5 Tips to Jumpstart Holiday Happiness

Click here to print out your free holiday mandala to color or paint!

Wow – the holidays seems to have come out of nowhere this season! With such a brief amount of time between Thanksgiving and the first of December, like many people, I feel a bit unprepared and overwhelmed.

Luckily, I know that the best thing I can do to defuse those feelings is to dip into my bag of Creative Oasis™Coaching tricks. Since I use these techniques myself, I thought I'd share them here to help you jumpstart some holiday happiness of your own.

5 Tips to Jumpstart Holiday Happiness

#1 – Reward Yourself with Short Creative Breaks

I printed out the free holiday mandala above to use as a fun and easy way to reward myself each time I spend a some time on a project or check something off my to-do list. I've been playing with it throughout the day in five minute bursts. It's great way to stay motivated and reward myself with a little creative play. If you like, why not click on the link under the mandala up top to print one for yourself? 

#2 – Say Ho-Ho-No

What if you take a look at your to-do list each day this month and chose at least one thing to let go? If we tend to have somewhat unrealistic expectations for ourselves, chances are that's even more true during the holidays. In addition to all of the things in our usual routine we're heaping on extra social outings, shopping excursions, baking, cooking, school and dance programs and the like. Toss in the unexpected weather snafu or two and you've got a recipe for instant holiday stress.

The truth is the world won't come to a grinding halt if we skip a thing or two especially if we've filled our to-do lists with more than we can realistically handle. How do you think it would feel to release at least one "to-do" each day and gave yourself the gift of letting go?

#3 – Take Elf-Like Steps

Any holiday happening, project or party – no matter how big – can be broken down into smaller steps. Planning the holiday get-together for your family is a large undertaking, but think of all the tiny steps you can take along the way. Does the thought of addressing and stamping all of those Christmas cards have you feeling Grinchy? What if you just did five at a time? Focusing on just one small piece of a project at a time or tackling a task in short ten or fifteen minute bursts helps diffuse feelings of overwhelm and increase feelings of comfort and joy.

#4 – Ask Yourself These Small Questions

Whatever the holiday event or project on your plate asking these two questions can be a big help:
"How can I make this a little easier?"
"How can I make this a bit more fun?"
Often we're running on autopilot and simply taking a second to ask these questions can shed new light for us. Even if it's something as simple as realizing, "Addressing these cards would feel a lot nicer if I was listening to my favorite holiday CD and drinking hot tea." Or realizing, "Hey - I have a teenager who can help me wrap all of these packages!"

#5 – Remember to Breath

This one sounds simple, but how many times have you found yourself holding your breath as you put the finishing touches on a present, project or pie? What if you add to the holiday decorations around your home by placing colorful sticky notes here and there with this gentle reminder: "BREATHE"
If you're anything like me, you tend to actually stop and take a deep breath when you read the word. Enjoying just two or three nice deep breaths will give you a refreshing pause, send much needed oxygen to your brain and rejuvenate you!

Here's my completed holiday mandala. I hope you enjoy creating one of your own this season. Here's to jumpstarting your holiday happiness!

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!

Do Stuff…Even Without Inspiration's Shove

Holy moly, how I love this quote! There's a "teachable moment" (says the mom in me) in every single line. This quote shines (hence the star at the top) as an example of the wonderful tools and techniques we use in Kaizen Muse Creativity Coaching. Let's take if line by line, shall we?

Do stuff.

This one is fairly straight forward. Do stuff. Do the stuff you daydream about doing. Do the stuff you see other people doing and think to yourself, "I could do that." Do the stuff you used to love to do and haven't done in ages. Do the stuff you can't even imagine how in the world you'll possibly ever do, but you know if you do you'll be better off for it. Do stuff.

Be clenched, curious. 

I have to be honest. "Be clenched" threw me for a bit of a loop. To my mind, she's reminding us to always reach out for new experiences. In the spirit of "being curious" I did some research to see if I could find other interpretations of Sontag's meaning and discovered this wonderful blog post. The author of the post even prints Sontag's speech in its entirety which is absolutely inspiring! 

Be curious. Keep asking questions of yourself and others. Keep learning new things. Keep traveling to new places. Keep searching out new experiences. Better to be killed by curiosity than boredom, right?

Not waiting for inspiration's shove...

Ahhh…not waiting for inspiration. That was a powerful lesson for me when I first discovered KMCC. You mean I can just sit down at the piano, play around and see what happens? I don't need to feel any particular angst or joy? I don't have to wait for the muse to visit me complete with a gray, rainy day and candles to add to the ambiance? I can create pre-inspiration strike? That novel concept soon found me playing at my keyboard almost daily – writing new material because I wanted to write. If I'd waited for inspiration's shove, my solo CD, Dancing in Limbo would quite likely never have been born.

