not to make a living, but to make a life...

The point of your activities throughout the day is not to make a living, but to make a life; not to 'work' but to create joy. If you are doing what you are doing merely to 'pay the bills,' you will have missed the major reason for All Of Life.

The purpose of life is to know and express Who You Are. If you do other than that during the days and times of your life, you will have not used those days and times in a way that profits your soul. It is soul profit we are after here, not body profit.  from Neal Donald Walsh....I believe God wants you to know

We had a loss in out family last week...our 15-y-o maggie passed away, leaving a big maggie shaped hole in our hearts...we miss you and love you always...

easy come...easy go...

♥heart♥ week had a crazy sad ending...these are always a mystery to me...i need my friends to send good energy my way...bless you in advance...

"We could never learn to be brave and patient if there were only joy in the world." Helen Keller

i guess i am learning another life lesson...to be brave and patient...within 6 minutes yesterday afternoon, the intern position i was so looking forward to and had worked very diligently for three days, went kaput...one minute i was skyping with my boss about what i had been working on...the next she was saying there was an emergency...then next thing is that my job description had vanished... this is the exact conversation with times:

[8/7/09 1:18:24 PM] Boss: S----e and I have some major internal issues we need to sort out

[8/7/09 1:18:30 PM] Boss: within the company - client issues

[8/7/09 1:18:50 PM] Boss: i apologize

[8/7/09 1:18:52 PM] Boss: it's unexpected

[8/7/09 1:19:15 PM] Rebecca E. Parsons: okay...sorry

[8/7/09 1:19:25 PM] Boss: sorry?

[8/7/09 1:19:28 PM] Boss: not your fault

[8/7/09 1:19:31 PM] Boss: I apologize

[8/7/09 1:19:49 PM] Boss: it seems C---a wants on full time and we need to speak to her

[8/7/09 1:20:23 PM] Rebecca E. Parsons: okay...i understand...will hold you in good energy

[8/7/09 1:24:38 PM] Boss: thanks Rebecca

[8/7/09 1:24:43 PM] Boss: sorry - don't mean to be flakey

[8/7/09 1:24:58 PM] Boss: but if she wants full time - then we essentially lose your entire job descrip

[8/7/09 1:25:01 PM] Boss: so I need to speak to her

[8/7/09 1:25:12 PM] Boss: i was under the impressiont hat she was having family issues

[8/7/09 1:25:21 PM] Boss: i apologize i will speak to her and see what the deal is

[8/7/09 1:25:22 PM] Rebecca E. Parsons: wow...that hurts

[8/7/09 1:25:41 PM] Boss: i am sorry?

[8/7/09 1:25:58 PM] Boss: i didn't understand? do u mean for C---a or for you?

[8/7/09 1:26:17 PM] Rebecca E. Parsons: for me... :(

at 8:15 PM i received this e-mail from the Boss:

I am so sorry about C---a. She will be on full time – and really needs the money for her husband’s treatment. I am afraid that she will pretty much be doing everything we had set aside for you! It won’t be a “real” intern experience this way. I am just as disappointed – but I don’t want this to be a dead end for you. I am so sorry. I was pretty excited to work with you. We would still love to refer out folks for web copy to you – and utilize your graphic design experience as the need comes.

so the intern position that started with such high hopes on wednesday, officially ended friday...was i wacky to be excited about an opportunity i found over facebook? with people and a company i knew little or nothing about? is the the way business will be conducted in the future? without regard to someone's feelings...with no respect? is it easier to do this to someone because the relationship is virtual? just a see ya???

H E A R T L E S S

i am almost speechless....still in shock..and my heart is broken open...

those of you who have been following me this past 18 months know exactly how much that income meant to me...it meant food and electrical power...although i still believe that everything happens as it should and that i live in the midst of infinite abundance...it is a little more difficult today...

so i am learning another life lesson...to be brave and patient...in the face of heartbreak and hunger...please pray for me...

two jobs thru facebook...leveraging the power of social media

I dwell in the midst of infinite abundance...

inspired by a post by blissstudios (Tuesday 14th July 2009)

i am, as you are, an energetic being...created from energy, surrounded by energy, and using the power of thought to create my world...

this week something amazing happened...an answer to prayers surely...i responded to two facebook posts about jobs...and manifested both of them...the power of positive energy combined with the power of social media...energy radiates forth...to create what i desire...

so how did this happen...two different companies posted a comment on facebook about needing help...one as an social media intern for an Internet marketing company...the other as a copywriter, web/graphic designer for an Internet launch business...i posted a reply of interest...they requested a resume...we corresponded over the weekend...and on tuesday i was told that they both wanted to hire me...

lesson: always conduct yourself with honesty, respect, and integrity over social media because everything you post, or is posted about you, will reflect on the person that you are...and create a personal brand of sorts...what does your social media brand say about you???

