We are so much more than all the labels we wear!
Whether it’s Mom, Dad. daughter, son, artist, writer, friend, sister, brother, race car driver, aunt, uncle – it does not matter we are MORE and sometimes we forget. That is why I’ve created this series!
This week we are going to start with color, specifically the color GREEN. It can be any shade of green. What I invite you to do is think about YOU and GREEN and then Remove ALL limitations and write!
I invite you to begin with – “I am …” if you like, and see where you are taken.
Here is my own:
I am green velvet, smooth and soft to touch. I am new, Spring leaves jumping on a wind trampoline, the turtle in varying shades of green fresh from the water and glistening in the sunlight. I am the Christmas tree adorned in lots of colorful lights and the mistletoe filled with anticipation. I can be the poison dart frog that prefers to be left alone and the garden snake slithering out of it’s skin and into the world slightly more vulnerable each time. I am the smell of fresh cut grass floating along a Summer morning breeze and the ivy that climbs slowly to the top of a city building.
YES…you read right!! 21 Secrets is now going to be open until January 2012!!! YAY!! More time to PLAY!!!!
I have to tell you when I was invited to teach alongside these amazing artists, I had NO idea how my life and the lives of those around me would change. 21 Secrets is more than a workshop, it is love, healing, sharing, discovering, exploring and magic all rolled into one. I cannot count the time someone has said, ‘I’ve never experienced a place like this.” I haven’t either and each day I spend on the 21 Secrets playground is another day I grow as an artist, writer, woman and human being. I invite you to join this sensational workshop…be prepared to open your heart, let love in and make lasting friendships. Click on the logo above to sign up today!!
Oh the Stories You’ll Tell Part 1
AND I was not going to run another Stories Workshop until the Fall BUT ..after receiving requests to ..how could I not??? So I’m OVER the MOON excited to say that Oh the Stories You’ll Tell will open on June 13th!! Come play it’s a great group so far!!!!
For more information and to sign up, please visit Workshops!
Love, stories and creativity to you today and always!
Please take a moment today to remember those who have given their lives to protect our freedom!
The work submitted must be something you have created and/or worked on between the time the theme was revealed and the Thursday unveiling. Please submit your response to Natasha@creativenachos.com no later than end of day Wednesday, June 1st if you would like it to be posted on Thursday, June 2nd. OR send me a link to your response to include in the comments section of the post.
With your response please include:
1. Your name – either first name, shop name, blog name or all three.
2. The name of your piece (if you choose to give it one)
3. Something you’d like to share (idea behind piece) if you’d like to share anything. Please limit this to 2-3 sentences
4. A small paragraph on the process of creating this work in case you are chosen as the “Artist/Writer of the week”
5. Links you’d like to include
6. Two photos of your piece or of each of the pieces (3×5 or 4×6 and 72dpi or a max of 96dpi – if you need any help with that please don’t worry I’d be happy to help!)
Beauty brought tears to my eyes. That’s what happened as I began to view the submissions for this week’s theme. The ideas that these professional artists and writers shared about beauty in the world is simply magnificent and each one will move you.
Please take my hand and let’s walk along basking in the beauty all around us….
It Gives Me Great Pleasure to Introduce the Artist/Writer of the Week and the Amazing Organization She Found Beauty In: Kris, the stellar creator of Lisianblue.
“While finishing up my project for this weeks theme, I kept falling asleep.,” said Kris. “I woke up about 3:00am and a show on PBS was working with this wonderful camp for children with a variety of diseases,” said Kris. ” Not only is the camp free for these kids, their transportation to the camp is also provided for. I would like to submit this camp, Victory Junction as my Beauty in the World submission. http://www.victoryjunction.org/index.php ”
“I have done my own project, that I will be putting on my web site http://lisianblue.blogspot.com/ .There is so much beauty in the world.”
Felicia Kramer, the fabulous artists behind Another Bright Idea and More Bright Ideas, created these stunning pieces, Daisy, Stargazer Sky, Tulips and Two Daisies.
