December 9, 2011

Playshop Art Show!

Traveling - by Dena McKitrick — Traveling – by Dena McKitrick

Back in September, I had the great pleasure of leading a lively group of Creatives in my very first telephone Playshop. Today’s post is dedicated to showing off what the Playshop participants created — a Post-Playshop Art Show!

First, a little background.

The Playshop itself was a very special teleseminar, a 90-minute group phone call (more on that in a sec), but a couple of weeks before the call the Playshoppers were given access to 6 video tutorials, about an hour in total, demonstrating all the steps I go through to create my ArtSpark artworks.

The video tutorials covered:

my favorite (not so-well-known) materials, and why I like them
how to stretch watercolor paper (so it dries flat, and won’t “buckle” when you get it wet)
my no-stress, fun process for adding color and marks to my paper
my process for tearing down a full sheet of paper to transform it into several complete little ArtSpark artworks
my process for adding words to my artwork
tips for handling “mistakes”

Altogether, the videos are like a full-scale demo from a class on using play and experimentation to create art for the joy of it. Just like being in a real-live class with me (granted, if I were 6″ tall and inside a glass box ;)) and totally fun!

Setting the Tone

As any Creative well knows, to let go and jump fully into the Creative Sandbox requires a feeling of safety. Pushing creative boundaries can be scary, so there’s got to be a base level of comfort and security from which to crawl out on your experimentation limb.

That’s why, on the actual Playshop call, I started off by forming a safety “bubble” for everyone. I led us in a short meditation, to ground and get fully present, and then we all dispersed to get our hands dirty, experiment, and play in the Creative Sandbox for a set amount of time.

About half-way through we reconvened for a check-in (and what fun to hear the enthusiasm and energy in the voices of those who shared!), then it was back to the Creative Sandbox for more play time.

We joined up for a final check-in at the end, to bring the experience to a close, and my spirits soared to hear the joy and aliveness in everyone’s voices. What a treat!

All Playshoppers were invited to submit pieces to share here on the blog, along with their takeaways from the experience. Four Playshoppers responded (the rest were shy) and today I’m delighted to share their works with you. So without any further ado, I bring you…

The Fall 2011 Playshop Art Show!

Amy Crook – Antemortem Arts

Amy created a plethora of little pieces during the Playshop, which she assembled into a 30″ x 22″ collage watercolor, gouache, sumi ink, pencil, and tape on paper.

She writes:

Once the tape from stretching the paper peeled away, I loved the darker grey texture it left on the paper, so some of the sections are actually “painted” with tape adhesive. This was definitely a learning experience for me, both in reminding me that play doesn’t have to not suck, and that 1 piece can be 23 or reassembled into 1 — resist the urge to try to put it back together, though, because it’s a puzzle with missing pieces.

And as a bonus, Amy created another piece with the extra paint she had left over:

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Stacey Podell – Podell Calligraphy

Stacey Podell

Stacey, an alum of my Creative Ignition Kit, used Walnut ink, sumi ink, FW acrylic ink, guoache, Speedball nibs, paintbrushes and foam brush to create the 4″ x 6″ piece above.

I’m always looking for new ways to make “backgrounds” for my lettering. This was a great exercise in just “playing”, with no expectations to fulfill. It was very freeing to spread my stuff out all over every surface I could find, and experiment with brush manipulation and unusual pen strokes. Next time, I’ll leave more white space, for future lettering. I also learned that I need to play more….I had FUN!

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Seth Watkins

Seth Watkins - Leopard

Seth, another Creative Ignition Kit alum, used watercolor for his many Playshop pieces (and in some instances also some black pen or white gel pen). He writes this of his Playshop experience:

It’s a technique I’d love to keep playing with. I feel like my sketchbooks are a very -safe- place for me to draw; these ask me to me a little more adventurous. The yellow ones (leopard and grow) were done during the original playshop, and the shark done a day or two afterward. The pink ones were done a bit later, during a time of some art-deadline stress. The painting in the background for those feels aggravated and tense, but I got some neat results with the drawings because I didn’t overthink that part the way I did with the earlier ones. It’s so hard to turn my brain off, but that’s what seems to give me the best results with these!

Here are some more of Seth’s Playshop pieces:

You’re doin’ swell

Hammerhead

Stormman

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Dena McKitrick – Artist Joyful

joy - by Dena McKitrick
Dena, a Creative Ignition Kit alum and Creative Ignition Club member, also came out of the Playshop with a slew of little pieces (including the piece at the top of this post). What struck me most about Dena’s Playshop work is what a departure in style it is from the amazing paintings over on her site, Artist Joyful (which you really must see!)

