Marjolein Bastin has been an inspiration to me for years as both a watercolor artist and as an art licensor. If you are not familiar with her name, you most likely have seen her work in the Hallmark products since the 1990’s. She is based in Netherlands, but she paints and draws wonderful imagery from nature stories from all over the world. This is a charming little video that you are sure to enjoy.

A special thanks goes out to Joan Beiriger for sharing a link to this video on her blog.

by Sally Evans, Creativity Coach

We tend to think of life as the big events like weddings, births, moving, and new jobs. But it is so much more. Each day and every moment contributes to the whole of your life. Being grateful for the little things and little moments every day can make a big difference in our overall outlook and attitude.

“Gratitude helps you to grow and expand. Gratitude brings joy and laughter into your lives and into the lives of all those around you.” – Eileen Caddy

Sara Ban Breathnach, author of Simple Abundance shared that “life had become an out-of- body experience for me. The more I focused on lack, the more depressed and worried I became; the more depressed and worried I’d wake up, the more I focused on what was lacking in my life all day.” She decided she needed to sit down and write at least 100 reasons for being grateful for her life exactly as it was at that moment. She was humbled by how very rich in blessings her life really was. After that, she began to keep a gratitude journal, writing down five small things she was grateful for each day. She became a completely different woman. After two months, she began to write Simple Abundance which has sold over 7 million copies in the United States alone.

If you begin to notice and express gratitude for 5 small things a day, will you become a best selling author or rise to the top of your field? Maybe not but what is likely to happen is you’ll have a shift in attitude. You’ll realized how blessed you are, that life is fundamentally good, and that there is hope.

So, as you sit down to enjoy a Thanksgiving feast this year, savor the moments and notice some of the details; the sound of a loved one laughing, the scent of cloves and cinnamon in the pumpkin pie, the feel of your favorite sweater on your skin. And try to continue giving thanks every day for all those little things. It might just make a big difference.

Sally Evans is a Creativity Coach and Jewlery Artist who shares insights and resources in living a creative and inspired life. Would you like to be inspired to remember gratitude and make it a habit? Sign up for a free 30 day email that includes inspiring quotes and a reminder to write in your gratitude journal. Click here.

*Painting for Life Christmas Card Give-Away*

This week we are giving away two new “Something to Cherish” Christmas cards, hot of the press to one of you! These are a special part of our 2009 Painting for Life Christmas card collection. They are blank inside and can be used as Christmas greeting cards or even an after-holiday thank you! For the chance to win, just leave a comment in this post with your e-mail address as well as a random fun fact about yourself. On November 24th, just in time to give thanks, we will randomly select a winner from the comments on the blog and a very special gift will be on its way.

*Special Craft Project*

Embroidered Name Christmas Gift Tag & Keepsake Ornament

Download the PDF craft directions here -For your personal use only please.

*5 things that really inspire you*

1. Relationships – family, friends, clients & students
2. Color
3. Exploring nature
4. Traveling to new and old places
5. Music

*5 things we might not know about you that you’d like to share*

1. I am married to an awesome guy, Benjamin Hummel, who survived not one but TWO liver transplants when he was a teenager due to an auto immune disorder that he was born with. He is an artist, too. I am so lucky to have him in my life. You can see some of his work at www.Painting for Life.com.
2. During the summer of 2008 I had my first rib removed (the one under my left clavicle) since it was damaged in a car accident (I was not at fault). The dislocated rib caused a huge clot in my left arm several hundred blot clots broke off and passed through my heart and into my lungs. I am EXCEPTIONALLY grateful to God that I am still alive and back in the studio making new art!
3. I wake up almost every morning with a purring cat on my good shoulder. Her name is Lady Guinevere (Gwinny for short), my little sister named her after she was rescued as a kitten from the streets of Kansas.
4. To read the last two items, visit the article that CraftForHealth.com just posted HERE.