                              or society's kiss on your forehead.

That was another thing I didn't wait for when writing and recording my CD. This was about the time "they" started to say "don't bother making a CD - everyone releases music digitally now." Well, I had waited many moons to finally release my own CD, so I didn't listen to what "they" had to say. 

I've also met many people who don't seem to see the value in or understand what creativity coaching provides. But that's hardly going to stop me from continuing to follow my calling as a creativity coach. (Great news! That means I have more time to coach, teach and write for those of you who do get it. Yay!)

Pay attention. It's all about paying attention.

This one is all about awareness. Letting the fairies and muses have your attention. Looking for clues. Taking note of what lights you up.

Attention is vitality. 

Attention leads you to the experiences and people that energize and delight you!

It connects you with others.

When you follow your creative curiosity you tend to meet some pretty fabulous people. Sign up for a class, join a group or visit a place you've never been before and let the connections begin. 

It makes you eager. Stay eager.

By all means, stay eager. Eager to learn. Eager to create. Eager to explore. Eager to discover. Eager to connect. Eager to be energized and delighted by life. Stay eager.

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

Jill

Jill Allison Bryan

www.creativeoasiscoaching.com

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!

Embracing Lull With All My Heart

I post this in-between a lull-filled week in Santa Fe and a lull-filled Thanksgiving weekend with family.

I've been embracing Lull with all my  heart and it's done my heart (and soul) so much good!

So far, my restful time of rejuvenation has included:

*  lots of reading in front of a roaring fire

*the delight of being snowed in for an entire day (which meant mimosas, more roaring fires, hot chocolate, more reading, naps, staring out the window at the gorgeous white-tipped landscape in a blissed out state, languid conversations, etc…) 

*an incredible massage and private hot tub/sauna experience at Ten Thousand Waves

* meandering through Santa Fe with no particular plan being led by serendipity and my nose

* heemeesheemees galore (my word for serendipitous experiences) 

* and probably the most relaxing time my husband and I have shared in eons 

Now I'm off to spend more lull time with my family, catching up, seeing photos from far-flung adventures, enjoying magical time with my three-year old niece, and dipping my toes into the holidays with my enthusiastic teenage daughter – we would have put a tree up two weeks ago if it had been up to her!

My intention is to remain resting in the lovely state of lull for a few more days. 

I am so grateful for this time…for my family…for my friends…and for you!

Wishing you some lovely lull time of your own this Thanksgiving weekend even if it's something as simple as closing your eyes right now and enjoy three deep breaths and a stretch to the heavens!

From my restful Creative Oasis to yours,

Jill

www.creativeoasiscoaching.com

Taking Creative Risks – Win or Lose, It's All Good!

What if you took a small creative risk? What might that look like? How might that feel? We're not talking about a life threatening risk here, simply taking the chance to stretch your creative muscles a bit and experiment with something that sounds fun to try. 

Here's why I say experiment: your creative risk might end up producing something kind of ridiculous. On the other hand, you could create something surprisingly brilliant. Either way, how will you know unless you give yourself permission to go for it?  

If Tony Cragg, the artist who created the above sculpture using thousands of dice, hadn't taken the risk and experimented with using this classic game piece as a medium for sculpture, we'd have been denied several fabulous works of art. Lucky for us, early in his career Cragg took a risk by embracing the use of cheap 'everyday' materials which ultimately led to his sumptuous dice sculptures. I have never in all my museum going years been so tempted to break the rules and touch a piece of art than while viewing his exhibit at the Nasher Sculpture Museum "Seeing Things" in 2011. (Not to worry,  taking the photograph above sufficed.)

Here's to taking creative risks...to painting with splatters rather than strokes...to adding a dash of peanut butter and a chunk of dark chocolate to your next batch of veggie-chili recipe (It's scrumptious!)...to visiting a part of town you've never even driven through before...to writing a haiku in your sweetheart's birthday card...to trying anything that sounds different, interesting and fun! 

How might you roll the dice and take a chance on a new creative experience in the coming week?

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

Jill

www.creativeoasiscoaching.com

Creative Clues Found…What's Next?

Last week I invited you to embark on a creative scavenger hunt with me. (Click here for my post: Do the Muses and FairiesHave Your Attention Yet? and your free printable map.)  

Paying attention to the muses and fairies (as Elizabeth Gilbert suggests ) or, in other words, to the little twinges of excitement and wonder we feel, can lead to some telling discoveries about ways we might embark on our own Creative Oasis journey.

Whether or not you use the downloadable  "My Creative Clues" map I shared, if you simply bring your awareness to the things that energize and delight you on any given day, you take your first small step towards following your heart and uncovering your creative passions.

So let's say you now have a nice list of creative clues. What's next?

I'll use the examples I shared last week to give you an idea of what next small steps might look like for each of them.

