Poetry and prayer

Our interests in life, as we get older, become more specific and clear.

In my life, for example, I've arrived at this conclusion: what is better for me is prayer. I'm sure many people think this way as well. But surely for each person prayer adopt different forms.

I like a solitary prayer. I'm alone in this world. You and Jesus, you and Buddha, you and the silence, you and Love.

I see external things more and more like a dream, they've lost consistence over the years. I see them only as a way toward another world, a more spiritual world. And prayer is to me the way that lead to that real world.

But both Buddha and Jesus recognized the obstacle of suffering. Suffering is very real, although most of the things of this world are like a dream.

Prayer is my way. But I consider myself a poet, so i still play with the beauty of this world, a sensuous beauty leading always to a more spiritual, compassive Land.

Juan Bielsa

My last painting

The cave of the dragon
Oil painting by Juan Bielsa
65 x 54 cm
You can make an offer
from 350 euros/dollars

Make an offer

This is my last painting, "The cave of the dragon". This is a painting to dream, I think, to meditate on those distant realms living within us. And they are distant because the infinite noises of the world are separating our lives from the most precious of all ways: that of real happiness.

I have this work close to me at this moment, while I'm writing these lines. The photograph that I've taken of it some moments ago don't reflect very well its characteristics; that's the truth. Surely I'll take some other photographs trying to grasp at least a bit of its mystery. One cannot appreciate fully the subtle colors and transitions dancing on the canvas.

"The cave of the dragon" have rested for some days in my studio-meditation-room, and I must say it as become for me a fountain of inspiration, a sort of friend. Sometimes can happen this, some paintings seem to gain life and character, they are like people and can become true friends (they are spiritual entities as well), coloring our existence with its inner beauty.

Juan Bielsa

Love and passion

I think the best for all of us (in the long run) is to follow our passion, what we love. Then working lots of hours has a meaning, and real success is possible. We can get this way self-respect and even money (why not?).

Succesful people (again, in the long run) are those who are passionate about their jobs. If you create something valuable and absolutely original (a product, service or some blogs) you'll find a way to make a living.

Juan Bielsa

Divine landscapes

A beautiful landscape: a beautiful house
Photograph: Juan Bielsa

It is a very good thing to have true friends, but it is wonderful as well to have another "friend": "our" landscape, a landscape that we love.

A beautiful landscape on this Earth is more valuable and interesting than Mars and Venus combined. But (alas!) politicians don't know that...

Juan Bielsa

Poetic faces

Sweet Fairy - Painting by Juan Bielsa
Oil on canvas, 54 x 65 cm
© Juan Bielsa
1,900 €

Walt Whitman said that he could see God in the faces of people. What a wonderful poetic thought! And how true!

One of the most beautiful faces I remember is the face of my grandmother. Yes, she was old and its forehead was full of wrinkles. for example. But her face was full of beauty as well, full of spirit.

On the other hand, there are women who have an extraordinary beauty full of freshness, an expression of youth. But this beauty can be (and is) an ephemeral mirror. A wonderful, transient mirror.

For me (an artist), beautiful faces and bodies are above all an artistic matter. Why? Because these "things" are terribly fragile in this material world. Only art and poetry and Love are eternal.

The other day, I heard a woman saying on the radio than women's faces are poetical. I agree. Maybe women can find men's faces poetic, I don't know. Basically, I find poetry in women's faces, an expression of an Eternal Beauty.

Juan Bielsa

Silent blog

Dancing - Drawing by Juan Bielsa
© Juan Bielsa

Lately I don't write very often in this blog. Certainly it may be called "a silent blog".

Some professional translations (from Spanish to Catalan) and other works have kept me away from it, and the same can be said of my blogs in other languages.

A silent blog... Well, that's not so bad. I love silence and contemplation, so... Among millions and millions of interferences and noises of all kind in this world, silence is positive many times. At least I need silence.