*5 things going on in your creative world*

1. I am learning Corel Painter for the 3rd time since its release. I am really excited about the watercolor brushes. Thinking about some hybrid art making possibilities.
2. I will be exhibiting at CHA for the 3rd year in the License & Design section in Anaheim, CA. My lightbox it stacked with a ton of ideas and paintings for new watercolor embroidery art licensing collections.
3. Also, as a part of CHA 2010 I am participating in the crafting around the world exhibit and will share art inspired by Sweden.
4. Our studio is also working on some new digital art products for computers and the iPhone with a new licensing partner . . . stayed tuned for details.
5. Oh, and did I mention that my husband and I are also excited to share our collection of Christmas cards? You can check those out and sign up for a friends only e-mail update list at www.PaintingForLife.com.

*What’s Next?*

Tomorrow be sure to check out the wonderful work of Joy Hall and feel free to visit and comment on each artist’s blog before the 24th – the more the merrier!

Terri Conrad Designs November 14th

Brenda Pinnick November 15th

Tori Higa November 16th

Joyce Shelton November 17th

Phyllis Dobbs November 18th

Cherish Flieder November 19th

Joy Hall November 20th

Barbara Johansen Newman November 21st

Sharyn Sowell November 22nd

*Ok, now don’t forget to post your comments for a chance to win!*

by Sally Evans, Creativity Coach

Do you wish you had more money or time?
Is it possible to make creative choices and begin to shape your days into the life you wish you could have? Yes! Your life is a series of choices you get to make.

If you look at the heart of what you want and what it would mean to you, you might find there are more ways to get the essence of what you desire.

What does it mean to you?
Maybe you feel like if you had more money or time your life would be complete. You could take a closer look to define what having more money means to you. Would it mean freedom? Freedom to work at a different career, freedom to travel or peace of mind? Would it give you a sense of value or self esteem? Would it give you more time with your kids, spouse, or friends?

How could you start to get the benefits now?
If you want to spend more time with your family, you might declare Friday nights as family night where you take turns choosing the activity or make it movie night, complete with popcorn. Or could you give up TV for an evening and just talk, play games, or work on a project together?

If you want more time for a creative pursuit, you might take a half hour before everyone gets up or a half hour before dinner each night to work a little at a time on it.

Maybe you’d just like more time. I needed help with lots of the little details of my business and personal life that seemed to be piling up. I wanted to make sure I still have time to relax and that I’m not always having to do something. So I recently placed an ad in Craig’s list and hired an awesome personal assistant. She is able to help me a few hours a week and it’s wonderful.

Do you want to travel more but can’t afford it? What could you give up that doesn’t give you as much satisfaction? Or better yet, brainstorm some ways you could be paid to travel.

What is the essence of your desires?
If you begin to look at why you want something, you may discover that you can make creative and positive choices that will give you the essence of what you want. What else could you do to create those outcomes and enjoy the benefits now?

Reflect on your choices
The end of the year is always a great time to reflect on the choices you made this year. What were some of the best moments? What do you wish you had more time for? What creative choices can you make for next year?

Sally Evans is a Creativity Coach and Jewlery Artist who shares insights and resources in living a creative and inspired life. Sign up for weekly inspiration at Embracing Creativity Free Ezine.

Recently I had the distinct pleasure of meeting James Gurney along with several art licensing and children’s book illustration friends. If his name doesn’t ring a bell, perhaps the name Dinotopia will. James Gurney is the multiple award winning author, illustrator behind this best selling book series which has circulated the globe as well as many spin-off opportunities.

We met James Gurney at the Denver Botanic Gardens for a lecture on his creative process as it relates to the world of Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara.

As you probably know, I teach adjunct illustration classes at the Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design. I don’t know how many people were there to get their book signed, I just know I was at the end of the line. I had the honor to have my copy not only signed, but also sketched upon. I asked James if he would consider coming back to Colorado to present to the Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design as well as the local chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators. I feel very blessed that everything was able to work out for Mr. Gurney to fit these lectures into his visit this September 17-20, 2009. We look forward to seeing him again!

For more information on the upcoming visits to Colorado click to:

• Rocky Mountain Chapter – Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (Fall Conference)
  
• Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design (Visiting Artists)
  
  

To learn more about Dinotopia and James Gurney,
visit his site at Dinotopia.com.