K is for Keeping It Real - or - aka.... I'm not as self-disciplined as I thought I was!!

When New Year's Eve rolled around this year, I didn't really make any resolutions as most people do, but I told myself that I wanted to get more focused on my business and making it more successful. That was a huge priority for me! One of the ways I planned on accomplishing that little piece of business was to post two new beading tutorials a month in my Etsy store, Lady Abeada Designs

Damsel Flowers

The first two months of the new year, I did great and I was able to stick to the schedule I set for myself.  It seemed like a breeze, and I thought I wasn't going to have any difficulties whatsoever keeping up with my new regimen. In fact, I found myself wondering what the heck my problem had been and why I hadn't been doing this right along.  HAH!!

Then March came along and my schedule went all haywire. What happened? In a word, LIFE!! Isn't that always what happens when we make plans? Life makes plans of it's own and totally buggers up your best intentions and outcomes? ::sigh::

I told myself, that's OK, we all have little set backs and come April, I would get back in the saddle and get back on track!

Step Stones

Not so fast.... what happened this time? Ahh... it was that old pattern of mine that came back to me like a roaring freight train.... a little, self-defeating talk was all it took to derail me this time. I told myself things like; what does it matter if I don't stick to my schedule and get out two tutorials a month? I'd already blown it in March... so what did it matter if I blew it again this month?? Why do we do those little self sabotaging things to ourselves? I have no idea, except, that they are learned patterns we cultivate over time... and if they can be learned they certainly can be unlearned and replaced with better habits, right?? Well, that's what I want to believe, at any rate.

Let's just say that April was a month where I did a bit of flailing... lol,  I needed some direction badly, and direction, I got!! As most of you know, somewhere towards the end of April, Kelly Stevenson of Back2Beads asked me to join his design team, The Glam Squad, and I did! I am still so excited about that, I can't even begin to tell you how much!!

At the beginning of this journey, one of the things that continually flashed through my brain was that someone was going to be sending little ole' me beads to design with!!  Sounds pretty exciting and cool, right? It is... make no mistake about it, it is!! BUT... along with those beads comes a great responsibility to someone else. Someone else is trusting in and depending on you. In return for the beads and products, as a member of the Glam Squad, I create designs using those beads, that will, hopefully, help Kelly to promote his beads and products in a big way. Its a Quid Pro Quo situation!

Fairy Wings

I have never beta tested beads for anyone before or had the great privilege of someone sending their products to me to design with. I have to admit that after my feet touched back down to this earth, a bit of panic set in!! OK ... more than a bit... A LOT of PANIC set in. What if I wasn't able to come up with any decent designs? Or what if he didn't like my designs? lol... you can't begin to imagine all the different things I stressed over and the amount of pressure I put on myself!! Suddenly, all the confidence I thought I had in my work and skills seemed to completely evaporate! So... I panicked and freaked out for a few days, until I realized, that all I could do was give it my best shot and what ever happened, happened. That's all anyone can do. So I got busy and got myself to work!!

Turns out... having a responsibility to someone else is somewhat of a tonic and great motivator for me!! (Thank you, Kelly!) The first bead that Kelly sent to the Glam Squad was his Etched Drums , and I have to say, they were a bit of a challenge to work with. But once I figured out what they would and would not do... things went along a bit more smoothly for me, and I was able to come up with three different designs using the Etch Drums and complete the tutorials for all three designs, in a single month! Yes, you heard correctly! That has to be a record for me.... lol, so its not that I CANT do it...  I just require something to motivate me to do it, and apparently being able to eat isn't enough of a motivator, lol. It's kind of funny tho, because all of this time I have been laboring under the mistaken impression that when it comes to my beading,  I am "motivated" and entirely "self-disciplined"! Obviously, that's not the case at all or I would have been much more prolific long before this!! LOL

So what's the moral of this story? Its always good to do a bit of self introspection along the way! You may find that what you believe to be true about yourself, isn't at all! Plus, the discoveries you make  may lead you in a direction or to a truth about yourself that you hadn't even imagined!

What's up next? Etched Daggers!!  Stay tuned!!

J is for.... JUST IMAGINE ... An Opportunity that doesn't come along every day!

