Butterflies, Buddha & Beating Myself Up

This week I went back to one of my favorite pages in my Creative Oasis Journal and played with some digital editing tools to create a new look for it.

I revisited this page because it holds a message I need to hear again (and again) and thought maybe some of you could use the reminder as well.

"If your compassion does not include yourself it is incomplete." ~ Buddha

Do you ever find it easier to show compassion to your friends, family and even total strangers than to yourself? If so, you're note alone. 

I invite you to consider using the quote above as your personal Creative Oasis Mantra for the coming week and practice some gentle self-compassion ~ even if it's only 5% more than you might usually.

Rather than continue to beat myself up because I hadn't created a brand new message for this Mid-Week Oasis Moment, I gave myself permission to visit my journal for inspiration and update an earlier MWOM to share with you. That's how I showed myself some compassion ~ now it's your turn.

To help you get started, here are a few compassionate questions to ponder:

~ What's one gentle way you might treat yourself with compassion this week?

~ What's one easy way you might use creativity to do so?

~ What's one small way you might give yourself permission to enjoy five or ten minutes of guilt-free creative play today?

Click here to see the original post including a 15-second instagram video.

Until next time, here's to treating ourselves with complete compassion on our creative journey,

Jill 

Jill Allison Bryan

www.creativeoasiscoaching.com

Practicing What I Preach 5 Minutes at a Time

Lately I'm giving myself permission to enjoy creative play even more than usual. The quickly created spread in my Creative Oasis Journal above is an example of how I've been practicing what I preach. Of course, I never wanted to be preachy – but I do love reminding you how  even just a short bit of  creative time can lead to great big creative satisfaction in your busy life!

What does that look like?

* Setting a timer for 5 or 10 minutes
* Opening up my Creative Oasis Journal
* Diving into low-pressure creative play without over thinking things
* Cutting and glueing images, painting with watercolors, writing quickly and freely

How does that feel?

* Fantastic * Freeing * Fabulous *Fun

What happens?

*I experience a huge amount of creative satisfaction in a short amount of time.
* I feel energized for hours afterward in all aspects of my life.
* I'm reminded of why I love my creative time and am more likely to get to it again sooner than later.

Why is this important?

 * It's a quick, easy and fun way to add joy to my day, especially if I'm having a bad day.
* Every part of my life (work, family, friends, personal) benefits when I make time for creativity because I'm a happier, healthier person when I do.
*It's a wonderful way to take a break from my never ending to-do lists and rejuvenate myself.
* Being in the creative flow relieves stress and enriches my life in amazing ways.

As a Kaizen-Muse® Creativity Coach I know this to be true and share this with my clients all the time, still I continue to be delightfully surprised when it's reaffirmed time and again in my own life! 

Some Gentle Reminders

 * It doesn't have to be perfect.
* You don't even have to know exactly what you're going to do when you begin.
* You get to just go for it and have fun.

*Creativity comes in many forms - in addition to painting, collaging, crafting, knitting, making music and writing there's gardening, cooking, entertaining, sewing, yarn bombing, crafting, scrapbooking, dancing, doodling, canning, making cards, taking photographs, enjoying nature...
Like I always say, your Creative Oasis is whatever makes your heart sing and time fly!

What if?

What if you gave yourself the next five or ten minutes to dive into your Creative Oasis?
What might that look like? How might that feel?
I'd love to hear from you.

Until the 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!

Pick a Color...Any Color

Blue Color Pages in my Creative Oasis Journal

How does a quick, low-pressure creative project sound?

One of my favorite activities to share with my classes and workshops is creating a color page.  

It’s a fun way to play with whatever supplies you have lying around and 

enjoy some pure creative process in a short amount of time. Here's how:

#1 – Choose a color you like.

#2 – Get a blank piece of paper or page in a journal.

#3 – Set a timer for 5, 10, or 15 minutes.

#4 – Use crayons, colored pencils, markers, paints, and/or images from magazines and quickly fill your blank page or pages with the color of your choice. (Any creative supplies you happen to have on hand will do.)

The image above is one of my favorite spreads from my Creative Oasis Journal – a blue color page. I filled these pages with magazine clippings, watercolors and a bit of marker. 

There’s no right or wrong way to create a color page. As you can see, I used many different hues of blue and there are other bits of color as well. I also added a few words that were inspiring to me. 

I love color pages because they’re such a simple and fun way to play with creativity. By combining limits (such as setting a timer and choosing one color to use) with freedom (such as having no expectations of what a color page should look like) – we lower the pressure and open the door to creative satisfaction and joy.

Want to create your own color page? Why not take the next five or ten minutes and give it a whirl? If you do and want to share, I’d love to hear about your experience or see a photo.

Until next time, all the best from my Creative Oasis to yours – whatever color it may be,

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!