Revoking My Martyrs-R-Us Membership

I’ll admit that though I try my best to practice what I preach through Creative Oasis Coaching, at times I fall short. Routinely rewarding myself for a job well done is a perfect example. (Feel free to substitute the word creativity, writing, gardening, crafting or whatever you consider your personal Creative Oasis for the word art in the quote above!)

Even though I know what a good idea it is to “treat yo self” (for all you Parks & Rec fans out there) after making headway on a project or crossing something off your to-do list, I often zip right passed this important step and onto the next big thing.

Luckily, last week the stars aligned and I revoked my membership to “Martyrs-R-Us*.” You know, the club where we put off anything mildly enjoyable because we must muddle through with our never-ending have-to-do list! Raise your hand if you’ve ever been a member.

Instead, I enjoyed several wonderfully nurturing experiences as well-deserved rewards to celebrate my one-year anniversary of Mid-Week OasisMoments. 

(Click here to learn how you too can celebrate by joining me for myfree teleclass “Creativity Cubed” on March 19th!)

I treated myself to:

* a fun two-hour catch-up lunch with a dear friend I hadn’t seen in ages

* a transcendent Abhyanga (Ayurvedic full body treatment) with Sweet Ojas

* a fabulous organizing session in my master closet with Make My Life Simplified

* and a full service and car detailing

All of which left me feeling lighter, healthier, happier and filled with renewed energy to get back to my passion of helping people make the time and space in their life for creative fulfillment and fun!

I share this with you as a reminder that though we often feel like taking time for self-care is taking time away from the things we should be doing, the truth is, our productivity, health and happiness (in body, mind and spirit) increases greatly when we nurture ourselves.

* You’ll find lots of wonderful reasons to practice good self-care and revoke your membership to the Martyrs-R-Us club in the Muse Song chapter of The Nine Modern Day Muses and a Bodyguard by Jill Badonsky. For example:

“Stockpiles of guilt, and the fear of being selfish, may prevent you from operating at your full potential because you underestimate the effect that being good to yourself has on others. Taking care of yourself can awaken your higher self. This process has an almost magical quality to it because one of its foundations is the nurturing of our artist’s child. When nurtured, we return the favor with grand displays of creativity.”

(Is it any wonder that she helped me totally transform my life by introducing me to the amazing methods of Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching?!)

How might you give yourself permission to enjoy a little (or not so little) reward in the coming week?

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

* Enjoy 10 minutes coloring in a mandala

* Eat lunch outside on your patio 

* Sign up for a creative class or workshop

* Get a chair massage at Whole Foods

* Read a magazine during the day (gasp!)

* Dive in to some guilt-free craft time

* Try a new restaurant for dinner

* Take a nature walk with your camera

* Make a handmade card for a friend

* Write a letter and send it through snail mail

and this small, but oh so delightful reward I just gave myself for writing this Mid-Week Oasis Moment:

* one piece of Adora dark chocolate calcium followed by a ten minute catnap in the sun on my back patio

I guarantee as good as that sounds, it felt even better! 
(Note to self - this is your new favorite small reward!)

What sounds like a good self-care reward to you? I’d love to hear your ideas and better yet how you feel after you’ve given yourself permission to enjoy them!

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

Jill

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 e-booklet 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!

Mid-Week Oasis Moment – Say Thanks to a Teacher

For this Mid-week Oasis Moment, I was inspired by the 

The Awe-manac – A Daily Dose of Wonder by Jill Badonsky. 

(From the page for February 27th)

Written in the style of a Farmer's Almanac, each day of the Awe-manac offers Soul Vitamins (quotes), Awe-servances (Birthday shout outs to inspiring peeps through the ages), Aha-phrodisiacs (fun ways to turn on your creativity), Doses of Mirth (funny stuff), Journal Juju (creative prompts) and more.

I love that I can flip open the Awe-manac on any day of the year and find a little creative inspiration. Today I happened upon the image above in black and white and decided to have a little fun creating a colorful toast of thanks to Jill Badonsky, since she's been one of my great teachers. I'll also share today's Journal Juju with you.

"Make a list of teachers or other people who have 

had an influence on you and beside their name 

write a word of two of how they inspired or helped you."

In my case I would write, "My teacher, Jill Badonsky, inspired me by introducing me to the world of Kaizen-Muse® Creativity Coaching, helping me get out of my own way and back to music, writing and discovering a wholly unexpected new career as a creativity coach and teacher myself. Thanks, Jill!