But before we get to that exciting opportunity.... Lady Abeada has a new look!! I am so excited to show it off to you!! She is the result of a collaborative effort between myself and my sweet, dear friend, Val Clifton, of VC Artisan Originals!  That translates to 97% Val for the design, and 3% me for the Color Palette. ;)

Isn't she just gorgeous?? I truly LOVE her!! I think we can all agree that Val is extremely talented and gifted
when it comes to graphics and jewelry, right? Very soon you will begin to see Lady Abeada sporting her new look everywhere, beginning with the blog, and then  Etsy, and new business cards, and so on and so forth!!                                                              
But for NOW.... let's move on to the really EXCITING news of the month......   About three weeks ago, I was approached by Kelly Stevenson, owner of Back2Beads.com and asked if I would be a part of the design team that he was forming, known as the Back2Bead Glam Squad. Are you kidding me?? What a great opportunity for me!! I didn't even have to think about it... my answer was a resounding YES!! If you don't know who Kelly is you must be living in a cave somewhere, lol .... No, but seriously,  he is the former Manager of York Beads in New York City (which recently closed) and he's been in the bead industry for over 30 years. He recently opened Back2Beads.com,
which is an online bead store and he is also designing and selling his own beads!! Say "Hello" to our handsome, fearless Leader... Kelly!!

 The Glam Squad consists of two other designers besides myself; Val Clifton and Diane Dennis, two really bad ass designers, in their own right.

Our first assignment was to create new designs around a bead that Kelly developed called; Etch Drums. The Glam Squads coming out party was held this past Monday and we unveiled our first designs as "The Glam Squad" featuring the Etch Drums, yesterday on Face Book. So without further ado.... lol

Meet  "Vixen" ... and her creator and designer.... Val Clifton!!

Meet "Bang a Drum" and her creator and designer.... Diane Dennis!

And last but not least.... Meet Step Stones and her creator and designer... Moi, Twyla Harbick :)

Eventually, there will be patterns available for all three of these designs in our individual Etsy stores; VC Artisan Originals, Diane Dennis Beadwork and Lady Abeada!

Together, we all make up the Back2Bead Glam Squad!! Stay tuned for new beads and new designs!! In the meantime... stop by Back2Bead, check out the site, get yourself some of the new Etch Drums and say "Hi" to Kelly!!

I is for Insanity, ie... Bead Mania!!

Insanity is defined as: (1) The state of being seriously mental ill; madness. (2) Extreme foolishness or irrationality.

Yup, that about sums it up!! I decided I must have experienced a bout of insanity recently when I decided to revamp my system of sorting and how I store my stash of beads.
It all began when Lisa Kan released her latest book, Bead Metamorphosis, which btw, is  fabulous and you should definitely give a look see, if you haven't already.
 OK, I digress here... so as I was saying, it all began with the release of Lisa's new book. A friend of mine purchased this book for herself at Christmas time and she was enthralled with the projects in it, but also the knowledge Lisa shared with the beady world. I don't know if it was something Lisa specifically suggested in the book or just an idea my friend came up with after thoroughly exploring Lisa's book, but.... my friend decided that she would re-sort her stash into groups of beads by color rather than storing her stash by size and shape. It seemed like a great idea on the surface. One could only surmise that  it would be extremely helpful to know exactly what one had available in varying sizes given any color scheme. My friend believed that it  would prove to be time-saving as well, because you could just pick any color, go to  your stash and have available at your fingertips all the bead types and sizes in that particular color to work with. Seems simple enough, right?
After making her decision, it took only about a week and a half before she twisted my arm and talked  me into re-arranging my stash accordingly. :) OK, so maybe she didn't have to twist my arm... I am always up for trying something new, especially if it makes my life easier, and believe me this should have, because I have been known to spend literally hours sorting through my beads looking for a particular color of something!!
Enter Phase 1 of insanity.... You know what I am talking about. That phenomena when you are thinking about tackling a project and you tell yourself that you will breeze right through this and it will only take you an hour or two to complete the project, and it ends up taking you three or four days?!?!?!
Yup,that about sums it up!! It seemed like it took forever to go through each of my containers and sort them into little piles of color here and there all over my living room. Everywhere I turned there was a different pile of color staring back at me. No kidding, it took me at least two days to get them sorted into piles... and my stash is nowhere as big as most. I think I have like ten containers of beads... which really isn't all that much in comparison to some stashes I'm aware of. So why did it take so long? I have no idea...lol, the only thing I can think is that I had just too much fun going through them all and "remembering" what I actually had. I will say this; after all was said and done, this exercise proved very insightful. I discovered I had very little beads in some colors that I thought I had lots of....lol,  and I had a multitude in other colors that I didn't think I was very fond of. Well, I must be fonder than I know, because otherwise, why would I have such a huge collection of them?? It definitely showed me where my stash lacked and where it didn't. In betweenst all that sorting, I somehow managed to begin three new projects, one of which I have completed, and the other two are works in progress. Thought I would post some sneak peeks for you to look at, while taking this journey with me. :)

