Fly Over Cre8Topia

We are Havin' a party...spooky party...

scary party... witchy party...

a

Frequent Flyer Party
here in

Cre8Topia

come join in too ...it's the original Halloween blog hop ...
and
Cre8Tiva takes a  

A MidNight FLY OveR...

my Freebie is ready for all visitors to download..

just click on image, then copy

This is an original 6" x 6" digital painting from original artwork, doodles and textures and some PhotoShop brushes from Obsidian Dawn dot com. Please take a painting with you on your flight...you can frame it as artwork, use it to make napkins, coasters, decorate treat bags...be creative with it. You can print it as many times as you like...but it is for personal use only!!!

I must wait for the party tho...i am away, far away in New Jersey doing a good deed... painting enchanted murals an abused women's shelter (and i just happened to be on Nate Berkus Show)...without blog access...so i will catch up when i return..

I have several FREE
Downloads during the month of October to celebrate the 1 year anniversary (tomorrow) of my radio show - Artistically Speaking...so check back often!!! and visit my other blog about learning to make a living doing what I love...
Cre8Tive Compass Blog
where you will find projects & ideas like this...

Quick, Fun Decor Project

photo from Lowe's Creative Ideas

This is a way cool idea for creating giant spiderwebs for your Halloween decor! This is made with friction tape or electrical tape...you kids might even enjoy helping you create this one!!!

Step 1: Start with two long strips of black electrical or friction tape for the outside edges of the web. Measure strips to fit your desired space. Secure to wall using tacks or stapler.

Step 2: Attach similar long strips of tape at random intervals between the first two.

Step 3: Connect long strips with shorter strips, working your way out. Avoid lining up the shorter strips.

For this project and more creative decorating ideas visit Lowe's Creative Home.

visit the other wonderful party goers by clicking below...

thank you kelly rae...i am soaring

i wrote this to kelly rae roberts this morning in response to her inspirational e-course Flying Lessons

you have so inspired me to soar above the clouds...i have been in a giant reinvention process over the past two years...i wrote the following on my blog 1/13/2010

During this past 26 months, God forced me to slow down by removing ALL obstacles (a job and income) and presenting me with TIME! Time to reflect. Time to mourn. Time to refresh. Time to repurpose. Time to realign. Time to reframe. Time to release. During this gift of time, I found #1-ME and #2-crystal clarity of purpose and #3-this is the time for me to soar...

"To a mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders" -Chuang Tzu

It has been a Two Year Retreat, mostly silent. I had no choice but to reconnect with myself…find strength to look at what brought me to this place, find fortitude to survive, find courage to move forward, find hope to rebuild, find bits of my soul that had been scattered about the universe over the years and bring them home.

there is more on my blog here: http://cre8tiva.blogspot.com/2010/01/reflective.html

"Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterwards." -Vernon Sanders Law, 1960 Cy Young Award Winner

this class has finally allowed me to move on with the soaring...as i was ready, just afraid to jump into the air. i jumped somewhere in the second week, it was uncomfortable and i was afraid to open my eyes at first...when i finally did, i saw my one blessed beautiful precious life before me and felt the wind beneath my wings lifting me to new heights that i never even allowed myself to dream of before...and it feels amazing.

i have made some subtle and some not so subtle changes to my blogs...i have written some really inspired posts...i have sold some of my purses to a boutique using your wholesale advice...and i have almost finished my new book for people who color outside the lines!!!

i am waving at you from the heights because i cannot seem to get enough of this soaring!!

taking wing...soaring

this week i started taking flying lessons...no, not those normal one involving aircraft, control panels, maps, auto pilot and fuel...special flying lessons of the sort where i am learning to soar...my heart open and my own uniqueness on display...

let me back up for a minute...i suppose that this could very well involve aircraft, control panels, maps, auto pilot and fuel...for who but myself is at the controls of my life and business? who but i charts the course of my daily life and business? who but the world around me fuels my creativity?

you may believe that i already know how to fly...and, at times, i may even have reached my dreams here in Cre8Topia...but one can always dream bigger...right?

so i find myself heading into the wind with hundreds of other would-be flyers...here...with kelly rae roberts as flying instructor extraordinaire...

Cre8Tiva & i will be sharing our experiences as i go through flight school the next 5 weeks...my expectations are really big:

1. increase awareness of Cre8tive Compass Magazine, Blog & Radio Show 1 & 2
2. learn to monetize my blog & etsy
3. establish new and meaningful connections

all photos by Rebecca E. Parsons taken on Amelia Island, FL

Revisiting conspicuous consumption...

