are we so hard on ourselves? I think most of us have learned through being criticized. And we have learned that to get love, we have to meet certain expectations. We have to be nice and succesfull. Doing what other people expects of us. And as grown ups these expectations have turned inwards, and it’s all about what we expect of ourselves. So it’s also about deprogramming ourselves, about unlearning, about not to follow others rules.

How can you shift from the logic mind to the “mind- heart”? Here are 4 tips.

1: Create an relaxed atmosphere around the work. Make an appointment with yourself, set the time aside. And don’t put a lot of expectations around yourself. This time is for you. This time is not another thing on your to do list. It’s time to have fun. It’s time to investigate, and let all of you out to play.

2: Start with an experiment, for how long can you create without starting to criticize yourself?? Observe your own mind, write it down every time you catch yourself. Reflect on what you can say to yourself instead??

3: Try to center yourself in your body instead of the head. Connect with the body, and use it as a compass. If you are feeling restless, well it’s time to move around. Take a break.

4: Who has told us we have to be active and productive all the time?? To be nicer to yourself you have to honor your need for breaks. Better to work concentrated for a shorter amount of time, than to work and work till you are totally drained. You have to fill yourself up.

Hope this helped you. Have a very nice day.

I’am sharing this information to you freely, from my own experiences. Hope you can use it in your own process. Any donation, is deeply appreciated. :-))

Donate

• Turtorials and tips
  • May 15, 2019 How to take your drawings, to the next level.
  • Apr 30, 2019 Be bold, let your light out.
  • Apr 6, 2019 How to start your drawing praxis.
  • Mar 8, 2019 What to do when you are stucked in the creative process??
  • Feb 13, 2018 How do you work with composition?
  • Jan 8, 2018 Make a kickstart.
  • Nov 20, 2017 Go bigger.
  • Nov 8, 2017 What is your drawings all about?
  • Oct 31, 2017 Wait!! Before you throw that drawing in the bin!!!!!
  • Oct 12, 2017 Find inspiration everywhere.
  • Oct 12, 2017 Experiment with shapes and lines.
  • Oct 12, 2017 Want to find your own visual language ?
• psycological aspects
  • May 26, 2020 Holding your flow.
  • May 6, 2020 The world is yours.
  • Apr 22, 2020 Let your heart decide.
  • Apr 18, 2020 Create from your self.
  • Apr 4, 2020 Expand your own signature.
  • Oct 9, 2019 How to shift out of the 3d perspective.
  • Sep 20, 2019 What is it, to be grounded?
  • Sep 10, 2019 How to follow your own flow.
  • Jul 28, 2019 Releasing your resistance to the moment.
  • Jul 15, 2019 Don't wait for life to be perfect, let go of control.
  • Jun 1, 2019 How to raise your vibration, through the creative process.
  • Apr 1, 2019 How embracing all parts of you, will help you in your art making.
  • Feb 20, 2019 Don’t resist the moment. Live your dream.
  • Feb 10, 2019 Why are we so hard on ourselves?
  • Feb 1, 2019 It's okay to say NO.
  • Jan 2, 2019 Let yourself shine in 2019 :-)
  • Nov 22, 2018 Look at your obstacles as adventures.
  • Feb 2, 2018 How to stay in the process?
  • Dec 20, 2017 Slow down
  • Dec 12, 2017 There is no "right" way.
  • Dec 5, 2017 Why it's important to unlearn.
  • Oct 12, 2017 Let your feelings be your guide.
  • Sep 5, 2017 Don't be afraid of change:-)
  • Sep 5, 2017 Express your feelings
  • Sep 5, 2017 Can drawing be a kind of meditation?
• turtorials
  • Apr 6, 2019 How to start your drawing praxis.
• video
  • May 15, 2019 How to take your drawings, to the next level.
  • Apr 30, 2019 Be bold, let your light out.
  • Apr 1, 2019 How embracing all parts of you, will help you in your art making.
  • Mar 8, 2019 What to do when you are stucked in the creative process??
  • Feb 20, 2019 Don’t resist the moment. Live your dream.
  • Feb 10, 2019 Why are we so hard on ourselves?
  • Feb 1, 2019 It's okay to say NO.

It's okay to say NO.

