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.

Gifts From the Sea, Van Gogh & Me

I'm so happy to share a few gifts from my trip to the sea paired with 

blessings to inspire your creative journey this week! 

May you find inspiration in the beauty of nature!

The beach is one of my favorite Creative Oasis Places. Walking along the shoreline never fails to reenergize and inspire me. 

To create the Mid-Week Oasis Moment above I took a photo of the beach then gave it the "Van Gogh" treatment using a fun app called "AutoPainter" and added a quote from Vincent himself that I just love. 

May you continue to grow and find strength from your creativity!

The sun came out for our final morning beach walk and we encountered all sorts of treasures. I found this beautiful, blue-grey nautilus shell (a symbol of growth & strength) my lone souvenir of our trip ~ well, other than a few new laugh lines. 

photo by Ashley Thames Brown

May your creative spirit take flight like a feather on the wind! 

My friend, Ashley, found this white feather along with some lovely bits of sea glass. She left other pieces to continue tumbling in the surf and sand to smooth their sharp edges and become treasures for future beach combers.

And finally, may you find many opportunities to "flock together" with kindred "birds of a feather" on your creative journey! 

Non-stop laughter that makes your cheeks hurt and your sides ache in the best possible way...

Heartfelt conversations where you know you're truly heard and understood...

Unconditional love that reminds you you're not alone on this crazy ride called life...

All that and more filled a brief beach getaway with a few fabulous girlfriends and proved to be just what my spirit needed last weekend! 

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.

O'Keeffe, Van Gogh and You

"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 

If you're inspired by the outrageous, sunny beauty of sunflowers you're in good company. Artists like Georgia O'Keeffe and Vincent Van Gogh were clearly taken with the hopeful brilliance of the sunflower. 

I invite you to enjoy some time in the coming weeks 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 take 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. (Check out the suggestions above and below for some ideas to help you begin.)

* You may choose to add a dash of bold gold to your outfit for the day.

* You may write a quick "ode to a sunflower" in haiku form.

* You may doodle a page filled with sunflowers.

* You may be 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.

* You may want to 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 releasing my Create the Summer of Your Dreams Kit with a sunflower as its symbol I've been seeing 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. 

If you're pondering purchasing your own copy of Create the Summer of Your Dreams Kit but haven't yet, I invite you to click here to see what some happy customers are saying about their creative experiences playing with this fun do-it-yourself creative e-kit. You can also find all the details about everything that's included and purchase your own copy for just $19.99 right here. 

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

 (Spotted this lone sunflower in someone's front yard and couldn't resist!)

www.creativeoasiscoaching.com