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

March 24, 2011

15 Minutes a Day Art Check-In! #7

Okay peeps, I’ve been working for 12 hours straight and I’m beat, so I’m keeping this short. (Apparently that is possible for me. Difficult, but possible.)

Today’s #15minutesaday #artcheckin is nothing more than the simple little banner graphic to the left. Written with walnut ink (the dry powder, NOT the wet stuff that comes in a jar — click here and search for “walnut ink”) and a size 3 Automatic pen. Then scanned and fiddled with in Photoshop to add the type, of course.

I’ve got a lot more than that to show for this past week’s challenge time, but honestly I’m just too tired to upload pics.

So for today it’s just this banner/button/whatever – clean and simple. Feel free to post it on your own site or blog if you like. Let’s show the world what you can do with just a 15 minutes a day commitment!

And what have I been working on so hard, you ask (when not engaged in my 15 minutes a day)? Several things. (Of course, me being the ultimate juggler, though I’ll confess I’m trying hard to get away from that, like the brilliant Tori Deaux.)

The big one being editing the Thriving Artists Project home page, writing a new “join” page, and writing invite emails to my TAP advance notice list, which I just sent off.

Yep, I’m opening the TAP doors again, and offering Spring Special pricing.

But only to advance list subscribers for now. (You can sign up here if you want in.)

And for the everything else that’s going on, you’ll just have to wait til the Weekly Review.

Have a great rest of your week!

xo,
Melissa

PS – (‘Cause of course I can’t keep it that short… Even my short posts are long.) The lovely and talented Sandi suggested that I create a special piece of downloadable art, just for my loyal followers, to celebrate when I reach 100 subscribers. I think this is a fabulous idea, and I wanted to poll you to see what kind of art you would want. If you’re subscribed to my blog, let me know below in the comments.

One of my walnut ink creations? Something calligraphic? Something wild and abstract?

Naturally, as this is a benign dictatorship I reserve the right of veto, but heck, Sandi got me curious!

But you’d better act fast, because I’m only 2 people away from the 100 mark, and when I get a hankering to make the piece, I’m gonna make it, whether I’ve gotten feedback from you or not. So here’s your chance to have some input. ‘Nuff said.

All righty then. LACL Diva now officially signing off.

March 21, 2011

Weekly Review #50: Too much stuff to mention in one title

So how’m I doing in my quest to re-invent my life, follow my evolving Blisses and create the life I really, really want?

I love making mistakes.

Actually, I lie. I hate making mistakes. But I do love the learning that frequently results from them.

Like the fact that changing the title on a previously published blog post will result in AWeber (affiliate link), my mailing list software, re-sending it (or all FIVE of them, as the case may be) in one fell swoop to my entire mailing list.

Oops…

I got one unsubscribe as a result, and I can’t say I blame him. Though it makes me sad that he would assume I emailed a whole slew of posts at once intentionally.

As one of the many folks who graciously replied to my apology email put it, “Oh geeze, if someone unsubscribes because of an obvious technical glitch, maybe, they’re not the kind of reader you need.”

Indeed.

Thanks to everyone else who sent an email reply assuring me not to worry. You all make me feel warm and fuzzy inside!

And in case you’re wondering why my Sunday post is publishing on Monday, well, I promised my subscribers never to intentionally send more than one email a day. Ahem.

Meanwhile…

My Imaginary Audience is becoming less and less imaginary

Despite the technical glitches, I must be doing something right, because the subscriptions keep trickling in, and along with them some wonderful emails and comments that truly make my day.

I’m a sucker for stuff like that. (Hint, hint.)

Hearty thanks to the ones that jumped out at me this week:

A link from Marie at Through Purgatory, who was inspired by my walnut ink creations to go to the art store to try to find some of her own to play with.
A lovely note from new subscriber, Brigitte, of the amazing Dark Smile Studio based in Prague (check out her dolls and marionettes – wow!)
Baker at the brand-sparkly-new Catfish Parade, who included me and my 15 Minutes a Day art checkin as one of his Highly-Inspiring and Curiously Revolutionary: Catfish-Approved Creativity Links
Michelle Jones, who linked to both Living A Creative Life and 365 Days of Genius in the Creativity category of her blog, The Creative Spark
Colin at Folk the Rules, who included a link to 365 Days of Genius (and oh, how this tickles me!) in his Ninjas category. I always kinda wanted to be a ninja. (Without the tendency toward injury and death, however. Or having to kill people.)

Cool blogs, all, so check’em out.

Gifts! Gifts! Gifts! For you!