Blue Ingenue Bracelet

OK, so once I had them all sorted, I had to put them all away again. (I'm hearing a collective sigh!) That proved to be mind boggling also, because then I had to decide which colors to group together in each container. For example, when it came to purple... they took up an entire container of their own... but not so much with things like pink, red and yellow.
Enter Phase 2 of insanity....Listen to your little voice! The entire time I was putting away the newly sorted, by color beads, I kept having this nagging, kind of uncomfortable feeling. Did I listen to my little voice? Nope!!
Yup, that about sums it up!! Enter Phase 3 of Insanity.... Denial! Deep, down inside me, I knew that this new system wasn't for me, but I kept telling myself that this was going to be great and so much easier when it came to choosing beads and colors for a new design.  I was lying to myself.  One day, when I was on FB this woman posted a picture of her bead stash and she had them all sorted into huge tubs full of beads. For example, all the browns and each of their respective shades were in one tub, greens in another and so on and so on.  I thought how wonderful that she has  such a huge collection, and I admit, I was a bit envious... but upon deeper introspection, I thought, OH MY GOSH! I could easily see myself spending an entire day going through any one tub  looking for a specific size and color of bead. Now, don't get me wrong, I have absolutely nothing against sorting your beads by color, if that's what system works for you, but as it turned out, it isn't the system that works for me.

Well,... not wanting to admit defeat to myself... I tried living with the new system for about a week and a half... until I began a new design. The strangest thing happened and I made a profound discovery about myself and my design process. Perhaps when creating a new design,  most people choose a color palette they want to work with first, but I tend to choose the type of bead I want to work with first, and the colors second. That's huge and really important for me to know about myself. When it came time to choose and find beads in this new system of mine, completely lost and seriously confused. What I thought was going to take a shorter amount of time actually took twice as long, because I seriously couldn't recall what type bead I had available in any particular color. The end result was that I spent more time going through each color looking for particular types of beads.  With my original system,  I could just think superduo... and look to see what colors I had available in them. Point made and taken... I really knew my way around the old system!!
Enter Phase 4 of Insanity.... Don't fix what isn't broken!

Yup, that about sum's it up!! I spent the next three to four days resorting my stash back into piles of types and sizes of beads, so that I could put things back the way they were when I began this journey, and I have been a completely happy camper ever since!!

What's the moral of this story? There are several.
First, Don't be afraid to try and explore something new, because you never know when a new method will hit the nail on the head and turn out to be the perfect solution to a dilemma!
Second, Learn to listen to your little voices, they will rarely lead you astray!
Third,  Don't fix what isn't broken, and
Fourth, and  perhaps most importantly, Figure out what works for you as an individual and stick with it!!

Have you ever taken a journey that led you right back to the place where you began?? :)

....and the Winner is!

My apologies at this late posting but my internet has been down today and just came back. So so sorry! Thank you to everyone who participated in my giveaway!! I really appreciate your support!
I honestly couldn't decide between your pay it forward ideas as to whose was the most creative, so I have decided to give each of you that participated in the giveaway a free tutorial from my Lady Abeada Designs Store on Etsy.


Lady Abeada Designs

If you will email me at : rubymoonfloral@aol.com with your tutorial choice, I will get the tutorial of your choice sent off to you!


Now to the giveaway.... The winner is: #4-Shirley Moore!! Congratulations!!

Please email me your full name and address so that I can get your giveaway winnings mailed off to you!

rubymoonfloral@aol.com

Again thank you everyone for your support and participation!

