Creative Revolution: Personal Transformation through Brave Intuitive Painting

by Flora Bowley

Painting can be so much more than a mere hobby - it can be a vehicle transforming your mind, body, and spirit! Painting and bravely embracing the challenges of creativity sparks a revolution that involves heart, creativity, courage, and trust! Artistic pursuits such as painting have the power to soothe, heal, and connect a person to their truest self. For author Flora Bowley, making art and expressing herself creatively have always served as potent forms of personal evolution and holistic healing. Creative Revolution is the reader's key to unlocking the door to their own personal journey while making beautiful art. Creative Revolution is the culmination of Flora's life's work as an artist, offering guidance for others to embrace their authentic selves through paint. She has taught more than sixty workshops since she wrote her first book, Brave Intuitive Painting , and has witnessed miraculous things when people engage with the intuitive painting process. Creative Revolution is the next best thing to taking a course from Flora. Many readers and students can't help but exclaim, "This was about so much more than painting!" After reading Creative Revolution , readers will have a deeper connection to their intuition, increased confidence to make bolder choices, freedom to let go and explore various options, an understanding that everything is transformable, the trust that it will all work out in the end, and a renewed sense that creating can be fun and playful. All of this powerful transformation begins with paint. Flora has been writing and reflecting on these transformational aspects of the creative process for years. Creative Revolution is an insightful and practical guide for realizing the transformational power of fully embracing your creativity.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

128 pages, Paperback

Published November 1, 2016

About the author

Flora Bowley (pronounced bowl-ee) is an artist, retreat facilitator, creative catalyst, and author of five books: The Art of Aliveness, Brave Intuitive Painting, Creative Revolution, Fresh Paint, and Earth is Holding You. Her colorful and layered paintings are also used to design calendars, cards, planners, journals, fabric, and unique product lines sold around the world.

Blending over twenty-five years of professional painting experience with her background as a yoga instructor, healer, and life-long truth seeker, Flora's soulful and unique approach to the creative process has inspired thousands of people to reconnect with their innate creative wisdom and to use that connection as fuel for more aliveness.

Flora has shared her signature blend of art, movement, and creative living practices for over a decade via online courses and in-person retreats in places Bali, Australia, Mexico, Portugal, Morocco, Italy, Ireland, Canada, the UK, and all across the US.

Flora's art and words have been featured in publications such as:

BOOKS: Art Inc., Creative Pilgrimage, Painting in Acrylics, The Empowered Artist, The Handmade Marketplace, Art Abandonment, Paint Lab for Kids, Painted Blossoms, Spirit Almanac, and Wiser and Wilder.

MAGAZINES: Spirituality and Health, Where Women Create, In her Studio, Cloth Paper Scissors, Somerset Life, Business Heroine, Happiness and Wellbeing, dpi, and Professional Artist.

BLOGS + EVENTS: The Chopra Center, The Shift Network, 1440 Multiversity, The Gathering of the Creatives with Julia Cameron, SARK's Succulent Wild World, Creative Bug, The Brave Girl Symposium, Squam Art Workshops, Do What You Love Retreats, The Abundant Artist, Uplift, Creative Living with Jamie Ridler, Raise Your Hand and Say Yes, Unclassified Woman, Highlight Real, Creative Superhero, The Left-Brained Artist, and many more.


Flora lives and works in Portland, OR

Reviews

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very, very pretty visuals but not much new content compared to her previous book. I thought this was a sequel but it's more a mix of creative prompts and her personal story.

[Kate Robertson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it. I would have liked to see more painting ideas and technique.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the quotes in the book. The book spends a lot of time being sort of a biography...so I would have liked a few more exercises to follow. I don't generally work on large canvases and the bold ideas here tend to work out really well on large-sized canvases. Two excercises sounded really cool to me: the ninety-degree exercise and the 80% exercise. I'm not currently interested in full-body painting, but I do sometimes use my fingers to create smudges/lines when I feel the need to. Overall, it's an interesting art book and a quick read. I'll have to get around to getting a copy of the first book because this seems to be the second in a series about intuitive painting.

[Marianne Mullen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gorgeous pictures and concept about the body, mind, and spirit of painting. Not a lot of content to learn technique but definitely visually inspiring.

[Sarah Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a LOT about the authors journey in her life with a few ideas of projects here and there throughout her stories about her life. I really wish that there was more painting project ideas and less about the authors life.

[Sondra Retzlaff · Rating 5 out of 5]

For whatever reasons, I tend to be somewhat inhibited in my creative pursuits, and keep looking for resources that offer guidance in letting go. This is that kind of resource! I appreciated her thoughtful, encouraging, and insightful writing and guidance, and learning about her personal process along her journey. I borrowed this from the library, fully aware I didn't have any intention of doing the painting exercises in it right now (there are things that have to be in place first--yes, I know I am demonstrating some self-limiting behavior, but I will never forgive myself if I get acrylic paint all over my wall or floors), but I know I want to try this, so I intend to find a copy and buy it. I want to check out her Brave Intuitive Painting also. If you are someone interested in being more creative particularly in the painting realm (but I suspect this certainly works with other media, too!), check it out.

[Ramona · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful book filled with lovely photography and plenty of simple exercises to break the ice as you start a new canvas.

While exploring more expressive art this book gives you ideas and lots of inspiration through quotes and pictures and definitely fires up the creative fire. Easy to read and written for anyone who wants to be more creative with their art. There are several mentions of her workshop which she used to offer, and sometimes it detracts for me when it feels like a book is an advertisement for the other venues by the author, but over all the inviting style and warm encouragement of the book really does shine through. I have several pages tabbed for future exercises and many a quote highlighted.

4.5 stars

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for inspiration when wanting to get unstuck. lovely photos and sections.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend this book and any class you can possibly take. Her teaching is life changing.

[Camellia · Rating 5 out of 5]

So inspiring and such a delight to read, whether you consider yourself an artist or not.

[Tricia Robertson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love how she combines body, mind, and spirit before she delves into her intuitive paintings. She is truly a free spirit and an inspiration to all of us. Not just painters.

[Paige · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great!

A must read. Great photo progression, lessons on self, and lessons to help get creative juices flowing. Great objective flow for kids.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

A wholistic approach to creative painting as directed by Flora . She takes the whole person approach to painting. Her philosophy of painting is very interesting.

[Melanie Serenity · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book

[Laurie Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love her work but find her books to be lacking useful information & instruction.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book! More than just techniques and projects, it really speaks to how to cultivate a creative lifestyle. It's a great book for people looking for creative prompts, or wanting to marry creativity and spirituality.

[ℋ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved how the book beckons readers into an enchanting realm where creativity knows no bounds, to journey beyond the confines of our comfort zones and embrace the liberating practice of intuitive painting. In a world characterized by burnout and sensory overload, this simple yet profound practice offers a sanctuary of presence and grounding.

However, while the book exudes beauty and inspiration, it leans more towards a biography of Bowley's journey rather than a comprehensive guide to intuitive painting. While this isn't necessarily a flaw, it may leave readers wanting more practical instruction. Nonetheless, the book is a great starting point for anyone curious about intuitive painting.

[Tabitha Vohn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I discovered Flora Bowley through a friend who took an intuitive painting class for a day. I loved her painting and want to try it for myself so she said: check out Flora!

Whether or not you're interested in painting, this is a lovely spiritual book that will tune you in to some best practices for finding balance and center in your life regardless if you decide to paint.

Packed with lush photos & illustrations, Creative Revolution is a gem of a book and I highly recommend it.

[Barb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to go to one of her workshops!