It's Never Too Late To Create!

Though I've shared this before, this is one of my favorite Creative Oasis Mantras and worth repeating!

It's a gentle reminder that no matter your age or stage of life ~ it's never too late to try something new or return to something you once loved and CREATE!

Helping people realize it's truly never too late to explore their creative desires is one of my greatest passions. I believe that spending time with experiences that make your heart sing and time fly (your Creative Oasis) can enrich your life beyond compare. (Creative Oasis Classes & Workshops are a great place to begin.)

Here are some people you may have heard of who found their creative bliss later in life:

* Julia Child was almost 50 when she collaborated on her first French cooking book.

* Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of the beloved "Little House on the Prairie" series, published her first book of her at age 65.

* Harlan Sanders (you may know him as the Colonel of Kentucky Fried Chicken) was 66 when he began his KFC empire.

* Dr. Ruth was 55 when she published "Dr. Ruth's Guide to Good Sex" and launched her radio show.

* Artist Louise Bourgeois was finally recognized for her contributions to the art world with a retrospective of her work on her 70th birthday at the Museum of Modern Art.

I once had the privilege to know an amazing woman named Juanita Powers. She went back to school and started her own successful business in her 40s after her husband died. In her 50s she took up ballroom dancing. In her 60s she began to paint and in her 70s started writing poetry. She wasn't famous, but wow, was she happy, fulfilled and an absolute inspiration to behold!

I love hearing stories of people trying new creative endeavors no matter their age. I was in my mid-40s when I jumped in and enjoyed several first-time creative experiences including recording my solo CD, "Dancing in Limbo" so I can relate to the joy, excitement and fear of diving into new creative pursuits a little later in life.

(Listens to samples of my songs here.)

Here's a quote that sums it up beautifully for me:

"For of all sad words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these, it might have been." 

~ John Greenleaf Whittier

What wonderful creative experiences are you putting off because you're too busy...because you're afraid you won't be good enough...because you worry what people might think...because you don't know where or how to begin?

If you're ready to stop waiting and start creating I invite you to join me for one of my upcoming classes or my next Creative Oasis Coloring & Wine Party.

Until next time, all the best from my Creative Oasis to yours,

Jill

Jill Allison Bryan

www.creativeoasiscoaching.com

P.S. ~ If you enjoyed this post please feel free to share. If you'd like to receive bite-size bonbons of creative inspiration like this Mid-Week Oasis Moments plus a free copy of my e-book "Permission to Be Creative 101" join me here: http://www.creativeoasiscoaching.com/newsletter.html.

Where Will Your Creative Clues Lead?

I hope you had fun collecting clues for your creative scavenger hunt last week. 

(If you missed my invitation you can find it here: bit.ly/huntvid1)

This week I'll share what comes next...ways you can turn creative clues you collect into hand-on creative fun & fulfillment. Click here for next steps, specific examples and to let the fun begin: bit.ly/mwomnext.  

Until next time, all the best from my Creative Oasis to yours,

Jill

www.creativeoasiscoaching.com

P.S. ~ If you enjoyed this post please share on Facebook and twitter using the buttons below!  If you'd like to receive bite-size bonbons of creative inspiration like this Mid-Week Oasis Moments plus a free copy of my e-book "Permission to Be Creative 101" join me here: http://www.creativeoasiscoaching.com/newsletter.html.

Creative Oasis Scavenger Hunt Video Invite

Click here find to all the details to have fun with your own Creative Oasis Scavenger Hunt plus a free printable treasure map to collect all of your bits of creative inspiration. 

Big thanks to Elizabeth Gilbert for the inspiration! 

Until next time, all the best from my Creative Oasis to yours,

Jill

www.creativeoasiscoaching.com

P.S. ~ If you enjoyed this post please share on Facebook and twitter using the buttons below!  If you'd like to receive bite-size bonbons of creative inspiration like this Mid-Week Oasis Moments plus a free copy of my e-book "Permission to Be Creative 101" join me here: http://www.creativeoasiscoaching.com/newsletter.html.

