Showing posts with label Change. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Change. Show all posts

Saturday 1 October 2022

What are you doing with your life? - Are you ready for a challenge?

Welcome to the blog, it has been a while and I have been taking time out to come to grips with losing my mother.  I shared in my previous post, and I spent time with my sister, and we went down memory lane.  There is now only the two of just who are now the older generation...


I send love and tender hugs to all those who have lost loved ones, there is nothing that can quite prepare you for loosing someone.  We have to make sure we treasure all the memories and the time we spend with each other.

When mum first went into the first residential care home, I had put a book of her life together and filled it with photographs and some of her likes and dislikes, I spent time this week looking through it and it brought much comfort.  I am glad I shared my experience as she navigated dementia, some of the laugh out loud moments that had been tinged with fear - her walking in with two policemen laughing and joking after going missing for over 4 hours we were worried sick, she came back with tales of her adventure, and I am sure several hairs on my head went white that day.  

Mum loved adventure

In my A-Z of caring I spoke of some of the feelings that I experience, including a feeling of loss, and things not being fair, on the flip side it brought out mums' sense of humor and a love of dancing, art and so much more.


She would called herself the 'Dancing Queen' and teach whoever was interested how to do the Shimmy.  She had two favorite songs - Dancing Queen by Abba, and  One Love by Bob Marley - we had them both playing for her at the funeral - we gave her a good send off.


I now think of next steps for my life - we forget fast time flies.  What things have I been holding myself back from doing that I need to get on with? What dreams have I been sitting on?  What has yet to be fulfilled?

So, what is stopping you?  What have you promised yourself but keep on putting it off, saying to yourself tomorrow?  Tomorrow might not come and there are people out there waiting to be inspired and motivated by you!


What are you hiding from? Whose opinions do you care about so badly that you are holding back?  I have resolved for myself that over the next few months I will go all out, reaching for those dreams and creating a ton of new ones - we are not promised tomorrow, and we don't know what it may bring - see James 4:13-15.

That said, why not challenge yourself, start today, decided what you want to do and follow through - I am participating in the 'Ultimate Blog Challenge' and I will be posting every day in the month of October and sharing some of the work that I do.  Start living your best life, where your dreams however small can come true - live the life you can be proud of - I know that you can do it!


Friday 25 March 2022

Are You Creatively Fulfilled?

 


In my latest video you join me in the studio as we reflect on what we need to be doing to bring more fulfillment into our lives.

What are your dreams? Have you listed them as unattainable or are you breaking them up to make them more doable chunks.
I have been listening to an audio book called 'Eat that Frog' by Brian Tracy and looking at areas of my life that need more focus. I am naturally a list maker but I don't always get everything done, or have a system for addressing it. So I have been working through the book - you can either check it out on YouTube, or Audible list it for free, you can check it out HERE - https://amzn.to/3iGCgQ4




You need to identify where you want your journey to take you, what are those creative dreams or goals do you have. Are the things that would make you feel fulfilled right in front of your face?
Hope you enjoy this reflection and it gets you thinking about your own journey

Blessings, have a great weekend.


Courses to Check out - click on the images





Sunday 1 December 2019

New Season - Creating in Faith - Podcast Episode on Realityarts

Weekly Podcasts

Creating in Faith

Well I have come to the end of Season One of Creating in Faith and I have decided to shift things up a bit for the next season which will begin tomorrow!!!


For Season Two I will be sharing more Art Journaling tips and techniques which will accompany each podcast episode 
on my YouTube Art Channel 
YouTube

My Patreon Blog will also have some behind the scenes video for those who want to take their art journey even further.

Realityarts Patreon

You will be getting a monthly video where I will be creating an art journal, and I want you to look at the supplies you have, any unfinished journals you started making and you will spend time completing these each and every month.

Weekly podcasts posts will be accompanied by an art journal page video as well with an encouraging word.  I am thankful for all those who have stopped by and connected.

I have selected some of the podcasts that you can take a look at, and spend time thinking about some of the points raised in each episode and what it means for your own creative journey.

Fruit

I am really looking forward to sharing the art journal videos with you along with the podcast episode

Mothers

Each episode is created to inspire and bless you, helping you be your true creative self, getting out of your own way as you inspire others

Space

It has been an amazing journey creating the content for the podcast and I have grown creatively as well.

Stepping Out of the Boat

Come and join me for Season Two and see how the episodes can inspire you - having the faith to know that you can be creative.

 Change and Reflections

Time for changes and reflections as we go into the next series.  If you are an artist who is interested in the impact of the arts on our health and well-being and you would like to join me on the podcast I would love to hear from you!

Looking forward to growth and the journey, stay blessed and be a blessing.

Saturday 27 April 2019

100 Day Project - Pastel Sketches 9 - 16


Welcome to today's selection of sketches.  I will be posting the sketches weekly on the blog but if you want to see the daily progress you can go onto my Instagram feed and see them there or wait until the end of the week :)  I thought I would catch up with my self and share the next 8 sketches that I have done so far.


