It's no small thing...3/21/19

Last night, Debbie (The Craft Shack) had our semi-weekly accountability meeting. It was 2-1/2 well spent hours catching up, stating where each of us is at with our first-quarter goals, what we are doing, and talking about any help that we might need. These meetings are about brainstorming and ideas and putting fresh eyes on old excuses. Feeling re-aligned and back on track. Do not underestimate the benefits of having someone to talk to and figure stuff out. Feeling stronger.

3.20.19-One Small Thing...

I've checked out a few sites that make playing cards or card decks. I've decided to try Make Playing Cards. It seems to have a really easy load-in method of images and text since each card will have a different back and different front.  It seems a little daunting, but I am determined. I feel like starting is the hardest part and once I get past figuring that out, it will flow.

3.7.19-One small thing...or two

Today, I wrote out another 9 affirmations, only 10 to go.

Also, I have been learning about digital printables. I want to create some daily pages as well as goal setting quarterly pages. I'd like them to have coloring elements or doodles incorporated.

3.4.19-One small thing from yesterday

I did do something. One small thing. I cut one large mixed media abstract piece that I made into six smaller ones. I just love how this instantly changes them into 6 unique creations! It's like magic!

One Small Thing...

After a little trip up to Hilton Head Island for a few days, I am getting back on track with my ArtFirmation Cards project. Today, I managed to get more than a small thing done...I was able to work on 5 more backgrounds. I feel like I made up for some lost time. I feel like I reconnected.

One Small Thing...

One small thing...for yesterday. I'm getting ready to head out of town, but I did take about 30 minutes to adjust my blog settings. Talk about a rabbit hole.  Still not quite where I want it, but it's getting there.

One Small Thing...

Today's One Small Thing...

I have 32 affirmations. I need 20 more. I wrote another 5 tonight. Including I AM READY.

One Small Thing...

I've decided to document just one small thing every day that I'm doing to move in the direction of my dreams. Just one small thing is all that is needed to stay connected. Just one small thing shows the Universe the direction that you want to move in. Just one small thing each day adds up. Just one small thing is enough. 

Today, I made a list of the affirmations that I have ready for the ArtFirmation Cards.

Just one small thing.

ART...do it on the daily

Happy February 1st! I started off strong outta the gates for the new year. I had my hopes and dreams and my word of the year (DEVOTED, btw).  I had my lofty goals of one blog post a week and one newsletter a month. And I did pretty good! for a couple of weeks.  Then, my husband got sick. Then my daughter got sick. And what seemed like all of the vitamin C and detox tea and Lysol spray and wipes in the WORLD, could not stop me from getting sick.

But here I am. I'm Baaaack!  Back on track. Back on the wagon.

First, I want to say that nothing helps with the healing process more than art. Well, along with the cuddly covers, a nice stuffed animal to snuggle, and some hot honey tea. Those things work on the body, while ART bolsters the spirit. Just a box of crayons and a coloring book can do wonders.

Ever since last year, and the 100-day project where I doodled my way through 100 days, I realized the value and benefit of making, creating something each and every day. Even if it is something that you make in 10-15 minutes. It doesn't really matter what IT is, the act of doing is the important part. So, I have been wanting to start another daily challenge for the new year. I finally decided on Animalia Alphabetica because I love letters and handlettering and I love animals. I didn't want to just commit to doodles or drawing, so it can be whatever it wants to be as long as there are animals and the alphabet!

(Well, I tried to add some pics of what I've done so far, but blogger is not cooperating!!!)

If you are interested in starting your own daily practice project, check out this awesome blog post/resource from Daisy Yellow.  Hopefully, there is something there that will spark your creativity!

Until next time, Lovebeams to you!

Two weeks in...are you still on track?

Hello Sunbeams!

Considering that I am still in the planning stage and haven't fully cemented what my goals for the new year are...YES, I would say I am still on track!

