Margaret Lobenstine would call me a Renaissance Soul. Chris King would refer to my "portfolio career".
I usually just use the expression that I wear many different hats – throughout each day and throughout my life.
I love this life and wouldn't have it any other way and yet sometimes it wears ... Views: 1154
The Four Elements
I've often noticed how water can inspire moments of creative problem solving and inspiration.
Some people "plant" a problem to be solved under their pillow before sleep. Similarly, when I need inspiration about a project or situation I’m facing, I’ll sometimes, "plant" it ... Views: 2204
I used to be a jazz singer. I thought Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan were wonderful and I strived to sing like they did. But no one impressed me as much as Billie Holiday. The tragedy and the talent meshed together into a musical offering unlike any I'd heard. I was inexplicably drawn to the ... Views: 985
I used to be a jazz singer. Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, they were wonderful and I strived to sing like they did. But no one impressed me as much as Billie Holiday. The tragedy and the talent meshed together into a musical offering unlike any I'd heard. I was inexplicably drawn to the drama ... Views: 985
Taking your creative work out on the road can be exciting. Seeing new places, meeting new people, and sharing your music with new audiences are all enticing prospects.
Ready to go? Not so fast…
Jumping into a touring experience without planning ahead can lead you down a destructive path of ... Views: 1244
In a previous article I mentioned a new credo that I'm working to adopt into my life, and that's to "do one thing (at a time) and do it well".
When I can focus my thoughts, efforts and energies on that ONE thing (at a time), I'm much more productive and I enjoy my work (or play, or learning) ... Views: 997
The "Sensazione" chapter of the book, "How to think like Leonardo da Vinci", by Michael Gelb, is dedicated to re-awakening and sharpening each of the five senses: sight, sound, smell, taste and touch.
As artists, we get to play in the land of the senses as often as we allow ourselves to. And ... Views: 1167
Stage fright can be an incredibly debilitating condition that can keep artists locked away in their own homes, carefully guarding their creative gifts. Then those gifts never see the light of day, and they're never seen by the world.
And stage fright doesn't only inhibit performing artists. If ... Views: 1135
Stage fright can be an incredibly debilitating condition that can keep artists locked away in their own homes, carefully guarding their creative gifts. Then those gifts never see the light of day, and they're never seen by the world. And stage fright doesn't only inhibit performing artists. If ... Views: 1055
Chances are, if you're a creative artist, you're longing for more time to create. Even when we're lucky enough to be surrounded by our art on a regular basis, there's always more we feel we could be doing. And for many of us, the idea of freely expressing our creativity – whether it's for one ... Views: 918
Many creative artists are uncomfortable with praise and compliments. We can be so busy judging ourselves harshly that we don't quite know what to do with positive feedback.
We almost wish people would just "come out and say it," "it" being the negative thing that they're REALLY thinking, just ... Views: 937
Many creative artists are uncomfortable with praise and compliments. We can be so busy judging ourselves harshly that we don't quite know what to do with positive feedback.
We almost wish people would just "come out and say it," "it" being the negative thing that they're REALLY thinking, just ... Views: 6823
"Clever people seem not to feel the natural pleasure of bewilderments, and are always answering questions when the chief relish of life is to go on asking them." - Frank Moore Colby
Creativity asks of us a certain level of curiousity. Every new piece of art, music or writing is unknown when we ... Views: 999
We can be just as afraid of our strengths as we are of our weaknesses, and just as afraid to succeed as we are to fail. In her book, A Return to Love, in a passage that was made famous by Nelson Mandela in his 1994 Inauguration Speech, Marianne Williamson writes:
"Our deepest fear is not that ... Views: 997
In my 2004 e-book, the Creativity Interviews, I asked 7 questions about the creative process to 19 creative artists from a variety of disciplines.
One of these questions was "what does creativity bring to your life?"
As I'm looking through the answers with new eyes, themes start to pop up in ... Views: 1887
"So I am not the only one having these creativity blocks? This makes me feel less lonely." - Martine, Painter
Why IS it so vital to our creative fulfillment to connect with our fellow artists?
