Painting Pottery & Creative Day Trippin' - September 30th!

Creative Oasis Day Trippers meets up once in month in the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex to explore creativity through tours, lectures, concerts, movies, hands-on experiences and more! 

Join us for our upcoming trip 

Friday, September 30, 2011 Noon to 2pm

POTTERY PAINTING AT ARTISTIC GATHERINGS

Join us for an afternoon of pottery painting! 

Before we meet, I’ll send you a creative prompt to add another dimension to our outing. We’ll meet at noon to choose our pieces, paint and have some fun exploring ideas that can help you enjoy creativity in your life on a more regular basis.

$15 per person 

(plus the cost of whichever pottery pieces you choose)

 Space is limited, so please rsvp to reserve your place and sign up to learn about future Day Tripper outings.

creativeoasiscoach@me.com

9440 Garland Rd. #138 

Dallas, Texas 75218

www.artisticgatherings.com

High Octane Serendipity & Napping! Creative Oasis™ Permission to Pause Manifesto Part Two

Welcome to my 

Creative Oasis™ Permission to Pause Manifesto (Part Two) 

in which I continue to receive rather in-my-face messages from the universe in the form of high-octane serendipity that 

taking the time to do nothing is something we all need to be doing! 

(If you missed it - you can read Part One here.)

A reflective sunrise pause beautifully shared by Twyla Smith.

When last we met, I was cocooned in the restorative energy of Ten Thousand Waves. As synchronicity would have it, a coaching client of mine, Twyla Smith, happened to be in Santa Fe that same weekend. She suggested we meet for lunch on the patio of The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum Café, which was lovely. Things turned interesting when Twyla introduced us to her friend Pat Webb. Why? Well… Pat happens to be one of the founders of The Silence Foundation. Here is their mission:

“To practice and teach silence. 

Through the creative use of silence we aim to 

gently guide individuals into new lifestyle choices…

choices that reduce the stress, allow reflection, 

broaden vision, and provide tools for positive change, 

especially in times of transition.”

Ah-ha! Another blatant and beautiful reminder that it’s a good thing to practice not filling every waking moment with doing. (talking, reading, writing, eating, shopping, watching media, worrying, planning, etc…) Here was an entire foundation devoted to it!

Santuario de Chimayo by Jill Allison Bryan

After a leisurely drive on the beautiful back-roads from Santa Fe to Chimayo to Taos, we reached our next destination – the Mabel Dodge Luhan House for a creativity retreat held by Jill Badonsky. (author, founder of Kaizen–Muse® Creativity Coaching, my mentor and friend)

The Jills

Doug and I arrived in time to enjoy the first of many delicious meals, meet the other attendees and receive a card that Badonsky had randomly chosen for each of us from Roger von Oech’s Creative Whack Pack.

When I flipped over my card to read and share with the group, I felt as if the universe had slapped me upside the head! “Are you getting the message yet?!?!” For on it was an illustration of a woman’s face which looked eerily like my own sitting on a rocking chair with the title “Pause for a Bit” across the top.  Hello.

Check out the text!

Poet Doug King on the value of incubating: 

“Learn to Pause…or nothing worthwhile will catch up to you.” Allow the Muse to whisper in your ear. What problem are you working on that would benefit from a pause?”

Okey–dokey then. Message received…loud and clear. I would definitely be spending some more time playing with this idea of pause. The week-long retreat dedicated to sparking creativity (and encouraging nap-taking) would be the ideal setting to do just that. But wait…it gets better.

Just in case I wasn’t 100% certain that the whole concept of  “pausing” was something that deserved my exploration, after Doug and I ambled back to our casita I decided to do a quick e-mail check before unpacking. That’s when I received a message from my friend, Bob Munro of Sacred Pause (his beautiful business which shares his serene, inspiring photographic images from around the world.) He asked if I would like to contribute a little something during the coming week to his facebook page focused on the idea of…you guessed it…PAUSE. Pardon my French…but what the…..?!?!?!?! This was some high-octane serendipity! (my favorite kind)  

So between quiet morning runs in the sunrise solitude of Taos, gourmet meals at Mabel’s, convening with other creative spirits on retreat and rejuvenating afternoon naps, I pondered the importance of “pausing” and The Creative Oasis ™ Permission to Pause Manifesto was born.