Seth Godin's blog post about Revisiting conspicuous consumption may be an answered prayer for those of us who are artists and craftsmen...

Rich people will always indulge the desire to stand out, but I wonder if there's a new version:

Spending on and investing in time, not stuff.

And it's not so wasteful, this focus on craftsmen.

The new trend in spending money is to buy things that are painstakingly hand built instead of efficiently mass produced. It might not be a better price than what you could buy at Target, but the very fact that you can pay for an artisan to create it, an artist to design it, a talented worker to bring it to life--that act makes a powerful statement about what you can afford and what's important to you. Instead of a bigger house, it's a house that's built from scratch by craftsmen. Instead of a bigger steak, it's a handmade dish of local poached vegetables...

think differently...

One World One Heart...magic carpet giveaway...

Ride the Magic Carpet 

Tour over 1000 Artful Blogs

Win Amazing Stuff

what a fun time OWOH was this year
thank you all who visited and subscribed to
my magazine & began following me...

welcome to Cre8Topia...i am Cre8Tiva, muse extraordinaire of Rebecca E. Parsons...to connect is one of the greatest gifts to me....connecting with so many other creative bloggers worldwide is especially heartwarming...and this is what Lisa Swifka  @ a whimsical bohemian blog is creating again with her 4th annual One Heart One World global blogging event...it is about connection, about blogging, and about creativity...exactly what Cre8Tiva loves... 

please follow me and i will follow you back.... 

if you subscribe to my online magazine for cre8tive entrepreneurs i will give you an extra entry...

 ...so here is a Magic Carpet giveaway meant just for you...

Custom Collectible Dixie Doodler Bag called "love my friends"

This adorable 10-1/2" wide by 6" tall (closed) pink and yellow clutch purse is named 'love my friends' was created especially for OWOH. It has yellow flowers, doodles and words painted on it. Lined with pink and green polka dot cotton with a pocket inside, it will hold a cell phone, blackberry, iPod, credit cards and checkbook, money...just grab it and go! Made of durable #14 canvas, the purse is named, signed, and dated. (see other photos of clutch and the story behind the artwork below).

and the winner is:  #71 Cassey ba.......17@aol.com

here's the scoop...all bloggers with an active blog are welcome to leave a comment (ON THIS POST ONLY) about your One World One Heart magic Carpet ride experience so far, your worldly location (city/country) and a viable means to contact you (e-mail/blog address)...you will have a chance to win...  the clutch purse will be awarded on 2/15/2010 @ 10 PM EST with a random number generated winner...click the OWOH logo above to return to One Heart One World central...there you will find your ticket to over 1000 blogs in the right column...hop aboard the Magic carpet and visit the participating blogs from around the globe and interact with the bloggers...all have very special giveaways too!

after the festivities, please return to linger a while among my blog posts and discover the magical world of Cre8Tiva... where intuition and creativity meet to form intuitivity!!! if you like what you see, please feel free to follow me and subscribe to my free online magazine for creative entrepreneurs "Artistically Speaking"

click to enlarge

The Dixie Doodler - Doodle Bags...Functional-Collectible Custom Artwork!

Accessories, Clutches, Wallets, Totes and Jewelry

It's the perfect accessory for casual outfits or that little black dress. They always get attention! Mixed media artist, Rebecca E. Parsons line of accessories called The Dixie Doodler-Doodle Bags. Rebecca designs, hand paints, sews and fashions one-of-a-kind purses, wallets, and jewelry out of canvas dropcloths from her mural and faux finishing days.
"One day I was folding a dropcloth and noticed a heart-like paint spatter that I had signed and dated when it happened. It gave me the idea to make a tote bag. Because of where it was on the dropcloth, I could not get it in the right orientation for a tote, so I made a clutch purse. Every time I carried it, people would stop me and ask where I got it," Rebecca says. Lightening bolt idea. "I could probably sell these things!!!"

I Am (Finally) Who I Was Born To Be...

Songwriter: Audra Mae
sung by Susan Boyle

When I was a child

I could see the wind in the trees

And I heard a song in the breeze

It was there, singing out my name 

But I am not a girl

I have known the taste of defeat

And I have finally grown to believe

It will all came around again 

Though I may not

Know the answers

I can finally say I am free

And if the questions

Led me here, then

I am who I was born to be

And so here am I
Open arms and ready to stand
I've got the world in my hands
And it feels like my turn to fly

Though I may not
Know the answers
I can finally say I am free
And if the questions
Led me here, then
I am who I was born to be 

When I was a child

There were flowers that bloomed in the night

Unafraid to take in the light

Unashamed to have braved the dark

Though I may not

Know the answers

I can finally say I am free

And if the questions

Led me here, then

I am who I was born to be

I am who I was born to be.

