The Simple First Step to Making Wishes Come True

Do you ever wish summer still felt like it did when you were a kid? Relaxing...carefree...fun?

Seems like these days summer is here and gone before you can say "fresh squeezed lemonade!"

One minute it's Memorial Day...the next it's Labor Day and you realize that once again you failed to realize your dream of eating your own homegrown tomatoes...lounging with a good book in a hammock...or enjoying even one of the hundreds (okay, maybe thousands) of summer recipes or creative projects you've pinned to your Pinterest boards. (Sound familiar?)

I can relate! That's why I created my "Create the Summer of Your Dreams" Do-It-Yourself Creative Oasis Kit.  Now I have simple, fun ways  to envision and enjoy summers filled with creative delights.  

And the simple first step is (you guessed it) to ask, "What do I wish I could do this summer?"

Click here to grab the FREE "Wish List" Fun Sheets I made to help you take this important (and fun!) first step to creating the summer of your dreams.  

Very soon I'll rerelease my popular "Create the Summer of Your Dreams" Do-It-Yourself Creative Oasis Kit with a simple step-by-step guide to help you envision and enjoy a summer filled with creative delights, relaxation and fun! 

For now, I invite you to take a few brief moments to grab your FREE "Wish List" Fun Sheets and enjoy dreaming up the summer you truly desire before you look up and it's time to start carving jack-o-lanterns. 

All the best from my almost summer Creative Oasis to yours,

Jill

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.

10 Inspiring Ideas to Help You Create the Summer of Your Dreams

Click Here

Summer will fly by before you can say "fresh-squeezed" lemonade! 

Use my free "Create the Summer of Your Dreams" Wish List Fun Sheets to take your first small (fun) step to making sure your summer isn't over before you've had a chance to enjoy the relaxing and delightful creative experiences you desire. 

Click here to let the fun begin! 

All the best from my summer Creative Oasis to yours,

Jill

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.

Where Will Your Creative Clues Lead?

I hope you had fun collecting clues for your creative scavenger hunt last week. 

(If you missed my invitation you can find it here: bit.ly/huntvid1)

This week I'll share what comes next...ways you can turn creative clues you collect into hand-on creative fun & fulfillment. Click here for next steps, specific examples and to let the fun begin: bit.ly/mwomnext.  

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

Jill

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.

Creative Oasis Scavenger Hunt Video Invite

Click here find to all the details to have fun with your own Creative Oasis Scavenger Hunt plus a free printable treasure map to collect all of your bits of creative inspiration. 

Big thanks to Elizabeth Gilbert for the inspiration! 

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

Jill

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.

Creative Humans Do These 3 Things

I'm currently reading The Art of Asking by Amanda Palmer. If you're unfamiliar with Amanda (who is a creative force of nature!) I recommend you watch her TEDTalk which has now been viewed over 3 million times and was the inspiration for her book, The Art of Asking.

When I read Amanda's words I immediately thought of the painting "Dot-Scape" my dear friend (and another creative force of nature) Jessica Jane Lynch had just posted on Facebook. (She graciously allowed me to use it for this Mid-Week Oasis Moment.)

"Dot-Scape" was a collaborative piece created by a group of children ages (3 to 15) living with Type-1 Diabetes from two Connecticut chapters of JDRF (formerly "Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) to be auctioned at this year's 2015 JDRF spring gala. Jessica served as the Children's Art Project Chair, conceptualized, artistically realized and photographed the piece. (I told you she was a creative force of nature!) 

The heemeesheemee (my word for serendipity) of all of this lies in the fact that Jessica's creative project so beautifully illustrates Amanda's observations and actually uses dots to do so!!!  

#1 ~ Collecting ~ Jessica collected inspiration for the piece from a cross-cultural look at meditative dot painting. The children were influenced by Australian Aboriginal Dot Paintings, Pointillism and dot artworks by pop artist Yayoi Kusama. 

# 2 ~ Connecting ~ Jessica connected the children to their own creativity as well as to the influences she'd collected to inspire them. She also connected her own creativity to a foundation near and dear to her heart, JDRF as a means of raising awareness and funds for them. The ripple effect of the connections continues as I connect "Dot-Scape" to Amanda's words and to you with this Mid-Week Oasis Moment. (Perhaps you'll share and continue the connections?)

"Children were guided in an artistic experience using circular stencils and brushes to create hundreds of overlapping dots using acrylic paints. Every dot, using this soothing technique, embodies the resilient nature that children and adults living with Type-1 face daily." 

