No Time to Read This? Creating Time for Your Creative Oasis Teleclasses to the Rescue!

Photo Credit: Robert Couse-Baker via Compfight cc

“Feel like you barely have time to read this one page, much less enjoy any of the many creative projects, plans and dreams you have waiting on the back burner? I understand and that’s why my brand new 12-week teleclass series based on the Amazon Best-Seller Creating Time – Using Creativity to Reinvent the Clock and Reclaim Your Life by Marney K. Makridakis is the one for you!”

  ~ Jill Allison Bryan ~ Founder of Creative Oasis Coaching™, Master Kaizen-Muse® Creativity Coach, Singer/Songwriter

If I Only Had More Time!

If you’ve ever had this thought, (and let’s be honest – who hasn’t?!) then Creating Time for Your Creative Oasis is the teleclass for you! We’ll spend 12 weeks together exploring the fun and effective time management methods and unique new ways of thinking about time created especially for creative types like you and me in the fabulous book, Creating Time – Using Creativity to Reinvent the Clock and Reclaim Your Life by Marney K. Makridakis.

Prompts and Permission and Peeps, Oh My! 

Prompts ~ Each week you’ll choose from several fun creative prompts to play with as we explore Creating Time. All handouts, creative prompts and activities will be totally optional. There will be no Homework or Have-Tos in this teleclass…only Creative Play and Get-Tos based on what appeals to your creative sensibility, desires and schedule.

Permission ~ You can count on enjoying the permission to dedicate time for yourself that comes with joining a class. You’ll also learn gentle ways to practice giving yourself permission to create the time and space for the creative projects, plans and dreams you’ve had on hold for far too long.

Peeps ~ Not the sticky candy kind, but rather a group of kindred creative spirits who just like you (and me!) are looking for ways to spend more time doing the things that energize and delight them creatively. Our weekly group calls will provide a gentle accountability, support and camaraderie that will help keep us motivated and inspired through our 12 weeks together.  

Bonus! Creating Time Tips Straight From the Source 

Creating Marney K. Makridakis, 
Best-selling author of Creating Time and founder of Artellaland.com

For an extra special bonus, the author of Creating Time Marney K. Makridakis will join us during one of our calls. She’ll lead a portion of our telelclass and share some information about her exciting upcoming programs as well. (As member of her Mapping and Mentoring with Marney program, I can tell you that we are all in for a real treat!)

 Are You Ready to Create More Time for Your Creative Oasis? 

$425 includes 
12 group class session,
e-mail follow-ups, printable hand-outs 
and links to all teleclass recordings 
(so you won't miss a thing if you're unable to make the live call!)

Group class calls will take place each Wednesday beginning
September 18, 2013 through December 11, 2013
(no call November 27th)
2 to 3:30pm Central Time

I'm so excited for you to join me for 12 full weeks of using creativity to reinvent the clock, reclaim your life and rejuvenate your Creative Oasis!

Jill

Jill Allison Bryan

www.creativeoasiscoaching.com

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!

Poetic Musings on a Tree Stump (What's Your Secret?)

While hiking in Breckenridge, Colorado with my family last week, I spotted this tree stump. I loved the way it looked so I asked my husband to snap a pic. It's long been a tradition in our family to spot and call out "Natural Art" like this when we're on hikes. "Natural Art" can be anything from a fallen log, to interesting markings on an Aspen tree, to a patch of wildflowers. You can see the example below from six or seven year ago – a fallen tree whose base made an enormous natural sculpture. (Can't believe how tiny my now teenage daughter looks!)

"Natural Art" on a family hike in Breckenridge, Colorado

Natural Art Rock Heart found on a hike today!

Looking through the many photos we've taken while up in the mountains this summer, I was drawn to the image of the tree stump up top. The tree had obviously been felled by a human (due to a Pine Beetle infestation up here, thousands of pine trees have died over the last several years and many cut down to prevent forest fires) but still counts as Natural Art in my book.

