Getting Out of My Head - And Onto the Canvas

a piece in progress, playing with paints & paper

I hadn't picked up a brush in about five or six weeks. Last night, after a bout of despair came forth at the kitchen table, my husband suggested that I paint. So I did.

How easy it is for me to forget how important time at the art table is to my self-care regime.

Much like my Basics, if I avoid the art table for an extended period of time, my spirit takes a downturn. My happy-coloured glasses quickly become multiple shades of gloomy and I wonder why. So when my husband suggested that I paint, I knew it was the right thing to do.

I'm two days into an unofficial 5-Day Challenge; I'm calling it unofficial because I'm approaching it with a softer stance than usual. I'm not in it to defeat resistance, which is my usual motive, I'm in it for self-care.

Five days in a row I will show up at the art table and let my intuition be my guide. There's no pressure to finish anything or produce anything specific, or even to report back here, as I usually do.

All I know is that it's time to get out of my head, and the easiest way for me to do that is by moving onto the canvas.

So I will.

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What's your guaranteed self-care activity? You know, the one you always forget?

Post-vacation Re-entry + Latest Post on Scoutie Girl

I feel like my vacation was a blur, yet, my pre-vacation routine feels like it was forever ago. How is that?

I am slowly re-entering the realm of home and work after a full and rich vacation spent celebrating with family, discovering bits of Prince Edward Island with my husband, and taking in some familiar favourites like blueberry picking and stargazing on Mom & Dad's deck.

serendipitous beach find on Prince Edward Island

I even met an online friend in person for the first time and we gabbed as if we'd known each other all along!

It was full and fast. I am allowing myself a gentle re-entry. I suspect it will involve coffee, laundry, and maybe even a little art-making with these:

vintage papers my Mom used to line some dresser drawers,

they came back with me - and yes, I asked!

Until I work my way back up to my regular blogging routine here, I invite you to check out my latest post on Scoutie Girl that went up yesterday. Want some help in defeating resistance? Make it a game.

Bits & Bobs & A Week Off The Job

Regular Contributor to Scoutie Girl

I'm now a regular contributor at Scoutie Girl (YAY!); watch for my posts every two weeks.

Last Monday's post touches on the need to have it all figured out vs. focusing on the next right action. Read it here.

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FREE Monthly Planning Kit

It's a new month and it's still early, so it's not too late to sign up for the Creative Living Experiment mailing list and get your FREE Tried, Tested & True Monthly Planning Kit! Folks are sending me pictures of their Monthly Planning Quadrants and I'm loving it!

Here's what Pauline had to say about it:

"I finally got to your 20 page Monthly Planning Kit! It's fabulous! You did a great job with writing it in a way that made it seem 'do-able.' Especially for people like me. I am SO not a monthly goal kinda gal. ... Just wanted to say thanks for putting this together, and for making it easier for me to tackle such an 'unnatural' thing for me. I'm doing it this time, baby!"

 Get it here.

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On Self-Care and Sustainability

One of the perks of doing this work is that I LOVE what I do. When I love what I do I tend to spend long spells intensely working at my PC, head hunched forward, eyes glued to the screen. When I do that, I compact my neck muscles, which, according to my massage therapist,  can in turn entrap my occipital nerve and cause annoying headaches that tend to linger, but get old very quickly. (That was an awfully crafted sentence, but yeah, I'm trying to get this post done and get off the computer!)

Loving what I do enough that I don't notice time passing while I'm crafting my work = very cool.

Pinched nerve and lingering headaches = not so cool.

I sense a full post on self-care and sustainability coming on. Stay tuned...

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A Week Off The Job

And speaking of self-care, I'm getting ready for a week's vacation on my beloved east coast! Oh the salty sea air, may it fill my lungs and psyche to last me the year.

In addition to being in at Mom & Dad's in New Brunswick, there may be a side trip to Prince Edward Island or the Bay of Fundy for some new scenery. But the main reason we're going is to celebrate Mom & Dad's 50th anniversary.  Fifty years together, now that's something worth celebrating!

Here's a pic of the two lovebirds, 50 years ago:

So with this happy thought I am signing off for a week of repose and restoration, with a bit of discovery and celebration thrown in.

See y'all on the flip side!

Photo Pause: Garden Play

In the midst of work-related navel gazing, dreaming and plain old elbow grease, the garden sits growing dutifully, waiting for someone to take notice.

I don't find my gardens this year to be particularly superb at first glance, but once one starts to look a little more closely, oh there is beauty to be found...

garden happy

sunny tendril

leaf light

white spire

shady tendril

Judi's bloom - this perfect bloom was in my friend's garden,

I couldn't resist capturing it with my camera

What beauty lies in your garden? Look closely, I guarantee you will find it.

Say YES to Your What-ifs + 3 NEW Planning & Productivity Packages

ta-dah!

After reading my last post, some of you might wonder how - or why - on earth one would quit a solid paying job with solid benefits to put one's self through such turmoil! But others, I know, are not wondering at all; you know why.

You get it.

You know it's about not wanting to settle, about being tired of feeling stuck. It's about answering the call to explore what's out there instead of constantly wondering what if.

It's about giving it your best shot even if there are no guarantees, because not trying at all would be too painful.

None of this stuff is specific to my wanting to create meaningful work. You might feel called to clear out the guest bedroom and turn it into a studio, set up a blog, or finally create that new amazing product/e-course/line of greeting cards that's been sitting on the back burner for the past six months, but for some reason, you haven't quite gotten to it.

Feeling stuck sucks, there's no need to stay there. You're ready to move on.

One small action at a time, give your projects and what-ifs the attention they deserve. When you do that, you'll feel better about yourself. When you feel better about yourself, good things happen.

Make good things happen.

~~~

I'm now offering 3 NEW one-on-one planning & productivity consultation packages to help YOU gain traction on your dreams and goals. Clarity, momentum, and gentle accountability is what it's all about.

Sometimes all it takes is that perfectly timed nudge to get you moving. Go see!