Before I start creating art each day, I follow a very specific ritual to both ground me in the present moment, and to connect spiritually both to the art and my higher power.

Although this daily ritual has been tweaked many times over the years, it has contained most of the following steps, but not necessarily in this order and/or depth.

Step 1.  Light a candle and/or sage.  With one of these in my hands, I bless the art series I’m working on, as well as myself, and ask my higher power (aka God, Divine Beloved, the Universe) to enter my heart and hands, to inspire my thoughts with what to add to each artwork before me.

Step 2.  Ask the Divine which it wants to play with next. Then I gaze at each of the 9 collage paintings I’m currently rotating between (shown below is my new “At Peace” series), and wait until one seems to jump out at me energetically, saying “me me, play with me”!

Step 3.  Take this artwork into my arms and literally hug it. I send love to it, and imagine love being sent right back to me through the art. This literally feels like I am being loved by the Universe, making my heart feel like it’s on fire.

Step 4.  Set a timer for 20 minutes. This step is used when I’m near the beginning of the series so that I don’t get stuck thinking too much about what to do next. By rotating beginning a collection, I keep the process fresh and spontaneous.  As a result, magic seems to happen as I use my intuition to quickly build layers on each collage painting. Once the design is clear for each collage, I forgo this step, and move right to step 5.

Step 5.  Place my hands on the artwork (pictured above), and ask God to enter my hands and inspire my next actions. For a few minutes, I am completely present and still, with no thoughts. Then I follow WHATEVER I hear to do, even if is very simple, silly or only takes a minute.  When that task is done, I ask again, and again and again.

These simple 5 steps take the anxiety out of not knowing what to add next to the art.

This ritual has had many iterations over the years, and there have been months when I ignored it all together. However those are the times when art making is full of struggle and self-doubt. Feels like “work”.

Then I remember, and I’m gently pulled back to the sacred process of deeply connecting to the art making process BEFORE I pick up a paint brush or scissors.

And once again I am excited to walk into my studio to see where I’ll be guided to take the art next.

Do YOU have a ritual for whatever you create?
Please share to help us all refine the rituals that support what we most love to do.