Lori Portka

Bali Beauty- a new print in my shop.

I made the painting above for my dear friend, Alia Indrawan.  She is a sweetheart of epic proportions.  I connect so much to her writing, like this post on healing from anxiety.  I have decided that I am definitely signing up for a Sensitive Soul Empowerment Session with Alia.  I love the internet where we can all find our tribe of like-minded sisters.

This is part of the reason why I am so happy Alia nominated me for this gorgeous Glowing and Flowing award from Christina Zipperlen of Ananda Designs Jewelry.  I got to meet a new, warm-hearted artist and I won a pair of vibrance earrings!  I can hardly wait to get them!

Here is a little excerpt of Alia’s nomination:

“Lori’s open heart and giving nature remind me that there is still hope of a loving, peaceful planet where we are free to create in ways that are meaningful to us and others.  In a world that doesn’t really support creating our own lives based on what brings us joy, it is refreshing to see women like Lori, who are paving the path for the rest of us to just do it anyway!  She is truly a “wayfinder” and part of the team of collective souls shining love out there.”   -Alia Indrawan

When I received Christina’s email about the nomination, I was speechless.  I felt so grateful for the kindness and generosity of both Alia and Christina.  Then I went to Christina’s website and fell in love!  It is only a matter of time before I order this and this.  What makes her jewelry even more beautiful is the spirit in which it is made- I love what Christina says on her About Page:

This weekend, my wish to you is that you feel your own beauty and inner light and let go of the dreaded comparisons.  This is also my wish for myself this weekend as I often compare myself to others.  May we let go and shine!

Much Love,

Lori

Your love has wings!

Gratitude is central to how I want to live my life.

My project, A Hundred Thank Yous, took 1.5 years to complete. During that time, I was deep into gratitude with each painting I made. The project stretched my ability to love and appreciate. I found that I was more present and in the moment, appreciating the smallest of gifts. The consistent practice of thankfulness brought even more things to be grateful for in my life and inspired me to find a way to share this with others.

I created A Month of Thank Yous – Gratitude Kit in order to extend gratitude beyond my original project to reach as many people as possible.

Your Guide To Gratitude

This card set is designed to help you focus on gratitude for one month. At the start of each day for 30-consecutive days, take a quiet moment to think about someone who is a positive influence in your life. With the thought of that person in your mind, write a note on one of the cards expressing your gratitude for them. Then mail or hand-deliver the card.

Included In The Kit

• 3-each of 10-postcards - from the Hundred Thank Yous gratitude project. (30-total, one for each day of the month) Size- 5 x 6.5 inches
• Gratitude Guide - a simple guide for using your kit.
• 10-custom designed postage stamps - with my artwork titled, “Blowing Gratitude Kisses”…for mailing with extra love.
• Printed on card stock with archival inks - perfect for mailing and framing.
  

The energy of gratitude is real. It grows and expands, attracting more and more good to it. Gratitude pulls you into the now and uplifts. Gratitude is the most beautiful prayer there is.

I believe it would be impossible to give one of these cards out in gratitude for 30 consecutive days and not feel changed for the better by the end of the month. I would love to hear your stories when you are finished with your project! Email me at art@loriportka.com and I’ll share on my blog.

Love has wings. Love spreads and heals.

10 custom-designed postage stamps included in the kit- for mailing with extra love!

This kit is a good value- here’s why. You are getting 30 frame-able postcards on heavy weight cardstock for a little more than a dollar per card + 10 custom designed art stamps. You will touch 30 peoples’ lives with sweetness. You will strengthen your ability to appreciate others. Your loving actions will reach farther than you can imagine and in return, you will be lifted up in love. Love has wings. Love spreads and heals. 

Here is the kit for my Beautiful International Friends- The Gratitude Kit without the custom designed US postage stamps!

Start A Month of Gratitude here!

This weekend may you feel the possibility that your wishes could come true.  May you feel hopeful and excited about what lies ahead.  This image is available as a print in my shop.  Warmest wishes to you!  xo, Lori

photo by Hailey Bartholomew

Last week I received a compliment from a woman who I deeply admire and consider a brilliant creative light in the world.  My eyes filled with water at her words.  She said that its like I am holding a magic wand and spreading brightness with my art and she waved her arm like an angel sprinkling fairy dust.

When people say things like that to me, I am initially shocked- you think that, really?  But over time, this initial shock has turned into a deep gratitude.

Its not that I think I am special.  It’s actually not me.  I mean, it is me, but it is more about me being open to the wisdom in the universe that is available to everyone- the wisdom and creativity that swirls around us, that connects all of us.

I finished my gratitude project called A Hundred Thank Yous, where I made 100 paintings for 100 people who have made a difference in my life.  I had a gallery show on June 16^th, and now I am in the process of giving them all away.