Thanks to all of you members of my imaginary audience transubstantiating into real followers, I’m this close to 100 email-list subscribers. Still an intimate-sized group, but growing every day. I’d love to top 100 – and then 1,000 subscribers – and I’ve been wracking my head for what kind of thank you gift I can offer to everyone on the list when I hit those milestones.

Not just to the 100th (or someday 1,000th) subscriber, but to everyone on the list.

Suggestions anyone? I’m curious what you’d like as a thank you gift from me. Leave a comment below with your thoughts. Inquiring minds want to know!

So, mistakes and milestones covered, what else went on this week?

CustomerLove for Japan

If you were hanging around LACL late last year, you might remember when I dove into the November #CustomerLove challenge, using it as a springboard to help me get my Thriving Artists Project launched on December 1st.

Well, now the CustomerLove crew is at it again, but with a philanthropic twist.

We’re bundling up a whole slew of pretty awesome products and services that will go to anyone who donates $97 (or more) to the Direct Relief International relief effort. Plus everyone who purchases will be entered in a drawing to win more cool stuff.

I’m donating 18 one-hour coaching/consulting sessions (Creativity Chart-Coursing, or Whip Your Website Into Shape web/blog critique, or Technology Mentoring for Technophobes. Or hell, whatever else you might want help with.) And the list of other stuff that’s going into the bundle is pretty amazing.

The sale will be for 72 hours only, from midnight, March 28 until midnight, March 31.

We’re still accepting donations (til Tuesday, March 22), just submit your donation info here. And here’s where to click if you want to know more about the 72-hour extravaganza.

A gig!

Can I just state for the record that I love performing! I haven’t been out pounding the pavement to get gigs, though, so when one appears it’s a real treat.

Which definitely describes the Women of Song concert to a standing-room-only crowd on Friday night. (A benefit to support the Be a Dear and Donate a Brassiere organization.) Given that the very notion of holding a microphone had me shaking in my shoes just 6 short years ago, my comfort in the spotlight these days is rather astonishing.

As it turns out, I’m a big ham.

Something comes over me when I get in front of an audience. I feel bigger, more powerful, unstoppable. Like I’m channeling.

I’m sharing clip below, my one “non-funny” song of the evening, because the response I got to it really surprised me. I feel somewhat less confident singing so open and “naked” in a slow ballad like this than I do hamming it up with my uke. And since this blog is so much about sharing my vulnerabilities, I thought this was the appropriate clip to post (though you’ll be able to see more eventually, as I get them posted on YouTube and my LACL music video page.)

The Studio Beautification Project – back on track!

Saturday saw me exhausted and feeling rather sunk (debt – of both the sleep and money variety – will do that to a person). After teaching my Saturday morning calligraphy class, I was all set to finally try and catch up on some sleep, when I mentioned to my sweetie that I still have a goal of purging my studio and turning it into the spacious, uncluttered, serene space I’ve always wanted.

I had been in the habit of dealing with/tossing/putting away one thing every time I walked in the studio door, but some urgency or another threw me off course weeks ago and I fell off the wagon.

“Why don’t we start now?” my sweetie asked.

Really?

“Sure, it’ll be fun!”

(OMG, is this guy amazing, or what?)

So we spent the next few hours purging an ungodly amount of boxes and packing materials that for some unknown reason I’d stashed in the storage room (ie, the studio bathroom). We drove an entire carload of cardboard to the recycling center, took the dying vacuum in for repairs, and picked up various and sundry necessaries.

And you know what, I felt a whole lot better!

Napping is great, and I definitely could have used it, but taking action is a sure cure for feeling sunk.

As I said to my sweetie that night, if we did that much work every week I’d have the studio of my dreams by the end of the year for sure. And maybe a lot sooner.

And finally, a confession…

It pains me to say this, but I woke up on Saturday and suddenly realized I hadn’t put in my 15 Minutes of art-making the day before.

Noooooooooooooooo!

I spent much more then 15 minutes painting the next day, but that’s really not the point. The point is commitment. And I blew it.

If this were 750words.com, I’d have to start all over from day one. Like an alcoholic who hasn’t had a drink in X days.

Thankfully, this isn’t 750words.com, but I still feel sad and annoyed with myself.

On the other hand…

The very fact that I feel sad and annoyed with myself for not making art is an amazing change from just never making art at all.

I’ve come a long way, and it’s a good thing.

Now if you’ll excuse me, it’s time for today’s 15 minutes.

(And oh, if you’re doing the 15 Minutes a Day challenge, how’s it going? Chime in and let me know.)

March 16, 2011

15 Minutes a Day Art Check-In! #6

I spent all day yesterday bookkeeping in preparation for today’s meeting with my CPA.