If Not Now, Then When?

This morning as I marveled at the splendor of the dogwood trees blossoming in my front yard I remembered, "These lovely flowers will be gone soon!" So I ran outside to snap a quick photo to share with you.

Dogwood blossoms only last for two or three weeks before they drop from the tree making their beauty all the more precious.

What a wonderful reminder from nature for us to seize the day...to enjoy what we have while we have it...to not put our plans on hold...to embrace where we are in this moment..to live the life we truly want right now! 

The quote "If not now, then when?" immediately popped into my mind. It's one I need to hear again and again. How about you?

You know how I love to use questions to motivate creative action, so here are three for you to ponder today. I hope they inspire you to stop waiting and start creating!

#1 ~ What's the number one creative project or experience I want to stop putting off? 

#2 ~ What's one small step I can take to begin enjoying this experience today?

#3 ~ How can I make that small step even easier and more fun? 

A gentle reminder, to celebrate the two-year anniversary of Mid-Week Oasis Moments, I'm offering a special bonus gift of a free session with every new or renewing one-on-one creative coaching package purchased this month ~ April 2015. Click here for more info or leave me a comment below to take advantage of this special offer. 

I'd love to help you seize the day, stop putting your creative dreams on hold and start living the creative life you crave today! If not now, then when?

Until next time, all the best from my Creative Oasis to yours,

Jill

www.creativeoasiscoaching.com

P.S. ~ If you enjoyed this post please share on Facebook and twitter using the buttons below!  If you'd like to receive bite-size bonbons of creative inspiration like this Mid-Week Oasis Moments plus a free copy of my e-book "Permission to Be Creative 101" join me here: http://www.creativeoasiscoaching.com/newsletter.html.

I've Done This 107 Times. Let's Celebrate!

A few weeks ago while vacationing in Paris (I promise I'll stop talking about that someday) I let the second anniversary of my Mid-Week Oasis Moments come and go without a peep.

Truthfully, I was so caught up in planning our trip, then exploring and falling in love with Paris and mooning over the experience once we returned home, it just didn't register.

I'm so happy to celebrate the fact that I've created and shared 107 Mid-Week Oasis Moments! One each and every Wednesday for a little more than two years now. (If you don't already receive these weekly bite-size bonbons of creative inspiration and would like to, please let me know in the comments section below and I'll be happy to send them your way!)

If you've been with me since the beginning I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. If you've just recently discovered Creative Oasis Coaching, welcome!

I truly hope that my weekly messages give you inspiration, motivation and permission to enjoy more creativity in your busy life!

To celebrate and say thank you for being a loyal friend of Creative Oasis I'm offering a special gift bonus!

A free coaching session added to every new or re-newing 

one-on-one creative coaching package 

purchased in the month of April 2015. 

This includes VIP packages! 

Your bonus session is worth $81.25 to $181.25 

depending on the package purchased. 

Offer ends April 30, 2015.

Creative coaching has helped me create a life filled with creative joy and fulfillment.  It's now my passion to help others experience the feelings of freedom and satisfaction that come with making the time and space for living a creative life. I'd love to help you do just that!

Click here to see what my clients and colleagues have to say about their experiences working with me. And remember, if you're interested in learning more I'm happy to schedule a complimentary mini-session by phone to give you a better feel for my one-on-one coaching methods.

Creative coaching can help you live the life of your dreams...a life filled with time for creative fun and satisfaction no matter how busy you may be! Now that's cause for celebration, don't you think?

Until next time, all the best from my Creative Oasis to yours,

Jill

www.creativeoasiscoaching.com

P.S. ~ If you enjoyed this post please share on Facebook and twitter using the buttons below!  If you'd like to receive bite-size bonbons of creative inspiration like this Mid-Week Oasis Moments plus a free copy of my e-book "Permission to Be Creative 101" join me here: http://www.creativeoasiscoaching.com/newsletter.html.

