Friday, February 13, 2015

A little Corner of Heaven

Welcome Everyone,
Today was another truly beautiful day along the California Coast.  Today I stopped and allowed myself to enjoy it.  I decided to be generous to myself for a change-to give myself just a bit of luxury.  I walked down to the Little Red Cafe in my town and ate breakfast.  I know this probably doesn't sound like much but for me its huge.  I don't need to tell you that the last 7 years have been difficult for me. I've lost pretty much everything I spent years working towards-my job, my house,family members,my studio,and now my dogs. Because of the lack of available cash I stopped allowing myself any luxuries.  I figured that because I wasn't pulling in much money that I didn't deserve to treat myself.  I needed to just go home and work- to be a successful artist.  Recently through the 12 step program "The Artists Way" I have started to change my thinking. In the process I have found a little corner of Heaven.  This corner is called The Montara Cafe and Bakery-I just call it the Little Red Cafe. And today I quite literally found a corner all for myself and my inner artist.  Here's our little corner.
This is perfect-it faced out to the ocean, the window was open and a soft breeze was blowing . I was enjoying a wonderful breakfast and watching the world go by in a local friendly eatery-(one of my favorite things). It felt sinful sitting there watching the ocean, eating breakfast instead of  working.  But it also felt so good. It felt right-like finally taking a deep breath. Because of this hour of luxury I am ready to work on a project that I have been dragging my feet on for some time now-I feel that "sense of abundance" that the Artists Way talks about - a sense of renewel. In the months ahead I will continue to fight to give myself these little gifts because as the Artist's Way states " art is born in expansion, in a belief in sufficient supply, it is critical that we pamper ourselves for the sense of abundance it brings to us."
                                                                                                          -Julia Cameron

So I guess my message to anyone reading is : don't deny yourself a little luxury. If you do you may deny yourself of your creativity which can only manifest as a result of the joy. 

The Montara Bakery and Cafe along highway 1 (Cabrillo Hwy) in Montara, Ca. 

 Creativity lives in paradox: serious art is born from serious play
                                                                             -Julia Cameron-The Artists Way

2 comments:

Pamela Wertz Peterson said...

Hi Connie. I took some collage classes from you at Palace Arts in Capitola several years ago. I live in Santa Cruz. I have a friend in Marin who is interested in meeting me "half-way" for events, such as art classes. Please let me know of any classes you are teaching in your area or of any way my friend and I could arrange to do some work with you. Many thanks. Pamela Peterson pamelasart@yahoo.com

Connie said...

Hi Pamela!
So nice to hear from you. Sadly I am not teaching any more. People just stopped taking classes when the economy fell to such a low. Unfortunately that caused me to lose my studio and therefore my teaching space here on the coast. I now am working on my very small kitchen table. Let me know what you are interested in-maybe I know someone else that might teach what you want. I am a member of a large art group here and some of the members might be teaching this year.
Connie