The Dalai Lama Vs. Your Inner Critic

"Everything else on your to-do list is more important than creative projects!"

"Are you kidding? You don't have time for this!"

"You're not an artist, writer, photographer, musician, gardener (fill in the blank)!"

"Who do you think you are?"

"Everyone else's needs are more important than your silly creative stuff!"

"Why bother?"

"You're wasting time!"

"You're wasting money!"

"You stink at this!"

Let's face it...our inner critic voice can be truly awful!

If you ever find yourself thinking insidious thoughts like these, you are not alone.

As a wonderful woman in my recent workshop at the Creative Arts Center put it, "My inner critic is a total asshole!"

We all laughed, while at the same time nodding our heads in agreement. Every woman there could relate on some level to the toxic messages our inner critic spews forth at times.

I'm lucky to be going to see the Dalai Lama speak today, so I've been revisiting some of his quotes that I love.

When I came upon the words above I figured he'd probably approve of the message being used as a reminder for us to be kind to ourselves as much as to others.

So, in true Kaizen form, I leave you with this one small question to ponder today in your journal, or on a walk or right now for that matter.

What's one small way you can be kind to your creative spirit today? 

And maybe the next time your inner critic comes calling you can call on the compassionate words of the Dalai Lama and show yourself a little love and kindness.

All the best from my Creative Oasis to yours,

Jill

Jill Allison Bryan

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.

Are You Daydreaming Enough These Days?

(Empowered Quote by Mary Engelbreit & Jill Allison Bryan.
Click here to learn more about how to create Empowered Quotes of your own.)

We've been practicing the power of Kaizen (small steps to continuous improvement) in my Living the Creative Life classes the past couple of weeks.

When I invite these wonderful women to break down one of their creative wishes into as many small steps as possible they're often surprised when I suggest they add "daydream" to their lists. They're also delighted to learn that not only does daydreaming count, it's actually an important and useful (though often overlooked) small step. Why?

Daydreaming helps us step away from our never-ending to-do lists for a bit and imagine new possibilities. (Just writing that statement made me take a nice deep breath!) 

It's also a wonderful way to stop and ponder what it even is that we want to experience.

Spending some relaxed time (even just a few minutes) allowing our minds to wander and consider "what if" scenarios can open the door to all manner of creative options we may never think of otherwise.

Add a little gentle structure to your daydreaming (such as simply keeping the phrase "what if" in your mind) and you may find yourself coming up with all manner of fabulous creative plans and possibilities.

When's the last time you gave yourself permission to daydream? I'm guessing it's been a while. And you're not alone.

I invite you to set a timer and give yourself the next two minutes (That's less than a bathroom break!) to stare out the window, gaze at your navel or close your eyes and simply ponder the question "What if?"

Next, click here to download and print the free Permission to Daydream fun sheet below. Then give yourself the gift of another two minutes to engage in some guilt-free, lightly structured daydreaming with your wise inner self.

So there you have it. In less then five minutes you've treated yourself to a relaxing (and hopefully, eye-opening) time to dream up some new ways to say yes to your Creative Oasis this week!

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

Jill

Jill Allison Bryan

Daydream Believer/Singer/Songwriter/Creative Coach

Diamonds in the Dew and Rainbows on my Wall

As I stepped into the backyard to let out our dog and enjoy a breath of fresh air and bit of sunshine, I caught a glimpse of something sparkly in the lawn. Shimmering droplets of dew clung to a gossamer spiderweb that looked for all the world like a handful of diamonds spilled out on the grass. I bent down to get a closer look. It was such a beautiful sight that I ran in to grab my phone and snapped a shot to share on Instagram. (You can follow me there at: http://instagram.com/creativeoasiscoach.)

I stood there and stared a while longer…entranced by the simple and ephemeral beauty of nature. I knew the scene would soon cease to exist. The sun would dry up the dewdrops or my dog would unwittingly crush the work of natural art under his bounding paws. The moment felt as exquisite and temporal as the highly detailed sand mandalas created by the Tibetan Buddhist Monks. Their intricate designs are created over the span of a few days and scattered on the winds – released into a body of water as a blessing to the world. (Click here for gorgeous photos and more about this experience.)

I've been tuning into fleeting moments of organic beauty such as this more often lately. Recently I noticed a vibrant prism shining on my living room wall. Again, I was stopped in my tracks by the simplicity, beauty and transient quality of the natural art.