Today I got this insight how important it is to say no. If you dare to show others where your boundaries are, and not to be so pleasing all the times it will also influence your artwork. Sometimes we try to hard to make it nice, tasty and neat. Lisen’t to this video while I’am creating my own work, and get inspired….have a nice day:-)

Marie J.Engelsvold. “being raw” 42 x 21 cm. 2019.

• Turtorials and tips
  • May 15, 2019 How to take your drawings, to the next level.
  • Apr 30, 2019 Be bold, let your light out.
  • Apr 6, 2019 How to start your drawing praxis.
  • Mar 8, 2019 What to do when you are stucked in the creative process??
  • Feb 13, 2018 How do you work with composition?
  • Jan 8, 2018 Make a kickstart.
  • Nov 20, 2017 Go bigger.
  • Nov 8, 2017 What is your drawings all about?
  • Oct 31, 2017 Wait!! Before you throw that drawing in the bin!!!!!
  • Oct 12, 2017 Find inspiration everywhere.
  • Oct 12, 2017 Experiment with shapes and lines.
  • Oct 12, 2017 Want to find your own visual language ?
• psycological aspects
  • May 26, 2020 Holding your flow.
  • May 6, 2020 The world is yours.
  • Apr 22, 2020 Let your heart decide.
  • Apr 18, 2020 Create from your self.
  • Apr 4, 2020 Expand your own signature.
  • Oct 9, 2019 How to shift out of the 3d perspective.
  • Sep 20, 2019 What is it, to be grounded?
  • Sep 10, 2019 How to follow your own flow.
  • Jul 28, 2019 Releasing your resistance to the moment.
  • Jul 15, 2019 Don't wait for life to be perfect, let go of control.
  • Jun 1, 2019 How to raise your vibration, through the creative process.
  • Apr 1, 2019 How embracing all parts of you, will help you in your art making.
  • Feb 20, 2019 Don’t resist the moment. Live your dream.
  • Feb 10, 2019 Why are we so hard on ourselves?
  • Feb 1, 2019 It's okay to say NO.
  • Jan 2, 2019 Let yourself shine in 2019 :-)
  • Nov 22, 2018 Look at your obstacles as adventures.
  • Feb 2, 2018 How to stay in the process?
  • Dec 20, 2017 Slow down
  • Dec 12, 2017 There is no "right" way.
  • Dec 5, 2017 Why it's important to unlearn.
  • Oct 12, 2017 Let your feelings be your guide.
  • Sep 5, 2017 Don't be afraid of change:-)
  • Sep 5, 2017 Express your feelings
  • Sep 5, 2017 Can drawing be a kind of meditation?
• turtorials
  • Apr 6, 2019 How to start your drawing praxis.
• video
  • May 15, 2019 How to take your drawings, to the next level.
  • Apr 30, 2019 Be bold, let your light out.
  • Apr 1, 2019 How embracing all parts of you, will help you in your art making.
  • Mar 8, 2019 What to do when you are stucked in the creative process??
  • Feb 20, 2019 Don’t resist the moment. Live your dream.
  • Feb 10, 2019 Why are we so hard on ourselves?
  • Feb 1, 2019 It's okay to say NO.

Let yourself shine in 2019 :-)

Welcome 2019. Do you want to be more creative? To express yourself with more honesty? To know more about the creative process, and how you can transform yourself in the process?? So follow this blog.

I’am so excited to write about the creative process, and how it has opend me up more and more, to see what it is all about. I have been doing art for over 20 years, and I can say with clarity, how important the creative process is.

You can unlock your potentials in this way, not just in doing art, but in your life. It’s all about freedom, to be free and fearless to create from your heart. To create with honesty and purity, to express your heart, soul and emotions, and in this way aligning yourself. Aligning with your inner world, to show who you are. Why are most people so afraid to express themselves?? They say oh, i never learned to draw. I’am not creative, it’s from my mother. My sister got all the creative talent, not me. We think that to be creative is something your are borned with, and if not you don’t have this skill. This is not true. 