“Ever since I moved into my townhouse condo with both a front and backyard 18 years ago I have become enamored of flowers of all kinds, not only the ones I plant but all varieties,” said Felicia. ” I have been working on some of my latest floral photos, experimenting with various techniques. Here’s the results of some of them.”
Maureen, the beautifully talented writer and artist behind Aquamaureen’s, created this striking piece.
“I thought a lot about beauty this week before doing the piece. It finally came together when I heard the word ‘beauty’ in a whole new way,” said Maureen.
Amanda, the creative dynamo behind Persistent Green, created this unforgettable untitled 8×10 mixed media, a work in progress.
“Oh boy, this prompt was like a blank check! I consider finding beauty my specialty, so it was harder to narrow my focus to only ONE sample than it was to come up with an idea,” said Amanda. “I love that kind of abundance, don’t you? For my current vision of beauty, I chose a dilapidated set of buildings that, although tired and worn out, exude a sense of serenity.”
Jenjen, the phenomenal writer and artist behind Gotta Love Mom, created this heart-warming work.
“There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though every thing is a miracle.” – Albert Einstein
It’s Wednesday night, and I didn’t get a chance to play!
It’s the same excuse — I was busy, the week was just hectic! I just didn’t have any time!
But the beauty of it all is that come Thursday, Creative Nachos will feature talented and dedicated artists who make my Thursdays beautiful.
Creative Nachos, or Thursday Sweet Treat (TST), had been my special treat for a few years now.
And with all the craziness, the world rumored to end last Saturday –
Creative Nachos is a place where it reminds me that there is beauty in the world.
I’ve made friends through TST – friends who have helped me be a better ME.
Friends who take time to create and share instead of break one’s spirit.
I really believe that every person you encounter in life — be it someone that made you happy or sad,
is part of the thread that’s woven together to form one special YOU.
So hug a friend you haven’t talked to in a while — just because in more ways than you know, he or she had helped mold who you are right now.
( PS: I still draw the way I was taught in Elementary school. Mountains, rice fields, coconut trees, the sun, clouds and the birds! I just love being a kid at times. No worries, no deadlines — just LIFE! )
Beauty came to me in the form of poetry this week. Once again, I played with words and I felt true freedom. It was beautiful!
Forgetting to Remember
I forgot to remember who I am
Like an old woman on the merry-go-round
Late night, the lights went out.
I forgot to remember that I could be dangling earrings –
Shimmering, eye-catching, elegant yet bold.
I forgot to remember the sound of the violet rain
It’s tap dancing on the window frame.
But the world was a blend of white noise,
It was the same for everyone, no difference.
And the Moon suddenly began to cry,
Paint ran down the sides of buildings
- merging, mixing, swirling –
And, the sidewalk graffiti created
By nature dictated a new kind of beauty.
Leaves barreled toward the sewers,
They were heavy as stones yet silent
They landed having forgotten their flutter.
My hand tried to hold the breeze as though
Freedom were something you can hold onto.
That was the moment I let go.
- Natasha Reilly. Copyright 2011
Are you inspired to seek out beauty?? Then go out and take in the world around you. There truly is beauty in the world and when you are done come back here and start to create something for next week’s theme, LOVE.
Yesterday, my daughter and I were painting. At one point I stopped to watch her. As she took the brush to the paper, she was not thinking, ‘This needs to be pretty‘, not was she wondering what others would think of her work. While she sang a made-up song to herself, she simply let her paintbrush dance across the page. The colors appeared as though born from the inflections of the song itself. She was playing and enjoying every moment that she was expressing what lies within her.
And as I watched her, I felt something open within me. I suddenly remembered the big, purple ocean of creativity that fills me up. The moment I remembered the sea within, I felt a freedom I have not felt in years.
Without thinking, I began to play with words…I mean really play! I did not think about who I was writing for nor did I “try” to create something specific I just wrote and it was heaven! Today, I invite you to PLAY…whether it’s with words or paint or clay or photos …just play and then feel free to share what YOU came up with…trust me YOU will feel SOO free you will want to hug the world!!
A 1950′s style skirt whirls through the living room,
Fragments of sunlight are cast here and there in the now, 2000 plus.