Be Well...Be Kind

Just a little reminder to be good to yourself and others today. 

Sent with love from my Creative Oasis to yours,

Jill

P.S. ~ If you enjoyed this post please share on Facebook and twitter using the buttons below!  If you'd like to receive bite-size bonbons of creative inspiration like this Mid-Week Oasis Moments plus a free copy of my e-book "Permission to Be Creative 101" join me here: http://www.creativeoasiscoaching.com/newsletter.html.

7 Ways to Love Your Life a Little More

Are you in love with your creative life?

If your reaction is "What creative life?!?!" we need to discuss the possibility of doing some one-on-one coaching together! 

In the meantime, here's something you can do on your own in the coming week. I invite you to ponder the prompts I've shared below inspired the Osho quote in today's Mid-Week Oasis Moment.

If you keep a written journal you may want to answer the questions each time you sit down to write. Observe if and how your answers change over the course of the coming week.

If you keep a visual or art journal you may like to create a page inspired by each question.

Or, if you like, you can click here to download this free printable I've created for you.

#1 ~ What do I love about my current creative life?

#2 ~ What might help me love my creative life even more?

#3 ~ What's one small, doable step I can take to set my answer to question #2 in motion?

# 4 ~ What's one easy, affordable way I can add some beauty to my life?

#5 ~ How might I enjoy a bit more music in my life?
       (Even if you don't think of yourself as musical.)

# 6 ~ How might I add some poetry to my life?
        (Even if you don't consider yourself a poet.)

#7 ~ How might I energize my life with dance?
       (Even if you don't consider yourself a dancer.)

I truly hope that these questions spark some ideas that will help you dive into some creative joy and love yourself and your life a little more! 

With lots of love from my Creative Oasis to yours,

Jill

P.S. ~ If you enjoyed this post please share on Facebook and twitter using the buttons below!  If you'd like to receive bite-size bonbons of creative inspiration like this Mid-Week Oasis Moments plus a free copy of my e-book "Permission to Be Creative 101" join me here: http://www.creativeoasiscoaching.com/newsletter.html.

Joni Mitchell on Creative Freedom

I recently read "Joni Mitchell: In Her Own Words" by Malka Marom. The quote above lived on the back cover. I must have re-read those words a dozen times while the book held its "number one" status atop a pile of books on my nightstand. 

Her quote left me equal parts inspired and frustrated. 

The phrase "luxury of being able to follow the path of the heart" frustrated me because I could just hear people saying, "Oh sure, Joni Mitchell has the luxury of being able to follow her heart. She's a rock star!" 

Well it wasn't always so easy for her. In her youth when polio kept her in a hospital bed for months and she was told she would never walk again, Mitchell secretly rose each night to pull herself along the side railings to regain her strength. She was released when she shocked the doctors by showing them she was able to walk on her own. She then went on to become a dancer, painter and legendary singer/songwriter. 

Hers is a beautiful and literal example of using small steps to follow the path of the heart.

The truth is we all have the luxury of following our hearts. 

Sometimes it feels so much easier to blame our circumstances or other people or lack or funds or lack of time or (insert your favorite rationalization/excuse here) than to claim our creative freedom and engage in the creative experiences that make us feel alive! 

You may be thinking, "But Jill, it's true! I really don't have the time, money, energy, supplies (insert your favorite rationalization/excuse here) to enjoy these Creative Oasis Moments you're always going on about." 

What if you allow yourself to start right now, right where you are? 

In the most gentle, compassionate way possible I invite you to ask yourself these three small questions. I believe they'll help you open the window to let in that fresh breeze of creative freedom that makes you feel alive. 

#1 ~ What do I have in my possession right now that I can use to create? An especially great question if you tell yourself you need to buy things before you can begin enjoying your own Creative Oasis. How would it feel to challenge yourself to use some old creative supplies that sit waiting untouched in your closet or to start writing in one of those half-empty journals on your shelf? 