All of us are creators, and we can create everything. You just have to reconnect with yourself, and go beyond all your limitations and practically everything you have learned about being creative. To be creative is not something you have to learn, it’s something you are. We learn that it is a skill and you have to do it a certain way, we learn a lot of rules and that you have to go to certain schools to be a good and serious artist. Nothing wrong with art schools, but you have to be a very strong and independent person to remain grounded in your own reality. To not loose yourself.

You have to find your own language and your own vibration, to create from innosense and not just copying others, or follow other peoples teaching and ideas. We are all unique, at the same time we are all connected, each of us having our own voice, and our own wholeness to share with others. It will have a ripple effect for other people, to also connect with their heart and inner essence. To be a creator of their own lifes. It’s the only way we can live happily togheter, to give each other the freedom to be all that we can be.   

When we are creating we are being confronted with a lot of layers of ourselves, and we have to face a lot of things, about how we self sabortage ourselves. When you are becoming aware of what’s really going on in this process, you can work through your blocks which will open you up to be more free, connecting you with pure joy and inner happiness. 

To be creative, doing art is something you can do in solitude, it’s something you can do just for yourself. And what iI will show you in this blog, is how to begin this journey just with drawings. It’s a very simpel way to get started, you don’t need a lot of materials, and a lot of space.

When you become aware of what the creative process are, and what you can be confronted with, it’s so much easier to gain your own freedom and find your own visual language. When you are no more afraid of what other people are thinking, when you are not judging yourself, when you are not following others rules but are connected with your own guidance. When you stay flexible and open and can follow your flow, not afraid to experiment, not afraid to try something new. To dare being completly out of control, being free flowing and grounded in the mittle of chaos. To always trust the process, and know that you are safe.

Read some of my earlier blogposts “How to find your own visual language” about how to get started step by step. In 2019 I will dig deeper into some of the same topics, and share some of my own experiences.

In my next blogpost, I will share more about the creative process and how you can work with it, instead of resisting the process. So stay tuned.

I’am now offering some free material for you to start your own drawing praxis.

Because this drawing praxis you are embarking on, it’s not just about making some pretty artworks. It’s about you expressing you. It’s about you being honest, and being raw. As a side effect you will certainly find your own very unique signature. Because nobody is exactly like you, and thats your strength. But to come into that kind of honesty, that kind of deep lisentning to yourself, you have to unlearn what other people have told you about you, and about your creativity. So you have to start fresh. You have to start from a zero point. So sign up now :-)

• Turtorials and tips
  • May 15, 2019 How to take your drawings, to the next level.
  • Apr 30, 2019 Be bold, let your light out.
  • Apr 6, 2019 How to start your drawing praxis.
  • Mar 8, 2019 What to do when you are stucked in the creative process??
  • Feb 13, 2018 How do you work with composition?
  • Jan 8, 2018 Make a kickstart.
  • Nov 20, 2017 Go bigger.
  • Nov 8, 2017 What is your drawings all about?
  • Oct 31, 2017 Wait!! Before you throw that drawing in the bin!!!!!
  • Oct 12, 2017 Find inspiration everywhere.
  • Oct 12, 2017 Experiment with shapes and lines.
  • Oct 12, 2017 Want to find your own visual language ?
• psycological aspects
  • May 26, 2020 Holding your flow.
  • May 6, 2020 The world is yours.
  • Apr 22, 2020 Let your heart decide.
  • Apr 18, 2020 Create from your self.
  • Apr 4, 2020 Expand your own signature.
  • Oct 9, 2019 How to shift out of the 3d perspective.
  • Sep 20, 2019 What is it, to be grounded?
  • Sep 10, 2019 How to follow your own flow.
  • Jul 28, 2019 Releasing your resistance to the moment.
  • Jul 15, 2019 Don't wait for life to be perfect, let go of control.
  • Jun 1, 2019 How to raise your vibration, through the creative process.
  • Apr 1, 2019 How embracing all parts of you, will help you in your art making.
  • Feb 20, 2019 Don’t resist the moment. Live your dream.
  • Feb 10, 2019 Why are we so hard on ourselves?
  • Feb 1, 2019 It's okay to say NO.
  • Jan 2, 2019 Let yourself shine in 2019 :-)
  • Nov 22, 2018 Look at your obstacles as adventures.
  • Feb 2, 2018 How to stay in the process?
  • Dec 20, 2017 Slow down
  • Dec 12, 2017 There is no "right" way.
  • Dec 5, 2017 Why it's important to unlearn.
  • Oct 12, 2017 Let your feelings be your guide.
  • Sep 5, 2017 Don't be afraid of change:-)
  • Sep 5, 2017 Express your feelings
  • Sep 5, 2017 Can drawing be a kind of meditation?
• turtorials
  • Apr 6, 2019 How to start your drawing praxis.
• video
  • May 15, 2019 How to take your drawings, to the next level.
  • Apr 30, 2019 Be bold, let your light out.
  • Apr 1, 2019 How embracing all parts of you, will help you in your art making.
  • Mar 8, 2019 What to do when you are stucked in the creative process??
  • Feb 20, 2019 Don’t resist the moment. Live your dream.
  • Feb 10, 2019 Why are we so hard on ourselves?
  • Feb 1, 2019 It's okay to say NO.