This is the anthem for the rest of my life and for my Claiming Who I Was Born to Be Life Path Project that began in earnest in 2009. You can read about the (r)Evolutionary beginnings of this life path here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here...

With absolute clarity I have birthed, these past 10 months, an extraodinary lifestyle business model that (r)Evolutionizes the way I live and do business...it symbolizes fully The Who I Was Born to Be... as the following illustrates the birthing process over the past year...please keep reading as the news is (r)Evealed below...

storm clouds gather

"You can always tell when a man is not living in the purpose for which God created him. You sense his unrest. You get a feeling something is not quite right, even if you can't put your finger on what it is. When you are around a man who is fulfilling his calling and doing what he was created to do, you're aware of his inner direction, confidence and deep security." -Stormie Omartian, The Power of a Praying Wife

stormy seas

there are always storms in our lives...times when storm clouds gather and times when there are rough, stormy seas...when we feel lost, alone, afraid, unsure...times of unrest...unrest of the spirit, the mind and the soul...unrest about of purpose and direction...

soaring thru the storm

how you choose to deal with these storms is a view into your strength of character...you can let the storm engulf you where the undertow will pull you down or way off course...or you can soar above the storm where you are lifted up...and propelled along your journey as if on wings...

break in the clouds

and eventually there is a break in the clouds and the sun comes shining thru...and a remarkable calm embraces you...you realize that you have weathered the storm...learned its lessons...and, with deep gratitude, have grown...

sun comes shining thru

and if you are conscious enough you may even find a diamond in the stormy sky...the life lesson that was hidden within the chaos...one that strengthen you and sustains you and brings lasting gift...

diamond in the stormy sky

a simple treasure...an inner direction and confidence to set sail in the direction of your purpose...and follow that path wherever it leads because you know...you BeLiEvE that it is your destiny...

head into the sun

Please meet REP MEdia, parent company of Artistically Speaking Magazine, Radio Talk Show, Blog, and Community...

I am who I was born to be...
wmwmwmw wmwmwmw

be fearless today...

BE FEARLESS TODAY "We're afraid of failure and we're afraid of success. We're afraid of dying young and we're afraid of growing old. We're more afraid of life than we are of death." -Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of "A Course in Miracles"

it is a time of reflection for me each morning as i walk by the sea...i don't believe that i am afraid of much anymore...perhaps being homeless...i have not been afraid of dying since i was 23 and broke my neck...death was very near last year when i developed pneumonia while teaching in north carolina...the doctor said, "30 minutes later and we would not have been able to save you."...yet i am here....and have time for reflection as i walk and breathe by my beloved ocean...

the times are exciting now...each day brings a surprise...as i am clearing away years of belongings i am remembering and cherishing each one for what it is...a memory...and then letting go...

yesterday i launched a new blog...artist needs cash...today! where i am:


I lost my main source of income 16 months ago…and these lovingly-collected items cannot go with me when I close my studio doors for the last time in October of this year…these supplies need creative hands to transform them into the works of art I once envisioned… So it is with great joy that I release them to your creative hearts to fashion the art you now envision… and, if your spirit were so moved, I would love to see photos of the art you create with these treasures... I am deeply blessed and eternally grateful that your purchase will help me move on to the next creative adventure in my life’s journey… With a loving heart I wish profound success to the work of your hands…

so stop by artist needs cash...today! and see if there is anything you might fancy...prices are really low...the stuff is really wonderful...please tell others about it...for i do need cash today...

blessed discomfort...

in the movie Bounce, Ben Affleck encourages Gwyneth Paltrow:

"It isn't brave unless you're afraid."

as an artist i am accustomed to creating within blessed discomfort...as a creative entrepreneur i am more than used to blessed discomfort...as a child of God i have learned to embrace blessed discomfort...

blessed discomfort has helped me grow as a woman, and artist and a spiritual being...on my life path it has not been easy to surrender to fear...

to find the courage to stand in my own truth and be my authentic self, i have had to walk through fear...my worst fears...feel vunerable, raw and exposed...hopeless, helpless and alone...i have had to accept that the plans i had for my life were not the plans of God...and i had to adjust, reinvent myself and reengineer my life...

i would not call myself brave or courageous...nevertheless, i would call myself a survivor...and i have a new descriptive adjective...

