My home is jumping with references to my on-line life. Why you would think I had lunch with a counsel of creatives on a daily basis the way I retell jokes or share what is going on in the lives of my favorite bloggers!  And some of those bloggers have become a household name around here. Ask my husband who Jamie Ridler is, and he will tell you in the blink of an eye.  Kelly Rae Roberts? Yep, a given.

Well, something happened last night in my home that will guarantee that for the rest of my life friends and family will at least have an inkling of who Deborah Weber is.  It is one of the stories I will tell over and over again until I am so old that no one will listen (an honestly, I am sure I will still keep on telling my stories).  And from the moment it began, I knew I wanted to share it with you.

Yesterday evening began by me joining my husband and my roommate in the living room. We were deciding where to eat: Mexican, pizza, or the cool new Asian-fusion place that just opened up. One by one, our attentions got pulled away from the gnawing in our stomachs and refocused on Wipeout.  I don’t typically watch mindless television shows, especially when the whole point is to see how creative the makers can be at beating up their contestants, even when the contestants have signed up for it. But something was in the air. I felt pleasantly hyper. We all did. Before we know it, we were cheering and jeering  at the TV, throwing our heads back and rolling with laughter, when, suddenly there was a hard knock at the door. It jolted us quickly back to reality.

My roommate peeked out of the front window, the rest of us sat stone still. When she opened the door, we saw this.

“Wait!” I yelled.  ”Don’t touch it!” I bounced back into the same animated craze I had been in during the show. I ran through the house, which I am sure shocked everyone, cuz I… don’t… run. You would have thought I was wearing my Air Jordans the way I bounded into the studio, grabbed by camera, and was at the door. “Move, move!” I wanted desperately to get the UPS guy before he drove away. And I did, but lights in the dark don’t make for good story telling.

Suddenly, I realized I was outside. I was yelling, “Oh my god! It’s here! It’s here!” Bouncing like a teenage cheerleader. My husband came to the door, asking what it was, but all I could do was laugh. I was giddy, high, and starting to feel a little wacky to be honest. Then, I dug deep, took a deep breath and manged to half-shout, “It’s art supplies!!!!”

I reached up with my camera just then and caught his reaction.

Now you could read that in a number of ways. Like, what has this woman done?! She is going to break us. This box is huge, I thought she was cleaning out and organizing the studio….not ADDING to it!  Has she gone nuts?

But let me assure you that it was far from that. You see, hubby is an artist too! This reaction screams, “Holy cow, let’s get this big Bertha of a box inside and bust her open!” And that is just what we did.

~And a treasure waited inside~

I had known the box was coming, but told no one. Deborah emailed me the day after Valentine’s. She shared that she thought of me for these items from her studio because she felt like we had similar taste in the direction we took with our art, and she knew that I had a strong art community around me.

I remembered feeling like Fate had reached out and touched me with her offer. I have been focusing on some of the offerings I want to design for my business. Art books and dolls have been bouncing around in lots of my ideas.  And even though most of my ideas have stayed in my mind, the Universe has been bringing me some awesome opportunities: people calling me to do workshops, retreats, and Summer camps and now, this huge box of supplies showing up.  And let me tell you, it is packed full of goodies that have the potential to be used for those exact things!

But, if you want a better peek in my box of goodies, you will have to wait a few days. I am going to document some of my favorite pieces (and that is not an easy task, because Ms. Deborah didn’t send this girly any junk!) Check back soon for the low down!

Til then, consider sharing some of your own treasures with someone in your life. It is a great way to bless yourself with space and a fresh start while blessing another with the overflowing abundance in your life.

What story shall we tell ourselves today? Will it be the same old tale that leads to the same destination we have been trying to get away from for the past several weeks, months, or years? The tale in which we ask ourselves how we got here and why we didn’t just take that last right turn towards you-know-where. Perhaps our story will change today. Perhaps we will spin it so that it doesn’t have us stuck in front of a glowing media box for hours on end, and instead finds us indulging a face to face connection with a friend or lover, listening to their stories while creating new ones of our own. Perhaps our stories will shift form, push us out of the mire of fear and doubt, and gradually pivot so as to press us to the tasks that hold the key to moving us one small step closer to our own grand dreams.

Imagine what it would feel like knowing that today you came to your own rescue, digging deep for courage when you saw yourself about to reach for less than what you hope you deserve. Imagine letting go of that resentment that festered from years of protecting yourself and peering out into your life to see if perhaps it might finally be safe to share your self a little more. Can you feel how your heart might glow for the love of what you blessed yourself with today? And for what you bless the world with when you live from a place of possibility? For knowing that today could end up changing the course of your life?

