So sorry for those of you who received this mailing twice today. The earlier version had last week's title, by mistake. :-) You can disregard the other mailing. Thanks and enjoy!
How do you know when the holiday season has arrived? For me it's when I start hearing holiday music on the radio. My heart instantly lifts when I hear my favorites: Walking in a Winter Wonderland…I'll Be Home for Christmas…Joy to the World….and the holiday arrangement of Pachabel's Canon…which 3 yr old Kai very seriously refers to as "Taco Bell's Canyon"! ;-)
The trick seems to be sustaining the holiday spirit through all various challenges that seem to accompany this season in modern life. The holiday season is equated with a dizzy-busy that has become so normal, we've come to expect it. But does this have to be the case? When did it become so acceptable to be over-busy, over-tired, and over-stressed…during the holidays or, for that matter, any time of the year?
I think that it's easy to forget that we have a choice in the matter. Our choices are the pieces of the quilt of our lives, and the words we use each day are the threads that hold those choices together. Just because everyone else around us is stressed by the holidays, doesn't mean that we need to be!
One way to help make a different choice is to create a simple reminder that you can reflect upon through the season. The key is simplicity: designing one single phrase that affects you on a visceral level. Once you have identified this phrase, simply repeating it and reflecting on it regularly brings you back to your choice.
It could be something simple and heart-felt, like:
"Every day, I find meaning and delight in this season."
"I am filled with gratitude and blessings each day."
"I can give and share in many ways."
Or it could be even something silly, like when I think about Kai's new Christmas song title, "Taco Bell's Canyon"…that simple phrase instantly reminds me to be lighthearted, whimsical and most of all, flexible to new ideas and concepts! :-)
So for the sake of the holidays, let's call it a "Merry Mantra": a simple phrase you can repeat at any time to connect you back to your choices for this holiday season.
What's your Merry Mantra this season? For even greater creative impact, you might incorporate art or word-play into your Merry Mantra. For examples and more ideas, you can see the Creativity Tip below to really get your ideas moving!
We've got lots of fun ways to inspire you this season, including tomorrow's free class on heart-centered marketing called The Magical Marketing ManiFestival and our Annual Holiday SuperSale, designed to make artsy gift-giving easy and fun, including those special gifts that you give to yourself. Keep reading for more details and holiday creativity.
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. Tomorrow's Free Teleclass for Creative Entrepreneurs – If your creative business or venture had a holiday wish list, what would it most want? If at the top of the list is a new, creative, heartfelt approach to marketing and promotion, then I invite you to a new free teleclass I'm presenting next week, on December 6, called "Magical Marketing ManiFestival: Heart-Centered Actions for Client/Customer Attraction". This class is a celebration of passionate, practical tools for creative and fun marketing and manifesting from the heart….a great way to prepare for attracting new clients and customers in the new year!
This new free class takes place next Tuesday, December 6, and is part of Artella's Business Bohemia ~ a fantastical world where work feels like play. Come see what all the excitement is about in tomorrow's "Magical Marketing ManiFestival" class...it’s free and if you are not able to attend live, you can also easily sign up to receive the recording as well. You can get more information and sign up for Magical Marketing ManiFestival, here!
2. Application Due Date is This Friday for Mapping and Mentoring with Marney! This Friday will be the last day to turn in your application for an intimate business-building group called Mapping and Mentoring with Marney offering 21st Century Goal Achieving & Time Metamorphosis for Creative Professionals. We’ve already got a really nice crew of interesting folks applying so this looks to be a lot of fun.
3. NEW! Artella's Double-Dipped Holiday SuperSale! Wahoo, it comes once a year…our super Holiday sale! This year Artella's Double-Dipped Holiday SuperSale offers 40% off ALL Artella Products, plus a $15-$75 Artella eGift Card!
This is a great way to pick up all the Artella e-Courses, eBooks, and downloadable kits that you like at 40%, and then get an eGift Card to use next year! You can also use it for gifts for your creative friends, too! Dip into the delicious Double-Dipped SuperSale, here!
 4. NEW! Holiday Art Supplies on Sale! We've got lots of holiday-themed goodies in the Artella Store, just in time to inspire you as you create your holiday cards, invitations and gifts.
Here are links to just a few of our holiday-themed items…all of which are 40% off in the Double-Dippped Holiday SuperSale!
 5. Annual 55% Off Membership Sale …Plus an eGift Card Up to $50! Our famous once-a-year 55% off Membership Sale is going on through December 31! You can now once again save over half off on Artella Membership! We've created some really fun options for the really special ones on your gift list, including you of course! You'll have your choice of a six-month or full-year Luxury Gift Membership to any one of Artella's Luxury Cabin Memberships, all of which have recently been renovated and updated with all-new monthly packages of amazing goodies!
Plus this year, we're including an extra bonus: when you order any membership at 55% off, you also immediately receive an Artella eGift Card from $5 to $50!
