My Latest Digital Painting - Natasha Akasha

Hi Steemtribe,

today I'm going to share my most recent digital painting, and by request of a very special new artist friend of mine, you can find her under @malloryblythe, I'm going to dig a bit deeper into the creation process.

How does my creative process start?

Actually there's not only one way for me to begin a new piece of art. It is similar I guess to a composer or a writer. What comes first when writing a song, the melody or the lyrics? I bet there are only very few composers adhering to the same method all of the time. Sometimes I have a topic which keeps me thinking and at a certain point comes the urge to create the artwork around that subject matter. Other times I see a color theme I really like and I feel the itch to create a painting with a focus on those colors. And then there's the least likely scenario in which I just feel like doodling and have no clue where it's gonna go. I'm a trained typographer and graphic designer and my trade requires a solid portion of conceptual thinking before a pencil is even lifted, and that is probably the main reason that I more often than not have ideas floating in my system that bug me to bring them to realization.

It used to be challenging to me to find a healthy balance between creating entertaining eye candy and fulfilling the artist’s obligation of sending out meaningful messages, by rubbing into the audience faces that humanity is doomed if we don’t choose compassion over profit. Now that mainstream is finally waking up a little I find it more important to take the next step and offer guidance to healing ourselves and the planet. Learning about the true nature of the universe and our connection with each other and all life leads to the conclusion that going back to ‘childish’ dreaming is a vital part of the essential shift. I want to motivate people to dream, to stimulate their senses and childhood memories so that they find fulfillment again in simple pleasures, to connect with nature and their creative power, which is rooted inside all of us. We can unlock those powers when we still ourselves and get rid of any kind of judgement – about other people, about situations, and most of all about our perceived limitations.

Natasha Akasha Face Detail

Raising the vibes thru art

That's my simple motto. I know, the concept is not new, and for those who've been following the whole awakening-of-the-planet movement the idea of raising the vibes might be even chewed out, but I'm also trying to reach the cross over crowd. There is no sense in preaching to the choir, I'd like to tickle the pickles of main stream people, the ones who just now have heard of Eckhart Tolle, or maybe have started taking yoga classes, but still eat at McDonalds.

Is raising the vibes actually possible or is it just some new age wishful thinking? I strongly believe raising the vibrations through visual art can be achieved the same way it can be achieved through music. After all, light and sound are both electromagnetic waves, just at different wavelengths. In cymatics, which is the science of visualizing audio frequencies, soundwaves create amazing geometric patterns. Japanese photographer Masaru Emoto took pictures of water crystals after exposing them to different kinds of emotions. The crystals that were exposed to harmonious and loving emotions produces beautiful symmetrical shapes, whereas crystals that were subject to hate and aggression formed very chaotic and unharmonic shapes. Vice versa, exposing people to visuals that create positive emotion within them, should produce an equally positive vibrational frequency which will influence their surroundings.

Natasha Akasha Complete

What inspired Natasha Akasha?

Akasha in Hindu philosophy means ether. Besides the traditional four elements, Water, Air, Fire and Earth they added Ether as the fifth element to make all the other elements work. Without Akasha that breathes life into everything, nothing goes. Me adding Natasha to the name is of course just a silly play of words. To me only few things are more annoying than an artist who takes him or herself too seriously, no matter how important the message. Natasha Akasha is the one who mastered the use of Ether and therefore the other elements as well. She manifests a water and a fire dragon, opposite forces that when working in harmony create a balancing yin-yang effect.

The animation below is just a little fun project I threw together just for giggles. Motion graphics and special effects is something I've been meaning to get into for a while. This tear the start will be made...

Natasha Akasha Animation ()