the inspo • behind 'she's got soul'

I’ve learned that inspiration can be conceived from the sum of many moments. The events of our lives, the emotions we feel, the people we meet, the places we go – they all play a role in the creative process, whether we realize it or not. Even the smallest, seemingly insignificant twinkle in time can ripple through your subconscious. Not only do these things affect creativity… they also play a major role in who we are as individuals. My painting, ‘she's got soul’ tells that story for us. In this blog post, I break down the steps I took to create this piece and explain the inspirations behind it.

The journey within

I’ll premise by saying this: I don’t choose what inspires me. I don’t like to dictate my creative agenda. I do, however, use my inspirations and creative edge to ‘plan’ my masterpieces. Each compositional element, color, shape, size, and even placement, is methodically thought out.

Have you ever had this feeling deep inside that you couldn’t explain? Like a long song that keeps singing but you can’t make out the words? Like a kaleidoscope of butterflies are flittering about and can’t get out? I harness this unnamed emotion by painting what I feel. Much like the woman portrayed in my oil painting, my emotions have layers. Each brushstroke peels back one layer at a time, until finally my emotions are something visually concrete.

A reason for each element

This original oil painting is more than just a work of art. It’s a hidden message: Each one of us has an untold story inside us. There are layers to our souls. Hidden inside us are our strengths, weaknesses, personalities, struggles, memories, fears, and dreams. I used corresponding elements to help share this untold story and remind us to be gentle with ourselves. The stars and galaxy stand for the dreamer inside. The mountains showcase strength and adventure. The clouds display a sense of innocence buried inside us. The bird stands for freedom and knowledge. The waterfall signifies change – how each of us go through our own journey over time. The trees symbolize growth and individuality - how even from the dirt, we can rise into something powerful and beautiful. Finally, the butterfly… this is arguably the most important element of my creation. Without it, the message would be incomplete. The butterfly alone symbolizes both faith and hope. When the soul lacks these two components, its light is not as bright. When we are full of love and hope, we shine in a different, brighter light.

The creative approach I used differed greatly from my past work. I started off by sketching my outline and then filling in the negative space with natural elements. Once my sketch was complete and I was satisfied, I then used a projector to cast the outline onto my 36x36 stretched 100% duck cotton canvas. This helped cut down my prep time dramatically – rather than devoting priceless hours to perfecting my outline on a much larger scale, I was able to transfer my ‘blueprint’ much easier and even enjoyed this new approach. I decided to seize the opportunity to use my own personal silhouette as a reference. I made minor adjustments to the facial features of my outline. I felt it was important to include minor imperfections we see in everyday life. Those minor imperfections helped add a sense of realistic beauty to the painting. 

Once the silhouette outline was complete, I got to painting. I mixed up a simple blend of acrylic paints and got to work on the background. I chose a very light and neutral color so it would naturally complement a variety of spaces. I also chose to keep the surface flat (no texture) because I wanted the woman’s inner elements to shine.

A galaxy of dreams

With the background completely dry, I re-outlined the figure and got started with her head. I began with a gradual gradient from black to light lavender, adding in clouds for dimension and depth. As I stated before, this part of her soul has significance – the galaxy and stars signify the dreamer we all have inside us. It is bright and bold and deep, as are our dreams. Notice how her bun has movement inside? This small element is a hidden black hole. While painting, I noticed how beautiful the effect of twisting a cloth had on the canvas. I decided to implement this technique to create a black hole - doubt. Everyone dreams, but how many of us

doubt our abilities to make them come true? How many of us worry about the number of steps it will take rather than focusing on the journey? If we aren’t careful, our doubts can suck all the light and life out of us. By including this element, I included rationality – a very important trait to have. By being aware of our dreams and our obstacles, only then can we conquer the stars. 

At the edge of her face, you'll notice her eyelashes - pay close attention to the mirroring side. I added the smallest impression of a bird in flight. This bird stands for freedom and knowledge. Much like a bird, nothing can tame our will to fly - we use what we know to push forward and soar to new levels.

Artist’s Touch: Clouds are one of my favorite things to paint on canvas. It may be because there are no rules when creating them (they can be any shape that you desire) or maybe it’s because they look so free up there in the sky… either way, oils make a great medium to paint clouds with. I like to layer titanium white with a darker makeshift color (green and red together make a more organic black) to add shadows. In this image, you see me using one of my favorite brushes. This mop brush picks up a little of the paint and blends the layers together in such a lovely way.

Beyond the clouds and fog

The clouds that follow down her face symbolize innocence – something we are all born with. As we begin to view the world through older eyes, we lose that innocence, little by little. I’m a firm believer that we all still have access to that sense of righteousness through the choices we make and the faith we carry. Deep inside are clouds of purity: love, kindness, selflessness, compassion – when we choose to act with these core virtues, we are sustaining that purity inside. I personally choose to live this way every day – what about you?

Added below the lavender skies lies a mountain range. I began with a lovely shade of dark gray and built layers of color to form the snow-capped range that you see. I decided to place the mountains here because it appears to be a necklace. The purpose of a necklace (and why it is adorned around the neck) is to help us keep a constant reminder of our spiritual journey close. This ‘mountain necklace’ symbolizes strength during her spiritual adventure – something we need to overcome any obstacles we inevitably will face.

The mountains are partially hidden by fog. This stands for the level of uncertainty we all have. We don’t know what will happen tomorrow, next week, or next year. Even if we have a solid plan for our life, life can surprise us. This fog also envelopes the forest of pine trees you see at her shoulder line. These trees refer to our individual growth and uniqueness. Every single one of us grows at different rates based on our environment. Ever heard the expression ‘the more we know, the more we grow’? I believe it goes both ways. The more we grow the more we know. As we push on toward the sky, we grow branches and expand our roots, we learn more about who we are and what drives us.

Above all else: Hope

The waterfall that extends from her hand suggests abundance - the light that comes from the butterfly gives her soul food. It pours hope and love into her spirit, illuminating her from the inside out.  In some Chinese cultures, a butterfly symbolizes earthly beauty and the human soul, which corresponds with my vision perfectly. Notice how the butterfly illuminates the woman’s silhouette – this is because faith and hope cannot be seen by the naked eye, but instead is evident in the light it shines through us. It penetrates through the woman’s soul, as if to enlighten her hidden story inside. 

I’m aware that not everyone will receive the same message I’ve woven together in paint. That’s the beauty of art – it speaks to everyone differently. Each element may have a similar meaning to you as it does to me, or perhaps it will speak to your inner soul differently. I encourage you to meditate on this for a moment. What does your soul say back to this painting? Does your interpretation agree with mine? Or does my creation take your soul on a different path? I would love to hear what your soul has to say. If you’re interested in sharing, I invite you to share your thoughts and emotions here. As always, I thank you for taking the time to indulge in my creations and thank you for reading. 

Stay bright, beautiful souls.