Why Acting Like A County Singing Envelope Was One of the Best Creative Experiences of My Life

Our Fancy 1st Place Trophy for the 2005  24-Hour Video Race

Back in 2005 I took part in The 24-Hour Video Race sponsored by The Video Association of Dallas. My part, specifically, ended up being to dress in a foam rubber envelope suit and sing a really silly country song in a mailbox, and who hasn't wanted to do that before? We won first place that year and the experience remains one of the most fun, creatively satisfying 24 hour periods of my life. (I now understand why - which I'll share later.) As the VAD celebrates the 10th year of the race, they've chosen the top ten best videos from past races, and ours, "Lick It & Stick It" ranked #4.

The experience was exhilerating, crazy, fun, challenging, creatively fulfilling and our team was comprised of some of my favorite friends and family in the world! Plus, we got all the free Red Bull we could drink, which wasn't essential, but a nice bonus given the circumstances.

And, here were the circumstances – we had just 24 hours to concept, write, shoot and edit a video using the following criteria:

Theme:  First Class
Prop:  Quick Newspaper
Location:  Mailbox
Line of Dialogue: I thought that was fixed a long time ago.

Given this criteria at midnight, we then began our endeavor by sitting around the kitchen table drinking Red Bull (and, admittedly a beer or three) and brainstorming. I wish I had the video footage of that! Given the fact that we're an opinionated lot with strong personalities (and wills!) it's a testament to our love for each other that we not only won, but didn't kill each other before doing so. Within a few hours we had developed our concept which actually slammed the other major product sponsor that year – Quick Newspaper.

Then began the real work of shooting the footage and in our case, creating a human-sized envelope costume, green-screen special effects, as well as writing and recording a song. The editing process began the following evening and went right up to the point we had just enough time to drive to the drop-off location and turn in our video about 10 minutes before the midnight deadline. I get a little jazzed just thinking about it all even now!

All these years later, I finally understand why the 24-Hour Video Race is the ideal creative contest! Looking at it through the lens of being a certified Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coach®, I saw the light.

First, you have a short, specific time-frame in which to accomplish your creative task - 24 hours - that's it, not a second more. We creative types are first-class procrastinators, over-thinkers, and let's-try-it-this-way-too-ers – so giving us a 24 hour deadline is genius!

Secondly, we're given a place to begin. By having the location, prop, line of dialogue and theme, we had a jumping off point and didn't have to create out of thin air. It was just enough structure to get us started.

Thirdly, we had the support of working in a group. (And a really funny, intelligent, talented group at that!)

And finally, we all gave ourselves permission to have fun! That was the ultimate goal, not to win, but to have fun creating something that others would have fun watching too. You be the judge - how'd we do?

How One Bullet Sparked Creative Chaos and an Amazing Creative & Spiritual Journey

One Bullet 

Story and illustrations by Karen Blessen 

Originally published in The Dallas Morning News on Sunday, August 17, 2003

How I wish that each and every one of you could have joined us Saturday, April 30, 2011 when the Creative Oasis Day Trippers™ visited the art studio of Karen Blessen. An artist, writer, humanitarian, promoter of peace, spiritual seeker and gracious hostess, Blessen welcomed us into her Deep Ellum space to share the story behind and the future hopes and dreams for her "29 Pieces" project.

The story that she shared with us was one of the most beautiful examples of "creative chaos" of which I've ever heard. The idea of creative chaos as we share it in Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching® supports the notion that creativity is a non-linear process. While linear thinking goes from A to B to C to D, non-linear thinking, or creative thinking, goes from Q to Venus to Peacock by way of glitter and winds up on your front doorstep at midnight with a bottle of champagne.

Karen Bless & Jill Allison Bryan

In Blessen's case, she was on a fabulously successful creative path making a living as a graphic artist and illustrator, having won many awards, including a Pulitzer Prize. She created the illustrations for the campaign that helped revitalize Times Square in NYC. She felt blessed to have a career using her creative talents for writing and art. Then it happened. One bullet sparked a series of events that would change her life forever. 

