Laura Hollick - Soul Art Studio

‘Union of Opposites’ photo of Laura Hollick with Mark Wedderburn wearing Laura Hollick’s headpieces. Photo by Melanie Gillis.

There are opposite polarities that exist within you. Have you noticed how one minute you can feel
completely overjoyed and the next minute you can feel bitterly angry?

It can be confusing when this happens, and the tendency is to cling to the side that feels
good and avoid the aspects of yourself that are dark and uncomfortable.

If we try to cling to one side we feel frustrated and eventually binge on the opposite side. If you’ve ever tried to be positive all the time you will know exactly what I mean. Eventually the negative thoughts come pouring out.

I don’t believe our purpose is to try to be positive all the time. Since we have the full range within us,
why not make friends with all aspects of ourselves.

When you allow the full rainbow of yourself there is a deep sense of fulfillment, which stems from
feeling whole.

To feel whole you must allow and include the full rainbow of yourself.

When you marry all aspects of yourself you can experience a love affair within yourself. I call this the union of opposites.

Try this SOUL ART exercise…

Think about an aspect of yourself that you have labeled as negative or uncomfortable. For example: fear

Find its opposite. For example: the opposite of fear, to me is relaxation.

Now create a quick sketch to represent each of these aspects of yourself. For example: you will have a sketch that represents the negative aspect and a sketch that represents the positive aspect.

Now, create a new sketch and see if you can introduce the two, see if you can get them flirting together. Mix and mingle the two qualities.

You never know it might end up in a full blown affair, even marriage!

Experiment with uniting your opposites.

Have fun!!

Imagine if your life on earth was a work of art created by your soul…

Where everything you experienced was another brushstroke creating your masterpiece.

Where every thought and emotion was a colour expressing your soul’s rainbow of beauty.

When you allow your life to be a reflection and an expression of your soul your life becomes a work of art.

Living as a work of art is about listening deep within yourself and hearing the voice of your true leader. It is about growing to match the ever evolving desires that flow from your soul’s master plan.

Your soul’s masterplan is the flowering of yourself, where you become the full expression of your soul here on earth.

This happens when you listen to yourself. Sometimes it can seem so simple, that we overlook the profound depth of these words.

Listen deep within yourself and see the full spectrum of beauty that colours your life.

Are you listening to yourself?

Your life is your soul’s art create your masterpiece!

Have you ever wondered ‘HOW’ your soul speaks to you?

With so much talk about soul, spirit, connecting with yourself, intuition, and listening to your inner voice…
What on earth does this really mean!? And, how can you get this working for you?

Before we even talk about ‘HOW’ your soul speaks with you, let’s figure out the value there is in being able to receive communication from your soul. There would be no point spending time figuring out ‘HOW’ your soul speaks, if it didn’t hold any value for you.

I would like you to imagine a situation in your life where you need to make a decision about something. You could potentially go one way or the other. Would you want to know what decision would guide you to your fullest potential and deepest joy? Or would you like to bumble around in confusion?

When you are able to hear your soul speak then you are able to receive nudges leading you to your fullest potential. Decisions become pathways to a rich meaningful life. Do you think that is valuable?

If you do, keep reading and I will teach you ‘HOW’ to hear your soul speak.

SOUL SPEAK

To hear your soul speak, you need to know what it feels like when you are not hearing your soul, this will give you a clear understanding of the difference.

When you are not listening to your soul, this is what you will most likely experience…. confusion, frustration, feeling stifled, anger, bitter, resentful, constricted, afraid, desperate, etc…

Surely you have felt one or more of these emotions, I know I have!
When you do feel these, they are indicators to put your soul ears on and listen up, because somehow you’ve gotten off track. This is not a bad thing, this is like your own personal GPS, letting you know
you are going in the wrong direction.

Knowing when you are going in the wrong direction is the first step to being able to listen. Let’s not underestimate the value of this, it is important to know what it feels like to go in the direction away from your soul, because then when you move towards your soul, you will recognize the feeling with greater clarity.

The next step to hearing your soul speak is becoming familiar with your own sense of joy, peace, fulfillment, and expansion. The more familiar you become with the way these emotions feel within your body, the more familiar you will become with your soul.

Listening to your soul becomes an act of finding those feelings wherever you are. Not to be confused with imposing these feelings upon yourself, but truly finding them within yourself.

TRY THIS RIGHT NOW
recall a time when you felt deeply fulfilled, and I mean deeply fulfilled! Notice how you feel in your body.

This is your soul speaking!

This week really take notice of how you feel, are you listening to your soul or are you moving away
from your soul?

