Creative Every Day

Being BIG, a Guest Post by Jennifer Lee

May 20th, 2011, 6 Comments

“Be BIG!” my high school speech coach used to say to me as I practiced my dramatic interpretation pieces for competition. He’d encourage me to take a wider stance, project my naturally quiet voice, and stand up straight. Those were great tips for delivering a more convincing and engaging speech, but I think what he was really trying to teach me all those years ago was to have confidence in myself and to own my own power.

Being BIG, taking up space, and being seen can be very vulnerable and scary.

When I first started intuitive painting, I only painted on single sheets of paper. Until one day, I saw an image emerge above my sheet of paper and I needed to add another page to paint it. Over the course of several months, the painting grew to three sheets, then six, and ultimately to 18 sheets to create a wall-sized, crazy painting. Each time I realized that the painting needed more space, I would call my painting teacher Chris over and I’d then proceed to whine, pout, or stall… whatever I could do to resist letting the painting get bigger because it made me very uncomfortable.

I felt bad if other students in the studio had to move their stations because my painting was too big, I felt like a burden if I had to ask other people to help me add more paper or pin this unwieldy monstrosity to the wall, and I felt like I was being super obnoxious for having a painting that was so in-your-face ginormous (like, um who does she think she is?!). And mostly, I was shocked that I had so much bigness in me. But to see it spread out in front of me in bright, bold colors, I couldn’t hide from it.

Obviously this was my learning edge because every intuitive painting I’ve done since then has been huge. In fact, now it is part of my process to paint big. I love the feeling of being in front of a wall and moving my paint brush all the way across it, adding in color and shapes with abandon, and letting my whole body get into the experience. I get to stretch myself literally and figuratively. It’s freeing, wildly expressive, and oh-so satisfying.

I even realized that I love that feeling of standing up and moving things around a big wall so much that now I do my planning that way. In my office I have an entire wall dedicated to a huge calendar. I stand in front of it and write my goals and to-dos on sticky notes and it helps me connect with my big vision.

Let the big theme remind you that when you allow yourself to be big and take up space you’re honoring all of who you really are!

Jennifer Lee, the founder of Artizen Coaching and author of The Right-Brain Business Plan, spent a decade climbing the corporate ladder before pursuing her creative dreams. Through her courses, coaching, products, and writing, she empowers others to follow their passions.

Continue to read Being BIG, a Guest Post by Jennifer Lee

Popping In

May 19th, 2011, 7 Comments

I hope you've been enjoying the guest posts this month! I've got some fabulous ones to come this month and next and I'm so grateful to the creative souls who've been sharing their stories here, while I'm deep in new mama land.

Annabelle is keeping me on my toes! I feel like the last two weeks have been simultaneously the longest and shortest weeks of my life. It's amazing to be filled with so much love and so much exhaustion at one time, but oh, her cute little face and sweet snuggles make it all worth it. I know she won't be this tiny forever!

Before I return to the world of babyhood and the endless eat, sleep, poop cycle, here are a couple posts I saw recently that relate beautifully to this month's theme of BIG:

First, this post and video from Laura Hollick about being seen. I love her tips!

Second, a beautiful, post in images from Vivienne McMaster on Roots of She.

Enjoy!

Continue to read Popping In

Seven Pounds, a Guest Post by Eileen Valazza

May 18th, 2011, 8 Comments

Seven Pounds

Oh little one, you made everything so big.

The love.
I was pretty sure the love would be big, and it's true. I could stare at you for hours, with that soft giddy new-parent look on my face. The one that every parent in the world ever has had.

I saw a couple pushing a stroller down our street the other day and it occurred to me, holy crap, they love that baby as much as I love you.

And it seemed impossible, that there could be this amount of love in the world. We should capture it, use it to power everything and solve the global energy crisis.

The Fear.
Maybe I wasn't thinking about the fear ahead of time, or I underestimated it. Because the fear really blindsided me. I remember the moment it hit me, a few weeks after you were born.

Before that, I worried that I might do something wrong, that I might mess up and not do the right things for you. But in that moment I realized that we won't always be here, together, all day every day.

You are going to go and be a part of this world, and other people will put their marks on you. Someone might hurt you. Someone will likely break your fluttery little heart.

I think, how can I exist knowing this? That there is this living, breathing fragile piece of me so open to the entire world? How have other parents done this before me?

