creative process

The Red Crayon

| Bonnie Kelso

Dreams are so weird. Well, mine are to me. If I told you about them you would probably find them really boring, so I will spare you that. I did have one last night where it was a dream inside a dream. Those are rare. In my dream I was telling two people about what we were doing in a dream, and yes, their eyes were glazing over as I spoke… in my dream!

Although most dreams are strange and hardly seem worth remembering when the alarm goes off in the morning, some dreams seem to demand our attention. Those dreams feel more lucid and not like a dream at all. There’s something different about the light, the feel, the sounds and the overall intensity of them. Have you had one of these lately? Do you know what I’m talking about?

crayon

Mine was simple and non-threatening. It was a red crayon. It was just lying there waiting for me to pick it up. I remember exactly what it looked like.  It was one of those big chunky crayons, made for little hands. It was new and perfect in shape and form. The tip was an unpressed cone of wax, still shiny from the processing plant. The paper sleeve on the crayon was free of wear and tear. I could tell it had not been handled much, if at all. It was as if this crayon had been perfectly preserved from childhood. My childhood. It was being saved for now. Saved for me to take and use in my 48th year of life. Perhaps in the past I have used other colors. Maybe those have already been worn down past the paper wrapper, but not the red. I’ve never used the red. Why? Is it too bold? Is it too everything I have never felt qualified to do until now? Continue reading →

The Owl

| Bonnie Kelso

Ever since I became a Mom my symbol for my relationship with my children has been the owl. Learning from the energy of the owl has given me confidence over the years. I can still remember how frightening it was to bring children into the world. I didn’t feel able to protect them and I questioned if I was qualified to guide them. Then I saw an owl in a meditation and many meditations after that one. It was a giant owl with wings Continue reading →

A Friday Art Deviation

| Bonnie Kelso

JeremielSM

This week has been pretty intense. I have been processing a lot of internal shifts as the circumstances of life change around me. The Archangel Jeremiel came to me strongly as we entered the month of June. This painting is a bit different than how I usually draw, but in a lot of ways it was very freeing to create without censoring what came through. I will show you the phases of the image so as to explain how it just kind of made its way onto the paper. I consider this intuitive painting. I often teach this method of creating art in my workshops. It focuses on freeing yourself creatively by trying new things and playful experimentation.

IMG_3101The first image is the paper collage. I knew I was going to paint an angel. That was my only intention. I wasn’t even sure it was Continue reading →

What does anger feel like?

| Bonnie Kelso

Red hot? Lava-like? Thorny, like a ball covered in spikes?

StarburstSM

I’ve been asking this question a lot lately, trying to get to the root of it. Anger is like a star. It sits in your tummy and when everything is going okay, you don’t even notice it. But as soon as you perceive a threat, the star begins to change. The shifts may begin in a subtle way. A strange poking here and there caused by the points of the star. If it is not addressed, it will begin to dig harder, like a thorn in the skin. Everything you do, every interaction you have, it’s there, just under the surface, waiting to Continue reading →

Creating Your Coloring Book

©Bonnie Kelso and Creating Your Experience
| Bonnie Kelso

I’m not going to lie to you. I have a natural repulsion to Adult Coloring Books. This is precisely why I chose to create one. I wanted to truly come to terms with why I didn’t like them by creating one that I could love.

Top 3 reasons I don’t like Adult Coloring Books:

  1. They do not engage your creative mind.
  2. They do not encourage you to think outside the box (or even color outside the lines).
  3. They waste your precious creating time.

This is what I see when I watch people coloring: They are focused on staying in the lines. They suffer over the decisions of which space should be colored which color. They are obsessed with Continue reading →

Creating Consequences: The Good Kind!

| Bonnie Kelso

Trustinme

Consequence: A result or effect of an action or condition.

This morning I went for a run. I like to run. I don’t run far or fast, but I enjoy getting sweaty and the feel of my feet pounding the ground. I even enjoy the aches in my knees that tend to let up after a minute or so. But the best part of running, is what happens to my brain. It’s what neuroscientists call “transient hypofrontality.” Really, if you want to know the truth, it’s what I live for. It is what happens when we are experiencing our creative potential. It’s also what happens when people who don’t usually allow themselves to paint or draw give it a try.

I’m no neuroscientist, but basically here’s how it works: So when I run, my body starts doing stuff that it doesn’t do all the time. It has to work at it, because I’m really no star athlete. My age and condition require that my normally busy brain devote some effort to this activity so that I don’t fall off the sidewalk and into oncoming traffic. Yeah, that would be bad. Because my brain is just like yours and the most awesome organ, it automatically knows how to Continue reading →

The Space Around Your Creating

| Bonnie Kelso

Meet my new best friend, Two-balls In-a-sock. This is what is enabling me to get back at the computer to write. I place it under my head and rest flat on my back. Then I slowly roll it down my spine one inch at a time, resting in each delicious pressure point along the way. Ahhh, the sweet relief!

IMG_9056

As someone who is creating constantly, this activity can take a toll on my physical body. There is significant tension that builds in the neck, shoulders, and back. Long days of writing can cause my feet to swell. The old carpal tunnel slowly begins to resurface. I have to remind myself to take breaks and to take breaks often. My dear friend, Mr. T’BIAS can make a good break extraordinary.

Taking breaks from your creating is not only a good idea for your physical body, but your mental conditioning and general well being as well. It’s good to Continue reading →

3 Good Reasons For Selling Your Creations

| Bonnie Kelso

Some people have been asking me why I have been purging my original artwork on eBay for ridiculously low starting bids. Well, I thought I would write about three good reasons why, just as I list another lovely piece of original art from my collection. World, meet “Bean.”

bean by Bonnie Kelso

Reason #1: Letting Go

I created this painting in 2008, so it’s been in my possession for nine years now. A lot has happened in nine years, and frankly, I’m ready to move forward. So, part of my purging has to do with Continue reading →