Aging 100 years in one second

Original Graphic image created using photoshop
By Judith Parsons 2015

Recently I was cradled in water and felt I had come full circle in my life. Thank you Anita, (waving) for giving me what I had given to so many others. Safe arms to lay back into.

I have taught swimming since I was 20 years old. I have held little babies and adults in my arms as we learned the magical floating qualities of buoyancy. There is a magical moment of “connect” between the non-buoyant swimmer and the NEW buoyant flying fish student. It is a memory that transcends all others.

In that moment, when you see the child float on his/her own. They have earned their wings. It is IN that exact moment, when they age 100 years in a second. It is a moment I wish all of you could experience. They gasp, it is a huge gasp that also accompanies a sitting up sort of motion, they are wide eyed and astounded at their accomplishment.

There is no other way to say it: The gasp is like they are coming back to life.

They have over come fear in that moment. They forever and ever and ever are changed. They can survive in this crazy world where 3/4 of the earth is covered in water. If the water rises, they can always float. I can see you grinning, how absurd, to put so much into one moment. 

When you have held the trembling little one, and asked that they trust you. When he rests his head back upon my shoulder, and I whisper and assure him he can do it, caressing his head, there becomes 

THIS simple moment of 

time 

standing 

still.

It is a glorious magnificent “ah-ha” moment.

It only happens in the water. It is an outer space phenomena - non gravity. 

At the Kabuki spa Anita allowed me to rest and float in her arms. The crown of my head against her bosom and her hands under my back. It took a minute or two for me to settle into that safe place of connected buoyancy. It is a magnificent feeling to be held safe in someone’s arms.

It is also a glorious moment to witness a non-floater become someone who trust in his or her own ability to become buoyant. 

I hope you have a moment to float in warm waters this summer. I hope you can trust someone to hold you, and let you relax back into their arms. Maybe one day soon, I will be back in the pool teaching, and you can come find me, and I will be happy to let you rest and become buoyant in my arms.

(Please please please be safe around water!!! Please wear a floatation device, if you do not feel confident in your swimming abilities.)

We are born artist!

Special art, by a special artist...Judith Parsons Art 2015

When we give ourselves permission to play…

All sorts of wonderful art arises to the surface. The hands take over. Whether it is writing art or creating with a brush, the sunshine of your highest self arises. 

We are ALL born artist! Then we start competing within the family hierarchy and labels are given and only one child might have a chance at the title. 

Or the parent says: “You will never ever make money at that.”  (sighing) So you don’t walk through that door…Nope. 

The artist is beaten out of us. 

I totally get it. I was a graphic designer for 32 years, sure I did my painting on the side. I eventually got a kiln and started creating pottery and glass art, though- truth be told…I never “OWNED” the title, until now.

I was lucky enough to stumble into Folsom Elementary and teach 5th graders art. THEY astounded me with their creations. The one thing we made sure we made was a blue dog plaster mask. George Rodrigue’s blue dog art was a fabulous art project to create! 

My daughter won an art contest with George Rodrigue and I was lucky enough to shake his hand and give him a hug. HE was an incredible spirit of love and light!!! 

I contacted his foundation seven years ago and he gave me all his books so I could teach Louisiana art to this students. For the few years I taught there, I became the cool art teacher that “did the blue dog mask”.

The children taught me about art. We would laugh and talk as we doodled, or painted or sculpted and we relaxed in a safe place of creativity.  One of the reasons I came back to college to obtain my MFA, Masters in Fine Art, is because I kept telling those 5th graders, go to college, get that BA and then that MFA. They asked all sorts of questions about college, and why and where and then they asked me: Did I have my “masters”?

So…the student becomes the teacher. (grinning) YEP!

If you old Folsom students are reading this, picture me hugging you tight!! We never ever ever give up! 

“Let the spirit move you!!”

Love you all!

Potentiality!!!

Potentiality!! We have soooo much to offer to the world!!

