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 Kai and I were having a pretend "pizza party" with his stuffed animals, and he found a little stuffed lion with a wild mane, colored in bright shades of pink and orange. I was shocked when he brought the lion to me and said, "Here's another guest for the party. Oh! This lion is an artist, you can tell by his hair. He is a good friend for you. "
I asked him why, and he said, "Cause he's like you. . .you're an artist, too, so you can be friends", his facial expression indicating that he was stating the obvious.
Wow! It's amazing that Kai already knows how valuable it can be for us to connect with people who are "like us". It seems to me that in the wild world we live in, it is especially important for creative spirits to find other likeminded souls to remind us that we are not alone. More and more, I am learning how much we long for community, how much it fuels us as we dance with the earth's tilt and embrace all that is possible in art and life.
In addition to connecting with likeminded souls, I think it's also important that we make connections with people who challenge us and stretch us, and propel us to go to new places in our thoughts, feelings, and actions. Carolyn Myss has a quote that I love, which is featured in today's Quotz Crystal: "We evolve at the rate of the tribe we are plugged into. "
In the ARTbundance™ approach, when we work with people who are dissatisfied with at least some areas of their lives, we often start by examining the ARTbundance™ Principle of Connection, and exploring the connections and relationships within their realm. We can all carry out this kind of observation and exploration in our own lives, too. Very often, we can get significant clues about our lives by examining the "tribe" that we are plugged into.
What "tribe" are you plugged into, and is it helping you evolve? If you are interested in connecting with a new creative community to support and bolster your dreams, I am very happy to share that a new session of Dream Boogie with SARK is beginning on Tuesday. Most exciting of all, as part of celebrating Artella's new Partner Program, all Artellagram readers who enroll in the new session, receive double the bonus, so instead of one free $25 eGift Card, you receive two! All the straightforward details are right below.
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. Big News! As part of our new Artella Partners Program, we will often feature a Partner Program where we will add free and exclusive no-strings-attached Artella bonuses to the partner's offer, and extend it to all our Artellagram subscribers and Artella Members!
We are starting this program with a huge surprise! Our partner offer this month is a $25 Artella eGift Card good on all Artella eProducts for those who enroll in the next session of Dream Boogie with SARK, which begins May 2. And to celebrate this inaugural offer, we are doubling the bonus, so you receive two $25 Artella eGift Cards!
This is the fifth time that Susan Ariel Rainbow Kennedy (aka SARK) has run her popular "Dream DOing" program, and now this Spring 2011 edition is better than ever and has been significantly expanded and enhanced with tons of new tools and resources to support you in the Dance from DREAming to DOing!
To receive your eGift Cards, first complete your Dream Boogie enrollment, and then simply visit the Partner Program Redemption page, and enter your transaction number along with whatever email address you would like your two eGift Cards sent. You will automatically receive your two $25 Artella eGift Cards within 24-48 hours.
Our not-so-fine print on your Artella eGift Cards: The eGift Cards expire in 1 year from date of issue, can be given away as a gift to others but cannot be combined on same purchase, and do not require any minimum purchase. That's it. In all other respects they are treated just like cash for any Artella eProducts.
We hope you enjoy your little extra gift from Artella as we support you in making that leap from DREAMing to Doing. Dream Boogie with SARK starts this Tuesday, May 2 and to find out all the fun details, simply go here.
You might also enjoy watching this fun video, which is a 5-minute romp through Dream Boogie:
2. NEW! ARTbundance Community Events Series! This week I'm also thrilled to announce the VERY first series of free ARTbundance™ Community Events! As part of their Certification requirements, our training ARTbundance™ Practitioners will be presenting free teleclass events to the Artella Community!
To participate in the ARTbundance™ Community Events, you simply sign up to virtuallyattend (by phone) the events of your choice. Then, after each call, all we askis that you fill out a follow-up questionnaire with feedback for the presenter. In addition to experiencing the free teleclass, as our thanks for attending andhelping out the new coaches by offering your feedback, you also receive a freebonus gift: an ARTbundantly overflowing package of unique andinspiring goodies!