Creating and living your dreams is RISKY BUSINESS because everytime you attempt to move, shift, grow and transform into that grander version of yourself, your mind gets busy trying to scare you into staying in exactly the same position.

Have you ever experienced this?

You feel the inspiration to grow, and you start moving in the direction of your dreams and then….Fear hits!

Okay, you are not alone. This is actually a healthy sign that lets you know your mind is actively serving you.

Your mind is designed to keep you safe and secure. If you begin to move into new territories and new experiences your mind translates that to be insecure, because it is unknown. As a loving, loyal servant to you, your mind will make you afraid so that you do not move into a potentially unsafe experience.

That is great to know, but now what!?

The big question is how t0 continue moving in the direction of your dreams even when your mind is trying to scare you into staying where you are?

I saw a beautiful quote that I would like to share with you:

“Your fears are not walls, but hurdles. Courage is not the absense of fear, but the conquering of it.” -Dan Millman

Creating and living your dreams is RISKY BUSINESS because it will bring your fears forward. But, that doesn’t have to stop you.

If you are determined to create and live your dreams, then you will need a strategy for when the fear hits! I’ve designed an exercise for you to try when you feel fear set in.

This is for the brave soul…..

Living your dreams exercise for when the fear hits!

Take notice of what you are feeling and thinking. Write down on a piece of paper an exhaustive list of everything you are afraid of. (really include everything)

Once you’ve got your list of thoughts, acknowledge your mind for making you aware of these thoughts.

Recognize how your mind is doing an excellent job of trying to keep you safe. This is an important step, don’t overlook this step, really take the time to acknowledge your mind and Thank it for serving you.

Once you have fully acknowledged each and every fear thought. You are going to look at that very same list, but this time, looking at it through the eyes, and heart of your spirit. What is your spirit’s perspective on these thoughts?

For each and every thought you have listed record your spirits perspective on each one.

Now, introduce your spirits perspective to your mind and notice what happens.

Enjoy being exactly what and who you are celebrate every aspect of yourself!

As you are changing and evolving in your life:
Be kind with yourself
Be conscious
Have fun!

Have you ever had the experience of trying not to feel something because you felt it was inappropriate?

For example, in certain situations we may believe it is inappropriate to express anger, sadness, jealously, or any of the so called ‘negative emotions’. The result can be to deny, hide, or stuff our emotions.

When we don’t express and acknowledge our feelings, they end up stuck inside us. This can clog us up!

When I saw Rick Rivet’s paintings I was immediately struck by the expressiveness of his work. He captures so much feeling, it makes me feel emotionally cleansed just looking at it.

Sometimes all it takes to release our own emotions is to see that same emotion expressed through another.

Today, take notice of your feelings. If you find yourself stopping your natural expression in anyway, find a way of releasing your emotions so you can keep yourself clear and healthy.

Art is one way to express yourself. Doodles and sketches are great for capturing feelings.

As you are changing and evolving in your life:
Be kind with yourself
Be conscious
Have fun!

Nature is a source of inspiration for a lot of the work I do. Not only do I look to nature, for art ideas but I also look to nature for guidance on things that can seem challenging in life.

A question I ask myself frequently is:

What would nature do?

Last week we talked about having a ‘Clear Direction’ in our lives, and knowing the essence of what we want.

Once we know what we want, or even have a sense of it, the inevitable happens….. we are suddenly called to become MORE!

In order to stretch into our desires and goals, we have to stretch ourselves into new territories. This is the beauty of desires, as they call us to evolve.

With evolution, growth is required. Which leads us to the topic of today…

BEING WILLING TO STRETCH BEYOND WHAT YOU CURRENTLY ARE

Think for a moment about where you are now in your life. Now, imagine an expanded version of yourself, a vision of where you would like to be.

What about you is different in the expanded version of yourself? The aspects you noted as being different are the areas you need to stretch into in order to fully step into the life you envision for yourself. The first step is being willing.

So, what would nature do? How would nature be ‘willing’ to stretch and grow into an expanded version of itself?

When nature has a vision of becoming a big tree, and it is only a little seed to start, it allows itself to receive the nourishment that is available to it. It receives the sun, and it receives nourishment through the soil.

Are you allowing yourself to receive the nourishment that is available to you?

Look around at what is available to you, and let yourself receive it.

How else is nature ‘willing’ to stretch into a grander version of itself?

Nature adjusts to its surroundings. Think of a tree growing in a forest, amongst all the other trees. It finds the space where it can grow, it bends and moves, twists and turns.

Are you being flexible and adjusting to what is there in your life now, while still moving forward?

If you feel stuck just look at nature and ask:

What would nature do?

As you are changing and evolving in your life:
Be kind with yourself
Be conscious
Have fun!