"Learnings" from Week One Right-Brainers in Business Summit 2015

Last week I joined in on the 5th Annual Right-Brainers in Business Summit hosted by author an Artizen Coach Jennifer Lee (March 9-20th). The summit features several successful and soulful creative entrepreneurs. Each weekday, Jennifer shares live and pre-recorded interviews, answers Q & A, and announces prize giveaways. I am so happy to report that I won a fabulous prize by Mari Pfeiffer - a workbook to help write amazing web content ($37 value). Creative friend Bill Cearbaugh won Jennifer's book the day before. I think I was even more thrilled for him, since I invited him and fellow group members to the summit.

Prizes aside, every day I look forward to learning from professionals who are making an impact in the creative world. Every day, Jennifer encourages us to tweet or share our learnings and take-aways on Twitter and other social media. My Documentation Journal is FULL of notes from last week, and I often watch the replay at night for anything I may have missed while chatting or multi-tasking!

DAY ONE
The very first quote that resonated with me was from Lisa Congdon. She said quite simply to:

Build and Sail Your Own Boat

I immediately grabbed a Jelly Roll pen, and added the quote above the Sailboat on the front cover of my documentation journal. It was meant  to be there, as I move "Beyond This Place" towards new experiences and moving into uncharted waters.

Winter has been a real transition time for us. We had this inkling that we were supposed to move, but it wasn't clear exactly where. This past weekend we received the answer, and now we are preparing to move out of state and start a new life. It's scary and challenging for both myself and my husband, but in a way it's a good kind of fear. Lisa also shared that even as an introverted artist, she spends every day trying to Live Outside Her Comfort Zone. I felt courage that I can be brave, too, as we move to a new place and make new friends. I am excited about new possibilities. 

DAY TWO

The RBBIZ summit is interesting, as it brings together people with different spiritual beliefs and values. One of the speakers on Day Two, Amethyst Wyldfire, spoke about Coming Out of Your Spiritual Closet. Jennifer thanked her for that advice, as it gives us permission to be our authentic spiritual selves even in the marketplace. 

Can I share a confession with you? The past year I've struggled very hard to come out of my Christian bubble of like-minded believers and interact with the art community at large. While I am mature in my beliefs and values, I was conscious of the fact that I separated myself from others in a kind of spiritual ghetto. My breakthrough came through joining several art groups and workshops online, and participating in swaps and art challenges which allowed me to spread the love and rub shoulders with peace-loving creative souls. 

I've written a great deal more on this mixed media blog in the past year than my website CreativeCurrents.net which houses my musings on art and faith. During New Year reflections, I realized that I need to work towards integrating my blog about creative process with the spiritual truths that I hold dear. I am letting go of fear that I will offend others who may judge me for being a Christian, as that term carries a lot of baggage. I've never been ashamed of following Christ, but I think I was compartmentalizing a little bit too much and hiding who I truly am at times. Does that make sense? I could write loads more about this shift in perspective, but that will wait for the new website!

DAY THREE

Corbett Barr of Fizzle, an online learning library for entrepreneurs, shared last Wednesday. Since then, I've listened to a few of the hilarious hipster-style podcasts by Corbett and his cohorts in "Portlandia." He shared so many practical nuggets, but the one that stand out is figuring out your Minimum Viable Product (MVP). This is basically working intensely for a short-term launch of your product or service before it's reached the pinnacle of perfection. It's about not waiting until every bug is worked out or every piece perfectly in place. It's releasing the product/service and allowing your first round of customers to help you make the needed changes. Since it is a trial, you may give a discount since they are providing helpful feedback. I believe this advice may be helpful if I launch any learning modules or e-courses in the future. 

I also loved that he tries to choose business partners that have an opposite style. He's an introvert right-brainer, so he may partner with an extroverted left-brain. In fact, that's exactly what he did when he chose his first business partner for Fizzle. Corbett loves the synergy that happens with this kind of "odd couple" partnership (my analogy). 

DAY FOUR

I had a moment of synchronicity on Day 4, when Jennifer interviewed Sam Bennett, author of Get It Done: From Procrastination to Creative Genius in 15 Minutes a Day. Wednesday night, I was reading over all the great notes from the summit and thinking about my goals. I also watched an entertaining lecture by Lisa Congdon on YouTube (yes, Lisa from Day One) called Small Things Organized Neatly. Later that night, during a bout of insomnia, I felt like getting a dose of inspiration before working on my goals again. I knew I really needed tips for organization, not the typical left-brain advice I've read so many times - but advice geared toward right-brain creatives. I googled "Organized Artist", and this is what popped up! Here's the screenshot I took:

Now, first I was thrilled that such a company existed, but I also was struck by the thumbnail images below (part of the Google Image search feature). Lisa used the same images in her lecture I had watched just minutes before in a talk given to graphic designers in San Francisco. Most of these are from the Tumblr blog, Things Arranged Neatly. 

