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.

Creative Bliss in 3 Easy Steps

I have an idea! What if we reframe sunsets as mini-creative workshops? You may be wondering "How in the world would we do that?" and even "Why in the world would we do that?"

Well, sunsets are beautiful to behold, occur daily and they're free. More importantly, taking a few moments to enjoy a sunset happens to be an awesome example of exposure, an extremely important, but often overlooked step in the creative process –  not to mention a wonderful way to increase your personal creative bliss. 

Exposing ourselves to the wonders of nature as well as other people's art, music, writing, recipes, ideas…in fact, all manner of creativity...shifts our focus from our own pursuits (and how much progress we're making…or not making…with them) and helps rev up our creative energy! 

It's so easy to get caught up in measuring the progress of our creative projects that we often neglect our desire to soak up our sponge with creative goodness in other ways. (Plus, it can be so damn fun that we may feel guilty even considering it.) Allow me to help alleviate that guilt for you. 

Consider this…doesn't it make sense that Van Gogh spent a good amount of time simply gazing at the golden beauty of sunflowers before he was able to paint some of his most well-known masterpieces?  That Julia Child sampled copious amounts of buttery sauces before perfecting and sharing her own? That Aretha swayed to the gospel of many a church choir before gracing us with R-E-S-P-E-C-T?

When we stop to appreciate the beauty around us we nourish our creative spirit.

How might you treat yourself to some inspiring exposure this week? 

What if you...

 Listen to the birds outside your window…

Savor your morning cup of coffee or evening glass of wine…

Take flight in a pretend rocket ship to the moon with your niece…

Watch a documentary art film…

Listen to some world-beat music...

Stop to smell the honeysuckle blooming in your backyard…

Listen to the rain on the roof in the middle of the night…

Try out that new Cuban restaurant around the corner...

Can you come up with three ideas to practice exposure that sound good to you? 

I'd love to hear them in the comments section below!

Until next time, all the best from my sunset 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 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!

Good Things Come in Microscopic Packages

photo by Dr. Gary Greenburg

Seeing gorgeous photographs of grains of sand magnified over 250 times reminds me that good things do indeed come in small packages. In this instance, even microscopic packages!

The microphotography of Dr. Gary Greenburg's book, A Grain of Sand: Nature's Secret Wonder, shares the complex and amazing beauty of single grains of sand from beaches around the globe giving new meaning in stunning 4-color imagery to the words of William Blake:

"To see a world in a grain of sand, 

And a heaven in a wild flower.

To hold infinity in the palm of your hand, 

And eternity in an hour." 

                                               – "Auguries of Innocence" 1805

A Grain of Sand - Nature's Secret Wonder by Dr. Gary Greenberg

We'll be exploring the topic of good things coming in small packages (small steps and small questions as well!) while tapping into the secret wonders of our own Creative Oasis Moments during the free teleclass I'm sharing to celebrate the one year anniversary of Mid-Week Oasis Moments (to join us drop me a line at creativeoasiscoach@me.com by 9am central 3/19/14 so I can send you the printables and call-in numbers):

“Creativity Cubed”

Create your own Instant Oasis Cube
and multiply your creative joy

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Noon (central time)

Click here for all the details about my free Creativity Cubed Teleclass

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

Jill

Time to Celebrate! 52 Mid-Week Oasis Moments & Counting

Today I’m celebrating the One Year Anniversary of Mid-Week Oasis Moments! (Woo-Hoo!)

That’s right. You my friend are reading Mid-Week Oasis Moment number 52 which means over the past year I’ve:

* Dreamed up the concept for Mid-Week Oasis Moments (bite-size bonbons of creative inspiration delivered each week)

* Written more than 20,000 words

* Created more than 50 visuals

* Connected with hundreds of fabulous readers like you consistently each and every Wednesday for the past year.

As a recovering procrastinator/perfectionist extraordinaire I have to tell you – this is a big deal for me – so believe me when I say I am ready to celebrate!

I’d love for you to help me celebrate this major milestone by being my guest for my all new complimentary teleclass – “Creativity Cubed” where you’ll get to create your own Instant Oasis Cube and multiply your creative joy! You’ll find all of the details here and at the end of this post.)

