Hey everyone, it’s Cassandra the Joyful Artist! I thought today I would share a few tips about how to persevere through feelings of discouragement and feeling like you want to give up. Like wondering, what’s it all about? In this blog you’ll learn more about my creative process, including the creation of my newest painting, Anchor The Light
… a new ode to joy, and how failure can lead to success—as long as you keep going!
The other day, I came down to the studio, and I thought, ‘Gosh, I don’t know if this painting is talking to me anymore.’
So I went over a painting. I wanted to try using a gray because I was thinking about having something peaceful and tranquil in our bedroom, and I wanted to create something different instead of bright backgrounds which I normally do.
I thought perhaps I could try something a little more subdued, and I began by mixing some paints using the Golden artists range.
The canvas is 48 inch x 48 inch and so It’s quite a large area. Halfway through making this beautiful gray I began to have anxiety. On one hand the gray I was making was beautiful and serene. On the other hand, I suddenly thought: ‘Gosh, artist quality paints are really expensive.’
I began to get kind of discouraged, “What’s it all for? What’s the point?”
I returned to the house and said to my partner, “What’s the point of it all?” I felt like giving up.
He came down to the studio and he said, “It’s really beautiful.”
And I felt encouraged and hopeful again. Sometimes, you just need somebody who is like your believing mirror, who encourages you. If you don’t have a live-in partner or someone encouraging it could be your dog or the knowing voice inside that says “You can do this.”
In my case, he never liked the old painting underneath this new painting; he wasn’t so happy with it. He said he didn’t really feel it, that it wasn’t me. It was too washed out and empty.
And empowered by his words and with his attitude, I decided to let go and really go for it and create from my heart without overthinking.
Brian Rutenberg is an artist that I followed for quite a while now. He always says that it’s really good to have one person who’s not trying to please you; they are your honest critic who believes in you. I really liked that and appreciated Brian’s words of wisdom.
Keep going, keep going! So, okay, I will keep going, I affirmed.
For those of you interested in my technique, for blending and applying the base layers I used a sponge that house painters use. It comes with a removable sponge blade, and it has a little attachment, so you can applying really nice smooth washes of colour without brush marks.
wouldn’t it be fun to have a bit of silver in it
I used different mixtures of gray, which I mixed from the Golden range, including neutral grays with a little bit of a pop of really beautiful fluorescent gree, and then some Golden white. And I also thought, just intuitively, wouldn’t it be fun to have a bit of silver in it? So I mixed in some silver into this gray.
Then, yesterday, at the same time when I was feeling a bit discouraged, we discovered this beautiful orchid in the shade house that had just started flowering.
wouldn’t it be fun to do a painting inspired by the orchid
It was the first time we had seen it, and we discovered it by surprise. I thought, “Well, wouldn’t it be fun to do a painting inspired by the orchid, which has the lovely whites I wanted, the feeling of peace and beauty?”
It was really lovely, and I love the fact that part of the orchid is not its best anymore, which is why, on the left side of the canvas, I have added more golden browns. We might say it’s not its best, but I love flowers, like Joan Mitchell did too, when they’re slightly decaying.
Beautiful surrender
They’re authentic, not showy and fake, they’re sort of past their prime, and there’s just a beautiful surrender to the fact that nothing is permanent.
I hadn’t determined if my painting was finished yet. My partner said, “Don’t touch a thing. Don’t touch anything more.”
I’ve include a few scribbles and mark-makings, including a phrase I loved that I’ve scratched into it, “anchor the light” which British astrologer Pam Gregory shared in one of her videos, and also Gregg Braden about not letting the dark energies win and to acknowledge the dark but anchor the light.
So in my painting, which now has its name “Anchor The Light” I’ve added flourishes of white light rising, and then, in the lower portion of the painting, I’ve got the light which is coming out from mother earth and nature.
Love wins!
“Anchor The Light” is inspired by Cy Twombly, who did some amazing graffiti-style works and included a lot of poetry and words in his paintings.
So here you have a little story about a period in my life when I felt like giving up. I hope sharing my story is if you ever feel like giving up, as I did, and thought, ‘”Oh, what’s the point of painting?” Or, “It’s so expensive”; “where will I store them all.” “If your gallery’s not open, you’re just accumulating works and um, it’s winter anyway.”
As you can see it’s easy to get into a really negative mindset and get into a real funk instead of actually affirming the positive. As I thought today, You know, painting is cheaper than therapy, it’s cheaper than going to a therapist- not to discount talk therapy because it has its place.