This is also a great opportunity to get or upgrade your own Artella membership at 55% off as well. It's the best offer we ever make on membership so if you are a current monthly member and would like to save up to 55% on your membership during the coming 6 months or 1 year, this is by far the best promotion to take advantage of.
To take advantage of our annual 55% Off Special for Gift Memberships, simply go to this page to order your gifts. We'll take care of all the details, and deliver the Gift Membership to your friends in artsy, Artella style!
6. NEW! Directory of ARTbundance Coaches and Practitioners! We are so excited to announce this new service to the Artella Community: a convenient directory of Certified ARTbundance Coaches and Practitioners! Browsing through this directory is a great way to find someone who a coach, teacher or speaker who is passionate about using creativity to help you finally live the life you've always dreamed of, and is thoroughly trained to do so! Enjoy getting to know all the wonderful people here to help!
And if you yourself have thought about applying for the next session of the ARTbundance Certification Training Program, please fill out this quick form to let us know your timing preferences, which will help guide us as we create Artella Land's 2012 schedule. In return, you not only get notified when the next program starts, you actually help determine the dates that are right for you! And as a lil' thank you, you also get a passion-packed gift booklet, "Pizzazz Your Purpose: An Introduction to the ARTbundance Principles.”
 7. This month's ARTbundance™ Community Events for December! We've recently posted several new free teleclasses that are part of the ARTbundance™ Community Events Series in December, all presented by our talented ARTbundance™ Practitioners in training. In addition to the attending these events for free, you also get a wonderful pack of ARTbundant goodies to enjoy! See the descriptions of the new events and sign up here!
 8. Join the ARTfiliate Program! Join Artella's generous ARTfiliate Program and Enjoy all the new affiliate tools that we've recently added! You can get more info by clicking here.
 9. Interested in Becoming Part of Artella's Team? We are expanding our team for all the exciting things we're working on, 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 a wonderfully talented ARTbundance Coach and Practitioner, Lara Geach, who sends her loving, positive energy from Australia and never fails to inspire those around her. Enjoy getting to know Lara!
Artella: led you to become a Certified ARTbundance™ Coach?
Lara: Ha! Fate I think! I've known for ages that I want to work with people, that I love inspiring, encouraging and nurturing people to fulfill their own creative potential, but I'd become stuck as to how I would do that. I originally took the ACT course because I was interested in the Practitioner track, but as I discovered more about the coaching and as I underwent the practice coaching sessions I realized I could do that too…I totally surprised myself by how much I enjoyed the coaching. I think it's because I love hearing people's stories and I feel really privileged that they want to share that with me.
Artella: How has your ARTbundance™ training affected your work and/or life?
Lara: Well, now I know what direction I want to head in - I want to continue with my creativity workshops, but I also want to work one on one with people in a coaching scenario, something I would never have seen myself doing a couple of years ago. It has been life-changing in that way, and also in the way I now have strategies to self-coach. If I have a problem, I can use the fun ARTsignments™ to work it through, and the answers always surprise me! It makes my creativity a lifestyle choice - I can use it in all situations and I love that as creativity has always been a major part of my life.
You can read the rest of Lara's interview, here
The Fall 2011 session of the ARTbundance™ Certification Training Program (ACT) is now in session. If you would like to be notified when the next session is announced, simply fill out this form.
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  One of my favorite ARTsignments™ is called "Transwordation", which is all about changing the words as a way to change our mindsets. For this simple little exercise, all you do is start with a word that describes how you're feeling…and then see if you can find a rhyme or pun that transforms the word into something else.
For example:
Instead of feeling stressed...try feeling blessed
It looks so simple, right? But this simple word association is actually a very powerful tool! With that Transwordation above, for example, you now have an instant reminder the next time you are feeling stressed; you can change your thoughts, and instead of being overwhelmed with stress, you can start thinking about all the things for which you are grateful.
Here are a few more silly little examples for words that can actually be powerful if we let them transform us this holiday season:
Instead of feeling busy…
what would it mean if you were feeling bliss-y?
Instead of dealing with obligations….
how about Ah-Ha Bligations?
Or maybe every time you see a Santa Claus…
Allow it to remind you to take a sacred pause…
For even greater impact, you can illustrate your Transwordation, using any media or art supplies you like, such as my example of my "Sacred Pause Santa Claus", shown above.
In the ARTbundance™ approach, we share that the very act of creating art allows the concept to become absorbed in a deeper, more inspiring way. Give this a try and see how it might transform your holiday season!
To learn more about ARTbundance™ and creative ARTsignments™ like these, visit here to learn more!
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This Quotz Crystal is a high-resolution jpeg image, suitable for printing. I invite you to print it out as a fun reminder to appreciate the miracles of the holidays...and the everydays.
~walking in a winter wonderland with ,
 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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