Support – Asking for support is often the last thing we think of, even when things are at their ... Views: 1012
Since I've been offering Artist Retreat Day programs, I've been hearing a lot about the concept of "permission". Some artists who said yes to a retreat day shared that this was a much-needed structure to enable and empower them to FINALLY give themselves permission to take time for their ... Views: 949
I've been studying science lately, in the form of a book called "The Science of Getting Rich", written by Wallace Wattles in 1910. To download your free copy of this book, visit: http://www.scienceofgettingrich.net/gifts/everyday_artist.html
This book has created enormous shifts for me in how I ... Views: 1024
I hear a lot of people commenting that they wish they hadn't indulged so much on their holiday or that they need a vacation after their vacation.
It's essential to your self-care and wellness that you DO take holidays, have a break from your regular routine and recharge your batteries. But this ... Views: 1090
In the "Roadblocks to Creativity" e-course, we look at the 7 most common things that block our creative expression. So, if we're "blocked" when we're facing those things, what are we like when we're free of them?
Well, certainly we're connected to our "Inner Artist". This is a part of each of ... Views: 1164
Self-care is a choice. When you find yourself feeling sorry for yourself because you "have to" hit the gym, because you "can't" have that piece of birthday cake or because you "wish" you could be like your friend who stays out late doing exciting things, remember that you're free to flop on the ... Views: 947
We get so busy in our day-to-day life, with all the doing and actions and daily chores, that we can quickly lose sight of the BIG PICTURE. What's it all for? What are you working towards?
If you don't know where you're going, how will you know when you get there?
Taking the time to connect ... Views: 1027
When Do We Usually Feel Guilty? When:
We're not feeling ok about who we are.
We're not feeling ok about the choices we're making.
We haven't met our own expectations.
We haven't met the expectations (real or imagined) of someone else or society at large.
How Does Guilt Affect Your ... Views: 1044
This was a very easy article to right. I was late in getting started this month, and as my publication deadline got closer and I could no longer wait until I “felt” like writing an article, I was forced to sit down and do it. In doing it, I thought about the last month (when I meant to be ... Views: 1096
The holiday season is almost upon us. Have you thought ahead about how you're going to handle the tempting treats, dinner parties, extra goodies everywhere you look, pot luck dinners and late nights?
If you haven't, you're not alone. Planning is boring. It's much more glamorous, dramatic and ... Views: 1119
FIVE STEPS TO A NEW ROUTINE
I've noticed that in the two years since the major de-cluttering of my apartment, clutter has been creeping back in.
So what DO you do after you've cleared the clutter? If your day-to-day routines are continuing to create clutter, then you'll always be one step ... Views: 1192
A social support network is a group of people who you can count on to support you. They may be the first people you call when something upsetting has happened, when you have a difficult decision to make, or when you have fantastic news to share. Some of the people in your social support network ... Views: 1496
So, you've set your self-care goals and you're all set. You've even considered the ways you'll sabotage yourself - but wait! What about those well-meaning friends and relatives who:
~ With all good intention pass along clutter from their house to yours – "this would look great on you", or "I ... Views: 1093
By paying closer attention to your self-care, you can have easier access to your creativity, to your muse and to your inner strength and resilience. You'll also have more energy, more tolerance for others and yourself and more confidence in your work.
FIVE WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR SELF-CARE ... Views: 1253
1. To be more comfortable in performance situations – performance anxiety usually stems from a variety of causes – physical, mental and emotional. Maintaining your overall health and wellness, including keeping your stress at a manageable level, managing your negative thinking tendencies and ... Views: 1186
Today we have more stress in our lives than ever before – good stress, bad stress, red stress, blue stress (my little ode to Dr. Seuss). No matter what kind of stress it is, a real crisis or an imagined one, stress is incredibly harmful to our body, mind and soul.
Here are my favourite ... Views: 1384
So you might be asking – what is clutter and why should I care about it? Clutter is essentially anything you don't need, don't want and get no joy from seeing. There might be 100's of items in your home or office right now that could be cleared away.
The cost of having a lot of clutter around ... Views: 1203
Watching television’s “sitcom’s”, I can’t help but notice that most of the plots revolve around the same theme – someone being afraid to tell someone else the truth. We saw it in the years that Ross loved Rachel, that Niles loved Daphne, or that George hated Susan. We saw it in virtually every ... Views: 4577