But there is something about painting that helps. As Vincent van Gogh once said, “I paint to stop thinking.” You may enjoy this blog where I share more of Vincent’s thoughts>>
There’s something about just being mindful, just being in the moment, and surrendering to that moment, and totally just being in a different world, a different planet. And so I really love that because I’ve had a lot of negative shit going on, but we got some great news yesterday, so that was fab.
It was a funny day, it was Lionsgate 8/8/8 as well, so there was a lot of planetary energy…it was a new moon in Leo, lots of of rain, and it was crazy! But some astrologers predicted that the Lionsgate 8/8/8 was an auspicious day. I certainly found it to be.
According to an astrologer at Fire + Alchemy, Erika O’Connor, “This alignment is said to create a powerful energy gateway that enhances spiritual insights, higher consciousness, and new beginnings.”
A lot of people have been saying they’ve been feeling a lot of anxiety, not sleeping well, and feeling a bit flat. I could identify with that, so I decided NOT to hold back from publishing my new self-empowerment book, Make Joy from Sh*T, and I pressed “publish” on a short prequel and priced it at only $0.99 while I worked on the longer version.
It’s just a prequel. A taster if you like. It’s a little short book that shares more of my story and that of others and how to make joy from shitty things that happen to the best of us. It’s a counter-intuitive approach to transcending pain and trauma and sadness. It’s about showing up for joy. To be a rebel. A rebel with a cause—which is to find beauty, make beauty, share your art, share your story, share your joy!
It’s amazing how joy will lift you higher, and instill feelings of peace. It’s not always easy but you can find joy in taking your anger and pouring it onto the page, the canvas, the mic or something else.
Joan Mitchell did just that and created incredibly beautiful works. But she was called the rageful painter. You may enjoy this blog, where I share how Joan Mitchell inspires me>>
These are just some of the ways that you can have grit and perseverance and courage, and just keep going. Create for yourself. There’s a book I read once which was called ‘An Audience of One: Reclaiming Creativity For It’s Own Sake‘, and I like the idea with painting as well, that you’re just creating something that is for you, that speaks to you, that is in your heart. Chances are, when you create with passion, it will resonate with somebody else who may also be looking for something that’s just beautiful and neutral and has a lot of energy, and it’s non-literal.
Like when people have come to my gallery and they’ve said, ‘Oh, we’d like to commission a painting and we’d like it to be a landscape from your mind.’ So, I don’t know what that means, but it’s definitely not a literal landscape.
So these are flowers from my heart and flowers from my lover’s heart, from Laurie’s heart because he’s been looking after the orchids and he’s the one who found these ones growing in the in the shade house.
There was lots of passionate application of mixed media—crayons and oil pastels, oil paint, acrylic, and graphite, and lots of joyful mark-making. Now after feeling so lost and discouraged I’m really, really happy with it.
My partner loves it too so I’m taking the win, which is that I’m feeling really happy with it, a lot happier than I was with the previous painting that is now underneath it.
As I share in the video at the end of this post, along with Laurie’s encouragement, it was also great being encouraged by the successes and ‘failures’ of other artists like Cy Twombly, who created some of the most beautiful paintings and was very childlike in his portrayal of nature.
There was one time in Cy’s life—I think it was in 1963—when he was exhibiting in New York. He was living in Rome at the time, and his art was absolutely canned. It was a very brutal criticism. I read that he was so discouraged that he slowed down his painting output, and in 1965, when I was born, he stopped painting altogether.
Now Cy may have created artwoks and then just destroyed them or not shown them, but it was interesting to hear that because you assume that for really successful people, everything seems to work for them—they’re selling their paintings and making buckets of money. Like you look at Joan Mitchell and others, and you think, ‘gosh, it must have been so easy.’
But it never was. It’s never easy again to make joy out of nothing. It’s not easy being a creative person. It’s not easy being anyone in this world. It’s a very challenging world, which I share in my book, Make Joy from Sh*T.
I like the Buddhist worldview that says that life is suffering, and that’s not a negative thing.
It’s just, ‘don’t be unrealistic’; life is challenging, but they say it’s how we react to the challenges we face where we can change. We can change things for the better, even if it’s like Dr. Viktor Frankl who survived the concentration camps, or Dr. Edith Eger, who was also influenced by his work and also survived the camps.
You know, if you can find joy in something traumatic like that if you can find meaning and purpose, and discover the greatest of freedom is that you retain your positive, joyful attitude, that you have the power within yourself to decide whether you’re going to fold in and give up, then you are unstoppable!
