Creatively Fit Trainer

Guess what!! I've just completed a certification program that brought me through a transformation process that will forever change me. The first 3 parts of the program showed me how I can be the artist of my life by creating change. It walked me through how to start with small changes to strengthen that muscle and learn a new way of living - which is: how to be the artist of my life and make bold and powerful marks on the canvas that is my life. The program, led by the wonderful Whitney Freya, uses art-making as the mode of transformation. Proving that you are the artist of your life because you make marks on the canvas that is your life by making choices. It teaches you that the choices can be soft, insecure or bold and powerful. Just like artwork, in your life you will see consequences and results of your marks/choices.
The last layer of the program really brings new clarification to my life. It's the part of the program that pivots its focus from you learning how to use art to make the changes you want in your life to you sharing to, and coaching others, how to do the same.
The main focus is to shift your outlook away from the logical mind, (aka left brain, aka critical mind) being in charge; to the left brain "sharing the driver's seat" with the right brain! the right brain is in touch with creativity, joy, infinite wisdom, etc. The left brain/logical mind is fear based and attached to the past and the right brain is love based and attached to the non-temporal aka infinite.
The last layer taught me how I can teach others to also make changes in their lives and I AM READY.
I believe that people are hungry for change and for bringing creativity in their lives and the freedom to be true to who they are at heart. Everyone can be an artist by expressing who they are deeply in their heart by making the bold changes their hearts desire. Let's let our heart lead for a change!

The course also teaches you how to use the messages given to you by the symbols around you and the messages in your own art-work to show you how your art resembles and sometimes reflects your life. Then you are able to look at your life with new insight and because you know what changes to make in your art to change or fix what you saw needs fixing you also know what changes to make in your life. This program is amazing! you can actually read what your artwork is telling you and then you can clearly see that your life has the same issues. If your don't believe me, just watch!
 It really, really works!
I am now ready to express my passion for creating the art that is my life and inspire others to do the same. I am getting over the fear of speaking in public and I am ready to teach classes at an art center in Mundelein, IL teaching people what I have learned. I am extremely excited to make a difference in people's lives while I am changing my life and becoming more powerful and authentic.

Create the life that YOU want. If you want to experience this transformation look up Vision Quest . The Creatively Fit Program on Facebook or go to http://whitneyfreya.com/vision-quest. and tell them Cosima sent you!

Layer 4 #7

Layer 4 Lesson 6

4th Lesson, Layer 4

Analog and abstract

2nd Lesson / Layer 4

Painting Miles of Creative Energy

In my Creatively Fit Coaching Certification course I am making huge strides in the canvas that is my life. The assignment is to paint 10 paintings with the design principles listed below, each on top of the previous canvas. Boy, did I learn detachment from this segment. This exercise is powerful in so many ways. One way is that you realize that if you don’t paint over the old painting/life circumstances you’ll still have the same painting/life circumstances. So I realized that I have to surrender the way the past showed up for me and create a new life by creating change and making different marks.

We normally want to make our painting perfect and we are afraid to make mistakes which makes most of us feel paralyzed in the old ways. Knowing you’re going to paint over the painting anyway, frees you from that fear and paralysis. The thing is that it doesn’t matter if you make the wrong step because you can paint over it in the next layer with different marks/life steps. Your are now living from the right hemisphere of your brain which is where your creativity LIVES. The miracle here is that having this fearless freedom opens you up to your intuition and the universe. Once you make your painting life opens up with brand new opportunities and connections that would not have been able to happen if didn’t reach out to the next layer/level of being your best and highest self.

This segment really brings home how principles of design (listed here) in your art work reflect your current life situation.  CONTRAST - UNITY - BALANCE - PROPORTION - HARMONY - REPETITION - RHYTHM – EMPHASIS. Paintings below are prompts from these principles.

It is really incredible how the assignments in this course help you understand how to make your mark on the canvas that is your life and create the change needed that catapults you into the direction that you desire. Your desire is there because that is the path for you.

To find this path, these are some questions you can ask yourself: who do you want to be? Are you stretching yourself to the frame that is your life or are you reaching for past that frame? What is the thread that weaves itself throughout your life? What is vital to being you? What are you passionate about?

My mission is to express my true and highest self by surrendering fears, thriving in the unknown and connecting with the spirit of unconditional love. I would like to do this by coaching others the spirituality of art and the art of spirituality. A spiritual life has many different brush strokes that create your new reality.

As I become more creatively fit from my daily painting practice I developed stronger creativity muscles which are responsible for creating change on the canvas and in my world. Creativity is changing my world - I want to create such a life that it will be a light to others.

More information on this course can be found here: http://whitneyfreya.com/cmd.php?Clk=5446189

Painting Made Easy

So, if someone asked you whether you are an artist, what would you say?
If I asked you if you could paint, what would you say?
I'm going to show you how anyone can learn to paint and that you are an artist as long as you are alive!
You see, we worked this step by step process that anyone can do if we just focus on experiencing the step you're in and not worry about anything else.
In the Creatively Fit Coach Training we learned this month how creating art is a metaphor for creating your life.  In a nutshell, here's are the steps:

The first step is to let your true colors shine - in painting this translates into mixing colors and applying the colors you like in any arrangement you like, just make it feel good to you. In life this translates into: do what you choose without worrying about what others think.
Note: completely ignore your left brain's negative voice.