Look at your obstacles as adventures.

The creative process is in different stages, and one of the most important one is to let go of control. It sounds easy but it’s not. Most of us are taught to have control of everything, to know where we are going and to know every step on the way.

Marie J.Engelsvold. “In chaos” 72 x 50 cm. 2018

We are also trying to go around bumps in the road, or trying to avoid bumps in the road. But we can’t avoid obstacles in life, and we can’t avoid obstacles in the creative process as well. So what to do when we can’t go further? We want to go in a specific direction, we want a certain result, but we can’t. In the creative process as in life it’s very important to face the obstacles and instead of going around it, pretending it’s not there, look it straight in the eyes.

Not to fight it, not to get angry, but to accept it. Just accept the fact that you are stuck. Say to yourself “it’s okay to be where I’am at right now”. Accept that your mind is not in control. Accept the way the creative process is guiding you. Trust the process. Let go of your ideas and perceptions. Allow yourself to be in the mittle of chaos, and flow with the chaos. What are you afraid of? Be open to new possibilities. Play with all the possibilities you see, and don’t get fixed too soon, on one specific direction. Allow yourself to not knowing, and feel how exciting it is. Feel how your whole body is buuzzing with joy and excitment. Why not just play around? try something new? Do something wild and totally unexpected? If you always work in small sizes, why not try a bigger scale? Here is a list of suggestions of what you can do to start playing.

• Change location. Make art outdoor if you are always sitting at a disk.

• Use other colors, if you normally use light colors go for dark ones.

• Just cut it all up, and put it togheter in a new way.

• Make an object out of the paper.

• Write down all your feelings concerning with your artwork.

• Do nothing.

• Make another piece with your left hand, or the hand you are not normally using.

• Let your child, or another person draw or paint on it.

• spil out a cup of coffee on it.

• celebrate the mistakes.

Marie J.Engelsvold. “map of integration” 72 x 100 cm. 2018

It’s the same when you are traveling and you are arriving to a new and unknown place, in the start everything is fresh and new, and you get so many new impressions. You have to stay present to really get it all, and to navigate in the new enviroument.  You can’t do what you are used to do, you can’t navigate on autopilot. But that’s nice right? That’s a really good place to be at.

Try to look at your obstacles in the creative process the same way. See it as something exciting, that it’s an adventure which takes you to new exciting places and situations, where you meet new people and get a lot of challenges, as well as joy. How boring life would be if we just knew the outcome of all things. What is an obstacle anyway ? it’s just a fixed perception about what we think we want.

 So next time you are stuck, see it as a challenge open yourself up to new possibilities, and be excited to go into the unknown with your eyes wide open.