Time remains trapped in a glass bubble yet no one -
Not even she -
Can figure out how to break it,
To make it stop…..
The air twirls on endlessly,
And with wide arms -
The mini wind maker throws frosty love around
Leaving traces of violet fingertips behind like clues.
When she sees her reflection, she holds tight
To the bars that threaten to cage her and rips,
Tears, shreds them letting splintered pieces
Sail up through the chartreuse abyss, slicing
Small holes in the Universe so high that
Even the birds fly below – though they wonder, they always wonder.
Tasha invited me to come by Creative Nachos for a bit of a guest posting, hoping that I would introduce myself to all of you, and she asked me to do it by way of my passions.
Now, if she’d asked me to do this a year ago, I would have been at an absolute loss at what to share. Likely, I would have told you that I was passionate about my husband and kids, as well as my spirituality. It wasn’t until I began to expand on my exploration of self that I began to realize that I used those “things” more to escape from, than getting in touch with myself.
Don’t get me wrong… I love my family. They are a very BIG part of my world, but I realized that they are separate from and beyond ME. They don’t define me as a person/spirit/creative being.
And my spirituality defines the ways that I choose to connect with the Universe and All That IS, but it didn’t/doesn’t define me, either. At least, not how I was going about it.
My PASSIONS, the things I love to do and focus on (I believe) do. These are the things that feed my soul, get me in touch with inner being.
Only a year ago, I had no idea what those things were. Oh, for certain, they were things that I had been doing since a child, but, even then, I did not realize that they were what I was innately good at. And I’d lost touch with them… Labeling them as “frivolous”. I had focused on others and beyond myself for so long, I had come to believe that the things that stoked the fire in my belly and in my head, were insignificant and naught but a waste of energy. I had lost track of ME!
My most recent explorations – those things that kept my mind and being occupied and busy in the quiet hours while my husband was deployed to Afghanistan – have paid off, though. What stirs my soul? Tasha asks. CREATING and CAPTURING!
Ever since I was a child, I have loved to write. I love to express myself – my thoughts, my hopes, fears, and dreams – through words. I love giving life to a character, making her seem so real upon the page that one half expects to run into her at some point or another at the local shopping center.
I’ve done this. I’ve brought characters to life so vividly for myself and others, that one finds oneself overcome by real emotion just visualizing her going through a tumultuous event in her life. I’ve also experienced this very same thing “watching” as one weaves the tale of her character on the page. I love stories! Fiction, non-fiction, memoir. I love reading them. I love writing them, and I love experiencing them!
Photography! This is another passion of mine. As a kid, I loved fiddling with the little Kodak camera my parents gave me. Always doing what my heart told me to try, despite others telling me, “it’ll never come out”. Some of my best shots were those that people doubted my ability to pull it off.
My dad was a shutterbug too. I’d watch him with his 35mm, and secretly dream of the day when I, too, would able to possess one of my own.
Over the years, I’ve taken pictures with film, Polaroids, and digital pictures with inexpensive digital cameras. You know, the “pre-requisite” photos every parent “has” to take as their children grow up, but when my mom passed away back in 2006, my dad shared the insurance money he’d received with me. One of the things I purchased was a Nikon D40, knowing that she would have wanted me to have it, but hadn’t been able to afford it for myself. It was then that I embarked on my “shooting spree”. It’s only been recently, though, that I’ve really begun to focus on becoming a better photographer, as well as learning the more creative aspects of post production….
These are the things I’m focusing on and working to expand and grow within. These are the things that feed my soul, and that I dream of – someday – becoming my way of making a passionate living with.
It gives me tremendous pleasure to introduce you to a woman who is so incredibly warm, funny and talented that she simply had to be a part of CreativeNachos! Dawna, the creative mastermind behind Hiccups in Time and Kreative Oasis, has joined Nachos as a contributor and Marketing, Advertising, social media extraordinaire.
Dawna and I first met when she signed up for my class, Oh the Stories You’ll Tell Part 1 in 2010. We immediately hit it off. Earlier this year, when she approached me about Nachos, it was at a time when I was just beginning to think about how I wanted to brand and grow this space I love. The moment we began talking about it, I took it as a sign that she was the person who would help me to build this space larger than I originally imagined.
