My Story~ In My Own Words ~An Interview in VoyageLA Magazine

I am thrilled and honored to share a fun interview for Los Angeles online magazine VoyageLA.

Here’s the link to the article or click on the image above. Enjoy!

 

Thank you for reading and I invite you to share your contributions via comments and connect to me via my Facebook page, explore my Art with Lórien art classes on YouTube, and if you would like to make sure you are notified about more content like this, join my newsletter here to be the first to know when I offer my new programs, including early bird specials and exclusives!

May your days be filled with a sense of wonder, love and the spirit of Aloha,

In love, gratitude and beauty…

 

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Being an Artist: The Top 10 Things That I Am Grateful For

The artist in her element with Water IV ©LEAD

1. I can be in my DIY “glam squad” mode and still work on my paintings!

Sometimes I will have a split commitment, so I’ll take a paint break, shower, get those hot rollers on, then come back and continue with my painting flow!  Love that flexibility!

2. I get to choose my material/content to explore in my creative life.

One of my most favorite aspects of what I do is the fact that my art practice is a personal laboratory in self-examination and an ongoing research project in what I love, what I value.  My original art collections reflect my creative process and the road less traveled that I find myself on steeped in truth, beauty and adventure.  I love this quote by Lena Dunham, “As an artist, you get the opportunity to write the world — or create the world — that exists in your fantasies. It’s a really beautiful thing to do.”  And this quote by legendary Italian curator Massimiliano Gioni, “Artists are people who do things with images in order to understand the world. They have a fierce desire to know themselves.” Oh yeah baby!

3. I get to choose which art materials I am making my art with.

Palette colors make me smile. ©LEAD

I love that we have access to so many art materials and tools to play with!  Today, artists can choose from a HUGE selection of store-bought art supplies and oodles of re-purposed surfaces, media and materials to create with.  My new favorite art supply store when collecting some materials is Lyon Art Supply. It’s one of three stores in a fairly small chain with a rad selection of papers, and sometimes “hard to find” tools that I use.  Also, it’s close to my studio and the best thing about this place, they offer a great and rare 30%! discount for teachers and students!  Awesome!

4. I get to listen to music of my choice and sing out loud whilst I work!

I have a secret passion for singing!  This is something that just a few people know about ’til now!  I used to sing in my classroom and my teenage students were often shocked and caught off guard as they thought,  “who does that?” 🙂  I heard something interesting about people and singing.  There are three places where folks sing freely, do you know where they are?.  1. in the shower 2. in the car, and 3. drunk karaoke! Let’s change that!

When I am in my studio, I am usually plugged into one of my fave Pandora stations… 80s, Indigo Girls, Fleetwood Mac, Ani DiFranco, Donna De Lory (to name a few), and belt it while I am painting or simply in studio.  Perhaps I’ll include an audio clip in a forthcoming blog post….

5. I can make a mess and be outdoors! AND I get to play and it’s super fun!

My blue hands. ©LEAD

I love making a mess and luckily, I don’t mind cleaning up after! Great fun indeed!  The ability to play, to be a child, to lose all sense of self-consciousness and of “doing it right” or having the “correct answer” is one of the rewards of honoring the call to live as an artist in these contemporary times.

6. I can make my own schedule according to the rhythms and cycles of nature.

Sunrise, sundown, seasonal changes, daylight savings, planetary shifts and the cycles of the moon.  I love all of these changes that we get to experience affecting our daily lighting, moods, temps, and keeping the energies alive and fresh.  The ability to be in sync and in harmony with these ever-changing cycles is one of my favorite aspects in keeping my microcosmic creative process in tune with the macrocosmic flow.

7. I get to break the “rules.”

The art world and the world at large operate on many layers of unspoken and spelled out rules and regulations.  One of the best characteristics of being an artist is the fact that although there are these tangible parameters that exist like the art world “market,” art fairs, galleries, critics, etc, bottom line–there is no True North for artists.  To walk the path is to create your own.  This is what is meant by breaking the “rules,” even those we make for ourselves; to create, innovate, re-invent and be willing to fail and to keep going is part of this journey.   One of my favorite quotes on this topic is from Marina Abramović , “When you repeat, you really lose respect for yourself… For me, the studio is a trap to overproduce and repeat yourself. It is a habit that leads to art pollution. Nothing new happens. You don’t surprise yourself. Artists are here to risk, to find new territory. Risk, especially when you are a known artist, includes failing. It is an essential part of process. Failure is healthy for your ego.”

