Day 11 - Happiness

When I look at this frog serenely gazing at a ladybug, with the colors of the rainbow boldly in the background, well, this painting just exudes happiness to me and toadally makes me smile (I am so sorry... I had to..) :)  But, seriously, this got me thinking about happiness..

How can a picture just.. well.. make me happy?  Well, for one, I think smiles can be contagious and this frog has a big one.  And, if you read my rainbow musings post, you will remember that I think rainbows and even images of rainbows can make us happy due to the complete range of wavelengths we are seeing. Rainbows rev up the brain... :) So there's those two things. Plus there's the story happening between the ladybug and the frog.. what exactly is going on? Whatever it is, the story makes me smile too.

Another thought... why is Happiness sometimes elusive? One moment you are happy and in an instant, something "bad" happens and everything changes..  

After a lifetime of contemplating things like this, I've come to think happiness is not about what is going on outside of you, but rather what is going on inside of you... it is about inner balance and peace.. and letting go too..

*When that instant comes, as it inevitably will, your inner peace will be disrupted.  How you react to the disruption is everything. Will you fight to hang on to a desire to remain in your previous blissful state, or will you flow from one moment to the next without letting your expectations of the moment disturb your inner peace.

 Sometime I bend like a willow.. Sometimes I break like an oak.. always practicing, not always hitting the mark..

Anyway, nuff about that.. look at this happy frog! 
I hope that in this instant, you feel happy, for however fleeting of a moment it may be. :)

Whatever happiness is, may you have it right now..

"Happiness", oil, 8"x8", purchasing details can be found here

Happy New Year! & My 3 words for 2017

I want to wish everyone a very happy and prosperous New Year!  May love, happiness, health and good fortune be the trademark of this year for you!

I am not starting any brand new things this year... instead, I feel that I will be approaching the different aspects of my life in a new way.  I am excited and ready to begin.

Chris Brogan is the owner of a company named Owner Media Group. Simply put, he helps business owners grow their businesses.  I follow his blog, so I read his advice from time to time.  One of his annual traditions is to choose 3 words to guide him through the coming year.  You can read more about it here.  I decided to choose 3 words to guide me in my coming year.  I have tried to do this in the past, and just couldn't come up with anything concrete to guide me. This year, the words were almost written before I thought of them!  Below are my 3 words and how I hope they will guide me.

1.Broaden:  I hope to broaden the scope of where my artwork is seen, and by whom.  I also hope to broaden the things my family and me do together, broaden the time we spend together and broaden our bond.

2. Connect:  I hope to make more and better connections with art collectors using social media, my newsletter, and simply through getting out there and talking about my art.  I also hope to connect with my family more often and more meaningfully. 

3. Consistency: I will be more consistent with my schedule - when I paint, when I spend time on the business side of things, when I spend time with my family.  I wish to declutter my schedule of the nonsense and unimportant things to leave room for me to consistently connect and broaden all of my relationships.