Except for about a half hour or so in the morning, when I got my paint on.

Yep, even with an under-the-gun deadline, I stuck with my commitment. My latest experiments involve odd-shaped assemblages of canvases of different sizes and depths, as the photo above.

Next up: combining paper (my more familiar medium) with canvases.

I’ve experimented with sewing and collaging translucent vellum (see example at right), but I’m curious what will happen when I use acrylic mediums on heavier stocks, the kinds of papers I’m used to working on for calligraphic broadsides.

The goal: no framing!

Will I be forced to use toxic sprays to fix the surface? Or will I find the results satisfying if I cover the assemblages with liquid mediums?

These are the questions that keep me up at night, though so far I’ve yet to conduct the actual experiments.

Stay tuned!

Yes, I know – it’s enough to keep one on the edge of one’s seat!

Meanwhile, tomorrow I’m going to have to stack up all the partially-done mini-canvases scattered across my drafting table so I can package up the ketubot waiting to ship to their eagerly-waiting brides and grooms. Fantasies of a studio with a large, dedicated “play surface” are making me drool, but I’ll need a much larger internet empire before I can make that a reality.

Ah, well. Back to work.

PS – Walnut Ink Info

A pingback from Marie at Through Purgatory about my Walnut Ink made me realize that some of my invisible audience may be interested in where they can get some of their own.

Walnut Ink is especially wonderful because it’s extremely water soluble, which also adds certain challenges, but allows for amazing effects not available with other media.

Although you can get it pre-mixed in a jar, I prefer the dry crystals. The color is richer, and depending on how much water you use you can achieve anything from a very dark brown to the palest of washes.

I’ve only ever seen Walnut Ink at calligraphy supply stores. Here’s a link to one of my favorite shops, Paper & Ink Arts, which carries Walnut Ink.

March 14, 2011

Weekly Review #49: How A Well-Lived Life is Like a Yoga Posture

So how’m I doing in my quest to re-invent my life, follow my evolving Blisses and create the life I really, really want?

My poor sweetie must be confounded by me sometimes.

One week I’m chirping about how much I love my life. The next I’m lamenting that I have no idea what the **** I’m doing.

Hell, I confound myself!

Welcome to the Wonderful World of Being a Multi-Passionate INFJ Enneagram 4.

A week or so ago, when I noticed I was spinning my wheels again, I took Peter Shallard’s Next-Step Challenge by answering some questions on a brief questionnaire. I received back from him an impressively substantial email, the heart of which said:

What I think you need to do Melissa, is start to find your “great why”.

Bingo!

With so many projects going on at all time, so many disparate balls in the air, I tend to get caught up in my to-do list and feel as if I’m flailing around, expending a lot of energy but not getting very far.

I lose track of my “great why,” and my sensitive system can tell. My Blisses seem to be bounding off toward the horizon, while I’m stuck in my to-do-list rut.

This does not for a happy camper make.

Getting back to my Great Why

So let’s take a deep breath, shall we? Pause, take stock and re-assess.

What do I enjoy most about what I’m doing now?

Making art!

Since committing to my 15 Minutes-a-Day challenge on February 1, I’ve been making time every single day to make art, and honestly, my biggest complaint is just that I wish I could spend all day at it.

True, I’m not always satisfied or happy with what emerges from my time in the Creative Sandbox, but that comes with the territory of being an artist. Despite my frustrations, the fact is I’m vibrating with new ideas, and after years of longing to be prolific, I’m actually starting to accumulate a body of work!

Last night I drove up to Santa Rosa to see a one-woman show of my friend and fellow calligrapher Sherrie Lovler’s work. For the first time in years the idea of an art show feels within the realm of possibility, and that feels great.

Artist interviews!

I confess, I started the Thriving Artists Project to inspire myself, and in that it has been an astounding success.

I love, love, love conducting the interviews, and I love, love, love listening back to them when I edit them for posting on the TAP site.

The feedback I get from my members is wonderfully validating that I’m inspiring more than just myself, too, and that feels great.

Consultations!

A number of people have taken me up on the free 1/2 hour consulting offer, and what a treat that has been! I’ve been enjoying it so much, and learning so much about my fans and how I can help them, that I’ve decided to keep doing them for the time being.

I’m not going to give away free sessions forever, so if you want one, I do recommend scheduling sooner rather than later. Just go to https://tungle.me/melissadinwiddie and give me at least 3 (more is even better) possible time slots to choose from. I’ll get back to you with a confirmed time.

What’s the catch?

Well, I will ask you to write me a testimonial if you get something useful out of the session. But whether you write one or not is totally up to you.