8. I get “free dress” every day, not just sometimes.

The artist in her “free dress” mode. ©LEAD

I love fashion and I love creative self-expression, even if this means wearing an old tank top with worn-in yoga pants and Havaiana flip-flops!  One of the best parts of my day in the studio is the freedom I have to wear whatever I please, especially if this means my most functional and comfortable clothes.  I have worked in many job settings from corporate to educational institutions and have certainly worn the heels, the stockings, the pencil skirts and dry-cleaned shirts.  I loved those days too, and believe me, I will do it when necessary, yet nothing beats comfort and the freedom to move and get dirty without constrictions or limits!  Love my painting clothes!

9. I can work from home with a short commute of two flights of stairs=smaller carbon footprint.

As an artist, I have mainly worked from a home studio, a designated work space ranging from a small room to an outdoor studio to a garage space.  The best part of this setup is the commute is ideal and I feel so much gratitude that I can be green through my choice to work from home.  One of my last teaching jobs included a brutal commute during rush hour, round-trip to the far side of downtown Los Angeles.  That was certainly the toughest part of my day, waking up at 5am and getting home well past 6pm reminded me of what I truly value in life ~ quality time with my loved ones and less time in a car on the roadways!  A friend once said to me, “The quality of your life is reflected in your commute.” Wow.  Check this out.

10. I get to express myself and share my gifts and talents with the world!

The artist with Water V at a recent art exhibition in Southern California. ©LEAD

And, lastly, I feel immense satisfaction from getting to be an artist today.  With so many ways to share our creations and expressions through social media outlets, networking and the internet overall, it’s such an easy pleasure to create and know that I can share my artwork with the world without many obstacles or fuss.  Success is guaranteed when we share our unknown with our community and keep on creating from our essential truth.

I leave you with these inspiring words for the artist in us all from one of my favorite artists of all time.

“Whether you succeed or not is irrelevant — there is no such thing, Making your unknown known is the important thing — and keeping the unknown always beyond you…” — Georgia O’Keeffe

Thank you for reading and I invite you to share your contributions via comments and connections and would love to hear your comments here, reach out via my facebook page, or email me at artwork@lorieneck.com.

May your days be filled with a sense of wonder, love, creativity, adventure and play!

In love, gratitude and beauty…

Art to Awaken Your Heart, Nourish Your Spirit

www.lorieneck.com

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Empowerment • Choice • Support

 

My palette for my Fire series, Elements Collection ©LEAD 2014

Warm end of summer (for those of us in the northern hemisphere) greetings to ya!  It’s been a very warm, yet mild summer here in So Cal and quite the productive one for this artist as I make progress, day by day, on my latest body of work, paintings Fire I, II, III.  As these paintings are born into completion, I will be sharing photos as well as some “in studio, in action” shots.  In addition to working in my studio and attending gallery events at LGOCA (Laguna Gallery of Contemporary Art in Laguna Beach), I feel fortunate and grateful to be able to donate my energy and resources to a great cause that I truly believe in.

The organization is called Girls PACT,  a non-profit, curriculum-based program for young women ages 14-21 based in West L.A. that develops personal values, fosters self-confidence, teaches sexual health, promotes healthy lifestyles and serves the community by empowering young girls to make informed decisions, with confidence, so they may succeed in school, love and life.  Their mission is to inspire young girls to put themselves, their education, goals, and dreams above all else.

I found this to be an inspiring fact about Girls PACT:

OUR Statistics! (check out this link for more info About Girls PACT)

Below are the stats for our Girls PACT program. 

• Nearly 3 in 10 teen girls in the US will get pregnant at least once before age 20
• We have been offering the Girls PACT program for 18 months
• Resulting in ZERO pregnancies
• With ZERO current funding

My own personal experience as a young woman growing up through those tender years provided me a strong “learning curve” of developing self-confidence and making healthy choices, was certainly learned “the hard way”.  Fortunately I had some tough lessons early on which prompted me to be somewhat conservative throughout my high school and early university years.  I certainly experienced my share of painful lessons around self-esteem and self-respect throughout those years, and honestly, I still am growing, evolving and becoming in these areas of Self- realization.  Process, progress, not perfection is a motto that I like.