• Turtorials and tips
  • May 15, 2019 How to take your drawings, to the next level.
  • Apr 30, 2019 Be bold, let your light out.
  • Apr 6, 2019 How to start your drawing praxis.
  • Mar 8, 2019 What to do when you are stucked in the creative process??
  • Feb 13, 2018 How do you work with composition?
  • Jan 8, 2018 Make a kickstart.
  • Nov 20, 2017 Go bigger.
  • Nov 8, 2017 What is your drawings all about?
  • Oct 31, 2017 Wait!! Before you throw that drawing in the bin!!!!!
  • Oct 12, 2017 Find inspiration everywhere.
  • Oct 12, 2017 Experiment with shapes and lines.
  • Oct 12, 2017 Want to find your own visual language ?
• psycological aspects
  • May 26, 2020 Holding your flow.
  • May 6, 2020 The world is yours.
  • Apr 22, 2020 Let your heart decide.
  • Apr 18, 2020 Create from your self.
  • Apr 4, 2020 Expand your own signature.
  • Oct 9, 2019 How to shift out of the 3d perspective.
  • Sep 20, 2019 What is it, to be grounded?
  • Sep 10, 2019 How to follow your own flow.
  • Jul 28, 2019 Releasing your resistance to the moment.
  • Jul 15, 2019 Don't wait for life to be perfect, let go of control.
  • Jun 1, 2019 How to raise your vibration, through the creative process.
  • Apr 1, 2019 How embracing all parts of you, will help you in your art making.
  • Feb 20, 2019 Don’t resist the moment. Live your dream.
  • Feb 10, 2019 Why are we so hard on ourselves?
  • Feb 1, 2019 It's okay to say NO.
  • Jan 2, 2019 Let yourself shine in 2019 :-)
  • Nov 22, 2018 Look at your obstacles as adventures.
  • Feb 2, 2018 How to stay in the process?
  • Dec 20, 2017 Slow down
  • Dec 12, 2017 There is no "right" way.
  • Dec 5, 2017 Why it's important to unlearn.
  • Oct 12, 2017 Let your feelings be your guide.
  • Sep 5, 2017 Don't be afraid of change:-)
  • Sep 5, 2017 Express your feelings
  • Sep 5, 2017 Can drawing be a kind of meditation?
• turtorials
  • Apr 6, 2019 How to start your drawing praxis.
• video
  • May 15, 2019 How to take your drawings, to the next level.
  • Apr 30, 2019 Be bold, let your light out.
  • Apr 1, 2019 How embracing all parts of you, will help you in your art making.
  • Mar 8, 2019 What to do when you are stucked in the creative process??
  • Feb 20, 2019 Don’t resist the moment. Live your dream.
  • Feb 10, 2019 Why are we so hard on ourselves?
  • Feb 1, 2019 It's okay to say NO.

How to stay in the process?

How are you doing? Have you started your drawing praxis? Maybee you are having some setbacks? I guess I have said it before, how important it is to be present in the creative process, but  it can be difficult. Eventhough you have been creating for a long time, their can be times where it is a challenge to create. But what does it actually mean to be in the process, and what is the different stages?? What can stop the creative flow, and what to do when it happens.?

"Aleration of structure" Acrylic tusch, pencil, and paper cuts on paper. 84 x 42 cm. 2015.

Very often it is a conflict between control, and the urge to let go and play. The best way is to make room for both. I think it's very important to start with playing and experimenting, to totally let go of controlling your drawing. When you feel you can't go further, you look at your drawing, and take a conscious choice of what to do next. Try not to do the same every time, but stay focused and see where the drawing want you to go. Stay open, don't try to finish it yet.

Here an example of a creative process:

• You start, and everything flow for a while.

• You stop because you don't know what to do next, you like some parts of your drawing, but don't like other parts.

• Now take a quick look. Lisent to your first impuls on how to continue.

• Continue the process, until you can't go further.

• Sometimes the drawing just works itself out, without any disruptions or second thoughts. But very often, you reach a point where you get stuck.

• Now you can do two things, you can either put it aside and start a new one, or stop and reflect on how to continue. (of course there a millions possibillities, and not just two. But for now, I want to make it easy for you to make a choice) 

• If you want to stay in the creative flow, just make new ones every time you can't get further. Remember you can always come back to them later.

• Another option, is to stop the flow, and take a deep look at your drawing. Now you make a conscious choice on how to continue. What to do?? Take time to look at your drawing, and just listen to what comes up. You can look at this blog post for ideas  Wait!! Before you throw that drawing in the bin!!!!!

• Now continue with creating.

"Potentials inside mental tent" Acrylic tusch on paper. 42 x 29,7 cm. 2015.

This is just an example, but what I want to point out is, that it's totally okay to loose that flow feeling. The obstacles are an essential part of being in the process. The crucial thing is to continue, to raise above these setbacks, and enjoy them. Just accept the whole process, and you will open up to new possibilities again and again. 

