SEASONS OF THE SOUL ~ harmony

     



   

      inner peace...

detail from SEASONS OF THE SOUL
©1993 Stephanie E. Robinson

As I mentioned in the beginning, there were no subtitles when the figure symbols that make up the Seasons of the Soul came to me over a period of time...They were just little individual doodles in a sketch book.  Later, after I had a chance to see people's reaction to the sequence, I realized that it would be helpful to add subtitles...  But this was a difficult thing, to try to label these symbols that represented far more than a word or two...  

So I did the best I could to come up with subtitles before it was published in 1993.  The print was published with the process known as offset lithography.  Now when I look at the "harmony" figure, I cannot help but think of the centeredness I feel as a result of regular meditation.  Back then, I didn't have a clue about meditation.  For the last ten years or so, I have meditated on a regular basis... There is scientific evidence that meditation can change your brain over time.  It has changed my life.  And when I go for a period without meditating, even just a couple of days, I begin to feel out of balance.

SEASONS OF THE SOUL ~ symmetry

     ..... balance

Detail from SEASONS OF THE SOUL
© 1993 Stephanie E. Robinson

I believe it was a year or two after Seasons of the Soul was published, I received a phone call from a woman who had purchased the lithograph soon after it had come out.  She shared with me how this artwork had been so important to her.  When she first saw Seasons of the Soul, she had just begun a 12 step program.  She purchased one and hung it up so she could see it every day during her recovery.  She told me that she had a friend who was just beginning her own process of recovery and she wanted her to have one of the prints.  Needless to say, I was very touched and honored.  But after I got off the phone with her, I just sat there stunned.  

Up until this point I had devoted a significant portion of my creative efforts toward commercial art.  At the same time, I was also spending time making art for the sake of art.  One thing that I had realized was, for me at least, there were two completely different mindsets required for commercial art versus art for art's sake.

I had recently moved from a very small town in north Georgia where I had developed a small free-lance business designing and painting signs, logos, illustrated brochures, menus, etc... I had moved to Durham, NC and at that time Ninth Street was a thriving little bohemian arts district.  I worked at a frame shop on Ninth Street and it provided me an opportunity to display and sell my art.  It also gave me an opportunity to interact with people who were interested in my art.  This is when I first began to realize the importance of the story behind the art.  People want to know the story.  It can lend authenticity to the work and it also gives the art a context it would not have without it. 

It was right around this time that I made a conscious decision to abandon my efforts as a commercial artist and devote my creative efforts to work that emanated from a deeper truth within me.  And Seasons of the Soul would be my compass.    

SEASONS OF THE SOUL ~ fortitude

courage...

detail from SEASONS OF THE SOUL
©1993 Stephanie E. Robinson

Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.

                                                                                               ~Brene Brown




What would happen if I showed up wholeheartedly for my life?  Threw caution to the wind...

Like a Columbus of the heart, mind, and soul I have hurled myself off the shores of my own fears and limiting beliefs to venture far out into the uncharted territories of my inner truth, in search of what it means to be genuine and at peace with who I really am. I have abandoned the masquerade of living up to the expectations of others and explored the new horizons of what it means to be truly and completely me, in all my amazing imperfection and most splendid insecurity. 

                            ~Anthon St. Marteen

                                                                                     

When I created Seasons of the Soul, it was through a process by which each of the figures filtered into my consciousness.  Since its creation, it is like the artwork has taken on a life of its own. 

SEASONS OF THE SOUL ~ rebirth

         

transformation...

Detail from SEASONS OF THE SOUL
©1993 Stephanie E. Robinson

I have always struggled with the idea of going public with my work in a much bigger way.  It used to be easy to rationalize that I just couldn't afford to promote my work a bigger way... I couldn't afford a web designer to set me up a website.  I couldn't afford a new computer... etc...   But along the way I realized that promoting my work meant promoting myself and I... I guess I didn't really believe deep down that I was worthy... 

Recently I began to realize that it was my fear that was holding me back.  Yes, fear ruled.  And I let it.  I served it by becoming a master of rational excuses why I couldn't be more "successful" in my art career.  

What was I afraid of?  I am not sure.  The work that I create requires me to pour my heart and soul into it and then put it out there for the world to see...

...and that visibility which makes us most vulnerable is also that which is the greatest source of strength.

                                                                                             ~Audre Lorde

Please click on ClustrMap so your visit will be counted.

SEASONS OF THE SOUL ~ the plunge

    vulnerability...

detail from Seasons of the Soul
©1993 Stephanie E. Robinson

I grew up in the mountains of western North Carolina.  Not far from my hometown of Cullowhee is a beautiful mountain lake.  At one end of the lake was a dam and above the spillway was a corrugated metal shed.  When I was in my teens, a group of us would hike down to the dam and climb up on top of the shed and jump into the lake.  The distance from the top of the shed to the water below was maybe 20 feet.

I have always had a bit of a fear of heights but I was determined not to let it keep me from participating in the adventure.  It was like a rite of passage.  Point your toes and hold you arms close to your sides or the water will smack you hard when you hit the surface, we were told by the older kids.

