Who won the Hearsong Fine Art random drawing?

 Indira did! Congrats!

I will contact you today with instructions for collecting your prize.

photo courtesy of Heartsong Fine Art

A hearty thanks to Laura Koniver, MD for donating a set of her colorful art cards for this giveaway. Lucky Indira gets to choose her favorites from the cards section of Laura's etsy shop, Koniver.etsy.com. To find out more about Laura & her wonderful creations visit HeartsongFineArt.com.

And many thanks to those who took the time to leave a comment this past week. You feedback is always appreciated! Please pop back later today for a new artist feature & random drawing announcement.

Enter to win set of Art Cards from Heartsong Fine Art

Are you feeling lucky?

Artist Laura Koniver, MD stopped by last Monday to share her thoughts on creativity & health.  Lucky for us, she is also sponsoring this great giveaway! On 7/15 one reader will  be randomly selected to win a set of her art note cards. 

Inspirational Cards from the Original Paintings of Laura Koniver, MD

Laura creates in a variety of mediums, including acrylic paints. She's recently printed several of her vibrant paintings on blank note cards. These are available as sets as well as individually in her etsy shop http://www.koniver.etsy.com. 

 

On 5/17 the winner will get to choose which card set they want as a prize.  Each boxed set includes 8 cards (2 cards in each style as listed) plus 8 envelopes. Set themes include Nature, Inspirational and Spiritual. 

 

Nature Cards from the Original Paintings of Laura Koniver, MD

Or the winner can create a custom set by selecting their 5 favorite individual note cards. Click here to view the available art cards to choose from. All cards measure 5.5" x 4.25" and are blank inside.

To Enter This Random Drawing, simply leave a comment on this blog before 1 a.m. (EST) on 7/15. Yep, it is that easy. Just make sure you include your contact info if it isn't in your blog profile. This contest is open worldwide with free shipping to 1 lucky winner.

 

Spiritual Cards from the Original Paintings of Laura Koniver, MD

Want A Second Entry? Click Here to check out Laura's guest post, How The Simple Act Of Creating Must Create Physical Health & leave a comment there as well. It is a thought provoking piece which you may or may not agree with. Either way I'd love to hear your take on the subject. And you'll get your name tossed into the hat a second time.

On 5/17 I'll use random.org to select a winner & will announce it on the blog.

Before I go, I want to thank Laura for donating this wonderful prize & for sharing her thoughts on Monday. If you'd like to find out more about Laura & her colorful artwork, here are some places to visit online:

Esty Shop - http://www.koniver.etsy.com

Blog - http://www.heartsongfineart.com/blog

Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/HeartsongFineArt

ArtSnark Interview with the artist from 9/2009

Photo Studio Tour 9/2009

I'd also like to thank all of you who take the time to leave a comment. Your feedback is always welcome & it is your interest in these giveaways that keeps them coming.

How The Simple Act Of Creating Must Create Physical Health by Laura Koniver, MD

I met Laura on Etsy last fall when she offered to sponsor a Thursday Giveaway & Saturday Studio Tour on this blog. (Click the links to visit those posts. Also, if you have a moment, stop by her online shop  http://www.koniver.etsy.com). A kind, talented and very interesting person,  Laura describes herself as "A former physician turned artist and homeschooling Mama..." She is also a thought provoking writer. If you get a chance check out her blog, http://heartsongfineart.com/blog. It is  a peaceful place full of insight and eye candy. 

Lucky for us Laura stopped by to share her thoughts on creativity & health. After you've read this piece please take a moment to leave a comment. I think we could get a fascinating dialog going here. Now I'm going get out of your way. I'll meet you at the bottom of the post where I have some info about a new random drawing. (By the way, All photos are courtesy of Laura Koniver MD.)

How I view health now...
or... how the simple act of creating must create physical health.

I took the scenic route in becoming an artist.  The really looooong way around.  The kind of path that took me through medical school, residency, and a bit of clinical practice as a physician before I had children and realized my heartsong was to be a mommy and an artist.  That kind of long way around.

For many years, I tried to merge my two lives... there must be some way (I kept banging my head against the wall) to be an artist who can still heal people medically.  Right?  It should make sense.  I thought about becoming an art therapist.  Maybe medical illustrating?  I invented some new medical/art therapies including casting the human body and then painting it as a work of art mounted on a canvas.  Labels... labels... Must. Label.  Myself.  Something.  Am I a physician-turned-artist?  An artist with a medical degree?  A temporarily side-tracked doctor?  