F E A R L E S S

if you have followed my journey of the past twenty months, you have seen the fear, and sometimes the anger, as i stumbled along to today...it has not been easy or pretty, nor has it left me unchanged...but it has taught me to confront fear head on and come to the knowing that i have survived my worst imaginable fear...lack of security...for nothing in my world is secure today except my faith...

to see the expansion of this topic for artists please visit my blog - The Artist as a Spiritual Explorer...

to see my path in full and raw detail, visit my blog - down...but not out...

===================================================

carolee is having a giveaway on her blog for the cutest trinket box...go see by clicking this sentence...

your heart's passion...

passion is the life blood flowing forth from you to connect to the world...

what is your burning desire...

what keeps you up late into the night without regard to time or space...

what fuels your soul?

You must be able to passionately describe your vision. You must have a fire burning inside you. You must be driven by your dream. I received this question from a former coaching student. The following is the question and my answer...it describes my feeling about passion...

I am a fan ... read you in the The Faux Finisher all the time ... you have the life I should have had ... and hope to have something similar soon ... thank you for your inspiration and your advice ... M

M:

Thank you for your kind words. I pray that your dreams come true soon. You can always start part-time while doing another job. I did!! It takes patience, but is worth it in the end. If you have a passion for painting and believe in your skills, you can do what you love every day...I promise.

To help you do this, I will share a Secret Plan to reorienting your life around your passion. This is actually a session from my Mini Business Workshop. The plan begins with passion and leads to success.

The first step in the plan—starting from the heart and discovering your passion—by identifying your dreams. Start from any other source and you set yourself up for frustration and regret. Fulfillment comes only when the results you seek and the activities you embrace are in accordance with the person you are. You cannot look to reason or judgment for insights into your soul. Who you are is what’s in your heart.

Make A Decision, Make A Commitment

You have probably thought and dreamed about having your own business for years. All too often people convince themselves that you could not succeed. You fail to make the DECISION TO GO FOR IT.

This is the simplest step to take for your future, but many people fail to take it and live their lives with regrets. Just decide that you are going to go for it and make a commitment to make this goal a reality. It’s that simple! Do you know how many great artists are working jobs that they hate, dreaming of something else, but refusing to take this one step? It costs nothing to decide. Commitment is free. You are limiting yourself. Why?

You must be able to passionately describe your vision. You must have a fire burning inside you. You must be driven by your dream.

My second little secret to achieving your goals is writing them down. Take a sheet of paper and write the following - "I must be a decorative painter and I am committed to making this a reality." That is all you need to do now. You have taken the first step toward your dream, you have put it on paper. Now your brain can start working on how to achieve it. I am proud of you.

After you come to terms with your Dream, it is time for reasoning and rationalizing. You must clarify your purpose and define your actions—you need to think. Because the world can often dissuade you from pursuing your passion by presenting roadblocks. You must pursue it with forethought and care. Careful and thoughtful planning can help you define a purpose and set a strategy for following your Dream. This is our Business Plan

Once you have felt you passion and thought it through, it is time to act. Equipped with both your passion and your plan, you will begin to make changes in your life. This is Taking Care of Business.

If you remain true to your passion and follow these steps, you will find the results you seek. And you will also reap rewards you never anticipated because passion can take you to another level of living. It can open worlds and expand horizons. It can bring new awareness and heightened perceptions. It can empower and improve. Your idea of Success may change as you begin to fulfill your potential, but your passion will propel you onward to even greater achievement and happiness.

so what point am i trying to make with this? last night i spoke with one of my mentors. He asked me about my new business model and asked me to describe it. I faltered at first and then went on to describe 2 or 3 business models i am trying to marry... He listened and then said, "Rebecca, you have a track record and an established brand with the Doing What You Love. You have credibility and name recognition, why do you want to change that?"

this was written about me a few years ago:

A master decorative painter, widely-read columnist, popular motivational speaker and instructor, Rebecca E. Parsons has spent over 30 years honing her craft. For the past fifteen years she has been advising, mentoring, and consulting creative entrepreneurs worldwide. Her knowledge of the business and her passion for successful entrepreneurship have made her the industry’s most recognized advocates for business success. Her book “Do What You Love–Love What You Do, The Step–by–Step Guide to Creative Business,” is hailed as the best business guide on the market.

so i am wondering why i have lack of clarity and focus at this time...i need to follow my own advice and teaching...i opened my book this morning searching for the passages about passion and realized i need to sit down and read my own book!!! and do what i have always told students to do -- ACT!!!