H is for Holiday Happiness and a Giveaway!!

I just returned from a glorious trip to Interlaken, NY to visit my Son and his family for the Thanksgiving holiday, and the entire thing was gifted to me by my very generous son!! I had such a marvelous time that I, myself am in a very happy, generous mood and want to spread some of that happiness around to the rest of the world. I've been thinking a lot lately about different ways that I can pay things forward to return some of the goodness that has been bestowed upon me, and for me, this giveaway is the first step in that journey.

What do you get?

A new copy of Kelly Angeley's book, Explorations in Beadweaving, Techniques for an improvisational approach, and all the beads and components that you see pictured in the photo below. Its kind of a mixed media spread with a little of this and a little of that; Super Duos, Rivoili's, peanut beads, some delicas, triangles, a cameo, some cabs, and a few seedies, among other goodies!!

The Official Rules:

While I think it would be a super awesome sign of your appreciation for my having this giveaway, if you would follow my blog and/or share this post on your FB page, I won't require you to do that in order to be entered into the giveaway. (If you are already following my blog, I thank you for your support!) The only requirement for entering is to leave a comment following this post and tell me how you will pay things forward in your life in  2015. Put your thinking caps on and be creative! (The most creative response may win something special!)

The giveaway will run from December 14, 2015 until 9pm on December 19th, PST. One lucky person will be drawn by random number and announced on Saturday, December 20th at 1pm, PST.

Best of luck to everyone!!

 

I don't usually do this sort of thing, but due to some extenuating circumstances and posting issues, I am extending the giveaway through this weekend to give everyone a chance to participate. The lucky person will be announced on Monday, December 22, 2015, at 1pm, PST. Thank you to everyone for your understanding and your participation!! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

G is for Guest Blogger-Cynthia Newcomer Daniel!!

Hey Everyone... When I asked Cindy if she would write a guest blog for Lady Abeada Designs  and she said "Yes, she'd be happy to," well, ... I was over the moon as you can imagine!! I left the subject matter to her saying she could write about anything she  wished as long as it had something to do with beading. I am  excited to read what she has prepared for us, as  I am sure you all are, as well. She is one of my favorite designers, and one of the nicest, most generous people I have ever had the pleasure of being associated with.  I know you will all make her feel welcome. Grab a cup of joe or your favorite tea, take a load off and enjoy this wonderful guest post and the incredible work made by my talented, creative friend, Cynthia Newcomer Daniel!!

Once upon a time, there were seed beads, and it was good. We wove them into chains and rings and bracelets; we loved our little beads. And then, we added pearls. And crystals. And gemstones. Our bead cupboards were full, or so we thought.

We had all we needed (except for new colors, we always need new colors), but then, one day, it all changed….
What was your first 2-holed bead? I started with Twins, and quickly moved to Superduos. I couldn’t get enough of them; after my first tube was opened, I knew I needed more. Transparent, Metallic, Magic…I had to have one of each. Then more, and even more.

The designs flowed, and it was wonderful. It wasn’t just a crush; I was in love. Superduos let me do things with seed beads that I’d never imagined doing. They became an important structural element; they took my beadwork to new places that I’d never visited before.
And then, in rapid succession (and in no particular order), I tried Rullas, Tilas, Half-Tilas, Tiles, Peanuts, O Beads, BiBos, Pyramids, Tri-Beads, Silky Beads, Tipps and Chexx. But that’s not all: on my desk, waiting for me to open them, are packages of Dobbles, Pucca Beads, Dome Beads, Dragon Scales, Tulip Petals, and Pellet Beads.
I think I need another cabinet.

I confess; I’m a bead addict, and I love trying new beads. I’m sure there are probably more new beads out there that I haven’t got (yet); every time I see a new one, my imagination is fired up and I want it. I have to have it. I won’t rest until I find a supplier. (Am I the only one who finds this paragraph a bit disturbing? Good thing beads aren’t illegal or immoral; otherwise, I’d be breaking bad.)

I don’t know which of these new beads will stand the test of time; I suspect some will, and some won’t. I hope that my favorites will be around for a long time, but even if they aren't, I will still be glad that I knew them. I think that this is a very exciting time to be a beader; with all of the new beads out there, the design possibilities are endless.

