Aloha~
If this newsletter doesn't display in its delightfully colorful formatting, you can view it on the Web at www.artellawordsandart.com/ARTELLAGRAM-10-21-07.html.
Creative Challenges in The Artella Cafe
 If you visit the Artella Cafe these days, you'll see that an inspiring assortment of challenges for writers and artists are sprinkled through the forums. From altering a digital picture, to creating artwork on a one-word theme, to using art from the latest Artella Studio Art Collage Kit -- people in the Artella Cafe frequently share that participating in these types of challenges really helps them get out of a creative rut.
Why participate in a creativity challenge? In my experience, here are the top six reasons:- It's a great "excuse" to make yourself be creative.
- You get to share your creations with other like-minded souls, which is a very encouraging process!
- With a specific theme or topic on the table, it's often easier to get started on a project. Focus, clarity, and motivation go together!
- Having a specific deadline ensures that the project actually gets done.
- It's a wonderful opportunity to experiment with new things, dabbling in new art supplies, writing styles, themes, etc.
- If you don't like what you create, you can always blame it on the challenge/theme -- since after all, you didn't come up with it. LOL.
A great way to see some of these challenges is to log in to the Cafe and do a search on the word "challenge".
Among the different challenges you can find in the Cafe are Artella's new Weekly Creativity Contests. They're quick and easy, and the deadline for the first contest is this Tuesday, October 23. Get the contest details here.
|
If you're like me, you have a closet full of stuff that you've picked up at one time or another, because you're "sure it will come in handy someday". Ring true, anyone? :-)
 When Tammy Hensley, Artella's own "Artistic Admin Alchemist", took on the challenge of creating a piece of art using elements of the "Vintage Kitchen" Studio Art Collage Kit, she used a mini cutting board she found in an antique store a while back, and turned it into a recipe card stand.
"I combined various papers and pieces from the kit with bingo cards and markers as well as rubber stamped letters. The piece hangs on the kitchen wall and the little knobs on the bottom support your recipe card so it stays clean and visible while you're creating your culinary creations!"
So -- the next time you participate in an art challenge, make your mission extra-challenging by grabbing one of the items from your "stuff collection", and figure out a way to incorporate it into the project.
If you're interested, you can see a lot more great art created from the monthly Artella Studio Art Collage Kits in the Studio Kit Gallery in the Artella Cafe! |
|
I thought it would be fun to share the in-progress results of a recent writing challenge in the "Word Playground" forum in the Artella Cafe. Cafe user "Goya" wrote the first line of this poem about "Dia De Los Muertos", and then other participants have continued to add other lines, one at a time.
Here is what has been written in the poem thus far:
His sombrero and his bones said it all
the sombrero upside down, a snake curled in it
the way he walks, the language he talks,
tiptoes on little boney toes; whispers thorugh skeleton teeth
"I am not gone, do not cry for me. Dance and sing and celebrate my life"
His eyes were binoculars, his hands maracas
A walking vision with 20/20 rhythm
What line will you add next? Add your contribution, here! |
 1. NEW Live Online Events! We have posted our series of Brand New LIVE Online Artella Events for Fall 2007, all of which are being hosted by yours truly! There is truly something for everyone in this series, and we're kicking it off with an open invitation to come to Artella's Web Pictionary on this coming Thursday, October 25, at 8:30pm Eastern, now with free admission for everyone (normally $5 for non-Members). You've played the game, but you haven't played it Artella-style! Come join this wild romp in our multimedia chat room! We're putting a few Artella-esque twists on this live game, and also giving away lots of fun prizes. Leave the stress of the day behind and come connect with great people and have a grand time.
AND we've also got these great events throughout October and November:
- Meditative Doodling for Art Journals - Monday October 29
- 5-Minute Masterpieces - Thursday, November 8
- Artella's Poetry Open Mic Night- Monday, November 12
- "Gratifitti" Gratitude Party - Monday, November 19
- Artella's Live Art Feedback Forum - Thursday, November 29
Artella Members get half-price tickets or free access to all events! Not a Member? Get Membership info, here!
Take a look at the line-up of events here, and if you're drawn to an event or two, I hope you'll sign up! It's a great way to come connect with me and other like-minded souls, learn new skills, and extend the boundaries of your creativity.
- NEW! In Artella Land! Here are the latest, brand-new Artella goodies:
- We have TWO new Artella e-courses in the Inspiring Springs!
 Artsy Envel-Hopes™: Joyful Art Projects to Change Your Life is Artella's newest course full of daily art projects to inpsire a creative gratitude practice. Artsy Envel-Hopes™ turns the practice of gratitude into an artful adventure! Over the course of 30 days, you get 30 template designs to create fantastically artistic envelopes, as well as daily "Artsignments™" which guide you in creative ways that you can place your prayers, hopes, and blessings inside. To celebrate the launch, this week we are taking $8.00 off the regular price of $30, so you can now receive Artsy Envel-Hopes™ for just $22.00.
 If you want to expand your creative business, then you'd be interested in the brand new YOU * U™ Masters in Marketing e-Course, a comprehensive, heart-centered course I've created that guides you through weekly marketing tasks designed to help you reach and exceed your goals. My goal was to make it an encouraging step-by-step program that shows you exactly what to do, and in the order in which to do it...plus it's written especially for creative folks, not left-brained businessy types. We're also putting this new course on special this week, and you can save $100 off the course when you simply enter the ARTELLAGRAM coupon code: MPM100 during check out.
