O'Keefe, Van Gogh, Sunflowers and You

(*An update from last summer's post.)
If you're inspired by the outrageous, sunny beauty of sunflowers you're in good company. Artists Georgia O'Keeffe and Vincent Van Gogh were clearly taken with the hopeful brilliance of the sunflower. 

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

                                ~ Georgia O'Keeffe

"Great things are done

by a series of small things

brought together." 

~ Vincent Van Gogh

Why not enjoy some time playing with your own creative response to the sunflower?

You may choose to take O'Keeffe's words to heart and slow down for a few minutes to simply hold a sunflower in your hands and absorb its beauty. Or you may follow Van Gogh's Kaizen approach and choose a few small steps to take for a sunflower inspired creative piece of our own. 

Of course, you don't need to be a painter to enjoy a little sunflower power in your life. I've shared a few simple suggestions above and below to help you get started.

What if you:

* Add a dash of bold gold to your outfit for the day.

* Write a quick "ode to a sunflower" in haiku form.

* Doodle a page filled with sunflowers.

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

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

Click here to download your copy to color or paint. 

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

Click here to learn more about the "Create the Summer of Your Dreams" Kit.

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

Jill

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.

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.

Add Creativity to Your Calendar & Joy to Your Life

This past Sunday I reveled in several hours of guilt-free, low-pressure creative fun with people I love dearly. Sounds good, doesn't it?

And just so you know, being a creativity coach doesn't guarantee that this is a regular thing for me. While I do my best to weave creativity into my life on a regular basis and help others to do the same, this was different, deeper, dedicated creative time and wow, did it feel great!

Here's how it came to be:

First, I gave my mom a gift certificate for an All-Girl Creative Oasis Play Day for her birthday. My sister-in-law and daughter were invited too since they're awesome, creative-loving gals.

Next, we set a date and we put it on our calendars. Seems like a simple step, but it’s huge. Putting creativity on our calendar transforms dedicated creative time from a “wouldn’t that be nice” thought to a “this is gonna happen” event. (My e-booklet Creative Oasis Dates–  Make Time to Pursue YourCreative Passion in Five Easy Steps walks you through the process.)

After we gathered around the table and took out our supplies, we found an acoustic guitar station on Pandora and relaxed into our time together. Sometimes we chatted…sometimes we just listened to the music while we dabbled with our various projects. We all agreed it was a peaceful, fulfilling and fun way to spend the afternoon.

I started off with some doodling using a kit I recently purchased. You can see the results in the time-lapse video up top. (You can find this fun-filled kit by Stephanie Corfee in my amazon associate store by clicking here.)

It was a great low-pressure way to enjoy some pure creative process and not worry about the end result. Doodling is one of my favorite dive right in Instant Oasis moments ever and this how-to book has lots of great ideas to try. I love it!

My sister-in-law, Shannon, brought a package of adorable, tiny little canvases – talk about Kaizen! They feel so small and doable - not intimidating in the least. I had a blast using watercolor and markers to create my teeny-tiny masterpiece below.

Shannon created a pinterest inspired project that was super cool! Though I didn't get a shot of the final piece, here's one in progress. (Can you see a glimpse of the painting for R.S.V.P. by Tori Pendergrass peeking through?)

My mom brought some knitting and also a cute little sprite from her fairy garden that needed her paint freshened up. Too cute, right?

Does some relaxing creative time like this sound good to you? Why not take out your calendar right now and choose a date? Can you think of some friends or family members who might like to join you? What if you forward this post to them right now with an invitation to set up your own Creative Oasis Date? 

As always, I’d love to hear all about it if you do. Please post your comments below and let me know how it goes.

Until next time, here’s to putting our Creative Oasis time on the calendar a little more often and enjoying life more than ever! 

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!

Permission to Be Creative 101

* Coming December 3rd, 2011 *

(space is limited - so register early)

PERMISSION TO BE CREATIVE 101

A fun mini-retreat introducing easy and effective

ways to make the time and space for creative fulfillment in your busy life

Ever feel like procrastination, perfectionism and feeling overwhelmed by your busy schedule keep you from enjoying your creative passions? (If your answer is a resounding – "ABSOLUTELY!"  – you're not alone and good news – there's hope!) 

My Permission To Be Creative 101 mini-retreat will introduce you to gentle, joyful and powerful ways to move past those blocks and begin to easily make the time and space for creative fulfillment in your life. 

You’ll experience writing prompts, collage, doodling, mind-mapping, guided-imagery and many other fun methods designed to energize and enlighten you. You'll also learn some unique and amazingly effective tools and techniques from Kaizen-Muse® Creativity Coaching that will help you tap into your own creativity on a more regular basis. You’ll enjoy the delight of creative expression for the sake of pure joy. You’ll also begin your own Creative Oasis™ Journal – a self-created manual of inspiration filled with insights from your inner wisdom and accessed by utilizing these unique tools and techniques.

This mini-retreat is also a wonderful way to grow your current creative practice, strengthen your creative habit and consider new creative possibilities.

photo by Kate Mackley

I myself have enjoyed tremendous personal growth and creative satisfaction as a result of learning and using these methods – from writing and recording my debut solo CD, "Dancing in Limbo," to creating and hosting a CD release/silent art auction benefit that raised more than $10,000 for Women for Women International (Infinite Possibility – A Night of Music, Art & Women Helping Women,) to founding my own business, Creative Oasis Coaching™. (All this from someone who was once a world-class procrastinator and the queen of not following through!) 

Now, as a certified Kaizen-Muse® Creativity Coach, my passion is sharing these methods with others so they too can experience creative joy and fulfillment in their lives. I fully believe if I can do it, anyone can, and this mini-retreat is a great place to begin! As an added bonus, you'll be able to use much of what you learn and experience  to reduce the stress and increase the joy of the holiday season!

When:

Saturday, December 3, 2011

10am to 4pm

*Pre-registration required 

Where:

Creative Arts Center of Dallas

2360 Laughlin Dr.

Dallas, Texas 75228

214-320-1275

www.creativeartscenter.org

Cost:

$95 for CAC members

$125 for non-members

plus $15 materials fee

(Please bring a sack lunch.)

To register contact the Creative Arts Center at

214-320-1275 or visit their website at www.creativeartscenter.org