Are you as enamored of the new beads as I am? Or do you wish they’d stop already?

F is for Forward Motion and a FREE Tutorial!

   As many of you most likely already know, once again, the Bead Mavens are no more, which means, I am no longer a Bead Maven! :( At first, I was very sad at this turn of events, but now in retrospect, I realize I have more time to focus on my business and my blog... which is always a good thing. :) I will always be grateful for an opportunity to learn and grow and that was what the Mavens represented to me. But onward and upward and forward motion as they say. :)
  One day I was playing with my beads... well, experimenting with a particular color scheme, actually, and these cute little earrings are the end result of that experimentation. I hope you like them. They use Herringbone and Peyote stitch,  work up really quickly and are a great project for when you don't have a lot of time to invest in something. Enjoy!

E is for an ETSY PRESENCE!!

With all of the changes that Etsy has made to its platform in the last year or so, especially allowing the sale of mass produced items on the site, exposure and visibility seem all the more important to us little guys who continue to make and sell hand made goods.  What can one do to stand out a little bit in an over saturated jewelry market on Etsy? Trust me, I know it is easy to feel over-whelmed and like you are a tiny fish in a humongous ocean of competition, but with a little hard work and some serious focus there are things one can do to shrink that ocean down to a lake. I have no doubt you have heard all of these things before, but if you are really serious about your Etsy store, then it won't hurt to have another listen.

  1. PHOTOS

We covet what we see!! Should I repeat this? WE COVET WHAT WE SEE! Always keep this little saying in mind when you are taking your photographs to post online in your Etsy store or other venue. Selling online comes with its own special challenges. Remember, you aren't a brick and mortar store where someone is able to walk in off the street and  handle your item to see all of its wonderfulness up close and personal like. It's imperative that your photos are as clear, concise and enticing as possible. Selling online is an art in and of itself, and it begins with great photos!  Etsy gives you (5)Five photo slots per listing. Use all five of them to your advantage to provide your customers with as many views and dimensions of your product as you can. Use the macro or close up setting on your camera and don't be afraid of cropping your photos and learning how to get a very close up view of your item. Let your photos make a statement so that  your customers want to reach out and touch your products. Pay attention to the  lighting and shadows in your photos and keep your backgrounds on the light side. White is usually best, but not in all cases.

You want your customers to be able to see as much detail as possible and try to answer any questions they might have with your photos. For example, maybe you are listing a necklace. Of course, you would do a frontal shot of the necklace but perhaps the customer wonders what kind of clasp it might have. While you may put that info in the description,  many customers don't take the time to read descriptions unless they are searching for a particular piece of information, so it helps to take a photo of special elements such as that. Especially, if the necklace in question has a specialty clasp on it and would  be better served with  a visual presentation,  rather than just a few words. Use your imagination when it comes to photos and asking yourself the kinds of things your customers would like to see, and then answer in kind with relevant photos. Remember-- Your photos are the first impressions your customers will have of your shop and business.

2. Unity and Branding

What is unity and branding? Well, its just what it sounds like. Its something that binds your photos and items together and separates you from the crowd. For example: I have one friend who uses a gray marble slab as the backdrop/background for all of her photos. I would know a photo that she has taken anywhere because of this one thing. It is branding and unity all in one step. You can accomplish this through the use of lighting, a background, or even a prop that you use in each and every photo.  Another shop I am aware of on Etsy that sells jewelry uses an old vintage photo of a woman superimposed underneath all of her jewelry pieces. This is a bit more dramatic, but it accomplishes the same purpose. Its just that little something extra that lets her customers know... this photo came from her store and shop. I sell tutorials in my Etsy shop, Lady Abeada Designs and one of the tools I use to brand my photos is a white and gold banner that says tutorial draped diagonally over the left corner of my photo.

Get creative and let your light shine through.... but don't stop with your photos. Continue to define yourself throughout your store via your policies, your profile, and your item descriptions.  Tell your own personal story through all of these threads in your Etsy store. Remember, you are introducing yourself to someone that isn't able to shake your hand in person, so its tantamount that you do everything you can to make a lasting impression on your potential customers.

