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

I just love Will Smith.  This is an awesome compilation of his wise, wise words!

This morning when I woke up I thought about my brother and how I should call him to see how he’s doing.  It had been a while since I have spoken to him, so I just wanted to call and say hi.  The thought entered my head as I was getting dressed, but then like that, it was gone.  I just let the thought go and didn’t think of it again.  Then at about 11:00 this morning my phone rings and guess who it is?  My brother, Kody!

I’m not a big phone person, and he’s WAY not a phone person.  Typically, if he calls me it’s for a certain reason.  But not today…he was just calling to see how I was.  I’m sure you’ve had this type of thing happen to you as well.  We all have.  When I told him I had thouht about him this morning he said “great minds think alike”.  I said “Yes they do, but this isn’t a coincidence.  This is the Law of Attraction“.  Then he said “What?”, and I said “Never mind!” haha (Can someone forward my blog to him?)

The Law of Attraction (LOA) is at work ALL the time, whether we know it or not.  It’s working through the vibration that our energy puts out.  Our thoughts are energy.  If we think positive thoughts, that raises the frequency of our energy.  (Negative thoughts have a low frequency.)  However, just having positive thoughts is one thing.  If you couple your positive thoughts with feeling good and having good feeling emotions, then you’ve really raised the frequency.  When you live with a high frequency, then things like thinking of someone and then suddenly they call, will happen all the time and without any effort.  This morning I briefly thought of my brother and then let it go.  There was absolutely no effort on my part.  He just called and I got to speak to him like I wanted.

So it occurred to me that if something small like a call from someone or getting a great parking space can happen with little effort, then why couldn’t something REALLY fabulous happen, something that you really want and desire also happen with little effort?

If I can elevate the frequency of my energy even higher, then the possibilities are limitless because as the LOA states “like attracts like”.  The more I stay and live with a high frequency, the more I can manifest what I want.  In other words, the greater my frequency, the greater the gift.  If I can elevate the frequency of my energy even higher, then I can manifest more and more and more of the things that I truly desire.  I can manifest bigger and better things (no offense, Kody!).  If I can live my life in a constant state of high positive thoughts, energy, and feelings then I can have everything that I want with little effort.  Life is easy and smooth sailing!

Don’t get it twisted!  I’m not saying that I have positive thoughts and poof I have a new car (although this did happen to me!).  Okay, maybe I am saying that, but what I’m really saying is that I’m going to have positive thoughts and feelings and raise my vibration to a level that awesomeness can occur WITH effortless effort!!

So, what in the hell is effortless effort, you may be asking.  Great question.  I’ll blog about that next but basically it’s a doing that doesn’t feel like doing.  It’s like trees growing.  They “do”, but without “doing”.

I’m on a path to higher and higher vibrations.  I know this LOA stuff works.  If I can easily get someone to call me out of the blue, then how exciting is it to manifest something even greater.  Want to join me?  Let’s see how high we can go!

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We all have dreams and desires (at least I hope we all do), but do we expect those dreams and desires to come true?  I mean without expecting them to come true then we’re basically just wishing for something to happen.  I’ve wished many (many) times to win the lottery, but I didn’t necessarily expect that I would.  I’ve even wished to win the lottery, but didn’t buy a ticket!  How crazy is that?  Expectation is a big thing when it comes to your desires, and it’s a big thing when it comes to the Law of Attraction (LOA).

Expectation is the force that pulls your desires to you.  It’s easy to see this on the negative side.  For instance, if you’re taking a class, and say it’s not something that you’re particularly interested in, and you haven’t been going to class or listening while in class, you will probably expect to fail or make a below average grade.  When you are expecting something that you don’t want, you will likely get what you expect to get.  It’s real easy for us to expect when it’s something we don’t want.  Now, can we expect things that we do want?

Expecting our dreams and desires to become a reality takes some work.  It takes confidence.  It takes a true belief that you’re worth having it.  It takes a real yearning for whatever it is you desire.  And, it takes action.  You can’t just lay around daydreaming about wanting a yacht and then expect it to be sitting in your driveway when you get home (I know.  I know…bad example!).  It’s not that easy!  You have to put the work in.

There’s a saying that God feeds the birds and supplies them with an abundance of food, but he doesn’t put the worms into the bird’s mouth.  The bird must go out and search of the food.  So, like the birds, we must do something more than just wish or even pray.

When you expect to achieve your dreams and desires, you are essentially believing in the probability of it.  You have a belief that you will succeed in getting what you want.  When your expectation is there, your energy is then drawn to the interest of your desire even more.  Your eagerness, enthusiasm, and keen interest of whatever it is you desire is then intensified.  It’s through this intense desire that the LOA works its’ magic.  It’s through this intense desire that your interest and attention are drawn to the desire; therefore, giving you inspiration to take right action to achieve it.

The LOA says that like attracts like, and the more powerful your magnet (which you get with intense desire), the easier it is for this Universal law to give you what it is you’re attracting (your intense desire).

In the words of Raymond Holliwell: To desire is to expect, and to expect is to achieve.

Now start expecting your dreams to come true — I know I do!

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