(r)Evolution of (r)Ebecca...Day 7

my life purpose print - 2009*

I have created a business honoring my soul, my values and my vision. I stand firmly in the knowing that life and business are never really separate…so you will see that my approach to mentoring is holistic taking care of every part of you–spiritual, physical, emotional, social, intellectual, creative and material. This is the basis for my Lifestyle Business model.

I have a lot of business knowledge to give women, especially spiritual women business owners. I have been mentoring people for the past 15 years, usually on a one-to-one basis. I have helped them build wildly successful businesses doing what they love.

I keep talking about my path and journey, so you will understand the process I went through to get where I am today. And the Evolution Revolution I experienced.

Learning to embrace fully the creative part of me has always been easy–apiece of cake. When I was struggling to make money doing what I love, I made the conscious decision to become an expert in business management and practices. The student of all things business became my analysis addiction. And that addiction propelled me into expert status. With that hard-won expertise, I have helped thousands of people learn to be skilled entrepreneurs.

But too much of anything can be just that…too much! I realized I was spending so much time exercising and developing my business muscles that other areas of my life began to atrophy. And when a good thing causes paralysis by analysis, you have to (re)Group big-time.

I began to search for balance in my life and my business and gradually my business evolved into a lifestyle business–one that supports who I am, honors my way of life, and aligns my passion with my purpose.

About a decade ago, having mastered the creative and business paths of my life’s journey, I felt the stirrings of something else. Something that had always been an important part of my life and who I am…my foundation–my spirituality.

My spirituality has always been a part of how I operated my businesses because it could never be separated from the me I am. Although I never had the courage to verbalize it, my spiritual self managed to come across in my books, articles, speeches and teaching. People were coming to me to learn art making and/or business, and leaving with life-altering breakthroughs. These are typical responses of my students:

“I came to learn how to be a faux finisher, but Rebecca changed my life. She taught me how to value myself as a woman and honor the talent I have, plus so much more.”

“I still have my rock from your speech a few years ago.” (He takes a rock from his pocket and shows me) “That day was a turning point in my life and my business. I learned that I could charge what I needed to charge and not feel guilty about it. My wife and family call you our angel.”

“I was getting a divorce and was so depressed and afraid when I met Rebecca. The three days I spent with her mentoring, teaching and befriending me changed my perception, my life and my soul. I was able to reinvent myself and create a thriving business doing what I love. Thank you Rebecca from the bottom of my heart.”

So I began integrating the spiritual, the creative and the business parts of me to form a new business model. During this process I learned three life-changing things in the past few years:

1. My Life Purpose is…Visionary Spiritual Leader, Mentor and Healer with a Big (global) Job to Do. This means I am here to create new groundbreaking ideas and be a spiritual leader, mentor and healer on a massive scale.
   
2. My Life School is...Love and Service. This means I am here to develop my ability to love myself and others while staying present with my feelings no matter the circumstance; not to stuff my emotions, withdraw or go out of control. I am also here to develop my ability to be in service consciousness while I learn to serve joyfully without an agenda; to help, not control; to service others without neglecting myself.
   
3. My Life Lesson is...Emotional Authenticity and Self-Sacrifice. This means I must open my heart, feel the feelings and embrace fully all aspects of my personality while learning to nurture without burdensome obligation, self-sacrifice, self-indulgence or selfishness.

It was in attending this life school and doing the homework of the life lessons that I became an Holistic Soul Proprietor™ and a Wealth BEing™. Because I have clarity of my purpose, my life and my business have blossomed beyond my wildest dreams. Now I am comfortable to live amongst this ability to build a life while serving others and guiltlessly making money doing what I love.

This all brings me to my new business model and the launch of my new business venture…

Rebecca E. Parsons Holistic Wealth BEing 

and Wealth Being Mentor

Mentor & Midwife to Heart & Spirit Centered Lifestyle Entrepreneurs

–helping them birth the business of their dreams!

I will help you....

1. Affirm & Live the Purpose of You 
   
2. Level Up from the default circumstances of your life

   
3. Guiltlessly earn piles of money doing what you love


   
4. Create your personal economy


   
5. Honor your soul, your values, and your lifestyle

My life purpose is to help you become an Holistic Wealth BEing...

* Ask about a custom Life Purpose Art Print of your hand with a hand analysis to reveal your life purpose, school and lesson!

