I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past. -- Patrick Henry
Monthly Musings
My New Website
Posted by Peter Hughes on Friday September 1, 2006
As we premier peterjhughes.com we do so with the first five pages, Home, Services, School, Testimonials and Contact. Coming soon are the remaining menu selections. We invite you to periodically check-in and see what's new as we grow and post updated information on classes, events and notes from the field.
The Journey
Creating a website is an exciting and involved process. I am so grateful for the support gifted by the talented team of artists who are taking this journey with me.
I am inspired to share with you, in part, our journey bringing life to this heart's desire. As is the case with creating any heart's desire, we had to start with a vision. In this particular case it was a vision of the graphic art work that inspired the artistic and vibrational essence of this site. Three and a half years ago I saw in my mind an art piece which represented the journey and the process of creating a heart's desire - the layers we all pass through to get to the core of who we truly are. Having trained and worked in theatre I was drawn to the comedy and tragedy masks so often used as a standard theatre logo. These symbols also represented two stages of self- actualization, facing and embracing our flaws and celebrating our joys. To understand and accept both is to understand and accept who we are as a human being having an earth-school experience.
Going further with this theme, the idea of introducing a third "mask" became an important part of the image. The third mask symbolizes our spirit self, who we are as a spirit within our human experience. This image represents what is available to us when we open up to endless possibilities.
This image floated around in my mind for a couple of years, like a smoky screen wafting and dancing through what seemed like an endless display of possibilities. I drew one thumbnail sketch after another and tried on several occasions to paint the images on canvas. It never looked or felt right and the canvas sat in the studio for a year, a monument to incompletion staring from across the room. Training and experience had given me an understanding of the importance and value of not forcing an artistic expression before it was ready to be born.
The Alchemist
It was while facilitating a Your Heart's Desire workshop that, as part of the homework, I listed "Enrolling a website designer in creating a website for my business," as one of three heart's desires. Two weeks later I was visiting with some friends I had known for a few years and had worked with on a couple of shows. While sharing about the desire to create a website and not knowing how or where to start, the conversation went quiet. These friends looked at me as if I was mad. It took a second or two before I made the connection that one of these friends was a website designer. I had known this all along, yet didn't make the connection until that moment. We laughed at the Divine humor of it all. The support was available all the time. I just didn't see it. It was at this time that Ray Berry joined the team and so generously and willingly offered his services in support of creating the heart's desire of a website.
The Makio (magic mirror)
In that same Your Heart's Desire workshop was a participant who was a professional photographer. One of her heart's desires was to have her photography evolve from portraiture into artistic expressions of spirit. I had worked with her on several occasions and asked her to be the event photographer for the opening of the School for Six-Sensory Living - Denver. Reviewing the proofs from that event, we saw that she had captured not only the spirit of her subjects but spirit in motion. It was stunning. Who better to take new headshots for the website. Thus Diane Lather Belfour Hale stepped on board.
The Shaman
The following Spring while facilitating a Your Heart's Desire Level II - In Action workshop, one of the participants, a computer graphic artist, created as one of her heart's desires the experience of generating computer graphic art using shaman journeying techniques to guide the process. During one of the last class gatherings she presented the group with an art piece she had journeyed on and created for each individual. You could have heard a pin drop as each participant took in and connected with their images. It was at that moment spirit said loud and clear, "There is your graphic artist, Peter." The next day we had a telephone conversation and, without hesitation, Kris Voelker was signed up and ready to join the journey. I handed her three years of research in the form of renderings, notes and a color pallet. She then did a shaman journey, followed by four rounds of notes and the image was born. What, for three years had been floating around in my mind was now free, complete and in the world.
The Muse
During the months leading up to the launching of peterjhughes.com my job was to bring the artistry of this team together in a manner that created the space for everyone to be the master of their skills, express their individual talents and work together to create a clear vision. Thank you Ray, for bringing your delightful sense of humor to the journey and for your generous patience. Thank you Diane, for trusting your talent and for your willingness to play with the spirit guides. And, thank you Kris for trusting your process, journeying to the upper world and bringing back such fully expressed beauty.
I am often asked to describe what it is I do for a living. Whether it's for the theatre or for daily life, I assist people in harnessing their heart's desires and bringing them into fruition. This is my vocation - a muse. Peter Hughes - professional muse.
"Muse; a spirit believed to inspire poets and other artists"