Note: If this newsletter doesn't display in its delightfully colorful formatting, you can view it on the Web at www.artellawordsandart.com/ARTELLAGRAM-3-6-09.html. I have always had a fascination for maps, but ever since I had the opportunity to design a funky, artsy map to be the table of contents for Artella Issue 9: The Journey, I got hooked on constantly designing new maps. I think that creating art on, and about, maps is just about the coolest kind of art possible. Thus, the theme of the next print issue of Artella (now finally in production for all the patient souls who’ve waited!) is Lost Art: paradise found, and it will be bursting with spectacular, artistic maps! It's no wonder, then, that as I'm bringing back one-on-one consulting, after taking a break to be with my baby son, it has a new twist, that involves….you guessed it, maps! If you're interested, you can read all about it in my new Creative Cartography services, below. Many of you were on the teleclass that I gave a couple of weeks ago, called "The Complete Idealist's Guide to Growing a Creative Business". Perhaps the most important thing I spoke about was the importance of anchoring your creative businesses ventures – or any creative dreams – so that they are filled with things you love. Loving what you are doing gives you the stamina and passion that allows you to get through the tough times. Passion becomes the fuel for endurance, especially when it comes to persevering as you bring a project to beautiful fruition. So, the important first step to remember is is that whatever your current goal or project is, infuse THAT with things that you love. We often do that naturally when it comes to creative fun projects we’re working on, but you can extend that into your work realm as well, or in projects that seem a bit overwhelming for you to even begin. Think of small, even silly, changes that you can make to fill your process with more joy. Those little imaginative choices are where your stamina will come from, where renewed energy will be born and you might really be surprised at the inventive creative twists you come up with! 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. NEW! Creative Cartography Coaching! Complete Idealist Super-Bundle Packs...Now with $5-$75 Gift Cards! NEW Artella YOUpons for March Last Days for "Mixed Media ME-flections" Pilot Group! New in the Artella store! Muse Cruise "Sail" Continues! Self Care Mastery Revolution Join the Artella Affiliate Program The Artella Daily Muse Update Become part of Artella's Team! In the Studio with Annette Phillips Creativity Tip: Mixed Media Maps Quotz Crystal™ 1. NEW Creative Cartography Coaching! After taking some time off from individual consulting to be with my baby son, I'm once again offering consulting for individual project development, only now enhanced for 2009 with a valuable creative twist! Have you ever just wished someone could hand you a literal map...with all the steps and paths mapped out to get directly to your creative dream? That's what we do in Creative Cartography! After hearing from you about your dreams and goals, I work with you to create a map for how to get from here to there...while remaining really inspired and creatively passionate as you do it. Since creative folks are generally very visually oriented, I also follow up your session by designing just for you a Customized Creative Cartography ActionMap, based on your own journey, and completely customized for your goals. This is a fun and artsy, as well as very valuable and resourceful, visual map that you can print out to guide you on your journey and keep you inspired along the way! 2. NEW! Complete Idealist Super-Bundle Packs...With Bonus Gift Cards! As a special introduction to the new Creative Cartography Coaching, we’ve included it in several of the Complete Idealist Super-Bundle Packs, which offer the most deeply discounted ways to take advantage of Artella’s creative business resources designed to help you make an artsy living doing what you love. New! Now until March 24, each of the Super-Bundle Packs comes with an additional free Artella Gift Card, from $5 to $75! Take a look at the Super-Bundle Packs, here! 3. NEW Artella YOUpons for March! We've just posted a brand new set of Artella YOUpons for March! YOUpons work like regular coupons, only instead of US choosing which one coupon to offer each month, we give YOU several and the power to decide which one is best for YOU. The new March YOUpons include some never-before-seen discounts in Artella Mae's Vintage General Store, the lowest price ever on an Artella print issue, and deep price cuts on our most popular products, including our line of Digital Altered Book™ Supplies and our popular Artellabets Alphabets. Take a look at the new YOUpons, here! 4. Last Week to Save $20 with the new Mixed Media Pilot Group! Artella's new e-course, Mixed Media ME-flections: 30 Self Portrait Projects to Change Your Life, only began a couple of weeks