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 I hope that you have been enjoying wonderful holidays!
For me, the most fun part of the holidays has been watching Kai. As a curious three-year-old, he is so excited about every little thing. Every Christmas tree he sees is the most beautiful he ever saw, every time he hears "Rudolph" he laughs like the first time, and he even made up a fictional football team called "The Menorahs", LOL. His sense of wonder made me wonder…when did we lose the immediacy of joy that seems to be so inherent in children?
I think we're all capable of great joy, but somehow we need to "process" it first. Consciously or unconsciously, grown-ups tend to "evaluate" an opportunity before truly feeling joy.
Try this: the next time you see or experience something that you love, pay attention to your sensations of joy. For example:
- Are you holding yourself back or lessening your joy?
- Are you “judging” your joy”?
- Are you staying safe in the role of an observer, rather than the role of an active participant in the moment?
- Are you worrying that your joy feels like it might be “too much” for others to handle?
- Are you feeling joy, but keeping it to yourself, and holding back from expressing it with others?
By simply being aware of things like this, we can notice our patterns and bring more joy into our lives. Now, as we transition into a new year, is a perfect time to welcome more of it than ever!
So my best tip in 2011 for your best 2012 is to imagine that the word “joy” is a verb…something we can actively do.
How might you joy more in the coming year?
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. Last days for Artella's Double-Dipped Holiday SuperSale! Our super Holiday sale is still going on, through Saturday Dec 31! 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!
 2. Annual 55% Off Membership Sale …Plus an eGift Card Up to $50! Our famous annual 55% off Membership Sale is also 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've added 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, now is the time.
To take advantage of our annual 55% Off Special for Gift Memberships, simply go to this page to select your Membership.
 3. Be a Mystery Muse…Sign Up through Saturday! Our annual project is similar to the tradition of "Secret Santas"… but with a creative twist! Sign up to be a Mystery Muse, and you'll receive the name and snail mail address of someone else who has signed up. You will then send at least two creative offerings to that person during the month of January. These offerings can be very, very simple and needn't cost any money. Some examples: a 3 line Haiku poem sent with a pressed leaf… a sketch drawn on a napkin in a restaurant… a handmade card… a photograph that you took… a copy of a short story you wrote.
It can be absolutely anything, as long as you send at least two things during January that you created personally. You should keep your identity a secret until you send your final offering, at which time you can reveal yourself if you choose.
It's completely free to participate, and just a fun way to start the new year with positive, supportive energy. Sign-ups will be accepted through December 31, 2011. Get all the details and sign up for this inspiring project, here!
4. ARTbundance™ Updates: Applications Available for ACT 2012! We’ve set the date for our 6th session of the ARTbundance™ Certification Training (ACT)! Our 2012 session begins on January 30, and applications are now available and will be accepted through January 23. You can learn more about ACT and request your application here. You can even listen to the “Audio ACTimonials” and hear program graduates share about heir experience.
Speaking of our graduates, we are excited to announce a 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 in our directory, and all they have to share!
Plus, we're already lining up events in January, as part of the ARTbundance™ Community Events Series, 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 next event and sign up here!
 5. 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.
 6. 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 a wonderfully talented ARTbundance Coach and Practitioner, Athena George Penson, who personifies spontaneous expressions of joy and inspires everyone around her. Enjoy getting to know Athena!
Artella: How has your ARTbundance™ training affected your work and/or life?
Athena: Being a survivor of 2 cancers, I see and feel the value of art in the healing process! ARTbundance really IS my life now… I took such a big step and chose LIFE and creative living as a tool to help me get over illness, and the sadness I experienced through being ill for so long. I gave myself permission to be the creative being I had always wanted to be "when I grew up". My health has now improved significantly, and I am now gathering strength and knowledge to grow and take my training to the next step!
Artella: In your mind, how are creativity and spirituality related?
Athena: I feel that creativity and spirituality can feed each other and complete each other. When I am ready to start creating art, when I am preparing for a coaching session, if I allow my spirituality to "take over", I feel trust, enlightened, compassion, full of LOVE, and then intuition and creativity take over. It is the best feeling ever, a natural "high", a creative abundance, that one can only feel when she can trust creativity and spirituality.
You can read the rest of Athena's interview, here
We’ve set the date for our 6th session of the ARTbundance™ Certification Training (ACT)! Our 2012 session begins on January 30, and applications are now available and will be accepted through January 23. You can learn more about ACT and request your application here.
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You can expand your experience of joy by literally filling your ‘joy’ with things you love! Spell out the word J-O-Y with letters that are decorated with images or drawings of things you love. You can do an online search for letter stencils, or make your own stencils by printing out letters in a large font size, or even free-hand drawing letters in your favorite style.
Think of different ways you can fill the letters with your joy. For example:
- Create collages from magazine cutouts
- Create your letters with digital collages in your favorite digital imaging program
- Draw fun little sketches and doodles inside of the letters
- Fill the letters with photographs of people and places you love
- Write words and phrases inside the letters for a word-centric twist!
Letters shown are from our “Artsy” Artellabets. Browse all of our Artellabets alphabets, here! With 20 alphabet sets in different themes available, there’s lots to look at and enjoy.
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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 to embrace and express your joy.
~seeing lots of 's JOY in 2012,
 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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