Shiny Glass Globes and Sweat....

Today I want to share another wonderful blog I love with you.It's called Blisschick. She has some wonderful posts. One in particular that made me think recently was one about negative people and how they hinder our growth.Here is an excerpt from her recent post..
Negative Nellies will pop your balloon or take in hand that fragile, shiny glass globe, pretending interest, and then "accidentally" drop it.
How many times have we shared an idea we thought was wonderful or a piece of ourselves that we were proud of or excited about (our shiny glass globe) only to have our excitement burst by feelings of inadequacy and self doubt? I know for me, many times a negative comment has left me doubting myself,had me reevaluating myself and my worth, wondering if my view of myself was somehow distorted,that maybe what I thought was shiny and beautiful really wasn't. In her post Blisschick reminds us "that we have to stop showing these people our shiny glass globes"
Positive people who support us are essential to our growth.There is a part of me , a big part, that doesnt value what I am doing or who I am without the approval of others.I have been struggling and working on this for a long time. I want to be the woman dressed in the outrageous outfit or the woman standing out in the crowd and not caring about what others are thinking.The woman who is completely comfortable in her own skin.You know the one? the one who has a peacefulness on her face and really is ok with who she is.That is the woman I aspire to be. I also want to remember to "give back" ,listen and accept the creative voices of others without judgement . I want to be the woman who knows how to handle a shiny glass globe with care.
She also has an interesting theory on how we can help get rid of all this self doubt , you can find it here . Blisschick says we need to "sweat it out" , literally, Move, work our bodies into a sweat to dissolve our inner "stuck chick" . Ok , she has my attention, that inner voice who has been telling me to "Move More" got a little louder when I read that. Thanks Blisschick!!

Ordinary Courage and Midlife...

Another blog that I discovered and had been meaning to share is "Ordinary Courage" .Just the name itself is Beautiful to me, but their is some real content there.Today I was struck by this little sentence "Midlife is when the universe gently places her hands on your shoulders,pulls you close, and whispers in your ear". Maybe I should do an art journal page about that and what she would be saying to me because about 6 months ago it felt liked she gave me a kick in the A**. I will be turning 40 soon and about 6 months ago I was acting like a lunatic.When I read this excerpt from Brene Brown -
"It’s time. All of this pretending and performing – these coping mechanisms that you’ve developed to protect yourself from feeling inadequate and getting hurt – has to go. Your armor is preventing you from growing into your gifts. I understand that you needed these protections when you were small. I understand that you believed your armor could help you secure all of the things you needed to feel worthy and lovable, but you’re still searching and you’re more lost than ever. Time is growing short. There are unexplored adventures ahead of you. You can’t live the rest of your life worried about what other people think. The time has come to let go of who you think you’re supposed to be and embrace who you are."
I thought wow thats powerful and it is.You ever read something and you think something is here for me? I just need to sit with this and think about this and soak this up for a little while. Brene' is right. we spend the first part of our lives keeping ourselves protected with all kinds of vices and defenses only to find out that this only kept us from our true selves, it hindered our growth. We are taught that we should fit in ,only to discover that true beauty comes when we allow ourselves to stand out and embrace our individuality.I picture it like a flower in youth closed up tight ,protected, but the real beauty is on the inside , when the flower opens fully,only then , can you truly appreciate all it has to offer.

Welcome..

I have been wanting to start this blog for a while.I already have a blog where I share cards I create, but I often blurf around the internet and I have been so inspired by different mixed media artists and others who so inspire me with quotes and other things.Inspire me to listen to my own voice ,inspire me to push myself to be a better person ,inspire me to learn new things.Sometimes the things I want to share just doesn't fit well on my card blog . Maybe something you see here will inspire you or lead you down a different path towards exploring your own creativity.Maybe you will find a new artist that touches you in some way and sparks a new interest.This will be a place for me to refine Me,down to a fine art!