The Clock is Ticking Fast

Posted on September 11, 2013 by Sue Shanahan

“The clock is ticking fast. Burn the candle large.” – Diane Sawyer

I thought I’d be further along in my career as an artist by now. When I was a girl, I dreamed of the fruits of my talent being respected and compensated monetarily. I saved drawings with Cray-pas on Manila paper to make it easier for my biographers after I died. At age 57, I’ve had some measure of success. A painting I did of Oprah hangs in her home and my portrait of Chelsea Clinton was displayed in her mother’s private study when she lived in the White House. What is lacking is the kind of recognition that includes a steady income. Without a husband to support me, I would have thrown in the towel long ago. In retrospect, I’m shocked I didn’t realize how difficult it is to make a living as an artist sooner. That glitch in my perception may well be part of my gift. Surely without that kind of naivety I would have given up long ago.

Last week long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad gave me new hope. She calmed my fears of being washed up. If she can swim from Cuba to Florida at age 64, a feat she failed at 28, surely it’s not over for me. Entering the third act of my life can only give my work more depth. My experiences over time have added a vibrancy to my art that was absent in the struggles of youth. I’m refreshed by Nyad’s assurance, ”Never, ever give up. You’re never too old to chase your dreams.”

No matter how uncomfortable it is, keep stretching, keep believing. Risk is an extension of self-love. If you were born to sing a song, sing it. Whatever gift you were born to give, give it. Live it. It’s no accident we can’t turn back the hands of time. There is a season for everything. The gift you came to share may just have reached its full gestation and is about to be born into the world. And in perfect timing your audience waits…ready to receive it…with open arms.

Reference photo for the above illustration from my soon to be released book app, Glory in the Morning.

www.sueshanahan.com

Ready to Let Go

Posted on June 5, 2013 by Sue Shanahan

Children are the Most Beautiful Flowers of All

And why are children the most beautiful flowers of all? Because they allow themselves to be who they are. Without agendas, they flourish in the now. Whether the sun shines or buckets of rain pour, it’s a good day. We are all born with a sense of wonder, but it soon fades. We learn not to trust our own nature. It happens to some earlier than others, but it’s rarely escaped. This lack of trust is the root of why we think we have to control every aspect of our lives. It’s not only self-defeating but futile. I’ve spent years praying for my hands to unclasp the control I hold so tightly. I have come a long way. I’ve discovered that I don’t know what is best for others or myself. I am open to what life brings me – most times.

An area I’ve found impossible to loosen my grip on is my creative process. I have a schedule in my mind that I’m never able to adhere to. Always pushing, I resist any interruption in my work flow. When something does get me off track, the wheels of reprimand begin turning in my brain. Why do I hold on so tightly? Because my creativity burns like a fire in me. I’ve guarded and protected it my whole life. I’m afraid to let it run its own course. If I do that, will it eventually die away?

Matthew 6:34 reads, “Therefore do not worry for tomorrow; for tomorrow will look after its own.” Does that mean if I let go, my commissions will be completed in perfect timing? Have my attempts to direct the flow actually interfered with the Creator’s plan? Why am I so insistent that illustrating is a 9 to 5 job anyway? My attempts to manage only seem to bring frustration.

I am ready to take a leap of faith and live like a child. That means being immersed in the now and turning my creative undertakings completely over to God. I’ve done that in other areas of my life. Remembering the peace of being guided makes this leap less scary. I’ve learned life works itself out and to count on the missing pieces coming to me. Stress is a sure sign I’ve taken control back. What spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle shared in a lecture makes good sense to me, “Enjoy the doing in the now. With the enjoyment of the doing also comes the power that flows into it. Enjoy the energy that flows into the doing and it becomes empowered. And then the goal looks after itself.”

Yes, I’m ready to let go. If flowers and children blossom at exactly the right time, then my paintings will too.

Is there anything you cling too?