#2 ~ What's one way I spend time each week that I might trade for some Creative Oasis time? Perhaps you can swap 15 minutes of checking Facebook or Pinterest, watching mindless TV or reading your junk mail and sales emails as if they warranted your attention. (They don't!) (Check out my recent Creative-Free-Time-Treasure-Hunt Challenge post here if you missed it.)

#3 ~ What time of day do I have the most energy/time? What if I give myself 15 minutes of that part of the day to explore my Creative Oasis? If you usually feel zapped at the end of the day why not give yourself permission to enjoy some creative play in the morning or during lunchtime? What if this weekend you enjoy some creative play first and then tackle your chores. (They'll still be there waiting for you ~ I promise!)

Here's to believing your freedom to create is a necessity rather than a luxury! 

Does that feel a bit out of reach just now? 

Then can you practice believing it just 5% more? It's wonderful small step toward slowly and surely giving yourself more permission to enjoy the creative expression that makes you feel truly alive. (*Life's too short to make your Creative Oasis wait!)

All the best from my Creative Oasis to yours, 

Jill

P.S. ~ If you enjoyed this post please share on Facebook and twitter using the buttons below!  If you'd like to receive bite-size bonbons of creative inspiration like this Mid-Week Oasis Moments plus a free copy of my e-book "Permission to Be Creative 101" join me here: http://www.creativeoasiscoaching.com/newsletter.html.

Creative-Free-Time Treasure Hunt Challenge

 If some easy–breezy, guilt-free creative time sounds good to you, I invite you to accept my 

15-Minute Creative-Free-Time Treasure Hunt Challenge.

How does it work? You simply swap 15 minutes out of your busy schedule for 15 minutes of guilt-free creative free time this week. 

Easier said than done? Maybe this will help...Did you realize you have 10,080 minutes at your disposal each and every week? It’s true! (I was kind of jazzed when I did the math. I mean, just look at all those minutes waiting to be enjoyed!) 

Sure you’ll need lots of those minutes to sleep, shower, eat, wash dishes and the like. You’ll need more to work, chauffer kids, run errands, do laundry and other assorted life “stuff.”

Even so, I invite you to go on a treasure hunt of sorts and come up with just 15 minutes (of those 10,080 minutes) to you give yourself permission to enjoy a 100% guilt-free Creative Oasis experience. (If you already have a nice creative habit going consider this Bonus Creative Free Time!)

Where oh where oh where will you find this fifteen minutes?

Here are a few places you may find hidden pockets of time. 

~ While your morning coffee or tea brews

~ Before, after or instead of Facebook time

~ Rather than laying games like Words with Friends or Candy Crush

~ Swap for online shopping or browsing

~ Instead of watching mindless TV

~ Sleep (I’m all for enjoying a good night’s sleep, but setting your alarm 15 minutes early to enjoy a little Creative Me time can be a great way to start the day!)

~ Grocery shopping (make it a game to try to finish your shopping fifteen minutes faster than you usually do)

~ Waiting in the carpool line

 ~ or better yet…RIGHT THIS VERY MINUTE! 

That’s right. You heard me. You’re sitting someplace reading this email, so why not set a timer and use the next 15 minutes to treat yourself to a Creative Oasis moment?

When you find your hidden pockets of time please take a moment to see them for the gems they really are! They're time you get to  choose to spend freely on your creative passions!

Don’t know which Creative Oasis you'd like to visit? Here are a few ideas:

~ Open your journal and enjoy some free form writing

~ Listen to music that you love and haven’t heard in ages

~ Dance

~ Fill an entire page with doodles

~ Pick up your knitting, crocheting or needlework

~ Make a homemade card for someone you love

~ Write a letter to your creative idol (you don’t have to send it)

~ Come up with as many creative ways to use paperclips as you can think of (you can think way outside the box here if you like ~ curtains anyone?)

