SOUL HIATUS

Acrylic paint on vellum bristol.  46" x 36".

JUST LOOKING FOR TROUBLE

I once had a student

Who would sit alone in his house at night

Shivering with worries

And fears,

And come morning,

He would often look as though

He had been raped 

By a ghost.

Then one day my pity

Crafted for him a knife

From my own divine sword.

Since then,

I have become very proud

Of this student.

For now, come night,

Not only has he lost all his fear,

Now he goes out

Just looking for

Trouble.

~Hafiz

Today marks my first day of my Soul Hiatus for 2011.  This is a tradition I have done now three years in a row where for the month of December I unplug myself from the internet--social media--blogging--etc. etc. and use my energy and focus to go inward and to share with my loved ones.

My intention is to spend more time meditating, savoring stillness, and embracing the moment fully as winter begins to show it's subtle face here in the desert.  December is also the month of my birth--and a time I consider very sacred.  And for this year, I find myself blessed with the gift of life inside me as well--making this Soul Hiatus even more reverent and necessary.

I don't have any specific rules I abide by.  Who knows--I might be so moved by something to share a blog post here and there--but I will do so with great mindfulness.  My Soul Hiatus is not some kind of online challenge or trend.  I'm only following what I know is best for me--for my heart--for my life as a person devoted to staying entwined and deeply connected to Creative Source.  And to be honest, I find that this time of year is so beautiful and special but so much of it is lost by all the noise and glitter.  I don't want to miss the heart of it.  Not one bit.

But being that Dirty Footprints Studio is not just my passion, but my full time business as well--I will not be completely unplugged from the computer.  I will still attend to emails, my online workshops, and will be delivering a few of my newsletters too!!  Most importantly, I will be reflecting and assessing the year gone by and preparing for another fantastic year of FEARLESS™ Painting ahead.  When January arrives you can expect tons of great stuff--such as.....

• The official announcement of IGNITE--my FEARLESS™ Painting Teacher Training Program that will begin September 2012!!

• TOTAL ALIGNMENT will go on sale!!! This is my FEARLESS™ Painting Retreat that will be taking place again in beautiful Sedona, Arizona in October 2012.

• My third annual 21 SECRETS: Art Journal Playground will go on sale January 2, 2012--and officially open April 1st! (Plus--on Monday, December 5th we will be announcing the workshops--and there will be a special goodie for all the participants in the current 21 SECRETS!!)

• LIFE BOOK--an amazing, mixed media, year long collaborative online workshop hosted by Tam Laporte of Willowing.com will begin!!  There is still time to register!!  I'll be teaching there along with a wonderful group of other Artists and I can't wait!

• My beloved online FEARLESS™ Painting Adventure BIG will start Sunday, January 15, 2012!!! There is still space available--and it is on sale all through the month of December!! For more information and to register hop on over HERE!

Plus there will be more goodies and fun stuff as well!

Please sign up for my Dirty Footprints Studio newsletter 

to always be the first to know!!

Wishing everyone a happy Holiday Season

and a peaceful-L♡VE-drenched December!

...now onto my Soul Hiatus...

BIG Hugs, Connie