She writes:

My takeaway is I am inspired by this practice to re-kindle my sense of play. One of my favorite quotes that freed me from perfectionism is “Anything worth doing is worth doing mediocre.” Who is that report card keeper that insists I get straight A’s or I am an absolute failure anyway? Thank you, Melissa for the playtime. I do believe my Serenity cards will be featuring a whole new line of images in the not very far distant future.

Love it! Re-kindling a sense of play is what the Playshop was all about. I hope Dena shares any new art that arises from her Playshop experience (hint, hint, Dena, if you’re reading). (Her Serenity cards are pretty cool, btw. Check ’em out!)
Keep It Simple - by Dena McKitrick

bloom by Dena McKitrick

Go for it! by Dena McKitrick

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Huge thanks to all the Playshoppers shown here, for sharing your art! It was a delight having you in the Playshop!

Wishing you’d gotten to play with us? Well, guess what — you can!

To join in the original Playshop, check out my Playshop-In-A-Box, which includes all the content from the original Playshop, including an mp3 of the 90-minute call. Click here and you can get a little bubble-bath for the spirit anytime you need it.

Did you know I also offer LIVE Playshops every month inside my Creative Ignition Club? Plus every membership of 3 months or more includes the original Playshop-In-A-Box for free! The Creative Ignition Club is where big-hearted Creatives come to get fired up — come join us!

And be sure to sign up on my mailing list at the upper right of this site to get advance notice when I offer any new programs.

PS — Pssst! Know someone who might benefit from seeing this today? Pass it on!

December 8, 2011

The Flinch, The Tower, and Your Legacy

You’re a Creative. You ~~want~~ you need to express that inner creative drive. In small ways, in big ways — it doesn’t matter.

For Creatives, the act of creating — whether it’s painting or drawing or writing or making music or anything else — is essential. You have to create to feed your own soul. If you don’t, you feel like an animated mannequin, plastic and hollow.

But deep down (or perhaps right on the surface), you also want to touch someone (or even better, many someones) with your creations.

Let me ask you this: when you take your leave of this planet, what would you have to have accomplished in order to look back with pride?

I just read two free manifestos — both released yesterday — that address this very question. If you want to leave a legacy, if you dream of being like your success heroes, download both and read them today.

The Tower, by Chris Guillebeau

The Tower

Chris Guillebeau is my Success Hero #1, for the simple reason that I discovered him at a critical moment, and as a result he became one of the big inspirations not only for this blog, but for embarking on the quest to create the life I really, really want. The title of Chris’s latest manifesto, The Tower, comes from a computer game he got hooked on while flying to Europe on one of his many jaunts across the globe.

The game became a bit of an obsession for him, and when he ruminated on why that was he realized,

The feelings we receive from a well-designed game closely replicate the feelings that we want to have in life.

The tower game gave him a clear goal, the ability to make continuous improvement over time, rewards and achievements, specific deliverables, and influence over the world contained within.

Yet aside from entertaining Chris, there was no good reason for any of it.

What if, he wondered, the laws of a simple game could be applied in real life? What if, instead of applying motivation to building imaginary worlds, we could learn to harness it for something truly useful?

We must work on our lives the way we would work on any other project. Instead of knowledge, pleasure, or happiness, the purpose of life is to create something meaningful that will endure after we’re gone.

The rest of The Tower focuses on how to go about doing that.

The Flinch, by Julien Smith

The Flinch

Another of my Success Heroes, Jonathan Fields, posted an interview yesterday (worth watching) with author Julien Smith, who just released a two-word-title free manifesto of his own, The Flinch.

Smith urges readers to a similar result — do great work! leave a legacy! — but where Chris Guillebeau’s The Tower manifesto inspires you to aim high, The Flinch offers some boot-camp-style training for getting past what gets in the way, so you can make a difference.

He starts out describing a boxing gym, where he goes to watch people fight, and where he notices a fundamental difference between real boxers and everyone else: if you hit them, the guys who have trained don’t flinch.

The Flinch is all about how to train yourself not to flinch. How not to let our instinct to draw back or shrink from the hard, the painful, the unpleasant stop us, so that we can do the important things we want to do.

I’ve written elsewhere that the only difference between you and your heroes is that they just do it. Smith puts it this way:

Fact: Those who face the flinch make a difference. The rest do not.

