In this beautiful new year of 2023, I started to teach a new class series on Zoom. This class series is called "Watercolor Magic: the Inner Artist Journey." It is for anyone who wants to create from the Heart with Joy and Freedom. It is open to all levels of artists. It focuses more on the Inner Artistry. I will share with you the practices that will help you reconnect with the Inner Artist, set her free and let her shine, while growing technical expertise in watercolor.
The Inner Artistry practices that we will explore in this class series include:
Meet the authentic self
Tune in with Intuition
Affirm the Joy and Light within
Seek feedback from a centered place and receive Inner Guidance
Play, Pleasure, Open and Receive – the sacred feminine ways of creation
Discover, Nourish, and Manifest the true inner artist vision
Be the instrument of Love
And more~~~
All these practices are grounded in the Eastern way of Knowing and the Western way of Research. You may wonder, how on earth did I get to know these practices? Well, we all carry unique Soul treasures, don’t we? Here is my story. It’s not an easy story to tell, but let me give it a try.
I was born into an ancient family in China, which can be traced back thousands of years ago. Back then, the Wei ( 魏 ) family was a tribe of women who communicated with the Divine through art. They were the Spiritual Artists. At time went on, the Wei family grew, and saw many talents emerge including artist, scholars, highly ranked government officials, etc., throughout the history. But because of the strong patriarchy presence in China, the origin of the family, the women who were spiritual artists, was not told much. I did not even know about them until in recent years. As I was growing up, not knowing my true roots often got me confused. I always felt “different”. It was very easy for me to identify the connections between the cosmic and human experiences, but when I shared these findings with my friends, I often got laughed at for being “superstitious”.
As I worked hard and excelled in school and professional career, a part of me was never satisfied. She craved for something different - the wilderness, the freedom, the mystery, and certainly, the art. The ancient grandmothers were calling me to get off the conforming paths but get on my true path.. In my early thirties, I left the corporate world, dived into the social science field, and devoted my doctoral research on how art impacted people. It took me three years to conduct study in four different communities of two states, interviewed hundreds of people, and cranked out numerous statistical analyses based on the large amount of data collected, and completed writing the research dissertation. By the end of this rigorous scientific process, I was stunned by the research findings. Art, when engaged in authentic and soul-enriching ways, can significantly enhance the wellbeing of people, organizations, and communities.
Originally I was thinking to join a think-tank after I got my PhD. But after seeing these findings, I knew what I wanted to be, an Artist. I joined a team of artists who I studied as part of my research and who had pioneered such soulful art work. I started working in the “wilderness”, in all kinds of communities and with people from all walks of life. From migrant workers in Beijing to Harvard and MIT faculty in Boston, from youth juvenile in the Appalachian mountains to veterans on Cape Cod, from gentrified black communities in downtown Seattle to Native Americans on the islands of Pacific Northwest.. Again and again, I witnessed how this authentic and spiritual way of artmaking brought out the enormous human potential, and Peace and Hope.
Like a circle, it finally came to my own turn to heal and grow my Inner Artist.
Ever since I was a little girl, artmaking was natural to me. I especially enjoyed the Chinese traditional ink wash paintings, which was essentially one form of watercolor painting. But when I got to college, the watercolor professor pronounced my painting worthless. I was heartbroken, and I believed him. I lost the trust that my hands could create anything beautiful, and stopped painting for many years.
But Watercolor never ceased to attract me, and my heart always had a secret longing for it – those mesmerizing color fusions, the cheerful and vibrant senses it evoked, like nothing else.. After going through all the enlightening experiences and being nourished by many loving people around me, eventually, I gathered enough courage to study watercolor again. This time, I decided not to follow the conventional path, but apply all my research findings and spiritual practices I learned from many immensely spirited artists and scientists.
That journey of re-learning watercolor has been going on for six years. It has been truly the most miraculous experience. I have had so many magical moments, made many incredible friends, and have more than ever trusted the goodness within myself, both as an artist and as a human being. Today, with great joy and gratitude, I realize I can paint watercolor in ways that both enriches my spirit, and share the inner light genuinely with the world.
Now, my heart is ready to share these practices with you, if you are curious and open for them. It will be your own unique heart and soul journey, with lots of splashes of water and color, and full of magic! If you are ready, I would be more than honored to serve as a humble guide on this journey. New classes will be announced through my social media and posted on the Eventbrite site.
See you soon, my dear friend.
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