Some of you have been with me since I shared a lot more spiritual/psychic development type of content. I don't do this anymore because there came a point where the business I had created was suffering - I was confusing my audience. My survival required a choice/focus. I was advised to focus on art, and ya know it felt like a bit of a relief to allow my magical experiences to be just mine again. That being said I experience the most interesting things day to day, and this one is relevant to our group. This morning I awoke out of a dream, and as I do I went right to interpreting it. I find I understand the symbols and message better in that state. I began to get help from my guidance in the form of clairvoyant images, like a character from my dream shown to me in a way that meant the difficulty was from my childhood. The next image, and this is why I'm sharing it ... was the floating head of Stephanie Weirathmueller !! I mulled over what the symbolism could be in this context and then it hit me! "Be gentle with yourself" And as I landed on the message the soles of both of my feet warmed to confirm. Stephanie! Your head will probably forever be my guide's symbol for this. Wow. To embody this message so clearly that your smiling face is an icon. Nice work!!! PS. 1. I'm very much looking forward to seeing you all this Saturday for Creativity Club. 2. New Offering: I have scheduled 4 events on the calendar over the next year to offer my assistance to you in professional development subjects: Bios/Statements and Website Review. In each event in the skool calendar I have placed the link to sign up for the workshops. These will not be drop in. You can also do it here. https://www.feliciaforte.com/skool-workshop-signups

This is what I've created for us. I have scheduled 4 events on the calendar over the next year to offer my assistance to you in Bios/Statements and Website Review. In each event in the skool calendar I have placed the link to sign up for the workshops. These will not be drop in. You can also do it here. https://www.feliciaforte.com/skool-workshop-signups

When I decided to forgo our live workshops, Kelley said she was interested in the subject of plein air painting. As you may or may not know I was an avid plein air painter for many years. It was my most popular class. I got to the point where I was invited to present at a plein air convention... this is where I looked around and thought: "I am NOT a plein air painter, I'm over it!" It may have been the culture there, the cosplay of wearing outdoor gear in a convention center, the demos from photos which absolutely do not convey anything about painting outdoors. And the fact that Eric Rhoads, an organizer asked me to come up to his room and pose for him. My response was "I think YOU would probably be the one posing if ANYONE was, as I am a presenter here!" 🤢 After that it was so interesting - my plein air classes just stopped filling. I moved toward portraiture and those classes became popular. I learned SO MUCH from plein air painting. It is the gun slingingest type of painting. You have to make choices and stick with them - hemming and hawing will get you nowhere. While also adapting to the changes inherent in the 'least static subject you can choose to paint from life'. My creative problem solving skills were born with plein air painting. It was also very good for claiming my creativity out loud in the world. At first I was shy to be so seen, but soon I just WAS an artist out in the world. If anyone wants to engage in a conversation about this subject we can do it in the comments. Kelley asked: "I would love information about how you approach site selection, and any other tidbits or helpful hints." Answer: I would choose places I liked to be in. Views I'd seen and admired going about my life. Often times if I was teaching I chose spots that a group could easily disappear into without too much interruption from the public. A restroom is handy! Harder for female anatomy to pee in a bush in certain settings (urban). My mood and energy levels came into it. Sometimes it was nice to pick a place I could walk to. But I was happy to get up early and take a long drive if the location held big inspiration.

This past Monday Rob fell at work and got injured. This has shifted my studio schedule and responsibilities. Prior to this I've been on quite a roll productivity wise. What's helping me now is to allow my energy to dictate my schedule. If I am tired from a change in circumstance I don't pressure myself to get work done. If I feel like I want to go in to the studio and I can, I do. If once I get there I'm tired.. I do something easy like squeeze the old paint tubes to get the last of the paint to the top. I like the beautiful simplicity of -asking my energy. I've held elaborate experiments in the past of never planning any part of my day and instead following only the present intuitive direction. I found I got quite a lot done that way. Since then I've had to combine that flow with self directed structure to engage meaningfully with the world and my work. But having closely observed both structure and flow it's handy to be able to oscillate between them as life requires. And this is key: to be kind to myself when a preferred season of energy shifts into another, to trust the bigger rhythms.

I want ARTISTS to be valued over their work!!!!!! I want hearts and minds to be cherished by how their work emerges naturally. Fuck this commodification of g d everything. We need sacred observation of creation, of the process of learning, of humanity. A body of work should be so specific to the soul that created it that it's like getting to know them, exploring their inner self, a singular experience!!! How much more interesting would going to art shows be if bodies (of work) came in all shapes and sizes.