This is a week of celebrations for me.  In August I began my journey to become a Kaizen-Muse Coach.  On Wednesday I finished that journey.  It was an exciting last classed filled with fun and hope and dreams for the future.  Then I received an email that an article I wrote for Creative Dream Journals had been posted, and this morning I was quoted on in another piece.  I believe in synchroncity and for all of this to happen on the same day reinforces that I am on the right path.  Once again I have to thank all of the people that have sent me encouraging comments and notes along the way.  It is important to have people who support and encourage you to follow your dreams.  I have come to realize that some of my best supporters are people I have never met but I really hope to some day.  So once again thank you!
One of the things I love to do is to share what I have learned and today I just want to encourage you to follow your dreams in whatever way you can at the moment.  Each small step that is celebrated along the way creates a journey filled with excitement and happiness. There was a time when I would have been thrilled with the accomplishments I mentioned above but I probably would not have shared them with others or celebrated them.  Now, I realize I was cheating myself and maybe someone else as well.  There is room for all of us to shine. Let your light shine brightly this holiday season.  For when you shine your light, it encourages others to shine theirs as well!

“You don't need diamonds to make your light get brighter and brighter. It comes from knowing who you are, what you love to do, and sharing your dreams and yourself with the world. Then it is easy to sparkle."
                                                                                              Ginny Lennox, Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coach

I have linked this post to Paint Party Friday, Creative Dream Journals, and Creative Every Day.  Each one of these blogs will introduce you to an amazing and supportive group of creative artists, writers, bloggers, and dreamers!!

                                      Let your life be a painting.  Let your life be a poem.  Osho

I love these words.  The holiday season has begun.  How would a painting or a poem represent your feelings about the season?  Would it be filled with bright colors, people, and be a swirl of activity?  Would it be quiet, calm, and peaceful?  We are all different.  For some the holidays mean a flurry of activity.  It means spending time with family and friends that they have not seen all year.  It means crowds and presents and trees filled with lights  Every corner is decorated and every minute is filled with activity.  For others, the holidays are a time of quiet and reflection. Time is spent quietly alone or with family or friends.  Deorations are minimal but filled with meaning.  And there are those who are somewhat inbetween.  I hope that your holiday season will be the painting or poem or story that you create.  Let this special time of year represent all that is meaningful to you and your family.  Take a moment to think about the holiday season you would like to create and then begin with just one small step to make that dream come true.

This morning I was looking through books for the perfect quote and nothing stood out.  Then I began looking through my pictures and nothing really struck me as something I wanted to share today.  And then I came upon a folder marked Art Every Day Month and in it were pictures of journal pages that I had created last year.  This one struck me as timeless. Be Present.  Be Positive.  Be Happy.  New Opportunities  Gratitude  These were all reminders to me of things that I wanted in my life. These were things that I thought about last year and wanted to be sure that I incorporated in my life each and every day. It was a reminder not to live in the past or the future  but to live each day for the special moments it contains.  It was a reminder to be open to new opportunities and to be grateful for all that the world has to offer.  It was a reminder to continue to seek and find the positive and to surround myself with people who laugh and who are happy with the gifts they have.  I enjoy participating in Art Every Day Month for so many reasons and this journal page is just one of them.

It's Thanksgiving night and we have had a wonderful day.  We were lucky enough to spend the day with my son and his family.  As I get older it seems like each day is a little longer (I am grateful for that) but the years seem to fly by.  I don't quite understand it but I accept that is the way life is, at least for me.  I treasure each day and each holiday that I get to spend with my family and friends.
For the past several years I have chosen a word for the year.  It's been fun and it has helped me to focus on what I wanted to accomplish.  This year I chose the word trust.  It has proven to be a great word.  When you like to control things its not easy to always trust that things will turn out as they should.  But, as I have learned to let go this year, I have also learned that a little trust will go a long way.  So this week, as I begin to reflect upon the past year and all that I have accomplished, I am also beginning to think about which word I will choose to guide me through 2013.  As I think about all of the words that I have to choose from, I am going to give myself time to settle in on the perfect one.  I have learned to trust that I don't have to always have the answer to a question right away.  If I give myself time and space, the answer will come to me.  So in continuing my Friday gratitude practice, the thing that I am most grateful for is that this year I chose the word trust as my word for the year.  It helped me to open doors that I didn't even know were closed.  Won't you join me in thinking about a word that you would like to use to guide you through 2013?   It's really fun and it can be exciting to find out where just one little word can take you. 

This post has been linked to Paint Party Friday and Creative Every Day.  These are two wonderful blogs that I know you will enjoy visiting. 

As I write this I am so excited for all of the steps that I have taken to become a Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coach.  My journey started in August and my last official class was today.  Next week, we will go on a celebration cruise.  No, not a real cruise but if it is anything like the other calls I have been on I know it will be lots of fun.  Then I'll have my final exam, and hopefully will be certified by the end of December.  Each step of this journey has been different.  First I was in awe of all that there was to learn.   Then I couldn't wait to share with others all the incredible strategies that are now in my toolbox to overcome procrastination or perfectionism or just plan overwhelm.  I have a lot to be thankful for on this Thanksgiving Eve.  Becoming a Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coach is definitely one thing I am very grateful for this year.   