After climbing on the roof, I looked down at the water that seemed so far below, but my feet were burning standing on the hot metal roof baking in the summer sun.  There was no backing out now.  I jumped... and it seemed like I was falling for a long time even though it was seconds.  The water stung the soles of my feet... guess I forgot to point my toes!  I let out a triumphant yell underwater that only I could hear.



the plunge...
  uncertainty.....risk.....emotional exposure.....

Brene Brown's Ted talk on vulnerability is like therapy for me.  I go back and listen to it when I feel like I need to be reminded that feeling vulnerable is an essential part of being.  Here is a link to that video:
http://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability.html

Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation creativity and change.      
                                                             ~ Dr. Brene' Brown

SEASONS OF THE SOUL ~ acquiescence

    willing acceptance...

detail from SEASONS OF THE SOUL
©1993 Stephanie E. Robinson

LIKE MANY ARTISTS, I RESISTED THE PUSH TOWARD MARKETING ONLINE...

Since SEASONS OF THE SOUL was published twenty years ago, more that 4,500 prints have been purchased worldwide.  Most of those were sold through stores like Womencrafts in Provincetown, MA and ArtCraft Framing in Durham, NC.  These two locations were selling hundreds of the prints each year during the 1990s.  I used to like to imagine that each of the prints had a little gps tracking sensor so the location of each one would light up a spot on a map.  That way I could see the connections on a soul level I was making through this piece of art.

After the internet became the way people look for items and locate people, I found that I needed some sort of a way for people to find me if they wanted a Seasons of the Soul print.  But being completely ignorant about computers did not help.  Luckily a good friend of mine made it so people looking for Seasons of the Soul could find me.  He set up an art blog for me in 2006.  Since then it has received 3,000+ visitors from around the world!  He also installed a map that shows where visitors to the blog are from.  Currently the map is showing visitors from the past three years.  Click here to see:  
http://clustrmaps.com/counter/maps.php?url=http://www.seasons-of-the-soul.blogspot.com
On the page where the map is, scroll down and look at the list on the right to see a list of the 47 different countries visitors are from! 

It has taken me a long time to realize and accept that I need to put myself out there and represent my work.  Now it is so easy to set up and maintain a blog, a monkey... I mean I can even do it.  The story is an integral part of the work that must be shared alongside the art.  And this means sharing myself, my process, my inner life, my thoughts, my fears, my realizations, in a much more public way than I have ever even considered before.

NOTE: PLEASE CLICK ON THE CLUSTRMAP SO YOUR VISIT WILL BE COUNTED. (It is located on the top right side of this blog.) THANK YOU!

SPECIAL OFFER

In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the publishing of SEASONS OF THE SOUL, I am offering the lithograph for $10 OFF plus free shipping* for orders of 2 or more prints.

OFFER ENDS SEPT. 13th, 2013  

*Free shipping offer limited to within the contiguous United States.

SEASONS OF THE SOUL ~ the story

SEASONS OF THE SOUL
©1993 Stephanie E. Robinson
Click on image to enlarge
image size: 7" x 30" approx.
$40

  Click HERE to view video slideshow

A couple of weeks ago I realized it has been TWENTY YEARS since SEASONS OF THE SOUL was first published.  Over the years it has been like a main sail of my life ship.  But there is a bigger story to this artwork that has taken on a life of its own.

For the next several days I will be making daily posts to this blog telling the story of this remarkable artwork that has touched the lives of thousands of individuals.  I would like to invite everyone who has a Seasons of the Soul related story to share it, if you will, in the comments section of this blog.

SEASONS OF THE SOUL originated as doodles in a sketch book...

There were no subtitles, they were just little doodled stick figures throughout a sketchbook I had been using during a very difficult year... I was in my early twenties and I was dealing with the overwhelming question of, "Am I gay?"  Could this really be happening to me?  Why am I hating myself?  That was so long ago...  These figures came to me during a time of personal crisis.  And I didn't even realize it at the time but the figures were like a symbol language and they told a story... An inner journey, a process...  

It was not until some time later that I came across that particular sketch book and as I flipped through the pages, I noticed the stick figures.  When I drew them together in a line, the progression was easy to see.  At that time, there were only 10 figures.  I knew there needed to be at least one more.  There had to be something else but I just didn't know what...  The final figure revealed itself to me as I was watching the television show, "Fame", and Debbie Allen was dancing and as she moved across the floor, she struck a particular pose that crystalized in my mind's eye. Instantly I knew that was it, the 11th and final figure, "movin' out"!

 From the very beginning, I knew there was something special about Seasons of the Soul.  People reacted to it as it related to their own life stories... I like to imagine that somehow these symbols filtered up through my subconscious from what Carl Jung referred to as the collective unconscious.  And their true origin lies in an ancient awareness that lives on in each of us.

                      

Before the prints were published I would hand paint the watercolor background and draw the figures in ink, over and over to fill the orders for people who wanted one.  The prints were published as hand signed lithographs in 1993 thanks to a generous patron of the arts.

Trust that which gives you meaning

and accept it as your guide.

~ Carl Jung