Never say anything about yourself you do not want to come true. ~Brian Tracy

my beliefs about who I am and what I can co-create with God are limitless...my vibrational output and my inner dialog must always be focused on what i want, not on what i do not have...for i know:

What i worry about is what i create.

so i am grateful and blessed beyond measure this week...and I dwell in the midst of infinite abundance...

my gift...my mission...

i have been given a great gift...in return i have a job/mission to do...

From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more. Luke 12:48

the mission?

What in the World is Going On???

In a Feb. 2007 article by Herbert Meyer entitled What in the World is Going On? there are some profound statements:

"We are coming to the end of the age of employer and employee. Employers can't guarantee jobs anymore because they don't know what their companies will look like next year. Everyone is on their way to becoming an independent contractor. The new workforce contract will be: Show up at my office five days a week and do what I want, but handle your own insurance, benefits and health care. This used to happen only with highly educated professionals. Now it is happening at the level of the factory floor worker."

"This fracturing of American business is now in its second generation."

"This has several implications, the first of which is that we are now getting false readings on the economy."

"Outsourcing also confused the numbers."

Obviously something has confused the numbers and the corporations and the nation...

We must ask ourselves, "Can we possibly trust the same people that got us into this economic mess to get us out of it?"

I do not believe we can...

Our world is indeed going through a cleansing process...and no place will this cleansing be more evident than in the world of business! We no longer trust big corporations balance sheets nor the executives who approved them. We see jobs disappearing and finances crumbling as a result of the virtual business model and greed of the past few decades.

It is time for a change. It is time for new thinking. It is time to restructure the way we work and feel about working. Small businesses will use this transition period to reshape and re-engineer the very foundation of our economic structure.

I believe that now, more than ever before, women are poised to lead these small businesses with an inherent skill and a pioneering spirit I call the (r)Evolutionary Woman.

The (r)Evolution of (r)Ebecca...

I have created a new business model honoring my soul, my values and my vision. I stand firmly in the knowing that my 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–a piece 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 what I call '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 that 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 cautiously began integrating the spiritual, the creative and the business parts of me to form a new business model. During this process I discovered three life-changing things:

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.

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.

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 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. And I am able to help others also!

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. Faultlessly 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...

Visit the Wealth Being Mentor Blog today!

doodle bags...

The Dixie Doodler

Doodle Bags...

Accessories, Clutches, Wallets, Totes and Jewelry

Functional Custom Artwork!

Your special one-of-a-kind Doodle Bag will be handmade with a loving spirit by Rebecca E. Parsons. One day after painting a mural she noticed a heart-shaped splatter of paint on her dropcloth. That design inspired these unique creations.

Rebecca designs, handpaints, sews and fashions one-of-a-kind, purses, wallets, and jewelry out of canvas dropcloths from her mural and faux finishing days. She will personalize one with a quick doodle portrait, personal symbol or your favorite words or phrases,. It's perfect for jeans or that little black dress. They always get attention!

Each is made of sturdy #12 canvas and should last for years. The purses are fully lined and finished with a magnet closure and button and bead embelishments. E-mail cre8tiva2@gmail.com to order a customized purse incorporating your favorite colors and words. Prices range from $30 - $250 each.

904-261-3321
e-mail cre8tiva2@gmail.com
www.cre8Tiva.blogspot.com

(r)Evelation...Day 1

"Circumstance does not make a woman, it reveals her to herself",  paraphrased James Allen from As a Man Thinketh

(r)Evelation

The circumstances of my life these past few years have (r)Evealed much to me...I have grown as a woman into my own place of freedom. The best part was uncovering the freedom to live an emotionally authentic life...my life lesson. And I have never been as excited and passionate as I am about this platform...