For example, yesterday, when I was painting, I thought, in a moment of despair, ‘What is the point?’ But I decided to keep going, bounced back, and shared my heart and now I have created a beautiful piece of art.
So I hope this has been helpful sharing a little bit of my story and how I approach things, and that I don’t always feel joyful, you know.
I’ve shared the importance of sometimes just having a believing mirror, someone else who can give you a pep talk, whether it’s an online community or just your dog or yourself trying different things, having fun, just experimenting, and being willing to go over work that no longer sparks joy, to paint with feeling, have something you want to say.
For me it was around creating and needing peace and joy and beauty and love and capturing that moment of feeling so excited to see those orchids emerging from the shade house and being excited by nature.
I really welcome your comments. I really Love hearing from you, and so if you do leave a comment below, I promise that I will acknowledge it.
Take care, everyone, and I’ll see you soon. And happy creating!
And don’t forget if you haven’t subscribed to my newsletter, you’ll find a link on my home page, and I also have a welcome gift so make sure you check that out as well—which is my little book on how to find your passion.
### Scene: The Moment of Connection
Jasmine stepped into her cozy apartment, the door clicking shut behind her. Her heart raced with excitement as she gently cradled the painting she had just purchased from the talented artist Lizzie. Titled ‘Anchor The Light’, the piece exuded a serene elegance that instantly filled the room with a sense of calm.
As she carefully unwrapped the canvas, the silver-grey hues shimmered under the soft glow of the overhead lights. Abstract white flowers danced across the surface, their delicate petals seemingly illuminated from within, capturing the essence of light and love. Jasmine felt a rush of warmth spread through her as she beheld the artwork, as if it were a living entity, inviting her into its embrace.
Setting the painting against the wall, she stepped back to admire it fully. The way the light played across its surface was mesmerizing; the silver-grey background reflected soft glimmers, while the white flowers seemed to pulse with energy, reminding her of the beauty of growth and transformation. It was as if the painting held a promise—a promise of healing, renewal, and the divine essence she yearned to rediscover within herself.
Jasmine closed her eyes for a moment, allowing the energy of the painting to wash over her. She envisioned herself stepping into the vibrant world it depicted, where joy and love flowed freely. The abstract flowers symbolized not only her struggles but also her aspirations to hold her divine essence authentically—a reminder that she was meant to walk this earth as a fully ensouled being.
“Anchor the light,” she whispered to herself, feeling the words resonate deep within. The phrase echoed in her mind, a mantra that urged her to embrace her inner brilliance and let it shine in every aspect of her life.
With a deep breath, she opened her eyes and approached the painting once more. She reached out to touch the canvas, her fingers gliding over the textured surface. It felt cool and smooth, grounding her in the present moment while simultaneously connecting her to something greater. This was more than just a painting; it was a vessel of healing, a guide to help her relearn how to embody her true self.
Jasmine imagined herself living fully ensouled, moving through life with grace and authenticity. She envisioned herself speaking her truth, playing with joy, and radiating love in every interaction. The painting became a symbol of that journey—a beacon of hope that reminded her of her capacity to shine brightly amidst life’s challenges.
As she turned to find the perfect spot for Anchor The Light, Jasmine felt a sense of empowerment wash over her. She envisioned the painting hanging prominently in her living space, a daily reminder of her commitment to herself and her path. It would be a source of inspiration, encouraging her to embrace love, joy, and authenticity in every moment.
Finally, she chose a wall bathed in natural light, where the painting would catch the sun’s rays throughout the day, illuminating its beauty and reinforcing its message. When she stepped back to admire her choice, she felt a surge of gratitude for Lizzie’s artistry. This painting would not just enhance her home; it would nurture her spirit and guide her on her journey of self-discovery.
As she stood there, a smile blossoming on her face, Jasmine felt a profound sense of peace settle in her heart. In that moment, she knew she was ready to anchor the light within herself, to hold her divine essence with love and authenticity, and to shine brightly in the world. The painting had become a cherished companion on her journey, reminding her that she was never alone and that joy and love were hers to embrace.
Discover the power of “Joy”: An Inspiring Story of a Woman’s Quest for Happiness and Triumph Over Adversity.
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Anchor The Light is available for purchase
48 inch x 48 inch
1210 mm x 1210 mm x 35mm
oil, crayon, pastel, acrylic and graphite on canvas
VIEW AND PURCHASE FROM MY ONLINE GALLERY>>
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All my creations are infused with positive energy, love, and light. I believe in the power of beauty, joy, love, purpose, and creativity to transform your life.
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