After a young man was shot and killed in Blessen's front yard she searched for a way to process the unthinkable that had happened. Over the span of three years she interviewed as many people as she could that were affected by the random shooting. The end result is the story "One Bullet" which ran in The Dallas Morning News on Sunday, August 17, 2003. (See her graphic illustration at the top of this page with a link to the entire story.)

Even after the somewhat cathartic experience of conducting the interviews and writing, Blessen was still filled with anger, sadness and questions that couldn't be answered. A friend suggested she try Passage Meditation. "I felt like a duck who'd be searching my whole life and finally found the pond," says Blessen of her immediate connection to this type of meditation. 

www.29Pieces.org

Memorizing and meditating on sacred texts led to the next steps of exploring them on a deeper level in her journals. The wellspring of words and images that this effort produced became the nucleus for her 29 Pieces project. 

Cleave the heart of a raindrop, a hundred oceans will pour forth.

I encourage you to visit the 29 Pieces website above to learn more about Blessen's incredible vision for this project which includes a permanent public space to house 29 enormous sculptures interwoven with spaces for reflection, fellowship and creative and spiritual practices. I as said, creative chaos at it's most beautiful.

Creative Oasis Day Trippers(tm) taking a closer look at the 29 Pieces models

As usual, there were some lovely connections made and serendipities experienced during our Day Trippers' time together. Trish had just come from a celebration at the Dallas Public Library where she had found a book she thought Blessen was meant to have as she seeks to bring her enormous vision for 29 Pieces to life. 

Serendipitous Sharing

If you'd like to know when and where will be going for future Creative Oasis Day Tripper experiences please subscribe to my Creative Oasis blog via e-mail. Send me your e-mail if you'd like to join the list to receive monthly invites and information on all things Creative Oasis! Until next time, how will you allow yourself to open to the infinite possibility of creative chaos in your life?

All the best from my creative oasis to yours,

Jill

Ready to Retreat, Relax and Embrace Creative Momentum?

Embracing Creative Momentum

A retreat offering creative guidance, yoga and rejuvenation

with Jane Baldwin & Jill Allison Bryan

at the Double J Hacienda & Art Ranch

June 10 ­–12, 2011

Jane & Jill recently experienced the power of retreat first hand in Taos.

Do you long for time away from have-to-do-lists, general life noise and pressure? Do you crave the time for rejuvenation, inspiration and peace? Then please join us for a weekend in retreat…time to create (or not)…to stretch…to sketch…to nap…to read…to write…to think…to breathe…or to simply be.

Peace in the sky chair

How good would it feel to give yourself a welcome respite from the stress and strain of everyday life? To learn and practice powerful ways of attaining and maintaining creative satisfaction that you can continue to use and enjoy once you return home? When we step outside our everyday surroundings and schedules, we allow ourselves to reconnect with our inner wisdom and creative spirit. We remind ourselves what it's like to truly experience the joy of personal fulfillment.

Our Embracing Creative Momentum retreat includes yoga, Creative Oasis™ workshops, lodging and meals including dinner on Friday evening, 3 meals on Saturday and breakfast & lunch on Sunday at the glorious Double J Hacienda and Art Ranch in Mineral Wells, Texas over looking the Brazos River. (Just 45 minutes north of Fort. Worth, Texas but a world away from the stress of everyday life!)

Double J Hacienda & Art Ranch
 133 Seybold Road, Mineral Wells, TX 76067

This will be the third retreat I've facilitated at the Double J, an amazingly special place which is nothing less than a swirling vortex of creative energy, peaceful spirit and unconditional love! I hope you'll join me and Jane for what promises to be another transcendent experience there.  

