Saturday Ramblings

I'm so glad the world didn't end yesterday, there's so much I still have to achieve. My word for 2012 was complete, although I have to confess that I probably haven't remembered that since about February. I had to scroll back through old blog posts to try and find it!

I'm thinking that maybe having one word for a whole year isn't really me. I'm much more of an all-encompassing kind of gal, don't like to restrict myself. And seriously, what was I thinking? Complete? Start a million projects yes, but finish them all... Wishful thinking to be sure!

Part of me is a bit disappointed in myself but the rest takes a more philosophical approach. I may not have gone back and finished all those online art courses I started, but I have achieved a great deal and set myself up on the right track for ongoing success. I am more organised and own a sense of purpose.

Is there a word that sums up the opposite of distraction. That's what I need for 2013 - antidistractionmentilitarianism or focus for short. In the short time of writing this blog post I have already nipped downstairs for a light snack (and to take down half of the mugs sitting on the windowsill). I've turned on iTunes and browsed for something light and soothing to provide a further distracting background (settled on Ben Harper), gazed at a sparkly bird flying in the gentle thermals of radiator heat, picked up a book and put it down again without opening a page and splashed my face with cold water ... ooh that reminds me I could put some eye-freshener on.

I really need to go and do something a bit more productive. New art supplies arrived in the post today that need sampling!

Poppy painting has nothing to do with this post, I just got distracted looking through my art...

Quiet introspection

It has been a week of hard work and downtime thinking and reflection. I have not stopped and my body is complaining and urging me to both do some exercise (far too much time spent sitting in front of a computer!) and get some rest.

However, I am far too tired for the former and excited for the latter! This combination of emotion might result in a somewhat strange post, but let's just get on with it and see what happens.

Day job in the past couple of weeks has involved everything from changing tattoos on a man's head using PhotoShop to directing commercials and watching men dance along to Olivia Newton John...  I do love what I do!

Come evening, I have been partaking in my new favourite hobby - learning! I am so excited to be taking the Hello Soul. Hello Business course with Beth Nicholls and Kelly Rae Roberts. This week has been about introspection, discovering why we do what we want to do. Taking the time to reflect so we can build the right foundations for our creative businesses.

I was forced to delve deep into my passion for creativity. Why I have I chosen to take this path? What are my motivations? Well, I love to bring interest to the ordinary; colour and fun to the every day. If I can make people smile and take them on a journey of understanding that gives them pleasure and touches their heart and soul, then I'm getting that warm feeling inside of me.

Today was the culmination of weeks of hard work involving a huge team of talented people at Rackspace - one of the companies I have pleasure to work with. We put on an event to set the stage for 2012. Yes, there was PowerPoint involved... but also a theatre, cross dressing, ice cream, stunt doubles, pyrotechnics, drumming, camp performance, wigs, medal ceremonies, singing, a chariot and even an Olympic torch.

I need to transition this post into talking about art now, but am struggling to find a suitable link sentence... so let's just get on with it...

Last night I felt the urge to express through art a little of how I was feeling and this 'self portrait' was the result (I'm not blonde, nor do I have long hair... or indeed actually look like this....). Instead it just felt like me looking in. Quiet introspection. I just ripped a page out of an old book and played with my pastels and pencils. This evening, when I scanned the image in I was rather intrigued to spot a message hidden in the words... A moment of serendipity if you like...

Look closely and you'll spot...

... my name (Lisa. I have no idea who Eleanor is... maybe my Muse?) and then see how it talks about guts and instincts... just seconds after I'd listened to the course audio and heard Kelly Rae share how she believes that her intuition is her most valuable business tool! Serendipity?

(Also sharing this piece with my friends at Paint Party Friday).

Completing

Yup, that's my word for 2012. It was nearly completion but that had too much of a sense of finality to it - after all, I am very much a work in progress and rather wish to stay that way.

This word will set the scene for me 'getting stuff done' in 2012. It hinges a bit on my tendency to never quite finish big projects. Whenever I am psychometrically assessed (which isn't as painful as it sounds), I always score rather low on the completer/finisher side of the profile. I'm a great one for launching into new projects with the enthusiasm of a child faced with presents on Christmas morning and sparking ideas like New Year fireworks, but then I do so easily get distracted by the next big thing...

And while we're on the subject of distraction - let's jump back to this time last year. I took PUBLISHED as my maxim. I didn't write my book... but my words were in The Sunday Times. An extract from an award submission I wrote for a client took home a top prize and my prose was published verbatim. I was rather chuffed it has to be said...

So, back to 'completing' this post... 2011 saw me sign up for, commit to and begin rather a lot of projects. Don't get me wrong, they were not a waste of my time. On the contrary I learned a great deal, accomplished some marvelous creations and generally progressed pretty well. But I just didn't complete every part, or take advantage of all the opportunity that was out there.

I feel like an octopus sometimes desperately grabbing at particles that will fuel my creativity and guide my ambitions. I do recognise though that perhaps I should slow down and reap all I can from each passing opportunity. I might even get that book started in 2012... Who knows? (Surprise surprise I've signed up for a course to help me.... which I haven't even started...).

I will learn to focus on the most important, to procrastinate less and finish more. I will keep growing and ...

***



You can share your word of the year here too - organised by Geri of My Heart Art.

Let's party

Well, this is it, another year draws to a close and what do we have to show for it? Quite a bit actually. I feel content, headed in the right direction with a feeling that I've achieved something. I'm also ready to tackle 2012 head on with some ambitious plans intended to stretch and grow untapped potential.

