Archive for the 'coaching' Category

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Love of Art – Art of Love

Published on November 12, 2008 in art, coaching and Uncategorized. 2 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , .

Spiritual traditions world wide speak about longings – the longing to be one with the source of  love. Like a bamboo reed growing in a still pond that dreams of being a flute played in the hands of a virtuoso, the bamboo flute that longs to be a reed in a still pond, and like our own longing to connect to the source of our existence.

There is a clear connection for me between the creative process that makes art and the creative process that is love.

My late Japanese grandmother – Obaasan, Noe, saw that I had a passion for drawing. I was three perhaps four years old living in Japan, and we (my mother, father, sister and I) were staying with Obaasan.

I remember the many coloring books, and crayons she gave me. The many days spent coloring with her. One day in particular stands out above all the rest. I remember that day clearly – feeling this enormous frustration as she tried to keep me coloring within the lines.  It was quite an advanced coloring book with pages upon pages of Japanese letters and Kanji. I would naturally continue to spill out and color all over the whole book, and even onto the floor. She eventually replaced the book with these huge pieces of blank paper. I remember the enormous joy and freedom I felt when she did that. Eventually I got too expressive for these large sheets of paper on the floor, so she then began to tape the paper together all over the floor, and even onto the walls!

We were both set free that day. Free to love. Free to create!

Unconditional love frees us from the limitations of our conditioned love, informs us to be creative! Michele Benzamin-Miki

All things splendid have been achieved by those who dared to believe that something inside them was superior to circumstances. Bruce Barton

The image above is Dry Media 11×14 inches, titled ‘Longing,’ all works are for sale and prints are available. Contact me if you’re interested.
I can also be contacted for Creative Coaching and Hypnotherapy.

Healing Power of Imagery and Art

Published on October 19, 2008 in art and coaching. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , , , , .

birth-root-copy2

Art heals, in the making of it and the seeing of it.

This piece is titled ‘Birth root’ 22″x 30″

I use imagery purposefully, visioning my future, re-visioning my past, looking at the present with greater possibilities. This engagement shapes my artwork, my healing work whether teaching meditation, martial arts, my coaching and hypnotherapy work and my inner core sense of self.

Imagery is a flow of thoughts you can see, hear, feel, smell, and taste. An image is an inner representation of your experience of your fantasies – a way your mind codes, stores and express information. Imagery is the currency of dreams and daydreams, memories and a reminiscence: plans, projections and possibilities. It is the language of the arts, the emotions, and most important of the deeper self. Dr. Rossman

Let us exercise our imaginary powers. Take responsibility for our inner world. Spend time intentionally guiding how we see our life, and future.  This is not spending time in a wishful state, it is much deeper. It brings to light our potential for healing physically and mentally and living on purpose, with purpose.

DR. Martin Rosaman wrote in his book, ‘Healing Yourself’ – Imagery is a window on your inner world; a way of viewing your own ideas, feelings and interpretations. But it is more than a mere window – it is a means of transformation and liberation from distortions in this realm that may unconsciously direct your life and shape your health.

Artists block, creative block – more than a simple fix

Published on October 15, 2008 in art and coaching. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , .

What we focus on is what we can become.

An artist block is when we put our focus entirely on being blocked, so enjoy the block,  it will all be compost for the garden later.

I see the block as a messenger telling me that I may not be seeing the whole picture, and that I am putting my focus on only one small part of the picture.

Here are some simple things that I do to turn the block into a process and not a bog.

If there is stagnancy for me in one area of artwork, I take the challenge into another medium. For example, If I am painting, I leave what I am doing and then I go to drawing. Sometimes I continue the challenge in this different medium, and sometimes I just drop it completely and do something new and fresh. Doing this lets me tap back into the connection to my artwork that I may have lost when I was stuck. Being blocked means to me: I have been overworking the piece, forcing my hand or pushing hard for an idea to emerge, over-criticizing or judging my work by unfair comparisons, just plain tired from working too long, or bored with my work, uninterested, lack luster, any of these things sound familiar?

Remember you are an Artist first then get back to the artistry.

Sometimes I will do something completely different, another expression like writing, or dancing, singing, filming, photography to bring life back into the forms of art that I am familiar with. Through opening artistic expression up again through  other means, the original project can be seen in a whole new light. You have your eyes back and can see more clearly, even to a bigger picture of what you are doing with your work.

Art moves both the artist and the observer to see beyond the known resources inside and around them, gives the imagination flight and access to uncharted territory. Where some may say that there is nothing new under the sun, art says, stand still, look, until you really see. Everything is new! renewed!

Try this exercise: Art follows Heart. The heart, a faithful organ, keeps its rhythmic beat, reminding us of our actual time here on earth. When I get lost in the notion of artists block, I stop what I am doing and quiet myself long enough to simply listen, till I can hear and feel the beat of my heart in my chest – and then I listen some more – however long it takes. What comes of this, is true Magic. Try it.

In coaching clients adult or young it always comes back to listening to what their heart is telling them, no matter what tools or skills we work with in order to get them their, we wind up eventually to that listening and then most importantly, taking some action from that listening.

There is a time to abandon what you are doing (when blocked) and take action in some other creative way, and there is a time to just sit still and listen to what the heart is saying to you. Begin to listen and the block will dissolve.

The dry media painting shown here is called ‘Flight’.

All original paintings and their prints, displayed on the blog, are for sale. Prints can be bought online by going up to the image bar above and clicking on the “Backbone” page.

I can also be contacted for Creative Coaching, and NLP – Hypnotherapy

Contact me at mbm@fivechanges.org


I am certain of nothing but the holiness of the heart’s affection and the truth of the imagination.   John Keats

Imagination and Creatively Living on Purpose

Published on September 30, 2008 in art, coaching and Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Imagination is key to creating an artful and purposeful life.

We spend most of our days imagining all manner of things withStillnessout a purpose, yet these pictures, images and thoughts eventually guide our direction in life. Therefore it is important that we purposefully guide our images and pictures and thoughts. Take hold of our imagination and direct it on purpose. I make it a daily practice to take care of what I imagine so that it is congruent with my values and on purpose.

Purpose is a process, as alive as we are, It lives through us and along-side us. My purpose is to be an Artist in all aspects of my life,  actively working for inner peace and a society-world that reflects that. To inspire and coach others to be creative and celebrate life, to be compassionate, generous, and participate in what ever ways they can in creating a better world for the generations to come.

Here is how I worked my imagination today. I imagine a newborn baby opening its eyes for the first time, the shimmer of a dragonfly’s wings in the early morning light on Mount Fuji, the sun setting in the South of France over fields of sunflowers as far as the eye can see, biting into a crisp apple just picked, the smell of jasmine at night, the final note written on Beethoven’s fifth symphony, the final stroke of the brush in the Mona Lisa’s smile, seeing the fourth primary color, and what a world with an economy based on peace would look like.

It is a necessary thing for us to spend some part of our day to stretch the imaginative muscles with intention and direction.

This drawing is titled ‘Stillness.’ Be still, listen, see, observe and feel in the vast space of that stillness, and all that is possible emerges.