Jill Badonsky and me at a reading for her latest book
The Muse Is In: An Owner's Manual to Your Creativity in Austin, Texas

Cheers to all of the wonderful teachers we've had throughout our lives! 

What's one small way you might honor a teacher who has had a positive impact on your life?

(Hint - it doesn't have to be hard - even remembering them with a smile would be nice, wouldn't it?)

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!

Ready to Rev Up Your Creativity? An interview with Jill Badonsky, author of The Muse Is In: An Owner's Manual to Your Creativity

If like so many of us you need a little help revving up your creativity from time to time you'll want to check out the latest book by Jill Badonsky, The Muse Is In: An Owner's Manual to Your Creativity.

Jill Badonsky

Jill is the founder of Kaizen-Muse® Creativity Coaching and author of three books essential to any creative library including The Nine Modern Day Muses and a Bodyguard, The Awe-manac - A Daily Dose of Wonder and her brand new book, The Muse Is In: An Owner's Manual to Your Creativity. (She also happens to be my mentor, former creativity coach and friend.)

As I shared last week, there are at least five reasons (actually there are hundreds!) that I'm thrilled about the arrival of her new book.  Today I'm happy to share an interview I did with Jill about her latest gift to the global creative community. Hopefully it will give you some insight into her always inspiring, never boring, nine-times-out-of-ten hilarious take on our creative process, how to rev it up and keep it running smoothly. But first - check out one of her whimsical illustrations of a creative mind. Yep, that's right. She not only writes, she also fills her books with her own original artwork!

Creative Oasis (CO): Where do you come up with this stuff? I'm actually being serious. I have all of your books, am trained in the creative coaching method that you created and have been lucky enough to have you has my own creativity coach once upon a time. I am continually amazed at the stuff you come up with, as you say in this new book, to help get people's creativity working like "a well-oiled machine." Where do you come up with your unique ideas and methods for this?

Jill Badonsky (JB): I don’t know. Ideas are just THERE. I just assumed everyone has this accessory of ingenuity. I’m as perplexed about it as you are.

Maybe I’m wired into some plane of existence that feeds off-beat humor to willing and daffy recipients. Luckily I receive stuff that is actually useful as well. 

Part of it I think is valuing humor and novelty so much that I surround and expose myself to it constantly. That predisposes me to come up with stuff.  Thanks for the great compliment!

But, ya know, Jill, from my observations over the years I’ve noticed that YOU have a lot of creative ideas too, so there.

CO: What are one or two of your personal favorite tools that you use to when you feel stuck creatively?

JB:  Often I’m stuck because I’ve been working too hard so I simply need a break. Taking walks with small question and getting out of the house to a café helps.

Also free-associating. Just fluidly brainstorming usually taking something already in existence and thinking of what else it could be, what it sounds like, what about it is funny, or what else it could bring to mind. My first book I started with the nine muses, the second one with The Old Farmer’s Almanac, and this latest one I started with an owner’s manual for a car. Starting with a structure just makes it easier.

CO: What do you say to those people who swear up and down "I'm not creative!"?

JB: This question is one of the reasons I wrote the book. I feel strongly that everyone is creative, in all different ways.  But mostly I don’t say anything unless they ask for help because advice-giving doesn’t usually work. There are four pages that address this in the book. Here is part of one of them:

Some people think we are either born with creativity or we’re not.

Many people are indeed born with an innate talent.  When they cultivate that talent through many, many hours of practice, amazing works of art, literature, music, what-have-you are brought into existence.  But really, do you need to BE that person in order to discover the bliss, benefits, and rewards of creativity? No.

You can develop skill with practice, but the process is what makes life more wonderful.  Talented people are not necessarily happy;  the ones who are also happy, know how to create joy within themselves. 

Passion, curiosity, healing, need, problem-solving, angst, joy, amusement, reckless abandon - these are ALSO drives that result in creativity.  Everyone has the ability to be creative in these ways.  Everyone gets to be creative.

CO: I'm guilty of sometimes buying books on creativity (or other subjects) and then not reading them. Any tips for ways people who are intrigued by your books and buy them to actually make the time to read them? 

JB: Keep them in the bathroom.

CO: Thanks, Jill...for the interview...for the books...and, of course, for having the mind and heart that continue to generate creativity-instigating goodness for all of us!