My inspiration and motivation to support Girls PACT is directly informed by my own traumatic experiences from ages 14-18 as well as my working directly with hundreds of young women ages 11-18 for over 14 years in the public education system.  My life’s journey has been immersed in deep healing and spiritual work, and lots of support from friends, a variety of healing professionals and spiritual teachers.  My vision and commitment is to support young women in any way that I can through sharing my time, energy, resources and my earned wisdom and I have chosen Girls PACT as one of my organizations to give to.  Looking back, I certainly wish that I had mentors during those times, to guide and support me through the labyrinth of changes, choices and opportunities.  With date rape, teen pregnancy, abuse (emotional, physical), body image issues, eating disorders and more on the rise, it is more important than ever to educate, empower and protect young women from these elements of our ever-changing world.

My introduction to Girls PACT is through a good friend of mine who is on the board and I am delighted to be able to donate a Soul Cosmology Painting Experience™ to their 1st Fundraising event, see details below.  All are welcome to this 21+ event!

 To purchase tickets, click here.

 

 Soul Cosmology Painting Experience™ samples

“Lori” Mixed Media on Paper

“Cindy” Mixed Media on Paper

“Kat” Mixed Media on Paper

Thank you for reading and I invite you to share your contributions via comments and connections and would love to hear from you via commenting on this blog, my face book page, or email lorien@lorieneck.com.

In love, gratitude and beauty…

www.lorieneck.com

“Art has the power to heal.” ~ Lórien

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Silence as good medicine, just like beauty sleep!

Kalani Wedding Flowers ©LE Fine Art (photo)

“If there were a little more silence, if we all kept quiet…maybe we could understand something.”

  ~Federico Fellini

The month of October was a very special month for me.  After a solid commitment and about 4 months of careful preparation, that included a renewed daily yoga practice, more silence and lots of focused inner work, I felt ready for my retreat at Kalani with one of my teachers’ Cass.  The title of our retreat was Path of Love and its focus was LOVE.  Love as a practice, love for the journey itself, love through all of the spirals, curves, twists, turns and for the SELF.  The retreat center itself was on the Big Island of Hawaii, where Pele the goddess of fire and passion resides.  Kalani retreat center is a beautiful backdrop and sacred container for any retreat, gorgeous jungle, clean air and away from civilization.  Truly a ‘bubble’ enclosing a tropical paradise serving as a crucible for many a phoenix rising.

Our retreat encompassed diving into breath work, movement, art-making, dancing, bio aquatic time in the Watsu pool, silence, sharing and  lots and lots of PLAY in the quantum field of LOVE.  During our 5-day “intensive” together, we honored a day of silence.  This intentional silence time/space truly provided me with my nourishment and the integration that is essential after so much deep unwinding and unraveling…. Yum!  I enjoyed that silence time so much that after retreat concluded, I spent more time in silence during my extended stay at Kalani.  I experienced pure pleasure as I steeped in my own medicinal brew of heightened  SELF awareness, synchronicities and surprises.

Silence has also been a core theme of my long time Raja yoga meditation practice started up in 2001.  So, this was nothing “new” to me, but is so so so integral to propelling my creative evolution forward at this juncture.  What this silence provides for me now is the critical “stitching up” and full embodiment of what emerges and is dis-cover-ed through such a retreat, or any created space for personal growth.  So, as each day rolls out, my beat goes on of weaving the tapestry of my gifts to offer up to our world in a form that is visible, vibrant and juicy…

Thank you for reading and I invite you to write your contributions via comments and connections and would love to hear from you via this blog, my face book page, or email lorien@lorieneck.com.

In love, gratitude and beauty…

Personally Experienced and Recommended Resources

Awake-One

Cass Phelps is an amazing individual and his inspired body of work and offerings have been a phenomenal resource for me! His work is comprehensive, relevant and rich…I am eternally grateful to one of my lifetime teachers, Cass.

Kalani Retreat Center

         Kalani is Hawaii’s largest retreat center, one of the best-loved centers  in the world for more than 35 years.

The Torus

The involuting of the Self into itSelf.

www.lorieneck.com

“When you become aware of silence, immediately there is that state of inner still alertness. You are present. You have stepped out of thousands of years of collective human conditioning.”

-Eckhart Tolle

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Surfing the Waves of Change

Waves ©LE Fine Art 2013 (photo)

The secret of change is to focus all your energy,

not on fighting the old, but on building the new.

