Is Life Better With Creativity? Try This & See

Why not take two minutes to try this quick 3-step quiz
and find the answer for yourself?

#1 - On a piece of paper complete the following sentence:

"When I make time for my creativity, I feel..."

(you may finish with one word, a string of words or a page long diatribe - just write as quickly as you can whatever comes to mind)

#2 - On a second sheet of paper complete this sentence:

"When I don't make time for my creativity, I feel..."

(use the same quick writing technique)

#3 - Read over your list to find your answer.

Tah-dah!

(I wasn't kidding when I said this was quick and easy!)

If you're like most overly busy people today, there are

many things in your life that could bring you tremendous creative joy, satisfaction and fun, and yet you don't spend nearly the time with them you wish you did. It might be painting, gardening, writing, photography, blogging, scrap-booking, mixed-media, reading, cooking, playing harmonica and tap-dancing or any number of creatively fulfilling pursuits.

I'm here to tell you that life is better when you learn to make time for them. Even a small amount of time. Five or ten minutes fully engaged in creating a collage can bring hours and hours of energized, positive feelings which lead to all sorts of wonderful things like being nicer to yourself, your family and your co-workers.

If you felt happier reading over List #1 than List #2, and you need help creating the time and space in your life for your creative passions, you're in the right place! You'll find information on all of my Spring 2012 Creative Oasis Coaching classes, mini-retreats and one-on-one coaching availability below.

(More proof that making time for creativity is good fun. That's me on a

Creative Oasis Day Trippers outing last fall at The Nasher Sculpture Center -

also proving that creative play is much more important than a good hair day.)

Living The Creative Life

6 weeks dedicated to gently
infusing your life with creativity

creative oasis group class

Join me and what always ends up being a very cool group of women as we spend 6 weeks together learning and practicing simple, joyful ways to add creative fulfillment to our lives. Classes begin the week of February 6, 2012. Space is limited to 8 per class, so save yours by registering soon.

For more info and registration click here.

Creative Oasis Day Trippers first trip of 2012

Earth, Texas by Keith Carter

Join me and the Day Trippers as we visit the wonderful Photographs Do Not Bend gallery to see "From Uncertain to Blue" an exhibit of black and white photography by Keith Carter.

Noon
Wednesday January 25, 2012
Photographs Do Not Bend
1202 Dragon St, Suite 103
Dallas, TX 75207

Once you register and I receive your $15 payment, you'll receive a pre-trip permission slip and creative prompt. Hint: photography will be our medium and everyday life our muse this month.

Contact me at
creativeoasiscoach@me.com
to reserve your space today. These outings are always fun, and again, some amazing women always seem to come together for these trips.

In Bhutan in front of the ubiquitous prayer flags

If you've spent even a minute of this New Year beating yourself up for not getting to your creativity, I'd like to give you permission to stop...take three deep breaths...and forgive yourself.
(go ahead...I'll wait)

I'm speaking from experience here. I have been hard on myself lately for not having written more about my trip to Bhutan (as I promised I would) and so, in the spirit of self-compassion (which has been proven by science and supported by the successful results of Kaize-Muze® Creativity Coaching to be a much more effective agent of change than guilt!) I forgive myself and offer the above photo as a "good enough for now" place holder until I write my next Bhutan blog post. And you know what, it really does feel good enough and better than not doing anything at all - just to post that one photo.

What might you allow yourself to do today if you can let go of perfection and practice being "good enough" instead?
(besides - perfect people are obnoxious and boring!)

Hope to see you at a trip, class or workshop soon!
In the meantime, I remain imperfectly yours,
Jill

Jill Allison Bryan

Certified Kaizen-Muse®Creativity Coach

Founder of Creative Oasis Coaching(TM)

Singer/Songwriter

Lucky World Traveler

www.creativeoasiscoaching.com

creativeoasiscoach@me.com

Permission to
Be Creative 101

A day long mini-retreat introducing fun and amazingly effective ways to create the time and space for creative fulfillment in your busy life.

March 3rd, 2012
or
April 28, 2012
10am to 3pm

Find all the details by clicking here

One-on-One Creative Oasis Coaching

As a certified Kaizen-Muse® Creativity Coach, I offer personalized coaching through phone sessions with detailed e-mail follow-ups. Currently I have only 3 spaces open to accept new and returning one-on-one clients. These spots will fill on a first come, first serve basis, so please contact me here if you'd like to enjoy the benefits of the individualized attention and accountability of one-on-one creativity coaching.

(Any typos, grammatical, tactical, or deisgn-related errors were purposefully left in this newsletter to uphold the non-perfectionism that we Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaches advise and support in the name of getting sh*t done!)

kmcc logo

This space left blank intentionally for you to fill with dreams, poems, songs, recipes, dances, kazoo solos, travel plans, good books, favorite memories, good smelling candles, clementines (my favorite winter fruit), small questions, and acceptance that we all truly have enough, do enough and are enough and that's good enough for me.

With love and light,

Jill