“There are enough viewers,” Smith writes.

There are enough cheerleaders. There are enough coaches and enough commentators. What there isn’t enough of are players.

His goal, with The Flinch, is to turn you into a player.

—

Download and read these free manifestos now. Then come back here and let me know your reactions.

xo, Melissa <3

PS — Pssst! Know someone who might benefit from seeing this today? Pass it on!

December 4, 2011

Tweak Tweak Tweak

Do you juggle multiple creative interests?

We Passion Pluralites have to do a lot of ongoing tweaking and tuning to get the balance just right among our various pursuits. And of course this is complicated by the fact that what constitutes balance is always changing!

Case in point: the past two weeks.

Turns out that my initial impetus for starting my ArtSpark newsletter (ie, to make sure I actually get creating!) was pretty damn smart. While the ArtSpark has been on vacation for a couple of weeks, it has been all-too easy to let my Creative Sandbox time slide.

We Creatives must be vigilant!

The truth is, Resistance will creep in like ants on a rainy day. We cannot let our guard down for a second!

Fellow Passion Pluralites need to be on guard, especially, for internal voices that say things like “Oh, it’s okay that you’re not doing [Bliss #1], because you’re focusing on [Bliss #2] right now!”

Sometimes this is, indeed, a very valid reason. But not always.

What does your gut say? Keep checking in. And checking in. Because what feels Right and Good and On Target For Overall Happiness one day may feel like an ever-weakening excuse the next.

Be realistic. But be honest, too.

The truth is, as a Passion Pluralite, you can’t do everything all the time. Nor should you even try. That’s what the Stovetop Method of Life Design is all about — helping you stay sane, while making sure all of your passions and interests get the attention they deserve.

When I decided to send the ArtSpark on a vacation, my gut told me it was the right thing. I needed to put writing my e-book on the front burner, and honestly, I was a little burned out on the art I was making. All the scanning and image processing to make each newsletter is hella time-consuming, plus a bit of a break felt right.

But although I never intended to stop making art, that’s kinda what happened.

No deadline (ie, no daily ArtSpark to load up and send) = no accountability = not nearly as much art-making as I would like.

Did somebody mention that if you can’t find 15 minutes a day for your creative passion you’re just making an excuse?

Ahem.

So. Time to regroup.

Gut check

Me: Hey, Gut, you there?

Gut: Yep.

Me: So, um, I’m kinda wondering if maybe I’m using this e-book as an excuse to not make art. ‘Cause maybe it’s getting a little hard. And maybe I’m avoiding it. What do you think?

Gut: Um, yeah, I was wondering when you were gonna check in with me on that. Let’s just say, “if you have to ask..”

Yeah, okay, I got the message.

Clearly the ArtSpark needed to come back from vacation. But 5 newsletters a week is just a LOT. And with so many other projects cooking right now, is that the best use of my time?

Time for a tweak.

Honestly, I want to make art every day. I like the way I feel when I play in the Creative Sandbox every day. I also like building up my body of work by at least 5 pieces a week, and I’m more than a little nervous that without a daily ArtSpark deadline I simply won’t make as much art.

On the other hand, I need to be vigilant about making time for writing, too, and my days are already pretty packed.

So we’re gonna try splitting the difference.

Starting this Friday, the ArtSpark returns from vacation, but on a half-time schedule of 2-3x/week. We’ll see how that goes, and then the ol’ Gut and I will reconvene.

And you?

Where have you let things slide? What excuses have you been using to avoid pursuing your passion? What tweaks do you need to make in order to get creating and best feed your soul?

And more importantly, when are you going to make them?
xo, Melissa <3

PS — Pssst! Know someone who might benefit from seeing this today? Pass it on!

November 29, 2011

How To Buy Happiness

“What?” you may be thinking. “Has Melissa flipped her lid? Everyone knows you can’t buy happiness!”

Ah, but they’re wrong. You can buy happiness. Just not in the way you probably think.

Read on…

True, accumulating stuff is not the route to happiness — I’ll be the first to grant that. But money can, indeed contribute to happiness.

And yes, I submit that actually spending money can lead to happiness.

I’m not just talking about the “indulge in a modest splurge” recommendation that Gretchen Rubin makes in her best-selling book, The Happiness Project, either. My $10 OXO grater gives me a sparkly moment of happiness every time I use it, but that’s not the kind of happiness I mean.

I mean an overall sense of well-being. A baseline of “happy,” as opposed to a baseline of “meh” or even worse, a baseline of “low-grade misery.”

