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.

Home is where the heart is. And the heart never really leaves home.

Posted on December 9, 2012 by Sue Shanahan

home-for-the-holidays-blue-line The arms of love encompass you with your present, your past, your future, the arms of love gather you together. –Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

The concept for my above christmas card, Home for the Holidays sprang from my daughter’s imagination. Fresh from college, Bridget was nannying for a baby named Jack at the time. She was crazy about him and thought up the design so her little muse could be included. My son Brian, found the model for the angel pulling the tree. He knew Marissa’s uncle and thought she was one of most endearing little girls he’d ever met.

I was a little leery about a holiday card that focused on loved ones returning home. What about people separated by miles that for some reason couldn’t make it back? I thought how painful it would be for those who couldn’t be together because of war or worse yet death. That year when Christmas came my own daughter would be halfway across the country in Idaho. I could already feel the sting.

Difficult as it was, my daughter’s move taught me something. I learned being separated by the miles had little or no baring on our relationship. We were closer than ever. Computers and cell phones brought me to the realization that being with Bridget in person is wonderful but only one aspect of our love. Our hearts were connected even though we were miles apart.

In 2009, when my sister died suddenly, it took that notion to a whole different level. The first Christmas without her was brutal. We were so much a part of one another it felt as if she had been ripped from me. As the years passed, I’ve settled into life without her in the flesh. I’ve adjusted to having a different kind of relationship with her. It took working through the grief to get to this point. Even though we are seemingly apart, we are closer than ever, just like with Bridget.

For awhile our souls inhabit these bodies, but our true selves are connected at a higher level. Real separation from anyone we love is not possible for they are entwined in our hearts. So in this season of joy and throughout the new year, I wish you the luxury of knowing all your loved ones are home. And in fact, they never left.

Angel-eyed Marissa

Bridget and Jack way-back-when

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Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

Posted on October 31, 2012 by Sue Shanahan

I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams. -W. B. Yeats

Back in 2001, I took what felt like a huge risk. I sent a dummy of a children’s picture book that I’d written and illustrated to Maria Shriver. She was aware of my children’s illustrations and especially liked a portrait I had created for her friend Oprah Winfrey. Still, in all honesty, I felt beneath her. She was accomplished in every area of her life, including writing children’s books. At that time, I was struggling to find my voice as a writer and infuse life into my illustrations.

I’m sure Maria has no idea the gift that was wrapped in her response to me. Although she admitted she usually didn’t look at books that were about to be published, she made an exception with mine. She was thoughtful enough to read it with one of her little girls who loved fairy stories. In her letter to me, Maria shared her daughter’s insights about the book. Although I had a publisher interested in it at the time, I decided to switch gears and rewrite the story. Recreating all the art and implementing her daughter’s suggestions into the book was a huge task. Looking back, I am so glad I did it. Her daughter’s ideas were the beginnings of bringing my book to life.

Through the years and a few more revisions I stand on the threshold of Glory in the Morning being published. Maria’s kindness not only changed the direction of the book but it changed the trajectory of my life. She took the time to see me and believe in me and helped me to know that my dreams mattered. Her validation gave me the realization that there’s a place in the world for me and my gifts.

Glory in the Morning is now the subject of a Kickstarter campaign that ends Nov. 5th.Preliminary sketch for Glory in the Morning. Soon There Will Be No Me to Believe in from Glory in the Morning.My little fairy in the flesh.Page from Maria Shriver’s letter.

Giving the World Back a Portion of its Lost Heart

Posted on October 8, 2012 by Sue Shanahan

“…in a time lacking in truth and certainty and filled with anguish and despair, no woman should be shame-faced in attempting to give back to the world, through her work, a portion of its lost heart.” – Louise Bogan

Glory in the Morning (cover art)

Today is a big day for me. Huge. This morning I launched a campaign on the crowd funding site Kickstarter. I’m trying to raise funds for my picture book, Glory in the Morning, to be made into a book app and a traditional book. For those of you who don’t know me personally, I am putting my heart on the line. Asking for monetary support feels like jumping off a cliff to me. But the risk of failure has been trumped by the urgency of sharing my gift with the world.

Glory in the Morning is a classic fairytale in the tradition of the Wizard of Oz. It’s message is about empowering children to listen to the still small voice within. I trusted that whisper as a child but soon learned from the adults in my world to disregard it. This happened so often I became disconnected from my own thoughts and feelings and went to the outside to see how I “should” respond to situations. I ignored my inner guidance on a daily basis. That led to a lack of sense of self, and not believing how I felt was important.