~ Look through a coffee table, art or other creative book or magazine for inspiration

~ Play an instrument

~ Sing a song

~ Pick up a creative project that’s been gathering dust lately

~ Make up your own yoga routine by stretching and breathing in ways that feel good

~ Make a list of as many creative experiences as possible that you’d like to try

~ Sit and breath (outside if the weather’s nice)

Of course, once you enjoy your 15 minutes of Creative Free Time you may decide you want to find another 15 minutes to play again.

To that I say, go for it! Rinse and repeat! Do it to it! By all means! Be my guest! Excellent! Yay you!

Please share this with your friends and invite them to join us in The 15-Minute Creative-Free-Time Treasure Hunt Challenge.

If you’d like to share your experience please do so in the comments below! I’d love to know the details of your challenge experience. Where did you find hidden pockets of time? What did you swap to make time for your Creative Oasis moments? How did it feel to give yourself permission to really dive in and enjoy your creative time guilt-free?

You may be surprised at how truly rewarding, relaxing and freeing 15 minutes of creative play can be. And 15 minutes of creative fun is way better than no creative fun at all!

Until next time, all the best from my Creative Oasis to yours,

Jill

P.S. ~ If you enjoyed this post please share on Facebook and twitter using the buttons below!  If you'd like to receive bite-size bonbons of creative inspiration like this Mid-Week Oasis Moments plus a free copy of my e-book "Permission to Be Creative 101" join me here: http://www.creativeoasiscoaching.com/newsletter.html.

Is Creating Beauty a Waste of Time?

"There are so many creative projects I would love to do...

IF I only had more time!"

Sound familiar? I'm guessing it does. Of all the reasons people tell me they don't get to their creative passions as often as they'd like, "lack of time" often tops the list. 

(Click here to share what's standing in the way of your creative dreams for a chance to win Creative Oasis Goodies including a 30 minute one-on-one creative coaching session with me.*)

Even though you know in your heart of hearts that time spent in the creative flow is good for your mind, body and spirit, you're waiting for hours and hours of free time to magically appear. (Not likely, right?)

I get it. I mean I really get it! 

The truth is I don't have time vast quantities of free time to get to every single creative project I dream of either. (Is that a shocker?) 

In addition to coaching my awesome one-on-one clients and creating new Mid-Week Oasis Moments and Creative Oasis classes and workshops to share with you, I'm also a chauffeur for my daughter...upkeep manager of the household...payer of the bills...doer of the laundry...feeder of the dogs...sorter of the mail...buyer of the groceries...maker of the meals...planner of the vacations...you get the idea.

Though it may not look exactly the same as mine, I'm sure that you also have a to-do list that just keep coming day after day...week after week...year after year.  Here's the thing, as I like to remind my clients, the day we have nothing left to-do on our to-do list it's pretty much game over. 

So, if we agree that our to-do lists aren't going anywhere and that it's highly unlikely we'll suddenly have hours and hours of unscheduled free time out of the blue, I invite you to answer this question: 

Is creating beauty and restoring your soul a waste of time? 

Great news! If your answered a resounding no (perhaps even "Hell no!") then you're ready to the next small step...literally. 

If the number one issue my clients come to me with is "lack of time" ~ the number one take-away they leave with after working with me through my classes or coaching is this transformative bit of knowledge:

"Wow! I really and truly don't need hours and hours of unscheduled free time to enjoy creative fun, fulfillment and flow!" 

And guess what, neither do you. 

People who work with me are amazed at the amount of creative satisfaction they experience after something as simple and fun as coloring in a mandala for a few minutes. (Google "free printable mandalas" and you'll find lots of wonderful options!)

Click here to read more in my previous "Mandala Making Magic in Minutes" post.

Sure, your creative heart's desire might not be to color in mandalas with colored pencils, but it's a start. Plus, it's a great way to experience low-pressure creative play quickly. 

Want to hear another thing people who work with me discover?  

Once they give themselves permission to enjoy these small bursts of creative play their overall passion for creativity returns only now since they're actually diving in and enjoying some hands on creativity rather than waiting for loads and loads of free time to appear, the experience of being in the creative flow becomes real...doable...and something they can actually weave into their busy lives on a regular basis. 