Seriously, that’s it. I’d love to work with you, so sign up now and let’s get started!

Performing!

I don’t have a ton of gigs on the calendar at the moment, but I am performing this month (this Friday, in fact, in a benefit in celebration of International Women’s Month for Be a Dear and Donate a Brassiere at Red Rock Coffee Co. in Mountain View) and at the end of April with the Women of Song (formerly Ladies of Jazz).

And honestly, just playing a few songs for my fellow retreaters last week was a delightful treat. One woman could not stop raving about my voice and performance, and even recommended me to a house concert venue near where she lives. I don’t know if it will evolve into a gig, but that kind of a response to what I do always feels great.

—

So.

Each of these things is part of my Great Why: to create in my various creative expressions, and to make a difference for other people, ideally helping them to follow their own creative bliss.

Despite all the wheel-spinning, over-work and under-rest, it’s good to know that in fact I am still following my Bliss. It seems that rut may just have to do with too much busy-work, which I’m working (no pun intended) on figuring out how to minimize.

How life is like yoga

(Yes, 800 words into this post and I’m finally getting around to the stated theme.)

Even when we’re busily engaged in what we think is following our Bliss, it’s easy to get off track.

In yoga, we need to continually activate and re-activate certain muscles, scanning the body and bringing our attention back and back and back yet again to the various places being worked (or that should be working) in a particular posture. Activate and re-activate the quads, for example, pressing into the floor, pulling up the kneecaps.

A well-lived life is a lot like a body in a challenging asana. We need the reminder to continually focus and re-focus on our evolving Bliss. We need to ask “What is important to me? What do I enjoy most? What am I passionate about?” even after we think we know the answer.

Perhaps especially after we think we know the answer!

Bliss, after all, evolves. Our job is to keep following it.

What about you? When is the last time you checked in on your Great Why? Where are you connecting with it? Where are you out of touch and needing a tune-up?

March 9, 2011

Time, Expectations, Flights to Louisiana, How to Annoy the Hell Out of Your Customers, and Oh, Yeah, 15 Minutes a Day Art Check-in #5

Creative Sandbox paintings in process — Creative Sandbox canvases in progress

Considering that I’ve been on this planet a respectable number of decades by this point, it’s rather surprising that I seem to be in such utter denial about how long it takes to get stuff done.

I mean seriously, it’s not like this is news. You’d think I’d get it by now. Yet I’m continually surprised at how little I’m able to accomplish compared to how much I intend to.

Do I modify my expectations accordingly?

No. That would be what a smart person would do. Instead I stuff my “today” list with more than any one person could possibly achieve in any single 24-hour period, then shake my head in wonderment when, once again, I fall short of my ridiculous goals.

canvases in process — I'm especially liking the walnut ink "Yes" on the square canvas at the lower left

Take last night.

The goal: get two tickets to Louisiana, different outbound flights (my sweetie’s going to a wedding, but I’ve got a gig in Oakland that same night so will meet up with him afterwards) and into and out of different cities, but with seats together on the return.

Four hours later we were both utterly exhausted, and I was about ready to boycott Continental Airlines for the rest of my life.

(Note to self: if you want to really annoy customers, make them walk through a multi-stepped ordering process all the way to the end, and when they click the final confirm button make them wait several moments then show them a cryptic message that only indicates that the order could not be processed, without any explanation of why, so they try the entire exercise several more times. Then make them place a phone call to complete the order, and charge them extra for the pleasure. This does not make for a happy, loyal customer base. Just sayin’.)

mar11-inyourlight1 — Notice how my rhythm doesn't really pick up until about half way down the canvas.

On the other hand, sometimes I’m equally astonished at how little time things take.

Yes, I confess I’m missing terribly the luxury of spending all day on my art (why, oh why can’t the Retreat go on all year long?) But even just a little bit keeps me in contact with my creativity. And that, my friends, is golden.

What I’ve also discovered is that editing an interview for the Thriving Artists Project while playing with paints is a lovely way to multi-task!

Today I listened to my recent conversation with Michele Théberge during my Creative Sandbox time, stopping every so often to jot down some notes for the page on the TAP website. I got to be inspired all over again by Michele’s wonderful spirit and story, while I messed around and got my hands dirty making art.

canvas in process — And ooh! Look what magic happens when I "ruin" my lettering with a swipe of water! Now the inconsistent rhythm is less of a problem, and we have a VERY interesting start...

Did I get anything finished? No. I don’t even know where these pieces are going.

But that’s okay, because I trust the process. Put in the time, a little bit every day, and my voice will reveal itself eventually.

If only I could say the same thing about purchasing airplane tickets…