Soaring To New Heights

The Inspiration…

This painting began with a thought that popped into my mind one morning. What if every broken wing is not ours to fix? What if our job is to heal our own wings and soar to higher heights, while encouraging others and reminding them of their own strength to fly?

That thought gave me chills, and quickly inspired me to create.

The Allowing…

This is where I had to give myself permission to step away from my to-do list. Like you, I have plenty of things I should be doing. I do have scheduled studio time, but creativity doesn’t always arrive on schedule. This day I allowed myself to pause the shoulds and follow the creative impulse. I’m so glad I did!

The Creating… I didn’t have a plan for what this piece was going to look like. One decision simply led to another. When I stop trying to control the outcome, the process can feel almost like being guided. I went to my collage-paper stash, and chose some antique looking papers because I wanted something simple and ephemeral as the background. Rather than trying to paint a realistic wing, I used sweeping strokes and monochromatic colors to suggest feathers. The gold highlights were an afterthought.

The Discovery…

Then, days later, I noticed something I had completely missed. The collage papers I had painted over were actually travel manifests written in French. And there, peeking through the paint, were words like navigation and destination. I had chosen those papers because I liked their simplicity and colors. When I finally noticed the words, I had to smile at the extra layer of meaning.

The Connections… Today, we talked so much about manifesting our best selves and our best lives. For me, that idea connects to this painting in a deep way. Perhaps soaring isn’t about having everything figured out or know exactly where we are going. Perhaps it’s about listening for what calls us, following it, and trusting ourselves enough to take the next step.

The Curiosity… Now I’m curious about you. What keeps you soaring?

And perhaps more importantly- How do you balance caring for yourself with caring for other others? I would love to hear from you.