Mixing It Up

There is something really awesome about creating mixed-media art!  The textures, the dimensions, the colors … combining these aspects with different papers, nature, antiques, {the list goes on} … it’s one of my many creative passions.  I like to capture the essence of life around me, the life of the past and the possible life of the future in a dimensional form.  For instance, I just love little quaint villages.  The shops you can poke through, the ‘family’ type of feel you experience when you visit them and the easy, relaxed atmosphere the surrounds you.  So, in my latest creative adventure, I wanted to try and capture the many emotions that we experience upon a visit to a ‘village’ and I placed my focus on the beauty of yarns.  I created a ‘village-like’ store front painting in watercolors and ‘mixed it up’ by adding beautiful yarns and a pair of antique scissors.  I hope, when people view my interpretation, they get drawn into the feelings I am creating, can experience the essence of a village and then happily evoke their own love for these special corners of our world.  The possibilities are endless as to what I can capture dimensionally!  Hmmm … my creative mind is primed … now, what to ‘mix up’ next is the question!

Artfully Yours, L   

Be Nice {Period}

My office resides on a very busy street and in rush hour …bumper to bumper traffic.  The other day I was leaving my office and managed to pull out of the parking lot fairly easy {not a simple task}.  As I made my way home I noticed someone else trying to creep out onto the heavily populated street.  I slowed down and flashed my lights to give the ok to pull out in front of me {fully knowing how difficult this task is daily} and the car behind me blared their horn in disapproval!  “No way!” I thought to myself.  I then began to … question.  If this horn loving person has ever tried to pull out onto this street at this time of day would they be more understanding?  What did this simple gesture cost them?  Would a few seconds of time to take your foot off the accelerator be that terrible?  Why oh why can’t we just ‘be nice’ to each other?  Be courteous, be thankful, be generous to our fellow peeps.  We are all just trying to make it in this life together … right?  I guess I will never be able to fully answer this question.  All I can do, all I desire to do … is to be nice!

Have a ‘nice’ day everyone!

Artfully Yours, L

Calling to Deep Love

Every day, every moment, every second {whether we are consciously seeking it} we all are ‘calling’ or looking for that deep, true love.  Our souls just innately seek it … it’s a natural yearning.  We all want to feel loved, wanted and appreciated by our family, friends, neighbors and partners.  Yet we sometimes forget that our hearts have to be truly open to receiving this precious gift first.  If we hold hatred, envy, jealousy, greed or any other negative thought or emotion in our minds then we truly cannot be open to receiving the purity that is love.  It’s like trying to mix oil and water.  Every day I remind myself that there is much, much more than just little ol’ me in this world.  There are people who desire to be noticed, who need a smile returned, who need to know they are appreciated beyond words.  I call to deep love for myself so I can spread that love to the people around me and, in turn, hope they can spread some love to others.  May deep love shine on you today and wrap you in her loving arms.

Artfully Yours, L

Look … There’s Inspiration!

Don’t you just love it when your mind is open to the inspiration around you?  The conversation you are having with a friend, the ocean breeze that caresses your face, the random act of kindness you witness or the beauty from a quiet forest.  Inspiration surrounds us everyday yet we are sometimes so busy to open our eyes to the wonders around us.  We miss the beautiful moments that could change our careers, uplift our relationships or motivate us to create a great masterpiece.   Now and again I wish my wonderment could be ‘on’ more often.  Be alive in the experiences instead of feeling overwhelmed by the tasks around me.  Today I feel grateful that my eyes are open so I can appreciate and fully see the inspirations around me in this moment.  I will take those feelings and create something awesome with them … even if it’s to bring a smile to someone’s heart!

Will you inspire today or drink in an inspiration?  I hope I can do both … Whooo Hooo!!!!

Artfully Yours, L 

A Healthy Living Story

Once upon a time there was a girl who lived her life {clean}.  She didn’t smoke (she never quite understood the attraction) or drank hard liquor (but for the occasional glass of red wine) or ate terribly (her nutrition plan was right for her).  She would move her body everyday whether it was walking, yoga, kickboxing, rock climbing or bicycling.  She enjoyed the feeling of euphoria and the company she was with while she participated in the ‘moving’ activities.  She spent her days being responsible for her family thru career and love.  In her quiet way she was moving through life as unassuming as possible.  One day she asked herself a questions, ‘Could all this healthy living really mean something?’  She was approaching 50 years young so started to reflect on her life and health choices.  Then one day, as she was having dinner with her family at a local restaurant, she received her answer.  As her daughter and son-in-law placed their adult beverage drink order she placed an order for a glass of red wine herself.  ‘May I see your ID’s?’ said the waitress to her daughter and son-in-law.  Then the waitress turned to the girl and said, ‘May I see yours as well?”  She was frozen in bewilderment … me?  She looked up and the waitress was totally serious.  Oh wait, she didn’t have her ID to show the waitress {hey, who would have thought she would need it to order a glass of wine}.  She told the waitress that she didn’t have her ID but could probably guess she was old enough for an adult beverage by looking at her daughter’s ID.  The waitress had paid the girl a wonderful compliment on how very young she looked and the table of dear family members all concurred.  Well, the girl’s question was answered.  Yes, healthily living not only is good for the soul but dose the body good as well! 