Gertrude Stein by Andy Warhol.

Gertrude Stein, one of the greatest creative instigators and supporters of all time in my humble opinion, nailed it when she said,

“It takes a lot of time to be a genius. 

You have to sit around a lot doing nothing…really nothing.”

I’ve always loved that quote and upon further inspection and reflection I know why. This is a message we receive far too infrequently in our face-paced, do-more-faster-better-now society.

We hold those whose schedules are so jam-packed they barely have time to sleep or eat in high esteem. We equate busyness with importance. As a nation we take less vacation days than any other and often don’t even use all we’ve earned. Or we plan vacations so chock full of experiences that we come home feeling more exhausted than the day we left.

So here’s a question to consider. 

If we’re always so busy doing, making, talking, 

watching, reading, planning, moving – 

when do we have time to experience 

the peace of simply being…

to let new creative thoughts bubble to the surface? 

(Perhaps this is why so many wonderful ideas come to us in the shower…it’s one of the very few times and places when we’re not multi-tasking. God help us all if they ever invent water-proof cell phones!)

My morning meditation (which I’ve been practicing for six or seven years now) has become a sacred time that I look forward to every day. The mornings when I don’t allow myself the time to meditate, rolling out of bed and barreling into my day like a freight train, the difference is palatable and not pretty. (Think Wylie Coyote falling off a cliff, being blown up or run over by said train in his futile attempts to catch the Road Runner.) 

But, when I allow myself even five or ten minutes to sit in silence and breathe, I feel centered, in touch with myself and balanced – a preferable way to start off the day in my book.

My next step will be to look for new ways to create time and space in my life for “pausing” in addition to my morning meditation. Yet, as intrigued and excited by this notion as I am, I’m guessing it will be a challenge. The idea of taking the time to “just be” flies in the face of society’s norms and a lifetime of conditioning that busy is better.

Luckily I have the techniques of Kaizen-Muse® Creativity Coaching to help me – in this case using small steps and lowering pressure for myself, knowing that it’s okay if I’m not perfect at this “sacred pause” stuff right off the bate because it’s pretty new and foreign to me.

What about you? Are you willing to give it a go? I’d love to hear your desired method of “pausing.”  Do you have one? Do you wish you did? Can you see the benefits of allowing time and space in our busy lives to simply be?

Perhaps we can support each other as we venture into this new exotic landscape where sitting and staring out the window at the trees blowing in the breeze is considered time well spent. In fact, that’s what I’m about to do right now…a little bit of nothing. Care to join me?

Announcing Fall 2011 Creative Oasis Classes & Workshops

A Creative Oasis class last spring at Pigment

Announcing the Fall 2011 line up of Creative Oasis classes and workshops!

(Register to secure your space in the fun today.)

  

LIVING THE CREATIVE LIFE

A 6-week course dedicated to gently lifting

your creative dreams to the top of your to-do list!

Everyone deserves to experience creative fulfillment. Even if you don’t consider yourself especially creative, you can easily make the time and space in your life to enjoy your own Creative Oasis™. Whether it’s cooking, writing, painting, making music, comedy, scrap-booking, creating collages, blogging, gardening, performing, organizing –

whatever it is that your heart longs to do – that’s your Creative Oasis™. 

So often we let procrastination, perfectionism, and a general feeling of being overwhelmed by our busy lives stop us from making the time for activities that energize and delight us.  It doesn’t have to be that way. As a certified Kaizen-Muse® Creativity Coach, I offer a treasure chest of easy to use tools and techniques that can help anyone enjoy creative satisfaction in their lives.

During this unique 6-week class I’ll share these tools and techniques in a fun group setting that provides camaraderie, support and gentle accountability.

When:

Class offered

September 20 through October 25, 2011

Tuesday mornings 10:30am to Noon

 or

September 22 through October 27, 2011

Thursday evenings 7:30pm to 9:00pm

Where:

Pigment School of the Arts

4605 West Lovers Lane  

Dallas, TX  75209-3133

(214) 352-2787

Cost:

$275 (or $250 with a friend)

includes six sessions, materials and e-mail follow-ups

To register contact creativeoasiscoach@me.com.