While searching for just the right words to add to the image, I came upon the super short, almost mystical poem by Robert Frost entitled, The Secret Sits. I read it over and over and pondered Frost's possible meanings. Then I did what it's so darn easy to do these days – I googled it.

I quickly found a half dozen plus sites sharing interpretations of The Secret Sits. You may not be surprised to hear that each of the authors offered a distinctly different take on the meaning of this concise little jewel of a poem.

Finding so many completely different takes on this piece (each author sounding completely confident that his or her conclusion was correct) helped me feel free to read the words once more and see what meaning shone through for me...especially in the context of pairing them with my tree stump photo.

So here's my two cents. The message I hear in "The Secret Sits" is that rather than looking to others for approval or their definition of success...happiness...creativity or whatever is important to us, when we stop to look inside and listen to our own wise inner voice...our heart...our intuition...our spirit...our center – that's when we tap into real truth.

Though I absolutely believe that lots of good can come from being a member of a group and great knowledge can be found outside of ourselves from books, teachers, friends, and family, as a Master Kaizen-Muse® Creativity Coach, I'm a big believer in asking ourselves small questions to tap into our own wise-inner voice. I think often believe we should know the answers before even giving ourselves to opportunity to ask questions.

So inspired by Mr. Frosts mysterious short poem (and a cool Natural Art tree stump,) I'd like to share a few questions that you might choose to ponder to access your own unique intuition.

"What's one thing I'm consistently doing for myself that brings me creative joy?"

"What's one more way I'd like to experience creative fulfillment in my life?"

"What's one small, easy step I could take toward that today?" 

(something that could be done in 5 minutes or less, and great news, daydreaming counts!)

I'd love to hear where these prompts lead you, how The Secret Sits speaks to you and if you're a Natural Art lover. Please feel free to share in the comment section below.

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

Jill

Jill Allison Bryan

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!

Make Mandala Magic in Minutes

This morning I gave myself permission to enjoy 15 minutes of pure creative process by coloring in this free printable mandala. Click here to watch my 15 second instagram video that brings the mandala making magic to life: http://instagram.com/p/cJ1WamsRKP/

If you're looking for a way to experience some quick, fun creativity mandalas are fabulous. You'll find a nice assortment of free printables at www.printmandala.com and many more sites if you just do a quick google search. You can print them on regular paper to use crayons or colored pencils or card stock for markers and watercolor paints.

Mandalas provide ideal Instant Oasis Moments because they're easy and fun. You get to choose your colors and mediums but the shape (structure) has been provided for you. There's something very meditative about the act of coloring in or making a mandala. As many of you know, I love mandalas.

My logo is a mandala.

We've had Creative Oasis Day Trippers outings to create our own mandalas.

(click here to learn more about our outing)

We created a mandala using found objects at one of my 

Creative Oasis retreats at the Double J Art Ranch.

One of my wonderful clients recently hosted a group of Tibetan Monks who were 

performing an intricate sand mandala ritual in Oklahoma.

(click here to see more gorgeous photos and read about her wonderful experience)

Here's to giving ourselves a few minutes of creative play time using mandalas for this week's Mid-Week Oasis Moment.  If you create a mandala and would like to share, I'd love to see it! Feel free to send a photo to: creativeoasiscoach@me.com.

Until 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!

Tapping Into Your Inner Peacock

photo by Jill Allison Bryan taken at Kalachandji's in Dallas

Imagine a world where peacocks tried to hide their magnificent colors away because they worried they might be presumed too bold or showy...or because they were afraid they weren't just the right shade of blue, green or purple...or because they thought all the other birds were so much more beautiful than them so why even bother?

Sounds downright unnatural, doesn't it? That's because it is! Peacocks were born to proudly parade their brilliant feathers in all their glory.