There are here in Spain wonderful landscapes everywhere. People mostly like "spectacular" landscapes, like the famous Pyrenees. But there are also humble, modest, unknown spots where one can find many wonders as well, a house for the soul. They are silent, very few look at them carefully, with the heart. But you can find a profound beauty there. We need that kind of paradises as well, I think.

And the same can be said of art... There are many famous paintings and painters; everybody knows them. They have a name... But there are also unknown paintings very beautiful, full of truth and beauty, like an honest beautiful woman, like silent valleys full of calm and God, full of flowers like diamonds and love, ideals as support for meditation, to investigate our true self. And maybe this kind of art, silent and full of Spirit, is the only true art that merit that name these days, the last true art that survives in this world of ours.

Juan Bielsa

Focus

Magellan's Land
Oil on board, 70.5 x 49 cm
© Juan Bielsa

One of the most powerful tools we have in this world to achieve our dreams and objectives is FOCUS.

If we consistently focus on one aspect of our life that we want to manifest and reinforce, in due time our life will be different according to that attitude and concentration: we will have more and more ot that on which we have focused our attention.

For example, if we honestly focus on wealth, probably we won't be wealthy in one, three, nine months... But we have now a very solid foundation, and in due course some sort of phenomena according to our focused thought will be revealed.

I think art is very powerful in this respect. A painting is basically made for contemplation and thus concentration. The magical force of a great painting, a masterpiece, is inexhaustible. It is now a proved scientific fact that different colors affect us in different and powerful ways. So... what could be said of a powerful work of art!

We establish an emotional dialogue with a painting that we love, just the same as we establish relationships with people. Our friends, acquaintances... have a tremendous influence on us. In the same way, a painting can be a real friend of us, it is a spiritual "being", or a very special "object" if you want. The colors, forms, rhythms... of a work of art are constantly communicating to us maybe beauty, maybe calm, maybe joy... an infinite array of messages and emotions. And as we grew older and we have more experiences in life, a loved painting grew older as well, and it becomes "wiser" in a sense, just because we are able now to listen more carefully to its message and subtleties.

Ultimately, a great painting is a wonderful tool to our meditations and evolution, it can be a powerful magical tool at our disposal. A good painting is like a good friend, a treasure that continually is enriching our existence, illuminating our paths.

Juan Bielsa

Red Fairy, painting by Juan Bielsa

Red fairy
Oil on board, 60.5 x 76 cm
© Juan Bielsa

In my art femininity is very important. I don't think women are better than men, in general. But I do believe that values associated traditionally with women and femininity are the important ones in this era. Over the years I think my vision of things has become "more feminine". Or at least I live and think this way: I love nature, I love animals, I try to listen and be humble (although I fail many times). Family is very important for me, and I like to take care of little, valuable things, and I dislike violence even in games, and certainly I'm not a possessive person...

It is hard to explain, but I think my contemplative view of things has a feminine side. And my artistic creations reflect that point of view. I understand a certain feminine world and I don't understand a world of men. Maybe my "feminine world" is not real, that may be true as well. I don't care. That is the world I love. Each person has its origins, its influences. In my life the influence of Provence and troubadours is an essential one. In Ancient times, in Provence women were the center of the universe, women and the idea of femininity. And socially and politically their role were very, very important.

In my art there are some clues, among them contemplation and femininity. In my works, these two aspects are the same. For me contemplation is the supreme happiness, but it needs femininity, it needs the freshness of life and love, it needs a supreme beauty, an inner beauty and the beauty of dreams.

I paint fairies, I paint sphinxes, I paint an idealized beauty that can convey this idea: meditation and freedom, absolute happiness, a paradise. Paradise, for me, is contemplation and love, and women have a lot to say about these two things. My passion for colors and forms is fully feminine. My passion for love and romanticism is fully feminine. Even my vision of religion is entirely feminine. My art... is in some way very feminine. "Unrealistically" feminine I would say.