PERMISSION TO BE CREATIVE 101

A fun one-day workshop introducing easy and effective ways to make

the time and space for creative fulfillment in your busy life

This workshop designed to energize and enlighten you will feature boxes to think outside of, stereotypes to set free, labels to shed, inhibitions to release, creative identities to try on for size and unique ways of looking at life through the lens of creative thinking.

You’ll be introduced to fun idea generating techniques, a sampling of Kaizen-Muse® Creativity Coaching methods, mind-mapping and easy-to-use tools and techniques to help you tap into your own creativity on a more regular basis. You’ll enjoy the delight of creative expression for the pure sake of joy. You’ll begin your own Creative Oasis™ Journal – a self-created manual of inspiration filled with insights from your inner wisdom and accessed by the unique tools and techniques of creativity coaching.

When:

Saturday, September 17, 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

*Note – Permission to be Creative 101 will also be offered Saturday, December 3, 2011 from 10am to 4pm.

The Creative Oasis™ Permission to Pause Manifesto – Part One

We interrupt your regularly scheduled hectic, hurried life to bring you an important message vital to the well­–being of your mind, body and spirit!

The Creative Oasis™ Permission to Pause Manifesto!

Full Disclosure:  This manifesto brought to you by a blatantly blissed-out, radically relaxed creative type. (That would be me, Jill Allison Bryan, singer, songwriter and creativity coach.)

Though, I’ll admit, not my typical day-to-day state-of-mind, immersion in the bliss-inducing nirvana that is Ten Thousand Waves (Santa Fe, NM) followed by a creative retreat in Taos (where daily napping is encouraged) has helped deliver me into my current state of repose and epiphany.  

Even before heading west, I’d been receiving not-so-subtle messages from the universe supporting this basic premise: 

“Taking time to do nothing 

is really something worth doing.” 

(Stick with me on this.)

Universe:  “Yo…Jill…it would be a fine idea for you (and your clients and your friends and your family and pretty much everyone on the planet) to stop attempting to constantly fill every waking moment with taking in something of some kind (food, drink, ideas, stuff, words, sounds, conversation, thoughts, media – social or otherwise) and/or putting something out.” (See above list…add more to each list as you see fit.)

Me: "Hmmm…interesting thought…but I really don’t have time to just sit around and think about that…so…"

Lo and behold, my travels through New Mexico have presented numerous opportunities to do just that, not to mention several serendipitous affirmations that confirm the universe may be on to something with all of this doing nothing stuff.

Ten Thousand Waves

First stop, Ten Thousand Waves Japanese­–style spa and lodging where the peaceful Zen-like vibe begins seeping into your being the moment you step foot on the grounds. When my husband and I arrived after two days of driving, although road weary, when I learned our room wouldn’t be ready for another hour or two, I immediately kicked into the “we need to do something!” mentality. “I guess we can drive back into town and check out gallery or two,” I said…feeling exhausted even just saying the words.

The lovely, laid-back woman checking us in tried her best to veil a look of horror/confusion as to why in the hell we would want to do that. She then politely suggested that another option might be to head up to the spa, trade in our clothes for kimonos and chill out in the relaxation room, communal bath area or near the koi pond. As she relayed our options I felt myself nodding and a smile slowly spreading across my face. “Yes…yes…I want to go to there,” as Liz Lemon would say.

After almost an hour of lying on comfy mats, listening to soothing music through headphones, meditating, and cat-napping I fell in mad love with the relaxation room and found myself wondering…why doesn’t everyplace have a relaxation room…a serenity lounge…a resting place?

Once settled into our lovely little cottage (Japanese-meets Santa Fe style casita) we headed back up to the spa for time in a private lagoon type hot-tub area and massages. Since we had a full half hour between these two spa activities, we actually contemplated bringing books with us. What the….?!?!?! (This need to do something all the time is insidious, I tell you!)

Thankfully, what happened naturally and wonderfully instead was after our private hot-tub, cold-plunge, and sauna time…we did what intelligent, well-adjusted healthy people would do…we sat in front of the koi pond and stared at it in a state of vegged-out euphoria until we were called for our massages.

