Which Creative Oasis Places Inspire You?

I snapped this photo on one of my glorious, solo sunrise beach walks during our vacation last week. Just looking at it now I'm compelled to take a deep breath and relax a bit. (If you just took a deep breath  and relaxed a bit too – yay!)

I am a beach lovin' gal…no doubt about it. I can honestly say that break-of-day beach walks are one of my absolute favorite pleasures in life. 

Perhaps one reason they're so special is the fact that I don't actually live at the beach so that heavenly feeling of my toes sinking into cool soft sand usually only happens once or twice a year at best. (Much more frequently in my dreams though.) 

A week of early morning beach walks can energize me for months! The same can be said of my early morning runs by the river in Colorado. There are just certain spots on this planet (my Oasis Places) that always re-energize, delight me and set my spirit free. I believe with all my heart that time spent enjoying them is time well spent!

Though my beach and mountain times are fewer and farther between than I might like, I'm blessed to live a short ten minute walk from a lovely little lake here in East Dallas. My sunup walks and runs always contain a dash of vacation feel and a nice a way to enjoy a boost of Oasis Places energy.

Even though we can't live our lives in permanent vacation mode, we can tap into the rejuvenating feeling right in our own home anytime we like!

What's one small way you might spend a little time enjoying some Oasis Places Energy today? 

*Perusing through some favorite vacation photos? 

*Five minutes googling places for a "dream" trip you'd hope to take someday? 

*Creating a quick collage using images from magazines that give you that special vacation feeling? 

If you feel guilty about spending time in your Creative Oasis Places, why not practice using the mantra above as a gentle reminder? 

"Time spent in places that set your spirit free is time well spent."

How about you? Where are your favorite Oasis Places at home and abroad? Where have you traveled again and again? Where do you dream of visiting someday? I'd love to hear - if you'd like to - share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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

Jill

www.creativeoasiscoaching.com

P.S. – You'll find easy and fun ways to tap into the creative pleasures of your favorite summer oasis places using my Create the Summer of Your Dreams Do-It-Yourself Kit. 

Click here for all the details if you like! 

O'Keeffe, Van Gogh and You

"When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it's your world for the moment. I want to give that world to someone else. Most people in the city rush around so, they have no time to look at a flower. I want them to see it whether they want to or not."

                                ~ Georgia O'Keeffe

  

"Great things are done

by a series of small things

brought together."

~ Vincent Van Gogh 

If you're inspired by the outrageous, sunny beauty of sunflowers you're in good company. Artists like Georgia O'Keeffe and Vincent Van Gogh were clearly taken with the hopeful brilliance of the sunflower. 

I invite you to enjoy some time in the coming weeks playing with your own creative response to the sunflower. You may choose to take O'Keeffe's words to heart and slow down for a few minutes to simply hold a sunflower in your hands and absorb its beauty. Or you may take Van Gogh's Kaizen approach and choose a few small steps to take for a sunflower inspired creative piece of our own. 

Of course, you don't need to be a painter to enjoy a little sunflower power in your life. (Check out the suggestions above and below for some ideas to help you begin.)

* You may choose to add a dash of bold gold to your outfit for the day.

* You may write a quick "ode to a sunflower" in haiku form.

* You may doodle a page filled with sunflowers.

* You may be on the look out for sunflowers and notice how often you see them, letting each sighting serve as a fun reminder that creativity comes in all shapes, forms and sometimes in the most unexpected places.

* You may want to download and print this free Van Gogh Sunflowers coloring page or google your own. (There are lots and lots of wonderful free coloring pages to be found on the internet.)

Click here to download your copy to color or paint.

Since releasing my Create the Summer of Your Dreams Kit with a sunflower as its symbol I've been seeing sunflowers everywhere! On my walks, in stores, on the side of the road, in a friend's headband, on billboards, even in my twitter feed in a Huffington Post story about 3D printing. 

If you're pondering purchasing your own copy of Create the Summer of Your Dreams Kit but haven't yet, I invite you to click here to see what some happy customers are saying about their creative experiences playing with this fun do-it-yourself creative e-kit. You can also find all the details about everything that's included and purchase your own copy for just $19.99 right here. 