One of the things that I AM committed to is updating this blog more frequently. My wonderful mastermind superhero group (also known as the Poets & Painters) have fallen into the tradition (thank you MK for keeping us on track) of using Alyson Stanfield's annual review to look back at the past year and lay some groundwork for the upcoming one.

Of course, I love thinking ahead with all of the possibilities and potential. It is so much FUN to think of what can be! I shy away from looking back because it usually feels like NOT ENOUGH...the opposite of fun. But, I know it is important to take account and use what didn't work as a guide for what I want to create in 2018.

Two glaring things that I want to change in the new year:
1) Updating the blog. I would love to update at least once a week. I want to be able to look back through my blog and see a complete recollection of my year. That's what I am visualizing for January 2019. Last year, I did 4 blogposts. Four. That's one a quarter. Surely, I can beat that.

2) I didn't go to any art shows or museums last year (I did visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which was AH-MAZING and definitely counts, but I'm talking visual arts here). I also briefly popped into the Casselberry Art House. For the new year, I want to commit to exploring more. Even if I just stayed in Central Florida, there is so much to experience. I want that. YES. Helloooo....Artist Dates?!!



MOMENT OF GRATITUDE:
I want to express some gratitude this week for my dear friend, Mary K. Shaw. She is an amazing person...thoughtful, creative, and open who operates with integrity and a generous heart. She is a maker and a giver and an INSPIRATION. She made me this little (but mighty!) friendship book as a gift for the holidays. Wow! It is filled with quotes and her mixed media papers and reminds me that I am LOVED. Thank you, MK, for all that you are and thank you UNIVERSE, for letting me hang out with her in this life.

 This week also required some good ol' Jewish penicillin, matzo ball soup (I have to note that they turned out light and fluffy, not dense at all.) Just as my husband, Tim, was coming off a couple weeks of sickness, my daughter awoke on Thursday morning with a 100+ fever. Oy Vey. Needless to say, a lot of Lysol and bleach has been used in our house this weekend.








Finally, Kona just wanted to say, Hi! He has been enjoying the weekend napping on the couch next to the fire and warming up to the cat.

Until next time, Lovebeams to you!

2018! Happy New Year!

I don't know why it comes as such a surprise. There are 365 days leading up to it. But every turn of the new year finds me saying..."I just can't believe it is the new year!"  And this year is no different. It truly is amazing how time flies.

One of my favorite things to do is to pick a word of the year. It is a trend turned tradition wherein you pick a word to guide you throughout the year. Sometimes the word comes easily and pops right into my head, and other times it takes a little meditation and quietness to allow it to surface. This year I immediately thought of CONSISTENCY. I want to make things happen this year. I want to get a few long-standing projects completed and I want to forge a new path. And I know that consistency in all that I do will help with that.

But then...I started to have thoughts. The definition of consistency includes words like conformity, unvarying, and regular. Uhhh....No. I know myself and I know that anything rigid makes me want to rebel.

So I thought some more and surfed the web and researched as I do and my word of the year is:

DEVOTE
To give all or a large part of one's time and resources to. To dedicate formally. It's definition is surrounded by words like faithful, committed, dedicated and loyal. It is HEARTFELT, while still packing everything it needs to get'r done.

I want to DEVOTE more of my time and resources to my ART LIFE!

The last couple of years, my spirit has been recovering from my mom passing. It has been a wild ride with lots of ups and downs and twists and turns, but I am so ready to CREATE again. I am so ready to get back in the ring. I am ready to DEVOTE my energy to my dreams again.

Devote, Devoted, Devotion

Yes.

Until next time, Lovebeams to you!

Sparkle Market 2017

It is hard to believe that it was already time for another Sparkle Market. This year I had the supreme pleasure of sharing a space with my kindred, Carissa Paige. I love spending time with her and it was a great day for brainstorming, idea sharing, dream weaving, and general figuring life out. 

I always love doing this show for all the regular show reasons like it is super easy to load in and break down, there is food and bathrooms right there, and it has always been profitable. But my most favorite reason for doing this show are the supremely good vibes that swirl around. 