It took me years to give myself permission to trust my instincts again. I’ve learned that we don’t only see with our eyes but with our minds and our hearts. When I began to filter out the noise of the world and listen to my heart, life became so much easier. I came to know that it’s not only safe to act on my intuition, but it also saves a lot of time and trouble. This knowledge was the springboard for self-trust, and the understanding that who I was mattered. Living our inner truth is the foundation for a happy life. Without trusting our inner guidance, we have little hope of fulfilling our dreams.

How wonderful would it be to know from an early age that our intuition is a gift to help us navigate through life? My picture book Glory in the Morning holds that truth.

”If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent read them more fairy tales.” – Albert Einstein

Watching Over Glory

My models Lexi and Olivia helped bring Glory in the Morning to life.

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.

I met my models Riley, and Nick on a walk with my dog.

My nephew’s puppy’s ears make him look ready to take flight.

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Divine Things

Posted on July 26, 2012 by Sue Shanahan

Maybe the tragedy of the human race was that we had forgotten we were each Divine. -Shirley MacLaine

The inspiration for Divine Things came to me one summer on Martha’s Vineyard. The island is wrapped in a wild, raw beauty. There are images of mermaids everywhere. Lying on the beach, it’s not hard to imagine a secret world beneath the waves.

The mermaid in the illustration is a metaphor for the exquisiteness that so often lives below the surface. It takes an open mind and heart to discern it. But then again, sometimes all it takes is just looking……

I took this picture of my daughter Bridget on Martha’s Vineyard, around the time she posed for the illustration. She is a mermaid of the landlocked variety. For more information on mermaids check out my friend Margot Datz’s A Survival Guide for Landlocked Mermaids

www.sueshanahan.com

Every Child Is Like a Flower

Posted on May 10, 2012 by Sue Shanahan

Once when I was feeling less than pretty, it occurred to me, “Who told you that you aren’t beautiful?” I began to wonder, what if our differences actually are a gift? What if what’s unique about us is what makes us beautiful? When we let go of our preconceived notions, we’re free to enjoy our individuality. I am thrilled with the trend of using children with disabilities in ads. I love that the world is waking up to the truth that beauty comes in all shapes, sizes and colors.

The illustration above is based on a photo I snapped of a friend’s daughter, Clare. Her mother needed her photographed for a calender featuring children with Down Syndrome. After adjusting the layers of netting on Clare’s party dress, I saw a longing in her mother’s eyes. Maura had the same yearning every mother has for their child. She wanted her little girl’s beauty to be appreciated. I, in turn, was smitten with Clare. Looking at the photographs from the session, compelled me to design an illustration around her. Yes, being beautiful is no longer for the chosen few.

The real Clare

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Happy Spring

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Sue Shanahan

Spring has sprung and with it comes hope. I see hope in the lilac blossoms. I smell hope in the freshly mowed lawn. I hear hope in the ceaseless chatter of the birds. This time of year makes the future seem bright.

The toddler in my illustration is my great-niece, Kaley. She looked like a pocelain doll to me. I had to get her sweetness down on paper. I hunted for her vintage pinafore on-line and found the perfect one through a Mrs. Bird. I wanted to have her wearing something that set off her delicate features. After her mother dressed her, we plopped her on my kitchen table and I began snapping away with my camera. When photographing a baby, I am always loose with my vision for it. You just never know how they will cooperate. I took about twenty shots, and then Miss Kaley was done. Something else I’ve learned about working with little ones is that when they are through poising they are through. A smile can’t be coaxed out of a child who wants to move on.

After loading the shots on my computer, I immediately knew which image I would base my art on. The expression on Kaley’s face as she reached for her foot captured something magical to me. The butterfly and the outdoor scenery were fabricated. What couldn’t be fabricated is the wonder on my little model’s face.

Below is another photo I love. I snapped it while shooting a wedding for a dear friend’s daughter. At times I think this photo begs to be put into an illustration. At other times I think it stands fine just the way it is. I’m curious to know what you think about it. If you have a moment, leave me your thoughts.

Commonplace Grace

Tag Archives: sue shanahan

There’s Magic in the Air

Home is where the heart is. And the heart never really leaves home.

Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

Giving the World Back a Portion of its Lost Heart

Why Worry?

Divine Things

Every Child Is Like a Flower

Happy Spring

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