• Turtorials and tips
  • May 15, 2019 How to take your drawings, to the next level.
  • Apr 30, 2019 Be bold, let your light out.
  • Apr 6, 2019 How to start your drawing praxis.
  • Mar 8, 2019 What to do when you are stucked in the creative process??
  • Feb 13, 2018 How do you work with composition?
  • Jan 8, 2018 Make a kickstart.
  • Nov 20, 2017 Go bigger.
  • Nov 8, 2017 What is your drawings all about?
  • Oct 31, 2017 Wait!! Before you throw that drawing in the bin!!!!!
  • Oct 12, 2017 Find inspiration everywhere.
  • Oct 12, 2017 Experiment with shapes and lines.
  • Oct 12, 2017 Want to find your own visual language ?
• psycological aspects
  • May 26, 2020 Holding your flow.
  • May 6, 2020 The world is yours.
  • Apr 22, 2020 Let your heart decide.
  • Apr 18, 2020 Create from your self.
  • Apr 4, 2020 Expand your own signature.
  • Oct 9, 2019 How to shift out of the 3d perspective.
  • Sep 20, 2019 What is it, to be grounded?
  • Sep 10, 2019 How to follow your own flow.
  • Jul 28, 2019 Releasing your resistance to the moment.
  • Jul 15, 2019 Don't wait for life to be perfect, let go of control.
  • Jun 1, 2019 How to raise your vibration, through the creative process.
  • Apr 1, 2019 How embracing all parts of you, will help you in your art making.
  • Feb 20, 2019 Don’t resist the moment. Live your dream.
  • Feb 10, 2019 Why are we so hard on ourselves?
  • Feb 1, 2019 It's okay to say NO.
  • Jan 2, 2019 Let yourself shine in 2019 :-)
  • Nov 22, 2018 Look at your obstacles as adventures.
  • Feb 2, 2018 How to stay in the process?
  • Dec 20, 2017 Slow down
  • Dec 12, 2017 There is no "right" way.
  • Dec 5, 2017 Why it's important to unlearn.
  • Oct 12, 2017 Let your feelings be your guide.
  • Sep 5, 2017 Don't be afraid of change:-)
  • Sep 5, 2017 Express your feelings
  • Sep 5, 2017 Can drawing be a kind of meditation?
• turtorials
  • Apr 6, 2019 How to start your drawing praxis.
• video
  • May 15, 2019 How to take your drawings, to the next level.
  • Apr 30, 2019 Be bold, let your light out.
  • Apr 1, 2019 How embracing all parts of you, will help you in your art making.
  • Mar 8, 2019 What to do when you are stucked in the creative process??
  • Feb 20, 2019 Don’t resist the moment. Live your dream.
  • Feb 10, 2019 Why are we so hard on ourselves?
  • Feb 1, 2019 It's okay to say NO.

Slow down

Now we are very soon reaching the holidays, and it's time to slow down. You might spend a lot of time with your family and friends, but try  to make some room for creating as well. Time to draw and reconnect with yourself. To draw in realignment with your inner space is a kind of spiritual praxis. You will see that when you invest some time to be present with yourself, you will be more present with your family as well. 

Marie J.Engelsvold. “My inner christmas tree” Acrylic tusch and papercuts on paper. 29,7 x 21 cm. 2014

You need to slow down to be abel to lisent to your inner voice, to be abel to create without bothering of the result. To create just for the pure bliss of creating. In our society very often we have learned to use the time wisely, to be effective and productive. We have learned that when we use time on something it should be payable. Forget all this. To create is not a waste of time, it's investing in your inner self. It's about coming into deeper connecting with who you are, and what is important for you. You might discover new aspects of yourself, feelings that you have been hiding for yourself and others. It's actually the best way to spend your time, because when you get realigned with your authensiticity, everything will fall into place. 

I have experienced that the way I create, have a lot to do of how I'am living my day to day life.

When I'am fearless in my creative process, when I'am feeling free and enjoy myself, it will change how I'am feeling in my other activities throughout the day. I will be more present with my family, more observant of the moments, and the small things. I also experience that when I'am slowing down, my life is not falling apart. Actually my life improves, and everything falls into the right place.