Ten or fifteen minutes of dive-right in creative fun can be just the thing to spark your desire to dust off your piano and play, pull down your watercolors and paint or open your journal and write! In fact, why not try it right now? This very minute? 

I invite you to set a timer for 15 minutes and enjoy some simple, creative fun whether. You could play an instrument, do a few yoga stretches, fill a page with doodles, fill a page with words, take an inspiring book off the shelf and enjoy the next 15 minutes of uninterrupted reading ~ all guilt free! I give you permission! 

If by chance you tend to (every once in a blue moon that is) spend 15 minutes or more on Facebook, playing Words with Friends, or online shopping (Who...me?) why not try substituting one of those (very fun...but not very creatively fulfilling) habits for a new creative habit? 

If this sounds good, I'd love help you do just that. How? By sharing the gentle accountably, compassionate reminders and powerful tools and techniques of one-on-one creative coaching that will have you creating more beauty and restoring your soul faster than you can say "If only I had more time!" 

As of today I can accept two more one-on-one coaching clients. If you'd like one of them to be you please leave me a message in the comments below or send me a direct e-mail message by clicking here. 

Still feeling stuck? 

Click here to take my short 5-question survey to share what's standing in the way of your creative dreams. As a thank you for your time you'll be automatically entered for a chance to win Creative Oasis Goodies including a 30 minute one-on-one creative coaching session with me. All entries must be complete and submitted by midnight Monday January 26, 2015.

Until next time, all the best from my Creative Oasis to yours,

Jill

P.S. ~ If you enjoyed this post please share on Facebook and twitter using the buttons below!  If you'd like to receive bite-size bonbons of creative inspiration like this Mid-Week Oasis Moments plus a free copy of my e-book "Permission to Be Creative 101" join me here: http://www.creativeoasiscoaching.com/newsletter.html.

Win Creative Oasis Goodies

Want a chance to win Creative Oasis goodies? It's easy!

Here's all you need to do for your chance to win a 

Creative Oasis "Keep Calm & Be Creative" t-shirt 

plus a 30-minute one-on-one coaching session? 

# 1 ~ Click here to complete my short and sweet 5-question Creative Oasis survey.

#2 ~ Complete and submit your survey by Monday, January 26, 2015 at midnight.

I'd love to sit down with you over a cup of coffee or a glass of wine to chat about your personal creative journey. But in the name of connecting with you and others from all over the world as quickly and easily as possible, I hope you'll do me a favor and share you story with me by answering a few quick questions.

I've created a short 5-question survey to help you quickly and easily share your personal creative story with me. (Click here to take it now.)

By sharing your creative dreams, challenges and struggles you'll help me provide the most helpful features possible to serve you with my all new Creative Oasis program. Knowing what's standing between you and your Creative Oasis will help me put the finishing touches on this special program designed specifically to help you spend more time enjoying your creative pursuits and passions.

To thank you for your time and for sharing your creative story with me, I'm holding a random drawing for a Creative Oasis  "Keep Calm & Be Creative" t-shirt plus a 30-minute one-on-one coaching session with me by phone. The winner will be randomly selected from all of the completed surveys I receive by midnight Monday, January 26, 2015.

As you answer the questions below please go into as much detail as you like and know that your answers will remain absolutely confidential!

I know your time is precious so I kept this survey short and sweet ~ just five questions. Feel free to write your answers in paragraph form or even just a quick list of words and phrases would be great!

Again ~ thank you so much! I look forward to helping make 2015 the most creatively fun and fulfilling year for you yet!

Click here to complete your survey and have your chance to win Creative Oasis goodies!

All the best from my Creative Oasis to yours ~ Jill

Wishing You These True Gifts...

In celebration of the Christmas season I wish you peace, love, light

and permission to fully embrace your creativity in 2015! 

How have you delighted in your creativity this season? 