*You feel a surge of delight everytime you walk past the beautiful veggie garden in your neighbors yard. (perhaps followed quickly by a "I could never do that" inner critic voice) 

To nip your inner naysayer in the bud your next small step might be to plant some seeds of your favorite herb in a little pot on your windowsill. (There may be a tomato plant in your future yet!)



* You realize that you love driving around town because that's when you get to belt out your favorite tunes along with the radio. 

What if you plan a night out for karaoke with friends? If that doesn't feel doable, could you turn on some music at other times of the day when you can have fun belting out tunes in the privacy of your own home?(Perhaps while vacuuming? This could be just the ticket to making housework feel almost enjoyable!)



* Seeing a photo of a women doing downward facing dog in the magazine you flip through at the dentist office fills you with the desire to stretch and breathe. 

No need to sign up for a class right away. What if you search YouTube for some quick and easy "How-to" yoga moves to try at home and just see how that feels? 




* You receive a card from a friend and keep it out on your desk because you just love its watercolor image. 

If you happen to have some watercolors hiding in the back of a closet, why not pull them out and play with copying the card on your desk? If that feels too difficult (or you can already hear yourself saying "But I'm not an artist!") what if you lower the pressure by giving yourself permission to paint the way a five year old child might? (*Hint - most 5-year olds believe everything they paint is a masterpiece and they're right, of course!)

These are just a few examples of the many small steps that you could take. If you like, why not try to come up with one or two other small steps for each of these scenarios. It's a great way to practice breaking things down into doable steps and releasing the "all or nothing" attitude that many of us go to as a default.

It's nice to realize we don't have to plant an entire organic vegetable garden to experience the joy of making something grow. We can start by planting a couple of herb seeds on our windowsill. We can even make a home-cooked veggie stir-fry and imagine what it would feel like to eat if the vegetables had come from our own garden! (Click here to learn more about the magic of mind-scuplting techniques like this.)

I'd love to hear about the Creative Clues you discovered on your scavenger hunt. Please feel free to share them in the comments section below. If you need some help coming up with possible small steps to move forward on the creative journey let me know and I'll be happy to share some ideas with you.

Until next time, here's to following your heart and embracing the joy and satisfaction that appears when the universe conspires to help you discover your own Creative Oasis.

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 by clicking here.

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!

Do The Muses & Fairies Have Your Attention Yet?

When I read these words by Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love and the recently released The Signature of All Things, I light up like a kid in a candy store or maybe better put, a kid on a scavenger hunt. In just three sentences she manages to evoke the kind of inspired thinking that adds a dash of magic to our everyday, ordinary lives. 

So do they? Do the muses and fairies have your attention yet? Is there some creative experience that's been tugging at your heart strings to explore, play with or visit? 

If the answer is yes, but you feel too busy and embroiled in grown-up real world obligations to invite those muses and fairies in to see where they might lead, I have a proposition. What if you take Gilbert's idea and run with it? What if you go on a scavenger hunt in the coming week and stay on the lookout for creative clues…things that give you that little twinge of excitement? That energize you? That if explored a bit further, could potentially lead to some amazing creative fulfillment and fun in your life?

Click here to download your own printable version

If this sounds good to you, why not give yourself one week to gather as many clues as possible? You can use the My Creative Clues map above to jot down any hints that you notice.  For example:

*You feel a surge of delight everytime you walk past the beautiful veggie garden in your neighbors yard. (perhaps followed quickly by a "I could never do that" inner critic voice) No matter - doodle a zucchini or write "veggie garden" somewhere on your map.

* You realize that you love driving around town because that's when you get to belt out your favorite tunes along with the radio. No need to worry about how, what or when you'll sing. For now, just doodle some musical notes or write "singing" on your map.

* Seeing a photo of a women doing downward facing dog in the magazine you flip through at the dentist office fills you with the desire to stretch and breathe. Before you can talk yourself into the fact that you're much too busy to add a yoga class to your schedule, doodle a little yoga symbol or write the word "yoga" on your map.

* You receive a card from a friend and keep it out on your desk because you just love its watercolor image. Release the thought that you're not an artist and doodle a little painting palette or write the word "watercolor" on your map.

At the end of the week, take a moment to look over your map. Put a star next to the three clues you found that fill you with the most delight when you think about actually doing them.

Meet me back here next week when we'll explore how to move past any inner critic voices you may be hearing and take your first small steps toward inviting the muses and fairies into your life and taking action on the clues they've been leaving for you.

How does it feel to imagine all of the wonderful possibilities for creative joy in your life?

All the best from my Creative Oasis to yours,
Jill

Jill Allison Bryan

P.S. – If you'd like to have Mid-Week Oasis Moments (bite-sized bonbons of creative inspiration) delivered each week please sign up by clicking here.

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!

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!