self expression

The Lady of Shalott

| Bonnie Kelso

I’ve been taking these old art postcards I’ve collected over the years and altering them in my sketchbook. “The Lady of Shalott,” is a painting by John William Waterhouse. It was inspired by Lord Tennyson’s poem about a woman who is an artist. She weaves in a tower and lives an isolated life. She can only watch the people living their lives near the city of Camelot. She can’t even look at them directly, only through their reflection in a mirror. Here’s a portion of the poem:

There she weaves by night and day, a magic web with colours gay.
She has heard a whisper say, a curse is on her if she stay
to look down to Camelot.
She knows not what the curse may be, and so she weaveth steadily,
and little other care hath she,
The Lady of Shalott.

One day she is tempted by the sight of Sir Lancelot who is very handsome. She breaks her spell, and looks upon him directly. The mirror shatters and she knows because of the curse that her time is running out. She takes a boat towards Camelot, but dies before it arrives. Lancelot looks over her tragic death with sympathy.

Lady of Shalott SM Continue reading →

An Experience, not another boring lecture…

| Bonnie Kelso

Tomorrow is my first Facebook Live Event and it is going to be epic!

Epic… really, Bonnie?

YES!

… NOT because millions of people are expected to participate.

… NOT because I am that ego-centric and important and just love to listen to the sound of my voice and be the star of my own world.

… and NOT because it’s just another boring lecture.

It is going to be EPIC, for me on a very personal level. It will be a significant moment of growth where I will step out of my comfort zone and allow myself to be vulnerable. It will be me, talking heart to heart with other people about how I manage a limitation that has always been a part of my life. It’s a personal limitation that in the past has only ever been visible to the people closest to me. Tomorrow, I am going public with it. I’m no longer NOT going to talk about my personal experience with depression.

After it is over, I know in my heart, that an enormous personal shift will have occurred, no matter how well or poorly the actual event goes. Between 12pm and 2pm Pacific Time tomorrow I will let a childhood monster out of the closet once and for all. By doing so, this monster will no longer have the same power over me.

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If you also suffer from depression and would like to learn a few creative ways to manage it, I invite you to join me. If you know of someone else who may benefit from this experience, please feel free to share the link with them. This event is 100% free and open to the public. My intention is for the event to be interactive. I will respond to comments and questions live as we go. I am hoping that someone actually is there to interact with me live, but if not, I will try to make it as interactive as I can by including lots of prompts for you to engage with the presented materials, even if it is at a later time as you watch the recording.  Continue reading →

Mermaids of Belonging

| Bonnie Kelso

26112444_10159831925035597_7491365602864655172_nWow. I hardly know where to begin. The most amazing things have been happening since a bunch of mermaids swam into my life. They brought in the New Year with me, literally on New Year’s Eve, when Dean and I stopped in at the Silverton Casino to visit our very own mermaid of Las Vegas. As I watched her I thought, “I want to be a mermaid.” This simple acknowledgment of longing seemed to activate Continue reading →

A Gift of Healing

| Bonnie Kelso

For the remainder of the year I will be offering “Graceful Transformation: A Healing Coloring Journey” at a discounted price. This interactive coloring book for adults was developed from a creativity workshop with participants in addiction recovery. It was our collective intention that this book would be used to help others heal from past trauma and pain through mindful creating.

©Bonnie Kelso and Creating Your ExperienceWhether you are in recovery from substances or behavioral addictions, the themes presented in this book will provide you with a helpful exploration of your feelings. Each page asks you to Continue reading →

Nothing But Love

| Bonnie Kelso

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A few days ago I heard an interview with Magda Sayeg, a well known artist and yarn-bomber. She remarked that she couldn’t think of a single thing that conveyed the idea of love more than something knitted by hand. As the Thanksgiving Holiday descends on us all, I’ve been thinking about this comment and also about my ancestors. I’m reminded of my Grandmother in particular who showed me how to crochet when I was a young girl. I only caught on to a few simple stitches, but she told me that Continue reading →

Friday = Art

| Bonnie Kelso

In my classes, we’ve been experimenting with watercolor textures. We just allow the images to evolve as we go. Do you see an image emerging in this one? Just focus on the shapes and colors. Allow your thoughts to simmer.

 

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I saw a Continue reading →

Express Yourself (It’s good for you!)

| Bonnie Kelso

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Yes, I am a Mom. I am also a Creativity Coach which means I can’t help but want to nurture your creative life. As much as you hate to admit it, your Mom was right about a few things.

Mom: Eat your                (insert detested vegetable of choice here)           .

You: Why?

Mom: Because, it’s good for you.

Sound familiar? In this situation, I am the Mom. I am telling you, you need to express yourself, right here, right now. If you don’t… Continue reading →

Creating Desert Marigolds

| Bonnie Kelso

desert marigoldYou can’t walk a few feet without seeing one around my neighborhood right now. Their cheerful little heads atop long thin stems bobbing joyfully like little yellow flags in the breeze. They seem to shout out to everyone who passes by, “Hey! Look at me! Wheee!” They are wild and their lives may be short, but together they have the capacity to brighten this dry desert landscape. Their very existence proves that even under the harshest of environments, there is beautiful bubbling life, just waiting for the perfect conditions in which to burst forth. Continue reading →