~ Jessica Jane Lynch

#3 ~ Sharing ~ Jessica shared her creative connections with the children (now her co-creators) as well as me, you and everyone who attended the gala, saw her Facebook posts or reads this story. (That's the beauty of the internet.) She shared her hope for a future without Type-1 Diabetes. She shared her belief that we can use creative connections to make the world a better place. I couldn't agree more!

"Dot-Scape" ~ 30 x 30 gallery wrapped canvas

Inspired by Amanda's words and Jessica's works, how might you collect, connect and share using your creative spirit in the coming week? Or at the very least, what's one fun way you might play with dots? 

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

Jill

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.

The Secret of Great Creative People, Einstein & Fairy Godmothers

Feel stuck...unmotivated...less-than-inspired?  

Try asking yourself these 5 questions: 

1. What sparks my curiosity? 

2. What do I find myself googling again and again? 

3. What's my favorite section of a bookstore? (Remember those?)

4. Which pinterest boards (or magazines) could I pore over for hours at a time? 

5. What do I find myself daydreaming about when I "should" be doing something else?

Pondering the answers to these questions can help you tap into the things you're curious about to help you quickly and easily reignite your creative energy! 

In her book, The Nine Modern Day Muses and a Bodyguard, author Jill Badonsky introduces Albert, the muse of imagination and innovation inspired by Albert Einstein. 

In the Albert chapter Badonsky writes: 

"Curiosity is an attitude that can be cultivated and expanded. Our curious attitude can find new possibilities in anything. Curiosity is a form of wonder ~ being in a state of wonder is being open to all there is still to learn. Being in wonder is to be in love with life. It is a return to childlike expectations, untainted by adult rigidity and cynicism." 

What's one small way you can use your curiosity to tap into the wonders of life and play with new creative possibilities in the coming week? 

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

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.

Have You Seen Katharine Hepburn Skateboard?

Oh how I love this Katharine Hepburn quote! 

It paired nicely with this photo of her skateboarding the first time I saw it. 

This image, not surprisingly, led me down a bit of a google rabbit hole as I looked for other examples of the indomitable Hepburn doing things that clearly pleased her. They were easy to find. 

Hepburn wearing pants at at time most women wore skirts and dresses. 

Hepburn riding a horse.

Hepburn making movies with Spencer Tracey. 

Hepburn playing golf.

Hepburn standing on Cary Grant's shoulders.

Of course, Katharine Hepburn did have a bit of a reputation for being a stubborn and selfish. But, it seems she was more than okay with the trade-off of that reputation for actually living the life she desired. Isn't that why she's such a beloved icon? 

Here's the thing, I believe we do creative self-care a major injustice when we label it (or let others in our lives label it) as selfish! And yet that's what I hear from my clients time and again. 

So many people are vying for their time. They feel selfish when they take time to enjoy their Creative Oasis ~ those creative experiences that energize and delight them.

They need the gentle reminder (just like I do and I'm guessing you do too) that saying yes to ourselves, to the creative experiences that please us, enrich our lives and make us more pleasant human beings, sometimes (make that often) means saying "No" to others. 

Does this thought of saying no to others make you start to hyperventilate just a wee bit? 

If so, this Creative Oasis Challenge is for you! (And I'll join you, I promise!) Practice saying "No" to someone or something that will open up a bit of Creative Oasis time for you this week. Need some examples? 

* No. I can't drive you to the mall right now. I'm practicing my ukulele. 

* No. I won't be able to sit on the committee again this spring. I'm taking a writing class.

* No. I can't meet for coffee today. I'm finally planting my garden. 

Another way you can say "No" to free up Creative Oasis time is to say "No" to yourself. 

* No. I won't check my email and Facebook page every fifteen minutes. 

* No. I won't binge watch "Orange is the New Black" tonight. 

*No. I won't go shop at Target to "pick up a few things." (Funny how that trip to buy the paper towels that are on sale can turn into a cart full of bath beads, summer shirts and a vase you didn't know you needed!)

Here's to practicing saying "No" to the things that keep you from your Creative Oasis and saying "Yes" to giving yourself permission to spend a bit more time with the creative experiences that make your heart sing and time fly! 

You certainly can't please all of the people all of the time. Why not take a cue from Hepburn and spend more time with what pleases you? 

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

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.