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If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.
~ Anne Bradstreet
 Spring is here! Even when living in a place like Hawaii, which doesn't have dramatically defined seasons, I can still tell that something different is dancing in the air. Spring is a time for birth and growth, as Mother Nature throws a gigantic party! Since I'm currently eight months pregnant, I'm feeling the "growth" quite literally! :-) But even aside from that, curious new blossoms of all kinds are springing up all over Artella Land, including some new features in the Artellagram!
Thanks to feedback from a recent survey of Artella Members, we're improving the Artellagram to make it more inspiring and easier to read. Please let us know what you think…we'd love to hear your feedback and ideas on how we can make the Artellagram more informative and inspiring.
One of the most "springy" artists in The Shoppes of Artella is Australian artist Carmel Glover, and I'm delighted to share her refreshing take on life and art in an exclusive Artella Land interview in our the new "In The Studio" section. Then, today's "Creativity Tip" takes a queue from Carmel's beautiful use for floral designs, and presents some unique ways to allow flowers to inspire new directions in both your art and writing.
The Artellagram News section continues to give you the highlights of what is new in Artella Land, including the introduction of our new Studio Spring Fling special, a new free teleclass, and more. And, those of you who have said you've missed the Quotz Crystal™ will be happy to know we've brought it back!
If you're in a hurry, here are some "quick links" to make things easier. You can simply follow the links that you're interested in to go directly to the relevant information!
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We're thrilled to introduce Carmel Glover, an artist from Australia, whose spring-themed brooches and creative eBooks can be found dancing around The Shoppes of Artella! See Carmel's art and eBooks in The Shoppes of Artella, here.
I hope you enjoy this interview with Carmel!
Artella: How would you describe yourself as an artist? What is your favorite kind of art to create?
Carmel: That's not easy to answer. I guess I'm a "work in progress". I'm what Margaret Lobenstine describes as a "Renaissance Soul", i.e. a person who has too many interests to choose just one. This applies very much to my art. I want to try everything at once. However, most of my work revolves around the core of words and images. I like to write and photograph and illustrate. I'm also in love with textures. Artist books are a perfect vehicle for all this. I'm also experimenting with "artist ebooks".
Artella: The possibilities to "create art" when you're a novice seem endless -- where's a good starting place?
Carmel: You can only start "where you are". I ‘ll try to explain. I think it's probably not a good idea to deliberately try to "create art". Better to express what's in your heart and soul ... that way your work will be unique. So ask yourself what you love most, and what you want to say about it. If you can't think of where to start ... go and draw something (if you can't draw, get yourself a copy of Betty Edwards" Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain). Don't worry about whether the results are "good" ... that comes with practice.
 Artella: What do you do to overcome or get past artistic blocks?
Carmel: If I strike a block (as I often do), I go off and do something else ... preferably something frivolous. I've never found it productive to try to force my way through a block. When I return to the work I give myself permission to produce rubbish – playfully. Eventually the "flow" returns. The goal is to let the right brain take over ... you know that has happened when you become unaware of time passing, and maybe don't notice what's going on around you.
Read the rest of Carmel's interview, here!
See Carmel's art and eBooks in The Shoppes of Artella, here.
 Want more artist interviews from Artella? Take a look at our eBooks Artist Profiles Assembled and Artist Profiles Assembled, Vol 2, and look at the "Ask the Artist" column every single day in The Artella Daily Muse, our daily online creativity newspaper. You can even sign up for a free two-day subscription to The Artella Daily Muse, to see what it's all about.
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With spring here, how can we not be inspired to create with flowers? If you've never tried the art of paper quilling, I highly recommend this relaxing art form of wrapping, twirling, and folding tiny strips of paper to create pieces of art that are absolutely beautiful in their simplicity. Here's a simple quilled flower I rolled very quickly, and then mounted on beautiful background papers. This project is quick, easy, and the perfect basis for a greeting card, shadow box, or to be implemented in a larger piece.
See step-by-step instructions for how to create this project, here.
Writers can also find inspiration in the flowers of Spring. Did you know that in the Victorian age, flowers had special "meanings"? For example, a daisy was associated with innocence, and a poppy was a message of consolation.
Do a little research on the internet by typing "meanings of flowers" in a search engine, and then use your new-found knowledge of flowers meanings in a piece of writing. Write a poem, story, or essay in which a flower carries a specific symbolic meaning that is central to the piece. Then add your creation to this thread in the Word Playground Forum in the Artella Cafe!
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1. Artella's Studio Spring Fling!Spring is the perfect time for taking a cruise…a creativity cruise aboard the Artella Member Ship! We're celebrating Spring with a special offer for New Luxury Art Studio Members! Become a new Studio Member, or upgrade your current Membership to Luxury status, and you get an Authentic Vintage Art Supply Kit mailed to you via U.S. Postal Service, full of goodies from Artella's Vintage Ephemera Market. This kit is in addition to the big bundle of gifts and discounts that you already will receive when you become an Artella Luxury Art Studio member.
And, if you're already a Studio Member, all you have to do is buy ANY combination of eProducts $10 or more, and we'll automatically send you a unique Authentic Vintage Art Supply Kit with a retail value of $10-$15 worth of authentic vintage ephemera, like actual cabinet photos, vintage wine labels, early 1900s postcards, and gorgeous vintage ephemera to use wherever your creativity takes you.