Try to make a space for yourself, where you can create. Read my earlier blogposts "Express your feelings"  and "Want to find your own visual language ?", for ideas on how you can do it. 

Marie J.Engelsvold. “Looking inside this mental tent” Acrylic tusch on paper. 42 x 29,7 cm. 2014

If you are not abel to create, because you are visiting family and friends, have a little notebook in your bag. Now try to check in to your feelings at least two times a day.

Just sit for a moment and feel your body, observe your thoughts. Write everything down, no matter how stupid it is. This is also a very good exercise in being present. Just say to yourself it's okay to be here, it's okay to feel what I'am feeling. I don't have to do anything else than being me.  

Have a very nice holiday :-)

• Turtorials and tips
  • May 15, 2019 How to take your drawings, to the next level.
  • Apr 30, 2019 Be bold, let your light out.
  • Apr 6, 2019 How to start your drawing praxis.
  • Mar 8, 2019 What to do when you are stucked in the creative process??
  • Feb 13, 2018 How do you work with composition?
  • Jan 8, 2018 Make a kickstart.
  • Nov 20, 2017 Go bigger.
  • Nov 8, 2017 What is your drawings all about?
  • Oct 31, 2017 Wait!! Before you throw that drawing in the bin!!!!!
  • Oct 12, 2017 Find inspiration everywhere.
  • Oct 12, 2017 Experiment with shapes and lines.
  • Oct 12, 2017 Want to find your own visual language ?
• psycological aspects
  • May 26, 2020 Holding your flow.
  • May 6, 2020 The world is yours.
  • Apr 22, 2020 Let your heart decide.
  • Apr 18, 2020 Create from your self.
  • Apr 4, 2020 Expand your own signature.
  • Oct 9, 2019 How to shift out of the 3d perspective.
  • Sep 20, 2019 What is it, to be grounded?
  • Sep 10, 2019 How to follow your own flow.
  • Jul 28, 2019 Releasing your resistance to the moment.
  • Jul 15, 2019 Don't wait for life to be perfect, let go of control.
  • Jun 1, 2019 How to raise your vibration, through the creative process.
  • Apr 1, 2019 How embracing all parts of you, will help you in your art making.
  • Feb 20, 2019 Don’t resist the moment. Live your dream.
  • Feb 10, 2019 Why are we so hard on ourselves?
  • Feb 1, 2019 It's okay to say NO.
  • Jan 2, 2019 Let yourself shine in 2019 :-)
  • Nov 22, 2018 Look at your obstacles as adventures.
  • Feb 2, 2018 How to stay in the process?
  • Dec 20, 2017 Slow down
  • Dec 12, 2017 There is no "right" way.
  • Dec 5, 2017 Why it's important to unlearn.
  • Oct 12, 2017 Let your feelings be your guide.
  • Sep 5, 2017 Don't be afraid of change:-)
  • Sep 5, 2017 Express your feelings
  • Sep 5, 2017 Can drawing be a kind of meditation?
• turtorials
  • Apr 6, 2019 How to start your drawing praxis.
• video
  • May 15, 2019 How to take your drawings, to the next level.
  • Apr 30, 2019 Be bold, let your light out.
  • Apr 1, 2019 How embracing all parts of you, will help you in your art making.
  • Mar 8, 2019 What to do when you are stucked in the creative process??
  • Feb 20, 2019 Don’t resist the moment. Live your dream.
  • Feb 10, 2019 Why are we so hard on ourselves?
  • Feb 1, 2019 It's okay to say NO.

There is no "right" way.

I call my Blog "Free yourself through art making", because the connection with your own person, your own inner voice is the most important thing in the creative process. You have to give something of yourself, to make the artwork alive. First of all, there are no correct ways of drawing. Don't be bothered if you have no technical skills. Look at children drawings, most professional artists love the creations of children. Why? because they don't censor themselves, because they haven't learned the "right" way. Begin to draw intuitively, and see what happens. Is it mostly abstract forms? or do you draw something figurative? 

