Art & Soul Insider 2022 JAN b

ART

EMPHASIS. Emphasis is part of the design that catches the viewer’s attention. In a piece of art, there should always be something that grabs one’s eyes. Usually one thing will stand out from the rest due to contrast. The contrast can be in line, shape, size, colours or texture. So in your next piece of art, think about what you would like to catch the viewer’s eye first… that would be your point of emphasis.

Here are some examples of emphasis. Below, the point of emphasis is the coloured section with wavy lines. It contrasts the rest of the work as its colours are black and white and the lines are horizontal and vertical.

Example number two has the point of emphasis as the small, red bird. The contrast is against the blue sky which is cool, while the bird is red (warm colour). Also in proportion to the rest of the tree, the bird looks small.

The final example of emphasis is this image that uniquely uses words. But the contrast comes when certain words are enlarged in comparison to the rest. So always remember to have a point of emphasis in your art work, because you always want something to catch the viewer’s eyes.

SOUL

I’m trying to change the way I think. When I examined my thoughts, I was surprised by how negative or limited they were. It can be hard when one is used to thinking in a certain way, but I am making huge progress. I’ve come to see that our thoughts create our reality. And to have limited beliefs, we can stunt our progress and attitudes. I used to be a ‘the glass is half-way empty,” sort of girl. Instead of seeing the abundance, I saw the scarcity. I limited my beliefs instead of allowing the full breath of them.

In Michael Hyatt’s book “Your Best Year Ever”, he was talking about limited beliefs. There are three kinds of limited beliefs; about the world, about others and about ourselves. He then stated that there are four ways you can limit your beliefs:

• ‘black-and-white thinking.’ That it is either this or that….full or empty. Reality is not an on and off switch but a sliding scale.
• Another way to limit your beliefs is  This is where we blame ourselves for random negative occurrences. That it is ‘all my fault’ and that “I never get it right.’
• A third way to limit your beliefs is catastrophizing…. This is when we assume the worst even with little or no evidence. That a negative result is always big and bad.
• And the final way we can limit our beliefs is by universalizing. That’s when we take a bad experience and assume it’s true across the board. That it is always like this.

But with knowledge, comes change. I am proof that we can change our thoughts. I am aware of these things, and with awareness, I have changed the way I think. Because of this, the world seems bigger, wider and taller and the possibilities seem possible, not unattainable as they once were.

I encourage you to examine your thoughts and beliefs. Take impossible to I’m-possible.