Secret #3 Follow Your Facinations

~Taking a calculated risk is what rang loud and clear for me~

Gail McMeekin wrote: “Calculated risks propel us forward in a positive manner”.

Well the last “calculated” risk I took seemed to be so perfect and exactly what I thought I wanted to try that it didn’t even seem like much of a risk. Crap was I wrong! It was a disaster, it was humiliating and it was well - just horrible! It was not positive at all!

This happened last year about this time and I can see now that I was wrong about this being a horrible risk. I was forced into some deep soul searching and prayer to come to terms with the “risk” that I needed to take but most likely wouldn’t have done without this experience.
This “calculated risk” gone bad turned out to be very positive for me because I learned and I grew – a lot!

Quote I liked by Mary Pickford:

“When you make a mistake don’t look back at it long. Take the reason of the thing into your mind, and then look forward. Mistakes are lessons of wisdom. The past cannot be changed. The future is yet in your power.”

Sentences I really like:

“Loretta realized that stressed people often distort reality.”

“The Purpose of “Inside Out” is to utilize art-making and creative expression as tools to enhance women’s self esteem and confidence, to expand communication skills and self-expression, and encourage personal change.”
(This program helps women in prison)
This is a program that really makes me want to help! I can’t believe that!

“What did I have to lose since I had already lost the piece?”
Good question to ask myself! This is the perfect opportunity to take a risk since I have what I think is a ruined piece anyway!

“I’m not sure that I ever felt that it was a matter of courage, so much as it was a matter of survival”.
If it’s not a matter of survival it seems less pressing to take the “risk”.

“So I’ve never seen my choices as being so much about taking risks as honoring what will keep me a healthy human being.”
If I don’t take some risks not much new ever happens in my life. Things stay the same and get stagnant. And this causes me to be easily depressed I get sick more often! It is vital to my health to take a risk or two now and then!

"They say that luck happens when preparation meets opportunity and she had done her homework. Her readiness and the words just clicked”.

.Be a positive risk taker . Practice . Grow from your mishaps .

"Shoot for the moon.

If you miss you'll be among the stars".

And do have a great hair day! Becci

Secret #2 - Honoring Your Inspirations

How do I respond to a creative impulse?

When I do sit down and “respond” to an impulse I can come up with some really neat creations! The trick is to respond more often – it’s hard sometimes to do that…

I liked this sentence from this chapter:

“Inviting your creative inspirations into your consciousness alters the course of your life. Being willing to be creatively awake is a choice and not always an easy one”.

This is what I mean – it’s hard sometimes!

Today I CHOOSE to create.

I was lured, I was tempted, and I was charmed into making this:

I thumbed through a 1970's National Geographic magazine to find pictures to make my collage with. I love these I picked! I glued all the pictures to a piece of fabric then covered the whole thing with watered down glue. Next I added torn pieces of orange tissue paper here and there. Covered that with glue. Then I used Sharpies to make the daisy's to finish it off. Then I covered the whole thing again with glue...

A few other sentences I liked in this chapter:

~"Inviting your creative inspirations into your consciousness alters the course of your life".

~ ”Inspiration comes very quietly. Say you want to write (or sculpt or draw). Well, not much will come to you the first day. Perhaps nothing at all. You will sit before your typewriter or paper and look out the window and begin to brush your hair absent-mindedly for an hour or two. Never mind, that’s all right. That is as it should be, though you must sit before the typewriter just the same and know, in this dreamy time, you are going to write, to tell something on paper sooner or later.
And…
You must know that you are going to sit here tomorrow for awhile, and the next day and so on, forever and ever.”

I really like this thought! It is so true!

~ “So in order to let myself create, I need to have organization around me. The first thing I had to do was clean the refrigerator and bake something wonderful. I think it’s about reclaiming my space”.

I often find I need to have things tidy and picked up before I can sit down and create. I thought it was because I was making excuses to get started with my art. I’ll can get upset and angry with myself when I do this! I see now this can very well be about reclaiming my space and not just an excuse! Neat thought! This reclaiming my space makes more sense because I love to create so why would I make excuses not to create? Silly me!

Have a great hair day! Becci

Secret #1 Acknowledeg Your Creative Self

I found a very clever short film on the power of validation:

I thought about the message of this little film all week long and am still thinking about it. It applies to so many areas of my life. How I treat my family, my clients and complete strangers I meet along my “to do list” trail during the day...my self. Validation was the message.

Wikipedia says:
Validation is the reciprocated communication of respect which communicates that the other's opinions are acknowledged, respected, heard, and (regardless whether or not the listener actually agrees with the content), they are being treated with genuine respect as a legitimate expression of their feelings, rather than marginalized or dismissed.

I liked this definition better than Webster’s. Everyone needs to feel validated, we just do! I know I do! It feels good to know that we are appreciated and recognized, acknowledged, respected and heard. I like the part about “regardless whether or not the listener agrees”! Geeze… I can’t tell you how many times someone “validated” something I made and my reply was “oh it was nothing” or worse yet ”well, it’s not that good, I made a few mistakes” and then I begin to point out the things I think I did wrong! I UN-validate myself way too much!

Which leads to this first chapter in my newly found blog book club called:

“The Next Chapter”

http://tnc-12secrets.blogspot.com/2009/01/secret-1-acknowledging-your-creative.html .

The book we will be following is called:

12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women by Gail McMeekin.

The first chapter is Secret #1 Acknowledge Your Creative Self.

Dearest Becci,

You are so creative! You have a way of making such beautiful art. You are creative, you are awesome, you are fantastic, you are powerful! I see you as the artist that you really are. You have learned and perfected so many amazing abilities and creative techniques with your art and your hairdressing. You have had so much life experience and have contributed immensely to the happiness of others through sharing your creative self!
I acknowledge you and I validate what you do and who you are. Thank you for being the creative self that you are!

Love, Becci
----------------------------------------------------
Becci,

You are so welcome and thank you!
Love and have a great hair day! Becci :-)

New Year - New Background :-)

I figured out how to add a new background thanks to

Plo @ http://amothintoabutterfly.blogspot.com/ And

The Background Fairy @ http://www.backgroundfairy.com/.

This is a Christmas background but it matched my There is No Box critter so well! WOW!

I was checking out the latest at the GPP Street Team page @

http://michelleward.typepad.com/how_cool_is_that/2009/01/crusade-no-26-winner.html .

While following all the fun links I realized some of the pages had backgrounds different than what Blogger offers and I liked them better, they were more creative! I'm thinking I can make my own background with my own art...as soon as I can figure out how to write the code for it, obviously this can be done! :-)

This new Year - 2009 I plan a few simple things...

~Create just a little more~

~Sleep when I want too~

and

~Stay out of the fridge a lot more! ~

Have a great hair day and a GREAT 2009! Becci