Until next time, I hope you enjoy your sunflower creations and inspirations whatever they may be and that they bring an added splash of color and creative play to your summer!

Jill

 (Spotted this lone sunflower in someone's front yard and couldn't resist!)

www.creativeoasiscoaching.com

Fun Reviews of Create the Summer of Your Dreams Kit

I've received some fabulous feedback for my Create the Summer of Your Dreams Kit and couldn't wait to share it with you all! I hope this gives you an idea of how my do-it-yourself e-kit can help you dive into a summer filled with creative satisfaction and fun.

Check out this inspiring testimonial by Twyla Smith:

"Without Jill’s Create the Summer of Your Dreams, I would not have taken the time to pause and remember these happy memories. What a great gift of encouragement to celebrate summers past and present. Now that Jill has helped me remember the joys and playfulness of summer, I feel re-energized to create this summer of my dreams and make new memories by: 

 * Taking a train ride to have lunch with a friend
  * Motoring through the Cotswolds English countryside with my niece
 * Enjoying a 4^th of July Breakfast Picnic with my husband
  * Taking photographs of my great nephew and niece in the grass and summer trees 
 *  And so much more!

Thank you, Jill, for your inspiring Create the Summer of Your Dreams Kit

and its playful, no pressure prompts and activities."

~ Twyla Smith 
(http://threeyellowfeathers.typepad.com)

photo by Janet Calhoun

Another happy Create the Summer of Your Dreams Kit customer, Paula Graham, shares a lovely review on her Creativity Buzz blog. Click here for this fun-to-read review which includes a few of Paula's favorite prompts and some ways she's already begun creating a dreamy summer for herself using the 35-page booklet, five interactive fun sheets and creative resource reading guide included in her kit. 

Click here to find all the details of everything included in your DIY Create the Summer of Your Dreams Kit for just $19.99.

Here's to creating a summer filled with the experiences you long to enjoy!

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

Jill
www.creativeoasiscoaching.com

A Day Without Sunshine is Like...

Or cloudy…or overcast…or rainy.

But let's go with Mr. Martin's take for the moment. It makes me giggle.

And though I'm pretty sure that humor was his main intent, his words offer a great example of a technique I love to share with my creative coaching clients called reframing. 

When we "reframe" we look at a situation from a different perspective, shedding new light (or in this case, absence of light) on it.

For example: someone who recently purchased of copy of my Create the Summer of Your Dreams Kit sent an email to let me know a few random letter characters weren't showing up in the e-booklet and interactive sheets. (Turned out it was an issue with the pdf reader he was using and easily fixed by opening with adobe instead.) In the meantime he came up with a brilliant reframe saying, "No worries. It's like a bonus 'fill-in-the blanks' activity has been added to my kit!" How fun is that?

Here are a few more reframe examples:

 "I have to finish this photo album for my daughter's birthday," shifts to

"I get to create a special gift my daughter will treasure forever."

(Can you feel the difference?)

 "I don't have time to open that watercolor kit I bought," becomes 

"If I play with my watercolors for just 10 minutes, that's less than 1% of my entire day." 

(Sometimes good old logic does the trick!)

"No one will ever read this story I'm writing, so why bother?" transforms into

 "I love writing so it's time well spent no matter who else reads it."

(Creativity for the sake of the pleasure and satisfaction it brings is good for your mind, body and spirit.)

How might you use reframing to help you make more time and space to enjoy Creative Oasis moments in your life? (Those creative endeavors that make your heart sing and time fly!)

I'd love to hear your reframe ideas in the comments below.

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

Jill

p.s. Did you know that summer just officially began last Saturday? So there's still a season full of summer days and nights to fill with creative fun and satisfaction. Click here if you're curious about how my Create the Summer of Your Dreams Kit can help you do just that! 

Shine a Light on Your Sunflower Power!

Want to tap into a feeling of more 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 simply 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.  

If you like, 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!

Click here for free printable – Sunflower Power Reminders

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

Take a look at all of the easy, breezy do-it-yourself creative fun that's included in each kit right here!

You can also quickly and easily purchase your kit now

for just $19.99 by clicking the "Add to Cart" button below.

