Kilauea Volcano on the island of Hawaii has been "actively-active" since 1983. It’s in the news today because it’s created a new path of eruption, disrupting lives and claiming homes.

I first experienced the majesty of Kilauea in January 2000, during my first trip to the islands.

I painted this oil of my friend Kit at the volcano after that first trip.

Watching lava move across the land is like watching an otherworldly life force. The energy is palpable, HOT, magical, and very, VERY alive.

Pele in "She Walks the Earth"

Five volcanoes make up the big island of Hawaii. Kilauea is the busiest of the three active volcanoes.

You might wonder why anyone lives on or near an active volcano. The answer is not as simple as you might think.

Pele as "Birth of an Island"

The islands have been inhabited for about 1,500 years. (Westerners first arrived about 240 years ago; we’re the “newbies”.)

Generations of families have grown up on all of the islands. This is HOME to them. This is not their first rodeo — or their first volcano-induced evacuation.

You might as well wonder why people live in northern climates of WI or Canada or the heat and bugs of the Deep South or even in North Korea.

We are people of the lands that call to us, that welcome us, the lands that we know and love; often the lands where we grow up.

The people living on Hawaii Island have a strong, sincere reverence for the land and the sea they call home.

Time and again I’ve heard those displaced by the volcano accept their fate with dignity, faith, and an understanding that most would find astonishing.

"Pono"

Most indigenous cultures understand that the land doesn’t really belong to us.

Madam Pele (the goddess of the volcano) shows her hand by continuing to create this land before our very eyes and in our midst. She has exclusive rights and we must accept her creative whims.

The Art of Aloha Creative Cruise this August will stop in Hilo for a day before sailing around the southern tip of Hawaii Island to dock in Kona the next day.

Pele claimed most of the southern tip of Hawaii Island awhile back. Those of us on the cruise were hoping to see her spill into the ocean there. None of us want to see homes ravaged by lava.

We have room for two more people on this very special island cruise. If the islands are calling to you, please act today! Click HERE

I promise a trip you’ll always remember.
The Spirit of the Land is tangible here.

If you want an infusion of creativity and trust that we will continue to survive and even thrive during any upheaval in life, this trip is for you!

Each week I write a weekly summit. I list my “Ta-Dahs” (accomplishments), my “things not done”, my AHAs, and things to do in the week ahead.

The ribbons denote my special accomplishments

To further keep myself focused, I record my deeds each day — it’s too easy to forget that I’ve done much of anything unless I record it.

Still, something’s missing. I can tell by the empty feeling that remains.

Purpose! The “why I’m doing or not doing something” matters. I long for a sense of meaning and purpose in life.

Yes, this truly IS a “first world issue”. My basic needs are met. I have food, water, fresh air, and shelter. I reach for meaning.

I seek happy accidents too.

"Don't Fence Me In" has been languishing in my flat files for a while — I finally finished it.

I chase the magic of wonder and discovery with each brush stroke.

Maybe that’s why I allow my paintings to linger rather than rushing to finish them.

Painting is a process of unfolding to all that the painting has to offer. I don’t want to rush it (and possibly miss it) by moving too quickly.

My brush strokes are applied quickly with a bold assurance that I may or may not feel.
Then I wait.

“Only paint what you know to paint” is one of my regular mantras to myself and to my students.

This means watching your painting and waiting.

Wait to paint until you’re moved to paint the way you’re moved to eat when hungry.

For some, the art of putting paint on paper or canvas is reason enough to paint.

Another painting that might be finished, was waiting for me in my flat files.

I want more. I want to feel enriched, enlivened by what the painting reveals to me through the process.

I look to the world in a similar way.

When I go for a walk, I look for clues that I belong in this world and on this walk.

A heart-shaped rock, a piece of coral, or a swirl in a tree, sends me love from the universe.

The cracks in the sidewalk remind me of a circus act or a tightrope walker and I’m cheered on to entrust my soul to the divine for another day, another painting.