(re)Branding...Day 6

New Business model: Mentor & Midwife to Heart & Spirit Centered Lifestyle Entrepreneurs...



What exactly is this Rebecca? I will define the terms and then lay out the elevator speech below…

men·tor (mntôr, -tr) n.  v. men·tored, men·tor·ing, men·tors Informal
1. A wise and trusted counselor or teacher.
To serve as a trusted counselor or teacher, especially in occupational settings. To serve as a trusted counselor or teacher to (another person).

mid·wife (mdwf) n. pl. mid·wives (-wvz)
1. A person, usually a woman, who is trained to assist women in childbirth.
2. One who assists in or takes a part in bringing about a result: To assist in bringing forth or about.
3. A person qualified to deliver babies and to care for women before, during, and after childbirth

life·style also life-style or life style (lfstl) n.
A way of life or style of living that reflects the attitudes and values of a person or group.

en·tre·pre·neur (ntr-pr-nûr, -nr) n.
A person who organizes, operates, and assumes the risk for a business venture. The owner of a business who attempts to make money by risk and initiative.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.


Rebecca E. Parsons Mentor & Midwife to Heart & Spirit Centered Lifestyle Entrepreneurs...



A wise and trusted counselor or teacher. who is qualified to assist a business owner in creating a new business (before, during, and after launch) that will honor and support the life style and values of the owner and create wealth.

How are you going to do this Rebecca? I will tell you exactly how in the next post (r)Evolution of (r)Ebecca

(re)Purposing...Day 5

Off into the unknown…somewhere over the rainbow…

I continually as myself, “Why oh why can’t I???” and the answer is always, “I can!!!”

So what are my plans…I had to stop planning!!!! I understood that I could not keep doing what I have been doing (endless hours of research that I came to admit is avoidance or what my friend Antoinette Sykes call paralysis by analysis) and hope to end up somewhere else…so I had to stretch myself and do some things that I am not comfortable doing…I order to climb out of the hole I was in…

It seems ironic that I have to leap off a ledge in order to climb out of this hole…But that is precisely what I had to do…so leap I did…onto The Path to My Purpose ™…

First I made a new daily schedule… If you want something you’ve never had, you must do something you’ve never done…

6 am – 8 am Hour of Power (Prayer, Meditation, Centering)
8 am – 12 pm Write/publish articles, work on e-book & websites
12 pm – 2 pm break
2 pm – 5 pm Make art and/or mentoring sessions
5 pm – 7 pm Social Media interaction and e-mails and blog
7 pm – 11 pm Journal, unwind, walk on beach, play with pets

I had to get off the social media circuit…and connect first with my self and God, then with my business which is my purpose, and finally with others. So I mapped a workable plan for myself that honors my work style and values and allows me to accomplish and manifest my purpose.

I am (re)Purposing over 25 years of work and knowledge coupled with the life lessons of the past few years into my new business model:

Mentor & Midwife to Heart & Spirit Centered Lifestyle Entrepreneurs...



What exactly is this Rebecca? I will define the terms and then lay out the elevator speech tomorrow in (re)Branding…

(re)Invention...Day 4

discernment…

The intention is set and now I must make decisions. I have no choice…and I also have nothing to loose…so it is time to step out on this fog-covered path and make the map along the way…

How do you make decisions…big as well as small? If you take the time to look deeply within yourself, you will find that you have unique biases, which affect your decisions…and ultimately your life.

Wikipedia defines bias as follows:
Bias is a standard point of view or personal prejudice. especially when the tendency interferes with the ability to be impartial, unprejudiced, or objective. The term biased is used to describe an action, judgment, or other outcome influenced by a prejudged perspective. It is also used to refer to a person or body of people whose actions or judgments exhibit bias. In this context, the term “biased” is often used as a pejorative.

It goes on to state that in psychology, cognitive bias is bias based on cognitive factors. One type of cognitive bias is confirmation bias, the tendency to interpret new information in such a way that confirms one’s prior beliefs, even to the extreme of denial, ignoring information that conflicts with one’s prior beliefs. The fundamental attribution error, also known as “correspondence bias”, is one example of such bias, in which people tend to explain others’ behavior in terms of personality, whereas they tend to explain their own behavior in terms of the situation.