This is Day 1 of the unveiling of my new business platform. I will give you a little nugget with each post... This (r)E-Branding is a result of my stepping into my life purpose...embracing who I am fully and (r)Everently...and stumbling headlong down the path with joy and wild abandon!!!

Last week I offered a sneak peek with (r)Evolutionary Times...This is a time of (r)E-Engineering, (r)E-Purposing, (r)E-Branding and (r)E-Invention at (r)ebecca E. Parsons Studios, Inc.

It started with a significant (r)Evelation... By revelation he made known unto me the mystery, as I wrote afore in few words. --Eph. iii. 3.

Revelation \Rev`e*la"tion\, n. [F. r['e]v['e]lation, L. revelatio.]
1. The act of revealing, disclosing, or discovering to others what was before unknown to them.
2. That which is revealed.
3. (Theol.)
(a) The act of revealing divine truth.
(b) That which is revealed by God to man; esp., the Bible.
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

The (r)Evelation... I am a Spiritual Business Visionary who has a life purpose of leading the transition of women entrepreneurs into The Age of Aquarius.

1) Women Entrepreneurs Stabilizing our Economy,
2) Women Entrepreneurs Reinventing How Business is Done, and
3) Women Entrepreneurs Living Fully in Their Spirituality.

You might say, “This is a really BIG Vision.” And I would agree. How will this happen?

By creating Women Led, Spirit Fed TM companies that will become the employers, the role models, and the innovators of a new way of doing business. The old way of doing business has not served our economy, our planet, or us. It is time for massive change…time for new ideas and thinking…it is time for women to step fully into our innate abilities as leaders, heroines, and nurturers.

Stay tuned for the next step…

work like a woman...

please let me know what you think of my new venture...a link to the newsletter will appear on the webpage...

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats....

One of my most useful discovery tools is a SWOT Analysis. I use it often and almost always use it with the artisans I coach. The process always gets me to focus in on my next big idea (and I have a million ideas). It helps me:

1. Determine what personal attributes are helpful to achieving the objective;
   
2. Determine what personal attributes are harmful to achieving the objective;
   
3. Determine what external conditions are helpful to achieving the objective; and 
   
4. Determine what external conditions could do damage to the performance.

 my visual SWOT analysis

What is a SWOT Analysis?

A discovery of your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats  for a specific goal. A personal SWOT Analysis is a powerful technique to identify your Strengths and Weaknesses and to examine the Opportunities and Threats you face. A business/career SWOT can help you discover and develop your unique niche which utilizes your specific talents, abilities, and opportunities to the fullest.

Download your SWOT Analysis Worksheet PDF file . This is with my compliments to do your own analysis.

As an artist it is helpful for me to create a visual SWOT Analysis as shown above. I illustrate my strengths after I do the above form. During this illustration process I work through many ideas and usually have an answer when I am finished with the artwork. It is a type of visual journaling also that I allow to flow intuitively.

Identification of your SWOTs is essential because subsequent steps in the process of planning for the success of the selected objective may be derived from your SWOTs.

The first objective is to determine whether the goal is attainable, given my SWOTs. If the objective is NOT attainable, I must choose a different objective and repeat the process.

If, on the other hand, the objective seems attainable, my SWOTs are used as source information to the creative generation of possible strategies, by asking and answering each of the following four questions, several times:

• How can I Use each Strength?
  
• How can I Improve each Weakness?
  
• How can I Exploit each Opportunity?
  
• How can I Mitigate each Threat?

When used in a personal context, it helps you develop your career path in a way that takes best advantage of your talents, abilities and opportunities.

What makes a SWOT analysis particularly powerful is that with a little thought, it can help you uncover opportunities that you are best suited to do. By gaining a clear understanding your weaknesses, you can manage and eliminate threats before they possibly cause you problems.

Possibly the best outcome of a SWOT analysis is the ability to craft a strategy that allows you to differentiate yourself from your competitors, capture your fair market share, and compete successfully.

How to use the tool:

To carry out a SWOT Analysis, print out our free worksheet, and answers to the following questions:

Strengths:

1. What advantages (for example, skills, education or connections) do I have that others don't have?
   
2. What do I do better than anyone else?
   
3. What personal resources do I have access to?
   
4. What do other people see as my strengths?
   

Consider this from your own perspective and from the point of view of the people around you. And don't be modest, be as objective as you can. If you are having any difficulty with this, try making a list of your characteristics. Some of these will be strengths!