Aine, my little muse.

www.sueshanahan.com

Sunrise Faith

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Sue Shanahan

Whenever I have to begin a new illustration, I’m always afraid to start. I hem and I haw and I haw and I hem. Why? Because there is no earthly reason that I’m capable of bringing forth that kind of beauty. In my mind, the images are always vague. I want them to be in perfect focus before I get going. But it doesn’t work that way. Until I learned the meaning of the phrase Sunrise Faith, I could stay paralyzed for weeks. It never occurred to me that the same power that calls the sun to rise, lives in me too. The magic begins when I put my pencil to paper. That act of trust opens the floodgate for Spirit to flow through and express itself. As it turns out, I don’t need to know exactly what the end result of my painting will look like. God will fill in the details.

Sunrise Faith is a concept for anyone who has something they want to accomplish. Divinity plants the seeds of our aspirations in our hearts and grace brings them to fruition. From creating a masterpiece, to finding the perfect job or house, it’s a benevolent, loving wave we ride. If you’re trying to figure out exactly where the current is taking you, you’re resisting the flow. And that is exactly when we begin to sink. All we need to get started is to simply begin. We will be given the next step to take as the process unfolds.

Twenty years ago a dream was planted in my heart. I wanted to create a picture book. Over time, it was put on the back burner as “real life” took over. Finally, finally my longing is being realized. My story Glory in the Morning is finished and is now in the hands of app company extraordinare, Auryn. They are in the process of transforming my work into a picture book app for tablets and e-readers. But my dream won’t be in full bloom until there also is a traditional picture book in children’s hands. I’m not sure how that is going to come about, but I wait in joyful anticipation for it to be revealed.

Being confident that God, who began a good work in you, will carry it to completion. -Philippians 1:6

What dreams are you and Source bringing to fruition?

Spread the word! Be one of the first 5 people to leave a reply and I will send you a signed print of Sunrise Faith. Follow my blog. Each new post will include the chance to win a free print.

In photoshop I made a book cover for Glory in the Morning and placed it on a picture book. I believe visualization is the beginning of realizing a dream.

http://www.sueshanahan.com

Keep Going: Harriet Tubman’s Legacy

Posted on February 27, 2013 by Sue Shanahan

“Don’t ever stop. Keep going. If you want a taste of freedom, keep going.” – Harriet Tubman

No one knows if Harriet Tubman really uttered these words, but there isn’t any question that she lived them. Harriet was born into slavery and raised in a world with no hope. Still, she dreamed her dreams and did what she had to do. She broke the law of the land by following the North Star to freedom. Where did a woman who was whipped as a child get that kind of courage?

Harriet had a deep and abiding faith that she was being guided. She was steadfast in her conviction that all she had to do was keep going and God would take care of the details. She shepherded over 70 slaves to freedom. If any of her fugitive charges became faint-hearted and wanted to turn around, she threatened to shoot them. Turning back could mean death to them all. She gave them no choice but to keep going.

I too have been known to buckle and want to backtrack. Somehow the pain of the mundane seems safer than pioneering into new territory. The only way I’m able to move past that kind of paralyzation is to borrow some of Miss Harriet’s grit. She always remembered to ask for direction and then listen for the answer. The way was always made clear. What stands between me and that kind of guidance? Remembering to ask.

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Why Worry?

Posted on September 4, 2012 by Sue Shanahan

“Live life as if everything is rigged in your favor.” – Rumi

I’ve spent a good amount of my time on Earth fretting. A defense developed in childhood, worry was my talisman, my rabbit’s foot. I believed it kept me safe. The burden of that mindset eventually lead me to search for a better way.

I’ve heard it said that fear indicates a lack of love in a person’s life. Could that be true? Believing that there is a loving Being who has our best interests at heart would certainly assuage the panic with which I’ve lived. I have begun to consider how life would work if a God who delighted in us were truly in charge.

*Everything would happen with perfect timing.

*Everything would appear exactly when it was needed.

*Inside each problem would be a lesson that’s a gift to spur personal growth.

*Following one’s heart would be the same as following God’s guidance.

*Letting go of how to materialize our goals would leave room for God to outdream us.

Instead of being comfortable with worry, I am learning to be comfortable with trust, trust in God. When I’m in that state, everything works itself out, often miraculously so. I’m finding out that there is no need to orchestrate life. All is well. The evidence of that can be found in the blessings that surround us all. There is a place for everything, and everything is in its place.