 And finally, FINALLY, I realized what I intuitively knew all along... creating *is* healing.  Cut out the middle man, no need to invent a new medical therapy...  To create at all, in any form, is to create health.  The very act of creating allows health to flow.

 Creating is life.  Being alive is to create.  There just isn’t any other way around it.  All you have to do is sit there and breath, and you are creating.  

Because never, in the history of ever, has there been another person like you, living this moment of time, breathing this breath of air that you breathe... so everything you do is new and unique.  And never, in the history of ever, will there be another being exactly like you, living this moment of time, breathing this exact breath of air... So the very act of being alive is to create something new and irreplaceable.  

But, you can take it a step further and a step further every moment.  Because the more you create, the more life force you draw through you.  So even though just taking a breath is a creative act, creating something more out of the moment will draw more life in you and through you, and more health to you.  

The healthiest thing you can do is to create and allow your life force to flow through you. 

One form of creating is no better or superior at creating health then another form of creating.  Being a painter or an author or a poet is no more healthy or creative then creating a new meal, decorating a room, cutting your son’s hair.   All work can be creative.  All work can be meaningful.  

In fact, classic artists like painters and sculptures can be the worst at using creativity in their daily lives.  As pointed out in the book The Path Of Least Resistance, Learning to Become the Creative Force in Your Own Life by Robert Fritz, artists typically sequester the act of creating to just their chosen art form.  But creating is something we all do, we need to do, just as naturally as we need to breath.  It can not be sequestered away.  It can not apply to only one area of our lives.  It is life.

Most people live with a problem solving mind frame.  And even though this is extremely effective at what it does (solving problems) what you are left with is the absence of a problem.  This is far different then creating something that wasn’t there before. 

To create is simply to make something new where there wasn’t anything before.

If you are going around problem solving your life... you will be left with a void... no problems, everything solved... but nothing created.  

 And what usually happens when you have an empty space to fill?  Our minds are great at jumping right in with *helpful* things like nagging suspicions, nit-picky chatter, jealousy, gossip, finding something else to be dissatisfied with... even a new symptom or a re-emergence of an old disease pattern comes back once the problem is solved, because you have not actively *created* something to take it’s place.  In short, you are creating a new problem to have something else to solve.  

What if, instead of solving a problem and getting rid of something, you decide instead to create.  To make something new that wasn’t there before.  To bring into your life, and this world, a new situation that is exactly how you want it to be.  

This is not staying still, battling off problems, living in the defensive.  This is taking a step in the direction you want to go.  This is creating.  This is art.  This is filling a blank canvas with what you want to fill it with.   This is healing.  This is the flow of health.

Creating allows life to move with you and through you and allows health to flow.  

 Back to basics.  You can’t *not* create.  You being alive fulfills that contract.  If you are alive, you agree to be creating in every moment of your life, every fiber of your being.  

So what do you want to create?  If you block creation by problem solving, your energy stagnates and creates dis-ease.  If you create instead of problem solving, you allow the flow of life to sweep you off your feet and into the future of your dreams.

So, what do you think about Laura's ideas? Please leave a comment - I'd love to hear your feedback. Also, your comment will enter you in the newest random drawing (to be announced here tomorrow). So, be sure to pop back & check out the new prize donated by Laura. You'll also be given a chance to have a second entry in the random drawing (which will be held on 7/15). 

Laura, thank you for stopping by today with these intriguing ideas. I have one last question  before you go:  What are you creating now? 

LK: I'm finishing up a new children's book on this topic, the flow of health and joy, geared towards younger children.  It is a picture book, written and illustrated by me. It is called Jake. A Guinea Pig Finds Adventure. and will be released this fall.    

To stay informed of this book, sign up for Laura's Facebook fan page - http://facebook.com/heartsongfineart.   

Other places to see what Laura is up to next include: 

http://www.intuitionphysician.com (formerly HeartsongFineArt)

http://koniver.etsy.com

2 Lucky Winners Today!

Prize #1 is a free custom printed 18" x 24" rolled poster from Uprinting.com.