If you know the story of my creative journey you know that once upon a time follow-through was not my strong suite. There was a time I had about a million creative dreams I longed to bring to life but didn’t have the tools to make that happen. So I spent a fair amount of time feeling stuck, frustrated and unfulfilled.

Then I found Kaizen-Muse® Creativity Coaching and all that changed. Using the “this stuff will change your life!” methods of KMCC I’ve:

•  Earned my Kaizen-Muse® Creativity Coach certification and was chosen 
to be one of the very first Master KMCC coaches

• Started my own business – Creative Oasis Coaching™



• Written, recorded and released my solo CD, “Dancing In Limbo”



• Created and hosted “Infinite Possibility – A Night of Music, Art & Women Helping Women” a benefit that raised more than $10,000 for Women for Women International

• Trained for and ran my first half-marathon



• And perhaps, most importantly, learned how to weave creative satisfaction into my life in small, doable ways on 
a daily basis

Today I get to add my one-year anniversary of Mid-Week Oasis Moments to this list!

How did I move past the creative blocks so many of us share? I dipped into my treasure chest of creative coaching tools that helped me to:

• Take small steps – like playing in my creative space for just five minutes.

• Ask small questions such as What Lights Me Up?

• Lower the pressure. I decided Mid-Week Oasis Moments would be short and sweet and therefore doable and fun for me!

• Embrace gentle accountability. Because I promised you that I’d deliver a Mid-Week Oasis Moment to your inbox each and every Wednesday without fail I’ve been inspired to keep to my promise and my writing schedule.

• Keep it fun! I played in my Creative Oasis Journal, went on photographic scavenger hunts and colored in mandalas.

• Cut myself slack. We creative types need to be gentle with ourselves you know.

You can count on me to practice what I preach in my own life! I use all of these methods and more…the very same ones I share with my one-on-one coaching clients and classes and, happily, in my Mid-Week Oasis Moment.

So back to that celebration! I wanted to find a way to say thank you to all of my lovely Mid-Week Oasis Moment followers and so I created a fun free teleclass to share.

I’d love for you to celebrate this milestone by being my guest for a complimentary teleclass: 

“Creativity Cubed” 

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Noon (central time)

You can find all the details by clicking here or read on...

We'll create personalized Instant Oasis Cubes and play with new ways to multiply the time we spend enjoying our creative passions! 

To register, drop me a line here so I can save you a space, send you all the details, call-in information and everything you'll need to join us.

This special no-charge teleclass will be great for you if:

* You need a little help giving yourself permission to spend time with your creative pursuits and passions

* You could use the gentle reminder that experiencing creative joy and fulfillment doesn’t have to take a lot of time

* You’d like to contemplate what Instant Oasis Moments might look and feel like in your busy life

* You’d enjoy some fun, low-pressure creative play with easy-to-follow, step-by-step guidance

* You'd like to celebrate with me and other amazing members of the Creative Oasis tribe!

It has been a true pleasure and one of the greatest experiences of my creative life to create and share Mid-Week Oasis Moments with you each and every Wednesday this past year and I'm ready to par-tay!

I do hope you'll join me Wednesday, March 19 at noon central time for "Creativity Cubed" – a fun FREE teleclass created especially to celebrate the one year anniversary of Mid-Week Oasis Moments! 

Drop me a line here if you have any questions or want to save your place for the call.

In the meantime, I'm off to celebrate and enjoy some small rewards (another great creativity coaching tool!) for a job well done – lunch with a dear friend and a massage. Woot!

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

Jill

Let's Celebrate with a Free Creative Teleclass!

I’m thrilled to announce the one-year anniversary of  

Mid-Week Oasis Moments!

I’d love for you to celebrate this milestone by being my guest for a complimentary teleclass: 

“Creativity Cubed”

Create your own Instant Oasis Cube
and multiply your creative joy

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Noon (central time)

We'll create personalized Instant Oasis Cubes and play with new ways to multiply the time we spend enjoying our creative passions! 