Note the devilish creative twinkle in our eyes

Be sure to leave your questions and comments for Jill below. If we receive at least ten questions and/or comments she has generously offered to have a drawing for a free copy of her new book for one of you lucky readers to win. We'd love to hear from you!

Until next time, all the best from my creative oasis to yours,
Jill

5 Reasons I'm Thrilled About This New Book About Creativity

#1 – The Muse Is In: An Owner's Manual to Your Creativity is the third book to grace our planet by the out-of-this-world imagination of Jill Badonsky. (my mentor, friend, creativity coach, founder of Kaizen-Muse® Creativity Coaching and author) Her previous books include the life-transforming The Nine Modern Day Muses and a Body Guard and The Awe-manac - A Daily Dose of Wonder – essential reading for any creative type out there - but especially ones who need a reminder that creativity is important, who are plagued by inner critic voices in their heads, who are prone to procrastination or perfectionism or...wait a minute...that's 99% of creative types, isn't it? These books were written for us!

#2 – It's a user friendly owner's manual for your creativity! Like The Awe-manac, The Muse Is In is a book you don't have need to read from front to back. You can pick it up on any day of the year and digest a few creative nuggets of inspiration and encouragement. It's filled with interesting tidbits, thought-provoking quotes and fun creative prompts to set you on your way to enjoy your own creative process.

#3 – On the December 16th page (which happens to be my birthday), you'll find a quote about creativity there by yours truly, Jill Allison Bryan. How cool is that?

#4 – On the Thank You page, Jill was kind enough to include me and my fellow Master Kaizen-Muse® Creativity Coaches as well as lots of other really cool and special people who I am honored, surprised and tickled pink to be grouped with.

#5 – Next week, January 23rd, Jill has agreed to stop by here and share some tidbits about her fabulous new release - The Muse Is In: An Owner's Manual to Your Creativity. If ten or more of you leave your comments and questions for her here on my Creative Oasis blog, we'll do a drawing and one of you will win a copy of her new book. (she's cool that way)

I'm off to dive into the pages of what I can safely say is the only owner's manual in my life that I've ever actually looked forward to reading!

Hope to see you back here next week - January 23rd as Jill Badonsky's blog tour stops in for a visit.

Til then, all the best from my creative oasis to yours,
Jill

The Great Toilet Paper Roll Creative Challenge

I think we all have one or two of these around the house.

Last week I sent an impromptu email to my “Living the Creative Life” class with the subject line “The Great Toilet Paper Roll Creative Challenge.” What does a creativity coach with no particular agenda on a lazy, rainy Saturday afternoon do for fun? She dreams up a creative prompt using empty toilet paper rolls.

So, I'm a slightly compulsive about recycling, (hmmm…“slightly compulsive” is an oxymoron, isn't it?) and as I tossed another toilet paper roll into the recycling bin that day I thought “What if I used this ubiquitous household item as a creative prompt?” (BTW – asking ourselves "what if" is a fabulous way to mine creative gold!) I'd made some cute little owls for my daughter several months earlier that I’d seen on The Hidden List. She in turn had recently created something on her own she dubbed “The Little Roll of Happiness” and left it on my desk as a surprise. As you turn the roll the messages say: I love you! You are amazing! You are beautiful! Best mom ever! Best wife ever! You are you! (Still get vklempt whenever I read it.)

So, inspired by these fun little projects, here is the optional creative challenge I offered up to my class:

“Sometime before we meet this week, what if you created something with an empty toilet paper roll?  You can use one roll or fifty. (though I doubt you have 50 spare used toilet paper rolls handy) You can create the project all on your own or you can look for something fun on the internet. You might collage it, or paint it, or write a poem to it or about it. There are no rules other than to have fun with it!”

Everyone chose to participate, although some admitted that at first they weren’t going to, either because they didn’t think they had the time or couldn’t imagine what they would do or thought it was a little silly. But, in the end everyone came up with a wonderfully creative idea of their own and completed their creations in a short amount of time.

Funky Necklace

One person shared that though she was excited to create something at first she soon felt stuck. She found herself worrying about whether or not she would make something “good enough” (does this sound familiar to anyone?) and it totally shut her down. Then, as she sat holding her empty toilet paper roll she saw the humor in it. “Why am I freaking out over making something out of a used toilet paper roll?” And she decided to lower her expectations. (The super cool serendipity here is that lowering expectations was a Kaizen-Muse® Creativity Coaching tool I'd already planned on sharing that week!)