In the Five Steps to Decision Making from The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, the Jeuits say:

Biases in unique persons – There are two basic exaggerations in the way with which people make their decisions. Some people put closure on the decision-making process too quickly; others keep avoiding placing closure on the decision-making. The first group is made up of “closure artists” who appear to enjoy the making of decisions. They make decisions quickly. They easily come to closure on what-should-I-do or what-needs-to-be-done questions. However, they are inordinately eager to cut off the considerations of some variables. After all, too many variables would make their decision-making more difficult and their lives too ambiguous! The second group is made up of “avoiders” who appear to avoid conscious decision-making until the circumstances force them to act. They often fear the burden of responsibility for mistakes because they do not want to face the fact that, as humans, we are never cognizant of all the variables.

Discernment for me is somewhere in between. As an entrepreneur, I am a quick decision maker…kind of a gut feeling pattern that I embrace. During this period of my life, depression has made me a waiter looking for aspects, which generally become more evident as the movement is allowed to unfold. Perhaps it is avoidance or fear, probably both.

Fear is normal as we work through it and learn to trust ourselves again. In the back of my mind is the fact that I have done something to bring me to this place of transition-this place of many crossroads, and I have to choose one and go forth without a clue as to where I am going or how I will get there.

I have to believe that quote: “Sometimes you just have to take a leap and build your wings on the way down”-Kobi Yamada….when I so don’t want to jump…

It takes courage to allow yourself to grow…to step off that cliff, blindly not knowing if someone is there to catch you, or how far down it is, or if there is something to break the fall. The metaphor seems to hint that you will just have to flap those wings until you build the strength or the skill to fly…on your own.

Do I have discernment…perhaps!

Do I know which path to take…perhaps!

Am I full of fear…Yes!

Yet I am on the move, taking that leap of faith today and trusting that, even if it is the wrong direction, God will make it the right one…

(re)Engineering...Day 3

putting one foot in front of the other on this path to my future….

How do I work through this process and reengineer my life and my business? All I know is that I am stepping out, one unsure step at a time…along the way I made a remarkable discovery…you don’t have to know the end to begin…

My path has been anything but a linear process. One day I would feel strong and able to make plans…the next I was scared sh..less…the next restless and dazed…and always an unbearable fatigue. There were, and still are, major highs and lows…times when I thought I was coping and getting stronger…and times when I knew that I was not.

My way of coping is to withdraw…go within and make art and journal. This helps me focus and create a new paradigm…one where I am proud of my past accomplishments, understand the value of the life lessons…and can build upon those.

I am still in the process of reengineering my life…and creating new opportunities for growth and learning…my love of writing brought me here and it may prove to be the greatest gift for healing and reinvention.

turning point…
This (r)Evolutionary journey I find myself on is a transition of major importance…to my life. Of this I am sure. It has been awkward and painful while enlightening and strengthening…I cannot explain it quite yet, but I know it is about growth into my spiritual maturity.

One Tuesday in March I came to a crossroads, one where any direction I headed was going to be a stretch…indeed the biggest risk of my life. I was going so far out of my comfort zone that I wanted to retreat, yet I knew I could not. I had to go forth on a new journey. As uncomfortable as it was…I took the first step.

I have said before that I have such a difficult time asking for help that I almost never do it. I had a life-changing opportunity present itself but I needed some way to take advantage of it. The decision had to be made within 48 hours or the opportunity was gone. So I set an intention to make this happen. And, as so often occurs when you ask, Tuesday morning someone called and during the conversation I asked her if she would invest in me. So we struck a deal, I would mentor her as she builds a new and exciting business. The money for this just appeared…I had manifested the outcome I desired.

So I am investing in my future and myself and taking a giant leap of faith by taking that blind first step toward financial security and success again.

I say success ‘again’ because I have had a successful career for many years in graphic design (award-winning), art (juried competitions) and business guru (well-known author, writer, speaker, teacher). I do have name recognition, and now I must learn to capitalize upon all those years of hard work.

On a roll, I set a 90-day goal. I am chronicling the journey by recording every step I take and the emotional movements that occur. I will share the good and the less than good moments. I trusted that I would create a valuable business model that:

1. fulfills my life purpose,
   
2. is in service of others, and
   
3. makes an income to sustain me and more.
   

The intention…

On or before June 15, 2009, Rebecca E. Parsons will launch a thriving business that supports her emotionally, financially and spiritually or something better!

The intention is stated…the plans are being drawn…the trust established.

doingness and beingness...

I am taking a Living Your Purpose course with Neale Donald Walsch, author of Conversations With God. I am a member of his Messenger's Circle. 

Today's Lesson is learning the difference between:

"Doingness" a function of the body

"Beingness" a function of the soul

To become clear on the purpose of your life, you must decide what you wish to BE not what you wish to DO.

