FEARLESS® Painting

THE BIRTH OF FEARLESS®

I have always considered myself a painter.  Even ever since I was a little itty bitty I'd choose a paintbrush over a Barbie.  And as I grew into an adult I felt that if I was to keep justifying my desire to keep painting--I must make it profitable as well.  So on top of investing tens of thousands of dollars on a degree in painting, I slowly began forfeiting my pure love for painting to try and lasso the art market-- in which, honestly, I had no desire to be a part of in the first place.

For a whole decade--making art was a constant struggle.  But painting gave me life.

Painting (intuitively) on-the-side is what fueled me, helped give me direction, healed me, empowered me, and connected me directly with my creative source time and time again.  This practice--this energy--felt more like meditation.  My paintings lacked cohesiveness in the academic sense--but the art that I was creating--you know the stuff I attached a price tag to--that was cerebral, well executed, researched, and full of some form of purpose, poetry, or plan.

My paintings I did on-the-side were simply full of me.

In late 2009 I finally decided to try something new.  I finally stopped worrying about making art to please everyone else and instead chose to be fearless, period.  To listen to my painting--not the imaginary buyers I heard in my head.  To follow my bliss--my happiness--instead of dollar signs.  To believe in myself and not the market.

And thus, FEARLESS® Painting was born.

When I started to paint fully for myself--from purely the act of listening to the direction of my innate wisdom--ironically I made more money from my paintings in one year than I did in a whole decade.  In 2010 alone I had  42 FEARLESS® Painting commissions--that's almost one every week!  Eventually I decided even to let go of taking commissions, for those too have stifled my pure love and sacred practice of FEARLESS® Painting.

To tell you the truth, FEARLESS® Painting changed my entire life.  FEARLESS® Painting keeps me in total alignment with my creative source, it helps strengthen my intuition, and it grants me the courage to ruthlessly believe in myself.  Because of my FEARLESS® Painting Practice I quit a job that was making me miserable to pursue Dirty Footprints Studio full time--and my life has been more joyful, abundant, and fulfilling ever since.

And since I've embraced FEARLESS® Painting with a heart wide open and have reaped its benefits tenfold--I have made it my mission--my purpose-to understand it deeply, to keep exploring it honestly, and to share it with as many people as possible ready to receive its gifts.

The core, the essence, the heartbeat of Dirty Footprints Studio is FEARLESS® Painting.  Staying in total alignment with Creative Source is my life's devotion.  And from this deep devotion I live my truth--I share my gifts--I help others to align with their Creative Source and paint FEARLESS®.

What Is FEARLESS® Painting?  

It is a process...a practice...an oracle...a guide...a mirror to your true self.  FEARLESS® Painting is not about the painting.  It is not a way of painting or a fancy technique or even a method.  It is more like a meditation--a tool to put your mind, body, and spirit in total alignment with creative source itself.  And in this space--truth reveals itself--and so do your dreams.  But also in this space fear, pain, obstacles, and habits that no longer serve us arise as well--and that's the beauty of this practice.  FEARLESS® Painting gives you the opportunity to rise above it all--to listen deeply to your heart--and to trust so crazy mad in your beautiful self--and see what happens when you do.

FEARLESS® Painting is a process that follows a form.  The form is designed to provide the FEARLESS® Painter with an opportunity to align with their creative source by becoming more aware of the workings of their mind, tapping into the energetics of their body, and examining and reflecting upon their personal belief systems.  Through the FEARLESS® Painting Process the painter is encouraged to listen to the painting by staying fully in the now and following where it leads.

Here are a few of the basics of FEARLESS® Painting:

1.  Each  FEARLESS® Painting is built and discovered through the  scribble, line, shapes, and the act of painting like a five year old.  Through these four principles the FEARLESS® painter always has the tools to  interact with the process no matter how they are feeling.

2.  Gut reactions, first thoughts, deep feelings, and hunches are what guides the painting--so for the process to fully blossom--the FEARLESS® Painter must surrender to their innate wisdom and let the painting be what it is going to be.  Believe me--this takes practice!

3.  Curiosity is a main component of FEARLESS® Painting.

4.  It's best to begin working with materials that are less expensive so the worry about "wasting materials" does not become an unnecessary obstacle to the process.

5.  Staying fully present in the body through painting big, standing up, and moving and focusing on the breath while working helps the FEARLESS® Painter become aware of possible physical, emotional, and energetic blockages may be occurring.

The FEARLESS® Painting Adventures


On July 4, 2010, BIG--the first of my FEARLESS® Painting Adventures online began!! Since than I have guided over 200 FEARLESS® Painters and have witnessed amazing breakthroughs, positive life changes, deep healing, and rockstar awesomeness rise from other souls world-wide experiencing the FEARLESS® Painting Process for themselves.  Plus I will be hosting a sold out FEARLESS® Painting retreat in Sedona, Arizona in Autumn 2011.

