Have You Seen Katharine Hepburn Skateboard?

Oh how I love this Katharine Hepburn quote! 

It paired nicely with this photo of her skateboarding the first time I saw it. 

This image, not surprisingly, led me down a bit of a google rabbit hole as I looked for other examples of the indomitable Hepburn doing things that clearly pleased her. They were easy to find. 

Hepburn wearing pants at at time most women wore skirts and dresses. 

Hepburn riding a horse.

Hepburn making movies with Spencer Tracey. 

Hepburn playing golf.

Hepburn standing on Cary Grant's shoulders.

Of course, Katharine Hepburn did have a bit of a reputation for being a stubborn and selfish. But, it seems she was more than okay with the trade-off of that reputation for actually living the life she desired. Isn't that why she's such a beloved icon? 

Here's the thing, I believe we do creative self-care a major injustice when we label it (or let others in our lives label it) as selfish! And yet that's what I hear from my clients time and again. 

So many people are vying for their time. They feel selfish when they take time to enjoy their Creative Oasis ~ those creative experiences that energize and delight them.

They need the gentle reminder (just like I do and I'm guessing you do too) that saying yes to ourselves, to the creative experiences that please us, enrich our lives and make us more pleasant human beings, sometimes (make that often) means saying "No" to others. 

Does this thought of saying no to others make you start to hyperventilate just a wee bit? 

If so, this Creative Oasis Challenge is for you! (And I'll join you, I promise!) Practice saying "No" to someone or something that will open up a bit of Creative Oasis time for you this week. Need some examples? 

* No. I can't drive you to the mall right now. I'm practicing my ukulele. 

* No. I won't be able to sit on the committee again this spring. I'm taking a writing class.

* No. I can't meet for coffee today. I'm finally planting my garden. 

Another way you can say "No" to free up Creative Oasis time is to say "No" to yourself. 

* No. I won't check my email and Facebook page every fifteen minutes. 

* No. I won't binge watch "Orange is the New Black" tonight. 

*No. I won't go shop at Target to "pick up a few things." (Funny how that trip to buy the paper towels that are on sale can turn into a cart full of bath beads, summer shirts and a vase you didn't know you needed!)

Here's to practicing saying "No" to the things that keep you from your Creative Oasis and saying "Yes" to giving yourself permission to spend a bit more time with the creative experiences that make your heart sing and time fly! 

You certainly can't please all of the people all of the time. Why not take a cue from Hepburn and spend more time with what pleases you? 

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 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.

5 Ways to Add Your Creative Color to Your Life!

For the background of this Mid-Week Oasis Moment I used a photograph I took in the Chalkboard Room exhibit at the Centre Pompidou on my recent trip to Paris.

The exhibit invites you to step into a room with green chalkboard walls on all four sides, pick up a piece of colored chalk and add your own words or doodles or both.

The result is an exhibit in which you're enveloped by an impressionistic, modern work of art created by people from around the world including yourself. Wow! What a beautiful experience! 

I loved how the chalkboard exhibit felt so welcoming and made it so easy for people to put their own colorful creative mark on the ever-changing piece.

What was it about the experience made it feel so special and wonderful? Here's what I've concluded:

#1 ~ I was completely surrounded by color.  The blending of all of the colored chalk used over time created a beautiful collage of soft color on each wall. I love color, so for me it made for a very inspiring atmosphere.

#2 ~ I was part of a greater good. Because hundreds or more likely thousands of people had added their marks before me it felt good to join in and add my own colorful wishes for the world to theirs.

#3 ~ I was instantly creative. It was easy to jump right in, pick up a piece of chalk and write. The simplicity of the creative act allowed me to be instantly creative without overthinking the results. I spent less than two minutes in the room but I imagine I'll remember the experience for the rest of my life.

#4 ~ I was given permission. Here it is again ~ permission. The instructions to the exhibit gave me instant permission to contribute my creativity to the piece. Think about it. I would never dream of walking up to a piece of art in a museum and adding a splash of paint because I thought it would enhance the piece. But, in this instance, I had permission and as you've heard me say a hundred times, giving yourself permission to be creative is the first small step!