Selection of Pastels - Check out Amazon Store for Details

I have been using a range of both hard and soft Pastels - Rembrant soft, Rowney soft tints, Conte Hard, Nouvel Carre and Langnickel Hard pastels I have shared the Amazon store and added additional pastels that you can try out at a variety of prices.  I will also once the challenge has finished be creating some reviews of the pastels that I have used.  I think 100 days of testing will be quite a thorough test.  I will also be creating some videos using the pastels and the techniques that I use along the way, so sign up to my YouTube channel and click the notification bell to be updated.

Here are the pastel sketches so far 9 - 16

Pastel Sketches 9 - 16 of the 100 Days of Pastels










I shared the selection of 5 pastels I have been using on Amazon and I have brought together a great selection of supplies on my Amazon Store that you can take a look at.

have you decided yet if you will join in the #the100dayproject2019 or create a challenge of your own, it doesn't have to be 100 days but you could start with 5 days and see how you go.

If you are interested in taking classes and working with pastels then check out Creative live


They currently have a series of online FREE Classes and discounted courses to suit your needs and each week they have several Free Live classes as well, so check them out.

Let me know if you start a challenge of your own so I can come and support you on your platform!  Take care and be a blessing




Thursday 13 December 2018

You have Everything You Need to Start!


You have everything you need.  Sometimes it might not seem that way but you really have.  I don't always believe it myself especially in those times of self doubt and feelings of fear, but deep down I know that I have available to me the tools that I need to use to do the things that I enjoy doing.

What you need to do is break things down, step back and look with fresh eyes.

Check out the podcast to hear more!



Remember when you make things more complicated than they need to be you miss the opportunities that come wrapped up in simple packaging.  Take time to reflect and remind yourself what is truly important to you and take a step in the direction of your dreams - if you need permission to take the step, use the slip below!!  Have fun and take lots of photos!!


Stay blessed and be a blessing


Monday 22 October 2018

Stepping Out Challenge - Day 22, 52 Weeks of Colour Pt 2





Today we will look at Part 2 of the 52 Weeks of Colour and Inspiration.

Welcome to today's post, I am taking part in a 31 day blog challenge where I post everyday in October.  I love creating challenges for myself and joining ones by others.  My challenge for the rest of the month is to reflect on some of the series I created for myself and inspiration that I have taken away.



Listen to the Podcast



Welcome to todays post. I am going to be talking about a series called 52 Weeks of Colour and Inspiration. 

Not one to shy away from a challenge I constantly push myself to show up on a daily basis to work on my creative practice and reflect on how far I have come.  It is really useful to spend the time getting to know yourself better through your craft and seeing if there are any areas that you can push the boundaries even further, whether it is trying new materials, using your materials in an unusual way and just playing and mastering your craft.  


When I decided part way though the challenge to write longer reflections I thought back to the challenge that I did on Day 17 & 18 for the 100 words minimum per day.  I had days where I couldn’t think of anything to write much less than 100 words, but I was present and got it done.  


It showed me that the work that I had done writing 100 word challenge put me in the perfect place not to be overwhelmed by writing and there wasn’t any one standing around saying it wasn’t perfect or I shouldn’t do it as I wasn’t a writer. 
The ‘critic’ did try and get in there every now and again but I did it anyway, feeling the fear and focusing on the one person that might be blessed from what I was doing.  I really enjoyed that particular challenge.  Along with the others that I have worked on I have additional content that I can re-purpose in some way.  There are so many ways in which they can be used, that now I look back I never thought I would be in this particular space


The other thing that I was able to do is practice working on digital images. I came across a number of additional flowers that I had photographed which had been sitting on my computer, they were beautiful and I was inspired by the quotes and scripture as I typed each of them out, there are amazing ways that you can be blessed that you may not have even thought of yourself.



What will you do?

I encourage you to start something different - try some of these ideas:  

  • You can start small to begin with say 5 days, just dive in.  Plan what you need to but don’t over think it so that you talk yourself out of doing it.  
  • You don’t have to post it online for others to see but if you do you will have a cheering committee who want to see your success and it will keep you accountable.  
  • You will clearly see if it is something that you want to keep doing or not but you will also come out of it richer for having tried it.


Tomorrow I will share the challenge I did called Creating in Faith.  I hope during this month you find some time to challenge, be creative and stretch yourself.

    Why not join me each day for the rest of October as we dive into to some exciting challenges and look at ways in which they can impact on your own life. 

    I look forward to seeing you tomorrow, it is never too late to start! The main thing is to take one step at a time and do something that you find interesting.

    Stay blessed and be a blessing.



    Ps:  If you are on a budget and would like to check out some gardening supplies/books at a discounted price, check out one of the links below:


    Saturday 20 October 2018

    Stepping Out Challenge - Day 20 - Clearing the Clutter Pt 2





    Welcome to today's post, I am taking part in a 31 day blog challenge where I post everyday in October.  I love creating challenges for myself and joining ones by others.  My challenge for the rest of the month is to reflect on some of the series I created for myself and inspiration that I have taken away.