Are you ready to paint FEARLESS™?  Than I would love for you to join me!  Be sure to visit the Workshops & Retreats page for more information and to register.

   

 How To Try FEARLESS® Painting On Your Own

Want to explore FEARLESS® Painting on your own before you dive right into the FEARLESS® Painting Adventures?!  Than jump on over to Total Alignment HERE where I share a few exercises you can experiment with FEARLESS® Painting and have fun aligning your body, mind, spirit with creative source!!

Common Questions About FEARLESS® Painting

Do I have to paint large to paint FEARLESS®?
Painting FEARLESS® is NOT about the painting itself.  The main purpose of FEARLESS® Painting is to place your focus on the actual inner process happening as you paint--and less on our pesky, never satisfied, judgmental mind of ours.  To help us do this more effectively we paint big.  In painting big--and by standing up and putting our full body into the action of painting itself--we gain the opportunity to move, feel, and truly be in our bodies--and we begin to become more aware of the way creative energy flows through--as well as where physical blockages prevent creative energy from flowing as well.

Do I have to be an Artist or experienced at painting to paint FEARLESS®?
Once again, FEARLESS® Painting is not about the painting. Fancy techniques, cool painting methods, art theory, refined skills, and even any kind of "artistic talent" are not necessary to possess to reap the full juiciness of the FEARLESS® Painting Process. What is necessary is a willingness to learn about yourself and to explore your creativity with an open heart and open mind.

Will FEARLESS® Painting make me a better/worse Artist?
Guess what?  FEARLESS® Painting is not about the painting!  So the focus is of course not on the actual skills needed to paint.  FEARLESS® Painting is very powerful for Artists--in that it is designed to guide you into alignment with your creative source.  FEARLESS® Painting is not about how you paint--but rather where the paintings are coming from--how inspiration is not something you need to search or wait for--but rather align yourself with.  FEARLESS® Painting is about surrendering completely to  your innate wisdom--and letting your heart guide your brushstrokes.  From my own experience--and from witnessing over a hundred other Artists explore FEARLESS® Painting, I know that this practice can be very challenging.  Academic conditioning and even habit and personal comfort zones created over years of successfully creating Art many times create obstacles for the Artists at first to embrace the process--but once these initial fears and insecurities are examined and released---a new sense of excitement, passion, and confidence take their place.  It's much like going back to painting as a child--except with way more skill and talent to boot!

Is FEARLESS® Painting "Art Therapy"?
First, let me state that I am not an Art Therapist.  I am an Artist with almost two decades of painting professionally, a licensed Art teacher with over 15+ years experience teaching,  a Certified (500 hour) Yoga Teacher, and a devoted seeker of truth through my own creativity and FEARLESS® Painting Practice.  Together I use all of my experience, background, and professional training to create environments and opportunities for people to use FEARLESS® Painting as a tool to help awaken FEARLESS® creativity, strengthen their trust in their innate wisdom,  and align themselves with creative source.  Even though healing and emotional growth is many times the bi-product of FEARLESS® Painting--it is not the focus or intention behind it's design.

What do you mean by creative source?

FEARLESS™ Painting at the Joyfully Jobless Jamboree
in Austin, Texas. October 2010.

Creative source is labeled something different to everyone.  For the purpose of explaining FEARLESS® Painting, when I speak of aligning with one's creative source--usually I am implying that there are blockages keeping one from staying fully in the flow of their creativity and even their own lives.  Creative source--if you care to look at it as prana, energy, the universe, the muse, the goddess, god, or buddha--flows through us naturally by simply keeping our vital organs and physical body alive and going.  This same creative source that keeps our hearts beating, our blood moving, and our stomaches a grumbling is the same creative source that fuels our own creativity and is communicated to us directly through our innate wisdom--or as some call it: intuition.  In FEARLESS® Painting we become more aware of the blockages that form mentally, emotionally, and even physically to keep us from staying in that great flow--and through FEARLESS® Painting as well we let go, rise above, and even at times grow compassionate towards these blockages and thus--aligning our body, mind, and spirit once again with our own creative source.


Does FEARLESS® Painting have to be figurative, messy, abstract, or strange?
There are many misconceptions that FEARLESS® Painting. or intuitive painting in general, has to be messy or fast or done with great rapture.  Honestly--I find that misconception kind of silly.  Do you ever know your intuition-or innate wisdom to be something that is messy, high speed, or done with great rapture?  That's not to say that sometimes your FEARLESS® Painting Practice may not call you to paint as so--but it is certainly not a standard criteria of FEARLESS® Painting.  The fact is that there is no criteria for how you should paint--or even what you should paint when painting FEARLESS®.  The focus is on painting what and how your true inner voice--your innate wisdom guides you to.  Sometimes this may come out as a naked woman riding a dragon in a shoe store--other times it may look like simple squiggles and shapes--and other times--who knows!!  That is the fun of FEARLESS® Painting--it is full of surprises!

Some Of My Own FEARLESS® Painting

Be love, spread light, paint FEARLESS®.