#5 ~ I was enchanted and inspired by something so simple and new. I've never witnessed or been a part of something quite like the chalkboard room exhibit. Immediately I began thinking of ways to recreate the experience on a smaller scale back home in my classes and workshops.

I invite you to use the following creative prompts inspired my experience in the chalk room to have some creative fun of your own in the coming week:

# 1 ~ What's a creative experience in which I can surround myself with color?
# 2 ~ What's a creative experience that will help me be part of a greater good?
# 3 ~ What's a creative experience that will allow me to be instantly and easily creative?
# 4 ~ How will I give myself permission to enjoy a creative experience?
# 5 ~ What's a simple and new creative experience I can try?

Click here to download your complimentary printable version of these prompts. 

If you choose to play with these prompts, I'd love to hear about your creative experiences! Please feel free to share in the comments below.

Here's to being brave and sharing your creative colors with the world! The world could use more colorful creative energy, don't you think?

Until next time, all the best from my colorful 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.

Building Creative Confidence ~ April 18, 2015

"Jill's workshop gave me permission to take time for myself and 

not feel guilty about it. It inspired me and got me going!" 

~ Sherry Houpt, Creative Oasis Coaching class participant

My passion is to help people give themselves permission to make the time and space in their busy lives for creative fun and fulfillment. You can imagine how thrilled I was to read the above quote from a satisfied student in a Dallas Morning News article. 

The article by Jamie Knodel went on to share: "For years Sherry Houpt, a Dallas artist, put aside her projects and art while she focused on her kids and art projects for her students at Shelton School. But creative coaching classes helped her reclaim time and energy for her own pursuits. She's since been in multiple exhibits and joined a collective of women artists."

Houpt also said that Jill's creative classes reminded her of lessons that she's been teaching students for more than 28 years: 

Creativity is a gift that should be used. 

Don't be too hard on yourself. 

And, put a priority on your own creativity.

I couldn't have said it better myself! And remember, you don't have to be an artist to be creative!

In my book your Creative Oasis can be so much more that art, music, writing or other traditional artistic outlets. It's any activity or experience that makes your heart sing and time fly. 

It could be gardening, cooking, yoga, dance, entertaining, comedy, reading, scrapbooking...you name it. Whatever puts you in that lovely creative "freedom zone" where you're fully engaged in the joy of the process...that's your Creative Oasis and I'm delighted to help you weave those experiences into your life on a daily basis! 

I hope you'll join me for my upcoming workshop, Building Creative Confidence, where I'll introduce you to some simple and effective ways to move past blocks like procrastination, perfectionism and overwhelm and into the flow of creative momentum! 

What:

Building Creative Confidence Workshop

When:

Saturday, April 18, 2015

1 to 5 pm

Where: 



Creative Arts Center of Dallas
2360 Laughlin Dr. 
Dallas, TX  75228

Cost:
$65 for CAC members
$95 for non-members
plus $10 material fee

*Note: This workshop is limited to 10 participants with
pre-registration required.To register call the Creative Arts
Center of Dallas at 214-320-1275 or visit their website at www.creativeartscenter.org

“I absolutely loved Jill’s workshop.  I learned how important it is to start with small steps. I’m more mindful and aware of new ways to acknowledge and incorporate creativity in my everyday activities. I'm inspired to give myself permission to get the crafty stuff out and use it.  It was like a massage for my mind! Thank you!”  ~ Denise R.

My Big (1,063-foot) Excuse for Dropping the Ball.

While visiting Paris last week (including a trip to the 1,063-ft. Eiffel Tower) I missed sharing a Mid-Week Oasis Moment with you for the first time in two years. I hope you'll forgive me. (Though I can't think of a better or at least more fun excuse, can you?) 

You've heard me talk about "exposure" before...the idea that by spending time with people, places and experiences outside of your normal day-to-day life you can fill your own creative well with fresh, inspiring stimuli.

Well, in my book, travel is the quintessential, king-daddy of exposure possibilities. 

When you immerse yourself in an unfamiliar environment filled with new-to-you culture, character and customs creative inspiration is one of the happy results.

During our week in Paris I found inspiration everywhere I turned. From the museums to the cathedrals to the architecture to the people to the language to the food and drink and even the general pace of life in the beautiful city energized and delighted me.