Early Bird Discount with registration and $150 non-refundable down payment by May 15, 2011

$400 – double occupancy with private bath 

($500 after 5/15/11)

$450 – single occupancy with shared bath 

($550 after 5/15/11)

$475 – single occupancy with private bath 

($575 after 5/15/11)

Gentle yoga and breathing

View of the  Brazos from the best porch in Texas

Visiting on the patio

Returning our mandala to the earth


Here's what participants of past Creative Oasis retreats have to say:

"As I began my day I was aware of being more open and less judgmental of myself, in small ways.I am repeating "small steps" and taking them as I have gone through my day. I also an trying to train myself to re-frame my thoughts. Your "exercises" were meaningful and gave me things to not only think about but that are easily put into action. I loved the menagerie of goodies you brought for us to get my creative juices going. Took me to the enthusiasm I felt in my(several years past!) grade school art classes.The eagerness and wonder of what I could do! As I relaxed I experienced (total para-phrase)  what you said about losing track of time when in  the midst of the passion of your creativity. The warm smiling faces and the willingness of our group enhanced my creative spirit. The group's grace offered  both a lightness and a sensation of being grounded all at once. Inspiring,helpful and whimsical!I Can't wait for future Creative Oasis events! Thank you, Jill."

Alicia N.

"Thank you. You gave me so much energy and inspiration. Thank you so much, Jill, on drawing such a wonderful group, for teaching us SO many valuable things and for putting into practice what you preach. Thank you so much, Jane, for sharing your spiritual talents, healing powers and beautiful life with us." Ashley B.

"I wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart for the wonderful retreat last weekend.  It was more than I hoped it would be.  I keep flashing back to our group circles, creative time, morning coffee and quiet time and it feels so good.  You are a wonderful leader and a gifted coach.  Thank you!  Thank you!  Thank you!"  Shannon K.

"Today,  as I meandered through my "everyday" world again,  I could barely stay focused.  I found myself drifting back to the last couple of days and the joy I witnessed – watching and listening to each one of you as you progressed through the weekend.  I learned so much by just being near your spirits.  Jill, you are so correct when you say that there will not be another retreat like this one.  True, there will be more magic, but a different magic."   

Miki G.

Jill Allison Bryan is a certified Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coach and the founder of Creative Oasis Coaching™

Jane Baldwin is certified yoga teacher and the founder of Pranasalara

To register and reserve your space contact: 

prana@djartranch.com or creativeoasiscoach@me.com.

Come get to know Frank Lloyd Wright and audacious artist Karen Blessen with the Creative Oasis Day Trippers™ this April!

Our inaugural Creative Oasis Day Trip™ to the Modern in Fort Worth was such a great experience that I’ve decided to add two more outings for this April. 

Wednesday, April 6, 2011 from noon to 2pm

Gallery Talk: Frank Lloyd Wright: The Man Behind the Studio

Dallas Museum of Art

(Free admission with DMA membership)

We’ll first enjoy the Gallery Talk, led by Stefanie Kae Dlugosz, McDermott Curatorial Intern for Decorative Arts and Design. Afterwards we’ll engage in a creative activity designed to enhance our experience in the Center for Creative Connections of the museum.

Saturday, April 30, 2011 from 2 to 3:30pm

A very special private tour of Pulitzer-Prize winning artist 

Karen Blessen’s Deep Ellum Studio.

(Donations for Blessen’s “29 Pieces” project graciously accepted.)

Karen will share the inspiration for and the process behind creating her “29 Pieces” installation inspired by meditating on 29 different sacred texts from a variety of world religions. Space is limited to 10 people for this unique opportunity, so please register as soon as possible if you want to join us. (A recent Dallas News article about Karen Blessen.)

To reserve you place for either or both of these Creative Oasis Day Trips™ sign up here. Registration form and $15 payment is due three days prior to each trip to insure plenty of time for you to receive your pre-trip creative prompt and any materials needed for our trip activity.

If you’re like me, many of my friends and clients, these are the very type of interesting, inspiring outings you long for yet rarely seem to have the time or motivation to pursue. Join me and the Creative Oasis Day Trippers™ each month as we set out in search of a variety of experiences guaranteed to spark our creative spirit and add a healthy dose of fulfillment to our lives. Let me handle the details and planning, all you need to do is show up, join the group and enjoy! How does that sound?