Lately there's been an internal shift - a real desire to keep growing. Not literally, of course, I'm quite happy with my current height and indeed plan a bit of a shrink of certain parts of me - notably waistline...

No, it's a mental thing. Take a peek at the pile of books by my bed and in my Amazon wishlist and you'll find a foray into the world of business academia. I'm devouring Dan Pink, Nancy Duerte, Seth Godin, Guy Kawasaki, Garr Reynolds... and I'm glued to TED lectures. There is a distinct theme to these explorations and it doesn't take me far from my roots. It's creativity. It's the power of the right brain and its influence over the left. It's my passion for bringing colour, imagination and spark to the workplace; to raising the bar with the way we communicate and engage with our colleagues; to help build businesses that release the potential of the people that work there and above all enjoy what they are doing.

2012 will see my personal growth flow into my business so I can take what I've learned from these masters, mix it with my years of experience and add a little touch of 'me' to help my clients achieve their own goals - and maybe set themselves on a journey they weren't expecting, but one which does them a power of good. Who knows? 2012 is waiting in the wings - opportunity is there for us to grab and I've got long fingers!

***

I was going to use this post to share with you my word for 2012 and reflect on choosing the word PUBLISH worked out for me in 2011... but this is getting a bit long and I haven't even started on explaining what's going on with those two ladies up top! You'll have to come back tomorrow to read that story.

Let me take this opportunity to wish you all the very best for 2012 - may you dreams and hopes come to fruitition. What are you most looking forward to? What's your biggest dream?

***

So, moving swiftly on. The ladies are a couple of crazy witches brewing up a wild party night. Inspired by lovely Amy's live class, they began life as a couple of models cut out of Elle and stuck onto some scrapbook paper. I gave them a makeover ready for tonight's festivities (them being so not happy with the black and white look)... They were both expecially pleased with the hair - their own being scraped back in a dull ponytail. They are brewing up trouble for tonight... beware of strange haired ladies wanting to kiss you come Midnight....

Here's the full version

Finishing things off

With the days ticking down to 2012 I have finally been feeling the urge to finish all those tasks I started - and if I don't have time between now and midnight on Sunday morning, then I've made a plan that will show me how.

This is most unlike me, but I'm making the most of this sudden urge to file and fathom. I suppose it helps that I can already feel the breath of the tax man making shivers down my spine. Today the postman made his return after the Christmas break. He brought four pieces of mail. Three were advertisements for Sales and the fourth was a brown envelope from HM Revenue & Customs... a timely reminder.... For once though I did not need one. I was actually slaving away at spreadsheets when the clock struck twelve last night - a step ahead of said inspector of taxes. (Interestingly, my son has already clocked these bureaucrats as 'villains' having seen their shenanigans in his school nativity play!).

I have also made a (long) list of the many online courses, worksheets, tools and newsletters that I have never quite got around to either finishing or, dare I say it... in some cases even starting! I am a great one for diving in with whole-hearted enthusiasm, only to find that simultaneously swimming the English Channel while juggling responsibilities, ambitions and dreams can often more than I can handle... I lose track, get behind and then before I know it... I'm starting the next thing!

My word for 2012 should perhaps be completion. I'm not sure yet... A few more days to go before I need to finalise that decision!

This afternoon I submitted my tax info to my accountant. It felt good. Tonight I finally finished this painting. I was less pleased and suspect that maybe... just maybe... I'll have another play another day... In this version Audrey has wandered into a Chinese nightclub just off Gerrard Street (via the night train to Cairo and a trip to Istanbul) and got herself tangled up in the lanterns. Fortunately it's all electric these days or I fear for those lacquered locks!

Day 30 - time to reflect

Well this is it. The last day of November and I've done some form of art every day!! I have a big grin on my face... However, it's not really that difficult to pick up a pencil or dip a paintbrush in some luscious colour - not when you love it as much as I do!

I can't believe that I let art drift out of my life for so many years. Rediscovering this missing part of me less than three years ago was a true turning point. OK, so my lounge has never been the same since - we rarely get to use the dining table for eating because it's always covered in half-finished 'masterpieces'! However, look at it this way - I am using the table - it doesn't just sit there all alone with a fancy cloth and a vase of flowers on. It is a part of my creative process!

I would love to have had a peek into the homes of other famous artists over the years. Did Rosetti keep a tight ship? I very much doubt it! Was Van Gogh a neat freak? Unlikely!

Not that I am suggesting I could ever compare myself to these legends of course! I am merely getting in their creative vibe. I am just a girl who loves to paint and above all harbours a true desire to get better; to keep learning; to become a proper artist!

This month I've not had huge amounts for time for creating, but I've learned that it's possible to create some really fun pieces in less than 30 minutes. I found myself creating my series of 'Girls on Book Pages' by accident really, but I don't think any of them took very long to show themselves on the page. The best bit though was the wonderful support I received from you... yes YOU! Thank you so much for all the encouragement to keep at them. I have been very flattered by the interest shown and want to thank everyone for their kind words.

The picture up top has three of my favourite girls framed! It will go up on the wall today. I did struggle to choose which three should go in, but then again, it doesn't really matter. I can just keep swapping them out so they all get a turn eventually!

Art Every Day has not just meant sticking a paintbrush in my hand though. I have also been on a virtual gallery tour with some incredible artists. What wonders we have all shared this month. What inspiration! I've made new friends and connections, marvelled, been intrigued and taken on a wonderful creative journey!

I would like you all to join me now in raising a glass to toast our host - Leah Piken Kolidas. Thank you Leah - for bringing us together, for the friendships we've formed and for bringing all that delicious art out of us!

Cheers!