Lisa Agaran is a mixed media artist, instructor and Creative Spirit Mentor. Her work has been published in Incite, Dreams Realized: The Best of Mixed Media and Incite 3: The Art of Storytelling (North Light Books). Prior to her art career she worked as a licensed psychotherapist (Inactive), Creativity Coach and Graphic Designer.

Her workshops integrate both her artistic and psychology background to help students tap into their true creativity.

Lisa believes creativity is essential to our sense of wholeness and wellbeing. Taking time to honor your creative spirit is just as essential as a good night’s rest, exercise and eating right. It refills us both spiritually and mentally. 

Lisa has been teaching both in-person and virtual workshops for the last 8 years. She also hosts her annual retreat “Awaken the Invisible Power of Your Creativity”.

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What does Art is Magic mean to you? 

The act of creating Art results in Magic on many different levels. First off, something magical happens when the artist manifests something out of nothing. Like carving a human figure out of a blank piece of marble. Or making a beautiful sunset magically appear real on a blank white canvas. Then there is that magic that happens within the relationship between the artist and the divine (or Creative Spirit). This is something that I myself have experienced during my own creative process. It’s as if a higher power is flowing through me, dictating the creative decisions that lead to something artistically beautiful. Of course this seems to only happen when I surrender to trusting the process and I let go of control or overthinking.

The other magic that happens from creating Art is the unexpected surprises that arise from uncertainty and sometimes frustration. When I let go of trying to force something to happen and trust the process, artistic magic always seems to unfold. What I once disliked, I fall in love with. Lastly, is the magic that happens within the individual who is creating. I believe within an ongoing art practice the artist transforms, grows and evolves in a personal and spiritual level. Thus, Art is Magic.

Tell us about your journey to become an artist?

As long as I can remember, I’ve always had an artistic streak. From making doll houses out of shoe boxes as a kid, to dance, writing, photography, graphic design and painting as an adult. It was as if I was born with an inherent yearning for creativity.

With dreams of becoming an artist, I had a passion for creating traditional, realist oil paintings of still life, flowers and seascapes. However, young and naïve, I was easily swayed to take the practical road, so I decided to become a graphic designer instead. I attended Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. All of my creative energy was focused on becoming a designer and how to productively channel my creativity. As a result, I lost the sense of play and gave up painting entirely. It would be 18 years before I would pick up the brush to paint again.

After working as a graphic designer for some years, I returned to school to study a lifelong interest…psychology and pursued a career as a Licensed Therapist. Because of my creative background I worked with artists, musicians and creative professionals. But ironically I had become what Julia Cameron refers to in The Artist Way as the “Shadow Artist.” The person who works around artists, in creative industries, but neglects their own creative expression or art. 

So, in 2012, I decided to close my private practice and pursue an art career specifically in Mixed Media. Mixed Media was the perfect medium to experiment and to freely explore my artistic curiosity. I soon discovered the magic that unfolds when I allow myself to make accidents and mistakes. Especially when discovered artistic beauty in imperfection. I fell in love with Mixed Media.

What is it about making art that stirs your soul? 

First off, art making has become the place I can return to time and time again when I need to reconnect to my true authentic self. When I need to find my center after a challenging day, I can always go to creativity. Secondly, the challenge of creating something, especially an idea that I want to execute, keeps me engaged with the creative process. It fills my soul to witness my piece transform and evolve into something totally unexpected. Then there is the sense of oneness when I am immersed in flow. When the creative process feels effortless, intuitive and magical, this is when I feel connected to Creative Spirit. This is what stirs my soul.

How has your process evolved? 

As I mentioned before, I started out as a realist painter. One of the major elements of painting realistic paintings is you already have a sense of what the end product is supposed to look like. There is very little surprise. Much of the focus with this approach is all in the technique. Mixing colors accurately to closely match shades, tones and values. It’s how the paint is applied to the canvas and how to create a flawless blend of colors. The focus is on how the light source and how it lands on the subject. In other words, it’s a very controlled process.

However, I started craving something less confining and more free flowing. I wanted to start experimenting so I decided to teach myself mixed media, which I soon discovered was an entirely different process. I found myself faced with the unknown. The unpredictable. I didn’t know what my final piece was going to look like. The heart of mixed media is within the process, not necessarily the final product. What is encapsulated in the finished piece is the process of the artist.

I soon discovered the importance of letting go and surrendering to whatever was organically unfolding on the canvas. This took a lot of practice, but now I have developed a trust in the process. Whenever I find myself frustrated and not liking how things are looking, I know, if I let go and trust, I will see the light at the end of the tunnel. I eventually always fall in love with what I’ve created.