    Listen to the Podcast


    Today I am going to be concluding the Clearing the Clutter Challenge 

    Thank you for coming back to todays post.  I think I was very brave to put myself out there - I am a minimalist trapped inside a clutterholic – is there such a thing?  Anyway I like order but I love collecting, and I probably need an assistant (who doesn’t)  I think I’ve become more discerning over what I collect, and am not the sort to collect trinkets  but I guess my treasures, might to some be trinkets.

    I decided to start a challenge that would see me go through a number of areas and transform them of clutter.  Right off the bat I had a long list of areas and I was going to do this!!!  Here is my original list of things I wanted to clear:
    Here are the areas that I decided to sort out:
    1.    Sort the contents of my hand bag/s
    2.
        Clothes that don’t fit
    3.
        Tatty un-wearable clothes
    4.
        Old makeup/products -
    5.
        Old jewellery – broken pieces
    6.
        Recycled Paper/Shredding
    7.
        Old paints/art supplies not used
    8.
        Shoes
    9.
        Fabric – vintage and new
    10.
     Paper/card
    11.
     Filing cabinet
    12.
     Ephemera
    13.
     News paper/ Magazine cuttings
    14.
     Computer photos
    15.
     Emails on computer
    16.
     Books on shelves
    17.
     Recycled painted materials
    18.
     Old hand bags not used
    19.
     Poetry to sort – and decide what to do with it
    20.
     Podcasts recorded - edited
    21.
     Rubber Stamps in draws – art supplies
    22.
     Pencils/graphite/charcoals – art supplies
    23.
     Stored frames and unused art material
    24.
     Magazine subscriptions
    25.
     Typing to be done – notes in books on paper
    26.
     Freezer -
    27.
     Garden – weeding/cutting back and pruning
    28.
     My sons room!!!!
    29.
     Garden picking up leaves from palm trees – recycling
    30.
     Photography – art work


    The coloured ones are the ones I got done.  One of the things I didn’t factor in was the time each area would take to do, to clear it out and then write about and photo, upload, everything.  Life still went on – I was working in the day then came home.  With this as I looked at it I felt that I had set myself up for failure as each area that I needed to be cleared would take more than one day, depending on how big the task was, so realistically what should have done was choose say 4 areas to focus on rather than 30 and factor in ‘going down memory lane’ or the having a face to face with the ‘resistance’.

    When I did the first few days I was quite chuffed with myself.  I had followed the advice of organizers, had 3 bins  - Keep, Chuck, Recycle and vowed to touch things only once. I didn’t factor in how big the emotional attachment would be and this 5 second conversation would play every time I picked something up:

    Mind: you can’t get rid of that, do you know how long you’ve had it
    Me         yes I know but its not being used for 10 years
    Mind     but it might come in handy, we were saving it just in case
    Me         yes but just in case might never come
    Mind     you know what happened to that other thing you got rid of your dads sewing machine – irreplaceable!!! Can’t get that back now can you???
    Me         I have to let the emotional attachment go, I can live with it, I need to clear some space
    Mind     but it looks so pretty, do you remember when we brought it
    Me         oh yeah, I nearly forgot, wow, it does look lovely doesn’t it
    Mind     That’s what I was saying
    Me         maybe I’ll just keep this one, but I said that about all the other pieces
    Mind     you were right about those as well, you know your so good at this, you’ll find space for them
    Me         Ok maybe just this last one
    Mind     that’s what I was saying – great minds eh!

    That was the conversation that I went through but once I got into the swing of things it got easier and listened less to the emotional attachment voice and struck a balance.
    In the end I was able to do 9 areas and rather than beat myself up for not being able to do 30 areas I was pleased that I was able to do the areas that made a bit of an impact.  It is again a lifestyle and not a quick fix.

    I continue to have a purge of things on a regular basis, cutting back on the things that no longer serve a purpose or can find a new home. I still have those conversations about how useful the item will be, and its putting one thing continually out of its place that the build up happens, and the place begins to look cluttered.

    How do you deal with the ‘Oh I’ll move it in a minute’ and days later 3 other things have joined it?  
    Do you have your own Collector’s tale, what kind of things do you collect that you feel you should /could/would get rid of but …….tomorrow, or what tips do you have that has worked for you?  I would love to hear your thoughts

    Tomorrow I will share another challenge.  I hope during this month you find some time to challenge, be creative and stretch yourself.

      Why not join me each day for the rest of October as we dive into to some exciting challenges and look at ways in which they can impact on your own life. 

      I look forward to seeing you tomorrow, it is never too late to start! The main thing is to take one step at a time and do something that you find interesting.

      Stay blessed and be a blessing.

      Ps:  If you are on a budget and would like to check out some supplies/books at a discounted price, check out one of the links below:


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