Click for a great checklist of strengths.

Weaknesses:

1. What could you improve?
   
2. What should you avoid?
   
3. What things are the people around you likely to see as weaknesses?
   

Again, consider this from a personal and external basis: Do other people perceive weaknesses that you do not see? Do co-workers consistently out-perform you in key areas? It is best to be realistic now, and face any unpleasant truths as soon as possible.

Opportunities:

1. Where are the good opportunities facing you?
   
2. What are the interesting trends you are aware of?
   
3. Useful opportunities can come from such things as:

A useful approach to looking at opportunities is also to look at your strengths and ask yourself whether these open up any opportunities. Alternatively, look at your weaknesses and ask yourself whether you could open up opportunities by eliminating them.

Threats:

1. What obstacles do you face?
   
2. What are the people around you doing?
   
3. Is your job (or the demand for the things you do) changing?
   
4. Is changing technology threatening your position?
   
5. Could any of your weaknesses seriously threaten you?
   

Carrying out this analysis will often be illuminating - both in terms of pointing out what needs to be done, and in putting problems into perspective.

Mindtools says: A SWOT matrix is a framework for analyzing your strengths and weaknesses, and the opportunities and threats you face. This helps you to focus on your strengths, minimize weaknesses, and take the greatest possible advantage of opportunities available.

I encourage you to use this for decision making, especially business decisions. Let me know how you like it and if it helps you.

Information for this article was taken from:
Mindtools

Yes, Virginia...There is a Recession...DUH!!!

US Economy In Recession Since December 2007
Yesterday, Monday, December 1st 2008,

"The National Bureau of Economic Research said that the U.S. has been in a recession since December 2007, making official what most Americans have already believed about the state of the economy .

The NBER is a private group of leading economists charged with dating the start and end of economic downturns. It typically takes a long time after the start of a recession to declare its start because of the need to look at final readings of various economic measures.

Achuthan's research firm tracks weekly leading economic indicators that are supposed to signal a change in direction for the economy four or five months ahead of time. Those indicators are continuing to fall at a record pace."

Those of us in the trenches, fighting for our lives, have known this for a long time now. I suppose next year they will release the news that we are in a depression since December 2008...

so much for our economists...

The good news: 55 percent of economists surveyed in a new poll don't believe the U.S. will fall into a full-blown recession.

images from:
NY Times.com
Public Radio.com

We Desperately Need George Baily...

Our country, alas most of the world, is in desperate times. While the people in Washington try to decide if we are in a recession, you have only to look at main street in any town to see that it is much worse than that. Stores that you once shopped in are disappearing everyday because they cannot 'afford' to keep the doors open. If you drive down any residential street, you will see many homes for sale with signs like reduced, foreclosure sale, banked owned...because they cannot 'afford' to make the payments...because they have lost their jobs because the companies cannot 'afford' to pay the workers...and so it goes on and on...it is trickle down economics at its worst...it has more than trickled down...it has crashed down..hard......

We Desperately Need George Baily (It's a Wonderful Life)...and the Bailey Building & Loan Association. The Building & Loan Association was essential to many of the people in Bedford Falls. And we need fewer Mr. Potter's (Wall Street, big business, etc.) who will seize the opportunity to gain more control and end the "sentimental hogwash" of home loans for the working poor. 

The real American dream is a home of ones own...and a job which allows you to pay for it. I daresay most Americans want to work and are tired of hearing all the stories of the poor Wall Street stockholders who have lost everything....especially when you are too poor to own any stock...you are lucky to stock your refrigerator...

I encourage our politicians who are trying to decide if there is a recession, to walk down main street in their hometown...talk to the shop owners, talk to the people who live in the homes with for sale signs...ask the priests and ministers what they are seeing in their own churches...ask us what we need...Then go back to Washington and make a real bailout plan for the Americans who have no way to bail themselves out this time....

This is the letter I am sending to all my state representatives in Congress...I invite you to join me...

Think Small to Grow Big...

So you want to be a speaker. This is how I did it...

First, interact with event planners and the media to build relationships, network and let your presence be known…get yourself out…network…market…let them know you are the expert!

