#1 It’s easy for them (and hard for me) The assumption that painting is easy for some and hard for others can keep you from pursuing an interest in art. We have this belief (maybe from watching Bob Ross) that some people can paint effortlessly and this translates to “if it’s hard for me, I must not be meant to do it.” As if there are some chosen few people who are meant to be artists. Truth: Painting is challenging! Painters don’t love painting because it’s easy. Serious

Many people who take my acrylic painting class say “it is very therapeutic.” What can be therapeutic about a painting class? First: painting and making art is present-centered. That is the goal when you meditate or do yoga; to be in the moment and truly present. Well, art does that naturally. You just can’t dissociate or be somewhere else when you are painting. It begs you to co-create with it. "What color should this be? Where do you want this to go?" It’s an engagi

Do you know what the art process is, really? When I want to paint a canvas, for example, what are the steps I got through to complete this task? First, I need an idea. “What am I going to paint?…What do I want to share with the world?” Then I have to visualize it and figure out what it’s really going to look like. Third, I need materials. Gather up the paint, brushes, palette, canvas and any other things I might need to begin. As I work on my painting there will be inevi

There’s something magical in Michelle’s studio. Some combination of Michelle’s true passion for her art – her actual paintings and, more loosely, her art of shepherding students through learning about painting and themselves – the good conversations in the studio, the freedom to create and learn and make mistakes, and something…magical. I found out about MBodied Art Studio because I wanted to relearn about the art techniques I so loved in high school and then forgot about in

Manifesting is creating what you want in life. In the bible you can read, “God said, let there be light, and there was light.” That’s manifesting…not as easy for the rest of us though. Why not? Because we are human. Because we have beliefs that limit our ability to manifest. I may want to have love in my life but I may also hold an unconscious belief that I am unlovable. Even though I want love, I can’t manifest love because my belief has a stronger influence than my wa

As the year comes to a close, I can say with certainty there is one habit I will definitely continue in the new year. The best thing I did for myself in 2015 was create a morning routine that starts each day off with centering activities. For me, the first and most important one is writing. I write in my journal every (almost every) morning. It is a sacred time when I check in with myself and see “what’s up.” I don’t write about what happened yesterday, I write about how