December 18, 2003
Greetings one and all!
For this week's Articulation art offering, I've got a surprise in store for you!
First, though, some background info. If you read Artella 4 (the "Flight" issue), you've seen the mini-zine I created for the issue, "What Wings Are Made Of". It's a collection of five illustrated stories in which different characters find their own metaphorical "wings".
Well, I've become giddy with technological power and I had a blast developing a full-length, interactive, audio-visual eBook called "What Wings Are Made Of" that brings 18 inspiring stories to life with illustrations, audio narration, and interactive features.
This week's Articulation, The Spark of Identity, is one of the multi-media stories. I hope you enjoy the experience!
To view & hear The Spark of Identity, click here!
If the above link doesn't work, simply cut and paste this URL in your browser:http://www.artellawordsandart.com/artic55.html
The Tale of Two Inboxes: An Article About Fresh Starts
Last weekend, I was waiting for my printer to email me the proof for Artella 5, and I knew that I had to make some space in my quite-overstuffed email inbox so that my ISP would accept the file. There are emails that have been there quite a while, as I continue to strive to re-organize my time so that I can write the kind of thoughtful responses that I would like.
Here's where this gets to be quite ironic. I love the mail that I receive from all sorts of fabulous creative people and I cherish every word. Corresponding with people is my favorite part of this whole Artella thingy. Really! It brings me so much joy. But I hold myself to a high standard, when it comes to responding to letters with honest reflection and sincerity. And so, when I get behind in responding, the whining inbox seems to morph into a know-it-all cyber ticker-tape that scrolls, "if you had your act together, you would have answered these messages!!!!" (I imagine you might be acquainted with this scroll, yourself. I know that they seem to run rampant this busy time of year.) I had no idea how to deal with my perceived inadequacy except to fantasize about deleting every email and trying to start over so I could "do better".
So, back to needing to make disk space to receive Artella 5. I didn't have much time, so I just created a new folder, labeled it "Inbox Part Deux", and dumped the entire contents of inbox in the new folder.
WOW. In that blank white window on my screen, I saw the light! I felt instantly recharged and revitalized. The rest of the day, I was astonished at how free I felt. Obviously, my old mail and "to do" list hadn't gone anywhere...but something opened in me when I didn't have to LOOK at it, any more.
By creating a bit of space for myself, and working out of two inboxes instead of one, I ended up making a good dent in the backed-up email, and I did a pretty good job of keeping track of new email, too. It feels much more manageable now, which means that I can go back to enjoying it, more. This simple act gave me exactly what I needed: a fresh start. To get the fresh start, I didn't have to delete anything...I just gave myself a new space in which to work.
With the new year approaching, many of us are thinking about fresh starts, clean slates, new leafs, and the like. Making goals and plans for the New Year can be really exciting and energizing, but it also can be draining, if that "ticker-tape" starts to scroll "shoulds" at us. We want to make goals, plans, and resolutions, but, c'mon...is there any room for them?
I invite us all to look at the tale of my two inboxes as an allegory for the new year to come. What if the most important part of our New Year's Resolutions was to make the space for them to happen? What if our first priority was to figure out what can be put aside in order to really enjoy the new things being created? What if we didn't have to press the "delete button" to obliterate our old habits, projects, and patterns? Rather, we can create a space to try out some new patterns, and see how they work. We can always go back to the old stuff if we need it...it's all in the "part deux" box.
There is an infinite amount of space to place with. While it might not feel like there is enough time in the day, is there ANYTHING more infinite than time? Isn't it possible to create as many new inboxes as we need, in order to create more space for ourselves?
I look forward to continuing to play with these ideas as I move forward with my own intentions for the upcoming year. And if you'd like to work along with me, there are a couple of ways to do it.
First, I'm offering a free teleworkshop, "Collaging Your New Year's REVOLUTIONS", on the evening of January 7. We'll have some fun playing with our plans for the year...kinda like Kindergarten for goals.
On January 12, I'll be starting a new session of the 30-day e-course, Goalar Energy: A Unique Program for Extraordinary Action, which offers day-by-day guidance and support for non-linear, right-brained goal setting for creative folks. After leading seven successful sessions of this course in 2003, I'm continuing to tweak it to make it better.
For example, this next session will include audio lectures, in addition to the written lectures, for those aural learners out there. You can even listen to the lessons while you fold your laundry! And I'll continue to include the "5 Minute Miracles" so that you can let yourself off the hook if you get behind in the lessons. My goal, plain and simple: NO MORE "SHOULDS"!
To read all about both the teleworkshop and the Goalar Energy e-course, visit www.ArtellaWordsAndArt.com/workshops.html.
Artella News!
1. Enliven your Holiday Spirit with free stories!!! Our newest free offering may be our best one, ever. Introducing Artella's Holiday Story Days, a 12-day program of audio recordings that celebrate the season. Starting this Sunday (the Winter Solstice) and running until January 1, our Web site will offer a different story, poem, legend, or meditation every day...all celebrating Winter Solstice, Hanukkah, Christmas, and the New Year. Each day's recording will be 5-10 minutes in length, presented by a different reader. You need no special software to hear the messages - it's as easy as clicking a button. Get all the info at www.ArtellaWordsAndArt.com/stories.html and tell your friends, too! The more the merrier at this storytelling romp!!! Put it down on your calendar for Sunday!