Stay open to ALL the possible opportunities that are available to you…set an intention and you will find them.

Opportunities come in many different forms. Sometimes the smallest opportunity can be one of the biggest stepping stones to success! Don’t turn down an opportunity just because you feel it isn’t big enough, or isn’t really your thing. 

1. Write to local & state industry associations in your target area. Nationals have a lot of competition.

2. Offer to write a monthly column in the indusrty/state associations newsletters. Getting a column gives credibility, builds brand awareness and builds relationship of sorts with the readers.

3. Optimist and Rotary both have monthly meetings and seek speakers. Can lead to other ops.

4. Co-sponsor an event with a former association or company. Charity events are excellent ways to build relationships and look for speaking ops. 

5. Look for fundraisers or school functions that might need help.

6. Sponsor an "event" with a local govt leader, mayor, senator, celebrity. They do the keynote and you  open and close. 

7. Offer to speak at a national ____ week event. (You fill in the blank)

8. Present a targeted exec with an award for some accomplishment. Good PR possibility for papers/magazines. Do a SOFTSELL during the presentation.

9. Contribute good content to Group Forums, Bulletin Boards or Discussion Groups. This can lead to telechats and seminars.

10. Sponsorships & Prizes can get you on the stage.

There is a great article here:

http://www.brandingonthenet.com/articles/booking-speaking-engagements.htm

we’ve decided to go in another direction...

No matter how the words “we’ve decided to go in another direction” are delivered, you instinctively know your life is changing. To loose your job is a lifestyle change. To loose two within a week is a life change.

This week I learned that my contract as the Editor-in-Chief of The Artistic Stenciler would not be renewed. My position was awarded to the mother-in-law of one of the organization's board of directors. Therefore, I must bid adieu to what has always been a labor of love for me. Not quite sure whether to laugh or cry, I am perplexed yet relieved, as the operational structure has presented major challenges in the past few years. As much as it hurts to let go…I know it is time.

I also had to leave my new job as it was, in no way, the right fit for me. It was sooooo wrong on sooooo many levels...

Nobody likes drastic change when it comes to his or her career. Americans, on average, spend 70% of their waking hours on work-related activities. We make our careers part of our lives and certainly our egos. When meeting a new person you hear, "What do you do?" within a few sentences.

Therefore, I find myself even deeper in the, “What now???” phase of my life transition. The past few months have been life altering for me–health issues, my significant other’s depression and suicide attempts and the ensuing loss of a companion and partner, growing financial concerns–need I say more…

Getting a pink slip is something I have not experienced and I am finding it mentally and emotionally stressful. I am switching between a negative “what am I going to do with myself” feeling of sorrow to a positive “what am I going to do with myself” feeling of adventure. What is the new direction for me?

I am aware that it will take time and strength to overcome the feelings of depression, tension, and anger. At times, I simply do not know how to react to the news and the other things that have occurred in my life these since Christmas.

Before reading Eckhart Tolle’s book about ego, I would have said that I don’t have much of an ego. After the first two chapters, I realized that I have an enormous ego. For the past decade I have been this, now I am not.

I am frustrated and confused about my complex emotions of fear, shame, and depression. For spiritually I know that I am not what I do or what job title I have. I am so much more…so connected with the life force that flows through the universe. So why, then, am I so darned upset???

Foremost on my mind, I have little left in my rainy day fund. That went in my $100,000 mistake move to Georgia in 2006. All the financial resources I have left are tied up in a house that may not be sell'able' in this down market. I may have to rent it until the market picks up again, but it will not be enough to cover the payments. And let’s not even mention the nearly four decades of ‘stuff’ I have amassed that will need to be dealt with.

The normally positive, happy-go-lucky spirit I am seems but a distant memory. The pick-myself-up-and-dust-myself-off attitude is waning. I want to have a temper tantrum–I don’t want to loose my home, or my stuff, or my lifestyle…but I can see no other way than to sell everything I have, move in with friends or family, and start all over again. Certainly not on my short list of life goals!!

I cannot afford to cocoon, as I so want to do. But my mind has shut down as a result of everything else that has happened this year. I feel numb and alone. A post traumatic stress sort of thing...Even thinking straight is difficult. Planning and executing 'any' action plan seems so beyond my capabilities at the moment. I am struggling to accomplish basic daily functions. And trying to keep my partner alive has drained me of the strength I need to save myself. I am surely adrift in my dark night of the soul...