Now if you happen to be one of the many people who try to hide your own magnificent creative colors because you're worried that you might be seen as "showing off" or because your afraid your own personal creative process "isn't good enough" or because you think everyone else's creative endeavors are so much better than yours "why should you even bother?" I'm here to tell you that line of thinking is just as unnatural as a peacock trying to hide its brilliance.

I truly believe that you and I are born to share our creative light with the world in a multitude of ways whether it be painting, writing, crafting, gardening, dancing, making music, taking photos, hosting dinner parties, decorating, acting, scrapbooking, knitting...the list goes on and on. As I love to say, your Creative Oasis is whatever makes your heart sing and time fly!

What's one small way you might tap into your 

inner peacock and share your creative colors with the world today?

If you could use some help making the time and space for creative fulfillment in your life sign up here to receive a free copy of my short e-book Permission to Be Creative 101, Mid-Week Oasis Moments (bite-size bonbons of creative inspiration served weekly) and my monthly Creative Oasis Pages newsletter.

And if you're interested in learning more about how one-on-one creativity coaching may be just what you need click here to read more about Creative Oasis Coaching and how to schedule a complimentary session to see if it might be right for you.

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

Jill Allison Byan

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!

Looking on the Sunny Side of Life

I tend to look on the sunny side of life, at least I try to more often than not. Though I know we need the dark to see the light and bad times come hand in hand with the good…at this stage in my life, I’ve come to see the power in dwelling in the positive rather than the negative…expecting the best rather than the worst…seeing the good in people rather than the not-so-good whenever possible…remaining hopeful!

When I found this wonderful Helen Keller quote I knew I wanted to pair it with a photo I took on an early morning beach walk last week. What’s more hopeful than a sunrise? It’s literally the beginning of a new day…the opportunity to begin again…a fresh start.

With that in mind, what’s one small way you might “keep your face to the sunshine” today? What’s one simple way you might begin again? Do you have a project you’ve laid aside you’d like to revisit? Has it been too long since you last played the piano, picked up your needlework or took out the scissors and glue? What if you gave yourself five or ten minutes to get reacquainted with your creative calling?

"I Am Not Alone" painted and donated by Michelle Stroescu for Infinite Possibility – A Night of Music, Art & Women Helping Women"

I wrote and recorded a song called “I Am Not Alone” for my CD, “Dancing In Limbo” that shares the reminder that rain combined with sunshine can create the magic of a rainbow. How might you play with the concept of light and dark in your creativity? My talented friend, Michelle Stroescu, painted and donated the artwork above for my CD release/silent art auction event, "Infinite Possibility – A Night of Music, Art & Women Helping Women" which raised more than $10,000 for Women for Women International. (click here to see all of the amazing artwork which was donated by my generous, talented female friends for the event)

As always, I’d love for you to share anything that was sparked for you by this post and please feel free to share it with anyone you feel could use some permission to make time for their creative passions.

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!

Shining Brightly or Running on Empty?

“Lighthouses don’t go running all over an island looking for boats to save;     they just stand there shining.” 

– Anne Lamott

Anne Lamott says it so beautifully. Be yourself. Let your light shine. Stand tall and proud like a lighthouse being exactly who you’re meant to be…doing exactly what you’re meant to do…shining your own special light into the world. When we run around trying to be what everyone else wants us to be rather than standing firmly in our own brilliance, we end up draining our precious creative resources, energy and light.

What is it that you love to do? What makes your heart sing and time fly? That is your Creative Oasis™! That’s how you can let your light shine.

Do you like to try recipes from around the globe? Do you like to create cards to share with family and friends or even total strangers? Do you like to belt out songs for your kids, your grandkids or just for the sheer joy of singing?

Then please…by all means…cook, create, croon!

And know this…not everyone is going to love your Swisschard, chickpea and tamarind stew, but the people who do will ask for the recipe and daydream of the culinary delight your shared for days!

Recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi

Not every stranger will know quite what to make of your homemade cards, but the people who desperately need to receive a word of hope and encouragement (especially from a total stranger) will be lifted up by your creative kindness in a beautiful ways you may never even see.

