Hi ~
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"A User's Guide to Silver Linings"
Before I launch into this week's li'l article, I want to make sure that you look at the first Artella Announcement, below. Getting a complimentary Membership this month is just way too nifty to miss out on!
So...on to the article...
My husband, who is the sweetest guy in the world but not the most brilliant Home Arts Practitioner, made a snafu in the laundry last week, and as we made the bed we saw that our flannel blue-sky-with-white-clouds sheets came out gray-sky-with-gray-clouds. He apologized profusely, but I immediately saw them for what they obviously were – clouds with silver linings.
Sleeping on silver-lined clouds is just about right at the moment, as we both are adjusting to the challenge of my being diagnosed with a neurological condition called trigeminal neuralgia. The silver linings are plentiful: it's treatable, manageable, and in no way impacts my life expectancy, but this first month of dealing with painful neurological attacks and an involved treatment regime has brought about a fair share of clouds, too.
The saying, "every cloud has a silver lining" paints the picture of an ever-present sun hiding behind the clouds, masked by darkness, but full of hope. It's always been one of my favorite sayings. (I remember as a little girl, the first time I noticed how metallic the proverbial silver linings actually looked!)
Here is a simple User's Guide to Silver Linings:
- If you cloud-watch with friends, the intensity of the silver linings brightens and becomes more beautiful. (I offer a huge thank you to everyone turning up the silver linings with me right now!)
- It's almost impossible to see a silver lining when standing directly in the rain. Do what you can do to seek shelter as soon as you are able. Each person's colorful umbrella is different: meditation, community, a playful art session, a good book. (Note: Singing and dancing in the rain is the exception to this rule, but that comes in the Advanced Training Manual.)
- Any painter who has mastered the art of painting silver linings in a landscape will tell you that the best renderings involve a mix of colors and brushes. When you're rendering your own silver linings, try different tools to bring out the essence of the bright spot. If one brush doesn't work, pick up another one. Everything you try is another layer to add to the silver lining's beauty on your life canvas.
- Clouds get a bad rap for being all bad. Take a look at this week's Art-Splash (see below) for another look at those cloudy days.
I don't consider myself a pessimist. I think of a pessimist as someone who is waiting for it to rain. And I feel soaked to the skin. - Leonard Cohen
When asked if my cup is half-full or half-empty my only response is that I am thankful I have a cup. - Sam Lefkowitz
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THIS WEEK'S ART-SPLASH!
This week's ArtSplash is called "Indigo Linings", and you can view it at www.artellawordsandart.com/artic93.html.
I hope you enjoy it, and that it makes it a bit easier to find the grace in these cloudy days of winter's end.
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Artella News!
1. Be Our Guest...Be a Member for the rest of March! We're in the midst of March Membership Madness, which means that YOU can enjoy a COMPLIMENTARY Membership during March! Sign up now to start enjoying all of your Member benefits, INSTANTLY! You'll get instant access to things like...- The ARTELLA-OPOLY Chat Room Game to be held TOMORROW night (Thursday, March 9), inaugurating the new Artella Members' Chat Room!
- Our brand new LinkLatte™ DAILY email...a daily guide to little-known creative spots on the Web to enjoy with your morning beverage!
- Weekly Audio Presentations, recorded exclusively for Members
- Weekly "PoemPaintings" to inspire you every Friday
- Monthly artistic and high-quality clip art collections
- Monthly teleworkshops, for Members only
- Fantastic discounts, gift certificates, and free gifts
- And so much more...take a look at all the benefits at www.ArtellaWordsAndArt.com/members.html and sign up to enjoy the rest of March at no charge!
2. Last Chance for e-Course Discounts! This is the last week for the discounts on two life-enriching e-courses: Writes and Passages: Your Guide to Becoming an "Every Day" Writer (save 50%); and Creative Manifestival: A 30-Day Course in Increasing ProsperityThrough Words and Art (save $10). These great savings will expire on this Sunday, March 12. So be sure to visit the Workshops page to read the take a look at these highly unique courses and see if they are, perhaps, exactly what your Muse has been waiting for! Both courses offer a free 4-day trial, so if you start the trial today, you'll have time to decide before the sales expire on Sunday!
3. Two new FREE teleworkshops We've got two new free teleworkshops listed in the Workshops page at www.ArtellaWordsAndArt.com/ecourse.html. They are: - "Open Up Your Umbrella-vision: Finally Uncovering the Connections In Your Talents" on March 24
- "I'd Like to Order From the Kid's Menu: using childlike consciousness to awaken more creative stuff", which I am co-presenting with Jill Badonsky on April 14.