Huge Thanks goes out to Bethany Taylor Myers for handling everything like a total boss. She is the reason this show runs smoothly and continues to grow each year. Keep up the great work Bethany!

Until next time, Lovebeams to you!

PULSE - 1-year anniversary

It's really hard to believe that it has been a year since the PULSE nightclub shootings. The only good thing that came out of this tragedy was how united the city became afterwards. There were rainbows everywhere. People were hugging everywhere. People were lined up for blocks and blocks in support. That was the only good thing. At the time one of our local art supply stores, Sam Flax Orlando, sponsored local artists in the creation of a traveling Pulse Art Memorial. It originally hung at the public library and then began its travels around the state. Below is the piece that I created as part of this memorial.

Those "scribbles" in the middle which are underneath the final words, are the names of all 49 victims. Written with Love. 

And this is the message that I wanted to get out. We are Stronger Together. Love is Power.

Until next time, Lovebeams to you!

Inspiration when I least expected it...

Into the Portal by Shari Sherman ©2017

My mother passed away a year ago Sunday. I have finally come to look at the span of the year as a "writeoff". It was a year of feeling uninspired to paint, to teach, to write. Yes, there have been sparks here and there. But nothing that felt like catching. Doodles and stitches and splashes of watercolor and ink. Just colors and lines meandering about. Late last year I ended up taking a JOB because my inspiration had dried up. Thankfully, this allowed me to take any pressure off my art, off my projects.

I knew this week was going to be a rough one, but I had no idea how rough. Fast forward to, Thursday, March 16, my husband's birthday, and our beloved sweet dog, Maui, passed away.  I don't want to write about it. I'm still in the stage where I expect to see him here. Anyone who has ever loved a dog and lost a dog knows.

But an interesting thing happened. There I was engulfed in sadness, just like I was a year before, but this time, I immediately felt like painting my dog. Just as I have done many, many times in the past for my clients who have also loved and lost. It is therapy for me, A way of prolonging the connection, of making sure the channel stays open. So I got out my paints and started painting. Feeling Inspired. All kinds of thoughts going through my head with each stroke, mixing the paints, choosing the brushes...mostly remembering how easy this is for me. For a whole year, it has felt hard and difficult and muddy. And now, ease.

So, this year on Sunday, I lit a candle for my mom and stood at my table painting, the happiest that I've been in a long time...well, in about a year.

Until next time, Lovebeams to you!

Start anywhere...

Swatchbook by Shari Sherman Feb 2017

I have to admit I was a little bit shocked to see how much time has passed since I last did a blog post. I've been here before, letting my blog go and then wanting to come back to it. Last year was a bust. A write off. The death of my mother almost a year ago derailed me. I lost that creative feeling and am now just starting to get it back. I didn't feel like teaching. I didn't feel like painting. I didn't feel like finishing big projects. I've kept myself going with small snippets of creativity. Doodles here and there, Playing with words and color only when I felt like. I know myself well enough to know that there are times when I just can't push myself. I have had to work my way through with care. I'm not going to make any sweeping promises about being consistent or state any goals like "one blog post a week". Nope. What I am going to do is just start again from where I'm at with what I've got. 

Last month I felt inspired to follow Rae Missigman's Art Marks daily exercise, a 30-day challenge with prompts for different art marks each day. It felt do-able. I decided on a creating a little swatchbook with a ring binder and 30 pieces of paper to fill it. I consciously resisted pressuring myself and let the little book take its form. After the 30 days, I decided to start another little swatchbook. This time without prompts, just add some creativity each day. It can be anything: Collage, watercolor, drawing, sewing, writing,..I even hole-punched my Alvin Ailey ticket stub and added that. It feels good. It feels like inspiration. And it feels like little sparks are starting to fly...

and that is where I'm at. 

Until next time, Lovebeams to you!

