creative lifestyle – Tru Original

Category: creative lifestyle

Free Spirit

Awww Summer! The excuse to get out of that routine and live like there’s no tomorrow. I certainly took advantage of that sentiment as I basked in the glory of late nights, late mornings, long walks and talks, painting in my studio, sitting in the sunshine and basically doing what I love to do. You know from past blog posts that I have struggled with relaxation, even felt guilty about it, but as I grow older I realize this is a prison of my own making and even God rested on the 7th day! So rest I did and it was wonderful. I hope that you all had some time to do what you love to do too!

If not…it’s never to late to embrace your FREE SPIRIT. Here are 10 ways that I let go and …JUST. BE. ME.

Take time to BE STILL and reconnect with your heart. Pray.
Discover you passions and share them with the world.
Love, just love.
Dance when EVERYONE is watching because no one else is dancing.
Be bold, speak your truth.
Have faith in what you can’t see. Let go and trust God.
Wear your feelings on your sleeve, literally! Dress funky.
Own your past, no excuses and then move on.
Explore! Try new things. Make a fool of yourself or maybe not.
Stop judging people. Not my job.

Still working on a few of these, but this is what I strive for.

Now with my teenagers back in school, the house is much quieter and I’m ready to get back into the swing of things. Although I have been taking the time to do the things I enjoy, I have also had some wonderful opportunities come my way and the timing of this has allowed my to revisit WHY I do what I do. So you’ll see some changes in my business coming this Fall and moving into 2017.

Mostly the direction of my business is moving towards more product development, branding, website design, and wholesale. This is very exciting but as usual, I’m having to learn a ton about business and marketing. This can feel overwhelming so I have to remind myself to do what I can do and leave the rest up to God. So a big change you’ll see in 2016-2017 is more information about the evolution of my art business and less workshops. I love teaching so this is a big let down for me, but needed so I can move my art into a direction that it seems to want to go. I do have some great TRY-IT classes that I will be hosting with Palette and Paper in the works, as well as plans for Art and Soul Workshop once per quarter in 2017. So, to my art tribe, I will not abandon you…ever!

I realized as I sat down to write this post that I totally dropped the ball on finishing up my series of post about how negative thinking affected my life and what I did to get myself out of that downward spiral, other wise known as “the rabbit hole”. I’m so sorry about this! I hope you’ll stay with me as I revisit the remaining 3 things I do to help me to stay focused on the good, the true and the beautiful.

After we’re done with negativity, I will share a series of post about creativity! Ha! That’s pure serendipity! So, thank you for being with me on this journey.

Pick up this sweet graphic below that I created just for you! Just a reminder that life is too short to NOT be doing the things we love.

I feel so blessed by you!

Running with the Scissors

Sunshine MW quote with website

This week, I came across this poem from Marianne Williamson and every bit of my heart yelled out “TRUTH”. I read this poem some years ago, but the word TRUTH didn’t come to mind. Maybe the word was bullshit, or lie, or what a load of crap. Regardless, I was not in a place in my life when I could recognize that I had a light and what it would mean if I let it shine.

Even now, when I know that all of us are born with gifts, talents, and “lights”, I sometimes hold back. Why? I could point to many reasons why I hold back…fear that my gifts won’t measure up (to whom I’m not sure), fear that someone will demand something of my gifts and I will be obligated (commitment phob), fear that I will become stifled and unable to produce ( bored and trapped)…ugh! It really doesn’t matter what the fear is telling me because the job of this fear is simply to put out my light. To extinguish the excitement, the courage, the joy, the trust and hold me in a place of stagnation. This fear is the lie that holds us all captive and redirects us from the “Glory of God that is within us”.

So, the image I kept getting in my head all week as I meditated on this poem was a little girl running with scissors. The little girl doesn’t know how dangerous it is to run with scissors, she’s innocent, and she’s not even thinking about the scissors…she’s running ahead to the next paper doll, or snow flake, ready to do what she does…shine.

If you follow me on Facebook or you’re part of my Art and Soul Prompts group, you know that it’s been all about courage and slaying the fear monster this month. You may recognize the above image as our April Soul prompt. if you don’t, be part of the group. I would love to support you along the way.

One last thing, I want to give you a little gift, the above image titled Own Your Light graphic . Print it off and hang it in a place that you will see it first thing in the morning…the mirror, the coffeemaker, the shower door. But don’t just look at it, read the words and believe in Your Light.

Own your light, it’s who you are, a child of God.

Permission Granted

creative adult

I love teaching art workshops! The energy, the connection, the total vibe is just electric for me. Although it’s been over a year since I have taught art to children, they hold the biggest place in my teaching heart. Why? Because they don’t wait for permission to create, it’s just in them, it’s who they are and the world has not squashed that yet. The most challenging thing about teaching children is they don’t wait for instructions…they just begin and keep going until they have a completely different outcome then the project I am trying to demonstrate. And they’re fine with it! They are confident, passionate, and courageous explorers who conquer the canvas as if it were a piñata, ready to spill out with candy.