I checked out Sam's site and watched a few of her YouTube videos, too. I kept nodding my head in agreement and tickled pink at Sam's warmth in her delivery style (she has a background in acting). So when Day Four rolled around, I couldn't believe that she was the guest speaker. Remember, I didn't go Googling her from the guest list, but just had that searching in my heart. 

She shared oodles of good things, but towards the end, she spoke about "search terms". Paraphrasing, she said we need a good website to showcase what we do because "there are people searching for YOU."  She used the vision of someone walking down a dark corridor tiptoeing with a candle, searching, searching for something. And sometimes that something is YOU. There were ladies in the chat crying when she shared that. And it didn't really hit me until I wrote this blog that I was searching, too. And lo and behold, God used his GPS (God's Positioning System) to direct me to Sam to answer some of those questions in my heart. 

DAY FIVE

I have some nuggets to share from Andreea Ayers (yes, two e's), but I seem to have misplaced my notes. Sorry! 

This weekend I was having RBBIZ withdrawals. In fact, I forgot it was Saturday and had my notebook ready and tried to log on to Livestream! You can still get a "free ticket" and join us. Remember, the summit continues through Friday, March 20th. Be sure to look for me in the chat, CreativeCurrents. Send me a tweet @Sandra_L_Martin with your favorite learnings, or share in comments below. 

Coming out of Your Shell ~ A little Inspiration for Sunday

Post by BuzzFeed Video.

Documentation Journal (inspired by Daisy Yellow & Milliande)

The past few days, I completed a studio purge and I'm ready to get down to the business of creating again. I was in my "sweet spot" of consistent creating last fall, and then other projects crowded in, taking priority. I don't know if it's spring fever, but I feel this new creative energy welling up inside of me, and I'm fighting to build creative momentum again. Winter blahs, health issues and depression have kept me down long enough! It's not even March yet, but I'm entering this season like a roaring lion! Hear me ROAR! 

One way of entering this new creative phase is gathering my thoughts, goals and ideas that seemed to scatter like snowflakes in the blustery winter wind. (Yes, that's a bit poetic, but maybe you'll relate!) I checked out Daisy Yellow's Prompt60, and the first prompt totally caught my attention. Tammy suggested making a documentation journal to record those odd moments of inspiration, trivia and practice doodles and creative ideas. Nothing too precious, but something you're not afraid to attack with glue, staples and washi tape. (My favorite go-to is also hot glue!) I chose a cheap composition book, one of many purchased during the back-to-school sales last August. (In hindsight, I wish I would've bought more of the notebooks with graph paper!)

I decorated the front cover with a sailboat image, some scraps of a vintage book dust jacket, a paper bead with similar colors, ledger paper, etc. The vintage novel was called "Beyond this Place", which perfectly describes what I'm trying to accomplish in this new season. Moving on...pushing past old patterns of negative behaviors...overcoming fears. A little sailboat staying afloat on top of all this chaos. 

The cover, like the rest of the notebook, is a work in progress. I'll probably go back in with more textured collage and maybe some paint. But the notebook is ready to house new discoveries! 

The composition book is also inspired by the artist Milliande. She encourages artists to have a variety of portfolios to house their explorations. This includes a simple composition book for documentation and notes. She mentioned how these composition books are difficult to find in the UK, but she made a graphic to add to her plain notebook as well as other portfolios to give the same feel. 

So far, I've added a few smashing journal and collage elements, and added a splash of color with my Derwent Inktense Blocks. 

Be Colorful! Be Bold! Be Memorable! 

The page above is my favorite. I took some notes from an interview with artist Michelle Ward (The When I Grow Up Coach). She's also an actor, and spoke about how frustrated she was that people weren't remembering her or that she didn't seem to be the right fit for parts. So she decided to wear polka dots from head to toe, or take profile pics with bright blue backgrounds (to make her face pop). This bold move paid off. She received more callbacks and coaching clients than ever, and grew in her confidence. I found this image in my stash of a woman dressed in classic polka dots with the phrase "Confident Style." It fit perfectly. I also paired it with a large crayon box from an ad to remind me to be colorful and not to be afraid to color outside the lines! Playing it safe just isn't cutting it anymore! 

