Laura Hollick - Soul Art Studio

The 10 Life Lessons taught by the Baby Dragon:

1. Everything is in a constant state of change and evolution, there is no fixed point there is only the state of being and becoming.

2. We have to let go of outcome in order to allow the true vision to take shape.

3. Life is full of challenges, but these are not meant to be stumbling blocks they are meant to strengthen and stretch us into grander versions of ourselves. The more you can embrace your challenges the more you will feel you are living a purposeful life.

4. Things go wrong and things go right, but when you see things from a higher perspective you will see it is all perfect for exactly what it needs to be.

5. We really are very deeply powerful. The proof is when you see the perfection and everything lines up and you think to yourself.. “I couldn’t have contrived this any better!”

6. When you perceive yourself as small it is only from the perspective of comparison, because if you compare you are also larger to something else. Instead of viewing life in terms of comparison, think about it in terms of this question: HOW AUTHENTIC ARE YOU?

7. You are beautiful when you are authentic. This type of beauty is the new beauty and will soon be gracing the covers of magazines because deep down we are so hungry for real beauty, it is truly what feeds our soul.

8. If you want to be beautiful practice being authentic and the glow will begin to exude from your every pore.

9. Love is the guiding force for a meaningful and purposeful life.

10. You are a powerful beautiful dragon when you lead your life with love and move forward with the momentum of authentic power.

These are the 10 Life Lessons from the Baby Dragon.

When someone inspires you it is like being given a gift. It is as if their very presence lights your inner candle and you are ignited with a new sense of clarity, purpose and understanding.

Recently I had the rare opportunity to interview one of my favourite artists, someone that I consider to be a living master. I say ‘rare’ because usually artists are recognized as being masters long after they are dead. And this artist is alive and consistently able to capture a quality of goddess beauty within each and every one of her paintings. Her name is JIA LU. I’ve included two of her paintings for you to see, and you can view more of her work at www.jialu.com

During our interview Jia said something that ‘inspired’ me…

“Women are goddesses when they can recognize themselves. This allows them to reach the level of wisdom.” -Jia Lu

This got me wondering… What does it mean to recognize yourself?

Because if you can recognize yourself then you can be a goddess with wisdom.

I’ve created a guided exercise for you to learn how to recognize yourself and begin walking your goddess path.

Click to listen to GODDESS PATH exercise.

What exactly is the S-Spot and what does it have to do with SOUL ART?

You know you’ve hit the S-Spot when you feel the rush of creative energy flowing through your being and everything lines up in a spontaneous and perfect way.

The S-Spot is your Soul, the sweet spot within yourself that is connected to your unlimited potential. Your Soul holds the seed of your purpose and the map for realizing that purpose.

When you tap into your Soul, you tap into your creative potential and your ability to be and become the fullest version of yourself.

Finding your S-Spot can sometimes feel like a courting match, where you are wooing yourself. You can move in and out of being connected with your Soul, and that is why I like to call it the Divine Love Affair.

Once you make your Soul a priority in your life, you begin a life long relationship with yourself. It is a relationship that shapes every aspect of your life, from how you perceive the world around you, to how you experience other people, your career, money, food, the way you spend your time, the types of thoughts you hold, etc..

If you want to open the floodgates of unlimited creative potential and really step into the life of your dreams you need to tap into your S-Spot.

I’ve created a simple exercise you can try right now to flirt with yourself and massage your S-Spot. If you decide to try this exercise, give yourself the time and space to really savour and enjoy this, you’ll feel the benefits!

Massaging your S-Spot:

~Start with unwinding, list the last three thoughts you had. (For example: I just thought about a phone conversation I had; what I’ll be working on in my studio later today; and what I’m preparing for dinner)

~Notice where your thoughts reside. (For example: my thoughts were in the past and the future)

~Now, take a deep breath and bring yourself to the present moment. You can bring yourself to the present moment by feeling and noticing what is happening right now within your body.

~Notice how you feel in your body NOW

~Ask your body “What do you feel right now?”

~Listen

~Listen deeply

~Listen with the greatest curiosity

~Listen with complete attention

~Listen

This sounds very very simple, but if you are able to listen to how you feel you begin deepening your relationship with yourself and you build the trust for your Soul to speak with you.

Massaging your S-Spot is about building the trust with yourself, so your Soul feels safe to communicate with you.

Listen deeply to yourself, you will hear some phenomenal things!

‘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!

As you are growing and evolving into a grander version of yourself do you feel like you are making lots of mistakes? I know I am!

This is a good sign, really it is. When you enter into new territories and expand yourself, you enter into the unknown. By its very nature, the unknown is ‘unknown’, so while you are getting your barrings you might feel clumsy in this new space, and that can breed the feeling of mistakes.

Rather than running for the hills and shrinking back to where you were before, since mistakes are embarrassing and uncomfortable and avoiding them would be easy, let’s explore what mistakes really are….

Mistakes according to the dictionary are: an incorrect idea; an error in judgment

I’d like to share a story with you which might give a new perspective on mistakes.

Two years ago I decided that in the summer of 2008, I wanted to do a nude photoshoot as a symbolic gesture to mark my celebration of loving my body and feeling empowered to be myself.

So, for two years, I studied nutrition and started feeding my body foods that would honour it; I spent hours reframing my thinking so that I could truly feel love for my body from the inside out; I did some laser hair removal (yes it is true, I did!); I went to Boot camp for getting in shape; you name it, I think I’ve done it.

Now, here we are in the summer of 2008, and guess what my nude photoshoot is scheduled for this Wednesday!

And you’ll never believe this….

I magically manifested a poison-ivy like rash on my legs!

At first I thought, this is a MISTAKE, a BIG MISTAKE! How could this happen?

I’d been preparing to step into this grander version of myself, I’d been doing everything I could think of to fully embody the vision I had for myself. And I don’t remember this rash being part of my vision.

I labeled this situation as ‘a mistake’ because it seemed wrong.

As I was thinking about it, long and hard, wondering if I should cancel the photoshoot and reschedule it for when the rash heals, I started laughing, almost hysterically! Because suddenly I got the perfection of the situation.

I had been preparing myself to love my body and celebrate being myself, and here I am, with a rash on my legs. I suddenly realized in order to fully step into myself, I have to step into who I am now and embody it completely, without trying to change it or think it should be different.

This is the perfect celebration of myself. This is exactly what I had been preparing for I just didn’t know it would look like this. What I thought was a mistake was actually a diamond sparkling with perfection.

When you truly expand into the evolved version of yourself, there are new ways of perceiving things.

That “incorrect idea, and error in judgment” takes on a whole new experience when you truly grow.

My two years of preparation really did pay off, because I am now stepping into the celebration of who I am, as I am.

This is the perfect mistake.

Think of a situation in your life, that you have labeled as a ‘mistake’ and find the diamond in the situation. It is there, I promise you!

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!