All the best from my creative oasis to yours,

Jill

Jill Allison Bryan

www.creativeoasiscoaching.com

On the Road with Creative Oasis Day Trippers™ – Our First Trip!

Static on AM radio…Stuckey’s…pillow forts in the back seat…Mad Libs…vending machine snacks and the smell of gasoline as Dad refueled the car…motor court motels with fenced in swimming pools…cannon-balling into those pools the reward for a long day traveling in a car with no air-conditioning in the sweltering Texas heat.

These were a sampling of road trip memories we shared during the first Creative Oasis Day Trippers™ outing. Sunday, March 6, 2011 we headed to Fort Worth to take in the special exhibit, Ed Ruscha: Road Tested at the Modern Art Museum. Prior to meeting up at the museum, we’d tapped into memories from the road trips of our youth to access words, images and phrases as inspiration to write haikus.

Asphalt ribbon winds

On to the next motel light

Flashing on…off…on

Our docent with Light Cloud, Dark Cloud by Mark Rothko 1957

A wonderful docent led us through an enlightening tour featuring highlights of the permanent collection and the complete Rushca show. It was very cool the way pieces from the permanent collection such as Camouflage Botticelli (Birth of Venus) (1963-64) by Alain Jacquet and Light Cloud, Dark Cloud (1957) by Mark Rothko wove their way nicely into our road trip themed experience. 

Jill with Camouflage Botticelli (Birth of Venus)
(1963-64) by Alain Jacquet

Vonda shooting Andy Warhol

Cool hipstimatic shot by Vonda Hussey* of
Ladder for Booker T. Washington (1996) by Martin Puryear 

Another great hipstamtic shot by Vonda Hussey

After our tour, we adjourned to the café to grab a drink and create collage postcards with images from old travel books and posters as well as Texas road maps. We wrote messages to ourselves on our finished cards, reminders that this type of immersive creative experience is, in additional to being fun, just plain good for the soul! The Day Trippers will receive their postcards in the future when I mail them out to serve as a gentle reminder. (It’s always nice to receive a piece of real mail that’s not a bill.)

Next month Creative Oasis Day Trippers™ will meet up at the Dallas Museum of Art for the Gallery Talk: Frank Lloyd Wright: The Man Behind the Studio. Contact me here to reserve your space and for registration information. Be sure to register by April 3^rd to insure you’ll receive the pre-trip creative prompts and meet-up instructions.

All the best from my creative oasis to yours,

Jill

p.s. Check out the beautiful photography of Vonda Hussey at www.vondahussey.com. 

Bridge to Somewhere Beautiful

Bridge over White Rock Lake in Dallas, Texas
photo by Vonda Kaatz Hussey

Yesterday tens of thousands of people around the globe joined together to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of International Women’s Day and support Women for Women International by taking part in the second annual Join Me on the Bridge event. We gathered in Africa, Asia and all across Europe. We gathered on well-known bridges such as the Millennium Bridge in London, the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City and the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.   

Photo by Vonda Kaatz Hussey

And here in Dallas, Texas nearly 50 men, women and children came together on a small pedestrian/bike path bridge over White Rock Lake.  We met new friends. We lifted signs of peace. We sang songs, shared our stories and ideas and left feeling hopeful in the knowledge that we truly can make a difference. We can make the world a better, safer place for women around the world by demonstrating our compassion, by raising our voices and by lending our support.

Gorethy Nabushosi of Congo Restoration
photo by Vonda Kaatz Hussey

As of this writing, we’ve raised more than three times our goal of $100 for the 100 for 100 Challenge. With donations ranging from a single dollar to one hundred, we came together and collected enough money to allow one woman to participate in the year long life-changing program offered by Women for Women.

Photo by Marla McDonal

What a beautiful illustration of the notion that every effort and donation, no matter the size, helps. When we unite our resources, talents and passion we can do great things!