~Socrates

Firstly, Happy New Moon! We’ve arrived to the harvest month of September, the time of the year when the gradual transition of the autumn season starts to stir in the winds. This time of the year is also very rich and fertile for me, as it’s the time of my solar return, my birth-day~ now what I refer to as my “re-Birth” time of the annual cycle. I love it! The feeling that I relish in is what I have come to know as the “pregnant pause“. It’s the introverted, reflective and introspective pause when I relax into this pause before both my personal and the collective seasonal transition comes to pass. And, this is the harvest season and blossoms, and abundance is everywhere!

Themes that I have been exploring lately in the midst of these winds of change, (and that are also being experienced in my friends and family circle), are the themes of acceptance and receiving. Looking at each separately is not viably possible, in my opinion, these themes are inextricably linked.

I have been meditating on and folding in acceptance of who I am, as a multi-dimensional being; ALL of myself, my brilliant light, my shadow, my sacred wounds, my need for community and support, and my Divinity. Accepting what is, accepting people as they are, and accepting each moment for its beauty, its perfection and its imperfection. Acceptance is an act of generosity, compassion, patience and love towards the Self and others. Sometimes when there is a lack of understanding, compassion or patience, acceptance is the medicine that soothes like a healing balm. Acceptance is the ultimate act of grace. (Jessica Shepherd) What comes to mind is the beautiful work of my friend Alaya DeNoyelles, from her book The Sovereignty of Love. Her work weaves together the Hawaiian healing art of Ho’oponopono, ancient wisdom and modern science inspiring what she calls: unconditional loving presence. This also sums up what I am feeling about acceptance from Osho: “Don’t say this is good and is bad. Drop all discrimination. Accept everything as it is. Liberation cannot be desired because desire is the bondage. When you are desireless, you are liberated. Tantra accepts everything, lives everything.”

Receiving is the call of the Sacred Feminine within all of us, the rise of the Divine Feminine in our times is to balance out the energies of the masculine and feminine within/without. Being a woman and conditioned to give, to over give, and at times in the past, to give from a place of deficit, has come up for transformation in 2013 and receiving fully has become my soul’s natural evolution. Receiving had not been a habit or behavior that was modeled for me, therefore, I am in a process of remembering how to receive. Learning to receive is an ongoing practice of mine inspired to balance out the imbalance of over giving in all areas of my life: career, personal relationships and across the board really. What I am especially and more importantly interested in is in receiving myself whilst I am giving. Giving in and of itself is essential, yet to give from a place of wholeness, completeness, fullness and love, is the key to avoiding experiencing ‘burnout’ or feeling drained. What does that mean, to receive oneself? I invite you to reflect on this for yourself and I’ll be exploring more on this beautiful topic in my future posts.

In closing, the tides of change are upon us, in the cosmic realm and on an individual deeply internal level. It is a great time to take it all in stride, to integrate the new and let go of the old, continue to live from our opulent, abundant space and give lavishly to ourselves and each other. Love much and love often!

I invite you to write your contributions via comments and connections and would love to hear from you via this blog, my face book page, or email lorien@lorieneck.com.

In love, gratitude and beauty…

Personally Experienced and Recommended Resources

Awake-One

Cass Phelps is an amazing individual and his inspired body of work and offerings have been a phenomenal resource for me! His work is comprehensive, relevant and rich…I am eternally indebted to my teacher Cass.

Mystic Mamma

I love this website, always on the pulse of the cosmos in a positive way.

Moonkissed Astrology

I enjoy Jessica’s perspective and writing style!

Rob Brezny’s Free Will Astrology

Pure Awakened Genius!

The Sovereignty of Love

by Alaya DeNoyelles

_______________________________

“Live your questions now, and perhaps even without knowing it,

you will live along some distant day into your answers.

Be patient toward all that is unresolved in your heart.

Learn to love the questions themselves.”

~Rainer Maria Rilke

“What we are, the world is.
Without our own transformation,
there can be no transformation of the world.”
~Sri J Krishnamurti

www.lorieneck.com

 

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Always Bring Your “A” Game

Ciel/Mer XIV, 29″X41″, Mixed Media on Paper ©LE Art & Design

With my 3-part Pray, Love, Eat series coming to a halt (for now) I am now free to share, well, free-ly!

