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"The centerpiece of a meaningful life for creators is meaningful creating."
Eric Maisel
 The above quote is from Eric Maisel's book, Van Gough Blues, in which Maisel asserts that very often, depression in creative people can often be remedied by re-discovering the meaning in one's life and one's art. I certainly resonate with this idea, and believe that it is important for our creative projects to have personal meaning, on one level or another.
Very often, meaningful creative intentions are the bridge between thinking, "Oh, I wish I had more time to do creative things" and actually taking the time to engage in a regular practice of creativity.
What do I mean by "meaningful creative intentions"? It's simple: projects that provide personal meaning for you, outside of simply just being "creative", are YOUR meaningful creative intentions. Examples include things like: - making handmade gifts for others
- creating for charity
- creating handmade items to decorate your home
- creating art to honor someone's memory
- participating in a creative collaboration
- creating with a larger goal in mind
These projects can be fun, simple, and spontaneous. Sometimes projects that are "out of the blue" are, indeed, the very best way to get "out of the blues".
Creativity, meaning, and time dance together in an unavoidable and rather effective cycle: the more meaningful your creative projects are to you, the more you're likely to engage in them. Then, the more you are engaging your creativity, the more creative ideas you'll be having for more meaningful creative projects.
In other words, creativity begets creativity! And, of course, regularly making the time for your creativity cements its importance in your life.
If you would like more support in engaging in meaningful creative projects, this Artellagram includes several resources that might be helpful. SARK's Dream Boogie is still open for enrollment until Tuesday, and is a fabulous opportunity to diving into your creativity heart-first. Also, the free Conscious Awakenings Life Purpose Telesummit that begins next week is overflowing with inspiration for connecting to what really matters most. And the calendART project in the Creativity Tips section is a practical way to bring more meaningful creativity in your day to day life. Information about all these nifty adventures follows below!
For those short on time, to simplify this week's Artellagram, here are some ”quick links” to the highlights in this edition. You can simply follow the links that you're interested in and go directly to that section.
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1. Big News through Tuesday! As part of our new Artella Partners Program, we will often feature a Partner Program where we will add free and exclusive no-strings-attached Artella bonuses to the partner's offer, and extend it to all our Artellagram subscribers and Artella Members!
We are starting this program with a huge surprise! Our partner offer this month is a $25 Artella eGift Card good on all Artella eProducts for those who enroll in the next session of Dream Boogie with SARK before enrollment closes on this Tuesday, May 10.
To celebrate this inaugural offer, we are doubling the bonus, so you receive two $25 Artella eGift Cards! To receive your eGift Cards, first complete your Dream Boogie enrollment, and then simply visit the Partner Program Redemption page, and enter your transaction number along with whatever email address you would like your two eGift Cards sent. You will automatically receive your two $25 Artella eGift Cards within 24-48 hours.
We hope you enjoy your little extra gift from Artella as we support you in making that leap from DREAMing to Doing. Dream Boogie with SARK closes enrollment on this Tuesday, May 10. To find out all the fun details, simply go here.
2. NEW! Complimentary Life Purpose Telesummit! If you are feeling alone in your self-growth journey, and want more support in manifesting your dreams, you may be interested to learn about the inspiring, free Conscious Awakenings Life Purpose Telesummit , which starts this coming week, with seven days full of free teleseminars . I'm honored to be participating, presenting a free class on May 12 called "The ARTbundance Approach: Using Creative Wisdom to Live AND Love Your Life Purpose". I invite you to join me and fabulous other speakers as you learn to align with your life purpose in new ways. You can get all the details and register here.
 3. NEW! ARTbundance Community Events Series! We've posted some new events in our exciting new series of ARTbundance™ Community Events! As part of their Certification requirements, our training ARTbundance™ Practitioners will be presenting free teleclass events to the Artella Community!
To participate in the ARTbundance™ Community Events, you simply sign up to virtually attend (by phone) the events of your choice. Then, after each call, all we ask is that you fill out a follow-up questionnaire with feedback for the presenter. In addition to experiencing the free teleclass, as our thanks for attending and helping out the new coaches by offering your feedback, you also receive a free bonus gift: an ARTbundantly overflowing package of unique and inspiring goodies!