According to random.org, the lucky winner is ...... SF

Prize #2 is winner's choice of 1 Fine Art Print from Koniver.etsy.com.

Path Filled With Sunshine by Dr Laura Koniver

And The Winner Is..... Katherine White


Congrats SF & Katherine White!!

I will contact you both today with info on how to claim your prizes.

Many many thanks to today's generous prize sponsors:
Uprinting.com
Dr. Laura Koniver

I'd also like to thank everyone who visited & left a comment here in the past week. Please check back later today. 2 new prizes will be revealed, as well as a feature on another talented etsy artist.

Studio Tour Saturday #5 - Dr. Laura Koniver

Nighttime Frolic by Laura Koniver

We're off to South Carolina today to visit the studio of Laura Koniver, M.D. - you are going to love this! Some of us dream of making art a more prominent part of our lives (I know I do). Laura has completely reorganized her house, giving her studio (& creativity) the attention it deserves. Now let me get out of the way so she can give us the grand tour.

Laura: Hello ArtSnark! I am thrilled to share my studio space with you.

I used to have my studio hidden away in a large closet in my guest bedroom. I finally decided one night that I didn't want my artistic side to be squirreled away, hidden, with only stolen moments of art making... I decided that art was to become front and center in my life, threw caution to the wind, and made my entire entryway and dining room my art studio! It has raised a few eyebrows of folks that have walked in my door unaware, for sure! Right when you walk in, there is a staircase to the left. I have my sewing machine and a craft cabinet tucked at the bottom of the stairway, right before you reach the coat closet.

Laura: In this area, I sew birds, flowers and other fabric accessories that adorn my organic branch sculptures. Then, directly opposite this sewing area, is my dining room... ummm.. make that my painting area.

Laura: I transformed my dining room table into a place to spread out and assemble the branch sculptures... I create organic branch sculptures in vases and bottles for wedding centerpieces (and other special events)... I also make branches that directly hang on the wall and even suspend from the ceiling.


Laura: Because these pieces are sometimes very large, I needed a huge table to spread out on. The bonus has been that my kids love this table too, using it for all kinds of arts and crafts themselves... my daughter started a puzzle and I didn't have the heart to clean it up when taking these pictures!


Laura: In the corner is my easel... my first love! Painting was my gateway into this artistic life. I love to paint and discovered it was a total release for me when I was in medical school. I combine my background as a physician with my artistic side, and see patients for a unique form of art therapy that I call Casting Transformation. This therapy is for patients who are experiencing a disease that they are wanting to release -- I help them symbolically release this by encasing the patient's torso in plaster, lifting this casting from their being and allowing it to dry... affixing this casting onto a canvas, and painting all the healthy energy that radiates out of them, along with all the souls that touch this particular patient's life. I might include affirmations that are specific to that patient and the disease they are breaking free from, and thereby create something beautiful and healing, and most importantly -- whole -- transforming the unwanted disease energy into a work of art.


Laura: These bookshelves are collected from all around my house and are lined up to hold all my painting supplies, fabrics, plaster, art books, etc... I love this organization and the energy it brings to the room. I hung pictures of my husband and kids on all the walls... I love being surrounded by their joy as I create!


Laura: From this perspective, you can see how my dining room/painting studio connects across the hallway with my sewing table. I have really found that by making the very front part of my house my crafting area, I have shifted the momentum of my art to be more the focus of my life, not a side hobby. I highly recommend making your studio space a prominent feature in your home, if you feel that it is a prominent feature in who you are and your life's work. I've definitely made more time for my painting and crafting since making this change.


Thank you for sharing your fabulous space today, Laura. It is always so inspiring to see where an artist actualizes her dreams. I absolutely love how you've placed creativity front & center in your house and life!

Want to see more of Laura's art? Click HERE to enjoy more of her work and thoughts on art. Laura was Thursday's featured artist. She has also generously donated one of her glicee prints as the next Thursday Giveaway prize. To enter the random drawing, simply leave a comment on this blog before noon (EST) on 9/24. 1 winner gets to choose a fabulous print from from Koniver.etsy.com.

You can also view Laura's art at GardenPlum.com and these Charleston, SC area locations:

Ladles in West Ashley and Kiawah Island
Eileens in Summerville
All is Well in Mount Pleasant
Primary Plus in North Charleston

If you've enjoyed this tour, please come back next Saturday to explore a new studio. (The last 4 Saturday posts have also been studio tours). Like the artists who inhabit them, these spaces come in all shapes in sizes. They also have 1 important thing in common - they are sacred places where imagination knows no bounds!