A few weekends ago it hit me how really crazy this whole thing was.  100 paintings?  How did I even do that?  But after I let the  feelings wash over me and away, I saw with clear eyes, the gifts in all of it.

When I first started the project, I worried that I would run out of creative ideas.  But it is not me who has to think of every painstakingly creative idea.  I just have to show up and be open to it.   The creative ideas are out there in the universe.  The painting is already made.

I show up to my work openhearted, with the intention to radiate love and shine brightly.

That’s really all I need to do.

I’ve been in the process of mailing all of the Hundred Thank You paintings to people who were not able to come to my exhibition in June.  I went from having paintings stacked everywhere in my studio, to priority mailing boxes stacked everywhere in my studio!

At first I felt anxious and overwhelmed with how many  paintings I had to pack up and mail.  I don’t have addresses for some of the famous people yet.  It is a lot to carry to the post office.  I have to pay for it.  You get the idea.

But, then I stopped myself.  I did not create all of these paintings with love for people I adore, just to mail them in a state of stress and overwhelm.

So I am taking my time.  Usually, I go to the post office every other day to mail orders.  Each time, I grab a few boxes and take them with me.  I hold my hands on top of the box and send it away with my highest blessings.

May this painting bring you joy.  

May you know how much you matter.  

May you feel loved.  

May the loving energy of this painting be ever present in your home, always.  

And then I am ridiculously happy!  I am brought back to the present moment.  It may take me a year to finish mailing all of the paintings.  It may not.  All I know is that it will take as long as it takes.  And as long as it takes is exactly all right with me.

This project has been an ongoing exercise in love and gratitude.  I do not walk around thinking grateful thoughts all the time.  My experience of this project is that I have to keep pulling myself back to gratitude.  I am committed to living with a grateful heart.

Made with love and mailed with love.

new poster in the shop from a HTY painting just mailed

I believe that our love really does have wings.

I believe love spreads.  I believe love is stronger and faster and vibrates higher than hate.  I believe our loving actions reach farther than we can ever imagine.

I believe love heals.

May you know this weekend that all of your loving actions make a difference in this world.

I am a bit Podcast obsessed lately.  I have my iPhone earbuds in my ears and listen to podcasts when I am cleaning, making juices and smoothies, and finishing a painting.  I adore This American Life, The Moth and the new podcast by Alex Baldwin- Here’s the Thing.  I love hearing peoples’ stories, which is why I started the interview series What’s Real.  One of my favorite podcasts lately is the Mental Illness Happy Hour.  It is just people sharing their crazy stories honestly.  In part of the podcast, they share lists of fears and loves.

It got me thinking that making a list of loves would be a wonderful way to start my work day.  My husband and I took the dogs for a walk early this morning and we ended up talking about all stressful things.  I realized that my focus so far in this day has been rather negative.  So, it’s time for some loves.  Here are mine for today.

I love the way the leaves on the trees blow upside-down right before a storm is coming.

I love when my husband sends me text messages calling me Love in instead of Lori.

I love the way my dogs heads smell when I hug them.

I love my Macbook and iPhone.

I love that as soon as you pick up my cat she immediately begins to purr.

I love the the comfort in knowing that I have dear girlfriends that will call or text me when they are feeling weepy and I do the same.

I love the excited feeling I have when I first walk into an art supply store.

I love snuggling in front of fireplaces on snowy winter nights.

I love how soft and smooth my hair feels for a week after I have it colored.

I love holding hot mugs of tea and coffee in the morning.

I love the photo above of the ducks who lined up at just the perfect time for me to take the picture.

I love the feeling of wearing a new favorite shirt for the first time.  Especially when it is from Anthropologie.

I love the feeling of accomplishment when a painting is finished and ready to go out into the world.

I love the frazzled excitement the morning when we are dashing out of the house to catch a flight for vacation.

I love being surrounded by woods and mountains.

What are your loves today?  I would love to hear them!

I’m lucky.  My mother-in-law, Josephine (Jo), is sweet as can be.  I made the painting above for her for my Hundred Thank Yous project.

Photo by Andrew Bartholomew

Here’s a moment from the Hundred Thank Yous opening that I will never forget:  Jo walked up to me crying.  She seemed totally overwhelmed with all of the paintings, the show, and with her painting.  I couldn’t even understand what she was saying, but seeing her cry so hard made me want to sob.  I never saw her cry before this occasion.

Honestly there was so much crying at the opening- that was one of the most surprising parts of it all.  It was a love-fest.  It was a cry-fest.  My husband cried that week more times than I could count.  I cry even on a good day- my emotions are always pretty close to the surface and I am definitely a highly sensitive person.