It seems impossible to go on living and be this vulnerable.

Me.
But you also made me so much bigger than I was before.

I used to be able to get lost in my own dark corners for days. Now I don't the option to indulge in that. It's scary to hit a wall, to be at the very end of yourself, and realize that not going on is not an option.

When leaving is not an option there is only surrender. And so again and again, more space opens up.

I don't know how you brought so much with you, inside only seven pounds.

........

Eileen Valazza is mama to 5-month-old Zane, and serves up moonshine for your creative business at the Hopscotch Distillery.

Continue to read Seven Pounds, a Guest Post by Eileen Valazza

Creative Every Day Check-In: May 16 – 22

May 16th, 2011, 19 Comments

This weekly check-in post is a place for Creative Every Day Challenge participants to share their creative activities.

Join in the Challenge: Read all the details and sign up for the 2011 Creative Every Day Challenge here!

Ways to share: Once you've signed up, you can leave a comment on this post and/or use the "Mr. Linky" widget below to link to a blog post(s) about your creative activities during the days of 5/16/11 - 5/22/11.

The widget below is an optional method of sharing your creativity that makes it easier for others to check out what you're up to. You can use it to link to a blog post (or posts) or flickr image during the week listed. Or if you have a bunch of posts and don't want to link to all of them, you can link to your main blog page once. Do it in a way that makes sense and is fun for you! If you're unsure about how to use the widget, check out the "How to use the Mr. Linky widget" section on the Creative Every Day Challenge page. (If you're reading this in a RSS reader or email subscription, you will not see the "Mr. Linky widget", so click on over to the blog to use it.) If the Mr. Linky widget is missing from this blog post, it's probably a problem with their server and it will come back as soon as it's fixed. You can always leave your link in the comments.

You can also take advantage of the great CED flickr group to post your images and see what others are up to. If you're on Twitter, you can use the hashtag #CED2011 to help others find your Creative Every Day tweets!

Theme: The (totally optional) theme for May is Big.You can read more about the theme and some ideas to get you started here.

Happy Creating!

I want to paint big, bright, optimistic pictures of the place I love. ~John Dyer

Continue to read Creative Every Day Check-In: May 16 – 22

Guest Video Post by Goddess Leonie

May 13th, 2011, 5 Comments

Oh my, my dear friend Leonie is pure magic. Enjoy this guest video post all about living and creating BIG!!

Goddess Leonie is the creator of www.GoddessGuidebook.com, a popular creativity + spirituality blog for women.

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You are Invited to Liberate Your Art: Guest Post by Kat Sloma

May 11th, 2011, No Comments

What happens when you create your art? Does it make you happy? Do you find that you have an amazing boost of energy, of insight into life and self? Do you find that you feel centered and grounded, as if some piece of you has been completed for brief moment? I've discovered the act of creating, of making art of any kind, can have an amazing and transforming effect on me personally. I know I'm not alone.

Now, what happens when you share that art with world? You share a little bit of yourself, and add a little bit of beauty or joy or brightness into someone else's day. When you share your art, that wonderful energy you gained in the act of creation is not gone, it is magnified. You will see it reflected back to you in different, positive ways.

That's what the Liberate Your Art postcard swap is all about - sharing your art, liberating it out in the world, where it can do its greatest good. I'm so excited to be able to share this swap with the Creative Every Day community (thanks Leah!), and invite you to join in.

An overview of the Liberate Your Art Postcard Swap follows. If you would like to participate, follow the link to the Liberate Your Art page on my blog to sign up for the email list. After you confirm your sign up, all details will be sent to you via email. You can unsubscribe at any time if you choose not to participate in the swap.

WHO: Artists in any medium. Photography, painting, poetry, typography, jewelry, sculpture, knitting, cooking, illustration - you name it. If you can have an image of your art printed on a postcard, you are in! If you want to share a blog or website address, I'll have a list of participants posted on the Liberate Your Art page so you can find each other.

WHAT: You will send 5 printed postcards of your original art to me, along with your address and return postage. I will then swap them around and you'll receive 5 postcards from different artists mailed back to you over a period of a few weeks. (The email you receive once you sign up will have all of the details on what to do.)

WHERE: You don't have to go anywhere, and participants from all over the world are welcome! You will send your postcards to me in the US (I'll be moved back from Italy by then) and I'll mail them back out from there. Details for international participants will be included in the email.