ago, and it is already beginning to change lives! The course only started last week, and we've already been getting great feedback, like these words from Tara: Wow wow wow. What else can I say? After only a few days of ME-flections I'm already feeling like a different artist and dare I say, a different person. Thank you for an already life-changing experience! And Joy, who said: These lessons are rocking my world. Full of great ideas that are finally getting me both into the studio and into my own heart. While following these step-by-step mixed media self portrait projects, you'll also embark on created an unforgettable journey of self-discovery, inner healing, sacred inspiration, and creative fun! From assemblage to origami…clay to collage….photography to fine art….watercolor to wire…these self-portrait projects offer an unparalleled opportunity to get to know yourself more deeply and become more comfortable and confident with yourself than ever! From now through March 15, you can enroll in the Mixed Media ME-flections Workshop Pilot Program and save $15 off the regular price of the course! Learn more about the Pilot Program, here! PLUS, you can save an additional $5.00 when you use of one of our current Artella YOUpons!, for a total savings of $20 off the regular price. 5. New this week in Artella Land! Here's what is new in the Artella Land Store this week: NEW! Blissness Splash e-magazine! We've now made Blissness Splash, the e-magazine published monthly as part of the Luxury Blissness Cabin Membership, available in individual copies. Each issue is filled with resources for creative entrepreneurs…laid out in a splashy, Artella style to inspire your soul! Take a look at the sample pages, here! NEW! Art Project Samples from Artella's Studio Collage Kits, created by artists in the Artella Community! Browse the Kits and see the great art that has been created! As a bonus, you can even get a free gifty when you vote for your favorite in the current Muse-ical Medley Studio Kit Contest! Have you seen the new Inspiring Springs, yet! Great news! The Inspiring Springs are now organized by topic, rather than product type, for a much more convenient and fun way to browse through all of Artella's items for creative souls. So come check out the NEW Inspiring Springs, overflowing with catalyzing waves that bring renewed creativity, wisdom, abundance, joy, and deep connections to words, art, and spirit. 6. Muse Cruise "Sail" Continues! By popular request, we're continuing our Grand Opening Muse Cruise "Sail", when you sign up for more than one Luxury Cabin, each new Membership is permanently locked in at just $5.00! This includes… The Luxury Art Journaling Cabin, celebrating the amazing power of Art Journaling to enhance creative well-being! The Blissness Cabin, offering Artella's unparalleled support for creative entrepreneurs of all kinds! The Digital Art Coach Cabin, created especially for those who love Digital Art and want to learn more about it! Or you can sign up for the Artella Land Complete Access Pass and save even more, AND get a bonus Artella digital spending spree! Here's what Pam Tucker has to say about the Complete Access Pass: "I am LOVING my COMPLETE PASS to all of the Member cabins! I love the weekly recordings from Marney (what an inspiration)! I look forward to hearing her messages every week. I love the Zines in each cabin...I don't know where to start! I could spend all day here!! Thanks so much, Marney, for these wonderful new additions!" Thanks to everyone for your positive feedback! We're so excited to have you on board for what promises to be a fantastic new year! 7. Invitation to the Self Care Mastery Revolution! This Wednesday, March 11, I'm participating in a really exciting series called the Self Care Mastery Revolution, and I'm happy to invite you to attend as my guest. This online series is providing live, in-depth interviews with some of today's most in-demand speakers, ready to educate, enlighten and empower you to master your body, your energy, and your life. I resonated so much with these words from Adela Rubio, organizer of this wonderful event : "CHANGE is palpable everywhere. 2009 is a year of powerful movement, can you FEEL it?" I DO feel that it is, and couldn't agree more, which is why I was truly excited to be asked to be part of this very inspiring event. You can check out the list of other speakers here, and if reading more about it makes you excited as well, I hope you'll join me on the call next Wednesday, and sign up to reserve your free online pass! I'll be speaking about using your creativity to attract prosperity, and I'd love to see you there. 