One of the nicest things about the internet is the shared information! I love learning and thinking and playing with words and art and graphic images…PLAYING is a crucial part of learning.

Remaining playful while learning is ONE of the biggest gifts we can give ourselves. Skipping along and scrolling and discovering and becoming more, for me, is what life is about.

When I decided to go back to graduate school the first time, I went to Dr. Lynnette Ralph and asked her if she could help me research “Teaching happiness.” She invited me into her office and a glorious friendship was born. One of the people I stumbled across, 5 years ago was Dr. Ken Robinson.

I loved his research on education and passion! His TED Talk really is fabulous- as he nails what we need to do…That creativity is crucial to learning! Here was an educator speaking my language! If we could plug into that conduit of light and laughter and make learning fun, then just think how we might move mountains with our children! 

My sister, gave me Deepak Chopra’s book: “The Seven Laws of Spiritual Success” and I have been following Deepak ever since. I love his meditations and his research as he is providing research that claims we have the ability to change our DNA with the power of the brain.

These are exciting times we live in!! Can you imagine it? If you can see it and believe it, then you can manifest it into your life. I totally believe what you believe can HEAL you, or worse kill you. Words and thoughts are powerful!

Go check our Dr. Ken Robinson on TED talk- It is amazing!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY

And search You Tube for videos with Deepak Chopra…Anything he does is great!

Let us be cognizant of our words, let us give our beautiful positive words light and wings and unfurl them! Let us live our lives with passion in our hearts! Let us travel with a grin upon our face and dance with sashaying hips down this incredible path.

That is all!

(grinning)

I am doing art…manifesting potentiality passionately!

Woooooohoooooo!!!

Love tires.

Original art created JUST for this blog!

How one loves is interesting. I was raised to fall passionately in love with someone and get married. End of story. That was a long time ago.

I rode my bike built for two over sharp objects and ruined the tires to all hell and back. End of marriage.

Now, with the technology of instant connecting available we can connect to all sorts of fabulous folks. And we can connect to old friends that we might have lost touch with. It is a glorious world of connecting and reconnecting.

I love writing, I love art, and I love connecting to people who are philosophical poets. I have fallen in love with many people here, in these halls of Facebook. 

Poets who all weave their vulnerable heart stories. 

I have learned to hold my cards close to my heart now. At first I didn’t. At first I promised the world to a few loves, then realized I had rushed in like a tsunami wave, only leaving debris and trash behind. I apologize if I did that to you. If I gave you false hope.

As an artist, Love is a fabric that is rubbery. It has to be flexible and repairable. It is constantly transforming from its testing and evaluation. The love is stretched beyond its maximum strength and it tears. Or one rides over very sharp pointy objects and well, holes happen.

It takes time to repair, it takes skilled hands to mend it. Remember the rubber inner-tube tire kit we used to use to fix holes in our bike tires? Well, there you have it. 

The deal was simple, you kept repairing the bike tire- until nothing was left. Eventually one had to purchase another inner-tube.

I have friends who try very hard to Love me. They hold up the mirror of me, letting me see me. I try and hold up the mirror of love for them. And I am very thankful for the holding up of the mirror. I can not promise anyone Love anymore. 

The inner-tube has a million holes in it. And it can not take anymore holes. I rather like it- with all its patches. And I am perfectly content, learning to love my self and my art. A friendship, yes, I can give that. We can ride around on our bikes and laugh and be silly. You can keep loving me in whatever capacity I can muster. I know now, it won’t ever be enough for you. You will always want more, and I will not be able to give it.

I will place the bike on the wall, weave colored threads through it and glance at it and smile. The tires are flat and that is okay. I like walking.

Valerie Ostenak

I used photographs from google and
Valerie's web site. 

An incredible inspiration!

I want to introduce you to
an art priestess; Valerie Ostennak. 

There are few artist as talented as Valerie. I met her many many moons ago, we worked at the Monterey Herald Newspaper as artist. She would ride in on her magnificent Harley motorcycle and you’d hear the sound of her stride, her artsy cowboys boots announcing her arrival.