She gave herself permission to create the ugliest thing ever and that released the pressure she was feeling and helped her begin. She allowed herself to have fun. She combined her love of color and textures with the belief that anything can be turned into a necklace and ouila! Before she knew it she had created something very cool in a very short amount of time and had a lot of fun doing it. (and, as it turns out…she may end up using this as a template for some other real necklaces – yay!)

The Guardian Angel of Toilet Paper

Another wonderful creation was The Guardian Angel of Toilet Paper. She watches over your bathroom to make sure your holder is always ready with a full roll with the paper faced in your preferred direction! The wings were crafted from the used roll, flattened and covered with glitter and Modge Podge. Then the angel herself was made from actual toilet paper. (we all agreed there may be a market for this beauty, so consider her copyrighted!)

Planter and beautiful reminder

This tiny planter holds a bit of soil and some lemon balm seeds. The lovely reminder reads, "When I tend to my garden my creative spirit soars!" This was one of the wonderful creations that nearly didn't get made. (not enough time...don't know what to do....ect....) And then, when the idea came to her, she created the entire project from start to finish in less than ten minutes and admits it made her very happy to do so. When the seeds begin to sprout, she's going to plant them outside as a living reminder for herself. (I told you - these are amazing!)

Toilet Paper Butterfly of Transformation

This sweet butterfly was inspired with a discussion of the butterfly as a symbol of transformation in a previous class. Again...a fun creative project, created in a very short time which gave a large amount of satisfaction to the creator and to the entire group.

In a beautiful bit of serendipity, Jill Badonsky, founder of Kaizen–Muse® Creativity Coaching recently shared this fun list of creative modalities:

Though toilet paper rolls are not on the list, I feel sure she would applaud their addition!
So there you have it. Further proof that it doesn't take huge amounts of time or baskets of expensive materials, or even a particularly serious idea to enjoy some wonderful soul-nurturing creative satisfaction! If you're up for The Great Toilet Paper Challenge I'd love to see your creations. Please send a photo to me at creativeoasiscoach@me.com! 
Until next time, all the best from my creative oasis to yours,
Jill
www.creativeoasiscoaching.com

High Octane Serendipity & Napping! Creative Oasis™ Permission to Pause Manifesto Part Two

Welcome to my 

Creative Oasis™ Permission to Pause Manifesto (Part Two) 

in which I continue to receive rather in-my-face messages from the universe in the form of high-octane serendipity that 

taking the time to do nothing is something we all need to be doing! 

(If you missed it - you can read Part One here.)

A reflective sunrise pause beautifully shared by Twyla Smith.

When last we met, I was cocooned in the restorative energy of Ten Thousand Waves. As synchronicity would have it, a coaching client of mine, Twyla Smith, happened to be in Santa Fe that same weekend. She suggested we meet for lunch on the patio of The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum Café, which was lovely. Things turned interesting when Twyla introduced us to her friend Pat Webb. Why? Well… Pat happens to be one of the founders of The Silence Foundation. Here is their mission:

“To practice and teach silence. 

Through the creative use of silence we aim to 

gently guide individuals into new lifestyle choices…

choices that reduce the stress, allow reflection, 

broaden vision, and provide tools for positive change, 

especially in times of transition.”

Ah-ha! Another blatant and beautiful reminder that it’s a good thing to practice not filling every waking moment with doing. (talking, reading, writing, eating, shopping, watching media, worrying, planning, etc…) Here was an entire foundation devoted to it!

Santuario de Chimayo by Jill Allison Bryan

After a leisurely drive on the beautiful back-roads from Santa Fe to Chimayo to Taos, we reached our next destination – the Mabel Dodge Luhan House for a creativity retreat held by Jill Badonsky. (author, founder of Kaizen–Muse® Creativity Coaching, my mentor and friend)

The Jills

Doug and I arrived in time to enjoy the first of many delicious meals, meet the other attendees and receive a card that Badonsky had randomly chosen for each of us from Roger von Oech’s Creative Whack Pack.

When I flipped over my card to read and share with the group, I felt as if the universe had slapped me upside the head! “Are you getting the message yet?!?!” For on it was an illustration of a woman’s face which looked eerily like my own sitting on a rocking chair with the title “Pause for a Bit” across the top.  Hello.

