Sky Blue Pink.
This morning I watched the sunrise. It’s not a rare occasion that I see the sun come up, but today I didn’t walk or go surfing, I just sat and watched. Before the sun broke over the horizon there was an undeniable streak of sky blue pink in the form of a cloud shaped like a starfish. This gave way to deeper shades of rosy gray clouds further in the distance. The more I looked, the more I felt inspired. All of a sudden I felt inspired to paint. Never before in my life have I been “inspired to paint” and I immediately thought about Barbara.
Barbara, if you don’t know her, is a retired pottery teacher who creates art because that is what she was born to do. She sees the world in shapes, colors and expressions; not just the natural world, but humans, politics and relationships as well. Her ability to capture the essence of life at any given moment is unparalleled. She is the woman who made me realize that yoga really is art when we practice to feed our soul and expand our consciousness.
When Barbara came to me 4 years ago she was a private client. She was the first teacher from my past who became a student in the present and I was nervous. In her Intro to Pottery class in high school I remember not being able to throw a cylinder on the wheel, pottery must not be for me. In fact, I had never thought art was my thing. Drawing and coloring as a kid was fun, crafting friendship bracelets and braiding hair was my specialty, but I never identified as an artist. Then maybe 1 year later Barbara started to gift me pieces of art. A handmade valentine, a rice paper curtain with purple flowers, a hanging pot with a plant for the studio. I was right, art isn’t “my” thing, art is a part of human life.
Truth is, if we create anything in our lives we are artists… I love art. I love creating the day moment by moment. I wake in the morning with the intention to be the best I can be, but then life hands me challenges, struggles, bills, a headache, a hole in the paper… The art is making those moments a cohesive part of our being by not letting the bumps in the road throw us off track. Our whole life is a piece of art, we are what we make it to be. So I’m sitting here having déjà vu knowing I have never been here in this moment before, but the feeling is inspired. I have been inspired before. I’m inspired by yoga, by my family + friends, by the sunrise and definitely by Barbara.
I remember once Barbara and I had a mutual friend who was taking vacation. Barbara gifted her a set of paints and paper before her trip even though our friend wasn’t an “artist”. Should the inspiration strike, she now had the tools to try it something new, to be inspired. With any new venture, we try, practice, mess-up, get frustrated, maybe we cry, practice some more, think about giving up… And then hopefully we get inspired. There is beauty in a finished piece of art, but Barbara has taught me that there is more beauty in the process of creating. And the process starts with inspiration.
When you have an idea or a feeling that makes your heart swell, follow that. All the best things in life take time, effort, practice, risks and faith. Trust your inspirations, challenge your doubts and be patient. All is coming…
These are paintings Barbara did of the Ashtanga Primary and Second Series. She used long scrolls of white paper and single strokes, like caligraphy!! To see more of Barbara's art CLICK HERE