I think this world of ours, in this time of absolute disaster, needs the full potential of women, needs the vision of women, needs the solutions of women, needs women who are not afraid of being fully themselves. Because we need, I think, femininity. We need love and compassion, we need the inner forces of the universe to work for a better future. The future, clearly, is feminine.

I don't usually say this, but I must say that I love this painting of mine, I love this "being", this red fairy. So if someone loves her like I do, I would be happy. The price of the painting is symbolic. If you love it, it can be yours, don't pay too much attention to the money. I you love it, if you love this "red fairy" she can be your woman of the infinite. Only in this case I could "sell" her. I love her like a symbol of freedom, like a love of my youth.

Juan Bielsa

Painting by Juan Bielsa: The way of the stars.

The way of the stars
Oil on board, 60.7 x 48.5 cm
© Juan Bielsa

I remember when I painted "The way of the stars". Some paintings are the result of a sort of magic. I painted this work like dancing. There was no conscious effort, no struggle. Just the forms appeared naturally. I did not make any correction. In one day the painting was done, like emerging from the land of rhythm.

For me the most important part of making art is mental preparation, meditation, playing mentally with colors, silence. If we have the necessary skills and techniques, when inspiration comes, we are ready to undertake the process of "materialising" Spirit into forms. I do believe in hard work, but the same I do believe in inspiration. The best of my poems have been done in this way. In ancient China the best painters had a similar approach into art. They produced in this way immortal paintings; there is Spirit on them. And it is the same in Zen.

Juan Bielsa

Twitter, powerful. Use it carefully.

I wrote another post about Twitter and on it I already said that Twitter seemed to me potentially addictive. Well, some days "twittering" have confirmed that intuition.

Twitter can be extremely addictive. Enough said.

I run multiple blogs and they demand a lot or work, sometimes. But I've always felt FREE. I never thought of them when I was doing something else. At least for me blogging has never been addictive.

Even if someone has a lot of time, I think it would be sound advice to say this: be absolutely cautious in the manner you use Twitter. It can be a good (and powerful) tool, but has also considerable risks.

I know that many people are doing great and positive things on Twitter, and it can be a powerful resource of information, good links, advice... but nevertheless it continues to be potentially addictive. Even you can organize most of your life according to the tasks you do on Twitter.

I absolutely don't like to be, for example, in the fields, or travelling, and at the same time thinking on what I'm missing on Twitter (new followers, new messages, expectatives of other people, trying to keep up with them...) I must repeat that writing my blogs I always felt, generally, fresh and relaxed. In few cases has been a stressful activity. If having just started on Twitter and having few followers I can foresee potential addiction, what could be said of people who have, for example, 900, 4,000 or more followers?

I know, some people are more prone to be involved in addictions than others, and so this kind of people must be very, very careful.

Being Twitter a powerful tool, and in some cases an extraordinary tool (if you look for specific information and advice) you can take advantage of it, but we must be on our guard.

As an example of the power of Twitter, you can read some short poems that I've written subjecting myself to the well known restriction of characters on Twitter. So they can be called "literatwitter". In the same fashion, Twitter can mold many areas of your life. If we control, that's ok, we have access to a powerful, useful tool, if not, it can make of our lives "twitterlives".

In conclusion, at least in my opinion services as Twitter or other social media, can be wonderful if we know how to use self-discipline in our lives; if not, we can miss in the end many wonders and peace because of an addiction.

Obviously I'm not a psychologist or specialist on addictions, so what I've said only represents a personal opinion.

I'll continue using Twitter (as long as I feel in control of the situation), basically to inform people about updates on my blogs, but I'm aware now that I'm dealing with dynamite.

Juan Bielsa

Literatwitter

Landscape of Pyrenees
Photograph by my Aragonese friend
Migalánchel Martín Pardos

Humble people, humble people,
how beautiful you are,
always living in the gardens
of the heart,
children of heaven.

In the streets of this village,
in Aragon,
rains.
Now my village
is a Scottish village.
How beautiful the music of drops!
The Highlands.

