Warning! Creative Play May Result In These Symptoms

When's the last time you enjoyed some low-pressure creative play...just for the fun of it?

Recent personal experience reminded me of the wondrous power of creative play. (See the "symptoms" listed above.)

While spending a fun girls' night in with my mom and daughter last weekend, we decided to each choose a simple creative project from our Pinterest boards, break out the art supplies and dive into some low-pressure creative fun.

My mom chose to color in a mandala with colored pencils. My daughter drew a beautiful freehand lotus flower and enjoyed some intricate geometric doodling with gel pens as well. I drew freehand flowers (they would up looking a bit like peonies) in crayon and then painted them in with watercolors. 

As I've shared before, I don't consider myself a visual artist. But I do love to play with creative supplies and I'll admit to being quite pleased with the way this little piece turned out.

That being said, the process...the sitting around in a relaxed atmosphere...the playful experimentation...the "we're just doing this for the pure joy of it" attitude...not the end result...was what brought about the "symptoms" we experienced.

Want to put more creative play into your summer? After last weekend, I know I do!

I've created a way to help you do just that, my "Create the Summer of Your Dreams" Do-It-Yourself Creative Oasis Kit that I'll be releasing very soon.

In the meantime, grab your free Summer Wish List Fun Sheets here to take the first small step to creating a summer filled with creative freedom, relaxation and fun.  

Until next time, all the best from my playful 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 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.