This is the reason I have not updated my blog…I am in the throes of a giant pity party....which I have given myself permission to have all weekend...I am ashamed of my feelings and lack of abilities, as I have always been the one to see a dozen solutions to any given problem. And, for the life of me, I can’t come up with one solution...........

But I believe when I get through this...I will be a better human being...with a better grasp of my life's purpose....until then, please don't give up on me!

meanwhile, i have retreated into the studio where i find solace in creation...hopefully an answer/solution will come...i am learning detachment...the journey continues...

Don't forget to visit my other blog, The Artist as a Spiritual Explorer click here...

Da Da Da Dahhhhhh....

self  portrait 2008
a new Look for Cre8Tiva...how do you like the new banner and logo...I have been busy busy designing an identity package for the blog...and for Cre8Tiva...

in celebration we have a gift for you...2 tags for your use...you may use them for anything you want...they were designed with adobe illustrator templates...and personalized...just e-mail me at e-mail me and i will forward you a pdf file...

i am busily preparing for my workshops at creative palette 2008...i have decided to stencil for my demos...most people do not know the correct way to stencil...that means using a dry brush!!! so i am going to show them how to make a leaf and then shade and shadow it...for the goody bag i am going to give a stencil pattern, the tags above and a promo piece about my business...creativity workshops and retreats, business coaching, and web and blog design...

and i am about to burst with joy...

The Biggest NewsBoutique Cre8Tiva is ready to launch

Boutique Cre8Tiva, a small shopping outlet, that specialises in elite and one of a kind artwork, accessories, and fashionable clothing. Look for it in the next 2 weeks...

Expectations...Help Wanted...

the art of Carmen at Strawberries and Champagne
My beautiful friend Carmen wrote a very wise post in November... I encourage you to read it...so click here ...it is worth the time...

She writes:

"We bloggers love to be creative, to be hopeful. In order for this I think You have to be an astute observer and sometimes save your words and reactions, yes, I say reactions, not actions.

You have to know when negativity wants to affect you. Negativity is not neccesarily coming from a person, like a boss, family, friend or anyone else. The majority of the times, It is our own thoughts provoking negativity. I have no doubt there are negative or stubborn people who wants to bring you down in order for them to feel good. Please don't allowed them to have power over you. I no longer suffer trying to please a negative person in order to be loved or being recognized. I am content I did what I could. If it didn't work, not my problem anymore if that person wish to go down in that way is that person's loss.

Can I tell you a secret? That person is suffering and needs you not to react. Eventually, that person will come into your life again, hopefully as a new person. Have faith."

Have Faith...i have needed large amounts of faith recently...i have been so inundated with work and learning how to live with a loved one who is having a major depressive episode...that i have neglected my blogs...and my readers...i know you understand, but it has been on my mind...

i have been overwhelmed with the responses to my writing about the mental illness called depression...many of you have thanked me for having the courage to write about it...it is not courageous of me, dialog is necessary to take the stigma away...these are not bad people, they are sick people...whose disease is scary and frightening to witness...and even more so to live...

UPDATE>>watching someone you love fall into the deep pit of depression (major clinical depression) is a scary and frustrating experience...and you feel totally helpless...the burden on both of us is tremendous...the disease becomes the center of attention...you want him to snap himself out of it...to get up and smile, and stop being negative...but he cannot...

when he has an anxiety attack, his face literally changes...his eyes bug out, his lips disappear into his mouth, he tugs at his face...and it is frightening to witness...no amount of love or caring can reach him...he is deep down inside himself, dwelling on something or everything...it is the disease...the depression lying to him...the depression stealing his life...it is not reality, yet it is 'his' reality...

yet i have expectations...that the medication will work...that the episodes will lessen their wicked hold on him...that he will return to his normal self soon...the negativity that is his world right now will dissipate...today they are just that...expectations...

on the upside of my life...the magazine is scheduled for the presses next week...the catalog and the newsletter are printed and mailed...

this week i am working on handouts and a demo i am doing at the creative palette convention in st. marys, georgia next weekend...my class is first on this page...expectations abound...

