Meet the Artist- Robyn McClendon

“As an Artist, Healer and Artaeomythologist, Telling stories and helping others to heal is at the core of who I am and what I feel called to do. It embraces all that I am inspired to share with the world”.  ArtMythos, is a part of several projects and narratives. As a Mixed Media Artist Robyn tells stories and encourages others to do the same through the visual context. “As a Healer and Reiki Master I help others to shed old stories and help encourage them to be replaced by stories that are empowering and/or self directed and not be burdened by cultural mores and family histories.” As an Artaeomythologist, Robyn leads Retreats and Workshops that combine the Visual Arts, Idea Generation and Book arts to help participants find their voice their story, to be able to move forward and recognize a more authentic artistic experience.  "Robyn has dedicated most of her life to seeking and sharing the answers to life's most mystical questions...who are we, where are we & why are we here? In her quest to find answers she studied and worked as an ArtaeoMythologist for the past 30 years teaching at the Smithsonian Institutions and Corcoran Galleries.  She has combined her archeological adventures and knowledge of  historical symbols and icons formulating theoretical research in the areas of human consciousness. All her field research and museum experience amplified her spiritual insights with great depths of perception and innerstanding. Her latest line of research combines her three passions - field research, art & spirituality. With particular focus on shapes, sounds and symbols and their effect on human consciousness. 

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What does Art is Magic mean to you?

 I think of mysticism that connection to nature and the creative forces that I don’t understand but evertyime I make myself available I’m always transformed and surprised by what gets created!

Why do you create art? 

It’s the only thing I know and have ever known.  It’s the way I see my world through my right brain expression

Tell us about your journey to become an artist? 

I can’t think of a time that I didn’t create and see the world through eyes that wanted to capture the feelings that I felt. In fact I always saw my self as an artist/creative person so I actually study Anthropology/Archaeology at University because I was always fascinated with cultures and the things they created, textural materials.  This study helped to infuse my art with the things that most mattered to me, with a deeper understanding of those cultures that came before mine with the desire to understand humanities common ground.

Tell us about your journey to claim the title artist? 

For me I always knew myself to be an “artist” my struggle became, once I began to exhibit my work, my right to create the art that most represented my interests and beliefs and not forced to create art based on cultural associations.

What is it about making art that stirs your soul?

Ahhhh, coming to my work fresh each time and being surprised about the newness of what I create, something that has never been created before!

What is currently inspiring you?

The Earth Mother…everything comes from her, so my paints, inks, dyes, her energetic relationship to line texture and the quite whisperings that direct my thoughts and images produced.

What does your creative Practice look like?

I work in my studio everyday producing my art and/or content for my community.  I like to discover new things, I’m an innovator, I look for new ways to do the things that inspire me.  I read a lot, especially historical cultural materials and physics I love the possibilities that are presented in Quantum science.  For me I see the connection with the ancient mystical practices of the Vedics and the Tao, I enjoy bridging Earth Sciences with Spiritualism

How do you keep your creative practice fresh and inspired?

Daily Practice!

What sort of creative walls do you hit? 

Because I’m a working Artist with an on line community, that I create content for….I find that I can get into producing what my community wants, often times people don’t like change :), and not staying with my personal flow that lives for change!  So balance is very important for me.

What do you do to move through them? 

Staying reminded of my supreme purpose. I believe profoundly in Earth as mother, her cycles of creation, nurturing and destruction rules us all and so I try to evaluate where I am in this natural cycle and so release myself into it.  Generally if I’m hitting a wall I try to evaluate if I’m the birthing process, have patience, if in a nurturing process, I need to give myself time, if it’s time to clear the fields and begin something new then let things go, release and renew.  I find this cycle exist in everything daily, monthly and yearly.

How has your process evolved? 

It’s taken lots of observations of my personal habits, beliefs and challenges.  I think if we can be honest observers of our actions and then check them against our desires we can consistent evolution.

What do you wish you had known at the beginning of your creative journey? 

I wish I had greater confidence in how and what I create, vs trying to fit into established molds.

Do you have a Creative Self Care Practice? 

Yes, I believe in body movement, so I do tai chi 3 times a week, walks in nature, especially to find those free gifts that nature provides which gives me immense inspiration.  I love to read and listen to podcasts that expands my thinking which fuels mental images.  Evening meditations help to stimulate dreamtime journeys that increase my ability to bring forward images that come from the deepest places in my conscious field. 

Also food and water choices are important to me as it helps me to regulate my energy patterns.

Do you have any creative rituals?

I think I answered this in a combined answer above :)