Indoor Rainbow Moment by Jill Allison Bryan

These experiences and others like them serve as a beautiful reminder that we can experience vast amounts of creative satisfaction in relatively short amounts of time. My interaction with each of these "natural art" occurrences lasted only minutes yet the magical feeling of joy they brought me lingered for hours and stills lights me up when I revisit the photographs I took.

The same fabulous return on our own creative time investment holds true. When I play the piano and sing for five or ten minutes my entire afternoon is lifted up. When we spend a few minutes making a collage or picking green beans in our garden or writing in our journal or trying out a new recipe or playing with watercolors the positive energy created by those experiences can stay with us for hours.

I know I say this a lot, but that's because I believe we can all use the reminder. So, I'll say it again: we can easily enrich our lives, feel happier and be healthier by giving ourselves permission to enjoy our own Creative Oasis (whatever makes are heart sing and time fly!) for as little as five or ten minutes a day. The more often we tap into our creative bliss for even a few minutes, the more we want to experience it and we organically build our creative habit just like we build any good habit.

How might you spend the next five or ten minutes immersed in your own Creative Oasis? (*Remember – even daydreaming about what you'd like to do counts!) I hope you'll consider giving yourself at least a brief amount of time to enjoy something that energize and delight you today.

Fleeting Morning Pattern by Jill Allison Bryan

Here's to discovering diamonds in the dew, rainbows in our living rooms and 

the treasure of creative joy wherever we look!

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

Jill

P.S. – If you'd like to have Mid-Week Oasis Moments (bite-sized bonbons of creative inspiration) delivered each week please sign up here: http://www.creativeoasiscoaching.com/newsletter.html

You'll also receive a free copy of "Permission to Be Creative 101" – my short e-book that will help you take the first small steps to make the time and space for creative fulfillment – your Creative Oasis – in  your busy life!

Introducing the Creative Oasis™ Book Club

If you’re like me, you’re often intrigued and excited to learn about a new book that sounds just wonderful. The kind of book that will inspire, teach, share great ideas and help you in some way on your creative journey.

So, of course, you buy the book. You may even read the first chapter or two. And then life comes along with its to-do lists, laundry piles and Downton Abbey re-runs and the next thing you know your new book has joined a growing pile of creativity books teetering in the corner that you promise yourself you’ll get around to reading someday. For me, odds are I’ll find another fabulous, life-changing book to purchase before I even make a dent in my current teetering pile.

That’s why I’m thrilled to announce the Creative Oasis™ Book Club. Several times a year, I’ll choose a book from my growing, teetering pile and share it in a teleclass format. (I’ll also share books that I’ve actually finished and just love so much that I want others to experience them too!) 

Each book club series will include permission slips and creative prompts to help us dive a bit deeper into the book. (Participants are responsible for securing their own copy of our chosen book.)We may also use exercises and activities found in our book if that applies. Our teleclass calls will be one hour long and depending on the length and type of book, we’ll meet once, twice or up to twelve weeks in a row. All calls will be recorded, so if you miss one, no worries. You can always go back and listen to the recordings.

The price of each book club series will vary accordingly, but to kick things off, our first Creative Oasis™ Book Club will be FREE! Click here to let me know you'll be joining us.

For our first teleclass, in the spirit of keeping things Kaizen and using small, gentle steps, I’ve chosen a short, fun and easy-to-read book, “Steal Like An Artist - 10 things nobody told you about being creative” by Austin Kleon. 

Although this book is less than 150 small pages (many filled with illustrations) it's so chock full of wisdom and inspiration I believe we'll want to spend two weeks soaking in all of its creative goodness.

Again, since this is the inaugural Creative Oasis™ Book Club teleclass, I'm offering it for FREE (a $50 value)! If you'd like to join me please register by clicking here and sending me a brief e-mail. 

The two calls for this book will take place Friday, April 12, 2013 from 11am to noon and Friday, April 19, 2013 from 11am to noon. (central time) Remember, all calls will be recorded, so if you miss a class, you can always go back and listen to the recording on your own time.

I'm so excited to finally be able to offer this series and look forward to sharing some excellent books with you all. I believe the Creative Oasis™ Book Club will provide a wonderful way for us to spark our own creativity, share our questions, insights and aha moments while enriching our lives with these fabulous books.

Until next time, all the best from 

my Creative Oasis to yours,

Jill

Jill Allison Bryan

www.creativeoasiscoaching.com