I NEED YOUR HELP!!!...any suggestions would be more than welcome...i have to give a 10-minute demo about 5 times...and i have to have some sort of goodie bag for the 50 participants...and i am at a loss about what to do and give...Yes...Miss Cre8Tiva herself is blocked...this seemed like a great idea back in september of last year when i agreed to do it...i am 'expecting' to come up with something fantastic and memorable...and i have 5 days to do it...expecting too much??? perhaps...i am fragile right now too...

yet i have been able to make some art during this time...i will share twiggie and sprig soon...i also owe so many of you a big thank you...i will do that this week also...i was in atlanta this week to see may daughter try on wedding gowns...to visit my doctor...and do some other errands...i did not have internet access as my laptop is still sick and the hotel internet was iffy at best...so i will be catching up with you all too... i am still counting my blessings...

i forgot to remember valentine's day...it is one of my favorite holidays...i am sad...here's my treat for you...

Don't forget to visit my other blog, The Artist as a Spiritual Explorer click here...

My Plate is Overly Full...

my plate is so full you can't even see the plate anymore... "My plate is full" is an idiom used to say to someone else that i have all the work i can handle...i have no extra hours in the day for anything else...i am at my wits end trying to do everything...i have boxed myself into a corner with all these deadlines coming at once...
where has the week gone??? i have been busy with that four letter word called

w o r k
i have a lot to tell you...first, i have been working on the magazine...for those of you who read the mag, this issue is full of great articles and how to's...i am the editor of a 56-page, 4-color quarterly publication called "The Artistic Stenciler"...it is published by the non-profit educational organization called the Stencil Artisans League, Inc....SALI for short...i find the articles...write or rewrite most of them...choose the photos...and do the production as well...vanessa of fanciful twist and tracie huscamp and painter girl and helen morris and many others have appeared on the pages...and carolina girl jeanette will be in this issue...you could be next..here are covers of some of the issues...

i have a new baby...yes the over-the-top computer station known as an iMac...with a screen like a television...i can work on it across the room...with my wireless keyboard and might mouse and even a remote control...in order to do high-level graphic and web design...

2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 4MB shared L2 cache at full processor speed
800MHz system bus, 2GB (one SO-DIMM) of PC2-5300 (667MHz) DDR2 memory,
Two SO-DIMM slots support up to 4GB

i am also working on a new catalog for Callanwolde Fine Arts Center in Atlanta...

and i just finished a newsletter project for my new boss...yes, i have a new job with the young man i wrote about a few posts ago...

then i have an order for art for my newest gallery in west palm beach...

UPDATE>>>and i have had to deal with the consequences of my last post...after he was released from the hospital...with anti depressant and anti-anxiety meds...we have been climbing upward one baby step at a time...he was a little confused when he told me he was manic/depressive...he is not, but has major clinical depression...this illness does not swing like a pendulum...it drops like a 10,000 pound lead weight on the person who has it...as well as the entire family...getting the weight off yourself and crawling out from under it is a lifetime job...for everyone involved...if you choose to stay...some relationships survive...some do not...

although the term "depression" is commonly used to describe a temporary depressed mood when one "feels blue", clinical depression is a serious illness that involves the body, mood, and thoughts that cannot simply be willed or wished away. It is often a disabling disease that affects a person's work, family and school life, sleeping and eating habits, general health and ability to enjoy life. The course of clinical depression varies widely: depression can be a once in a life-time event or have multiple recurrences, it can appear either gradually or suddenly, and either last for few months or be a life-long disorder. Having depression is a major risk factor for suicide; in addition, people with depression suffer from higher mortality from other causes.

surprisingly, stress has been shown to play a major role in the patient's first two episodes of major depression, but not in later episodes. Genetics and temperament appear to play the most important role for later episodes of a patient's depression...it appears that major depression often requires stress to "get the ball rolling", but after a few episodes, the illness develops its own momentum and no longer needs stress to "keep rolling". This is a familiar pattern seen in many medical illnesses. Thus, the treatment of major depression must address the major contribution that stress, genetics and temperament play in this disorder. Unfortunately, most current therapies lack this well-rounded approach.

i am getting help to deal with this...and learning to set boundaries...and enforce them...i have always been a 'you do your thing and i'll do mine' kind of girl/woman/child...even though i am a strong and capable business person, i do not do well with interpersonal relationships...it's that trust thing again...i have my heart in a box (i discovered this in a guided meditation a few years ago) and i do not keep the box with me...it is far away where it can be safe and protected from being broken...i love unabashedly, but do not expect or demand love in return...and that is what i get...talk about manifesting...

it seems i am comfortable loving and caring for someone who is incapable of returning this to me...is it beginning to make sense???

so i have missed visiting with you while i am holed up with my new computer...and trying to cope with my new life issues...i'll see daylight sometime next week...meanwhile, know that i love you all...

