Blog - Melissa Dinwiddie | Create the Impossible™ | Innovation Keynote Speaker & Consultant

September 16, 2011

Inspiring Subscriber Showcase

My subscribers are some of the most amazing, creative people I know, and as such the rest of the world should know about them. To that end, I’ve started an ongoing series, in which I periodically showcase a few of my new and longtime subscribers right here on the very pages of my blog.

So, with no further ado, I present for your viewing pleasure three more of my amazing and talented subscribers who are worth watching.

Happy weekend!

Kim Manley Ort – Photographer, Writer, Teacher

To Kim (another talented ~~TAP~~ ArtEmpowers.Me member), “inspiration is everything.” Clearly a woman after my own heart!

A photographer and writer, she shares her talents over at her blog. Be sure to check out Kim’s 6-week online photography workshop on visual designer and learning to “see,” Photo By Design, which starts on September 30.

Theresa “Indigene” Gaskin – Artist

Grand Canyon Queen © Indigene Theresa Gaskin

When I clicked over to recent subscriber (and full-time artist) Indigene’s website, Indigene Art Forms, I was enthralled by her rich, compelling portrait art. Her tagline says it all: “Illuminating the black and white of life with vivid color.”

Check it out!

Marsha Hamby Savage – Paintings Inspired by a Love of Nature

Cypress Dance - ©Marsha Hamby Savage — Cypress Dance ©Marsha Hamby Savage

Another recent subscriber, Marsha is an accomplished painter who has taught around the Southwestern United States for 10 years. I especially love the posts on her blog that show her paintings in process – you can really see the work come to life. You’ll also find articles about art and artists, the process of oil, acrylic or pastel painting and discussions that pertain to art in some way.

That wraps up today’s dispatch. Enjoy, and go get creating!

PS – Want to be included here in a future subscriber showcase? All blog subscribers are welcome to apply. If you’re not already a subscriber, you can sign up using the form at the upper right, then send me a link to your cool, creative stuff.

September 14, 2011

The Cat’s Out of the Bag: Art Empowers!

Yesterday Cory Huff and I hosted the last of three “Game-Changer Calls” for artists. We’re both sick to death of the Starving Artist Myth, and decided to combine our unique super-powers and join forces to make a difference for artists, starting with these calls.

If you didn’t get a chance to hear the calls, here’s what we covered: on Call #1, Cory interviewed me about how I built an art career that ironically left me pretty demoralized (and in debt!), and how I turned my life around by listening to my heart and following my true Blisses.

On Call #2, I grilled Cory – an internet marketing and social-media whiz as well as an artist himself – about how the Internet has forever changed the way that artists interact with collectors and art buyers, and how artists can take advantage of the Web’s utility to form direct connections with fans. That call was packed with information, specifically around the 5 things every artist needs to sell art online.

And finally, in Call #3 yesterday, we gave three artists’ websites a live critique, offering concrete suggestions for specific steps to make them more effective at building a fan base and selling their work.

I have been so touched by the response to these calls! We’ve gotten emails from all over the globe, thanking us for the information, the encouragement, the inspiration. Artists of all kinds really resonated with our message that yes, artists really can take charge of their own career and create the life they want.

We’re not done yet.

It is our distinct pleasure to now share with all of you that Cory and I are continuing our work changing artists’ lives with the launch of ArtEmpowers.Me, a community for creative artrepreneurs who have a burning desire to turn their passion into a career.

At the end of last year, I opened the doors to the Thriving Artists Project, my gift to artists and creatives – a membership site offering community, support, tools and inspiration to bust the Starving Artist mindset. I’m thrilled to now share with you ArtEmpowers.Me. It’s everything that tTAP was, combined with Cory’s years of experience and expertise in marketing and social media for artists, and all the lessons and content he created for his own membership site, The Abundant Artist Community.

Now we’ve merged our two communities into something even better: ArtEmpowers.Me

ArtEmpowers.Me is built to help artists of all stripes learn how to sell their art and creative work online, and turn their art business into a satisfying career. All while maintaining a sustainable creative practice – because a successful creative career requires that you get creating in addition to getting business savvy!

I like to think that between the two of us, we can get you sparked, stoked, creating, and thriving from your art!

If you’re curious to see what it’s all about, check out ArtEmpowers.Me, and let me know if you have any questions!
xo, Melissa <3

PS – Please share this post with anyone you think could benefit from it. Together we can change the game for artists!

September 8, 2011

In the End

Calligraphy Art:

In the end, will you say you followed your dreams?

Media:

Ziller ink, walnut ink, sumi ink, steel pointed pen on paper

Dimensions:

3 5/8″ x 6 3/16″

Creation Notes:

When I look back on my life at the end of it, how much money I made or cool stuff I accumulated is probably not what I’ll be thinking about. I want to be able to say that I followed my dreams, that I lived a big, bold, creative life. Which means it’s incumbent upon me to live that way right now, taking nanosteps toward my dreams every day.

In the Collection of:

Charyll Newman

Want an original ArtSpark for your own collection? Click here to see available artworks.

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

September 8, 2011

Playshop! Art Calls!

No video today, guys. I spent all my video-making time making videos for my upcoming…

Playshop!

Playshop! Playshop! Playshop!

Sorry, I just love that word, and can’t stop saying it…

Consider this the official announcement that I am now taking registrations for my very first, inaugural, original, premiere playshop!

Yep, the sign-up page is up and ready for sign-upping. Check it out right here.

(And yes, I know “sign-upping” is not a word. Even a hyphenated word. But it’s late, and I’m punchy.)

That’s announcement numero uno.