If you have any questions about exactly what a creativity coach does, I would love to answer them. Don't forget taking just one small step towards something that you have always wanted to do can lead you on an incredible journey.  Why not start today?
                                                  When you share your dreams with the world, magic happens!

I begain working on this painting last week.  Right now the colors on the trees outside my window are really beautiful.  I was inspired by them but I definitely was not happy with this painting.  So I put it aside until I knew what to do next.  This is all new for me.  Usually, I finish a painting right away and if I get stuck I stay stuck.  But I am learning to be patient.  As I look back, I realize that it takes time to really get good at something and luckily, I have lots of time. 

This is what I worked on today.  I like it better but the painting still needs something.  So I will wait again and see what I am inspired to do next.  I am open for any suggestions you may have.

I painted this in my art class several weeks ago.  I love the soft colors of pastel but this class is all about using a different medium and seeing how it feels and looks. I used acrylics when I painted this.  Although the subject matter is the same, the painting definitely has a different look and feel to it. It's interesting to line them up like this and to compare not only how they look but how they make me feel. 

And this is what I am grateful for this week.  The beautiful colors of fall. Every time I look at the leaves, I am inspired to take a minute and look some more.  Each day I am sure that the colors have peaked but the next morning they are even prettier. The first fall that I retired I kept telling everyone that it was the prettiest fall I had ever seen.  Then it dawned on me that it was the first fall I had really been able to appreciate in a very long time.  When you go to work in the dark and come home in the dark, you miss a lot of things.  If I could do things over, I wouldn't miss the beautiful colors of fall.  But I have learned something else since I have retired.  What counts is the present.  Not the past, not the future, but the present.  So this week I am very grateful for this fall.  It is truly a gift that I appreciate.  What are you most grateful for this week?

I have linked my post with Paint Party Friday and Creative Every Day two wonderful places to meet inspiring artists.

You have to be present to win the prize.  How many times have we seen that at the bottom of a raffle ticket?  I saw it again yesterday. All of a sudden it meant so much more to me than it had all of the other times when I had looked at the words briefly and quickly moved on to my next thought or activity.  When you begin to think of the life that you are creating as the greatest prize of all, it suddenly becomes very real and very important that you be present to experience it.  So much is expected of us and we expect so much of ourself that it is often very difficult to be present in the moment and to experience it all.  It is possible to begin to collect your prize each day.  Actions begin with thoughts.  Small steps can lead to big discoveries.  Starting today, what small step can you take to be present in your life?  Just think about it. 

I am definitely still working on this painting.  There was a time when I would have looked at it and said," time to move on" but for some reason today I see a challenge. I am sure there are many ways that I can make it look a little more completed and interesting so I will take a break and see what I can do with it tomorrow. 

There are many things to be grateful for this week.  The doctor said my husband's breathing has improved a little, my sister and her family and friends in NJ are staying positive even though their power comes and goes, and the leaves outside my window are still beautiful just to name a few. I hope that you will join me this week in naming one or two things that you are grateful for.  It is a practice that I started several years ago and it has truly enriched my life.  There is always something that can be improved (like my painting above) but for everything that can be improved there is always something that, even if it is just for a moment, is absolutely perfect. We just have to be ready to notice and  enjoy it when it appears!

                    I am participating in Art Every Day Month and Paint Party Friday.  Both are wonderful places to visit for
                                                                               support and inspiration.

My goal is to get back to posting three times a week.  I thought Art Every Day Month would be a great way to do this.  Although I am not going to post every day, I am going to try to create something every day or at least think about all of the ways I can and do express my creativity.  The painting above is not very different than many paintings I have done.  But this time I used both oil pastel as well as soft pastels.  It does give the painting more texture but there are lots of things I would do differently next time.  I could go back an work on this some more but I think I will move on.  I want to see what will happen if I work with my pastels quickly and do lots of paintings this month.  It will be interesting to see if I by painting more my skills improve.    I love learning new things about myself as a creative person and by participating in AEDM I can do exactly that.  Is there something different that you would like to learn or create this month?

                                      "Live out of your imagination, not your history."  Stephen Covey

As I walked along this beach several weekends ago, I was imagining all types of different scenarios.  Althought I love to live in the present moment, sometimes that moment is spent in planning, or dreaming, or just thinking.  This walk was meant for just that.  Dreaming and planning.  As I get closer and closer to becoming a certified creativity coach, I dream about the people I will work with.  I think about how much fun it will be share what I have learned through my Kaizen-Muse training.  I think about the workshops I want to give and the people I hope to meet.

 One of the most important things we can do as a creative person is to believe in ourself and our dreams.  It is important to know what we truly love to do and than to find a way to do just that.  There are so many ways that we can express ourselves.  Living a purposely creative life is a goal for many.  Sharing our gifts and talents with others is a goal for others.  Taking minutes, hours, days, or weeks or a lifetime to paint, write, act, sing, dance, or take pictures is a dream come true for some.  We are all different.  We are all unique.  We all want different things.  And just as there are many different hopes and dreams, there are many paths in life that take us where we want to go.  My walk along the beach several weeks ago was an hour spent on a path that I believe will lead me to a special place.  I am anxious to continue on this journey and to have others join me.  That is why I chose this picture to be part of Kat Sloma's Photo- Heart Connection this month.  

               Remember:  When you share your dreams with the world, magic happens!  I would you love to what you would l