Doodle Habit

Fourteen days ago I signed up for a course on the Daily OM. It is offered by Jen Sincero, author of the book, You are a Badass.  This course, called Unleash the Power of Badass Habits, is basically a 21-day course wherein you can choose what habit you would like to either create or get rid of. I'm sure all of us can thing of many habits that we'd either like to institute or eradicate, but Jen advises early on to just pick one...focus on one. I chose to create a solid habit of Art Every Day.

For me that means, 30 minutes every day of showing up. It could be drawing, painting, sewing, whatever. Well, I have been bitten by the doodlebug! For 30 minutes in the evening, I just let my brain go,..from brain to hand to heart...letting it pour out. And I am loving all of the cute things that are emerging! Some are ideas for future projects, some are patterns, and some are just inklings of what pops into my mind. I can't wait to get to the page each night. 7 more days and I will have a bonafide habit under my belt. I will proudly be able to say "I Create Art Every Day."



Until next time, Lovebeams to you!

Sometimes you just have to say it...

I wasn't saying this to anyone in particular,..except maybe my phone! But that's a whole 'nother story.

Last night I got together with 2 dear artist friends, Anne-Marie Colwell and MK Shaw, for a night of play in my studio. Inspired by a recent post from another friend, Jennifer Mercede, we decided to work on some collaborations. 

Basically, we started with three 12 x 12 gessoed boards. MK set a timer and we just jumped right in applying all kinds of media in any manner we wanted. 

When the timer went off, we each took a picture of our boards in progress and then passed it around clockwise. The above was a message midway...a reminder to let go and just have fun! 

We even said goodbye to cute things as we covered up 50% of what we did! We used pastels and scrapers, markers and pencils and kept going. The very top picture is the one that I happily ended up with.  

We talked about future collaborations and bridges and family and letting go of attachments. 

And we felt free. 

I think as artists we can very easily get holed up working by ourselves. Don't underestimate this powerfully rejuvenating (and fun) exercise. Is there someone you can do a collaboration with? Maybe a group? Give it a try and let me know how it went. I'd love to hear your thoughts! 

Until next time, Lovebeams to you!

Good Stuff: 30 Days of Genius with Chase Jarvis

There are just a few short hours left to try to cram in any of the interviews on 30 Days of Genius with Chase Jarvis HERE Chase Jarvis is the guy who started Creative Live. Right now I'm listening to Austin Kleon of "Steal Like an Artist and Show Your Work." Check it out if you have the time. You can also buy the 30 days for a discount if you get in by today. Good Stuff!

Until next time, Lovebeams to you!

Did the Universe Kill my Oven?

You know those days when you have had it? When you just don't think that you can take another THING happening to discourage you?  As a somewhat spiritually conscious person, you know that personal crises is a mirror, that it is an opportunity to learn, to grow, to expand. You take steps to evaluate and renew self care, visualization, and awareness.

Then, your friggin oven dies. WTF??!!  With a loud pop, kaput. Really?

After the initial shock and dismay of it all and a quick check to make sure there wasn't danger of an electrical fire...I manage the tiniest, "Thank You" under my breath. My husband asks, "Why is this happening?" I tell him we are blessed.

I think it is the Universe telling me to stop cooking dinner and go make some ART.

Until next time, Lovebeams to you!

Bittersweet Mother's Day

It was my first Mother's Day without my mom. It helped to be near the ocean, and to see this SKY. So blue, not a cloud in it. Skies like this say to me, "All is Well"...like a hug. I am determined to let myself be pampered the next few days. 

My daughter and I spent the day together. Getting to the beach early, enjoying the quiet time before it started to fill up. Making ourselves go into the freezing cold water and laughing big, scared, belly laughs when the fish would skim over our feet. So many fish!  

We decided that the trip would not be complete with a visit to Mon Delice for subs, and pastries of course. 

And waking up to this on Mother's day.! I love to cook for my family, but it is nice to take a day off too!

And the best card from my daughter. I thought she forgot, and then THIS. Grateful. 

I filled my day doing everything I wanted. I played in the studio, hung in the hammock with a fruity cocktail, surf the web just playing around, and relax with my stack of books! And thought about my mom. 

Until next time, Lovebeams to you!