3. Search Engine Optimazation

 Three little words that have such a huge impact upon our online life and success!
You won't get found without it, so get ready to dive in and get your feet wet!!  One of the first things you will need to do is to determine what your keywords are for your store and for your listings. Well, how, you might ask? Simple.... you can use Google Keyword Tool, or you can use the stat section in your store to see the keywords that Etsy customers are using to search for your items.  Once you have identified 8- 1o of the most prominent keywords, you will want to weave these same words in all of your text, including but not limited to your item titles and item descriptions. Every possibility for text needs to be filled with your keywords... most importantly, your shop title!! Remember this is google's first impression of you... so make it a good one!

4. Relevancy

Since Etsy has changed their search platform from Regency to Relevancy, keywords in titles and descriptions have taken on new importance. It used to be that the more creative titles such as Red Rose Blossom Earrings would get you to the top of the list... but today its your keywords that will do the trick for you. Now your title might read something like this: Peyote Floral Beaded Red Earrings. Pretend you are a customer searching for your product. What terms or keywords would you type into the search box to find your item? These are the words your titles and descriptions should begin with. Remember tho, Google only looks at the first three or four so make them count. Be sure you remember to add these words to your tags as well, while Etsy doesn't use the tags to rank you, Google definitely does and you want your reach to be as wide and as far as possible!

5. Cross Promotion

This is your story! Tell it and tell it well! Tell it using all the Social Media platforms that you have available to you. Do you have a blog? If not,  maybe you should consider having one as an option. Use it to promote and link back to  your items and special events and sales that you have in your Etsy store or other appropriately related items.
Do you spend a fair amount of time on Facebook and Twitter? How about a Facebook Fan Page? Both of these are great venues for showing newly listed items and making all of your contacts aware of sales etc, and don't forget about Pinterest and Instagram!! The more of an online presence you have and can create the mote people will see you as legitimate and real and someone they want to know and trust. All of these changes take time and hard work, but the payoff can be substantial! Give it a try and see what happens. Do you have any suggestions or tips to share that have helped you to create a strong and successful Etsy presence??
                                                                      

 

D is for DIY Recovery!

Some time ago I was introduced to a wonderful book and creative tool, called the Artist's Way, by Julia Cameron. Basically, the book is a DIY course in discovering and recovering one's creative self.
 The two basic tools that Miss Cameron teaches us to make use of is "The Morning Pages" and "The Artist's Date". What exactly are the Morning Pages and the Artist's Date?
The morning pages are three pages of long hand written material that you are asked to do each and every day.... better known in the book as "brain drain", and it's just what it sounds like. Three pages of writing down whatever comes to mind until you have filled three pages worth. Unless you are someone that really likes to write, cultivating the habit to write the morning pages every day may be a bit difficult at first.  But once you do.... its worth its weight in gold.You will be amazed at the things that will come spilling forth from your brain on to your pages.
.... And the Artist's Dates? This for me is the fun stuff! Once a week you plan and take your inner Artist(yourself) on a play date and you don't share the experience with anyone else. Its meant to stimulate and cultivate your creativity by exposing you to new and different experiences, and reminding you of the things you really love and covet. Excursions and experiences can be as simple as coloring or doodling in a color book, taking a lengthy nature walk,  or taking yourself to a museum or exploring some experience that you have always wanted to, but for whatever reason never have given yourself the permission to do so before. There really are no limits to the possibilities for Artist's Dates.
This wonderful book also covers several important topics such as synchronicity, jealousy, criticism and integrity, just to mention a few. It explores the different avenues  in which we, as artists, find to  block ourselves creatively and it gives us tools and exercises with with to overcome these blocks and prevent us from becoming our own worst enemies.
If you have never read this wonderful book, you definitely should. Its well worth the time and effort to re-discover your creative self!!

C is for Creative Growth and Keeping Things Fresh!