2. Give Artella in time for the Holidays! Days are running short to give an Artella subscription as a holiday gift for your favorite Muse. Remember, we'll send a special gift announcement to the recipient to announce your gift...and what's more, it's a gift that keeps coming for sixth months! Pretty groovy gift, if you ask me.
As an extra incentive to order an Artella gift subscription (and this includes gifts for yourself, of course), if you order by Monday, December 22, you'll receive a complimentary copy of the eBook, Behind the Veil: Visual Prompts for Creative Writing, created by artist Deb Silva and myself, currently selling for $12 in the Shoppes of Artella.
You'll also get to choose your favorite of our three subscriber gifts, AND you'll save up to $20.00 in the Shoppes of Artella. (I know, I know...I'm making it impossible to say no...but when you experience your spectacular six issues, you'll thank me for it!) Click here to subscribe to Artella!
3. Artella 5 is at press! I'm expecting it to arrive either directly before or directly after Christmas day, so you should get it by the end of the year. This issue will be mailed from Dallas, where I'll be visiting. (And a big thanks to my parents for allowing their home to be turned into "Artella Publishing House, Down South Branch"). If you haven't reserved your issue yet, keep in mind that we're doing a limited print-run, so grab it while you can. It's a really stunning issue with an elegance that is unique from any other issue...yet the Artella-esque waltz of words and art continues to prance upon every single page. Click here to order Artella 5!
4. Last-minute shopping woes, solved! When you visit The Shoppes of Artella, you're not only buying high-quality, one-of-a-kind merchandise, you're supporting artists in the Artella community. Lots of new stuff is being added in the next day or two, so keep checking back to see the new products and read all about the extraordinary artists behind the products. Click the above link, or go to the Artella hom page and click the happy Santa on the upper-right of the page.
5. Wanting workshops? Don't forget to include Artella workshops and e-courses on your wish list. In addition to the previously-mentioned Collaging Your Creative New Year's REVOLUTIONS workshop and the Goalar Energy e-course, there's lots more to dip into!
Additional Example 1: Writes and Passages is an inspiring. 30-day guide to becoming an "Every Day" writer.
Additional Example 2: Accounting Your Blessings is our newest course that has already become quite popular. It turns the act of gratitude into a fun game that will reshape the way you perceive and create your own prosperity. Participant Sally Giedrys wrote me, saying:
"I wanted to say thanks for the AYB class. I am really having fun with it. I have always tried to remember to "count my blessings" especially when things are tough. But the emails have helped me to make it a regular habit. The lightness I feel, the smiles that creep onto my face when I'm not expecting them, and the general feelings of well-being and hopefulness and optimism that result from remembering to do my accounting is much more than small change. You should be proud of the work you're doing."
Finally, I'll mention that a new intensive e-course on developing, designing, and marketing YOUR OWN e-courses and eBooks will be launched early in the new year. So stay tuned for that!
6. Mystery Muse Project in full swing! The Second Annual Mystery Muse Project, where participants exchange self-created offerings anonymous with one another, is going great! We've got close to 200 people participating, and it's great fun to hear all about the fun experience of giving and receiving handmade stuff. Thanks to Deb Silva for organizing this year's project. If you missed it this year, don't worry, we'll do it again next December!
Quick Pause!
I'll pause here just a moment to thank you for reading about all these offerings and being open to Artella's various venues for creative sparks. My goal is to cultivate in Artella a network of offerings and experiences that meets the multi-faceted yearnings of many an imagination, mind, spirit, and Muse. I realize that it takes a lot of words to share the variety of what we have to offer, so I just want to say that I appreciate your taking the time to read these words...especially in these busy times!
Artful Links
1. With all my talk in this newsletter about making space, finding integration, setting goals, finding truth, telling stories, listening, and following dreams, I knew the PERFECT link to share today...Jennifer Louden's brand new "Inner Organizer" is the perfect tool to accompany ALL of the Artella offerings I've mentioned here. And on its own, it will inspire a deep sense of creative play and self-discovery.
In 2002, I purchased the Comfort Queen Inner Organizer, a spiral bound datebook, and it rocked my world. It offered a different inquiry into my soul every week as I answered the questions and thought about the week that I wanted to create. I really missed it last year! But now the Inner Organizer is back, in downloadable PDF format and...here's the best part...it's filled with scrumptious ART! Ah, an artsy gal's dream come true...
Write, doodle, and art-journal your way to a life based on self-kindness with the Inner Organizer. Visit the Comfort Queen Gift Shop to get more information, see a sample page, and delight in the order Comfort Queen offerings.
Wishing you sparkling moments of knowing you are YOU!
~a bit tangled up, but blinking,
Marney
Artella Editor
p.s. Don't stop sending me emails! I love 'em! :-)
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