If you’d like to join us you can add your contribution of any dollar amount here.  If you’d like to learn more about sponsoring a woman for $27 a month through Women for Women International visit http://www.womenforwomen.org.

It will be such a joy for me to share photos and stories of our event with my sister I’m currently sponsoring in the Congo. Imagine the joy and hope she’ll feel knowing that people half a world away came together to build a bridge of love that honors her and all everywhere. I would call that a bridge to somewhere beautiful.

With gratitude, love and light,

Jill

Bohemian Snow Day Play

“When life hands you lemons make lemonade,” the saying goes.  The first week of February life handed us school-closing snow and ice that kept many of us in Dallas/Ft. Worth homebound with kids that were soon bouncing off the walls. 

Bikini Snow Chick by Ashley Thames Brown

Snow Rita

What did we make with all that snow & ice? According to facebook posts, on the first snow day my friends made snow chicks in bikinis,  snow ice-cream and even snow-ritas. (The love of all things Tex-Mex runs deep down here y’all!) In other words, we made the best of it. We consumed mass quantities of hot chocolate and marshmallows, made fires, played games and watched old movies. 

Then came the second snow day…as my friend Juliana Finch would say write-play-repeat! We did it all again.

Next came day three. Insert *@*#*&&%%!!!* expletive of your choice. By the fourth phone call from school confirming that once again they would be closed due to inclement weather it was time to put on my get-really-creative-and-think-outside-the-box hat.  Thus “Boho Snow Day” was born.

I had several creative projects that I wanted to get to for a group class that I’m teaching here in Dallas called, “Welcome To Your Creative Oasis”, for a group teleclass I’m participating in with Jill Badonsky – “Blissfully Imperfect – Liberating Creative Joy” and for my Creative Oasis Day Trippers group.

Bohemian Dress Up

My daughter loves role-playing, so I figured if I offered to turn our dining room into a Soho-esque artist loft and us into bohemian artist-types (complete with the proper boho-chic fashions) I’d have a good chance of getting her to hang out and do some fun creative stuff with me for an hour or two and give video-chatting on her computer a rest. 

Scarves helped transform the
dining room into a Soho loft

It worked! The proof is in the photos. We had a blast dressing up, hanging scarves and shawls around the room (it helps that I have a slight Stevie Nicks fascination), lighting candles and playing with creative projects. We wrote in our journals. We made Artist Trading Cards. We listened to music. (The New Bohemians, of course!) And I got at least few things accomplished that I wanted to without locking myself in my office and leaving Riley Anna to her own devices.

Our Boho Snow Day was as fun for me as it was for her, and it was an excellent reminder that when we add an element of child-like play to anything we do – it becomes more joyful. Sounds simple…makes sense…but we can all use the reminder.

Journaling...

is fun!
(yes...we dressed up the dog too, poor guy)

As Bea Silly, Muse of Play, Laughter and Dance says, “Fun is an elixir of spontaneous ideas. Solutions that seemed so elusive earlier appear effortlessly in the midst of play. To engage in the kind of play that stimulates ideas, mortals need to take themselves less seriously and make room for making things up, kidding, and goofing off.” (Quoted from “The Nine Modern Day Muses and a Bodyguard” by Jill Badonsky.)

Artist Trading Card

Can you imagine how child-like play might open you up to the creative process? Why not fetch your feather boa out of the mothballs (or if you don’t own one – go buy one for heaven’s sake – everyone needs a feather boa!) and throw it dramatically around your neck then dive into five minutes of creative play. Write in your journal as if you’re a movie star from the days of the silver screen…create a collage like your Lady Gaga designing your next crazy costume…plan a menu for a dinner party for the rock stars you’re inviting over next weekend (and if you don’t know any rock stars…have your neighbors over to enjoy it instead.)

I’d love to hear how you choose to use child-like play in your creative process! (oooo…and send photos too please!)

All the best from my creative oasis to yours,

Jill

Visit The Creativity-Portal to find this article and many more written by me and other certified Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaches.