Morning light

I've been working on this piece for weeks and finally finished it last night reading to share at Paint Party Friday. It just needed a last spurt of effort - rather like Mr Bolt as he scampered over the line to claim his place in the record books!

I'm afraid I can't write anything these days without bringing in an Olympic reference. I wrote a whole newsletter for one of my clients where every article mentioned at least one GB gold medal winner. I mean, let's face it, I had plenty to choose from!!

I've called this lady Asayo which means 'morning world'. She does look like she is rising from a slumber.

In other news this week (non-medal-related!), I have set a launch date for the second run of my Creative right-brained eCourse. This is for you if you would love to:

• Learn how to see things differently
• Unblock your creative pathways
• Exercise your right brain
• Discover your own style
• Expand your perspective
• Find inspiration from new sources

It involves painting, collage, a bit of writing and lots of experimentation. It's fun, messy and sure to unlock something that's been hiding in your subconscious for years, just waiting for the chance to come out and play!

Who knows, maybe you'll feel like you deserve your own medal. You can read testimonials from previous students here.

I shall also be running a live workshop in October. I'm just finalising the details, so will share those soon. For now, I can tell you that it's on Saturday 20th October at the beautiful Highgate House in Northamptonshire (UK!).

Olympic obsession

I've published a post on my Creative Biz blog about Team GB's Olympic success and how we can use the attributes of the athletes in our own creative endeavours. Pop on over and have a read.

I would stop and chat but I have a sudden urge to run, row, cycle, shoot and jump on a horse... and that's just for starters!

Sir Chris Hoy - just added another gold to the collection!

Raw emotion

The London 2012 Olympics are a crazy roller-coaster ride of emotion. What a time to be British. Yesterday we won SIX gold medals and one silver. We're sitting 3rd in the league table but top if you calculate medals:population. We're on fire!

It's been a hell of a year so far with the Jubilee helping to unite the nation to. Our Monarch has even taken to parachuting out of helicopters. I'm so proud.

Not much time for sketching as I was rather glued to the TV, but did manage to capture the emotion of Kat Copeland as she stood in disbelief at the top of the podium after winning the Women's Lightweight Double Sculls alongside partner Sophie Hosking.

I have the rest of the day planned out - there's GB medal hopes in the sailing, tennis, gymnastics, cycling, triple jump, and 400m (maybe more too - but those are just the ones I want to watch!)... plus of course a certain Mr Bolt attempts to retain his crown.

Sharing for Sunday Sketches.

I love it when...

... a plan comes together.

Well, truth be told, I'm not entirely sure this plan did 'come together', but whatever the course of events that got me here, I sure am proud of the end result.

Jess actually began with a collaged background covered in delicate flowers and birds. (Doh, I forgot to photograph it .. always the way!) Then she slowly and softly emerged. She's even got teeth - I very rarely paint teeth!

Jess had an outing this morning. I took her to an entrepreneurial group coaching session I attend. I also wore my "I am an Artist" necklace. This was a significant moment. The ladies in my group have been trying to convince me that I should be able to confidently announce my profession for some time, but usually the most I can manage is a whisper.
But now, with a successfully run eCourse under my belt and a live workshop planned for October (more on this in a forthcoming post), I can really say it. I AM AN ARTIST.

I love Jess. She is painted in acrylics and oil pastels over a collaged background. There's oodles of texture and layering plus what is becoming my trademark book pages. She has a little sparkle about her - just like me today!

This morning another lady proved that when you believe in yourself, you can achieve anything. After winning three silver medals in the three preceding Olympics, 36 year old Katherine Grainger, alongside partner Anna Watkins, today picked up the Gold in the women's double sculls. Katherine you are an inspiration! Congratulations ladies - a national applauds you!

Sharing Jess and all things artistic with my friends at Paint Party Friday.

I saw the torch!

Excitement is fever pitch as the long countdown to the London 2012 Olympics reaches its final few days.

Yesterday I saw the torch as it passed by Rackspace HQ in Hayes. We lined the route decked out with flags armed with bells and confetti blasters and cheered our socks off! It almost made me want to run the 100m, execute a nifty pole vault and perform some kind of spectacular dive involving a large number of summersaults... almost...

Truth is THE SUN FINALLY CAME OUT! Yes, just in time for the sporting spectacle, we finally have some summer to go with our Olympics. We'd all been convinced that somehow the earth had slipped on its axis and we getting a double dose of winter chill - especially when the Jamaican Bobsleigh team got off the plane at Heathrow!

This seems as good a time as any to share this photo of me, the Torch, a Gold Medal and a very large man.

The very large man is Ben Hart-Davis - it's his gold medal. He won it in Sydney in the men's 8s rowing. It was a race in which his team were very much the underdogs, but they set out on their training regime two years earlier with one goal in mind and proceeded to direct every ounce of energy to 'making their boat go faster'. Go faster it did.

This photo was taken a few weeks ago. This is one of the torches that had already seen action in the relay, performing its part in history.

As I work towards my business goals, attempting to make my own history something worth recording, I'm now mindful of Ben's words - "Will it make the boat go faster?". What are you doing with your time today?