A few more pages. Most of these focus on selling tips for artists. I added Monopoly money a pen pal sent me. It reminds me not take marketing and money issues so seriously. I need to develop a lighthearted approach to promotion, and enjoy the business side of art. It doesn't have to be sleazy or slimey. 

The left page is ready for favorite quotes. The iconic image of the little girl with the red balloon is one of my favorites by Banksy. The funny pic of George Washington blowing bubbles is from a medicine ad for Advair. I love how whimsical George is, and it's another reminder not to take marketing so seriously. Below I quickly added some clippings from a local alternative newspaper on arts and culture. I included tabs throughout (adhered with hot glue). Also pockets for more ephemera and journal tip-ins. Looking forward to adding more notes and maybe some of the #Prompt60 projects. 

Sandra Lee

Sunday Sentiment ~ "The Best Way to Know God is to Love Many Things" ~ Vincent Van Gogh

A detail from my art journal

Today I'm linking up with Zsuzsa Karoly-Smith, artist and blogger at Inky Dinky Doodle. She hosts a link party called Sunday Sentiments, which is now open monthly rather than weekly.

Full Layout - "To Love Many Things"

These days most of my creative energy is geared towards my art journals. I continue collaging my stash of scraps, which include many sentiments. I love quotes and sometimes saccharine sweet vintage poetry as well. When working on this eclectic layout. I found this quote by Vincent Van Gogh:

The best way to know God is to love many things. 

I knew this familiar quote, but it took on new meaning as I glued down the odd assortment of treasures...at least treasures to me. Packaging from Burt's Bee's Pomegranate Lip Balm framed by paper beads I tightly rolled from recycled magazines...tattered vintage stamps from an old stamp album found in the corner of a flea market...tags from clothing and even my tea bag reminding me to "be yourself." :)

Cute drawing by illustrator of Suzy's Zoo - part of old bulletin board border when I taught daycare.

Recycled Paper Beads smashed flat add raised texture.

I love all these things not only because they inspire me creatively, but they remind me of happy memories or old friends. A writing theme emerged as I put items together in this jigsaw puzzle. I would sometimes blindly grab something from the two or three scrap boxes beside me, and it would end up perfectly fitting this theme.

Part of clothing tag suggests handwriting. A paper bead cut to a point makes a colorful pen. 

The elements began to remind me of two friends I know, both named Abigail. One is a fun-loving mother who writes adventures about cicadas, and one is a teenager with fresh hopes and stars in her eyes. Both are dedicated to their writing craft. Both have potential to change the world and each of them have boundless, God-given creativity. They have each deposited joy in my life, just as their name suggests. 

Take a breath and write.....

For dreamers and poets

In my last chat with the starry-eyed Abigail, she ended with: "I'm thankful for you." Of course this got me misty-eyed. I don't get to see either Abigail very often, but I am thankful for each of them. I told Abby:

When I count my blessings, I count you twice.

Everyone have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Please check back later today for news about a charity art auction I'm holding this week to raise money for orphans and widows in Uganda. They are in need of emergency food and cooking fuel this holiday season.

You can learn more about the Fundraiser here. I will be cross-posting information about the auction on both blogs, or you can "Like" the charity on Facebook at Truth of Wings.

Bye for now!

Sock Monkey says Hi and Goodbye

Sandra Lee

Linking Up:
Sunday Sentiments ~ November @ Inky Dinky Doodle

A Leaf from my Art Journal ~ Early Light and Emergence

"Simple, Beautiful Ideas"

Today I uploaded a YouTube video of my altered art journal which you can view here. I created this journal last month from an old Chris Madden decorating manual. It was one of those types of books that is heavy on the writing but there were very few colored photos. Even though some of the decorating advice is outdated, I hung onto the book because it was such a nice size for a small art journal. Lately, I've enjoyed working in the square format in several altered art journals, including my pictures for the 100 Face Challenge (see my latest blog entry). The small space is less intimidating, and I find myself working very quickly through the pages. I filled half my art journal up in a couple days. 

In the past two weeks, I continue working on blank pages and adding details to others I've already done. I try not to concern myself about making a page "finished", but simply do as much as I want to for a little while, working on multiple pages at a time. 