Am I blessed or cursed to have this outlook? That depends on how aware I am each day and how I interpret what I see and feel.

Keeping a sunny outlook depends on me doing my inner work daily.

And knowing that some of my days are diamonds and some are rust. Just like everyone else’s.

‘Luke, come to the Dark Side.’ ~ (my memory of Darth Vader enticing Luke)

Those words echo in my head each time I face a painting that needs dark colors.

In the beginning, the painting is meant to be mostly light and medium tones

Dark colors provide contrast, interest, intrigue, and excitement to our work.

Adding the darks to our paintings can be SCARY!

It’s scary and it’s exciting and it makes a HUGE difference in our paintings.

If the dark color is “perfect” when we paint it, it’s probably too light. If it looks “too dark”, it might just be perfect!

Scare yourself just a little bit. Add dark colors & the difference is immediate. It’s hard to appreciate the edge of darkness when we’re scared.

Noticing that we’re scared is the first step to shifting into action. Fear lives right next door to Excitement.

Move from fear to excitement by breathing into your fear. Inhale and feel the feeling rise from your belly to your chest (your heart center).

Remember that if the painting isn’t finished, or if you’re not happy with it — if you don’t like it — it isn’t finished. You’ve got nothing to lose by adding darks. 

If you don't like your painting, what's in front of you is just a piece of paper!

Still mostly light and medium tones, with definition added

Remind yourself that no one will die if you add darks to your painting. You'll likely energize your painting by adding dark colors.

Those of us in the Northern Hemisphere are “plunging into darkness” (on so many levels I’ve lost count — mostly I refer to winter).

Darkness is scary because we don’t know what it holds. 

Winter is a time of rest and of letting the ground lie fallow.

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It’s a time for us to ease up, maybe just a little bit, maybe take a nap, and certainly to reflect on all that we’ve done this past year. 

It’s also a time to plan ahead and to set our intentions for next year.

What is it you most want to see, do, or BE next year? What would light up your life and energize you?

If you want to relax, feel great, enjoy life, see the world through fresh eyes, and spark your creativity, join me on Art of Aloha's 8-day cruise through the Hawaiian Islands August 4–11, 2018. Come Discover Paradise, Inside and Out. Click here to receive first dibs on the great Balcony Cabins!

Do you ever hear this question echoing in your head?

It’s a great question to play with consciously. Play with your inflection as you ask yourself:

WHO do you think you are?

Who do you THINK you are?

Or, Who the H*** do you think you are?

WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?

Do you feel the difference?

These questions came to mind after my photo shoot with Jeremy DeWeese at the SurfJack Hotel in Waikiki.

A photo shoot can have many uses and meanings. It can be a folly or an incredible experience. It depends upon the lens through which you and your photographer view the world.

Jeremy sees the world through the lens of love. By doing so, he gives his subject the opportunity to see self through the eyes of love.

The gift of being seen for who we truly are, from the inside out, brings tears to my eyes.

Seeing the world through eyes of love is something we can all learn. It’s a practice to consciously choose.

It’s rare for us to focus our lens of love upon ourselves.

To look through the lens of love is to see deeper than the surface, and to experience the heart of all matter.

We can reduce everything down to love —
even though love is a power
larger than anything imaginable.

Why do we so easily, often without thought, hide our love away from even ourselves?

Do we not know how strong and powerful our love is?

Or do we know how strong and powerful it is and fear its power?

Is our powerful mind at war with our powerful heart?

If so, it’s a waiting game, for the heart always wins. Even if it has to wait until the very end of life, the heart always wins.

The attitude, thoughts, and feelings that we exercise the most, become the strongest.

Make a choice in every moment to exercise the parts of you that you want to grow.

Learn to see the world & yourself through eyes of love.

To see ourselves through eyes of love might be the most important exercise we undertake in life.

Train your eyes to look for love within and, with practice, you will see love grow in our world.

“WHO do you KNOW yourself to BE?”

Be that YOU.