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ARTELLAGRAM, April 15, 2006
April 15, 2006
Hello ~

If this newsletter doesn't display in its colorful formatting, you can view it on the Web at www.artellawordsandart.com/ARTELLAGRAM-4-15-06.html.


Looking for Help in all the Right Places:
4 Ways to Find a T.O.O.L.


There's nothing like the perfect tool.

Ten years ago, the right tool for introducing me to daily writing was The Artist's Way. It looked intriguing on a book shelf. It became the most important book I had ever read.

When Artella first began, the right tool for creating Artella's presence on the Web was SBI. A friend introduced it to me and POOF -- it was just what was needed to make the Artella Web site happen and begin to soar. (Special note: Be sure to read the Artellagram News section below for the special 2-for-1 offer on SBI Web sites, available only through Artella.) Again, it was like a special gift from the Universe, wrapped up in the perfect wrapping, in the perfect timing.

Three and a half years later, the right tool for bringing a new kind of creativity to my life has been a new book that I just found. Danny Gregory's newest book, The Creative License, is absolutely blowing my socks off! I'm only

about halfway through, because I am slowly savoring it. But this is one hell of a book! Among many things, it is getting me to draw every day, by teaching me new ways to do it. I've always been inspired by Frederick Franck's books, such as Zen Seeing, Zen Drawing, that say things like, "in order to see, we must draw." I adore Frederick Franck. But in Danny's book, he tells HOW to do it, in a way that I really get. I am just ALL OVER this book, I can't tell you. I'm so excited that I postponed the "In the Studio" interview that was going to be in the upcoming e-Artella issue #e-9, just so that I could interview Danny, instead!

So it's my newest tool.
TOOL = To Open Our Lens

The right tools help us see through a wider aperture. We can see bigger, see more, all because the right TOOL opens things up.

Here are 4 tips for finding the right TOOLs.

  1. Ask your friends. Why not send out an email to your friends asking, "I'm doing some personal research and I'd love to know: what are the products, services, and experiences you've encountered that have been most important to your personal happiness?"

  2. Visit the resource pages of Web sites you love. Many Web sites have pages for links and favorite books, which are a great place to start.

  3. Browse a bookstore. Let one book take you to another, following bread-crumbs of delight.

  4. Be very specific about what you need. If you know that you are looking for something that will make your daily commute easier, or your yoga practice more comfortable, or your clutter more manageable, you'll more likely to find it when it crosses your path. Our eyes see when they know what to look for!
The world is full of wonderful resources, generous people who are willing to help unite us with those resources, and, I believe, a Spirit that moves through all of us that energizes the right connections at the perfect moments.

Close your eyes…open your hands… and…






Of course, the only thing better than finding an amazing new book is altering an old one!

If you favor a simple look for your covers (which can be especially nice on old books), here's an easy technique for creating bold lettering for a book cover (or for internal pages, as well):

1. Get a set of letter stencils (available at any office supply or art supply store). Or make your own stencils, by printing out big letters in a stencil-style font (find some stencil font samples here) on card stock and cut them out.

2. Place a stencil over a piece of paper that has the design you want and trace around it.

3. Cut the letter out.

4. Use your favorite adhesive method to adhere the letter to the book cover. The letters shown here, which are on a cover of an old copy of Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass, were run through a Xyron machine to apply adhesive. See the images in full size, here.

SIDE NOTE: speaking of "Through the Looking Glass", we've extended the deadline for submitting to the Artella issue with this theme to June 1, 2006. Imagine an Artella issue that is, as always, filled with "the waltz of words, art, and spirit", but all the art is photography! "Through the Looking Glass" will explore the visual depths of all kinds of photography (including altered photographs), and we believe this will provide backdrops for the most intriguing real and surreal writing we've ever seen in Artella! (A "TOOL" recommendation: The book The Complete Guide to Altered Imagery by Karen Michel has great projects for altering photographs. Wonderful inspiration for our upcoming issue!)




At the end of the Art Tip, above, the forthcoming Artella issue, "Through the Looking Glass" is mentioned, which will explore photography and writing inspired by it.

What photographs do YOU have laying aroundthat have stories and poems in them waiting to come through them? Here are a few tips to try when writing with photographs:
  1. Look at the photograph with your eyes squinted for one full minute, before writing anything. THEN write. See what happens.

  2. Look at the photograph upside down. What writing comes from that?

  3. Look at the photograph while one type of music is playing in the background, and write for a bit. Then start over with the SAME photograph, but a different type of music in the background. Start a new piece of writing, with a brand new beginning. What happens?

  4. Take a few photographs that have no logical relationship to one another. Write something that puts them together, somehow.
Create your own techniques as well, to look at these photos "out of the frame" and allow them to inspire your writing in new ways!