The End

Artfully Yours, L

The Serendipity Moment

Today I was curled up on my couch with a delicious glass of red wine and as I gazed out our French doors I was blessed with a beautiful serendipity moment …

We have a bird feeder on our deck {mostly in remembrance of my Grandma who absolutely loved watching birds} and I was watching the glorious array of birds eating from our feeder.  Then, as my gaze fell into focus, a male and female cardinal approached the eatery.  The brilliant colored male guided his {wife} to the feeder and then landed himself on the railing.  He waited … made sure his partner was safe and secure … then began to eat the remnants on the deck floor.  He left the ‘good seed’ for his lovely mate.  He flew off a couple of times to land on a nearby branch to keep watch over his love as she remained satisfying her hunger.  When a potential marauder tried to approach, he was right there protecting his partner, making sure she is was not harmed in any way.  This event brought tears to my eyes.  The natural, innate instincts of our wildlife is one of the most beautiful things a person can witness.  A mother giving birth, a bear protecting her cub, an acorn sprouting in the wild … all exquisite reminders that we are but a speck in this wonderful world.

Eyes wide open … may you experience a serendipity moment of your own today!

Artfully Yours, L

Summer Treasure Hunting

The time has come!  Spring is here with summer just around the corner and it’s time to start outdoor ‘treasure hunting’ again.  As a mixed-media artist, I just LOVE getting out to flea markets, yard sales, recycling centers and spending hours poking through things!  You never know what treasure will contribute to your next inspiration.  Yes, you may come across a rare {moola making} item but I prefer the fun of finding the perfect colorful fabric, a box of unused watercolors or the ideal frame for my next art design.  What is it about the ‘hunt’ that is so attractive?  Hmmmm, I think it is a combination of many fun things.  The hunt for the best bargain, the hunt for that elusive treasure, the hunt for that rare item to add to your collection, and much more.  This weekend I will start a new hunt and hopefully arrive home with lots of fabulous finds!  What is your favorite treasure found on one of your ‘hunts’?

Happy Hunting!

Artfully Yours,   

Any New Fresh Marketing Ideas?

We all try to ‘get noticed’ regarding our businesses and careers.  Do you ever wonder if you are doing enough to get noticed?   I wonder sometimes about the avenues I use to sell my art work.  I certainly don’t want to live as a starving artist *wink*  I try to approach my work as a marketable artifact as much as artful beauty so I can ultimately boost my visibility and, hopefully, my sales.  I try to use as many fresh ideas as I can and get the word out in as many ways as possible.  Here are some of the things I do to help my sales;  Networking with other artists, a complex web presence, entering art shows, entering juried shows at local galleries, and, most importantly, bringing as much passion into my work as I can.  I would hope this passion translates through my designs and, in turn, my art finds a beautiful home. 

Do you have any marketing ideas that have worked for you?  I would love to glean any new and fresh ideas.

I hope you find this day to be a ‘marketing’ success … Enjoy L !

{I} Live the Good Sticky

What makes good ideas or concepts ‘stick’?  Stick in the minds of the masses.  There have been lots of business books, seminars and video programs on that very question.  I am fascinated by the phenomenon and inspired by the possibilities of what ‘could be’ when you put your heart and soul into an entrepreneurial project.  The one ‘good sticky’ I don’t hear a lot about is humility.  Ok, here is where my mind is going … when you put your modest self into a project I think that positive thought process comes out and is reflected in your end result and, in turn, you have a better chance to make your project or idea ‘stick’.   Here is an example;  you have a great new invention, you engineer the design, but market your design with the pure thought of ‘making tons of money’ and ‘telling people that didn’t believe in you to go ____ themselves’ … ummmm not a good thing.  I believe people can ‘feel’ the negativity that surrounds that ‘end result’ and will shy away from it.  Yes, we all want to be a success.  Yes, we all want to have the freedom to live our lives as we wish.  But it can be done in a positive, humble way which can only benefit you and others … a win, win ‘good sticky’!

I hope you create many great, new possibilities today everyone and here are a couple of books that I have on the subject … Enjoy L!

Made To Stick

The Tipping Point  

Today Matters 

Pursuing the Ideas {I} Love

Sometimes I run out of {metaphoric} breath trying to catch all the ideas that are running around in my head.  I think of a design, get excited about creating it to fruition then, oh, wait, here comes another idea … and the chase is on.  *wink* I end up with 20 ideas in my head, out of breath {well just figuratively} and not enough time to create all of them.  How do I pick and select the ones to focus on? All are good and exciting.  I think creative people always see the wonderfulness in almost everything around them which makes it difficult to focus on one of the greatnesses.  I sometimes get a bit frustrated and feel like I haven’t accomplished anything because I have too many ideas I’m chasing.  So here is my little ‘Lisa’ solution that has worked for me … I simply write all of my ideas in my creative journal (that’s the catching them part), then , depending on my time during any particular day, I focus on just one idea.  Now, here’s the secret … I have to be HAPPY with my choice for the day.  Let the fact I didn’t get to everything be ok!  I will eventually get to that project … hey, I’m only one girl.  Sounds simple but the ‘letting go and being ok’ plan is the toughest part. 

How do you pursue all of your ideas? 

Make your day a happy one … the ‘production’ of the day will fall into place and be good!

Enjoy L!