That’s the kind of happiness I’m talking about, and yes, you can buy it.

(With some caveats.)

Here’s the thing: as I’m writing about in my upcoming e-book, one of the keys to happiness for Creatives (and for everyone, really) is do the things that make you happy (which for Creatives, would obviously include doing their creative thing(s)).

Pretty (ahem) obvious, right?

Except the problem is, a lot of people don’t do the things that make them happy. Resistance gets in the way, and they just never make the time.

(I’m not going to go into why they don’t make the time in this particular post, but given that getting people doing their creative thing is pretty much my biggest passion in life (along with doing my own creative things, of course), you can rest assured it’s a pretty hot topic in these here parts, so poke around, or just stay tuned, and I guarantee you’ll hear more from me on the subject.)

What if, though, you could buy something that would help you do the thing that makes you happy?

Voilá! You just bought yourself some happiness, darlin’!

Of course, there’s a caveat:

Just buying the thing is not enough. You actually have to use it too.

Thought experiment: Say you’re passionate about, oh, golf (ex-husband, anyone?). You’ve played a bit, and you like the idea of playing more, so you buy yourself a fancy set of golf clubs.

Which spend the next several years gathering dust and cobwebs in the garage.

That, my friend, is not going to cut it (as my ex-husband would probably be the first to tell you).

Golf clubs represented the kind of life my ex wished he had, as a person who ~~had the time~~ made the time to play golf. But owning the clubs did not transform him into someone who made time to do things like play golf.

What my ex-husband really needed was transformation. Stuff (in the form of golf clubs) was not enough.

Same thing with the expensive mountain bike, 20-foot sail boat, and vintage Porsche. But I digress.

Now imagine if my ex-husband took the money he’d spent on those golf clubs and invested it instead in lessons from a golf pro. And imagine that he actually scheduled and took those lessons.

With one swipe of his credit card (and granted, some wrangling of his calendar), he just transformed himself from Someone Who Wishes He Did Fun Things Like Play Golf [whether or not YOU think golf qualifies as a Fun Thing is beside the point; bear with me here] into Someone Who Actually Plays Golf.

(Okay, he’d still have to rent or buy some clubs, so he couldn’t take all the money he’d spent on the original set of clubs, but hopefully you can see where I’m going with this.)

Money buys transformation, which buys happiness.

In short, buying stuff: not enough.

Buying transformation, though, that’s da bomb.

It’s sure worked in my own life. When I wanted to transform from a Person Who Doesn’t Know How To Do Calligraphy into a Calligrapher, I spent my money on as many classes, workshops, conferences, and books I could get ahold of, and dove into them like my life depended on it.

I also bought enough tools and materials to stock a good-sized walk-in refrigerator. And some of them I needed, to be sure, in order to master my craft. But the tools alone, without the inspiration and motivation to use them, might as well have been locked away permanently in that proverbial walk-in refrigerator.

The classes and workshops and conferences and books inspired and motivated me to keep at it. (Plus they were just plain fun along the way!) They were the catalyst I needed to transform myself. And that transformation — especially the process of transformation; the pursuit of mastery more so even than the achievement of it — made me very happy indeed.

Money bought transformation, which bought happiness.

When I wanted to transform myself from a Person Who Doesn’t Know How To Sing Jazz into a Jazz Singer, I spent my money on classes and CDs and concerts and music camps and nights at the local open mike to hone my craft. Which were fun and wonderful in and of themselves, AND they inspired a transformation that made me very happy.

Money bought transformation, which bought happiness.

When I wanted to bring my great passion for inspiring others to the world in a way that would nourish my audience and myself, I spent my money on seminars and classes and workshops and e-books and membership sites that helped me pursue mastery in all the various and sundry tools and knowledge I’d need to realize my vision.

All of which have helped transform me from a Person With A Vision But No Clear Path To Realizing It into a Creative Thought Leader Building A Following And Making My Mark On The World. Which, in turn, has made me very happy.

Money bought transformation, which bought happiness.

Of course, I’m still very much a work in progress in each of the above examples (and believe me, there are plenty more where those came from). But the operative word here is progress. And spending money on all of the above helped me make some in a big way.

And yeah, if I’d bought all those courses and camps and conferences and stuff and hadn’t invested myself in any of them, no amount of money would have helped. So money alone still isn’t the answer.

But used wisely, it can be part of the answer. If you buy something, and you use it, and that helps you do the thing that lights your fire and makes you feel alive, that, I daresay, is money well-spent!

