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Are you fueled by hope?

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Flowering

It’s the time of year when many reflect on what’s next. I’ve done a number of sessions with people recently about their hopes and dreams for 2011. As I hear the stories I have been struck by how difficult 2010 has been for so many. Despite it all, the common factor is how much hope most have for things getting better soon. I just marvel at the resiliency we have even in the face of really hard circumstances.

What do you hope for in the year ahead?

I like to hear your comments and stay in touch.
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Categories: Artwork

Shop Your Wardrobe

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Jill Chivers

Jill Chivers is a woman with a mission. A self confessed shopaholic, she just completed a year without clothes shopping. Now she’s determined to help others whose shopping has gotten out of hand through her Shop Your Wardrobe Program.

I’ve been in her program for the past three months, and learning all sorts of unexpected things.

She who hates shopping?

What am I doing in a program for shopaholics when I can’t stand shopping? It’s been one of those things I started for one reason, only to discover a whole other side to the process.

Jill is a former corporate trainer. I met her online and we had some email exchanges about visual tools that are available in Australia. I liked her, and after hearing some of her audio, fell in love with her Aussie accent. Honestly I signed up for her course so I could see how she structured the course. It was curious about the instructional design and delivery models.

Stories sucked me in

Jill is a wonderful storyteller. The course emails are always entertaining, and contain direct and indirect lessons. She explores all sides of the issue she is focusing on. I started noticing I would think a lot about them. She gives suggestions for simple action steps, with worksheets and other things to help.

A simple practice built into the course is spending 10 minutes a week sorting something in your wardrobe. I noticed I was avoiding it. But I kept reading and noticing how often I could relate, even if my action was the opposite. She was talking about the compulsion to shop, I had the repulsion to shop. But opposite sides of the same coin share a lot of things.

Food, clothes, books, e-courses– it’s all compulsion

I started noticing how I shop for food. There is always some great new recipe to try. One new special ingredient or spice. Why was I always going to the store when I have cabinets and a freezer full of food?

Why was I buying more books when I have a huge pile unread? Same with more courses, downloading e-books, looking for new iphone apps, or buying fonts.

Reading Jill’s stories, I started to recognize more and more ways I could relate. I didn’t have one bulging closet full of clothes. I just spread the behavior over all sorts of different things. So I could justify it. I wasn’t that bad. Ha!

Starting to see opportunities for improvement

Slowly, I actually started to tackle small areas for ten minute sorting. I started with spices. Then another kitchen shelf. I’m avoiding books, but know I need to get there. I even did a drawer of clothes.

I’m starting to see how my attachment to things is based on associated emotions. I have clothes that no doubt look awful on me, but I keep them and wear them because of how they feel or what they remind me of.

Jill’s course is teaching me there are other ways—  like what works as a wardrobe. What looks good on my current body type. What fits properly. How to think strategically about building a wardrobe that works for me. I’m starting to feel hopeful that I won’t have to dread every clothes shopping trip.

Looking forward to learning more

The course doesn’t take a lot of time. It’s always interesting to read the lessons. And you might be surprised as I have been to find all sorts of ways it helps. Check Shop Your Wardrobe out if it peaks your interest, it’s affordable and very well designed. Yes, I am also seeing some great instructional design and delivery models!

Great job Jill.

Categories: Exploring My Life

Octopus

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Prints of my paintings and photos are available on my Zenfolio gallery. You can also get to a specific image by clicking on it in any post.

Categories: Artwork

Bees

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Bees

Prints of my paintings and photos are available on my Zenfolio gallery. You can also get to a specific image by clicking on it in any post.

Categories: Artwork

Reflections on Art Every Day Month 2010

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Drawings and photos combined digitally

creative every dayNovember was Art Every Day Month, a project created by Leah Piken Kolidas

This was the second year I participated. I wrote a summary post similar to this one last year.

The process this year

Participating in this type of challenge is never what I expect. I started out thinking I would explore more mixed media. I was thinking of using ink pencils and water soluble crayons. They never came out of their boxes after I made the color charts.

I did combine traditional media with digital. Scanning in drawings, adding photos then painting into them in Photoshop. Some of the sketches are decades old. It was interesting to see what elements have carried through all these years.

This year versus last

I opened my review post last year by describing what I was doing with my paintings:

Watercolor Paintings

“They are all universal themes we encounter in life. I’ll be using them in a new product line I am creating called Exploring My Options. The images will be used to help people identify themes in their lives and work with them more effectively.”

Now, a year later, I am still working on the same thing. Not because I procrastinated or forgot, but because I expanded the VisualsSpeak team and we decided to focus on our professional development tools first. We’ve made a lot of progress on the personal development tools, but it’s all been behind the scenes. Look for that to change in 2011.

Response was different

Watercolor Paintings

Last year, people from a variety of parts of my life left comments on my posts. This year, it was heavily weighted toward people participating in the challenge. Not sure why, and I am not going down the path of speculation. How people engage with social media shifts all the time. Some of the people who followed closely last year just weren’t showing up online this year. I loved the comments from my journey mates, and just wished I could have spent more time visiting all of them everyday and leaving more comments.

For part of the month I wrote about each image, or what the image touched in me. For the rest, I just posted an image. Each approach was different, I can’t say one was better than the other.

Overall, I think the images were stronger this year. Last year I was just starting to paint in traditional media again after a 15 year break.

Permission to create

The challenge gives me permission to create. Not that I actually technically need permission, I am my own boss etc. I’ve always done better having a ‘reason’ to create. Someday I want the joy of creating to be enough. I know it’s just a matter of allowing myself to create just for fun more than as an occasional treat.

Thanks

Thanks to all who participated in the challenge, by making art or by commenting and cheering us on. A special thanks to Leah for organizing, visiting us, and leaving great comments. I hope we all make the time to keep being creative every day, to make it a part of our daily lives.

I like to hear your comments and stay in touch.
I’m working on a new series of tools for personal and professional development. To be the first to know about them and introductory specials, sign up to be on the Early Explorer list.

Name *

| Email *

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Categories: Artwork