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

Jill

Jill Allison Bryan

www.creativeoasiscoaching.com

Say "Fun Summer Sunflower Printable Fun" 5x Fast

Clearly Henry James held a special affinity for the summer afternoon. Had he lived through a typical blistering Texas summer he may not have waxed so poetically. (If you've ever slogged your way through two or three weeks of triple digit temps you know what I mean.)

Heat waves not withstanding, I do have wonderful memories of the summers of my youth, even those spent in the sticky Texas heat. Summer has a special place in my heart for the promise it holds...whether or not that promise is always kept.

The promise of a day spent lounging in a pool…of savoring the year's best tomatoes straight off the vine…of reading a stack of good books…of slicing into the perfect watermelon…of fantastic firework displays…of making homemade ice cream, taking road trips and naps and more…

Sadly, as card carrying grown-ups, all too often we find our youthful dreams of summer remain just that…dreams. Especially our Creative Oasis dreams...our Creative Oasis being anything that makes our heart sing and time fly from painting to writing to reading to gardening to baking…you get the idea, right?

To help you make at least a few of your Creative Oasis dreams come true this summer, I've created this special do–it–yourself kit: 

Create the Summer of Your Dreams – A Do-It-Yourself Creative Oasis Kit to help you dive into a summer filled with creative satisfaction and fun! 

(Click here for all the sweet details and to order your copy!) 

You can also quickly and easily purchase your kit now

for just $19.99 by clicking the "Add to Cart" button below.

Want a free taste of some sweet summertime creative play? 

Then break out your colored pens, pencils or crayons and click here to download your "Free Fun Summer Sunflower Printable" (for added fun try saying that 5 times fast) and enjoy a few minutes of pure summertime fun. (Hint: printing on card stock or matte photo paper is a great option if you'd like to play with watercolors or markers.)

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

Jill

Jill Allison Bryan
www.creativeoasiscoaching.com

"Create the Summer of Your Dreams Kit" is ready and waiting for you!

Woo-hoo! I'm so happy to let you know that my Create the Summer of Your Dreams™ kit is ready and waiting for you today! I've been writing, crafting and creating this fun do-it-yourself Creative Oasis Kit for weeks and it feels great to finally be able to share it with you – just in time for summer! 

 Create the Summer of Your Dreams is for you if:

*You’d love to experience the joy and fun of creative fulfillment this summer                                        * You have lots of creative ideas but your never-ending to-do lists and other people’s stuff seem to take up all your time

* You crave relaxed creative “me” time – like you enjoyed when you were a kid

* You’re worried that summer will come and go before you have the chance to dive into even one Creative Oasis moment (As a reminder - your Creative Oasis is anything that makes your heart sing and time fly!)

* You feel blocked by procrastination and perfectionism 

* You have a tough time giving yourself permission to enjoy your creative passions

With your Create the Summer of Your Dreams kit you’ll enjoy:

* Permission to enjoy Creative Oasis time this summer – that’s time doing the things that make your heart sing and time fly!

* Printable fun sheets with step-by-step exercises to help you decide which summertime creative experiences you crave the most 

* Easy, low-pressure ways to dive right into your own Creative Oasis moments

* Enlightening creative prompts, activities and reading suggestions to help you easily and intuitively create the summer of your dreams 

 You can purchase your kit for today just 

$19.99

The Create the Summer of Your Dreams kit includes:

#1 – 35-page how-to booklet featuring
step-by-step guidance and compassionate support

        

#2 – Five creative fun sheets including:  

* Summer Permission Slip

* Summer Dreamin' Quick List

* Oasis Treasure Map

* Instant Oasis Ideas

* Oasis Journey Options

         

          #3 – A Creative Reading Resource Guide featuring five of my all-time favorite creative books

You can purchase and receive your Create the Summer of Your Dreams kit immediately for just  $19.99 using Paypal by clicking the "Add to Cart" button below:



Or you can receive a complimentary kit as a gift with your purchase of a 4-session one-on-one 
Creative Oasis Coaching package between June 1 and August 1, 2014. 
(Click here for more info on all of my coaching packages.) 

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