 If you're looking for new downloadable images you can use either digitally OR print out the old fashioned way, you may be interested in our brand new line of Downloadable Postcard Packs -- each themed pack contains twelve high-resolution images of authentic vintage postcards.
 We have some great new authentic vintage goodies in the $1.99 Vintage Ephemera Market, including:
- NEW! Weekly Art Contest! I'm so excited to share that we're now hosting weekly creativity contests in the Artella Cafe. The first contest is posted in the Creativity Contest Central Forum, and the deadline is this Tuesday, October 23, at 6:00pm Eastern. Your first mission, if you choose to accept it, is to submit your creation that somehow (anyhow!) incorporates this quote by Paul Gaughin: "I shut my eyes in order to see.".
Your piece can use any media, technique, or combination thereof. Get all the details on how to submit to the contest at Artella's Creativity Contest Central. The winners are then selected by votes from the Artella Community. It's completely free and the winners each week receive Cafe Points to redeem for art supplies and Artella goodies, as well as being featured in The Artella Daily Muse! A new challenge is posted every Monday, so keep watching the Cafe each week!
-
 4. NEW! Vote for Your Favorite Poem, Get a Free Workbook! The 12 Finalists for Artella's Poetic Idol Competition have been posted, and they are ready for your votes! You can read the poems at this link. To view the poems and vote, simply join the Cafe, if you have not already done so (it's fast and free - just click "Join" in the upper-right corner of the screen)
When you vote, you'll get to download a free copy of the workbook, "Artella's Metaphor Machine" (see above left). Whether you're a beginner or experienced poet, if you run through this process, you'll end up with 24 new ways to say what you want to say. Thanks for your participation! The winners -- including the $200 top award -- are completely up to the Artella Community, so your votes count!
 5. Attention all Luxury Art Studio Cabin members!Look for October's Studio Kit very soon! The theme is "Asian Awe" and it is more overflowing with artistic papers and images than ever!
If you're not a Luxury Art Studio Cabin Member yet, you can find information here. New Members can sign up on that page; existing Members can upgrade to a Luxury Art Studio Cabin on your Member Profile page. You'll receive the "Vintage Kitchen" kit immediately, and you'll get the "Asian Awe" kit as soon as it comes out.
- Look for Yourself in the new "Today's Brew" Feature of the Daily Muse! To celebrate the upcoming arrival of the new "community points" in the Artella Cafe, we've now added Today's Brew, a new feature on the front page of The Artella Daily Muse! Today's Brew features outstanding entries from the Artella Cafe forums, blogs, and art galleries, right there in The Artella Daily Muse! Be sure to drop by the Daily Muse every day to see if your own Cafe post has been chosen! Sign up for a two-day sample of the Daily Muse, here!
 7. Announcing Artella Halloween eCards! Say "Happy Halloween" or "Happy Fall" with Artella's selection of fun and funky Halloween eCards! Sure to put a jack-o-lantern smile on your friends' faces, these eCards and their accompanying postage stamps, are fun and free! Send your Halloween eCards here!
- Interested in working for Artella? We're once again looking for barterers who would like to work with us. All the great people currently in paid employ with Artella got started as barterers, and we only hire from within the Artella community, so if employment with Artella is something you'd like in the long run, or even if you are only interested in helping out part-time now, in exchange for all the nifty Artella goods you like, here's what we are generally looking for. If you possess the following skills, either in combination or you have great ability in even one of them, then that probably means you we really, really need you! :-)
You could be especially helpful if you have strong Office and Organization Skills, Database Entering, Advertising, Sales, Online Research, Web Site Troubleshooting, General Computer Programming, Transcribing Audio to Text, and Strong Computer Proficiency in major programs like MS Word, Excel, Adobe Photoshop, In-Design, etc.
Well, hopefully that gives you a brief idea of the few things we could use your help with :-). In addition to your wonderful skills, you'd probably fit right in if you have: a fun and artsy personality, real gratitude for just being alive, the desire to inspire others and make a really positive change in the world, a sincere love of all Artella is and can be, and the desire to work with a truly amazing team of caring, creative and passionate people who feel the same way. You can get an application to fill out by clicking here to send us an eMail.
|
|
This Quotz Crystal™ is a high-resolution jpeg image, suitable for printing. Print it out and post it somewhere to motivate you in all your challenges this week!
Aloha,
Marney
Artella Founder, Mango Lover, Hula Dancer
Artella PO Box 4418 Kamuela HI 96743
|
| | Forward the Artellagram, Get a Gift! Do you know someone who would enjoy the Artellagram? Please welcome them to Artella by forwarding them this issue, or direct them to www.ArtellaWordsAndArt.com/artellagram.html, where they can sign up! Then go collect a gift by following the directions in number 21 in the Treasure Chest.
Keep It Coming! To ensure delivery of this newsletter, take a minute now and create a contact in your email address book for Artellagram@artellawordsandart.com. If you don't, your Internet Service Provider(ISP) may block delivery. |
|
|
)window.location=%27http://www.artellaland.com.quotz14.jpg/%27)