8. Are you an Affiliate, yet? Have you been wanting to bring in some additional income? If so, you'll be very happy to know that Artella's New Affiliate Program is finally here! After many of your requests and over a year in the making, Artella's Affiliate Program is ready to help you start earning income, just by spreading the word about Artella. The Artella Affiliate Program is free, and within a few minutes, you can be ready to actually start earning real income, receiving 25% commissions, one of the highest commissions available online. Get all the details about Artella's exciting Affiliate Program, here! 9. Daily Muse Renovations Still Underway! Thanks to all who have written to ask about The Artella Daily Muse! We're still working on some very exciting renovations, including implementing many of new requests from our loyal Daily Muse readers! If you would like to receive an email message when the all-new Artella Daily Muse is ready, sign up for our free Daily Muse Teaser! 10. Interested in Becoming Part of Artella's Team? 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! Today I'm delighted to feature Annette Phillips (aka "Annamarie" in the Artella Café), who is a cherished member of the Artella Team, contributing her beautiful designs to our Studio Kits and the Luxury Digital Art Cabin's monthly "Pixel Packets". I hope you enjoy this interview with Annette! Artella: How do you find the time, and what tips can you offer for busy people to help them find time for creativity? Annette: Having a dedicated work space that you don't have to constantly clean up and put things away really helps. I have had a separate creative space for 30 years, and the space grows as I grow. I did originally start out in the smallest spare bedroom, but have now grown to a 14 x 14 room and 1/2 the basement. The space in the basement houses interests like soap making, paper making, my scroll saw, painting. My upstairs creative space is digital, scrapbooking, paper crafts, favors/supplies, gift baskets, candy bouquets, rubber stamping, balloon sculpting, etc. I personally like variety and don't have a problem making time because it is a fun and a goal to do it, (and I don’t have little ones to take care of anymore) but if you struggle I would say try to pick something that is not time consuming to create and doesn’t create a huge mess that you have to continually clean up each time you do it. I think quilting is fascinating and would like to try it when I retire, but I know there is no way I would be dedicated to do it now while I work full time. I want somewhat instant gratification, so quilting will wait for a while yet… You can read the rest of Annette's interview, here See Annette's products in The Shoppes of Artella, here. If you want more artist interviews from Artella, take a look at our eBooks Artist Profiles Assembled and Artist Profiles Assembled, Vol 2. ART TIP OF THE WEEK: As I mentioned above, I love using old maps in my art. I especially love using them to create self-portraits, which is actually one of the self portrait projects presented in the new Mixed Media ME-flections course. Painting on a map is like having a dialogue with lines, shapes, colors, and spaces. You have to choose what to cover and what to leave exposed, and what kind of opacity and translucency to use on the parts of the map that you cover up. Maps represent journeys of all kinds, and you get to create a relationship between your own personal journey, and the places that the map represents. When creating art on maps, to bring more meaning to the process, ask yourself questions like, "Are these real places, or imaginary?" "What do the meaning of these locations add to this piece?" "Why is THIS map in particular in this painting, as opposed to any other?" (An important question when using any ephemera, not to mention when it's your entire painting surface!) On a practical note, most maps – especially older ones – are rather flimsy, so, depending on the media you are using, you may want to mount them on a stretched canvas or cardboard before you work with them. WRITING TIP OF THE WEEK: Maps are great tools for writing, too. Take a look at these examples: For fiction: When you are writing stories, drawing maps for the different locations in the story is a great way to capture details, ensure consistency, and expand your sense of place. For poetry: Sketch figurative maps, such as what the map of love looks like, or the map of the ocean's sigh. Allow those images to breathe new life into your poetry. For non-fiction: Use mind-maps to help you organize your thoughts and resources. This is one of those exercises that needs to be done, and not just read and thought about. Give it a try. Your maps don't need to be fancy or "artistic". They can just be pencil sketches on a piece of paper, or even a napkin. It's just about orienting yourself visually in order to better inform your writing. Why not use all the tools you have at hand? This Quotz Crystal™ is a high-resolution jpeg image, suitable for printing. Print it out and post it somewhere to remind you of your own power to change your direction! ~Loving your soul's map, Marney Artella Founder, Mango Lover, Hula Dancer Artella Land ~ the creative isles of words, art, and spirit Artella PO Box 6211 Kamuela HI 96743