Always Had the Power

Posted on January 30, 2013 by Sue Shanahan

You’ve Always Had it My Dear. You’ve Always Had the Power. –Glinda the Good Witch

In 2000, I was lucky enough to sell the original painting from the above image to Oprah Winfrey. A series of small miracles brought the piece to her attention. After she purchased it, an even bigger miracle occurred. I was invited to be on her Favorite Things show. I was thrilled with the prospect of what her spotlight on my illustration could bring. Looking for approval of my artwork from the world had become a pattern with me.

It turned out the message in my painting was not only for Oprah. Although I was unable to grasp it at the time, it was also meant for me. Of course, I understood why Oprah took so much significance from Glinda the Good Witch’s words, “You’ve always had the power.” She had just won a defamation suit filed against her by Texas beef producers. It took many years and reading Jean Houston’s The Wizard of Us before it dawned on me that I hadn’t been honoring my own power. I recognized myself in the Scarecrow’s search for brains. I was also waiting for the world to tell me what to do. The Tin Man asking the Wizard of Oz for a heart was no different than me not acknowledging and trusting my own. The lion’s quest for courage was his belief that he didn’t have what it took to be king of the forest. Didn’t that parallel my belief that my art couldn’t stand on its own? What I learned from Dorothy was the most meaningful. The power to realize one’s heart’s desire lies within.

Creating art is revealing one’s soul to the world. Unconsciously I believed if my gift wasn’t celebrated, I had no value. Seeking validation from the outside is like trying to fill a cup with a hole in it.

All my striving to make it as an artist has brought me to this realization. Yes, it’s scary to be exposed, but who I am is enough. My art is enough. The light that burns inside of me is enough.

The image of Oprah that I based my portrait on.

Not many people know that Dorothy’s shoes were silver. In the movie they were transformed into the ruby slippers because they looked better In Technicolor.

Not many people know that in L. Frank Baum’s book the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy’s shoes were silver. In the movie they were transformed into ruby slippers because they looked better In Technicolor.

In my painting I tried to remain faithful to L.Frank Baum’s description of Glinda the Good Witch.

www.sueshanahan.com

Gently the Snowflakes Fall…

Posted on January 13, 2013 by Sue Shanahan

Gently the Snowflakes Fall as if by Magic

When I am willing to step into the realm of uncertainty and ambiguity I open myself up to infinite possibilities. – Anita Moorjani

Make plans but be loose with them. Inflexibility can block wonder from unfolding. Be willing to be surprised.

The story behind the making of the above painting illustrates this perfectly. The two little fairies are my nieces Madi and Emma. Originally, I hadn’t planned on the younger one being in the picture. At her age, I didn’t think there was any way Emma would cooperate. While photographing Madi, to her mother’s dismay, Emma jumped in to have some fun with her big sister’s skirt. Luckily, I had my camera in hand to freeze that fleeting moment. Seriously, there is no way I could have orchestrated that event. By staying out of my own way and signaling for their mother to let Emma be, I was able to capture a twinkling of joy. In my world, it doesn’t get better than that.

Trust the flow. It’s the same wave that transports snowflakes dreamily to the ground. Airy, yet with purpose. Even if a gust of wind blows them off course, they still sparkle where they land.

Emma being Emma.

Madi practicing her bubble blowing skills.

Emma and Madi.

There’s Magic in the Air

Posted on January 3, 2013 by Sue Shanahan

Ring out the old, ring in the new. Ring out the false, ring in the true.

-From Ding Dong, Ding Dong by George Harrison courtesy of Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Yes, there is magic in the air. And hope. And possibility. Gone is the era of trying to fit into a box. 2013 is the year to celebrate our differences and revel in them. Like snowflakes, no two of us are alike. In our individuality resides the gifts we were born to express.

In grade school each one of my children put a lot of thought into what they wanted to be when they grew up. I urged them to figure out what they loved to do and simply point themselves in that direction. No need to have a concrete plan because their life’s work may not have even been invented yet. That has certainly proved true in my life. Always a visual artist, I had no idea my art would expand to the written word posted on a blog one day. Come to think of it, as a kid, the whole concept of a blogs and computers would have seemed like science fiction to me. Exploring what I loved to do led me through doors I could have never imagined.

In the freshness of the new year, blanketed by hope, enjoy the wonder of your dreams. They arise from the unique beauty that lies within. Embrace your quirks and foibles too. They just may be the oomph needed to bring those dreams to fruition.