She always is smiling. God knows I just love people WHO do that!!!

I just thought you ought to meet this amazing woman! 

She forges metal, she is the editor of a magazine, she creates jewelry worn by gorgeous New York Models, SHE really is one cool warrior woman!

Thank you Valerie for your inspiration! You are fabulous!

Please check out her webside: Valerie's amazing website!

My art found me!!

Original glass and metal art, casted from goose wings.
Art by Judith Parsons 2000

I have been searching for myself. Trying to pin point exactly who and what I am. I was looking for some old papers that might enlighten my heritage, supposedly my grandmother was married to a Native American man. I was looking for her old drivers license, which might help me with the research.

I have never felt more out of sorts with the labeling of myself. I abhor labels. Though, admittedly they help evaluate and find a starting point at which to start teaching. Though- I am not here to talk about labels, that is another blog. 

Today I found  myself.
Or rather, my art found me

I came across 2 small thumb drives last night, and what a fabulous find! All those certifications of art- and who I mailed them too was found! All those doodle I created- and you guys bought!!
I am hugging you all! (grinning)

It is amazing how we loose something, we search in vain, and finally give up. Then it creeps back into your life. Life really is like that for me.

I found my glass wings and aluminum wings. I created them in 2000, Mary White was the professor at San Jose State. And I am so sorry - I can not recall the name of the instructor who taught foundry work.

If you know them, reconnect me to them! I am going to click around and do a playful search, nothing serious. Because we know, when we are fiercely searching it alludes us. However, when we relax and let the search come to us…it magically happens.

Perhaps when we finally give up, when we see ourselves upon our knees in futile surrender, that is when Mr. Time or God steps in an says, “Look, this is what you are.” (Gulping)

I went through those old files and was stunned at the work I had created. I have been looking toward heaven and flight, trying to assess the next realm, with my art. I should have stayed put in 2000 at San Jose State university and finished that degree. (shaking head) What was I thinking?

Oh, right, I was married, with little babies to look after. The artist in me couldn’t be a FULL time artist. NOW, I can! 

Wooohooooooo!!!

I hope you find what you are looking for. I hope you find something that reminds you of who you are.

Go on, let me push you out of the nest. Go ahead- flap those wings Luv! Soar!!

More connected

Original art --by Judith Parsons Art. 2015

Energy.

Pure wonderful energy. It ebbs and flows, it surges and slows. It just is a connect the dot and keep on rambling sort of phenomena. 

Sometimes all the puzzle pieces are lost, and sometimes all the puzzle pieces fall exactly into place. Then sometimes they don’t or won’t.

Just sigh, just slow it down and stop talking.

This blog is for me, more than for any body else. Some times I just have to work, turn off the mind, let the hands get busy and work, work, work. I will work until I drop. Then I sleep for a day and a half to catch up to myself.

I am not anywhere near normal, but thanks to Facebook, I realize I am surrounded by the same wonderful wild wonderful warrior brothers and sisters. Normal just doesn’t exist anymore.

Whew!

We can all sigh now…and get back to our Facebook schedules and candy crush.

The art is an original. I rather like it—ALOT. And I might actually make some prints if anyone is interested. 

We can glance at it across the room, and KNOW we are still connected!

We are pure energy- from the source…Pure perfect passion! Keep soaring sweet Luvs…You guys are truly awesome!!

Capt. Blue J

Images from google images. Just composed a special graphic
just for this blog! Art by Judith Parsons 2015

Maybe this has happened to you… You have awakened with an idea in your head and you can't shake it. It is as if there is a whole other entity inside you- saying: “Be wild! Change it up! Let the old go!”

I didn’t know her name at first. But, eventually this “Capt. Blue J” showed up. I know- I know- we think of all the blue beards, all the dangerous wild eyed, frenzied bizarre characters in books and movies. Perhaps its time to strip off a layer of the mild mannered me, and give you a deep look into how crazy and wild I can be.