Check out the text!

Poet Doug King on the value of incubating: 

“Learn to Pause…or nothing worthwhile will catch up to you.” Allow the Muse to whisper in your ear. What problem are you working on that would benefit from a pause?”

Okey–dokey then. Message received…loud and clear. I would definitely be spending some more time playing with this idea of pause. The week-long retreat dedicated to sparking creativity (and encouraging nap-taking) would be the ideal setting to do just that. But wait…it gets better.

Just in case I wasn’t 100% certain that the whole concept of  “pausing” was something that deserved my exploration, after Doug and I ambled back to our casita I decided to do a quick e-mail check before unpacking. That’s when I received a message from my friend, Bob Munro of Sacred Pause (his beautiful business which shares his serene, inspiring photographic images from around the world.) He asked if I would like to contribute a little something during the coming week to his facebook page focused on the idea of…you guessed it…PAUSE. Pardon my French…but what the…..?!?!?!?! This was some high-octane serendipity! (my favorite kind)  

So between quiet morning runs in the sunrise solitude of Taos, gourmet meals at Mabel’s, convening with other creative spirits on retreat and rejuvenating afternoon naps, I pondered the importance of “pausing” and The Creative Oasis ™ Permission to Pause Manifesto was born.

Gertrude Stein by Andy Warhol.

Gertrude Stein, one of the greatest creative instigators and supporters of all time in my humble opinion, nailed it when she said,

“It takes a lot of time to be a genius. 

You have to sit around a lot doing nothing…really nothing.”

I’ve always loved that quote and upon further inspection and reflection I know why. This is a message we receive far too infrequently in our face-paced, do-more-faster-better-now society.

We hold those whose schedules are so jam-packed they barely have time to sleep or eat in high esteem. We equate busyness with importance. As a nation we take less vacation days than any other and often don’t even use all we’ve earned. Or we plan vacations so chock full of experiences that we come home feeling more exhausted than the day we left.

So here’s a question to consider. 

If we’re always so busy doing, making, talking, 

watching, reading, planning, moving – 

when do we have time to experience 

the peace of simply being…

to let new creative thoughts bubble to the surface? 

(Perhaps this is why so many wonderful ideas come to us in the shower…it’s one of the very few times and places when we’re not multi-tasking. God help us all if they ever invent water-proof cell phones!)

My morning meditation (which I’ve been practicing for six or seven years now) has become a sacred time that I look forward to every day. The mornings when I don’t allow myself the time to meditate, rolling out of bed and barreling into my day like a freight train, the difference is palatable and not pretty. (Think Wylie Coyote falling off a cliff, being blown up or run over by said train in his futile attempts to catch the Road Runner.) 

But, when I allow myself even five or ten minutes to sit in silence and breathe, I feel centered, in touch with myself and balanced – a preferable way to start off the day in my book.

My next step will be to look for new ways to create time and space in my life for “pausing” in addition to my morning meditation. Yet, as intrigued and excited by this notion as I am, I’m guessing it will be a challenge. The idea of taking the time to “just be” flies in the face of society’s norms and a lifetime of conditioning that busy is better.

Luckily I have the techniques of Kaizen-Muse® Creativity Coaching to help me – in this case using small steps and lowering pressure for myself, knowing that it’s okay if I’m not perfect at this “sacred pause” stuff right off the bate because it’s pretty new and foreign to me.

What about you? Are you willing to give it a go? I’d love to hear your desired method of “pausing.”  Do you have one? Do you wish you did? Can you see the benefits of allowing time and space in our busy lives to simply be?

Perhaps we can support each other as we venture into this new exotic landscape where sitting and staring out the window at the trees blowing in the breeze is considered time well spent. In fact, that’s what I’m about to do right now…a little bit of nothing. Care to join me?

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!

Ready, Fire, Aim! CD Release Fundraiser – Let’s Do This Thing!

“Only those who risk going too far know how far they can go.” – T.S. Eliot, poet, playwright.

Okay, so I’ve never held a combination CD release-silent auction-fund raiser before. In the wise words of my creative mentor, Jill Badonsky, “So what? I’ll do it anyway!”