It is my hope that you will join me in welcoming Dawna to Nachos! You can drop her a line at Dawna@creativenachos.com but it would be fantastic if you dropped by her blogs to say howdy as well!
Hiccups in Time - a place where Dawna shares all the beauty and honesty of living life.
Kreative Oasis – Dawna’s creative blog where I’ll be writing, crafting, and sharing bits of photography.
Kreative Kafe – An amazing, new directory for creatives. People can list their websites/blogs, Etsy pages, Twitter accounts, and Facebook Fan Pages. Let’s help it to grow to be one of the top directories for creatives to connect on the web!
Feel free to follow Dawna at @KreativeDawna and on Facebook
Dawna, I’m SO thrilled to have you on board and I cannot wait to see where we take Nachos!! xoxoxo
Please tune in later today for a guest post from Dawna!
How you choose to interpret the theme is completely up to you. It simply needs to be tasteful – no pornography or messages of hate here. When you sit down to create, you cannot think about how people will or will not receive your work. You are required to simply enjoy the act of creating.
Beauty
They say (I always wonder who “they” are) that beauty is in the eye of the beholder…what does beauty look like to YOU?? Listen to the words in this song and then create a new piece that celebrates BEAUTY through your eyes!!
Important Guidelines
The work submitted must be something you have created and/or worked on between the time the theme was revealed and the Thursday unveiling. Please submit your response to Natasha@creativenachos.com no later than end of day Wednesday, May 25th if you would like it to be posted on Thursday, May26th. OR send me a link to your response to include in the comments section of the post.
With your response please include:
1. Your name – either first name, shop name, blog name or all three.
2. The name of your piece (if you choose to give it one)
3. Something you’d like to share (idea behind piece) if you’d like to share anything. Please limit this to 2-3 sentences
4. A small paragraph on the process of creating this work in case you are chosen as the “Artist/Writer of the week”
5. Links you’d like to include
6. Two photos of your piece or of each of the pieces (3×5 or 4×6 and 72dpi or a max of 96dpi – if you need any help with that please don’t worry I’d be happy to help!)
The reef in all its splendid, colorful glory is filled with life. To see it, is to experience one of the many natural delights in the world. The same can be said for the gorgeous works that the reef inspired this week. These talented, professional artists created works that will make you want to celebrate the world around you today.
It Gives Me Great Pleasure to Introduce the Artist/Writer of the Week: Maureen, creator of Aquamaureens.
Maureen, the wonderful talent behind Aquamaureens, created this beautiful piece.
“I’ve fallen in love with doing vision board/collage/thingies,” said Maureen. “I let heart and soul guide my hands as I flip through magazines and pull pictures and words. Then, still NOT editing but letting my guts dictate, I start assembling. Our prompt, “under the reef,” sent me to where Bali Hai was filmed. Someday I WILL actually stand on that beach. I believe that so much that this is the first collage in which I have inserted an image of myself. What??? You don’t recognize me? Why, there I am, plain as day, in my dancing cow costume.”
Amanda, the creative writer and artist behind Persistent Green, created this stunning 8×10 untitled mixed media piece.
“This prompt offered me opportunity to journey through many photographs taken on a wonderful trip to Mexico a few years ago,” said Amanda. “Ahhh, so soothing for the soul! I finally settled on this peaceful beach scene–maybe we can all jump off that dock and go snorkeling by the reef!
Trina, the super talented artist and writer behind Woven Chains Jewelry, created this phenomenal piece.
“For some reason, the instant I saw this weeks theme, the poor goofy fish in the dentist’s fishtank from Finding Nemo whispered “Bubbles” in my creative ear,” said Tina. “Dorie also kept singing her “Just keep swimming” song. So, I made a “Bubbles” pendant in lovely Caribbean colors.”
Kris, the amazing talent behind Lisianblue, created this stellar piece.