My creative spirit felt as if it were being rehydrated...a thirst-quenching glass of water on a warm spring day.

I'm sure I'll be processing the "exposure" of my trip for weeks to come and that my photos, observations and inspirations will find their way into more Mid-Week Oasis Moments in the days ahead. 

To help myself hold onto the effervescent feeling of life in Paris now that I'm home, I've used another creative coaching technique: acting "as if." 

For example, yesterday I made myself this lovely lunch to enjoy outside on my patio "as if" I were dining at a sidewalk bistro again. (Two important ingredients missing from most of my real Parisian cafes meals...bread and wine!) 

Nevertheless it was a fun way to recapture the spirit of the many lovely cafe experiences of our trip. I was even able to convince myself that the leaf blower that started up was merely the sound of Vespas cruising down a cobblestone street nearby.  

I invite you to think of ways you might use "exposure" and "acting as if" on your creative journey this week. 

You don't need to travel across the globe to find wonderful exposure opportunities. You can find plenty in your own city...museums, restaurants, parks...and even right in your own home...books...movies...magazines to name a few.

Until next time, all the best from my slightly jet-lagged, but very happy 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.

Off To Paris With All My Heart!

Paris...City of Light...City of Love...place I'll go with all my heart (and my husband and daughter) this weekend to make a lifelong dream come true. 

But I'll be honest, along with the joy and excitement of my impending trip comes the shadow of overwhelm and worry. 

Thoughts like, "You're not packed yet!" and "You haven't stopped the mail or the paper yet!" and "You still need to pick up your euros from the bank!" and "You don't speak French!" jump around my mind like young, unattended children given espressos and free kittens. 

Once again I get to use the Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching methods I love so well to talk myself off the ledge.  Here are five I've used today alone as I prepare for my upcoming trip! How they might help you on your creative journey?

1. Quick Lists ~ Nothing helps calm me down faster than taking the whirlwind of thoughts twirling around my mind and writing them all down as quickly as possible in a list! (I visualize my overwhelming thoughts like the twister in the Wizard of Oz that Dorothy imagines after she's hit on the head.) Once I've written everything down and moved it from my mind to the page I can see it and instantly feel I have more control over the situation. 

2. Asking Compassionate Questions ~ What can I let go? What can I delegate? How can I make this more fun? How can I make this less stressful? Etc... Asking myself these kinds of questions helps me take action from a place of compassion rather than panic. 

3. Small Steps ~ "Pack" may seem like a small step, but I can actually break it down into eight smaller steps: check the weather in Paris next week...choose outfits...choose shoes...choose accessories...choose books...fold clothes...bring out suitcases...pack suitcases. This lowers the stress and makes packing easier. 

And going back to small questions if I ask "How can I make packing more fun?" I could listen to a podcast about Paris travel...I could light a candle...I could enjoy a cup of warm tea or a glass of wine while I pack. 

4. Mindsculpting ~ By taking a moment to close my eyes, take a nice deep breath and visualize myself snuggled on the airplane between my daughter and husband, reading a good book, enjoy a glass of wine and leaving behind my day-to-day schedule and worries as I fly across the ocean to one of what I believe will be my favorite cities in the world!

5. Credit Check ~ When I step back and take look at those scattered thoughts I shared above and think about what I've really done so far I realize though I haven't packed, I have everything I need. I've also added stop mail and paper to my list. I've ordered our euros and can pick them up from the bank today. And though I'm certainly not bilingual, I've been playing around with DuoLingo and learning a few French phrases for several weeks now...certainly enough to be polite and attempt to speak in the native language while ordering my croissants and cheese! 

Many of us tend to focus on what we haven't accomplished. That's human nature. Taking a minute to do a credit check (really a reality check) helps me release my freak out and feel much better about my situation. 

By using these same methods I use in my creative coaching, classes and workshops I'm already feeling much more peaceful about my trip. It's really amazing how quickly and how well these methods work! 

Do you feel overwhelmed when it comes to your creative dreams and desires? If so, I invite you to play with these creative coaching methods for yourself. I can tell you from personal experience (and the feedback of my happy one-on-one coaching clients) they work wonders! 

Well, that's all for now. I get to run to the bank to pick up my euros. 

Now I'm really ready to go to Paris with all my heart! 

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.