In Badonsky’s inspiring book, The Nine Modern Day Muses (and a Bodyguard), Audacity – the Muse of Courage and Uninhibited Uniqueness, might just be my favorite. She’s the muse who acts “as if” she can be who she wants to be and do what she wants to do and urges us to do the same. Several years ago, Audacity helped me get back to writing songs and performing. Then she encouraged me to become a certified creativity coach and start my own business – Creative Oasis Coaching. Throughout the past year, Audacity has helped me to record my first solo CD. (People don’t buy CDs anymore you say? So what – I’ll do it anyway!)

Today she’s helping me as I boldly go where I’ve personally never gone before – to create a fund raising event that combines my passions for creativity, connections, music, philanthropy, performance, and supporting others in their creative and life journeys. Definitely a major moment in my Mid-Life Oasis™!

So what? I’ll do it anyway on Saturday, March 27, 2010 to be precise! (with the help of many wonderful friends!) Thanks to Donna Harris of the always in the know inTown Mix, I’ve found the ideal venue - the dreamy 7 Senses in the Dallas design district. Imagine Moulin Rouge meets Alice in Wonderland meets the inside of Jeannie’s bottle on "I Dream of Jeannie” (where I wanted to live as a little girl!) and you begin to get a sense of the ambiance. (look for an interview with the creative genius behind 7 Senses – Reg Land, in an upcoming blog!)

In my last entry I shared the details of my plan for The Infinite Possibility of Women Helping Women event. Since that entry, I’ve received the first piece of artwork and let me tell you it’s amazing. I’m beginning to think that the most difficult part of this entire process for me is going to be relinquishing the artwork to the silent auction with the proceeds going to benefit Women for Women International. (stay tuned for information about Women for Women and interviews, photos and videos of the artists and their work in the coming months)

I’m looking forward to the adventure that awaits me, and to introducing you to some fabulous artists and amazing humans along the way! So, as we sometimes say in creativity coaching – Ready! Fire! Aim! – which is another way of saying “Let’s get this party started!” – we’ll figure out the details as we go!

p.s. - I was recently interviewed by Molly Childers for The Creativity Portal. Here's a link to the interview. A big thanks to Molly & The Creativity-Portal!

My Interview with Pink Heels™ Blog

This past summer I was so fortunate to be selected to receive a grant that allowed me to work for three months one-on-one with Pink Heels™ which provides marvelous career development services and support for women. Below is my interview published on this week's Pink Heels™ blog.

Age: 44
Pink Heels Services: Business Coaching & Consulting

What inspired you to start your woman-owned business?

A few years ago I was feeling stuck, frustrated, unfulfilled and overwhelmed. Working one-on-one with a creativity coach changed my life within weeks! I returned to my love of music, began singing, writing songs and even performing again. I rediscovered the authentic me and life became a joy again. My amazing creativity coach, Jill Badonsky, thought I would make a good coach too. I loved the idea of helping other women create the positive mid-life experience that I was enjoying, so I went through an extensive training course and earned by certification as a certified Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coach. I founded Creative Oasis Coaching and now love my new mid-life career as a creative lifestyle coach!

What were your primary goals when you started working with Pink Heels?

To learn how to create a greater presence on the Internet, share my message of hope with a greater audience, and formalize my business with things like a marketing plan and branding.

What goal are you most proud of that you accomplished while working with Pink Heels?

I’m very happy that I’ve clarified my mission statement and created a strong foundation from which to continue to grow my coaching practice.

What have you learned about yourself during the journey with Pink Heels?

I’ve learned that although one-on-one coaching sessions, writing articles and blog posts and facilitating workshops, retreats and teleclasses are my favorite aspects of Creative Oasis Coaching, I am also able to handle the necessary business and marketing aspects of my practice. (with the wonderful guidance and encouragement of Pink Heels!)

What is the name of your new small business that is ‘Up & Running?’

Creative Oasis Coaching

Web Site: www.creativeoasiscoaching.com

Blog: http://creativeoasiscoaching.blogspot.com/

Do you have any final thoughts that you would like to share with the world; especially any potential women entrepreneurs?

Listen to your intuition. If you have an idea that energizes you and brings you joy whenever you think about it, talk about it or write about it – you’re on the right track. Then, reach out for the support you need to make your dreams come true – whether it be working with a coach or finding a support group or taking a class. And for those women in and around the mid-life years, I truly believe that you deserve to create a Mid-Life Oasis™ - because it doesn’t have to be a crisis. I’m living proof of that!