Note:If this message doesn't display in its delightfully colorful formatting, you can view it on the Web at www.artellawordsandart.com/ARTELLAGRAM-6-22-11.html. This weekend, after eating take-out Chinese at my mother's house, 3 year old Kai was having fun playing with the fortune cookies. He was stacking them, switching them, and singing about them, and just having a grand old time. Finally it was time to eat them, and Kai was the first to "read" his fortune. Kai has been enjoying "reading instructions" lately, and his interpretations are often quite humorous, such as the time when he "read" the instructions for a new medicine and he shrewdly said, following the words with his hand, "Oh, here it says, 'If you take this medicine with good behavior, you get a new toy!'" LOL. So Kai opened up the fortune cookie, struggling a bit with his little graceful hands, and then when I asked, "what does it say, Kai?" He then seriously proclaimed, sounding like a little monk: "It says, 'We are ALL things'." My mom and I tried to contain our laughter at Kai's serious philosophical proclamation. A moment later, the little monk had bounced down off his seat and jumped back into the little wading pool, contently splashing in the pool. I've not been able to stop thinking about this wonderful juxtaposition of profundity and play. I realized that even for me, it's when I'm having the most fun that those "Ah-Ha!" moments come so freely and easily. Having fun and really tapping into true happiness opens a door for profound discoveries and life-altering transformations. That is also exactly the philosophy behind the cool program that I've been running with bestselling author Susan Ariel Rainbow Kennedy (SARK). For me, it's shown me how rewarding it can be to have fun and enjoy the present while playfully and passionately purposing our future. We may not, in every one of our waking minutes, be able to capture all the joy and magic of a 3 year old, but just making the daily effort to connect with the very deep wisdom of the inspired child inside of us might very well give our often weary souls the refreshment in need. For those of you who would like to experience the neat and often miraculous intersections of freedom, philosophy and fun in our free week-long PLAYshop, simply keep reading below for the details to sign up. 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. Free One-Week PLAYshop with me and SARK! ARTbundance Community Events Posted Join the Artella Affiliate Program Become Part of Artella's Team! In the Studio with ARTbundance™ Coach and Practitioner Sue Smith Creativity Tip: Inner Child Envel-Hope Quotz Crystal™ 1. Free One-Week PLAYshop with me and SARK! For the past couple of months, best-selling author SARK (Susan Ariel Rainbow Kennedy) and I have been leading a very powerful and exciting intimate group that we call IDDI - which stands for Intuit, Dare, and DO It. It's a small-group experience which combines the power of a mastermind group with the experience of receiving personal, one-on-one teaching, training and transformation with both me and SARK. Here's the big news: we are SO excited about IDDI and what people are doing this very special environment, that Susan and I are actually offering an IDDI Summer Sample, where you can experience IDDI for the entire month of July, at half price. There's no application process AND no commitment to continue, we are simply taking people on a first-come, first-served basis, so you can just sign up at the half-price rate and see what the amazingness of IDDI is all about! If spaces fill up, we will stop processing registrations and notify applicants of this via email. To launch this Summer Special, we've got a fantastic FREE program that starts today called the IDDI Insider PLAYshop. It is a week-long virtual PLAYshop with Susan and me, allowing you to step into our IDDI world and see what it's all about. For one week, you'll get special daily video messages from us, mini-workshops, fun challenges, and lots more great stuff. And it's totally free, no strings attached whatsoever, to give you the experience of what it is like playing and learning together with us. All you have to do is sign up for the IDDI Insider PLAYshop and you'll get your first day's content immediately, and continue to receive one inspiring installment per day through June 29. Sign up for the IDDI Insider PLAYshop here! 3. NEW! ARTbundance Community Events Series! We've posted some new events in our exciting new series of 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 virtually attend (by phone) the events of your choice. Then, after each call, all we ask is 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 and helping out the new coaches by offering your feedback, you also receive a free bonus gift: an ARTbundantly overflowing package of unique and inspiring 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 great free events! 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 clicking 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. For today's "In the Studio" Interview, I'm delighted to present Sue Smith, who has been recently certified as an ARTbundance™ Coach and Practitioner! Sue's approach is both fun and deeply spiritual, so when I knew I was writing about the connection between fun and discoveries, I just knew she would be the ideal person to interview! Enjoy getting to know Sue! Artella: How has your ARTbundance™ training affected your work and/or life? Sue: ARTbundance™ training has been life-changing for me. The past months since I began the training have been filled with a reevaluation and reexamination of my work and career, as well as my personal life. The idea of coming from a place of joy and love in all that you do has been illuminating this. The principles of ARTbundance™ are brilliant reminders and pathways along this journey of life! Artella: ARTbundance™ Coaching is based on nine ARTbundance™ Principles. Do you have a favorite Principle, or one that you really enjoy activating in other people? Which one, and why? Sue: The principles of ARTbundance are wonderful and each day one seems to resonate more than others. But every day, each and every day, GRATITUDE, GRATITUDE, GRATITUDE! The glass truly is always "half-full", and coming from a place of gratitude for all you have and all you are is coming from a place and a space of love. You can read the rest of Sue's interview, here The Spring 2011 session of ARTbundance™ Certification Training Program (ACT) is now in session. If you would like to be notified when the next ACT session is scheduled, simply fill out this form. This is a fun project that lets you play with all the child-like energies in your life! Here are the steps for this project: 1. Take out a blank sheet of paper and decorate it with representations of child-like spirit in your life. Add words, symbols, photographs, and phrases about the children in your life. Who are the children in your life? The answer could be obvious (i.e., in your own family), but if not, extend your vision a bit to see the ways in which childlike spirit enters your life. Some examples the non-traditional ways that the spirit of a child can be in your life: -Your pets, or the pets of friends -Friends or family members who bring out the playful side in you -Your own love for drawing with crayons or watching animated movies -The children that you observe in public places (the store, playground, neighborhood) -The innocent state of "beginner's mind" you feel at the beginning of a project Just think about the ways that children and child-like spirit enrich your life and decorate this piece of paper to celebrate this presence. 2. Click the image above to open the envelope template and print it out. Follow the instructions in the template to convert your decorated page into an envelope. 3. On a separate piece of paper, write a letter to yourself, written from the point of view of when you were four years old. I suggest that you write the letter with your non-dominant hand, which is an immediate way to get in the slow, purposeful mindset of a child. In this letter, address things like: - What does the 4-year-old you wish was different about your current life? - What does the 4-year-old you wish that you remembered? - What is "the secret of life", according to the 4-year-old you? - What makes the 4-year-old you most happy? How does she suggest you do more of that in your current life? - Anything else that the 4-year-old you would like to say. 4. After you finish the letter, put it inside the envelope, knowing that this decorated vessel is a safe place where your childhood spirit can remain alive and thriving! The project is excerpted from the Artella e-course, Artsy Envel-Hopes: Joyful Art Projects to Change Your Life. For today's Quotz Crystal, we're doing something a little different: we're sharing the "Envel-Quote" that is included in the Artsy Envel-Hopes lesson above. It's a high-resolution jpeg image, suitable for printing, and I invite you to print it out and hang it up to remind you to connect with your child-like spirit every day! ~playing patty-cake with four-year-old, 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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