A Surprisingly Colorful Way To Meditate Plus An All New Workshop

There's something so appealing about coloring mandalas...the continuous circle of shapes...the discovery or creation of patterns...the combination of colors...the relaxing act of coloring...all of this creates a very soothing, meditative experience.

In fact, coloring mandalas is considered by some to be a wonderful meditation technique.

If the idea of sitting on a mat and observing your breath for 30 minutes sounds like pure torture, then coloring a mandala might be just the meditation method for you.

As you may have noticed, I love mandalas! My Creative Oasis Coaching logo is a mandala and I regularly share mandala coloring sheets in my classes, workshops and coloring parties.

(*By the way ~ my August Creative Oasis Coloring & Wine Party sold out so quickly that I happily scheduled another one for September too. You can find all the details here.)

In addition to coloring, over the years I've discovered other ways to create mandalas that are simple to do and creatively satisfying.

I'm delighted to offer a new workshop devoted to creating mandalas this fall!

Discover the creative magic of making mandalas in this unique, low-pressure workshop. No previous experience, skills or talent needed ~ just a desire to dive into the creative process while playing with art supplies in a way that brings you creative fun and fulfillment.

We won't be meditating, but we will enjoy a great evening of creative camaraderie and chocolate!

WHAT

Mandalas ~ Mandalas ~ Mandalas 

Workshop

WHEN

Wednesday, September 9, 2015 

6:30 to 9:30 pm 

WHERE

Pigment School of the Arts

4605 West Lovers Lane

Dallas, Texas  75209

COST

$125 

(includes all creative supplies, handouts and yes, there will be chocolate)

*NOTE ~ Class size is limited to 8 & pre-registration is required.

To save your seat, purchase your class below. 

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 feel free to share. 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.

Warning! Creative Play May Result In These Symptoms

When's the last time you enjoyed some low-pressure creative play...just for the fun of it?

Recent personal experience reminded me of the wondrous power of creative play. (See the "symptoms" listed above.)

While spending a fun girls' night in with my mom and daughter last weekend, we decided to each choose a simple creative project from our Pinterest boards, break out the art supplies and dive into some low-pressure creative fun.

My mom chose to color in a mandala with colored pencils. My daughter drew a beautiful freehand lotus flower and enjoyed some intricate geometric doodling with gel pens as well. I drew freehand flowers (they would up looking a bit like peonies) in crayon and then painted them in with watercolors. 

As I've shared before, I don't consider myself a visual artist. But I do love to play with creative supplies and I'll admit to being quite pleased with the way this little piece turned out.

That being said, the process...the sitting around in a relaxed atmosphere...the playful experimentation...the "we're just doing this for the pure joy of it" attitude...not the end result...was what brought about the "symptoms" we experienced.

Want to put more creative play into your summer? After last weekend, I know I do!

I've created a way to help you do just that, my "Create the Summer of Your Dreams" Do-It-Yourself Creative Oasis Kit that I'll be releasing very soon.

In the meantime, grab your free Summer Wish List Fun Sheets here to take the first small step to creating a summer filled with creative freedom, relaxation and fun.  

Until next time, all the best from my playful 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 Oasis Scavenger Hunt Video Invite

Click here find to all the details to have fun with your own Creative Oasis Scavenger Hunt plus a free printable treasure map to collect all of your bits of creative inspiration. 

Big thanks to Elizabeth Gilbert for the inspiration! 

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.

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

Asked for Two Cents & Received Gold

photo by Elle Parks

This past weekend I posted a simple request on my Creative Oasis Coaching facebook page asking my former and present clients to share their two cents about Creative Oasis Coaching and what it has meant to them.

"If you've ever taken one of my classes, workshops, retreats, have been coached by me or gone on a Day Trippers outing, can you share one word to describe it? Thanks so much!"