And New Studio Members can double their pleasure: Become a new Studio Member AND purchase $10 or more in eProducts, we'll mail you TWO completely unique Authentic Vintage Art Supply Kits. When you sign up for your Studio Membership, you'll receive instructions for how to claim your second kit when you make your eProduct purchase. This free kit offer expires April 11, and is good anywhere the U.S. postal service delivers. Kits will be shipped within 1-2 weeks of ordering; international addresses, please allow for about 7-10 days additional for delivery.
This is an especially good time to become a Luxury Art Studio Member since you'll immediately receive this month's kit, "Grandma's Attic" – the ultimate celebration of all things vintage! See just a sampling of the contents in the "Grandma's Attic" Kit, here. Each and every month, you'll receive a new downloadable kit that is overflowing with artistic inspiration. You can take a look at the past kits here, and check out the helpful new images we've just added this week, that show samples of what's included in the kit.
As you can see, the kits sell individually for $9.99, so for one penny more per month, with your Luxury Studio Membership, we thank you for your loyalty as you also receive all kinds of juicy Membership benefits, including your own free feature-packed blog AND personal custom art gallery in The Artella Cafe, 25-35% member discounts of virtually every item in Artella, a subscription to The Artella Daily Muse Newspaper, and unlimited 24-hour access to the thousands of the art and inspiration resources on the Member Ship.
How to get your free Authentic Vintage Art Supply Kit:
- If you are not currently an Artella Member, you can get more information about Luxury Art Studio Membership at this link, and then sign up on the signup page. You will also get a big bundle of free gifts and discounts when you sign up!
- If you are currently a Standard or Deluxe Member, login to your Member Profile Page and follow the instructions for upgrading to Luxury Membership.
- If you are already a Studio Member, watch your email for instructions on how get your Authentic Vintage Art Supply Kit with a purchase of $10 or more in eProducts.
 2. Another Free Event on Digital Altered Books™! Digital Altered Books™ are the latest phenomenon to hit the creative world. If you missed last week's Digital Altered Books™ Revealed workshop, you can now download a free video of the class, here. And on Monday, April 14, I'm excited to present Digital Altered Book™ Revealed Part II, a workshop that will present more advanced techniques for using Photoshop to create stunning Digital Altered Books™. Get more information about Digital Altered Books™ Revealed Part II and be sure to sign up soon since, like last time, we can only take participants on a first-come, first-served basis. Because the baby is due in early May, this will be the last live event I'll be presenting for at least a few months, so I hope you'll be able to join me!
And if you are already working on a Digital Altered Book, we've just announced our very first Digital Altered Books™ contest! Since it is our very first Digital Altered Books contest, we have some extra-fun prizes for everyone who even enters, as well as the winners themselves. Please note that in order to enter your finished Digital Altered Book™ in the contest, we need to receive it from you for conversion by Sunday, April 6. So there's still plenty of time to create your book and join in the fun!
 3. Easy, Fun Ways to Get More Free Goodies! Speaking of contests, did you know that, every single week, you can get a bouquet of free Artella goodies, just by entering our various contests, and voting for your favorite entries in the contests we post in the Artella Cafe? Now, participating in our contests and challenges is even easier, because we're posting the new "Contest Hot Links" on the home page of the Artella Cafe. So at any time, you can simply refer to the right-hand sidebar of the Artella Cafe home page and see a list of all the available contests that are open for entering and open for voting. Right now, there are three contests open for voting (including the 12 Finalist Poems in our famed "Poetic Idol" competition), and four contests open for entering. There's something for everyone - both artists and writers - and you get fun, free goodies for participating in all of them! Happy creating!
 4. Ready to sell your work? You've probably seen the wonderful artists from The Shoppes of Artella showcased all over Artella Land lately. Just as we hoped, these new featured spots are really boosting their sales! All these efforts are all part of Artella's Shoppes Artist Co-Op Program, a one-of-a-kind, true community for artists and craftspeople selling handmade goods, providing opportunity and exposure that isn't matched anywhere else, on- or off-line. The Artist Interview you read at the top of this Artellagram is a good example of the dedicated exposure we give in support of our Artists in the program. Take a look at the highlights of the Artella Shoppes Artist Co-Op Program, here! Even if you are not yet ready to list your products, you are still welcome to join this supportive community of artisans while you prepare to sell your work. Sign up to get your invitation to join the new Shoppes Sellers' forum in the Artella Cafe, attend our online monthly gathering of Shoppes artists, receive valuable coupons for Artella products, and more!
 5. Interested in working for Artella? If you're interested in becoming part of the amazing Artella Team, check out this post in the Artella Cafe for details. We're rolling out some exciting new features in the coming months and would love to bring a few more wonderful, creative souls on board!
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This Quotz Crystal™ is a high-resolution jpeg image, suitable for printing. Print it out and post it somewhere to remind that you Spring is definitely on its way!
Aloha,
 Marney
Spring Sprite, Wind Dancer, Friend of Flowers
Artella PO Box 4418 Kamuela HI 96743 |
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