Slowly making my way up the path to a private massage room, I couldn’t imagine it would be possible for me to feel any more tranquil than I already did. I told the therapist, “I don’t think I’ve ever gone into a massage feeling this relaxed already, so this should be interesting.”

Stairway to Heaven aka the Spa

Understatement. This is when I began to experience the pure “blissed–out” feeling that I will forever associate with Ten Thousand Waves (or Heaven on Earth, as I now like to call it.) As my husband and I floated back down to our place (I honestly don’t think our feet touched the ground) we both felt the amazing full-body/mind/spirit buzz that utter relaxation can bring…and it was good. And…it was only the beginning.

Tune in next time for Part Two of The Creative Oasis™ Permission to Pause Manifesto where we’ll find the universe fairly clubbing me over the head with signs and serendipitous events supporting the  notion that giving myself (and others) permission to pause is a worthy cause and perhaps my latest obsession. (in a good way)

The view waking from a nap on the futon

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

Jill

Money, Awareness & Good Questions Raised at "Who Does She Think She Is?" Screening

Over forty women (and one very cool, supportive husband) ventured out in the crazy Dallas heat for our special screening of the documentary, "Who Does She Think She Is?" on Wednesday, July 13, 2011 at LaGrange in Deep Ellum. I'm happy to share that in addition to raising over $200 and awareness for Women for Women International, we brought together some wonderfully creative women to discuss the questions brought up by this inspiring film.

Full house at La Grange

After every barstool and seat was filled more tables and chairs were brought in, orders for yummy $2 tacos and drink orders were placed and then together we watched "Who Does She Think She Is?" by Pamela Tanner Boll and Nancy C. Kennedy.

The films shines with beautiful images and weaves together the stories of several female artists (painters, scupltors, singer/actress, film makers, activists and more) as they share their personal challenges and rewards that come with pursuing their unique creative paths.

After the film, I was joined onstage by a panel of four women artists and art-related business owners for a Q and A session. We discussed the struggles and joys we've experienced in our own creative journeys while attempting to balance our lives and honor our artistic endeavors.

Jill leads the Q and A session

From left to right:

Michelle Stroescu (artist, designer, mother)

Ashley Thames Brown (artist, writer and mother)

Victoria Webb Pendergrass (artist, art school owner, teacher, mother)

Mary Tomás (artist, gallery owner, mother)

The general consensus was no matter how difficult it can sometimes be, making time and space for our creative expression is essential to living meaningful lives. Many of us agreed with the women in the film who said they thought they'd go crazy if they couldn't get to their artistic process. Even if it means telling society to taking a flying leap...or risking relationships...or changing where and how we live...it's worth it! As far as trying to have it all while keep all the balls in the air and plates spinning, I love Annette Benning's take:  "Balance is overrated!" 

As a creativity coach, I also used this opportunity to remind everyone that even spending a small amount of time with our creativity is better than doing nothing at all. Ten minutes spent sketching, knitting, playing piano or working in the garden can infuse the remaining 23 hours and 50 minutes in our day with a renewed energy and joy that everyone in our life will feel. (What a great return on such a small investment of time!) 

I know personally that when I've made time for my music or writing I'm in a much better place to be the mom, wife, friend, and human being I want to be. As some wise philosopher once said, "If Mama ain't happy - ain't nobody happy!" 

Thanks so much to everyone who came out. I hope that you felt as inspired and supported by this film as I did. 

Also, a special thanks to Art & Seek, Lakewood Women in Business, the White Rock Lake Weekly, Women for Women International, the Dallas Morning News, Natural Awakenings and The Hidden List for helping us spread the word about the screening.

Until next time,

all the best from my creative oasis to yours,

Jill

A Creative Oasis™ class, a light bulb goes off, and Suzanne has a brand new creative career in the bag! (a groovy, handmade handbag, that is)

Suzanne Eisenhauer joined my “Welcome to Your Creative Oasis™” class last fall. She was searching for a creative career – a way to combine the wisdom gleaned by years of success in the corporate world with her desire for creative fulfillment. During the six weeks our group met, I watched as she absorbed the Kaizen–Muse® creativity coaching tools and techniques I introduced. I saw flashes of inspiration mixed with moments of frustration. (“When will I ever figure out what I want to do with the rest of my life?” Sound familiar?)