The second step is to structure and direction - in painting this translates in to drawing an outline of an object you would like to paint. In life this translates into: organize your efforts and choose the direction towards your choice of goal.
Note: listen to your gut and don't be afraid to make the wrong choice because you can always modify what you're working on or it may just show you an even better alternative. (it's possible that your inner artist is communicating with you, so pay attention.:)

The third step is bringing in your essence - in painting this translates into painting with the beautiful colors you select inside the outlines and the background leaving some of the first layer showing through. In life this translates into: be selective in the things you choose to spend time doing and the things you choose to put in effort into thinking about repetition, rhythm, contrast, harmony, unity, proportion, emphasis and balance. Let previous layers show through because all the layers of your past are important and always present in you and who you are becoming.
Note: Enjoy the process and keep in mind that it's not the finished product that is the most important thing but what you're learning about yourself, and that you're creating the change you want in your life by the actions you're taking.

The fourth step is to apply the finishing touches - in painting this translates into adding texture to all the sections and adding interesting eye-catching design elements. In life this translates into: focusing on one part of your life at a time and develop and expand each part to make it interesting and complete.
Note: Your authentic essence is shining through and bringing you joy and empowerment.

Do you see how easy and fun painting in this process is? Do you see how each step corresponds to your life and your expansion in it? I look forward to becoming a Creatively Fit Coach and teaching this technique and many others. I'd love to hear from you if you want to make changes in your life and or if you want to get rid of the myths about painting.

Thank you for reading my blog and hope it helps you become more creative and empowered in art and in the art that is your life. Contact me with further questions and clarifications, I would love to show you more.

Layer 1 and 2

Layer 3

Layer 4

Enjoyed it so much I painted more: here's water pitcher

cosima.ma95@yahoo.com

powerful white horse

Progress Sharing

Need to share how this program has created change in my life.

When I heard that people were perfectionists, I thought to myself, not me! I don’t care about being perfect one bit! But I’ve come to realize that not wanting to “expose” myself in fear of not being good enough or in fear of being judged and criticized is very much related to perfectionism.

It’s like saying because I’m not 100% certain that if I put my “art” out there it will be well received I’m not going to risk it. …well isn’t that being perfectionist? I’m learning that my current level of art is what it is and doesn’t need to be more and better. It just needs to be shared and it needs to connect with people at a “heart” level. It doesn’t have to be well received by all. What do you think? 

I also find myself doing things that I wouldn’t do before. Little things where I would think I wouldn’t want to be seen, I now think it is ok. I’m learning to have a new relationship with fear. I’m starting to see it as resistance as opposed the place of no return! LOL!\

I’m working on being ok in the instructor role now – so I’m a work in progress, but I’m so very excited about the growth I see in myself. I know I’ve come a long way! And I can feel that I’m going keep growing and expanding too!

Thank you all ladies, for your sisterhood! I am loving this tribe and I’m starting to really feel like I’m actually part of it.

Love, peace and blessings!

Cosima

Consulting the Artist Within You

We all live from our “left brain”: the individual, critical, linear, fearful essence instead of our “right brain”: infinite, expansive, courageous essence. We would all live much better lives if we learned how to live from a balanced left and right brain essence.

Living from a balanced essence we can be freer and empowered to be our true self, no matter who is around. Living from a balanced essence will help us be about unconditional love and live more creatively. To live creatively is to live from our authentic self – not about making art – but allowing our true self lead in creating a life that is balanced and bold. In this life we lose our limiting beliefs and face our fears! So in a nutshell, here's the left/right conversation. The left brain says: don’t do that! It’s scary and dangerous! And the right brain says; I’ve considered your opinion, and I choose to face that risk because I will be stronger on the other side! This is what we all want!

Do you want to become more empowered? More confident? Let’s work on strengthening our right brain and stop playing small! How do we create this change? Simple! Make a commitment to do creative activities regularly. 

Be bold in your actions and create authentic strokes!

Did I say strokes? Yes! See, if you look at life as a canvas, every action and decision you make is a brush stroke. Here at Creatively Fit, we believe that when you balance your right and left brain you can learn to make bold, strong and beautiful strokes on the canvas that is your life. This means you are the artist of your life. We teach several workshop workouts that will train and strengthen your right brain muscle.

Creativity fitness activities are crucially important. I am attaching some of my work so you can get an idea how fun and process focused this work is. It’s the activity that counts, the workout.

It's not about making art that is gallery "worthy". 

A very important thing to keep in mind is this: as you strive to reach a balanced essence, focus on finding passion and not perfection. Trying to be perfect will turn on the left brain and fear will freeze you but if you strive for passion, you will do things out of love and fear will most likely dissolve.

I highly recommend listening to Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor’s Ted Talk. She found nirvana when her left brain shut down because of a stroke. Her story is important because she experienced herself as the infinite expansion of love! She says it's there for all of us. Let’s open ourselves to expansion and inner wisdom.

What would make your heart sing with joy? How would you like to express your authentic self and live courageously? The more we allow our inner artist to express herself, the more authentic our lives will be. Do you believe you live in a friendly universe? Your right brain does! How would your life change if you believed the universe supported you?

Tapping into L+R brain balanced essence will help you stop playing small, stop being worried about what others think, and start being intuitive, start living from a place of love. I believe when your left + right brain are balanced, your heart intelligence is activated!  So L+R+H= your empowerment and wisdom.

At Creatively Fit, we offer online courses and personal coaching to help you create your intention and be the artist of your life. If you want to change something in your life, if you want to play big; what’s your next step?

Sacred Symbol Contemplation Drawing

Scribble Drawing

Dream Collage

Torn paper face