And my cat, now,
in the distant house,
watching through the window...
But here I'm now,
twittering. Raining.
My poor, poor,
solitary cat.

Dying,
my dog raised his head
to see,
for the last time,
beloved deserts.

Night.
And then you smile.
Sunshine.

As the work of astrologers
is mapping all the stars,
poets also have a task:
they are always mapping
universes of the heart.

Writing in English
I never studied English
Surreal worlds

At school
Studying French
My childhood

The day my grandmother died
a thousand words died forever.
Every single day a language dies.
What a silence...

I love you.
So you can fly,
if you want,
into the Infinite.

Trembling stars.
And a million of worlds speaking,
millions of lights speaking,
millions of souls speaking,
in the language of Silence.

Some years ago,
I used to go to dance
on saturday night.
Now,
here I'm,
studying metaphysics.

Jewels around the Heart:
An elegant woman.

Juan Bielsa

Thanks a lot

A gift from my friend
Kim Rodeffer

Kim Rodeffer has nominated me for the Scribbler Award. Thanks a lot, kim.

But for me the real award is receiving this nomination from a person whom I appreciate very much as an artist, person, and blogger. Really that's the award! It is the same in life, I think. We care for honest gifts, simple gifts given to us by friends or our loved ones. Yes, there are "official awards" out there that we can appreciate, but in the long run the most important awards come from honest, good people, giving their best wishes and love to us, without expecting nothing.

So, Kim, thank you for this award that you give to me; it is irrelevant if I don't get the "real" award. I care for "this" award, coming from your generosity and kindness.

There are so many wonderful blogs of artists and creative people... As an example, these fabulous blogs which I visit regularly; You'll find there great ideas, creativity, extraordinary people... Modestly, "my award" goes to them, from my heart:

• Ink Vanilla - June Parrish Cookson
• Embrace Living - Celestine Chua
• Look Far - Amanda Linehan
• Lesly Finn
• Philip's abstractions

Juan Bielsa

Twitter. Microblogging.

This is only a micropost to say that I'm twittering!

It is curious, because I never thought those social media online could work for me. And I have much work to do, so maybe I won't have much time to write "tweets" (that's the way one defines on Twitter a short message).

Yes, I'm surprised because for the first time a social media online interests me. I can see clearly that it can be useful for me, and the most important part: there are very good people out there; you can help others and others can help you.

The idea behind Twitter is great: microblogging (in a few words we can say many useful things). The great idea is SIMPLICITY. Twitter understands it. A brilliant idea (which could be represented by Google, Blogger, Twitter...) mixed with simplicity almost always works, almost always wins and is successful. People who launched Twitter, no doubt, were clever people.

Yes, Twitter is very simple. And it is also very USABLE, takes care of USABILITY and users. Twitter is very simple and easy to use, yet it can be used in a great variety of ways and has tons of different possibilities for every person, and without never forgetting its original simplicity.

In Twitter you can ask a short question or answer other people's questions, you can join interesting groups, you can search what interests you, you can make friends. And you can inform of your activities as well. "What are you doing now?"

Surely each person uses Twitter differently. Strange, the past days I've used Twitter as a sort of "meditative journal". I know, I know, alas! I won't have much time to do that in the future, but I'm exploring the possibilities of Twitter by now. I know that even could be addictive. But I permit myself to wander a little...

I've said that I use Twitter as a sort of personal journal. So I'm not following people "as I should", and very few people are following me (obvious). But only in a few days I am fully aware that Twitter has tremendous possibilities for people who have the time to write "tweets", ask questions, help others...

I've only pointed here a few features of Twitter. Twitter is a great country and I've just arrived in this land.

Ah! I forgot: you can find me in Twitter here: www.twitter.com/juanbielsa

By now I only have 4 followers, but I'm proud of them :)

Juan Bielsa

My shop on zazzle.com

Sweet Fairy
Oil on canvas, by Juan Bielsa
© Juan Bielsa

I've launched very recently my shop on www.zazzle.com/juanbielsa. You can find there very few products by now, but it is a start. I'll be adding new items in a regular basis.