To register, drop me a line here so I can save you a space, send you all the details, call-in information and everything you'll need to join us.

This special no-charge teleclass will be great for you if:

* You need a little help giving yourself permission to spend time with your creative pursuits and passions

* You could use the gentle reminder that experiencing creative joy and fulfillment doesn’t have to take a lot of time

* You’d like to contemplate what Instant Oasis Moments might look and feel like in your busy life

* You’d enjoy some fun, low-pressure creative play with easy-to-follow, step-by-step guidance

* You'd like to celebrate with me and other amazing members of the Creative Oasis tribe!

It has been a true pleasure and one of the greatest experiences of my creative life to create and share Mid-Week Oasis Moments with you each and every Wednesday this past year and I'm ready to par-tay!

I do hope you'll join me Wednesday, March 19 at noon central time for "Creativity Cubed" – a fun FREE teleclass created especially to celebrate the one year anniversary of Mid-Week Oasis Moments! 

Drop me a line here if you have any questions or want to save your place for the call.

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

Jill

www.creativeoasiscoaching.com

The Ta-Dah vs. To-Do Shift

(Click here to request a free printable Ta-Dah List of your own.)

We all have to-do lists. Whether we write them in our day planners, keep them on our phones or let them swirl around in our minds. Even if not is list form, we all have never-ending things that we need, want and intend to do.

I say never-ending because we’ll always need to do things like shop for groceries…pay bills…do laundry…meet deadlines…drive carpools…have meetings…finish taxes and the like. We’ll always have places we want to visit, new activities we want to try and people with whom we want to spend time.

As I often remind my clients (and myself!) the day we no longer have a to-do list will not be the day we finally get around to our creative dream – in fact at that point our main pastime will be pushing up daisies. (Harsh? Maybe. True? Definitely!)

I am a list lover! I love to make lists and it brings me great joy to check things off my lists. Yet, I know that our to-do lists can feel overwhelming precisely because they’re never-ending. That’s why I also love the idea of the Ta-Dah list.

Though not a replacement for our to-do lists, a Ta-Dah list can shift our focus from the many things we have yet to accomplish onto the things we have actually done – even if they weren’t on our to-do list in the first place!

So often we do much more than we give ourselves credit for. We tend to concentrate on what we still need to do rather than taking a moment to give ourselves credit for what we’ve already achieved. And we rarely give ourselves a pat on the back for something that feels good. 

Five or ten minutes crafting…a good-for-the-soul discussion with an old friend…an impromptu organizing session…a spontaneous backrub for a stressed-out spouse…reading an inspiring article, knitting or writing in our journal while we wait in the carpool line and so on.

This is the good stuff! These are the moments that enrich our lives, bring us happiness and feelings of fulfillment. When we take a moment to give ourselves credit for them in the same way we do our “official” to-do lists, we shine a light on them and affirm their importance. That’s exactly what the Ta-Dah list lets us do.

I’ve decided to walk the walk and share my own brief Ta-Dah list in future Mid-Week Oasis Moments. I’d love for you to join me. I’ve created a free printable Ta-Dah list you can download here and use on a daily or weekly basis or whenever you like. Feel free to share your Ta-Dahs in the comments section below as well.

Click here to download your free printable Ta-Dah List

Can you imagine how good it might feel to shift our focus from all we have left to do on any given day to the delightful things we have already done? What a boost!

Here’s to giving ourselves credit for small steps, surprise detours, simple pleasures and all of the Creative Oasis Moments we enjoy in our busy lives.

All the best from my Ta-Dah Creative Oasis to yours,

Jill

Jill Allison Bryan

www.CreativeOasisCoaching.com

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!

What Lights You Up? (*Hint: for brilliant results ask often)

If you've been reading my Creative Oasis™ blog or receiving my Mid-Week Oasis Moments for awhile now, you know that I'm a big believer in the power of asking ourselves small questions. It's one of the "super-simple-yet-super-effective" tools we use in Kaizen-Muse® Creativity Coaching. Here's one small question that I turn to time and again for quick creative realignment and a plethora of possibility producing ideas: (try saying that 5 times fast!)