You are invited to browse through the current listings and sign up for as many events as you like; please note however, that you do need to attend LIVE to participate, so please only sign up for the events that you can attend live (by phone).
See the descriptions of the current events and sign up here!
If you would like to receive an email notification when additional ARTbundance™ Community Presentations are scheduled, simply fill out this form.
Thank you for supporting our ACT Trainees as you are inspired by these great free events!
 4. Join the Affiliate Program! Join Artella's generous Affiliate Program and enjoy all the new affiliate tools that we've recently added! You can get more info by clicking here.
 5. Interested in Becoming Part of Artella's Team? We are expanding our team for all the exciting things we're working on this year, so if you're interested in becoming part of the Artella Team, check out this page for details.
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For today's "In the Studio" Interview, I'm delighted to present Melanie Hill, who is one of the first people in the Fall 2010 ACT Class to complete her graduation requirements. Please join me in offering congratulations to Melanie, who is now a Certified ARTbundance™ Coach and Practitioner!
Melanie is truly gifted at infusing her work -- which combines ARTbundance™ with Feng Shui -- with true meaning, so I knew her interview would be a great tie-in to the theme of this Artellagram!
Enjoy getting to know Melanie!
Artella: What led you to become a Certified ARTbundance™ Coach?
Melanie: The ARTbundance™ approach was an approach I so resonated with. I believed in it because I had already experienced the benefits using collage for myself and with others to clarify dreams, dissolve blocks, express difficult feelings and connect with my inner voice. And I was looking for a coaching training program and I saw that the ARTbundance™ approach would enhance and broaden my skills.
Artella: In your mind, how are creativity and spirituality related?
Melanie: Creativity connects me with my inner voice. For me, my inner voice is how I connect with a higher Power. Creativity allows me to express who I am as a spiritual being. It reminds me of who I am and explodes what blocks me from experiencing my connection with the Presence that I believe loves and guides me.
You can read the rest of Melanie's interview, here
 The Spring 2011 session of ARTbundance™ Certification Training Program (ACT) is now in session. If you would like to be notified when the next ACT session is scheduled, simply fill out this form.
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This week's Creativity Tip is all about creating a practical system to help you bring more creativity into your daily life through your own personal CalendART. The example given here focuses on bringing more creativity into your life, but note that this system can also be used to bring more of ANYTHING into your life!
STEP ONE: Create a list of meaningful creative intentions for yourself: that is, creative projects that provide personal meaning for you, outside of simply just being "creative".
STEP TWO: Design a small icon for each type of project. It could be a doodle or drawing, a small digital art piece, a symbol, etc.
STEP THREE: Get out your calendar for the next several months, and plan for at least one of your meaningful creative projects a week. (If you like, you can adjust this frequency to your liking). Cut out the icon and paste it in your calendar and treat it as you would any important appointment. This works for any type of calendar: dayplanners (as shown in the example here), wall calendars, desk calendars, etc. The key is to integrate the icons into your existing calendar, so that these creative dates are part of your daily life.
Remember, you don't have to complete a whole project in a single setting. Your icons could signify 15 minutes chunks where you work toward a particular project. But the idea is to plan ahead for these projects by adding them into your calendar visually (via your little icons) so that you can't ignore them!
As you plan for the next few months, aim for variety, trying each one of your projects at least once.
STEP FOUR: Follow your calendART! Remember, these dates are just as important as any high-priority appointment in your life!
 The project is excerpted from the Artella e-course, From Here to ARTernity.
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This Quotz Crystal is a high-resolution jpeg image, suitable for printing. I invite you to print it out and hang it up to connect you with your true meaning and purpose, each and every day.
~applauding the artful life,
 Marney
Artella Founder, Mango Lover, Hula Dancer
Artella Land ~ the creative isles of words, art, and spirit
Artella 9090 Skillman #182A-116 Dallas TX 75243 |
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