In recent years my main artistic activity has been to paint oils. I'm an specialist in that. I'll continue, of course, painting in that way. I love oils. But it is time now to regain my passion for drawing and design. In fact, drawing in different techniques has been always a real passion for me, although I've neglected it for some years. But I won prizes with my drawings in my early career. And I've always had a lot of fun drawing and designing. So, let's work!

FOCUS

New items, as I've said, will be added very soon to my shop on www.zazzle.com/juanbielsa and to other blogs of mine in different languages which I want to turn into blogs/shops (like polideza.blogspot.com, in Aragonese language). Letting aside my poems, my main activity in the future on the Internet will focus on creating and selling. I can't avoid it, I'm a poet (mainly in my native Aragonese language), so I'll continue to write poetry, but aside from that, I want to focus on selling my creations. I'm convinced now that that is the best thing for me to do.

CREATING BEAUTY

And never again I must stop creating art. Never again. That's what I really am: an artist and a poet. Yes, I've another great love: metaphysics. But I understand now that the Internet is not a very good place to show that kind of subjects, at least I think now in this manner. Anyway, I already show my particular vision of metaphysics in my poems.

Maybe Internet, basically, is a place to buy and sell, at least I think now in that way. And we can create and sell so many beautiful, wonderful things, art and objects that many people can truly love!

ARTISTIC MAPS

For example, I LOVE artistic maps, to begin with. When I was a child I was already in love with maps, it was a wonderful way to dream... Yes, I can even create marvelous maps, and another wonders. And you can create even greater wonders. So, let's work!

Juan Bielsa

Sensuality and mysticism

Landscape of Pyrenees
Photograph by my Aragonese friend
Migalánchel Martín Pardos

So many days reading and thinking...

Sometimes it is very late when I go to bed.

It is pretty clear for me now. My vision of things will always be, somehow, politically incorrect.

It is for me difficult to think and act without connecting all to a certain transcendence. But certainly my idea of transcendence is very particular.

My spiritual ideas don't exclude sensuality, but normally they refer this sensuality to a higher plane.

Sinners are creatures loved by God, because they have a spiritual spark that never dies, and God IS Compassion. This sensual world of us can be a wonderful tool, if we have good will. Money can be absolutely sacred, if used correctly. Money can free us from the tyrannical power of things, if used correctly.

I think arrogance is a terrible sin, though. It is the worst of all idols. Is your religion the only "true" religion? Do you think that many people are spiritually "wrong"?

You can read the great mystics of all time: they all teach the SAME religion. But then here comes arrogance, here come those who know they are "truly" religious people, and with them here comes horror, and lack of compassion and love for ALL creatures _human beings, animals..._, here comes lack of understanding, and division, and violence.

Better to love sensuality, but without adding to the world more horror and sufferings.

Better to paint and draw sensuality pointing to the Infinity.

Better to write sensual poems and to offer them to the Light.

Better to be a sinner who strives to improve every day.

Better to love Beauty and Love.

Better to create and live with humility, better to aspire to reunite our spiritual spark in the Spark.

Better to be an artist, a poet.

Better to be a simple being.

Better to be a sinner in its way into paradise.

Juan Bielsa

Dreams

The dreams you carry and nourish in your heart are your most noble part.

Mark Fisher and Marc Allen
How to think like a millionaire

How to sell art online

Animal Shirt Design
by Gino Orlandi
© Gino Orlandi - Color Overload

In my long experience on the Internet, I've seen the works of extraordinary artists who show their great art on their blogs and webs. What a marvelous possession for anybody would be to have one of their creations!

But in many cases these wonderful artists don't find the right way to sell their works, despite the astounding quality of them. Selling art online is not easy, it is even much more difficult than offline.

Something is missing.