Space for both workshops is limited, so sign up early at http://www.artellawordsandart.com/ecourse.html.
4. Thanks to Artella Readers! I owe a huge thank you to the Artella and e-Artella readers who completed the quick survey I circulated a few weeks ago. Your responses were very helpful and they are inspiring a lot of new changes in the next print issue, Artella 8, The Dreamworld: Night Sees the Day. Production is running a bit behind due to my health challenges, but stay tuned for the announcement of this new issue, with a whole new look, content, and extra bonus enclosures.
5.This Week's Poetry Winners! This week's Poetry Winners are...
- 1ST PLACE: Linda Sky Parker for "Parched"
- 2ND PLACE: Joe Testa for "A Rusted White Truck"
- 3RD PLACE: Ann McGovern for "In a Taxi"
- 4th PLACE: Paul Okwudili Nwankwo for "Sound of a Bugle"
Their winning poems will be posted in the Artella Poetry Gardens of Fame within the next few days. Congratulations, winners!
6. Quarterly Poetic Idol Contest is here, with up to $150 in prizes! Poets are word-painters, and we want to pay you for your art! The deadline for entering your three poems in the current Poetic Idol Contest is Friday, March 25! It's easy to enter to win one of our creative awards packages...just follow the submission guidelines at www.ArtellaWordsAndArt.com/prizes.html.
7. Artella's New Affiliate Program is Launching! Our brand new, totally revamped Affiliate Program is HERE! We'll be sending out new Welcome Packages to all affiliates in FIVE DAYS, introducing affiliates to all of the new things we've introduced to help you succeed in partnering with us to promote Artella and earn a fantastic supplemental income while you do it. If you would like to receive theinformation as soon as it is available, simply go to the existing Affiliate page, www.ArtellaWordsAndArt.com/affiliate.html, to sign up as soon as possible. Don't miss out on this fantastic opportunity to be a part of our new program from the moment it is launched!
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SHOPPES' CORNER
Our current Featured Artist is KJoy!, whose beautiful, Spirit-inspired jewelry is on a massive 40% Final Blowout sale. Do your inner beauty a favor and take a look at her beautiful work, at equally beautiful prices. Grab YOUR favorite piece before it's gone!
I've been so fortunate to see several Artists' projects first-hand, lately. I am enamored with the watercolor notecards by Jerry Dreesen, the creative e-zines and books by Vickie Enkoff, and ALL the absolutely luscious Wishing products by one of my very favorite artists, Glenda Miles. When you get right down to it, you can't find a more creative assortment of products and gifts than at The Shoppes of Artella!
Wanna have some fun? Try our interactive Smart Shopper to help you find the perfect gift for a loved one or yourself.
Want to sell in our Shoppes? Get all the information at www.ArtellaWordsAndArt.com/ShoppeInfo.html
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ART TIP OF THE WEEK!
If you don't do a lot of work with the color black, try starting with a black background. For example, you could paint an entire canvas black, create a collage on a black piece of cardstock, or cover an altered book page with solid black charcoal, crayon, or pastel. Once the background is complete, then add the other elements of your piece. Notice how the color "pop" in a different way when they are against black, and how the relationships between the different colors are altered, as well.
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WRITING TIP OF THE WEEK!
One of the most freeing writing exercises I know of is to write without ANY IDEA where it is going. When was the last time you did this -- really let go of all control to let the Writing say what it wants to say, once you get out of the way?
Open up a book on a shelf and pick one sentence. Write that sentence down; it is the first sentence in your piece. Start writing, letting go of all your control. If you start to feel that you are controlling your writing, take a moment to close your eyes, stand up, shake your hands out, and start again.
Here are a few sentences I found from a couple of books just now, if you'd like to use one of these:
- At first his father said, "What's this?"
- Your way of talking is sudden, quick, like water leaping.
- The light was good now in the cemetery.
- How handsome he must have been at twenty-one, before the fall from the train.
- Very early in the morning, two perfect powdery inches of snow fell, making all the snow that was beneath it appear fresh and bright
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ARTFUL LINKS!
1. CraftyChica has cool craft projects, a great blog, and a great page of links. Be sure to take a look!
2. Art & Letters Daily is a mecca for learning about history and trends in art, literature, philosphy, criticism, aesthetics, and so much more. Let your inner academic run wild on this great site!
Remember...if you love learning about links to creative sites, be sure to sign up for the FREE March Membership Madness so that you can get our LinkLatte Daily Email with a daily creative link! |
~dancin' at the hearty party,
Marney
Artella Founder/Editor
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