Finding Your Light
As an artist, my entire life has been a practice of process, engaging the inner workings of my mind, learning to master my imagination and inspiration, collecting data and then reframing that research into acts of creation.
I am a research-creation-based artist. I just never knew what that was until recently. Perhaps we all are in our own way. I like to think of my work as a means of living, a mission to unfold what I am destined to share. When I study, I practice exploring and navigating the windows of insight and perspective while grounding this process into immersive works of art that reflect my larger-than-life concepts and ideas.
Since childhood, I’ve known the balance of working on a large scale and what it offered me. It was always an invitation to explore the nature of who we are when we engage the concept that “we are all living works of art in motion.”
We engage in this through the act of play and by allowing ourselves to look inward while we engage our surroundings to create. There is a Guru in Portugal, Moojibaba, who speaks of awakening to the I Am as observing the one who is observing until there is a spaciousness experienced within. I believe there is room here to examine how we are all creators of our reality, and as an artist, I examine how this is possible. Then, as I find moments of revelation, I share them with the public through the creative act.
I speak, write, paint, and draw, creating worlds of work that allow the senses to explore.
When we find our light, I believe we acknowledge not just who we are or why we are but also how we want to apply that knowledge in new and innovative ways. Lately, I’ve been thinking of how the written word, or the act of painting, can be new when all creative processes are traditional practices to communicate our intelligence.
I believe newness is more about where we land on the spectrum of adaptability when we choose to engage a particular idea or experience within the cycles of our collective reality. Currently, I’ve been exploring the process of slow making, taking my time by engaging the experiences I encounter in the world as research and a means to examine these concepts my mind is so infatuated with.
With slow making, I have begun to explore the making of textiles and have been examining the conversations (of women in particular) that happen around them. I’ve noticed that historically, women have used textile work to explore their artistic expression and have forged great relationships through the making of them in community circles.
With the oh-so-common disconnection in our Western societies, it’s no wonder that as we grow within ourselves and our communities, we are seeing a strong pull for workshop-oriented experiences where people can gather and reconnect with friends or family they haven’t seen in some time.
Through these experiences, we learn more about each other. When engaged in consciousness exploration, we often find means to communicate the concepts that have been fluttering about our minds but have yet to ground into creative practice.
This is one of the most beautiful aspects of our potential. When we choose to slow down, we find time to connect with ourselves and others, and in turn, new concepts, creative practices, and community engagement take root. As these grow in time, so too do our minds and our means of making an impact in the world.
As we navigate our journeys forward, slowing down and connecting deeply with ourselves and our communities becomes essential. With this, I invite you to take a moment to reflect on your life or creative practices and the ways you engage with the world around you.
How can you embrace the process of slow-making in your own life?
Think about it. Then, notice how slowing down causes our world to glisten and glow. Thank you for being a part of this journey. Together, we can continue to uncover the beauty and potential within ourselves and our world.
xo Nimea