We artists must have the necessary confidence in ourselves to create Art. Most of us fortunately have such a confidence, me included. We believe in our capacity to create wonderful creations. But what if we ask ourselves: Am I a good seller of my art? Can we market it properly? Do we have the necessary knowledge to build a successful brand online as a platform to sell our works? In this case many artists lack such a confidence in themselves. I must admit this: I consider myself a very good artist, but I've not been a very good seller so far.

GINO ORLANDI

As in any field, in art there are also experts who know a lot about how to market and sell. They have the necessary experience and knowledge that we lack. Certainly we can learn a lot from them.

Gino Orlandi is an expert on marketing and selling art. One of the very best. I you want to know more about him, you can check some of his blogs, covering subjects like Graphic Design, Clothing design, and others.

I have visited Gino Orlandi's webs and blogs and I can say he has broadened my vision and expectatives about what an artist can accomplish online. We artists have on the Internet many possibilities available; only we must learn how to profit from them. Gino Orlandi knows many useful ways to do so.

Who is Gino Orlandi? He is an artist, graphic designer and Internet entrepreneur. During many years he has had the experience online both of a designer and an entrepreneur. He has always focused his attention on the twofold aspect involved in any business: creation/production/quality and marketing/branding/selling. If one of these components fails, our venture will ultimately fail in the long run. I've mentioned a very important word: "branding". Building a brand for ourselves as artists is essential. Even the name of any artist can be considered a "brand"; in fact it is so. Gino Orlandi considers branding as extraordinarily important, a cornerstone to success for artists as well.

HOW TO SELL ART ONLINE

Gino Orlandi has released recently an ebook, FUEL FOR ART, a guide on HOW TO SELL ART ONLINE. On it he pays much attention to how to build a successful brand for artists. He says: "Artist, brand Thyself! Did you know that you are a brand? You must develop an effective and memorable brand identity in order to stand out as a successful Artist that can be taken seriously. FUEL FOR ART will show you how with lots of great tips culled from years of personal and business experience". This ebook, FUEL FOR ART, focus on all the important aspects in which we must concentrate to market and sell our works successfully: The best places to sell our works online, how to display our art in a variety of ways, how to make easy for the customer to buy, how to pick a good niche, because "in the end is up to you what you want to paint, but do consider the niche of your paintings if you are looking into selling paintings online"...

As I've said earlier Gino Orlandi's fresh ideas, creativity and talent about how to sell art online have opened to me new ways and opportunities as a professional artist, most of which I was somehow unaware. Only an example: thanks to him I've known the existence of an extraordinaire site called www.zazzle.com, and now I'm beginning to display my works there.

Yes, by following Orlandi's path, it is now clear that if we want to sell our work properly, we must pay great attention to marketing and branding. Even we must pay great attention to aspects like how to get great number of visits to our blogs and websites, all of which is explained on his ebook, FUEL FOR ART about HOW TO SELL ART ONLINE. Certainly, Gino Orlandi knows perfectly how to do this: his websites and blogs are widely known, and he is a very successful designer and marketer. He even has a club of fans following his artistic career and listening to his valuable advice. He talks and writes directly from experience. As a designer, he has also written an ebook on HOW TO START A CLOTHING LINE.

Yes, if we want to sell the "products" of our soul, we must take seriously some aspects which apparently seem more "materialistic", such as how to sell art online. In the long run, this only can make stronger our determination to succeed in in our career. We must effectively learn how to brand, market and sell our work. And I honestly think one of the best way to do this is following the example and advice of people like Gino Orlandi; he has gathered through many years valuable techniques and experiences on how to sell art on the Internet (and even offline), all of which can be found on his ebook and visiting his websites and blogs.

Juan Bielsa

Definition of success

Landscape of Pyrenees, in Aragon (Spain)
Photograph by my Aragonese friend
Migalánchel Martín Pardos

To be a genius simply means to do what you enjoy doing. That is the true genius of life. Mediocrity is never daring to do what you love, for fear of what others will say or for fear of losing your security.

Mark Fisher
The instant millionaire