“Ideas were not coming to me. Monday, I saw a simple but nice windchime with stairstepped dangles – ah ha!” said Kris. “Tuesday afternoon, I was finally able to sit down and cut the glass pieces. Drilled too many holes in the white one. While going through different ideas of how to hang them – I left the room & when I came back I spotted the whale, with 1/4 of the paint removed. THE WHALE!! Had to finish removing paint..Wed evening - dangles need to be hung, whale needs more coats of paint……………..interruptions……….I got the dangles strung on the white piece & put it on the floor while looking for “extras” – found most of them, picked up the glass pieces – literally, glass pieces, I had stepped on the white piece & it broke! No time to redo it, glued it together & added the aqua pieces (love that idea) strung the beads, and sort of put it all together. Realized the glass dangles are so heavy they would pull the foil off the whale, & I need to redo the white piece anyway – so, this is temporary. Frustrating, enjoyable, but I really like it!”
The reef inspired me to think about color and movement. As I began to play, a new art journal page was born.
Are you inspired? Are you feeling like you have to create RIGHT now??
Then, get ready for the next theme: Beauty
They say (I always one who “they” are) that beauty is in the eye of the beholder…what does beauty look like to YOU?? Create a new piece that celebrates BEAUTY through your eyes!!
Please watch this clip titled “Forbidden Friendship” from the movie “How to Train Your Dragon” before you begin to read.
As I lay in bed this morning listening to the rain’s ceaseless drumming on the air conditioner, I watched the sound lull my wee one back to sleep and I thought about trust. Whenever my children find their way into my arms, I feel their bodies relax and as they drift to sleep I see how deeply they trust in me.
Trust is my issue. We all have that one thing we seem to work on endlessly, right? Well for me, that issue is trust; something I lost years ago. After two unrelated incidents – a violent act against me and the unveiling of a family secret – I felt like I’d received two taps to the heart. I have spent years trying to learn how to breathe life into the heart of trust again.
In yesterday’s post, I spoke about two friends I love with whom I am having growing pains. In one case, we are going to come together to spend time and talk which makes me unbelievably happy. In the other, I still struggle with how to handle it. It may surprise many to know that the friendship that is causing that feeling of loss is 20 years old– 21 as of this June. This has happened many times and what I’m slowly seeing is that though I have run in the past, I am not the one running this time. I’m still standing tall right where I was left.
The clip from this movie reminds me of what it can be like to become friends or perhaps what it felt like to become friends with this particular soul. I am the dragon – ever scared, ever protective. After the violent incident in my life, I would not let people close. I could not even stand to be given a hug. My friend was one of the first people that I let truly hug me – not just in the physical sense but in the emotional sense as well. I let my heart feel the hug. Each time the dragon and the boy sort of reach out there is this moment where one might hurt the other but they don’t. They move through it. You see in the end, the dragon comes around just as I came around. When I learned that I could trust someone as I did my friend, I began to come back to life, to open like a flower and share my colors within. Maybe that’s why I have such a hard time trying to let go – you see, I *see* the goodness, the kindness, the beauty within my friend. If I didn’t I never would have been able to trust in the first place.
As I watch the dragon draw its own abstract painting, I recall my time in BIG and laugh – that’s what it initially felt like to paint that big! When I started to share my paintings with my friend, I was nervous at first but so proud of what had been born upon the page. My paintings which were my heart and soul in paint were considered carefully, thoughtfully and it was such a gift. In that moment, we found connection and took our friendship to another level. It was terrifying and exhilarating.
These days I am learning to share my whole heart just as I am doing here. Vulnerable – while uncomfortable – is necessary. I am reminded in this clip to trust in the Universe for you never know what gifts it may have in store.
And so while I debate that age old question, “Should I stay or should I go?” I think I have just written myself into an answer. I am going to let go of the question altogether. I am going to be here in this space and should my friend choose to return then we would continue to grow but if not, if this is the end of the friendship for reasons that have little to do with me, then so be it. I will not close off my heart. I will not be angry. I will not wallow. I will not build new walls. Much like my children, I will continue to believe that it is ok to trust. In the end, it is not my life that will be lacking and all of that feels tremendously good to realize.
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