I wanted a new persona, I am really close to purchasing a motorcycle, but the restraints of where to park it, and how safe it is in the city- makes me resist that purchase. The wild woman in me is making up for lost time. She has been soaring beside a woman who has been telling me to dig my heels in, telling me to own my voice, telling me to stand up and just BE what ever the hell I want to be. 

Well- she has gone and done it now. (Waving -Thank you Anita) All that chipping away at the old ceramic facade brought Capt. Blue J to the forefront! I have found the blue steel underneath!

(Standing ovation)

 Something shifted, the transformation came at me fast, like I had to do something drastic to make this change. The hair coloring was the least of the drastic measures to take. I was considering going bald. Can you imagine?

It has been a long time coming, since hurricane Katrina took away my sailboat. When I was in her, I felt safe. She was my emergency back-up plan if the world went to hell in a hand basket. I knew I could barter and trade and take people up and down the coast for essentials. (smiling sigh)

Yesterday, I found the old me. She hasn't aged at all. She has been waiting for me to come back to her. I was finding my sea legs again. Yesterday was an incredible day! I learned how to start the zodiac engine and to retrieve the smaller boats. Then learned to rig the 15 footers. I wanted to go out on my own and talk to the wind and play with the sheets and familiarize myself with the water one-on-one.

Don’t you love those words: “one-on-one”…3 perfect words. I can’t help but smile at the 3 thing- I am obsessed with it. I love geometry, I love the Trinity, I love how we are ALL more connected than we know.

I want to become stronger because of sailing, I want to find my see legs, do some planking and strengthen my core. I want so much from my body, for sailing, I will do it. For Capt. Blue J- I will become stronger in body, mind and spirit! Who knows, maybe one day I will own a nice sail boat again, and I will take you all out!! 

We will sail toward the sunset!! Wooooohoooo!!

The links below are were I found the cool pirate art--

https://pakthryxl-modules.obsidianportal.com/wiki_pages/pc-faction-concepts

https://pakthryxl-modules.obsidianportal.com/wiki_pages/pc-faction-concepts

Could you summon the strength?

I am remiss in my absence from blogging. I have been busy doing artist things, attending a blacksmithing conference with my Irish love and finishing sculptures for finals.

I was reading poetry this morning and one particular line slammed into me. There is no other way to say it. it simply jumped off the screen with its lightning bolt electric energy and slapped me silly.

The phrase: “Could you summon the strength?”

In that moment I saw an answer I have been asking God about. In that answer I saw many things that enlightened my path again. I wrote a poem in response and created a note to try and explain it.

Inspired by Stephannie Darker. 

She wrote this line:

“Could you summon the strength?”

This line flew from the screen

A lightning rod of electrocution

Asking me to hold the ONE focused rod of art

Above my head

Lifting it above my head

I finally could see the idea that has been elusive

It is time

to be strong

Time to summon the strength

Focus it into becoming

My

Best

Self

I see her, me, that higher self

Standing strong

Feet grounded

Back made of steel

Arms stronger than ever

Hands above her head

Face uplifted

The energy coming off her hands

Holding art

Intense electricity shower

(Blinking back tears)

I am relieved now.

Finally I see.

Holding

the 

One

Marvelous

Magical

Art

Then all morning I have been thinking of the uplifted face. And I stumbled across a google image that said it all. This female figure stands upon a stage, head back, singing her passion out. Her arms, her head back, her entire body is saying: “Can I summon the strength?”

Her arms are strong. Her neck lines exquisite. Her passion palatable!  

I love this photograph. 

I just took it and played with it. I am finding who I am as an artist. It is like shedding skin after skin. Today I made great strides in figuring out the artist I am.

With arms out stretched, head back, I sing my desires for love, laughter, and enlightenment!

May we all ask ourselves, “Could I summon the strength?” Then relax into it, and know that you can. We are all woven into one another! WE are the fabric of life. We are woven threads.

Have a glorious day!

Soaring beside you all!