Firsts are always exciting, always fun, and always eye opening.  This is my first blog post where I’m featuring someone.

I love it when I find people that are living their passion, and Gina Marie Dunn is doing just that!  She is an artist living in Dallas and I ran across her work at a cool little (affordable!) art gallery called Artisan Style (where my jewelry is being sold as well).  I noticed her art earlier this month at the gallery…she has an awesome heart collection that I just love (no pun intended!).  It’s not only perfect for Valentine’s month, but perfect for when you need a splash of red on your walls!

Gina Marie sells online through Etsy and does custom work.  Check it out!  She’s truly fantastic.

*Education: BA in Communitcations/Public Relations from Loyola University New Orleans, Minor inStudio Arts

*Current City/Hometown: live in Dallas, originally from Brooklyn, NY

*Tell me about your work in one sentence: With the subject matter of my paintings varying from cellular abstractions to modern landscapes, there is a dreamlike, organic aspect to my work that is always apparent.
*Describe your normal day. What would your *ideal* day be like? On a “Normal” day, I am up at 6:00 a.m. to get in a run before my husband and three kids are up at 7:30 (I am training for my sixth half marathon), then hubby is off to work and the kids and I spend the morning either hanging out outside if weather permits, playing with toys, or going to and from activities.  If the planets aligns and everyone takes afternoon naps at the same time I usually get some time to paint out in my studio. Painting time has been very limited lately with the arrival of our third child just three and a half weeks ago, but I look forward to painting more when the baby gets on a more regular schedule in the next few months.  Right now I am just enjoying my kids as much as possible because they grow so fast.

*What are your passions? my family and friends, art, yoga

*What are your goals? to become an internationally recognized artist and to raise a happy family in a loving home

*Who are your creative influences? Marc Chagall, Vincent Van Gogh, Joseph Cornell, Frida Kahlo

*Are there any other relevant experiences that shaped who you are today and what you do? It is in my blood to create. My mother is an amazing artist who has taught me so much about painting. I still have so much to learn from her.  She’s the only one in my family who will give me an honest critique!

*Is there anyone (celebrity, dead, alive, in your life) that you really look up to as an inspiration? While pregnant with my third child, I have painted more than I ever have in my life. The pregnancy was a very difficult one, full of concerns and worries, and to process all of the stressful news we received I took the term “art therapy” to a whole new level.  I painted through bouts of insomnia and turned them into productive hours in the studio. Luckily our prayers were answered and our son was born perfect and healthy, but the experience of carrying him has changed me forever, and I lovingly call him my little muse.  I feel some of my best work has been created in the past nine months.

*What motivates you on a daily basis?  Do you have a “guilty pleasure” that you can’t miss out on to get you going? On a daily basis, I am motivated by fresh air, sunshine and the laughter of my children. My “guilty pleasure” comes at the end of the day when the kids are in bed and my husband and I cuddle on the couch and indulge in our favorite TV shows and nightly dessert of chocolate chip cookies or an ice cream sundae.  I would rather run five miles every day mainly so I can enjoy dessert at night!
*What’s your working style?  Do you work for 12 hours straight nonstop, or do you take lots of breaks? Although I could easily work the day away if given the opportunity (I have too many ideas for my own good sometimes),  being the mother of three children under four simply does not allow for that.  My family is and always will be my first priority. Instead, I work in spurts, whenever I can carve some time out of the day, whether that is late in the evenings, early mornings, on Fridays when I have help at home, just whenever.
Website: web.mac.com/utopiapkwy
Art Blog: http://utopiapkwyarts.blogspot.com/
Etsy site: http://www.etsy.com/shop/UtopiaPkwyArtStudi0
Twitter: @lvartmom
Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=32300883549&ref=ts

STRESS.  A 6 letter word that is used so frequently…”I’m so stressed out”, “I’m sorry I yelled at you.  I’m just stressed right now”.  Really?  Is stress that prevalent in our world today?  I know it is, but sometimes I wonder if it’s just an overused word.  I wonder if sometimes the word stress is used instead of “busy” or “beat”.  Is stress used just because that’s what we’ve been taught or because we hear that word so frequently that we want to be part of the “stress crowd”?  Is it cool to be stressed?  Does being stressed mean we’re successful?

Absolutely NOT!

I rarely use the word to describe myself.  I guess mainly because I just don’t stress.  I may have a lot on my plate, or I may be under a time crunch but I wouldn’t say that I’m stressed.  I just know what I have to do and do my best to get it done.  But really I believe the secret to not being stressed is to believe in well-being, to believe that everything will be okay, to trust that it’ll all work out.  And this is what I do!

When we’re stressed, we’re basically feeling and thinking negative thoughts, our confidence is low (“I can’t do this”), and we’re dreaming up what an awful future we have.  And when we do this, we feel terrible.  We have anxiety and nothing is right.  If we continue this pessimistic view, what we will see is more of the same…more shit to be stressed about!

But it doesn’t have to be this way!  There’s really no need to stress, no matter what your situation is.

To believe in well-being is to be optimistic, and when you have optimism you have hope.  When you change your perspective to seeing the glass half full, it is!

So I’m not saying that you should look at something that is dark and yucky and call it light and shiny.  I’m just saying shift your gaze.  Instead of looking at your problems and stressing over them, look for the solutions.  When you take your focus off what you don’t want and focus on your well-being, then the Universe will bend over backwards to give it to you.

Next time you start to utter the word “stress”, or you feel stressed and overwhelmed just remember to look in another direction.  Think back to the last time you were stressed.  After the stressful situation ended, didn’t everything work out?  You’re still here, you’re still alive, and you have so much to be grateful for.  It really is okay.  No matter what happens, it all works out in the end.  It may not work out like you had planned, but it did work out and may actually even be better than you planned.

Have Faith.  Believe.  Have Hope.  Live Easy.  Now these are cool words!

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So I’m reading the book, “Committed” by Elizabeth Gilbert.  She’s the one who wrote “Eat, Pray, Love“, and I ran across a passage in her book that I just love.  I want to share it with you!

“I’d learned enough from life’s experiences to understand that destiny’s interventions can sometimes be read as invitations for us to address and even surmount our biggest fears.  It doesn’t take a great genius to recognize that when you are pushed by circumstance to do the one thing you have always most specifically loathed and feared, this can be, at the very least, an interesting growth opportunity.”

Like she says…”it doesn’t take a genius to recognize”, but I wanted to share this with you because while it doesn’t take a genius, it’s always something good to be reminded of.

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