Quote de jour
"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful, than the risk it took to blossom."
                                                                                                                                                                                 ~Anais Nin

The first snowdrops have arrived in front of my house. If you walked past, you might easily miss them. They are no bigger than a Q-tip and just as white. They know nothing of schedules or calendars. They don't care that the crocuses are weeks away from blooming. This is their time to break ground and face the sun. My mandala represents the inner urges to break free from constraints and to grow despite the risks involved. The Anais Nin quote, is a favorite quote of mine.
The 'buds' have left the boundary of the circle. The first thing I decide when drawing a mandala, is how many rings or circles to draw. This one only has two primary circles. Once the circle outlines are made, the center symbol is created. In this case, all the symbols are pointed outward towards the boundaries. The colors are chosen intuitively, beginning with the outermost ring and coloring from the outside in. When I'm coloring the outer green ring, I have no idea the center star will be blue. It's part of the process. Each ring brings me closer to the core of the mandala and my own true nature.

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