What lights me up? 

This is a great question to ask when you're feeling stuck, are running out of ideas, are looking for something exciting to explore or even are pondering a new place to visit. Asking this one simple question can uncover a multitude of fabulous options and remind us of what we really want to do. 

Why not try it now? 

Want to give it a try? It's easy. Take out a pen and paper, set a timer for one minute and let yourself come up with as many different answers as you can to the question "What lights me up?"Of course, if you're really on a roll after a minute, just keep writing! I'll do it with you. Ready? Set. Go!

What did you come up with?

Here's what came to me off the top of my head: playing with my 3 year old niece, playing piano, making music with my husband, running and walking by the lake, creating collages in my Creative Oasis Journal, reading inspiring books and magazines, trying out new recipes, visiting with good friends, writing just about anything, travel and dreaming about travel, coaching, getting a really relaxing massage, visiting museums and art happenings, seeing concerts and taking photos.

What's next?

What if you posted this list near your computer, in your day-timer or on your fridge or phone – any place you'll be likely to see it at least once a day? Then, the next time you decide to give yourself a five or ten minute Creative Oasis break you can choose something from the list and enjoy!

What I found interesting was the things that didn't show up on my list that I actually spend quite a bit of time doing like checking e-mail, Facebook, twitter and Pinterest. Which leads me to another thought. What if the next time I'm about to hop on Facebook or twitter, I first scan my "What Lights Me  Up?" list and then give myself five or ten minutes to enjoy one of those experiences first? 

To make our lists more visually appealing, I've included a free printable to download below. If you'd like to write your list on this be my guest. And as always, I'd love to hear from you if you want to share what lights you up in the comments section below.

Click here to download this free Creative Oasis printable

Last weekend I had the opportunity to experience something that lit me up as well as the entire downtown Dallas Arts District - Aurora Dallas 2013.

The Aurora Project was a free contemporary art exhibition in the rapidly developing Dallas Arts District. The project presented interactive new media artworks such as light , video, performance, and sound in exciting and unexpected public spaces that transformed 68-acres of downtown Dallas into one of the nations largest outdoor exhibitions of this cutting-edge medium. It was an amazing experience that left me energized, inspired and definitely lit up!

This is a photo I took of one of my favorite installations of the evening. 
I only wish that I'd remembered to write down the name of the artist!

Until next time, all the best from my lit up 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!

Tapping Into Your Inner Peacock

photo by Jill Allison Bryan taken at Kalachandji's in Dallas

Imagine a world where peacocks tried to hide their magnificent colors away because they worried they might be presumed too bold or showy...or because they were afraid they weren't just the right shade of blue, green or purple...or because they thought all the other birds were so much more beautiful than them so why even bother?

Sounds downright unnatural, doesn't it? That's because it is! Peacocks were born to proudly parade their brilliant feathers in all their glory.

Now if you happen to be one of the many people who try to hide your own magnificent creative colors because you're worried that you might be seen as "showing off" or because your afraid your own personal creative process "isn't good enough" or because you think everyone else's creative endeavors are so much better than yours "why should you even bother?" I'm here to tell you that line of thinking is just as unnatural as a peacock trying to hide its brilliance.

I truly believe that you and I are born to share our creative light with the world in a multitude of ways whether it be painting, writing, crafting, gardening, dancing, making music, taking photos, hosting dinner parties, decorating, acting, scrapbooking, knitting...the list goes on and on. As I love to say, your Creative Oasis is whatever makes your heart sing and time fly!

What's one small way you might tap into your 

inner peacock and share your creative colors with the world today?

If you could use some help making the time and space for creative fulfillment in your life sign up here to receive a free copy of my short e-book Permission to Be Creative 101, Mid-Week Oasis Moments (bite-size bonbons of creative inspiration served weekly) and my monthly Creative Oasis Pages newsletter.

And if you're interested in learning more about how one-on-one creativity coaching may be just what you need click here to read more about Creative Oasis Coaching and how to schedule a complimentary session to see if it might be right for you.

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

Jill Allison Byan

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!