Feeling Fried? Take an Om-cation

"I have so much to accomplish today that I must
meditate for two hours instead of one."

~Ghandi

There's nothing like a crises, even a minor one, to show us that our life is over scheduled and we are over committed. If you're like me, and you find yourself getting impatient and snarky when your schedule is thrown off due to an emergency (real or perceived), it's probably time for an Om-cation.

 

When we get uber busy, many of us tend to keep working, to keep pushing. It's during these times that our self-care, spiritual, and creative practices tend to fall to the wayside. Just when we need them most (to keep cortisol, our stress hormone, down and serotonin, our happy hormone, up) we tend to ditch the tools that would help us cope.

When I feel like I've mentally checked-out, and that my evil twin is showing up in my place during stressful situations, it's a sign that I need some radical self-care. For me it means clearing my schedule (often easier said than done), sleeping in until I wakeup without an alarm, reducing my sugar and caffeine intake, and taking my butt to the cushion to let my monkey mind go at it while I, "sit like mountain, thoughts like clouds," for at least 20 minutes.

If you're new to meditation, just try sitting quietly for 5 minutes with your eyes closed while you take deep breaths. Let your mind wander, because it will. But a mantra like, "Om," helps. Or I invite you to try two of my favorites: "I am love," or, "Thank you." When you notice your mind is rehashing your to-do list, just gently begin again. 

Get your Om on and live creatively,
Marcella

P.S. Think you're too busy to take an Om-cation? That's when we need it the most! Ghandi was hip to this cosmic irony when he said, "I have so much to accomplish today that I must meditate for two hours instead of one." 

Allow Miracles to Happen

A BIG hug and tremendous THANK YOU to everyone who came out to the opening reception last Friday night for "Choice Points" - my new series of paintings on display at Sync Gallery in Denver. It was a magical night connecting with friends, fellow artists, and patrons of the gallery.

To think, it all began with a simple intention I set four months ago: to create a new series of paintings and to show them, somewhere in Denver, in February.

In this week's video I discuss the power of setting an intention, the importance of taking inspired action, and perhaps the most important step, simply allowing ourselves to be guided to allow miracles to happen.

No dream is too big. We need only to believe in our dreams, and ourselves, enough to take the first step. That small action is often all that is required to put manifesting our dreams into motion.

Did you miss the opening reception? No worries! There is still time to see the show. "Choice Points" will be on display at Sync Gallery through Saturday, March 15. Here are the event details:

 

"Choice Points"

February 20 - March 15, 2014

  

Closing Reception: Friday, March 7, 6 - 9 pm (1st Friday Art Walk)

 

Gallery Hours:

 

Thursday's 1 - 4 pm

1st Friday 6 - 9 pm

Other Friday's 1 - 4 pm

Saturday's 12 - 4 pm

By appointment: 303-319-2771

Live Creatively,
Marcella

P.S. Below are a few snapshots taken during the opening reception.

 

Opening reception for "Choice Points" at Sync Gallery



Discussing my art
Photo credit: Louie Trujillo



I don't think I'm capable of talking without my hands



With my biggest fan - my husband Sean Richardson
Photo credit: Laura Ripley



Next to "Reality Dreamed" - my new personal favorite
Photo credits: Sean Richardson, unless otherwise noted

"We are all artists - the artists of our lives. What are you creating today?"

~Marcella Nordbeck-Richardson

The Meaning and Magic of the Mentor Relationship

Guest blogger post for Gallery24seven.com:


Marcella Nordbeck and Laurie Maves

A mentor is someone who has gone before us, taken the steps, dared the leap, and landed in the middle of her dreams. She is proof that when we lead with our heart, miracles can, and do, happen. 

Had our mentor not come into our life, we might still be living in the land of, “Someday,” and at the crossroads of, “I wish,” and, “I hope.” But our paths crossed. And our destiny was forever altered that moment when we met, that chance encounter of infinite magic and mystery… 

 

Read more at the Gallery24seven.com blog: http://blog.gallery24seven.com/the-meaning-and-magic-of-the-mentor-relationship/