Announcement numero two-o

…is that I did the first of three New Art Conversation calls with Cory Huff of The Abundant Artist on Tuesday, and it went GREAT! We must have really struck a chord, because yowza, did we get a lot of callers!

The first half of the call Cory interviewed me about my journey from miserable to thriving, which was great fun. Then we took questions during the second half. And great questions they were! I can’t wait to hear the questions we get next time.

If you weren’t able to make it to Tuesday’s call, no worries – you can still sign up for the next two calls (which are today, Sept. 8, and Tuesday, Sept. 13, both at 4:00pm PST) AND just for signing up you’ll get a recording of Tuesday’s call, too!

Just click here to get on the list and be sure to follow the instructions to complete your registration and get your unique dial-in number and PIN!

Free Coaching!

Oh, yeah, remember: at the end of each call, I’m doing a random drawing to give away a free 1/2-hour coaching session with yours truly. Patrice was the lucky winner from Tuesday’s call – congratulations, Patrice!

You could be next!

Plus Cory and I have some super-extra-juicy surprises waiting for you in call number three (if you’re on the list, you already got an email with deets about one of the surprises. I’ll say no more here. You gotta sign up for the calls to get more info.)

Okay, I’ve got to get my beauty sleep so my skin is all glowy and smooth for the upcoming call. (Heh.)

That’s it for this dispatch!

PS – Yes, in case you were wondering, the art at the top of this post represents my week. Two major announcements=intensity!

PPS – The ever-perceptive Vas pointed out that the piece above almost looks like a map. It does, doesn’t it? What else do you see in it?

September 5, 2011

Bubble Bath for the Spirit

When was the last time you played?

I mean Just-For-You-To-Make-A-Mess-With-Your-Creative-Thing play.

As recently as last summer, if you’d asked me that, I’d have said “Way too long ago..” Maybe you can relate.

But even if you’ve taken up my 15 Minutes a Day creative challenge and are making time every day for play, wouldn’t it be nice to have a longer chunk of time?

Sometimes that seems so hard to come by, doesn’t it?

For years, the only time I had any time to play at making art was at my annual calligraphy retreat in March. (Did you catch that? Annual. As in, once a year. My only time to play at all.) 5 days in a beautiful retreat center, a 90 minute drive away. Gourmet meals, no phones, no computers and nothing on the agenda except to make art at my very own ~~work~~ play station.

Bliss.

Every year I would come home determined to create a home retreat for myself, once a month.

Or maybe once a quarter.

Or even just once…

It never happened.

There’s something about signing up for something, committing to it publicly (with my pocketbook, no less!), setting aside time on the calendar to get completely away from all distractions.

You would not believe the amount of art I would come home with! And even better, the ideas! the inspiration!

I’m always so recharged and refreshed after the retreat that it feels like I’ve had a bubble bath for my spirit. “Calgon, take me away!”

Announcing…

Which is why I’m brewing up some retreats of my own, to offer YOU.

Sometime down the road, I’ll be hosting in-person retreats and workshops (I’ll let subscribers know about that first, so sign up in the form at the upper right if you’d like info when I’ve got it).

But first, I’m offering a teeny, tiny taster – a retreat that won’t require you to drive or fly hundreds of miles to attend.

A Playshop!

What if you could get a mini-retreat, a playshop to experiment with paper and paint in the community of other creative souls?

Right in your own home.

Well, now you can!

At 1:00 pm on Tuesday, September 27, I’m offering the very first of what I hope will be many playshops.

Play, Flow, Write, GO! A telephone playshop in improvisational art for the soul

We’ll spend 90 minutes letting go of perfection, focusing on the process, and just painting/drawing/writing our little hearts out.

PLUS: I’ll share the secret techniques I use to create the art for my not-quite-daily ArtSparks (like the pieces shown right here).

And to get the most fun and play out of our time on the phone together, I’m going to give you all the goods in exclusive videos in advance of the actual playshop. So you can get all my secret techniques on your own time and be ready to just PLAY when we gather together (virtually) on the 27th.

These purely optional videos will show you:

How to stretch watercolor paper so it won’t buckle and curl up when it gets wet with paint
My favorite materials and where to get them
The process I use to create my ArtSpark pieces, from start to finish
How I add words to my art

It may be an entirely different way of ~~working~~ playing for you, which, if you tend to be a product-oriented perfectionist (as I am), you might find incredibly liberating.

And that’s before the actual playshop!

When we’re on the phone together (or when you’re listening to the recording later, if you can’t make the actual call), I’ll create a bubble for us of safety and encouragement, and you’ll have time to try out the techniques in the video, or just play however you want.

We’ll also have a couple of times to check in with the group, and if you feel like sharing any of your creations, you’ll get to participate in an exclusive post-playshop show right here on the blog, just by emailing me pics of what you made.

The details again:

Tuesday, September 27
1:00-2:30 pm (Pacific Time)
(That’s 2-3:30 Mountain, 3-4:30 Central, 4-5:30 Eastern)

Oh, yeah, and the price: just $30, which includes unlimited access to the bonus video tutorials forever. AND the exclusive Playshop Participants Art Show here on Living A Creative Life.

Plus I’ll send a recording of the call to everyone who registers, so you’ll still be able to take the playshop, whether you can make the call live.

Sound fun? I’ll be opening the cart in a few days. Sign up here if you’d like first dibs:

I can’t wait to play with you!

PS – Don’t forget to register for the free calls I’m doing with Cory Huff of The Abundant Artist, starting TOMORROW. Cory’s going to interview me on the first call (did I mention it’s tomorrow?) and I’ll be revealing all kinds of secrets around how I make my money, how I discovered my bliss, and more. Click here to register.