You are invited to browse through the current listings and sign up for as many events as you like; please note however, that you do need to attend LIVE to participate, so please only sign up for the events that you can attend live (by phone).
See the descriptions of the current events and sign up here!
If you would like to receive an email notification when additional ARTbundance™Community Presentations are scheduled, simply fill out this form.
Thank you for supporting our ACT Trainees as you are inspired by these greatfree events!
3. NEW in the Artella Store! We've recently added some great things in the Artella Store, including. . .
 4. Join the Affiliate Program! Join Artella's generous Affiliate Program and enjoy all the new affiliate tools that we've recently added! You can get more info by going here.
 5. 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 Dr. Angi Orobko, who has the distinction of being the very first person in the Fall 2010 ACT Class to complete her graduation requirements. Please join me in offering congratulations to Angi, who is now a Certified ARTbundance™ Coach and Practitioner!
Angi is wonderful at igniting the ARTbundance™ Principle of Connection, so I knew her interview would be a great tie-in to the theme of this Artellagram! Enjoy getting to know Angi!
Artella: What led you to become a Certified ARTbundance™ Coach?
Angi: A number of events in my life lead me up to this point. I was looking for a way to combine my talents and gifts to create a practice of helping people who have been bullied. I resonated with the ARTbundance™ principles. As an educator, I found myself inspiring students and colleagues; therefore, coaching seemed to be a natural progression for me.
Artella: How has your ARTbundance™ training affected your work and/or life?
Angi: ARTbundance™ training has given me a new perspective on my work and personal life. I am MORE energetic, confident, positive, and happy.
You can read the rest of Angi's interview, here
 TheSpring 2011 ARTbundance Certification Training program is currently in session. If you would like to be notified when the next ACT session is scheduled, simply, fill out this form!
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One of the most important keys to happiness for a creative person is to come to peace with all of your facets and see each one of them as a crucial piece of the masterpiece that is your life!
This project is a great way to experiment with lots of different supplies andmaterials, and have a lot of fun celebrating you….and ALL your wonderful dreams!
Step One: Make a free-form "Multi ME-dia" list to celebrate all the different aspects of yourself that you can think of. You can include things like:
- Your interests
- Your dreams
- Things you've dabbled in
- Adventures you've undertaken
- Jobs you've held (paid and volunteer and made-up! )
- Things that make you smile
- Your talents and gifts (including the quirky ones)
- Your far-out fantasies
- Things people compliment you on
Step Two: Gather a wide variety of art supplies into a juicy, inspiring pile. You may want to include a big pile of images, so that you can create an intricate collage as your background. Then you can add other materials (wire, ribbon, beads, clay, etc) on top of that.
Step Three: Create a self-portrait that incorporates LOTS of different materials and media. Think about ways that these materials can symbolize different facets of you and your life. As you work, allow yourself to have fun! Let more be MORE!
Don't worry about composition, colors, placement, or anything "serious". Be spontaneous as you select different elements to add to your piece. Allow yourself to PLAY with these various materials and smile, as you think about all the different parts of yourself.
Remember to depict your own image somewhere in the piece - either with a drawingor photograph of yourself, or with some other representation.
You really ARE a multi ME-dia composition, and every single part of you addssomething to the whole!
 This project is excerpted from the Artella e-course, Mixed Media ME-flections: Self-Portrait Projects to Change Your Life. |
This Quotz Crystal is a high-resolution jpeg image, suitable for printing. I invite you to print it out and hang it up to remind you of the connection between your personal tribe and your evolution!
~happy to be part of 's tribe,
 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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Three NEW volumes of "Digital Art DO-torials", Artella's collections of digital art tutorials that are especially suited for digital artists who love that "mixed media" look! 
Four NEW volumes of "Picture Prompts", Artella's collections of illustrated prompts, suitable for both art journaling and traditional written journaling. 
NEW Studio Kits: Including