How will you embrace and enjoy your creativity in the coming year? 

How will you nurture your creative spirit? 

Here's to good self-care, laughter, love, light and

fabulous creative experiences that make life worth living ~
at Christmas time and throughout the year! 

Merry Everything from my Creative Oasis to yours,

Jill

Jill Allison Bryan

www.creativeoasiscoaching.com                                        

Have Your Mind Blown

So, yes...I had my mind blown (in a good way) last weekend at the "David Bowie Is" exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. 

Experiencing the exhibit ~ a retrospective of Bowie's career ~ felt a bit like swimming through a magical underwater sea of sounds and sights...or perhaps better to say like floating through an intergalactic dream filled with curious, colorful creations while listening to some of my favorite songs of all time.

Actually, neither of those descriptions does the experience justice.

Perhaps I should just stick with I had my mind blow ~ in the best way imaginable ~ while walking through a multi-media time capsule overflowing with layer upon layer of the wildly imaginative and ground-breaking songs, videos, photographs, sketches, fashion, sculptures, hopes, films and dreams of David Bowie.

Yep...that sounds about right.

This was a deluxe "exposure" experience of the first degree. A chance to step away from my own creative passions, pursuits and dreams and let someone else's creativity wash over me and enjoy the inspiring high of simply soaking it all in.

The experience left me with an ultra-energized feeling of creative possibility...as if I could do, create, share anything I could dream up...as if I could envision, embrace and be anyone I wanted to be...no matter how crazy or out there that might seem to anyone else.

Which, of course, is always true to some degree...but I just needed to be reminded of it. Don't we all?

Since taking a trip to see a once-in-a-lifetime exhibit that will travel to fewer than a dozen cities around the world doesn't happen every day, how can we have our minds blown closer to home? 

A few thoughts come to mind (along with some extremely random examples)...

#1 ~ Movies...a few personal favorites include Koyannisqatsi, Inception, Midnight in Paris, The Prestige (in which David Bowie plays Nikola Tesla), The Illusionist, What the Bleep Do We Know, The Zero Theorem, Brazil, Twelve Monkeys, Being John Malkovich and The Wizard of Oz. (Come on...admit it...the first time you saw the Emerald City you're mind was blown just a little, wasn't it?)

#2 ~ Books...Almost anything by Tom Robbins (including his recent memoir Tibetan Peach Pie) or Kurt Vonnegut or Margaret Atwood, Ishmael, Naked Lunch, A Wrinkle In Time and The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (two of my childhood favorites, I still love!)

#3 ~ Music... Joni Mitchell, Miles Davis, Pink Floyd (pair Dark Side of the Moon with a viewing of The Wizard of Oz for an exceptionally mind blowing effect), the Beatles (Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and the White Album perhaps) ~ headphones and incense optional and, of course, David Bowie.

Add to this short list your choice of live music (you haven't lived until you've witnessed Sir Paul McCartney perform Live and Let Die complete with pyrotechnics), performance art (Cirque du Soleil anyone?), theater, museums, planetariums, arboretums...spectacular natural settings and manmade places (a village of Earthships just outside Taos, New Mexico), even a TV show (Cosmos comes to mind) and you start to feel the tremendous potential for having your mind pleasantly blown in a gazillion different ways.

Whether or not these experiences such as these blow your mind, hopefully they'll at least give you a fresh perspective and inspire you to release a few limiting beliefs about what you can and can't do...even if only 5% more than usual.

I'll leave you with a small question and creative challenge...what's one way you might enjoy an experience that will blow away preconceived notions and open your mind to new creative possibilities in the coming week?

All the best from my reenergized Creative Oasis to yours,

Jill

www.creativeoasiscoaching.com

P.S. ~ If you enjoyed this post and would like to receive bite-size bonbons of creative inspiration like this in my Mid-Week Oasis Moments plus a free copy of my e-book "Permission to Be Creative 101" join me here: http://www.creativeoasiscoaching.com/newsletter.html.