Are you a creative person? Would you like to share your work space with others? If so, just drop me an email (found in my profile). I'd love to see where your artistic magic happens.

-------------------

Please not I'm also hosting a 2nd giveaway on Thursday 9/24. 1 winner receives a custom printed 18" x 24" poster from Uprinting.com. CLICK HERE for details and to enter.

Thursday Giveaway #2 - Art by Dr. Laura Koniver

Hello again. What a great Thursday!

A New Day by Laura Koniver

There has been 1 winner of the craft supplies giveaway today. Plus 2 prizes have been generously donated for next Thursday's random drawing. There will be 1 winner each. For details on how to enter the Uprinting.com contest for prize #1, a customized rolled poster, click HERE.

The other prize I'll be giving away next week is a gorgeous glicee print by the talented artist, Laura Koniver, M.D. - One lucky winner gets to choose from the wonderful selection of prints in her etsy shop, Koniver. Entry details at end of this post.

Laura has a beautiful philosophy on art & life: "If I could draw it, I could learn it." She has kindly popped by today to share her other thoughts on creativity & art.

Path Filled With Sunshine by Laura Koniver

Laura: I have been drawing and sketching all my life. In elementary school I was sketching life around me. Years later in medical school I created posters of all the information I was expected to memorize, collages of viruses and bacterium,cellular structures, etc...

Driftwood by Laura Koniver

Laura: Working in the hospital, my patients pain and suffering left me filled with compassion yet unable to relax. I felt full of the inflow of the gorgeous healing energy of human life, yet had no valve to allow it to flow through me and outward again, back to the universe. One day I bought a huge canvas & acrylics. I started painting a lakeside landscape and and found a peace I had never felt before. Painting was it for me.

Evening Song by Laura Koniver

Laura: I have continued painting through years of medical practice & motherhood. I practice Reiki and use this energy flow to deepen my paintings, putting universal energy directly into my intention with each brush stroke, and directly onto the canvas. I paint each piece with the absolute, unwavering faith that health and healing is always available to all of us, no matter what our physical condition is.

Organic Branch Wall Art by Laura Koniver

Laura creates in a variety of mediums. I really love the organic feel to her pieces. Nature appears throughout her artwork. The striking lines of Laura's beautiful sculptures capture the eye. I then find myself lingering over the subtle hues and textures. Her centerpieces have even greater depth & meaning for the people who commission them.

Baby Shower Centerpiece by Laura Koniver

Laura: I create sculptures and centerpieces from recycled materials. What started out as a hobby has turned into a special event business, making decorative pieces for weddings & other celebrations. By recycling special vases, bottles, fabrics and papers into something unique, I am adding joy to a very special day. These centerpieces are permanent reminders of the unique events they represent, a one of a kind memento.

Special Event Centerpiece by Laura Koniver

Laura: It is my sincerest goal that my artwork brings health and joy to each person who welcomes it in to their home.

Love Is Everywhere by Laura Koniver

Thanks, Laura for sharing your thoughts today. And for donating one of your lovely prints for next Thursday's random drawing. The lucky winner gets to choose their favorite piece from the glicee print section of Laura's Etsy shop, Koniver.

To enter the random drawing for this prize, simply leave a comment on this blog before noon (EST) on 9/24. It is that easy! This giveaway is open worldwide with free shipping. Please make sure your contact info is either in your profile or leave an email address.

To view more of Laura's art visit Koniver.etsy.com as well as at GardenPlum.com. You can also find her work at these Charleston, SC area locations:

Ladles in West Ashley and Kiawah Island
Eileens in Summerville
All is Well in Mount Pleasant
Primary Plus in North Charleston

If you're browsing the blog-o-sphere on Saturday, stop back here for a virtual tour of Laura's Studio & see where she makes her magic.

One day Laura got tired of having her art space hidden away & decided to give it a place of prominence. So she rearranged her house! What had been the main entry and dining area is now her wonderful art studio. Be sure to pop back here 9/19 for the photos and a "walk through" by Laura.

CLICK TO VISIT 9/19 STUDIO TOUR