Inspiration Iris
digital photograph
? 2014 Amy Funderburk
All Rights Reserved
First edition originally published May 21, 2014
A relaxed mind is a creative mind.?1?
That quote is on both my home studio door and on the inspiration board?at my downtown studio. It comes from the tag on a tea bag by Yogi Teas.
The brand Traditional Medicinals also features inspirational quotes on their tea tags, but they take a more Zen-like approach by using just one or two words, such as?two of my favorites:
Breathe?2?
?and
Be heard.?2?
As I savor my tea each morning, I also?enjoy a dip into Carl Jung’s pool of?synchronicity as I read the daily wisdom printed on a small paper rectangle and?suspended by a string from my steaming mug. These words can point me in the direction of inner peace?as I start each day.
In addition?to?A relaxed mind is a creative mind,?and along with a few particularly pertinent fortune cookie fortunes, I have the following tea tags on my studio inspiration board. I hope that some of these quotes speak to you as well:
Inspiration is?an unlimited power.?1
When the mind is backed by will, miracles happen.1
Be yourself?2
Live from your heart, you will be most effective.1
Let your heart guide you.1
May your inner self be happy and secure.1
The Universe is a stage on which you dance, guided by your heart.?1
Empty yourself and let the Universe fill you.1
Peace?2
Joy is the essence of success.?1
Dream?2
Your intuition is your best friend.1
You are a living consciousness.?1
Have wisdom in your actions and faith in your merits.?1
In the spring, when time permits, I also like to start my day with a brief stroll around my garden to photograph the new blooms.
By enlarging the size of flowers that most people might walk hurriedly past, Georgia O’Keefe taught us to take time to notice the diminutive, thereby expanding our awareness of our surroundings. The shapes, inner light, and colors of a German Bearded Iris can become like flames — my plan for part of a particular future?painting.
Irises also have a lovely scent — something that not everyone realizes. The purple ones usually smell like grapes, while the yellow ones have an lemon chiffon aroma.
Unfortunately, these?dramatic showstoppers of my?garden are temporary — my later bloomers didn’t produce this spring, so my iris season is now over until next year. Perhaps their temporary nature makes them all the more treasured when they reappear.
With memories of such walking meditations, I leave you with one last tea tag quote by Yogi Teas:
Meditation is the medicine of the mind.
All the best, and Namaste,
Amy
1?Yogi tea tag quote.?www.yogiproducts.com? Used with permission.
2?Traditional Medicinals,?http://traditionalmedicinals.com/? Used with permission.
All material, unless otherwise noted, is copyright Amy Funderburk, All Rights Reserved.
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[…] I immediately thought of one of my favorite Yogi brand tea tag quotes that inspired my blog post, A Relaxed Mind is a Creative Mind. If we learned nothing else in the?workshop, David said, he wanted us to remember to take a deep […]