Now it's easier than ever to get Artella news at least once a week, sometimes more, in the Artella News Blog. And what's more...with almost every post, there's a BlogJog "sneaky" Special hidden in the post, which is a sale or freebie that's listed exclusively in the blog, and only for a few days. Look what freebie surprise is there, right now!.
  1. April e-Extravaganza is Here! It's our Annual April e-Extravaganza Special, where you get to purchase any number of Artella's inspiring e-books, e-courses, and workshops and receive full credit of your purchase towards the use of any other Artella e-goods. It only comes ONCE a year,and it expires at the end of the month.

    Here's how the April e-Extravaganza works!: if you purchase some ebooks and an ecourse for $40, you immediately get to choose $40 worth of other e-goods you'd like for yourself or to give as gifts. It's the ULTIMATE 2-for-1 sale because you can choose EXACTLY what you want! So it's the perfect time to go shopping for e-courses and eBooks (and remember, with our new Share-A-Book Program, you can now share eBooks you buy with up to four friends!) For all the details on the April e-Extravaganza, go to www.artellawordsandart.com/extra.html. The sale ends April 30, so start shopping...and enjoy picking out those gifts!

  2. Get a free Web site! YES, you read that right! To celebrate my "Make Your Creative Web Site FLY!" class last night, SiteBuildIt! (SBI) (the company that I use for all aspects for the Artella site) is partnering with Artella to offer a special 2-for-1 Web Site Promotion to the Artella community. From now through midnight on April 23, sign up for SBI and receive a second SBI site, absolutely free. Use it for a second business...give it to a friend...or simply allow yourself room to grow! The only restriction is that the 2nd (free) SBI site *must* be requested for activation within 6 months of the initial SBI purchase. Note that this 2-for-1 sale is NOT available through the SBI Web site - it is a special arrangement being offered to members of the Artella Community! Visit our Make Your Web Site Fly page for details!

    If you missed the "Make Your Creative Web Site FLY" class, and you'd like to learn more about SBI, you can listen to a recording of the class at www.artellawordsandart.com/creative-web-site.html. Or, if you have a specific question about SBI, I'm holding an "SBI Q&A" telegathering on THIS MONDAY, April 17th, at 8pm. To RSVP for the Q&A, go to the link above and fill out the sign up form and you'll be sent the conference number for the call.

  3. Can creativity be spiritual? The newest in the "Children's Menu" Sub-Kid-Tion Series of Teleclasses that I'm presenting with author/creativity coach Jill Badonsky has been announced! It's called "Does God Play Dress-Up?", and it takes place next Wednesday, April 19. Spend a full hour in this creative class with Jill and me, working and playing to reignite a kid-like creative spark and redefine your current sense of spirituality in the grown-up world. For more information about this workshop, visit www.ArtellaWordsAndArt.com/ecourse.html#god. And for information about our full Sub-Kid-Tion series of 10 Teleclasses, visit this page. (Missed a class? You can now get downloadable recordings of our classes, too! Check out the above links so you don't miss any of the Jilly~con~Marney fun!)

  4. Want creative people to know more about YOU? If you'd like to affordably market a product or service in our next e-Artella issue, or on our Web site, just send a quick email to eartella@artellaland.com for more information. (Loyal readers, don't worry, print issues of Artella will continue to always be 100% zero advertising.)

  5. Free class in art journaling! Join Zura Ledbetter on Thursday, May 4th, for "Creative Journaling Jems", a free teleclass that will free you of your fear of the blank page of your diary. Combining self-discovery tools for writing as well as art techniques will have you rushing to spend time with your journal every day! Sign up for this free class at www.artellawordsandart.com/ecourse.html#journal. Also...note that the next session of Zura's "Fun Art Journaling" e-course begins May 1. This is truly one of the greatest things I've EVER seen on the topic of creative journaling . . . a real TOOL, if I've ever seen one! I give it my HIGHEST recommendation!

  6. C'mon Baby, Do the TWIST! Our next Creative TWIST Challenge is due May 15th. It’s "Magical Mini Quilts" – quilts that are no more than 6" x 6"! Absolutely adorable, and open to many opportunities! Take a look at all the information at www.artellawordsandart.com/creative-twists.html and start (mini) quilting!

  7. Would you like to work for Artella? A new, paid position has opened up at Artella and Zura is currently reviewing applications. If you have good computer skills, are great at communicating through emails, have a fun and upbeat outlook on life, and you're interested in working in the "virtual office" of Artella (i.e., we live all around the world), contact Zura at Zura@ArtellaLand.com for an application.




This Quotz Crystal™ is a high-resolution JPEG, suitable for printing. Print it out to remind you to have the courage to look for those TOOLS!

If the image doesn't show up below, go to http://www.artellaland.com/quotz3.jpg to see it.



~sending books spilling open to all the right words and pictures,

Marney
Artella Founder & Publisher



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