I love this Star Fruit Stamp

To create the art journal, I took out several pages to reduce bulk using a utility knife. The remaining pages were doubled up using Mod Podge. This created thicker pages. Many pages were also sealed with Mod Podge for the first layer. Some were gessoed as well.

"Early Light" is an inspirational layout exploring color and meditating on God

I've been cutting out many grids lately, influenced by Daisy Yellow's Grid collage. I blogged about this process here. I also cut out images that captured a certain feeling and played with color combinations. The "Early Light" layout, for instance, captures that dreamy feel of sunrise, when you are first waking up and things feel fresh. I even loved using things like the "renew" tag from my morning ginger tea.

This sentimental quote is by Patience Strong from a vintage Ideals magazine

I was able to express visually what is hard to put into words as well. "Early Light" touches on things of the Spirit, but also memories of my late mom. I know I bring her up often on my blog, probably because art touches those deep places of our hearts, including memories of loved ones and even pockets of grief. 

D for Doris, my late mother

I picked up little scraps from my art table when putting this together, including this scrap of alphabet washi tape with the letter D. I put this in the garden with peaceful statue. The words peeking through speak of an "abundance of pillows" (a sign of rest) and this line:

Serene ~ The serene woman likes to spend time quietly enjoying her surroundings. 

Crochet Lace and other bits fill this "mood board"

Another page dealt with some of these themes of loss. "Emergence" is a busy hodge podge of elements. I struggled to find ways to unify them, and ended up using a lot of repetition. It still feels very full, crowded and busy, but this actually reflected my mood at the time. I was full of bottled up thoughts and emotions.

Emergence ~ A Key Word for This Season of Life

 My mom Doris was a crafter and artist in her own right. She saw beauty even in common things, and tried to find ways to use them. Like a magpie, she hoarded anything that sparkled or shined. I found these hearts in several envelopes in her craft stash after she died. They were cut from plastic packaging, potato chip bags, etc. She organized them by color with labels like "Orange Shiny Hearts for Fall Crafts", etc. I lay them on my lap and the hearts just spilled out of the packaging. And of course the tears rolled down because it felt like she was sending me a love letter even though she was gone, or hearts were sprinkling from heaven. 

Mom's Stash of Hearts

I kept these hearts for probably a year before I could feel emotionally ready to actually craft with them. I knew I wanted to use some in this autumn journal, though. I used my hot glue gun to adhere them to the art journal page. I knew the hot glue would react to the plastic, which it did. The hot glue caused the packaging to crinkle and even shrink slightly. But I used the texture to my advantage. When I run my finger across these hearts, they make a nice crinkly sound. I outlined the hearts with black paint and made white dots and scallops with a white fluid correction pen.

Chipboard Star from Happy Mail

This funny-faced creature was something from my own stash. I made her from different arty papers. Originally I had cut her hair to represent leaves or grass, but somehow they morphed into hair. When she finally found a home in this art journal spread, I realized this funky lady was actually a self portrait of me when I get out of bed in the morning. This is exactly how I look and feel. 

Yawn....time to wake up

This page was originally discussing pillows, so I added to this theme with pillows and a purple flower bedspread cut from origami paper (another happy mail treasure).

Stay in bed or change the world? Hmmmm......

Again, though, the dark colors spoke of emerging from a dark place of grief as well. Or perhaps from my tendency to hide myself away. The bed also reminded me of my years as a caregiver for my mom. One of my tasks was to be sure she had enough pillows to prop herself up in bed. 

When I revisited the page, I added the word Change. The cramped nature of the composition reminds me of a tight cocoon, or a mind busy with crowded thoughts. I know it's time in my life to emerge, change and ultimately grow. 

Time to Change

If you've read this far, I thank you for taking the time to hear the stories behind the images. I will continue to experiment with collage because the act of bringing together disparate things - things that do not seem to belong together - can sometimes create a unifying theme or idea or tell a story...even one deeply hidden that needs to see the light of day. 

So my friends, remember to allow room for emergence and change in your lives as well. 

Blessings,

Sandra Lee

Grid Love Art Journal Spreads ~ Inspired by Daisy Yellow

Back in August, I watched some inspiring tutorials by Tammy over at Daisy Yellow to jumpstart my art journal. She showed how to make a journal layout very quickly using a grid format. While I tucked away this idea for a while, now that I'm finally doing my own grid experiments, I'm finding it to be a game changer in how I approach my art journal spreads.