I can't tell you how many times I have heard someone proclaim that they aren't a creative person. I have even said that myself to other people.... LOL! I have no clue what I was thinking!! Everyone of us is creative! EVERYONE! If you don’t think of yourself as creative or a creative person, then you’re missing a great opportunity to grow as a person – to become who you really are, who you want to be and who you truly were meant to be.
We are all raised within a certain family, within a certain culture at a certain time period. Sometimes our inner self does not get the  encouragement it requires. How we are raised, how we are treated, the social conditions which exist at the time will all certainly have an effect on who we grow up to think we are, and the surest way to kill someone's creativity is to judge or criticize them or tell them they can't do something.
I have heard creativity described as the  “ability to synthesize – sifting through data, perceptions and materials to come up with combinations that are new and useful.” But its so much more than that. Its a willingness to be in a state of not knowing. It's to have curiosity about all the boundless, endless possibilities and a desire to take a risk and act on one's impulses without knowing or being able to predict what the outcome will be.

 

Creativity is not a feel-good, optional quality for us to cultivate. Rather consider that perhaps its our greatest untapped resource that lies within us as human beings; that its truly needed in order for us to live up to our highest potential as living creatures.

My life is full of responsibilities and day to day tasks that quite often fill every moment of my day with work, family and a multitude of other obligations. I often feel like I don't have any energy left to cultivate any new growth or creative pursuits, so often my personal explorations and self-fulfillment gets put on the back burner for another day.

Simply put;  life often has its OWN plans, and they usually differ from mine.  It's not difficult to find myself feeling like I am stuck, headed nowhere and have landed myself in a big rut! When this happens to me, I need a game plan. I figure this probably happens to others just as often so I thought I would share some of my ideas for recharging my creative battery when it's gone dead. Some are tried and true and others are things I want to experiment with. Ready? Here goes....

 

Create and make a vision board of where you want to go! You can't get there if you don't know where you are headed or have a map to guide you!

Celebrate who you are --all the little things that make you, you! Your quirkiness and your individuality!

Don't be afraid to ask for help. EVERYONE was a newbie at one time-we all have to learn and begin somewhere.

Take a walk in nature and listen to the music that surrounds you; leaves falling, wind blowing, birds chirping, etc. Enjoy the peacefulness of it all!

 

Make direct requests to the universe and be open to receive its gifts in return.

 

Count your blessings and be grateful; each day is truly a gift and full of gifts to be received.

Hang out with happy, healthy, deep thinkers who have your best interests at heart.

 

Ask for feedback from people that you admire and respect.

 

Take a risk! One foot in front of the other, one baby step at a time!

    Don't fear failing or making a few mistakes. Sometimes the Uh Oh's           become the Ah Ha moments of one's life.

  

Break from the beads and explore a new desire.

Stare out the window and daydream to your hearts content

         

             Get to work or go out and play; But commit to doing something!

 

               Make a list of your ideas: The good, the bad and the ugly! :)

Break the rules! It does a heart good!

                 Read a book-Have an adventure if even for an hour or so!

            Its ok to be selfish at times and do something nice for yourself!

                        

                    Do one thing every day that makes YOU happy!

        Take out your beads and just play with no goal or end result in mind.

Feeling overwhelmed? Focus on one thing and see it through to completion.

        Give yourself permission to laugh, have fun and waste a little time.

       Persevere! We all need a break at times but giving up is not an option

   

  Make a list every night of the five best things that happened in your day.

 

             Cook something yummy that you have been craving for awhile!

Ask yourself "what if" or "how can I" and be open to ALL the ideas you receive.

        Think outside the box and experiment with anything and everything.

Take a break from the things you are supposed to do and do what you WANT to do.

   Play with clay... there is just something about doing something tactile that gets creative juices flowing.

         

                Pick up a pencil and doodle to your hearts content.

                        Learn how to say No!

Free form writing! You will be surprised at the things that will come pouring out!

                 Get inspired by EVERYTHING that surrounds you!

Listen to music that makes you want to get up and dance and leaves you feeling alive!

Stop waiting for the perfect moment. It doesn't exist! All that exists is the here and now!

Take yourself out for a play date. Do something you have always wanted to do but for whatever reason, haven't yet managed it!

        and my personal, all time favorite... Bead True to Yourself!! :)

 

More BOTB 2014 Favs!

Ok so I fibbed when I said that was all of my favs, yesterday! LOL Who could not be distracted by all of the gorgeous entries?? Not me.... So I found a few more that were posted yesterday and today that I really like/love!! Enjoy!! 

 

 Ok That's really it this time!! LOL.... The battles will truly be hard fought this year!

Remember... Bead True to Yourself!