Welcome to Your Creative Oasis class in action

As you can imagine, I had one of those “oh-wow-I’d-do-a-back-flip-if-I-only-knew-how-and-wasn’t-terrified-of-the-idea” moments when I received an e-mail from Suzanne a few months after our final class with news of her fabulous new creative venture! SuzanneBag creates one-of-a-kind handbags using funky vintage fabrics and buttons with fun names inspired by pop culture of the 60’s and 70’s. One look at her brightly colored website and you know she’s having a blast pursuing her creative passion by creating these funky pop-culture purses!

I think my mom had a dress made out of this material in the 70's (that I coveted!)

Suzanne graciously agreed to an interview so you can hear her inspiring creative success story. If you’re asking yourself, “When will I ever figure out what I want to do with the rest of my life?” keep reading for tips and inspiration from someone who is living her creative dream.

What was your inspiration for creating SuzanneBag?

A friend in Hawaii has been making these wonderful colorful vintage fabric handbags for years. I always envied her job because it allowed her to be creative in the fabric choices and designs. The thought of doing something similar had never crossed my mind, even though she had told me I had a wonderful eye for vintage fabrics. 

After struggling for nearly a year trying to decide what I wanted to do “with the rest of my life,” my husband said, “You have an eye for beautiful things, have you ever considered making handbags?” Strangely enough, it was only then that the light bulb went off in my brain and I thought, “I can do this.”

How did it feel when you knew that this was the direction you wanted to take?

It was amazing how quickly I not only accepted, but embraced the idea.  My mind raced when I thought of the things I would need to put in place, the least of which being sewing refresher classes!  But the thought of shopping for vintage fabrics and creating something beautiful with my hands was heady stuff indeed.

What role would you say taking a Creative Oasis Coaching™ class played in creating your business?

Before taking your class, my view of creativity was very close-minded. I certainly knew what I did well creatively, but never encouraged or challenged myself to think outside the box. That’s what the Creative Oasis Coaching™ class did for me; it taught me that creativity could be found in countless places, even the ones I didn’t currently excel in.

Which tools or techniques that you learned through Creative Oasis Coaching™ have been most helpful to you?

I think the most powerful tool for me was journaling.  I say that because when you spill out your thoughts on a page, you never know what might come out.  Sometimes it’s surprising how much insight you have trapped inside just looking for the opportunity to make itself known.  Just as yoga teaches you to listen to your body, journaling teaches you to listen to your inner thoughts and feelings.

Mind-mapping was another great tool, to take a word or central theme, and start working outward to create a diagram of sorts.  When you’re completely honest with yourself, it’s amazing what ends up on paper.

I think I had a Granny dress made out of this material!

We talked about “small steps” during our class (Kaizen means small steps to continuous improvement.) What was the first small step you took towards creating your handbag business?

The first step I took was signing up for my first sewing class since junior high. The second step was shopping online for vintage fabrics to inspire and encourage me.

In what ways do you get to use your creativity in your business now?

I opted to create my own handbag patterns instead of merely copying others I saw on the Internet or at the store. I might take a general handbag design, but then I would tweak it until I incorporated all the things I might want in a bag.

Also, there’s nothing more creative than shopping for fabrics. The vintage ones are the most fun by far, but interior fabrics also have to be matched up.  There’s something deeply satisfying in seeing these two very different fabrics mesh seamlessly.

How do you find inspiration for your designs and names (which I love!) of your designs?

I have made a point of creating handbags that I would want to carry myself.  I incorporated elements from other handbags I may have had in the past and liked for a particular reason. 

Because I work with fabrics from the 60’s and 70’s, I chose female TV characters of that time period:  Gidget (from the movies and TV show), Marsha (from “The Brady Bunch”), Daphne (from “Scooby Doo”) and Samantha (from “Bewitched”).  Since most people have seen these shows either originally or in syndication, they are fun little pop culture references.