WHEN: The postcards will need to arrive at my US address between July 5 and July 15.

WHY: To liberate your art into the world, where it can do the most good!

I've set a personal, crazy-BIG goal for this swap - I would love to have 200 participants from all over the world. Can you imagine, 1000 postcards of wonderful art, winging their way around the world? I can! But I need your help. Please share the word about this swap on your blog, facebook page, tweet it and get your friends to sign up too. If we reach this goal, I am going to do something crazy too - send a personal post card to each and every person who participates. I get excited (and a little scared) just thinking about it!

The sign up form for the email list can be found on the Liberate Your Art page on my blog. Once you sign up, you will need to confirm your subscription to the list and you will receive the email with more details. You can also grab a button there, to show your participation and help me get the word out about the swap!

I hope you'll join me, and the many others who have already signed up, in liberating your art in the world. We're going to have a fantastic time!

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Bio: Kat Sloma is an artist, a photographer with a passion for inspiring others to find their unique vision of the world. She currently lives in Italy and travels Europe with an eye to finding the beauty of the everyday, while also working in the corporate world. You can see more of her photographs and read about her creative journey on her blog, The Kat Eye View of the World.

Continue to read You are Invited to Liberate Your Art: Guest Post by Kat Sloma

Creative Every Day Check-In: May 9 – 15

May 9th, 2011, 20 Comments

This weekly check-in post is a place for Creative Every Day Challenge participants to share their creative activities.

Join in the Challenge: Read all the details and sign up for the 2011 Creative Every Day Challenge here!

Theme: The (totally optional) theme for May is Big.You can read more about the theme and some ideas to get you started here.

Happy Creating!

We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee. ~Marian Wright Edelman

Continue to read Creative Every Day Check-In: May 9 – 15

Painting Big, a Guest Post by Connie Hozvicka

May 8th, 2011, 10 Comments

My parents got divorced when I was just a wee little kiddo--and for the first years my Dad would pick my brother and I up every other Friday for our weekend visit. I was certain--100% sure that while we were gone my Mother couldn’t live with out us. I imagined, quite vividly in my six year old mind, that the entire weekend my Mother buried herself under blankets, soaked her pillows in tears, and moaned out sporadically in agony--as she waited for her beloved children to return.

Especially me, of course.

So, one Friday afternoon I thought I would surprise her with a gift. Something that she could look at and think of me--and not feel so sad and miserable in my absence.

I carried my poster paints, a small bucket of water, and that free paintbrush that comes in the watercolor kits downstairs to the family room. I moved the furniture just a little bit closer to the wall so I could balance--and I began to paint a self portrait.

Mural style.

Right there on the oak faux wood paneling.

I can remember that I drew the outline of my elongated body in blue and my hair, even though it was blonde--I began by drawing it long and wavy with thick black lines.

I remember exactly how it felt to paint that self portrait. The power of moving my little body with each brushstroke. The danger of balancing on the back of our mustard colored sofa. The rush I got from creating a surprise gift for my Mother.

The pure bliss of painting BIG for my very first time.

Then, unexpectedly, my Mother came downstairs.

Yep. You can imagine what happened next.

But here’s the thing. It doesn’t matter that my Mom was rightfully upset. It doesn’t matter that she cried tears and even sporadically moaned out in agony as she scrubbed with bleach and other stinky chemicals. It doesn’t matter even that I got grounded or that she didn’t fully embrace my gift.

I don’t remember all of that stuff.

I just remember how it felt the first time I ever painted BIG.

And now, 30 years later, I’m back to painting BIG and it has cracked my life open into a canyon of beautiful possibilities, abundance, and welcoming surprises. I’m no longer the person I used to be--instead I found myself again. I picked up where I once left off.

When my Mother walked down the stairs.

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Connie Hozvicka is the founder of DirtyFootprints-Studio.com--the home of the FEARLESS™ Painting Revolution which focuses on empowering creative souls to strengthen their intuition, connect deeper with Creative Source, and grow confidant as Artists through FEARLESS™ Painting. Connie's online FEARLESS™ Painting workshop: BIG starts Sunday, May 22, 2011. This is a 6 week adventure that will introduce you to the FEARLESS™ Painting Process and inspire you to paint BIG!