I've always clipped images from magazines, but the idea of using a few tiny squares caused me to rethink the value of certain images. For instance, I might throw away a clothing catalog if I don't care for the styles. But a pattern or color might catch my eye. The same goes for home decor catalogs as well. Now I can cut a swatch of fabric or clip a little object that might not be significant on its own, but in a layout can add just the right touch of texture or interest.

It's also a good way to use up those little bits of ephemera I receive from day to day....a stamp, a word or image from junk mail, or just using those leftover bits on my art table.

Here are a few closeups of my latest grid experiment I completed during an all night art party. ;) I began with some paper weaving using trimmings of leftover scrap paper.

This is similar to what it looked like before (I made a couple paper weavings):

Paper Weaving ~ Don't throw those scraps away! 

This was the first element I glued down, providing a jumping off point for the rest of the grid collage. I loved the eclectic mix of patterns and colors.

Paper Weaving after ~ Covered in Gelly Roll Doodles

Midways through, I started adding paper X's to go with the red O shape. Repetition always helps tie a piece together.

XOXO

One of my favorite squares is the Sakura Cray-Pas wrapper. This wrapper is from a very old set of oil pastels...probably one of my first sets I received as a teenager. It already had this lovely red color saturated into the yellow wrapper, created by oil pastels that rolled around in the box and "melted" over the years.

Detailed Closeup

I find that the grid experiments help to loosen me up and not take my art journaling so seriously. I realize every page doesn't have to be a laborious process. It can be quick and fun, like a little sketch of ideas. I can feel free to play with design and color without overthinking it. I find a side benefit to the grid collages is my eye is improving for capturing photos as well. This exercise forces you to isolate tiny little details and understand what is the most essential part of a picture. 

I don't drink Starbucks that often, but I thought I'd give a nod to Tammy with this little Starbucks ad. Thank you, Tammy, for helping me rekindle my love for art journaling. May God continue to give you a "green thumb" for creativity and teaching others to flourish in their own art.

The flower pot started looking like a coffee cup in the wee hours..so I drew in some coffee over the dirt. ;) 

You can check out Tammy's grid collage tutorial here.

Happy Creating~
Sandra Lee

Gardening Life File Folder Journal

On Tuesday, I spent a glorious October afternoon filming a few of my latest projects. I can't believe October is almost gone. It is by far my favorite time of the year to photograph. Everything is bathed in a rich, golden light.

Inspired by the golden colors of those fading October afternoons, I created a handmade journal from an old green hanging file folder. 

Gardening File Folder Journal

I cut the metal bars from the top and set them aside. With a couple folds, I created a flap for my journal and a tuck spot. I lay the metal bar against the flap and tore the edge to give it a distressed look. I don't have any distress inks right now, but I plan to ink it up in the future.

To decorate, I turned to the huge collection of images I cut out the night before. As part of fall cleaning in my garage studio, I went through years of collected information on flowers, garden plans, and outdoor decorating. Since most of this information can be found on the Internet, I only kept articles that were memorable, or vintage garden plans that I would be hard pressed to find on the Web. The rest I cut up to use for art. Out of these scraps and clippings from seed catalogs, this little file folder journal was born. 

On the front cover, I decoupaged magazine clippings and a crackle paint chip. I found a cute phrase from an article that said "Come see the garden!" I glued a pretty yellow butterfly above it. The flap holds a set of keys which lay over this peek-a-boo message. 

Peek-a-boo!

I wanted the file folder journal to serve several purposes. It had to be a place to journal about gardening, whether planning a dream garden in the winter or remembering past gardening experiences. I also wanted some graph paper where I could draw garden plans or add photos. I also added a signature of mixed media paper so I could do some sketching or maybe watercolors.

So for the second signature, I cut to size some graph paper and ledger paper. Since these were single sheets stacked rather than folded sheets, I had to figure out how to hold them together. I didn't want to use the gluing method to bind them, so instead I simply used a scrap of the mixed media paper and folded it in half to create a spine. This was sewn along with the papers right into the folder. 

I hot glued a kraft envelope to the back and added a small handmade notebook. I sewed it straight down the middle. It is also decorated with gardening images from magazines and seed catalogs. The cover was a beautiful calendar page that originally came from Lowe's when I was part of their gardening club a few years back. 

I am very pleased with how it turned out. I am also happy to share the video with you, in case you missed it. 

If you have any questions, let me know. 

Enjoy these golden afternoons while they last. :)