Want To Shine A Light On Your Creative Power?

Want to tap into a feeling of more creative freedom and ease this summer? 

Why not take a cue from the sunflower and reach toward the light? 

When things on your to-do list start to feel overwhelming, difficult or unappealing try lightening them up by asking yourself these questions: 

* What's one small way I can make this easier?

* What's one small way I can make this more fun?

* What's one small way I can make this more doable? 

* What's one small way I can reward myself when I've finished?

It's amazing how asking ourselves these simple questions can help shift our perspective and shine a light on a whole new way of looking at situations and responsibilities that have us feeling bummed out, bogged down or blue.  

Click here for your free Sunflower Power Reminders printable. 

You can post it on your desk, tape it to your fridge, keep a copy in your car, or add one to your day planner  to help you remember you have the power to lighten things up. All you have to do is ask!

Another easy way to embrace a summer that feels light, fun and free is get yourself a copy of my Create the Summer of Your Dreams Kit. 

Until next time, here's to tapping into your own sunflower power and reaching toward the light!

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.

My Creative Oasis Looks Like This (What About Yours?)

My Creative Oasis™Mandala

The mandala above visually represents my own personal creative oasis. It encompasses all the things I strive to experience and share through my creativity coaching and my music. It also illustrates the central role that creativity plays in all aspects of my life. I truly believe everyone deserves to experience creative fulfillment, and whether or not you consider yourself to be particularly creative, you can easily make the time to discover your own Creative Oasis™ and lead a more joy-filled and satisfying existence. 

That's why I'm so happy to offer another round of my unique group creativity classes:

Welcome To Your Creative Oasis™ – 

7 Weeks Dedicated to Gently Lifting Creativity 
to the Top of Your To-Do List 

Whether it’s cooking, writing, painting, making music, scrap-booking, creating collages, blogging, dancing, gardening, performing – whatever it is that your heart longs to do – that’s your Creative Oasis™.  So often we let procrastination, perfectionism, and a general feeling of being overwhelmed by our busy lives stop us from making the time for the things that energize and delight us.  It doesn’t have to be that way. As a certified Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coach, I provide a treasure chest of easy-to-use tools and techniques that can help you consistently enjoy creative satisfaction. (The very same ones that changed my life, opening the doors to my creative coaching career and my lifelong musical dream come true!)


If you live in the DFW area, I hope that you'll join me for this transformative 7 week experience. (The enthusiastic participants from last fall's session suggested that I add one more week to the course and I agreed!) The group meetings provide camaraderie, support and gentle accountability and are a really fun way to jumpstart the creative process. Here's the low-down:

What:

“Welcome To Your Creative Oasis™ – a 7-week course dedicated to gently lifting your creative dreams to the top of your to-do list!”

When:

Class offered either Tuesday mornings 10:30am to Noon (2/15/11 – 3/29/11)

Or Thursday evenings 7pm to 8:30pm (2/17/11 – 3/31/11)

(No classes will be held the week of March 14, 2011)


Price:

$275 includes materials and e-mail follow-ups

Register by 2/1/11 or with a friend for just $250

(Discount price applies to all past and present clients as well.)

To register contact me at creativeoasiscoach@me.com.

Where:

Pigment School of the Arts

4605 West Lovers Lane  

Dallas, TX  75209-3133

(214) 352-2787

Are you ready to discover how your Creative Oasis looks?

Please feel free to contact me here if you have any questions or are ready to register today! All the best from my creative oasis to yours, Jill

Giving Credit Where It’s Long Overdue – To You!

One of my favorite creative coaching tools is the “credit check-in.” By simply listing all of the things that you did get around to during the week you often realize you accomplished much more than you thought you had. We tend to dwell on all that we haven’t yet crossed off our never-ending, crazy-long, take-care-of-everyone-else-on-the-planet first to-do lists. You know – everything that needs to be done, didn’t get done and a few things we can’t imagine how there will ever be enough time in the world to get done. This just serves to frustrate and overwhelm us. Frustration + Overwhelm = Bad Feelings. Credit Check-in + Self-satisfaction = Good Feelings.

Today I had a “physician – heal thyself!” moment. About a bazillion things that I need and want to do (that’s barely an exaggeration!) raced through my mind. Things to promote my new CD, “Dancing In Limbo”… things to better serve my Creative Oasis Coaching clients … things to do for my family … things to do for my friends …things to do for the planet (when I get on a roll – watch out!) … lots and lots and lots of things!

Just about the moment I felt overwhelm wrapping around me like a boa constrictor and I couldn’t take a deep enough breath, I received a wonderful e-mail from a past client. She wrote to thank me for some of the tools that we’d used together during our coaching sessions and to let me know they were still essential to helping her make the time and space in her busy life for her creative passions (which includes writing a fabulous blog that you can check out here). “Oh yeah,” I remembered, “These fantastic tools are available even to me 24/7, but sometimes we just need a little reminder.”

So I took a break from obsessing about everything that needs to be done and did a credit check-in for myself. I made a list of everything I’ve accomplished in the past week. (even laundry and making lunches – everything that took even a few minutes of my precious time) Then I read it over and let it really sink in. I’m not shy, so I’ll tell you – I’ve been kicking booty this past week! Yes – there is still much to be done – but NEWS FLASH – there always will be. And if there weren’t life would be boring and stagnant and no fun, in my book anyway. I felt so much better realizing all that I had already successfully accomplished. I was able to take a deep breath and feel a blessed release from that awful overwhelm that had been creeping in. (insidious bastard that overwhelm!) I share this in the hope that it will serve as a reminder to you to take a minute to give yourself the credit your due. I promise it will feel great and you deserve it!

All the best from my creative oasis to yours,

Jill

p.s. - I'm thrilled to be the featured coach in this month's MUSE FLASH by Jill Badonsky. Pop over and check out her monthly musing here. It's always inspiring and fun!