September is one of my favorite times of the year… why you might ask?  Well, it’s really all about my birthday!  😉  But frankly, it does have something to do with the annual cycle of my early September birth-day and rhythms that this time of the year seems to invoke in all of us.  Time to go back to school, get serious, summer is over, it’s time where the “rubber hits the road”, and when we re-commit to what we maybe took a summer “break” from….

Does that resonate with you?  Do you re-examine and re-commit to the lofty plans, dreams, intentions that you planted seeds for in the winter and spring during this time of transition of late summer to the Autumnal  Equinox?
If not, why not?  It is a naturally easier time to “get serious” with the collective going back to university, grade school, or secondary to teach or be a student, so everyone is that groove.  As this cycle comes around again, I find  myself naturally self-reflecting into what my deeper, most meaningful passions and intentions are and either digging my heels in deeper or letting some ideas, seeds, plans go…And, when these intentions for creating and action are firm and feel good, then it’s time to bring your “A” game!

What does it mean to You to “bring your “A” game”?  I ask you to think about that for a second….  do you know what that looks like for you, whatever the context or circumstance?  I experienced a situation recently where this very question came up for me and it was a revelation to deepen my experience of the I AM, my highest and best SELF.

Days after this revelation, I was having a conversation with a good friend about this topic and he commented, “how can you NOT bring your “A” game?”  And, you know what, he’s right! Even if you do not want the job, the opportunity, the girl, the guy, etc…. that’s NOT what the “A” game is about.  Of course we “bring it” when we have expectations and desire a certain outcome, but that’s not was this is about.  It’s about how you and (I) feel about ourselves… It’s about self-respect, self-worth, deserving, and the lot.  It’s all about YOU!  At the end of the day… it’s all about the I AM.

Thank you for reading and I invite you to share your contributions via comments and connections and would love to hear from you via this blog, my face book page, or email lorien@lorieneck.com.

Until Next time…

Much love and beauty,

Lórien

Recommended Resources

Inside Out

Phenomenal New Music Album from friend

Michael Timothy

Essence Building Heart Breath

with Essence Coach Kathleen Nelson Troyer

AMAZING, effective quick process to connect with your Heart!!

Deserving Vs. Entitlement with Ask Teal

Spot on to the Point and empowering in ALL ways….

www.lorieneck.com

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The Galactic Tide of Change

Greetings!

©LE Art & Design

My topic for this blog is taking risks, leaps of faith and the concept of attachments.  That’s a lot, right?  Well, I am simply going to touch on these rich focus areas.  I have been ruminating, meditating upon, and moving towards some big changes in my life as of late.  It’s an exciting time to be alive and although I am eternally grateful for the life that I am living now, I see paths ahead that require that I take some key risks and and require that I take a leap!

My daily aim and objective is to achieve not only a degree of clarity about these decisions, changes, and “power moves”, but to also feel a deeper sense of peace and acceptance as I move forward in a specific direction.  This has not been so easy, but I have been getting lots of support and help along the way.  For instance, just today, a friend sent me a little I-ching or sound bite today that said, “Go out on a limb, that’s where the fruit is” and well quite frankly, I feel that this is probably true.  If one truly wants to experience the satisfaction that comes from fulfillment, then, some sort of risk must be taken “out of the comfort zone”.

What also is coming up during this shift for me, is a re-e-valu-ation of my personal attachments.  It is so interesting to me how much actual stuff accumulates, the amount of “things” that form around a person, and how the subtle strings of attachment bind us to get stuck in it all.  Attachments to people, well that is a whole other story!  That is in process too….I am finding my attachments are one of the toughest terrains to navigate at the moment, but will stay determined so that I can reach my goals, stay true, and follow the guidance of my higher self.

So, as I venture ahead, I leave you with these words from Anthony De Mello:

“The moment you pick u pan attachment, the functioning of this lovely apparatus called the human heart is destroyed.”  He says, “You must choose between your attachment and happiness.  You cannot have both.  The moment you pick up an attachment, your heart is thrown off kilter and your ability to lead a joyful carefree life is destroyed.”

Some suggested resources for your journey:

The Way to Love Anthony De Mello

Any book by Anthony De Mello

DNA Evolution

Thank you for reading and I invite you to share your contributions via comments and connections and would love to hear from you via this blog, my face book page, or email lorien@lorieneck.com.

In love and light,

Lórien

www.lorieneck.com

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