Special Delivery for the One & Only You

It's hard to believe it's already August. Before you know it the stores will be filled with Halloween decorations and summer will be but a faint memory. 

Have you enjoyed some of your favorite summertime experiences? Have you given yourself permission to dive into Creative Oasis Moments that energize and delight you? 

If not, there's still time! The "Create the Summer of Your Dreams Kit" will be available to help you through August 12th. 

How would you like to enjoy a few more quintessential summer moments? Read a good book while lounging in a hammock...make a pitcher of homemade lemonade to sip...dive into one of the hundreds (okay, maybe thousands) of summer recipes and creative projects pinned to your Pinterest boards?

The "Create the Summer of Your Dreams" Do-It-Yourself Creative Oasis Kit gives you a simple step-by-step  plan to envision and enjoy a summer filled with creative delights, restful relaxation and fun. And the best part is you can do it in 10 minutes or less a day. (Hallelujah and pass the lemonade!)

Click here to see what people are saying about their "Create the Summer of Your Dreams Kit" experiences. 

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

Jill Allison Bryan

www.CreativeOasisCoaching.com

A Summer Creative Mantra For You

Whether on a beach, in the mountains or in your own home town...time spent in places that set your spirit free is time well spent. 

Have you spent time in the places that set your creative spirit free this summer? 

Although I love to travel and thoroughly enjoyed my time in Colorado this summer, you don't need a trip to enjoy Creative Oasis Spaces. They can be found in your own backyard! 

A trip to your favorite bookstore, a museum, a concert or a new restaurant right in your own neighborhood can be just the ticket to inspire and delight you. 

Does the idea of exploring a few Creative Oasis Spaces and enjoying some more creative "me time" before summer comes to an end sounds good? Sure, you might be thinking BUT...

"Who has the time?" 

"The kids may be on vacation, but I still have to work." 

"My days are so full and fly by so fast, I don't even know where to begin doing something just for me." 

"I have too many responsibilities to do the things I'd really like to do ~ even in summer."

"Vacation ends up stressing me out more than relaxing me."

I invite you to experience more "me" time during the last few weeks of summer by tapping into summer memories of your youth. 

Simply click here to download a special Summer Dreamin' play sheet featuring prompts straight from my "Create the Summer of Your Dreams Kit" that you can use with right now.

Next set a timer for two minutes, fill out your Summer Dreamin' sheet and let the fun begin!

Before you know it you'll be well on your way to enjoying a few more quintessential summer moments and hopefully visiting a few fun Creative Oasis Spaces too.

That's the whole reason I created the "Create the Summer of Your Dreams" Do-It-Yourself Creative Oasis Kit ~ to help you quickly and easily envision and enjoy more delightful "me time" this summer. And the best part is, you can get started in just 10 minutes a day!

Click here to grab your kit and start today.

Here's what Marney K. Makridakis, author of Hop, Skip, Jump and Creating Time had to say about her experience with "Create the Summer of Your Dreams." 

"Now, THIS is the way to start summer! Jill's unique kit is ideal to guide people step-by-step to set summer intentions and, better yet, keep them. Her playful prompts and delightful presentation are inspiring but never overwhelming. Thank you, Jill, for this simple, fun way to turn creative summer dreams into reality."  

My "Create the Summer of Your Dreams DIY Kit" will be available for another two weeks this summer and then back on the shelf until next year so if you'd like some simple, step-by-step ways to enjoy more of the summer experiences you crave in just 10 minutes a day purchase your kit here. 

Until next time, all the best from my summer 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.

Why It's Healthy to Experience a Lull

(*Full disclosure: in order to practice what I preach and enjoy some "lull" time myself, I lifted the above graphic quote from one of my previous Mid-Week Oasis Moments. You're good with that, right?)

I post this from a lovely lull in the mountains of Colorado to remind you that taking a break is healthy for your creativity.

Here's how Brigid Schulte, author of Overwhelmed: Work, Love, and Play When No One Has the Time, characterizes this phenomenon:

Neuroscience is finding that when we are idle, in leisure, our brains are most active. The Default Mode Network lights up, which, like airport hubs, connects parts of our brain that don't typically communicate. So a stray thought, a random memory, an image can combine in novel ways to produce novel ideas. (You can read this entire Inc. article here.)

Remember, even if there's no vacation on your horizon, you can experience a mini-lull whenever you like. What if you give yourself permission to enjoy one the following? (Whether you have 10 minutes or an hour or more ~ any amount of lull time can be rejuvenating to your creative spirit!)

10 Ways to Experience Some Lovely Lull Time This Summer

1. Close your eyes and breath. (Yes, this could be called meditation...but it's also just relaxing to have zero stimulus coming in or out for a few minutes.)

2. Take a walk around the block.

3.  Doodle aimlessly.

4. Schedule a massage.

5. Flip through one of your favorite coffee table books. (We buy them...but sometimes we forget to enjoy them!)

6. Color in a mandala or coloring book.

7. Cut and arrange some fresh flowers.

8. Enjoy a solo trip to a museum, gallery or bookstore. (If you can find one!)

9. Peruse a favorite cookbook and choose a new recipe to try.

10. Spend 10 or 15 minutes completely lost in the Creative Oasis Moment of your choosing. (Remember: a Creative Oasis Moment is a creative experience that energizes and delights you ~ that makes time fly and your heart sing.) 