Don't forget to visit my other blog,The Artist as a Spiritual Explorer here...there is a lot of art and good stuff there...

photos...
www.laist.com/attachments/lindsayrebecca/PlateOfFoodAtSAW.jpg

www.umich.edu/news/research/images/bluehouse250.jpg

Fear Less...Hope More

Fear less, hope more;
Eat less, chew more;
Whine less, breathe more;
Talk less, say more;
Love more, and all good things will be yours
Albert Einstein


photo from http://thebuckstopshere.blogspot.com/
This is the fear less, hope more week for me alright...my happy cow laptop took a turn for the worse last weekend...and i realized that i am overly attached to this piece of metal...i was actually annoyed to have to use my beautiful, expensive Mac and be chained to a desk...so after many hours with my new bff, Norton...the laptop seems to be feeling better...i hope...


On Tuesday, for some reason i believed was right at the time...i had both of my dogs operated on...Sir Chancelot lost his manhood ( i am still crying over this one)...and Miss Maggie Mae had a tooth removed...Miss Mags has behaved herself and stayed quiet...but Chance, the Parson Jack Russel he is, does not want to rest quietly until he heals...still i hope...

Wednesday i got a new do...very short for me...but me thinks i like it...i hope...

I should have been forewarned...
photo from http://foxdendesigns.com/FOXDEN-WhatsNew.htm
but yesterday, I had my first job interview in over 15 years...yes my 'circumstances' (a genteel way of saying i am afraid of being a bag lady and my art has not made me the next van gogh...) have led me to the workplace...the interview was in a coffee shop...with this young entrepreneur...

TEE HEE...photo from http://foxdendesigns.com/FOXDEN-WhatsNew.htm
a 28 year-old (mind you my baby is 28)...in the midst of me trying to convince this young gentleman that i could work circles around the other 20-somethings he was interviewing because: 1) i am an award winning graphic designer; 2) i have designed for some of the world's biggest companies; 3) i have done graphic design for some 30 years now; 4) i will do the grunt work that 85% of graphic design is with a smile because i already know this; 5) he needs a mentor who has been where he is...yadda yadda yadda...i caught a case of giggles...about this whole situation...me, who has been so successful but for the $100,000 mistake/life lesson moving to Georgia in 2006 and back to Florida in 2007 created...me, who is actually employed by artists to help them start and grow their business...me, sitting across the tiny bistro table trying not to mother this man or mentor him or call him kiddo as a so would do in any other situation...if you read this future boss, i forgot to tell you i have a wicked sense of humor...the humor of it all struck me...now i am very thankful that i was able to find any graphic design job to apply for on this tiny island...actually there are 4 printers in my county who i also dropped resumes off to for any overflow work...hope i must...

Which brings me to the last best newses...my art has been accepted in another gallery in west palm beach...yippee...except i need to find time to paint some pieces...i have been asked to give a business seminar at an industry event and perhaps, be a speaker...i have been accepted to teach at The Creative Palette convention...and i have a design for my exhibit panel for Salon 2008 (the meeting of world class decorative painters)....

Fly Forth O Gentle Dove
On January 1st, i set my Guardian Angel(s) on a task to bring job opportunities to me...so far it looks like they are working, doesn't it...now you may think this odd, asking your Guardian Angel for things like this...but most Guardian Angels are underused and bored...they can do anything except interfere with your appointed time of death...of course they are protecting us from harm...but they can do so many other things for us...if we only ask...my most frequent request is asking for a parking place...this has worked so often that others who have seen this happen for me, now believe...my second is asking for them to speak with the Guardian Angel of people who are offensive while driving or cutting in line...i can't tell you the number of times these people have stopped behaving badly after i asked...so i recommend that you give your GA something to do...let them spread their wings...hope on....