Archive for Daily Creative
Daily Creative… Inspiration Boards
Posted by: | CommentsDo YOU have an Inspiration Board? 
An Inspiration Board is a fabulous way to display ideas, thoughts, keepsakes, and images to “inspire” one to create, connect or live from.
There are many reasons to create these boards- to inspire our thoughts; to remind us of lovely, favorite things; to inspire our creativity; to keep our goals in front of us; to keep us positive or grateful; or to help us with a project.
I like to use Inspiration Boards for all of the above. I have a rotating board that changes with my mood. I have a few more boards for projects and creative boosters. I also have some Inspiration Folders and Binders- filled with overflow elements that I seem to wander through when needed.
Key elements for an inspiration board: keep it in view, keep it simple enough to gain from the content, keep it fresh if you are not looking at it and responding to it.
How does one create an Inspiration Board you say? It can be quite simple- a cork board and some push-pins can be an in-expensive starter. A custom fabric covered board with criss-crosses of ribbon to hold the elements on is another version. A vintage framed magnet board with hand-made magnets is another.
Not enough wall space for a large piece? Try a small cork inserted into a cabinet or closet door. As I mentioned above, try out a Folder or Binder if you are limited on space or just prefer to be able to carry your inspiration around with you. Either way, it’s a simple way to hold on to the elements that strike our hearts or creativity.
What goes on it? Anything that inspires you!! Favorite quotes or scripture, photos of places or people, art, magazine clippings, handwritten notes, advertising images, color swatches, words, fabric, jewelry, ribbon, in other words, anything that brings you joy and motivates or inspires you!
My challenge for you today is to create a Inspiration Board. If you already have one, either update that one, or start a new one. Let your imagination take off as you introduce these new thoughts to the front of your brain!
Daily Creative: House Cleaning?
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Cleaning house is such a creative inspiration for me. Not the “run-through-the-house-and-clean-up in 15 minutes” kind of clean, but the really deep cleaning process is what I am referring to. I know that sounds really weird, but I think there’s something about doing a routine task that clears the mind. I also think it’s the physical act of touching and handling every piece that surrounds me on a daily basis. The moving of the furniture, dusting the objects, the small details noticed, I think those are the things that start to stir my mind.
I did just that on this holiday weekend. (Okay, not what you normally would do to celebrate a 4th of July holiday, I know.) But, our kids left us home for the weekend, so the Hubby and I decided to stay home and tend to our place. We re-mulched all of our backyard landscaping and gardens and deep-cleaned several areas in our home. It felt good and was much needed! I do have a few areas that still need attention, but boy I feel much better now. I will be able to start my week more focused now that the dust bunnies are gone and my floors are scrubbed. I know, like I said it’s weird, but it works for me!
What sorts of things get you thinking creatively? Do you like to get out to nature, do you like to draw, do you like to meditate or go for a jog? Let me know what gets you thinking… I may try it too! Thanks for stopping by and live creativity today!!
Daily Creative: Master the Art of Living
Posted by: | CommentsI read a quote the other day and it really spoke to me. I think I have always felt this way about what I do, but reading someone else’s thoughts about it, really struck me. Here it is:
“The master in the art of living make little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information 
and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him, he is always doing both.”
That quote was written by James Michener. I have always believed that God has created each one of us with distinct abilities that only we have. When we are in our “sweet spot” as Max Lucado says, we are where God has designed us to be. That spot is where we find this “mastery of living”, it is our ART. It is who we were meant to be and it doesn’t feel like work, it is who we are.
So my creative challenge to you today is to really think about who you are. Are you living the life you were designed to? Are you mastering your sweet spot?
IF you are… yea! I am so thrilled for you, you have found your calling. Rejoice in it and share it with us… please comment below. IF you aren’t, it is time to really reflect on this challenge and maybe make some changes to your life. Life after all, is far too short, and if we aren’t doing what we love and were designed for, then it’s probably about time we did.
Go ahead, what are you waiting for? The world is waiting for you…
Daily Creative: Joyful Attitude
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How joyful are you? Are you an optimist or pessimist?
Do you practice an attitude of gratitude?
Our days are really determined more by our attitudes than our circumstances. It’s not about what happens to us, but how we respond to our circumstances that makes our lives fulfilled. Even though our days can be stressful, frustrating, and certainly not as we planned, we can still practice being grateful for what we do have and what is truly important in life.
I know you’ve heard it before, but what we often prioritize our days or even lives doing, isn’t what brings us joy and fulfills our lives. We are all designed to make a contribution to our world and often we miss our calling. We know when we are not in our “sweet spot” and feel unhappy, passing that frustration on to others.
Can you practice being grateful for what is in your life today? Don’t worry about what you don’t have, focus on all of the things that make life rich for you. What do you have to offer? Who can you build a relationship with? Who has a need that you can fulfill? We are designed to contribute, what is your calling?
Even when circumstances happen to us that seem less than ideal, there is usually a learning moment, some insight, or even a bigger plan to what is happening. We can be thankful for many things, even in the midst of a storm. Our character is built on it and our attitude is shaped by it.
A wonderful friend’s son was injured severely by a fall off of a roof when he was just 1 year into college. He was paralyzed from the chest down. As he lay in his hospital bed, he told his family and friends how lucky he was. He was still alive and he could breathe on his own, unlike the man in the bed next to him. Over the last few years, he has been in and out of the hospital, had countless surgeries, and many setbacks. He learned to cope with his challenges and move forward, all while maintaining his positive attitude. Through it all, his faith never wavered, but grew stronger. Still in a wheel-chair and unable to walk, he went back to college and earned his engineering degree and is currently designing projects that enhance the lives of other physically challenged adults. He is an inspiration to everyone who knows him. He has built his reputation on being a man of integrity, heart and gratitude.
I challenge you to make a list of 50 things that you are grateful for today…. it’s amazing how much we take for granted. Take time to notice all you are blessed with. It will change your day.
Daily Creative: What do you dream about doing?
Posted by: | CommentsWhat idea, dream, book, project, plan or business do you dream about making happen? What niche are you designed to fulfill? What dream do you keep so hidden within that you haven’t even given it words? What burning desire is just waiting to be set free?
You know it’s there. We all have something we are dreaming of doing. The problem is… we wait for someday, or just don’t even give our dreams enough worth to bring them to the light and take action on them.
What is keeping you from setting this dream to wings? Just what if you set it free and it came true? Just what would happen if your wildest dream came true?
What if? What if you opened it, gave it a name, nurtured it and it became real?
Don’t let it collect dust any longer, open your dream, set it free… and watch it fly. I dare you….
Watch and listen to the talented Kelly Corrigan read “I dare you”. The inspiration for today’s thoughts.
