by Shelly Stokes, Founder and Creative Mentor Do you ever feel “boxed in” after making a decision? Or that it Is wishy-washy to change your mind once it is made up? Yes? Oh good – then it is not just me! Let’s face it. We live in a world where decisiveness is highly regarded and […]
Are Two Desks More Creative Than One?
by Shelly Stokes, Founder and Creative Mentor When I got to Chapter 4 of Steal Like An Artist, by Austin Kleon, I felt like he had been watching my struggle to get work done in my office. The first tip in this chapter is called Step Away from the Screen. As a person who spends […]
Learn About Creativity From Funny Guy John Cleese
by Shelly Stokes, Founder and Creative Mentor I’m not much of a TV watcher. And when I have watched, I have never been terribly fond of British humor. None-the-less, I am terribly interested in the topic of Creativity and open to learning about it from just about anyone, including John Cleese. Yes, that John Cleese, […]
Indulge In An Art Retreat
by Shelly Stokes, Founder and Creative Mentor As I think back on the last 5-8 years, I realize that I have badly neglected my personal art. I have done plenty of creative things in service to my business, but not so much pure, creative play that is just for me. have been doing a lot of […]
Gratitude Sundaes: The Perfect Holiday Dessert!
by Shelly Stokes, Founder and Creative Mentor Thanksgiving is probably the most widely celebrated holiday here in the US. It is a time to gather with family and friends and simply be grateful for the blessings in our life. But Thanksgiving is also the kickoff to the end-of-year holiday season that lasts right up through […]
Finding Inspiration 5: Allow Yourself to FEEL
by Shelly Stokes, Founder and Creative Mentor As I look back, the two most overused phrases in my 25-year marriage to Jack have been “what would you like for dinner?” and “I don’t know, I haven’t thought about it.” And with that, the inevitable little standoff when neither one of us takes a moment to […]
Finding Inspiration 4: Learn Your Craft
by Shelly Stokes, Creative Mentor, Cedar Canyon Textiles It has been a few weeks since we last talked about finding inspiration or “wooing our muse.” Today, I want to continue this series with some thoughts on one really important strategy that is easy to skip past when we want to jump into a new project. […]
Finding Inspiration 1: Examine The Best Examples
Last week, I posted a video about honoring your creative nature. If you missed it, you can see it here. In the video, I made the case that each and every one of us is a creative being, and that we need to make time and space to play, to create, and to feed this […]
Ten Commandments For Hotel Art
Do you ever find yourself doing “hotel art?” You know, you’re at a conference, you take a class, and you just can’t wait until you get home to finish up whatever you just learned about? Or you took a class that involved messy stuff, and you really have to wash out that fabric before you […]
What Does Creative Success Mean To You?
As I was watching a quick video by Rich Schrefren at Strategic Profits, I realized that the point he was trying to drive home to business owners and entrepreneurs can apply to ANY aspect of our lives, including our creative life. In the video, Rich challenged his viewers to actually sit down and write out […]
Get It Done: Focus-On-One-Thing Time
Do you get frustrated with all the people and things that need your attention every day? Do the constant distractions of modern technology keep you from getting things done? Do I see you nodding your head yes? Don’t worry, you have lots of company. Whether you are a mom trying to manage a household, entrepreneur […]
The Value of Rituals in Art and Everyday Life
I’m going to share something totally different today. It’s not about making art, but it certainly applies to how we approach our daily tasks – from washing the dishes to making art. It’s a blog post from Peter Bregman at the Harvard Business Review. Peter posted this entry on his blog on Wednesday, December 8.
The Harvard Business Review is not on my usual reading list. I saw a reference to this post in a discussion on investing. If you are wondering what in the world a blogger from Harvard, an investing forum, and quilting have in common, I invite you to read on and discover how we can all use the power of rituals to be more focused on our work and produce better results. Here is Peter’s entire post. I’ll add my comments at the end.