This is the foundation for my new business model...working from the place of being - i.e. working from your soul in a way that supports your spirit and expresses who you are by aligning your passions with your purpose...

Do You Know What I Do???

Well do you??? If you have been reading my blog for a while you should know...unless I have not been so good about telling you about my Cre8Tive Businesses...after all I am a Cre8Tive Entrepreneur....

========================================

Do your readers know about your home business?

adapted from quiz by naomi dunford @ itty biz

Here's the game and challenge...answer the following in a blog post...Just Do It...NOW!!!! Don't forget to leave a comment with a link back to your answers!!!

1. What’s your game? What do you do?
2. Why do you do it? Do you love it, or do you just have one of those knacks?
3. Who are your customers? What kind of people would need or want what you offer?
4. What’s your marketing USP? Why should I buy from you instead of the others?
5. What’s next for you? What’s the big plan?
   

So here are my answers....let me know if you knew what I do...I will be most interested in the answer and to find out what you do...

What’s Cre8Tiva/Rebecca's game? (btw - these are my elevator speeches)

Cre8Tiva
I’m a midwife for small, sole-proprietor creative entrepreneurs. I help them birth their business idea all the way from dream through success. 

Rebecca
As a designer and wordsmith...I design and develop innovative business communication (print and web) to help creative entrepreneurs find ways to double their income and have fun doing what they love.  

What do I do?

As a creative entrepreneur, I understand the needs of the small creative business. Together we create an inspired, inventive, original, and clever action plan tailored to those specific needs. Then we walk your action plan together...with me as the companion, cheerleader and tough love advisor.

We develop your brand identity by creating the right marketing materials, with the right words to attract the right clients, achieve your business dreams and ensure your business gets noticed, sounds good and sells more. We specialize in the creation of an appealing image with compelling content that will articulate your vision and engage your audience.

Your package is customized to fit your budget and needs. Everything is possible: from website and/or blog design and content development, brand identity to collateral pieces, newsletter creation to video production. 

Why do I do it? 

I have a passion to succeed and to help others succeed doing what they love. My motto is...it is no harder to do what you love than to do what you don't... I have one life purpose...to empower you to do what you love for the rest of your life. I have been on a blessed journey for over 35 years, learning much along the way. I love to share that creative business knowledge with you on your journey to self-employment.

Who are my customers? What kind of people would need or want what I offer?

Our customers simply want to do what they love and earn a living doing it. 

Artisans and craftspeople, from any discipline, can create all day but usually have trouble selling themselves and the work of their hands. We can change that.

What’s my marketing USP (Unique Selling Proposition)? Why should you buy from me instead of the other firms?

As a boutique design firm, REP Studios, Inc. brings expertise instead of process, ways of thinking instead of methodologies. We are willing to push the envelope creatively. Our team possesses specialized design, writing, and branding skills and has a lot of experience as a small, sole-proprietor creative entrepreneurs.

Rebecca, a 35-year professional artist and business owner, leads the way with specific expertise as a veteran creative entrepreneur. This speciality knowledge brings more credibility to the table—as creative business success is our chief focus.

There are many advantages to working with a boutique firm: A more intimate connection with the designer and a designer who picks up her own phone. Your experience will be more personal and satisfying.

What do you need from your design service provider? Do you need to fix a problem; create a brand, or publish a book? Our mission and our legacy is to help shape your aspirations into a profit-making business.

Are you looking for a long-term, strategic partnership or are you looking for someone to build a working prototype and bill you for it? REP Studios offer both.

What’s next for Cre8Tiva and Rebecca?

1. Sell my art on Etsy
2. New websites up and running - U Be Creative and Art as Prayer
   
3. Tutorial and workshop videos
4. eBooks...I have written several books, thousands of articles, and millions of words in my lifetime. Convert them to e-books
   
5. Continue developing the Cre8Tiva brand

What’s the big plan?

Keep on doing what I love and helping you do it too! Launch The Artist as a Spiritual Traveler.

This was a great exercise for me today...it helped me clarify and quantify some business plans. I have been doing a SWOT Analysis...a strategic planning method used to evaluate the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats involved in a project or in a business venture. It involves specifying the objective and identifying the internal and external factors that are favourable and unfavourable to achieving that objective. The technique is credited to Albert Humphrey, who led a research project at Stanford University in the 1960s and 1970s using data from Fortune 500 companies. I will show what I did in my next post...

please take a moment to become a fan of my blog if you like what you see..click at the top of the right column...have a gr8 weekend