Which is something to consider as we launch ever deeper into holiday spending madness.

Tell me, have you ever bought transformation? What have you spent money on that made you happy?

Aaaaaand, if you’re looking for inspiration and transformation, I may have just what you need. Visit the recently re-stocked “Get Fired Up” Shop, or just scroll down for a list of inspirational and transformational goodies I’m pleased and proud to be offering right now.

xo, Melissa <3

PS – Pssst! Know someone who might benefit from seeing this today? Pass it on!

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Buy Yer Happiness Here!

In order of most time-sensitive, here’s what I got that you might want to get your paws on:

Ready to get fired up? Are you dying to do that creative thing you’ve been so hungry to do for oh, so long, but feeling a little stuck? You don’t have to try to do it alone! I created the Creative Ignition Club just for you, and other Creatives just like you. It’s a creative recharge, creative toolbox, and creative support community all in one.

All memberships come with my 30-day kick-start, the Creative Ignition Kit, and memberships of 3 months or longer also get my Playshop-In-A-Box for free ($37 value).

Click to join now — Early-Bird Holiday Special pricing ends Friday!

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The Day of Genius (link opens in new window) is a day-long virtual retreat, co-produced by Michelle Nickolaisen of Let’s Radiate, to help you shake off holiday stress and get your New Year off to the right start. Focus on you, clarify your true values, create heart-centered goals, establish habits that stick, all in a relaxed, supportive environment. You get a full day of live, streaming video AND recordings of all seminars to review on your own time, whether or not you’re able to attend live. Plus workbooks, worksheets, and the opportunity for individual coaching / “hot-seating.”

Oh, and buy a premium ticket and you get a 1-month membership in the Creative Ignition Club for free! (Plus some other cool bonuses.)

Click to get your ticket now — Early-Bird Special pricing ends Friday!

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Personally, I don’t care if you want to make money from your art or not. My biggest passion is just to get you doing your creative thing. You might never want to sell it, and that’s cool.

But I’m also passionate about deprogramming the “starving artist” myth that keeps so many artists from achieving the kind of success they deserve. If you do have a dream of earning a real income from your art, ArtEmpowers.Me, the online course and membership site I co-created with Cory Huff of the Abundant Artist, will teach you how.

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Playshop-In-A-Box includes all the content from the live telephone Playshop (Playshop!) I offered last September. Treat yourself to some time to play and make art. It’s like a spiritual bubble-bath! Includes 6 tutorial videos, the 90-minute Playshop mp3, and the opportunity to show your stuff right here on the blog if you like.

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Stuff! Yes, indeed! I don’t just have digital goodies — I’ve got your 3D stuff right here.

But inspirational stuff. A real book (like with paper and everything), beautifully-printed in full color, with 100 original artworks from my 2011 ArtSpark newsletter, to inspire you to get cracking doing your creative thing.

Click here or on the image to preview the entire book.

Use the code HOLIDAY to get 15% off your order, or get 20% off any two books with the code GIVEGIFTS, through Nov. 30.

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Want more? Check out the “Get Fired Up” Shop.

November 24, 2011

Living A Creative Life of Gratitude

I love how holidays have a way of making you stop and focus.

It’s really what they’re there for. Most of the time, you walk up the staircase of life with your eyes on the step right ahead of you. Special annual events have a way of getting you to lift your gaze for a bit and put your attention on the whole staircase, or somewhere else entirely.

In November, there are two days in particular that never fail to sharpen my focus:

My birthday, which always gets me thinking about what I’ve done with my life so far, and what I want to have done by the time my days on the planet are over.

And Thanksgiving, which brings my attention to the many blessings in my life.

As I’ve been writing in my upcoming e-book, gratitude is one of the keys to overall happiness. And cheesy as it may sound, I try to keep an “attitude of gratitude” all year round. I really do pay attention, several times a day, in fact, to what’s going well, and what I’m grateful for.

But staying focused on any one thing can be a challenge, especially in this age of short attention spans, so I’m thankful for Thanksgiving, which reappears like clockwork every fall to remind me to put some special attention on gratitude.

I feel particularly blessed this year.

Only two years ago I was in financial straits, in a relationship that didn’t support me, and which (though I didn’t know it at the time) was about to implode, leaving me in even more serious financial straits. Perhaps worse than that, I was disconnected from my creative passions, burned out, stuck, and completely at a loss about what to do next.