Wishing you some lovely lull time of your own this summer!

From my restful mountain Creative Oasis to yours,

Jill

P.S. - My "Create the Summer of Your Dreams Kit" will only remain available for a short time. Click here if you'd like to grab one while you still have plenty of time to enjoy more of the creative experiences you crave this summer!

One-Step Creative Self-Care Solution via Anne Lamott

"Have you tried unplugging it?" 

This is the standard reply you'll hear in my house when faced with an electronic device problem of almost any kind. Unplugging your computer when it freezes up is one of the easiest and most effective methods of solving the issue. 

Why not try this one-step solution for your own creative self-care?

As I enjoy some "unplugged" time in the beautiful mountains of Colorado these delightful (and true!) words from Anne Lamott seem most appropriate to share. 

Here's to giving yourself a break this summer...to unplugging for a day, an hour or even just 10 minutes to "reboot" your creative spirit. 

Here are a few prompts to help you get started: 

* When I visualize myself unplugged I see...

* When I give myself permission to unplug I feel...

* One of my favorite ways to unplug is to...

* Even if I only have 10 minutes to unplug I could...

* I'll give myself permission to unplug at least once this week by...

Find more ways to creatively unplug using my "Create the Summer of Your Dreams Kit" right here. 

Until next time, all the best from my "unplugged" 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.

O'Keefe, Van Gogh, Sunflowers and You

(*An update from last summer's post.)
If you're inspired by the outrageous, sunny beauty of sunflowers you're in good company. Artists Georgia O'Keeffe and Vincent Van Gogh were clearly taken with the hopeful brilliance of the sunflower. 

"When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it's your world for the moment. I want to give that world to someone else. Most people in the city rush around so, they have no time to look at a flower. I want them to see it whether they want to or not."

                                ~ Georgia O'Keeffe

"Great things are done

by a series of small things

brought together." 

~ Vincent Van Gogh

Why not enjoy some time playing with your own creative response to the sunflower?

You may choose to take O'Keeffe's words to heart and slow down for a few minutes to simply hold a sunflower in your hands and absorb its beauty. Or you may follow Van Gogh's Kaizen approach and choose a few small steps to take for a sunflower inspired creative piece of our own. 

Of course, you don't need to be a painter to enjoy a little sunflower power in your life. I've shared a few simple suggestions above and below to help you get started.

What if you:

* Add a dash of bold gold to your outfit for the day.

* Write a quick "ode to a sunflower" in haiku form.

* Doodle a page filled with sunflowers.

* Stay on the look out for sunflowers and notice how often you see them, letting each sighting serve as a fun reminder that creativity comes in all shapes, forms and sometimes in the most unexpected places.

* Download and print this free Van Gogh Sunflowers coloring page or google your own. (There are lots and lots of wonderful free coloring pages to be found on the internet.)

Click here to download your copy to color or paint. 

Since creating my Create the Summer of Your Dreams Kit with a sunflower as its symbol I see sunflowers everywhere! On my walks, in stores, on the side of the road, in a friend's headband, on billboards, even in my twitter feed in a Huffington Post story about 3D printing. 

Click here to learn more about the "Create the Summer of Your Dreams" Kit.

Until next time, I hope you enjoy your sunflower creations and inspirations whatever they may be and that they bring an added splash of color and creative play to your summer!

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.

Happy Independence Day from Me & Georgia!

Here's to celebrating and embracing your creative independence today! 

From my star-spangled Creative Oasis to yours,

Jill

The Dalai Lama Vs. Your Inner Critic

"Everything else on your to-do list is more important than creative projects!"

"Are you kidding? You don't have time for this!"

"You're not an artist, writer, photographer, musician, gardener (fill in the blank)!"

"Who do you think you are?"

"Everyone else's needs are more important than your silly creative stuff!"

"Why bother?"

"You're wasting time!"

"You're wasting money!"

"You stink at this!"

Let's face it...our inner critic voice can be truly awful!

If you ever find yourself thinking insidious thoughts like these, you are not alone.

As a wonderful woman in my recent workshop at the Creative Arts Center put it, "My inner critic is a total asshole!"

We all laughed, while at the same time nodding our heads in agreement. Every woman there could relate on some level to the toxic messages our inner critic spews forth at times.

I'm lucky to be going to see the Dalai Lama speak today, so I've been revisiting some of his quotes that I love.

When I came upon the words above I figured he'd probably approve of the message being used as a reminder for us to be kind to ourselves as much as to others.

So, in true Kaizen form, I leave you with this one small question to ponder today in your journal, or on a walk or right now for that matter.

What's one small way you can be kind to your creative spirit today? 

And maybe the next time your inner critic comes calling you can call on the compassionate words of the Dalai Lama and show yourself a little love and kindness.

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.