Card I made for my daughter just cuz

And if even one child, grandchild or neighbor with an open-window experiences the musical joy you exude while singing a song at the top of your lungs as much as you do, then consider that a bonus to the freedom you feel when you let yourself croon a tune.

It’s worth your time. It’s worth your effort. It’s worth the expense. It matters. You matter. Please don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. We are here to let all of our talents, passions and dreams shine!

Will everyone like this Mid-Week Oasis Moment? No. Does my Creative Oasis Coaching appeal to everyone on the planet? Certainly not.  Am I trying to share my message with all the people of Earth? No way.

But, I know that this will resonate with a few of you, and that today you’ll allow yourself to shine a bit more brightly than you may have otherwise and the world will be a bit better and brighter for it and that is enough for me.

“As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously                                                       give other people permission to do the same.” 

– Marianne Williamson

As I write this I’m looking out the window of our rented beach house watching the waves crash ashore, the seabirds fly by and the clouds roll in. Before we left Dallas last week I’d already chosen the Anne Lamott quote for this week’s post and created the visual below. When we arrived here on Dauphin Island I saw a fun lighthouse statue and decided to add my own dash of island light to this Mid-Week Oasis Moment. How’s that for a heemeesheemee? (my word for a serendipitous moment)

What’s one small way you can use creativity to let your light shine today?

Until next time, all the best from my Creative Oasis to yours wherever you may be,

Jill

All rights reserved 2013 - Jill Allison Bryan - www.creativeoasiscoaching.com

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!

5-Minute Flash of Creative Freedom & Fun

My latest 5-minute flash of creative freedom & fun!

I’m always looking for new ways to weave a littlelow-pressure creativity into my life and share it with others looking to do the same. Though I’m blessed to experience lots of creative satisfaction through my Creative Oasis Coaching work, I still want to practice what I preach and explore all manner of creativity for the sheer joy of it. Even a short burst of creative play can infuse our busy days with an amazing feeling of freedom and fun!

Although I’m a singer/songwriter and a creativity coach, I don’t consider myself a visual artist. Nevertheless, I love to play with art supplies, compile collages, dabble in photography and explore other forms of arts and crafts.

Mandala I made during a Creative Oasis Day Tripper outing

The latest, greatest way I’ve found to enjoy a quick flash of creative freedom is by using an app called “Over” on my iPhone. Last week I took a photo of my calendar (I love the Japanese Woodblock images), then wrote a quick haiku inspired by the shot and finally used the “Over” app to combine them to create the image you see above which I then posted on Instagram (creativeoasiscoach). I'm so happy with the way it turned out. The project took about five minutes from start to finish and was super easy and fun to do.

Today we have hundreds (if not thousands) of great, easy-to-use apps (many of them free) literally at our fingertips. I’ll continue to share my favorite findings with you as I search for the best and brightest that allow us to infuse a burst of creative energy into our busy lives.

BTW - I’m not an affiliate or associated with “Over” or “iPhone” in any way. Just like to share what’s working for me creatively in the hopes you might enjoy exploring it as well.

If you have a favorite app you use to add a little creative play to your day, I’d love to hear about it in the comment section below.

Thanks so much to all of you who have donated to help my fundraising for Love Hope Strength!   I just returned from the hike which was seriously challenging, but doable and an amazing experience. We hiked with cancer survivors, their loved ones, musicians and hundreds of wonderfully caring people from all over the world to create awareness and raise money for Love Hope Strength - fighting cancer one concert and one hike at a time!       Near the summit and feeling fine! There's still time to donate to this fabulous foundation that's building cancer centers around the globe, helping to staff them with doctors and raising awareness about how easy and painless it now is to be a bone marrow donor.        Click here if you'd like to support my fundraising efforts with a donation of $5, $10, $15 or more.

Until 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!