A year ago, at Thanksgiving dinner I was hobbling around in a knee brace after major reconstructive surgery, but I’d alchemized the broken relationship and burnout into a more fulfilling, creative life than ever.

Today, although I still have a big ‘ol mountain of debt, I’m paying a fraction of the interest that I was a year and two years ago, and I’m on track (Universe-willing) to pay it down by my original target date of Valentine’s Day 2003.

I’m in the most loving, supportive relationship of my life (I honestly didn’t know they could come like this. Why didn’t somebody tell me years ago?)

I’m back doing yoga, walking, getting up and down stairs without issue, even throwing the football around with my sweetie, and my knee is 90% improved.

Best of all, though, I’m more creatively engaged, inspired and actively involved than I’ve been in my entire life! On of my favorite things in my yoga classes is at the end, when we’re seated on the floor with hands in prayer position, and the teacher invites us to take a moment to think of something we’re thankful for. My creativity, and ability to engage with it, is always top of mind.

Here are just a few of the things I’m truly grateful for in my creative life:

Since February, I’ve created over 150 finished works of art (100 of which you’ll find in my new mini coffee table book).
I have a small (and growing) body of original songs to my name, all of which delight me. (This week I got to record them in a professional studio for free! Watch for info about how to get your hands on them when they’re ready for prime time!)
I discovered the ukulele (uke!) and have realized my long-time dream of performing my songs solo.
I’ve rediscovered a love for writing that got lost for several years, and thanks to the internet I get the incredible gratification of knowing that sometimes what I write makes a difference for someone else.
I’m growing a heart-centered, profitable business that utilizes my various creative outlets to change the world, one Creative at a time. (Thanks, especially, to the brilliant Sinclair for helping me gain clarity around how to do that in a way that feels really good.)
Thanks again to the internet, and the life’s work of Steve Jobs, I have amazing tools at my disposal to create in ways I could have only fantasized about a couple of decades ago, and I get to share my creations with people around the globe!
I’ve been building a loving, supportive community of Creatives, who inspire and energize me, and keep me charging ahead with my creative life in ways that feed all of us.
I’m currently involved in four (4!) super-fun and exciting joint venture business projects that are juicing up my creativity in ways that would simply not be possible on my own.

(Curious about that last one?

One of my joint ventures is ArtEmpowers.Me, the online course I built with Cory Huff of The Abundant Artist, to teach artists to deprogram themselves of the “starving artist” mindset and learn to thrive from their art. Doors open again on Monday for new members.

One is the freshly unveiled Day of Genius, a day-long, live streaming virtual retreat for that I’m presenting with Michelle Nickolaisen of Let’s Radiate, to help you start 2012 off right. [If you’re on my mailing list, you should have gotten an email about a special offer just for members. Not on my mailing list? Sign up at top right and I’ll send you all the deets. Or take advantage of our Early-Bird Special, Tuesday through Friday next week.]

The others? Let’s just say one is taking place next year in Istanbul [yep, as in Turkey], and one is taking place, um, somewhere on the Caribbean. Or maybe the Pacific. We’re not entirely sure yet. Stay tuned!)

The complete list of things I’m thankful for is, of course, significantly longer than a single blog post could contain. Just one that I have to include, though: later today, right after I click “publish,” in fact, I’m headed over to my parents’ house for Thanksgiving dinner, and the fact that they are nearby, healthy and active, and part of my life, is a source of tremendous joy for me. (Thanks Mom and Pop. If you’re reading this, I love you guys, and I’m so grateful you’re in my life!)

Bliss Evolves 5 - calligraphy art by Melissa Dinwiddie

In short, I’m thankful to be living the creative life I really, really want. My Blisses are evolving, and by gum I’m following them!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Tell me, what are you thankful for in your creative life this year?

xo, Melissa <3

PS – Pssst! Know someone who might benefit from seeing this today? Pass it on!

First, a little background.

Setting the Tone

The Fall 2011 Playshop Art Show!

Dena McKitrick – Artist Joyful

We Creatives must be vigilant!

Be realistic. But be honest, too.

Gut check

Time for a tweak.

And you?

And yes, I submit that actually spending money can lead to happiness.

Just buying the thing is not enough. You actually have to use it too.

Money buys transformation, which buys happiness.

Money bought transformation, which bought happiness.

Money bought transformation, which bought happiness.

Money bought transformation, which bought happiness.

Buy Yer Happiness Here!

I feel particularly blessed this year.

Here are just a few of the things I’m truly grateful for in my creative life:

Would You Like Some Cookies?