Vintage Hawaiian fabrics are one of her specialities

Do you run all aspects of your business or do you have an assistant?

Heavens, no!  I don’t know what I would do without my dear husband.  Since he is a web developer, he put together my amazing website suzannebag.com. He set up my Facebook fan page (facebook.com/suzannebag), Twitter account (twitter.com/suzannebag), Flickr account (flickr.com/photos/suzannebag) and the ability to monitor traffic to Etsy (suzannebag.etsy.com).

What advice would you offer anyone who doesn't know quite what they want to do with their life, but believe they want to do something creatively satisfying?

Don’t give up hope!  It took a long time for me to decide what it was I could or should do. Invest in some classes, get a feel for what you enjoy and do well.  And remember, you don’t have to leave a lucrative job to do something creatively satisfying with your life. Many people are able to express their creativity outside their careers.

Do you have any tips for DIY entrepreneurs?

I know it sounds simplistic, but do what you love. Start slowly and leave your expectations at the door.  Unless you know exactly what you want to do and how to do it, there’s going to be a learning curve. Allow yourself plenty of time to perfect your art. Realize, that success doesn’t come over-night, people have to know you or know about what you’re doing. Very importantly, watch your costs.  If you overpay for supplies, you’ll never make your money back, no matter how much time and energy you expend. And finally, if at all possible, set up a designated workspace.

How does it feel to be running a creatively fulfilling business?

It’s still hard work! There’s no getting around the work part, no matter what you do.  However, there is something to be said about working on my own schedule, in my own house, on my own terms.  It’s wonderful to take time off when you need it or to spend an entire morning just researching a potential new design and not worrying that you aren’t “being productive.”  There is a lot of satisfaction in creating something that other people love and want.  And the beauty of it all is that I can continue to create new and different things to keep the creative process fresh for me.  There are always new bags to design, unique fabrics or buttons to get your hands on.  I get a little thrill each time I cut into a fabric that I’ve never made a bag from before.  Oh, the endless possibilities!

Finally, I want to share a wonderful quote that truly inspired me while attending Creative Oasis Coaching™:

“Live your questions now, and perhaps even without knowing it, you will live along some distant day into your answers.” 

                                  – Rainer Maria Rilke

Thanks so much to Suzanne for sharing her inspiring story! Seeing people follow their creative dreams and enjoy the amazing personal satisfaction that brings is one of my all time favorite things in the world. It makes me feel like I’m doing a series of back-flips in my mind even though there’s not a hope in Hades of me ever doing one in real life!

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

Jill

Jill Allison Bryan

Founder Creative Oasis Coaching ™

Certified Kaizen-Muse® Creativity Coach

Singer/Songwriter

Who Does She Think She Is? benefit screening July 13, 2011

Please join me for a special evening of creative inspiration, exploration and discussion sponsored by Creative Oasis Coaching.

What: 

A special screening of the thought-provoking documentary, "Who Does She Think She Is?" by Pamela Tanner Boll and Nancy C. Kennedy followed by a Q & A session with female artists and art-related business owners.

$10 cover  

(50% of profits will benefit Women for Women International)

Where:

LaGrange in Deep Ellum

2704 Elm St.

Dallas, TX 75226

(Happy Hour cocktails and Half-Price Food)

When:

Wednesday, July 13, 2011 from 6 to 9pm

Details:

This award-winning documentary examines some of the most pressing issues of our time: parenting and creativity, partnering and independence, economics and art. This gorgeously photographed film follow five women artists – from Hawaii to Santa Fe, from Ohio to New York – as they navigate the challenges and rewards of making work outside the elite art world.

After screening the movie, we'll welcome four local working artists to the stage for a Q and A discussion. I'm thrilled to announce our line-up:

Ashley Thames Brown (artist, writer and mother)

Victoria Webb Pendergrass (artist, art school owner, teacher, mother)

Michelle Stroescu (artist, designer, mother)

Mary Tomás (artist, gallery owner, mother)

Whether you're an artist, a writer, a musician, a mother or someone who longs to live a creatively fulfilling life, this promises to be an amazing. Please gather a group of friends and join us for a fun, inspiring evening!