But everyone else joining in?  I didn’t expect that.  That my mother-in-law was so touched and emotional about her painting and the whole show meant so much to me.  I could cry again just thinking about it as I write this.  When I look back on it now, many people didn’t have words to describe how they were feeling- I didn’t either.  I still don’t!  Crying seemed to say it all.

This is the power and reach of gratitude- it breaks through any barriers and gets right to the heart.  Nothing but love.

Photo by Andrew Bartholomew

Photo by Andrew Bartholomew

Since I finished this project I believe so much more in the power of love and gratitude.

Some of the greatest gifts I have ever received have come from that show.  The effects will stay with me forever.  I know that there was an incredibly positive energy at the exhibit where all 100 paintings hung together, that was created from the very best part of me. We could all feel it as soon as the paintings were hung before anyone who received a painting even walked into the room.

Love.

My wish for you this weekend is that you know you are beautiful.  I believe the older we get the more our true beauty shines through.

This painting is now available as a print or a poster in my shop.  Mailed with love.

Photo taken on my early morning walk.

Recently, I’ve realized the importance of taking a break.

After creating all the 100 paintings and having a big opening in June, I needed to step back and process it all.  I needed to relax.   I needed to sleep.

I gave myself a scheduled week off.  The first day I ended up working.  There were loose ends I had to take care of and orders I had to fulfill and take to the post office.  So I started my vacation the following day.

I am not a Type A kind of person at all.  In fact, I’m a little jealous of the Type A’s because they seem so productive.  So quick and on task.

It’s not that I am so busy busy busy that I cannot stop and rest.  It is that I tend to rest a lot, and I am not as productive as I want to be.  You call me?  I’m talking to you.  Facebook?  I’m all over it.  Dogs need a walk?  Lets go.  And at the exact same time, I am always working and not allowing myself to take a break.

That might not make sense to anyone but me.

You see, my mind is always working, always thinking of what I should be doing.   When I do have a day that I do not do any work, I usually feel badly about it.  Because it wasn’t purposeful time off, I feel like a slacker.

My new goal is this:  Schedule my day with focused work periods followed by breaks.  I also plan to take entire days off where I do not turn on my computer or even walk into my studio.

Truthfully, my creative brain doesn’t do well with routines and schedules.  I like things to be new! And fun! And spontaneous!  But I am going to work hard on keeping to a schedule because I want to be and feel really productive and I want genuine, guilt-free time off.

New mantra:  I am focused and productive during the scheduled periods of time, allowing scheduled breaks to renew and refresh my spirit throughout this day.

Yes.

Photo by Hailey Bartholomew. From left to right- Amy Gill, me and Hailey in my backyard.

Photo by Hailey Bartholomew. From left to right- me, Amy, Zali, Katie, Jay, Andrew, Poppy and Hailey.

Meet my dear Australian friends, The Bartholomews (Hailey and Andrew and their two girls, Zali and Poppy) and Amy Gill!

They all flew from Australia to upstate NY and were a large part of my Hundred Thank Yous opening!  It was such an enormous honor to meet them in person that I can hardly put it into words.  They spent 4 days with us in June and I’m still feeling happy from the sweetness of their visit.  Hailey and her family came to the US to film my opening as part of her documentary, 365 Grateful.  The film is about the extraordinary positive power of gratitude.

It was such a gift to meet these amazing people in person, after getting to know them on line.  I’m sure I will share lots more about all of this, later.  My husband and I utterly loved the Australians.

Here are some of Hailey’s beautiful photos

Photo by Amy Gill

Photo by Amy Gill

Here is a bit more about the film Hailey is creating, 365 Grateful.   I can hardly wait to see it!

365grateful.com from hailey bartholomew on Vimeo.

I made this painting for my beautiful sister. She has been going through a rough patch with some health issues and other things that tend to keep the skies grey for a while. There are several fields of sunflowers near my home. I find it impossible to drive by them and not feel the glorious joy that sunflowers seem to bring.

May your weekend be filled with brightness and light!

This print is available in my shop and is made with loving intention for healing.

I had the idea for Self-Love Prayer Flags when writing my article for WILD Sister magazine a few months ago.  I have a dear friend who practices radical self-love.  She really wants a partner and discovered the best way to open herself fully to a relationship was to love herself utterly and completely.

In doing so, she teaches me.

We send each other long texts when we are feeling weepy.  They are like little sacred messages held gently by the universe. We ask the other to send love and hold us in the light.  We affirm our commitment to self-love through it all.

It’s not easy all the time.  Like when my little grey hairs are coming in all over my head and I am getting dry patches on my face for no reason and I feel inadequate and believe I am not getting enough done with my business or my house isn’t clean enough (translation: Not Good Enough.)  You probably understand.  These are not new thoughts.  Some days are easier than others.  But I am refusing to stay in a place of being self-critical and picking away at all the little non-perfect things.

So I made little paintings, which turned into prayer flags.  Each flag carries a wish to help support seeing ourselves with sweetness.  They are written in first person.  A gift for you.

May I know my magnificence
May I trust the wisdom within me
May I follow the passion in my heart
May I radiate love
May I cherish my body
May my soul shine bright and beautiful

I am learning that love expands.  In loving myself, I cannot help but spread it outward.

Oh, how I love this woman.  She is delightful and wise.

Julia says on her website: I have very few secrets, I don’t usually have a problem spilling it all.  I love that.  Me too.  Perfect for What’s Real because we want all of the juicy goodness!

Julia shares the inspirations behind her poems and artwork, how she gets to the other side of fear, “behind the scenes” of self-publishing a book, and my favorite bit of wisdom- how she lives with Unapologetic Brightness, like the moon.

Get Julia’s beautiful, soul inspiring book, On the Other Side of Fear.

Connect with Julia: Website ::  Facebook

PS:  Below is the quote Julia referred to later in the interview by Marianne Williamson.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

-Marianne Williamson

Julia and I in Portland in May, 2011.

I just added some new posters to my shop!  I am starting with 6 and seeing where it goes. All of the posters are from Hundred Thank You paintings so they carry extra love and gratitude.  The size is 12×18 with a 1 inch white border.  On the bottom white border in small print it reads: “Radiating Love and Gratitude.”

This poster is titled Beautiful You.  I made it for my step-daughter, Katie.  Years ago in Boston, Katie and I visited a butterfly garden.  Gorgeous blue butterflies fluttered all around us.  It was so magical and one of my favorite memories with her.

Your Soul Shines- I made this for my yogini friend, Saraswati.  The first day I met her she was wearing little pony tails, was cute as ever and I knew in that moment we would be friends.

I made May You Always Feel Lifted in Love for my new and lovely Australian friend, Amy Gill.  We are both honored to be a part of the film 365 Grateful that comes out in the Spring of 2013.  She is one of the most delightful women I have ever met.  Here we are below in my backyard- she’s so cute!

photo by Amy Gill

What’s Real with Julia Fehrenbacher from Lori Portka on Vimeo.

Julia says on her website: I have very few secrets, I don’t usually have a problem spilling it all.  I love that.  Me too.  Perfect for What’s Real because we want all of the juicy goodness!

Julia shares the inspirations behind her poems and artwork, how she gets to the other side of fear, “behind the scenes” of self-publishing a book, and my favorite bit of wisdom- how she lives with Unapologetic Brightness, like the moon.

Get Julia’s beautiful, soul inspiring book, On the Other Side of Fear.

Connect with Julia: Website ::  Facebook

PS:  Below is the quote Julia referred to later in the interview by Marianne Williamson.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

-Marianne Williamson

Julia and I in Portland in May, 2011

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I am so excited to launch this interview series today!

Graphic from The Painted Path

On the internet, it’s so easy to compare myself to others.  It seems like everyone else is super productive, making new products, traveling the world, earning tons of cash and being generally fabulous.  And in turn, I feel less-than.  It is all a made up story in my mind.  A story with a sad spin to it.  As part of my self-care, I take breaks from social media when I am feeling especially vulnerable to comparison.  (Ahem, about once a month.)

But I know everyone has challenges and joys and fears and heartaches and successes.  Everyone.  I also know that most of us who are so open on-line, are showing the best parts of ourselves.  And we should be.  This is all good.  I wanted to create a series that focuses on truth, on how we are alike and how we can learn from our shared experiences.

Plus, I love hearing people’s stories.  I genuinely care.

Welcome to the first interview with Hannah Marcotti.  

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What’s Real Interview with Hannah Marcotti from Lori Portka on Vimeo.

This girl shines!  Hannah tells us about her journey with food and finding peace around it.  I could really relate.  She also shares ideas about how entrepreneurs can get past the fear of everyone else is already doing that. (A personally favorite fear of mine.)

In Hannah’s words- I guide women to fall in love with themselves and through that love see the possibility of what they can create. This is where the magic happens.  Hannah is a certified Holistic Health Coach, highly sensitive person and writer- I’ve seen personally how she makes magic happen through her programs, The Joy Up and Making Space Cleanse.  Sign up to get everything you can from Hannah in your inbox.  Beautiful little gifts.

This video was recorded months ago but then I got so busy with my Hundred Thank Yous project, I felt like I had to wait to launch this interview series.  Since we recorded this, Hannah and I have met in person at my opening.  We are no longer “on-line” friends.  We’re friends-friends.

I love how Hannah doesn’t even flinch at the beginning when I say her name wrong.  Turns out there is a little bit of a learning curve to just about everything.

Connect with Hannah:  Website   ::   Facebook   ::   Twitter   ::   Instagram