The response was overwhelming, heartwarming and tickling – as in it tickled me pink. I know sometimes people have a little trouble understanding what it is that I do exactly as a creativity coach, a certified Master Kaizen-Muse® Creativity Coach to be precise. And even when I tell them that I help people make the time and space in their busy lives to enjoy creative fulfillment, they may still be left scratching their heads. So I'm thrilled to have this feedback to share. Perhaps it will help round out the picture of what Creative Oasis Coaching has to offer and how it touches the lives of those who choose to join me.

"Jill is an outstanding teacher. More than that.... she is a leader who has this wonderful way of bringing you back to yourself. Whatever it is you are thinking about taking don't hesitate. Sign up. Not only did I get tons of new ideas and information in her class, I also made new friends... kindred spirits. Run, leap, scamper, skurry, charge forward and sign up. You will not regret it. Sorry. I couldn't think of one word.... Ok FUN!!!" - Margaret Wolf, photographer

"nurturing" – Donna Wallace

"You are in for a delightfully insightful and enriching experience to be coached by Jill. Go for it!" – Twyla Smith

"Brain twisting, in the best way!! : ))" Rosemary Cingari

"The first word that came to mind was nourishing, so even though I'm half asleep I'm going with it - Nourishment for the artistic soul :)" - Polly Simon

"life-changing. does a hyphenated word count?" – Dawn McMullan

"Stimulating...motivating...Incredibly fun! (one word won't do!)" – Sherry Houpt

"illuminating... Hope you have an incredibly, stimulating, motivating, fun and illuminating day! ;)" – Linda Bourgault 

So there you have it. I asked for their two cents and got gold instead! I love the words they chose, the sentiments and the women themselves. That's another wonderful bonus of attending Creative Oasis classes and workshops – meeting wonderful, inspiring, talented women like these!

Thanks so much to everyone who shared. I look forward to the next time we're together in the same creative oasis!

If you're interested in checking out the workshops and classes I'm offering in Dallas this fall click here for all the information and registration links. If you'd like to receive my monthly Creative Oasis Pages to keep up with all the creative fun we're having just send me a quick email at creativeoasiscoach@me.com and I'll be happy to bring you into the loop!

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

Painting Party - No Experience Required!

"Flutter" 

Love the idea of painting but think you don't have the time or the talent? Well, let's put an end to that nonsense right now! Join me and the Creative Oasis Day Trippers as we head to Pinot's Palette in Lakewood to act "as if" we're artists extraordinaire. No prior artistic experience or talent of any kind required. (other than the ability to have fun!)

Here's how it works:

You provide your favorite libation (be it Pinot or Pomegranite juice.) 

I provide the creative prompts and permission. 

Pinot's Palette provides the canvas, paints, brushes and instruction.

And we're having big-time, low-pressure creative fun before you can say Modigliani. (which I can't)

This past summer I took my mom to a painting party like this in Breckenridge at Ready, Aim, Fire and we had a blast.  While I'll admit to having several creative talents to my credit, being a visual artist is not one of them. Still, I love the thought of painting and I dabble with watercolors from time to time in my Creative Oasis Journal. These painting parties are a fabulous opportunity to just go for it and play with real paints on a real canvas. I was delighted by how easy it was to follow the instructor and amazed at how well my painting turned out. Plus, it was an absolute blast!

Me & Mom painting Columbines

I'd love for you to join me for this night of creative camaraderie and fun. Let me know that you want to join us by sending me a quick e-mail to creativeoasiscoach@me.com. Here are all the details:

What:

Painting Party at Pinot's Palette 

(say that 5 times fast)

6465 East Mockingbird, Suite 420

Dallas, TX 75214

When:

Tuesday, March 20, 2012 from 7 to 9 pm

Cost:

$15 Creative Oasis Day Tripper Fee

$35 Pinot's Palette Fee

RSVP:

Please email me at creativeoasiscoach@me.com as soon as possible to reserve your place with your party. Advanced registration for this event is required with your non-refundable $15 Creative Oasis Day Tripper fee due no later than Saturday, March 17th.