Interview about Mixed Media Mythology

This is from the original post by the hostess for Mixed Media Mythology, Sarah Leonard, when she interviewed me about my offering for the course:

Why did you choose to participate in the Mixed Media Mythology e-course?

I’m currently hosting 2 other online collaborative e-courses and have loved this process! It’s like all these other past parts of me (many from so long ago that they feel like past lives!) finally came together in a harmonious and meaningful way to enable this… from being a cheerleader… to being a facilitator and project manager for a computer consulting company (when the internet was just getting started)… to being a Montessori teacher… to being an independent beauty consultant… to learning more about photography (which has thankfully been the one artistic tool that has stayed with me all my life) and videos to capture the wonder and joy of having a family… to going through the fear and struggle of having premature twin boys (born 3 months early – thankfully, thriving now and just turned 11!)… to learning to see the world through eyes of wonder and curiosity again… to coping with the grief of my mom’s passing and finding healing in art… to being blessed with a scholarship for an amazing local art course and the good fortune to win quite a few give-aways for awesome online art courses (in addition to using a bit of money my mom left me to invest in some as well). All of these experiences seem to impact the way I’m now able to approach the creative process and connect with others. When I remember to look at it like this, it seems serendipitous!

I hope that I’ll be able to participate as a guide in many more online art courses. I love sharing the magic of the creative process with others and passing on the joy and experience! Hence, I am grateful to be a guest artist guide in this upcoming Mixed Media Mythology course. In addition, the legends passed down through the ages have often intrigued me… stories about the various Gods and Goddesses from different cultures.

Could you share a bit about your experience preparing your offering for the Mixed Media Mythology e-course?

I was so delighted when I found out that I had been assigned the Goddess, Gaia, for this course! It has been such a wonderful blessing to get to know Gaia better for this project. I was aware of Gaia being considered Mother Earth or Mother Nature and that is a topic dear to my heart. I live in the middle of an area surrounded by national forest land and calling this area home brings peace, ease, and harmony. I also traveled to the ocean for vacation while working on this project and heard Gaia singing to me with each wave.  Yet, I didn’t know much about the actual stories from history so it was very interesting and enlightening to learn more while researching Gaia for this project. Apparently, Gaia had a lot to say to me! I could barely believe I ended up with over a dozen videos for my portion of this course! I found so many messages that touched me while getting deep into the creative process with the Goddess of Creativity, the Mother of All, Grand Mother Gaia.

I chose to organize my offering into 4 parts, which felt fitting since there are 4 directions (North, East, South, & West), 4 seasons (Winter, Spring, Summer, & Autumn), or 4 elements (Earth, Air, Fire, & Water). The four sections from my offering are: Part 1: Inviting Inspiration, Part 2: Blessed Beginnings, Part 3: Fruitful Finishing, and Part 4: Embodying the Essence.

Here’s a clip from my introduction video:

The magic and mystery of the creative process really seemed to want to be the main focus for this project so while I cover lots of techniques, experimentation, and options, it is very much about getting in tune with Gaia through the creative process and opening one’s self to her guidance and gifts!

While I share much more about Gaia’s guidance and gifts for me in the course, I’d like to give a little taste here as well.  I found several books while researching for this course that have been blessings.  I share a comprehensive list of resources, including books, websites, music, and even a game in the pdf for the course.  My sons and I really enjoyed reading the first 2 books in the Gaia Girls series together as a result of my research for this course.  I also enjoyed re-reading a favorite children’s book from when my kids were younger about the root children and Grandmother Earth in addition to the more traditional mythology stories and reference material that I learned about.  While working on my project for this course, I realized that the essence of Gaia has shown up in so much of the art that has flowed through me without necessarily ever having that intention in the past.

Now, that I’ve purposely taken time to look and listen, I foresee an entire series of mixed media paintings and maybe even self portraits being inspired by Gaia and this initial project/course!

I’m really looking forward to getting to know the other Goddesses when the course starts as I follow along with the participants.  The other contributing artists will surely each bring their own magic to their projects and it is a blessing to be in such fabulous company!

May all that would enjoy and appreciate this course have the opportunity and may we all find magic in our lives!

Thank you so much for featuring this interview with me, Sarah! Wonderful Wishes, Julia