But then something happens, it seems around middle school, when the world gets hold of them and tells them they suck, or art is not a “boys” thing, or elephants aren’t purple! They start asking me questions like…”does this look ok?”. ” Should I paint it blue or pink?” Or they make comments like, ” His is better then mine!” We get our creative butts kicked.

We grow up and feel all insecure about being different or artsy. Standard is safe. We lose confidence and push away that creative lifestyle, that creative idea. I don’t mean a crafty life, although some people make Pinterest a lifestyle and it may spark a flame. I mean a life that draws outside the lines, lives outside the box, and believes that what we have to contribute is unique. You become the pioneer!

Living a creative life is special because when you are living in that zone of confidence, passion, and courage, you become a trail blazer. You blaze the way for others to truly live in their passion and purpose. Then you know what happens? World peace! Just kidding…kinda. What happens is we start giving ourselves and others permission to screw up. We understand that being true to ourselves means sometimes being misunderstood, making mistakes, and maybe being over looked. That’s good! Lot’s of opportunity to grow in courage, confidence, and forgiveness during those moments.

So who knew that your art journal, those funky and bright fingernails, or building that wooden igloo was making you a better lover? Just ask the people around you.

I think living a creative life empowers our hearts to love with more depth, understanding and courage .

Need Some Soul Sister Wisdom?

If you’re needing a little sisterly love…I got it for you!

And it FREE love…which makes it TRU love!

Download your issue of SOUL SISTER WISDOM.

I really respect and admire the mission behind this magazine so it is an honor for me to be part of the Dec./ Jan. issue. I hope that you enjoy my article on Intentional Love.

Looking back on 2015 I feel so blessed to have met many amazing women that have greatly enriched my life. God has led me to new friends, new business partners and He has led me to YOU. I am so grateful for the growth of this creative community of passionate and soulful women. You truly inspire me!

One lesson that I learned in 2015 is how to live with more intention and focus. I am learning how to align my values and convictions with my life’s purpose. There is a saying…”If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.” For most of my life, I believed this. In 2015, I discovered it is simply not true. Prayerful passion is the spark, commitment is the flame, action is the fire.

God has lit a path light for me and my job is to walk in it. He Blesses each of us with our own unique journeys… are you doing the walking?

Join me in 2016 to walk in His light and purpose. Take the first step by making a Art and Soul Creative Vision Board on Jan. 16th and you’ll learn more about prayerful passion, true commitment and how fun walking in the light can be.

See you then!

TRU Creative Art Prompt #1 and New FB Group

I’m super excited to finally share my first TRU Creative Art Prompt with you! Totally FREE as my gift to you.

Creative Prompt Blessed PDF

**Download may take up to 5 minutes on some computers, this is a large file of deliciousness. Worth the wait!

Funny, it seems like I’m using the words SUPER EXCITED and FIRST a lot around here lately. Anytime you have a first in your life, for the most part your excited…no? Sometimes that ‘first’ is scary, other times it’s invigorating. For me, it’s honestly both! Scary in away, as I have to face the fear of rejection that I struggle with. Invigorating, because I do get to face that fear and move right past it. Eat that FEAR!

God has been generous with me and giving me lot’s of first to be excited about.

Another thing I say around here a lot is, “I’m glad you’re with me on this journey, we’re in this together!” When you see those words from me, do you believe them? Do you believe that I am invested in this journey? Do you trust that?

“A relationship without TRUST is like a car without gas, you can stay in it all you want but it won’t go anywhere.” ~Anonymous. This quote sums up my mission statement beautifully. When I say we are on a journey, we’re in this together, I mean a journey of life…a journey to Heaven. No man is an island, we are ALL connected and we are all called to love. But being called to LOVE can be hard work, even Jesus needed help carrying His cross. I need help on my journey too. Don’t we all need support? This takes mutual trust. I am learning to trust you by sharing my whole self in my blog posts, sharing the artwork that I create and offering FREE gifts of encouragement that you are NOT rejecting. I see your support and attendance on my Facebook Page and workshops. I recently created a close Facebook Group to share in the work you may do through the TRU Creative Prompts I send you. I want to see what you are making… to share in your life.

I want to challenge you, I want to show you how committed I am to you on this journey of life and faith. I want you to unfriend me on Facebook and unsubscribe to my Newsletter if you are not interested in growing along side this community of creative women. This is not a numbers game to me, and I have no desire to clutter up your inbox with information/ encouragement you are not reading or interested in. I promise, my feeling won’t be hurt. You see, I would rather have a an interactive, supportive community of 100 women than 1000 women who are on my list just because. No one wants to be a ‘just because’.

I said it and I mean it, we are in this together.

Enjoy the TRU Creative Prompt!