What attracts you in other artists work? Do you enjoy artwork which is very precise and detailed? or do you prefer something simple and bold? Do you like to draw from memory, or capture a dream? Do you mostly like patterns, in all forms? Or maybe you  like to observe and draw things from your surroundings? Maybe you like a combination of different technics, mixing abstract and figurative forms? Every way is the best way, as long as it is working for you. The most important thing is to start listening to your own inner guidance. What do you like? What do you want to express? What is important for you? 

If you really like to master a certain skill, you could take a drawing lesson. It's important to follow your urges. But before you sign up, try to do it your own way. If you want to draw faces, try to draw all kinds of faces, look at photos, other artists work or childrens drawings.

I have a collection of drawings I like at Pinterest, take a look if you need some inspiration. Very often your own way is the most charming way, and the "right" way can be the wrong way. I see a lot of technical skilled drawings, that can be very nice and decorative, but seems a little boring to me. The best drawings are the ones which shows the artists personality, and uniqueness.

Be sure, the technical skills that you need to express your self, will follow along if you are consistent in the drawing process, and enjoys it. 

I prefer to work abstract, but it has not always been that way. In many years I worked with both abstract and figurative elements. Now I like to explore mostly abstract forms. But I'am also inspired by figurative elements and you might see a hint of a staircase or a table in my drawings. Read this blogpost for more inspiration: "Find inspiration everywhere" I also love sculptures and installations, I have a board on Pinterest, I call sculptures and installations I like, here I have a huge collection. Take a look:-)

• Turtorials and tips
  • May 15, 2019 How to take your drawings, to the next level.
  • Apr 30, 2019 Be bold, let your light out.
  • Apr 6, 2019 How to start your drawing praxis.
  • Mar 8, 2019 What to do when you are stucked in the creative process??
  • Feb 13, 2018 How do you work with composition?
  • Jan 8, 2018 Make a kickstart.
  • Nov 20, 2017 Go bigger.
  • Nov 8, 2017 What is your drawings all about?
  • Oct 31, 2017 Wait!! Before you throw that drawing in the bin!!!!!
  • Oct 12, 2017 Find inspiration everywhere.
  • Oct 12, 2017 Experiment with shapes and lines.
  • Oct 12, 2017 Want to find your own visual language ?
• psycological aspects
  • May 26, 2020 Holding your flow.
  • May 6, 2020 The world is yours.
  • Apr 22, 2020 Let your heart decide.
  • Apr 18, 2020 Create from your self.
  • Apr 4, 2020 Expand your own signature.
  • Oct 9, 2019 How to shift out of the 3d perspective.
  • Sep 20, 2019 What is it, to be grounded?
  • Sep 10, 2019 How to follow your own flow.
  • Jul 28, 2019 Releasing your resistance to the moment.
  • Jul 15, 2019 Don't wait for life to be perfect, let go of control.
  • Jun 1, 2019 How to raise your vibration, through the creative process.
  • Apr 1, 2019 How embracing all parts of you, will help you in your art making.
  • Feb 20, 2019 Don’t resist the moment. Live your dream.
  • Feb 10, 2019 Why are we so hard on ourselves?
  • Feb 1, 2019 It's okay to say NO.
  • Jan 2, 2019 Let yourself shine in 2019 :-)
  • Nov 22, 2018 Look at your obstacles as adventures.
  • Feb 2, 2018 How to stay in the process?
  • Dec 20, 2017 Slow down
  • Dec 12, 2017 There is no "right" way.
  • Dec 5, 2017 Why it's important to unlearn.
  • Oct 12, 2017 Let your feelings be your guide.
  • Sep 5, 2017 Don't be afraid of change:-)
  • Sep 5, 2017 Express your feelings
  • Sep 5, 2017 Can drawing be a kind of meditation?
• turtorials
  • Apr 6, 2019 How to start your drawing praxis.
• video
  • May 15, 2019 How to take your drawings, to the next level.
  • Apr 30, 2019 Be bold, let your light out.
  • Apr 1, 2019 How embracing all parts of you, will help you in your art making.
  • Mar 8, 2019 What to do when you are stucked in the creative process??
  • Feb 20, 2019 Don’t resist the moment. Live your dream.
  • Feb 10, 2019 Why are we so hard on ourselves?
  • Feb 1, 2019 It's okay to say NO.