Close your eyes, sit back, take a few long, deep breaths and dream on your story. Let your heart and spirit show you just where to go. Imagine the warmth that will radiate from the birth of this new beginning.  Then, open your eyes and let your adventure begin.

I am not a neat freak, but boy do I have an appreciation for people who excel at being tidy. I don’t live in simplicity. An eclectic atmosphere is more my style. It stimulates my senses, energizes my imagination, and makes me happy. But, when my funky flow gets in the way of functionality, I know I am in trouble.

Last October when I began the push to have a full-time art biz, I knew my lackadaisical approach to managing materials had to be reigned in a bit. I rearranged the family studio and began paying attention to the rhyme and rhythm of my creative tendencies. This past Monday marked four months since I jumped into my soul proprietorship, and although most of my work is going pretty smooth, I decided to fine tune a few areas that I thought might help increase productivity without sacrificing inspiration.

A few weeks back, I hired an organizational coach to help me get our home in order. In fact, Lauren Cantetore-Causey has worked with me on a few occasions when I wanted to increase our home’s organize. I love working with her. Her process is gentle, addressing both feelings and function. Most importantly for me, Lauren understands and appreciates the creative mind and does not try to bully its organic, wild nature into submission. This is a revelation for me. I have been so far into the realm of creativity that I have often struggled with organization.

So, yesterday morning, Lauren came over to my studio, and we began dreaming, planning, and reorganizing. Just before she arrived, I captured a tour of my studio. I hope you will take a look. I will be offering updates and tips for optimizing creativity zones as we make our way through the different layers of the studio. I hope you will join us on this journey and take advantage of what I am learning and discovering.  Who knows, this may help me flesh out a whole new chapter in my life as an artist.

For more about Creativity Zones:

The Sanctuary of the Studio

Dealing with Books

I am so excited to have the honor of organizing the  Fly Tribe Blog’s Love of Art Blog Party. What a great way to celebrate love in my life! I spent the weekend thinking about why I love art, what it does for me, and how it came to be such a foundation in my life.

I made this video to explore more about that sacred something with you.

One of the first things that came to me is how emotional I get when I see people express themselves from their heart. Over the course of my life, I have had the most esteemed honor to give creative experiences to thousands of people of all ages and in many mediums from theatre to art, writing and music.  Sometimes it has been my own expression that is at the center of our experience and other times, I have helped facilitate their personal expression. Either way, when this happens, when one of us expresses ourselves and the other witnesses it, I feel like something sacred is happening.

Thanks for being part of what feels like something sacred happening here.

If you would like to join the Creativity Tribe Facebook page, click on this icon and it will take you there. Claim your right to the creative way.

If you would like to participate in the Love of Art Blog Party, head over to the Fly Tribe blog. The linky will be open for a week, so there is still time to tell us why love is in your heart!

If you have been around here very long, you might have noticed that I haven’t made very many videos. Well, I was so excited today that I couldn’t contain myself. I had to tell you in my own voice just how much I appreciate your support over the last year and a half.

Why today? Well, today my blog hit 20,000 views. Yay! I love watching this site grow because it helps validate the connections I feel us making here. Not just to one another, but also to that creative spirit inside.

I love this big round number, too. It is a milestone that encourages me to reach for more.  Not more, necessarily as in a big number, but more connections, deeper connections, and more meaningful.

That is some of what I have been working on in the last several weeks, defining my passions, deciding on the people I want to work with and for, and investigating the best way for me to offer my services and products. I don’t want this to be just about selling something. In the long run, I hope to spin a web of creative opportunities that shine with possibility for the creatives that find their way here. I want to offer renewal, reflection, and re-creation.

Speaking of opportunities, I am tucking in early tonight because early tomorrow, I am headed to Austin for a meet-up of women who are pursuing their creative biz dreams. It is a blending of alumni from Flying Lessons and Hello Soul, Hello Business courses. I know when I return, I will have been energized by the superb company expected there. My dreams will be pushing through the earth and sprouting with abundance.

I hope to have some photos and lots of stories to share. Until then, do something nice for yourself in celebration of your creative spirit.

Thanks again for being part of the ride!

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If you would like to see some of my other videos (and if you feel up to a great laugh), check out my visit to the little village where the movie Practical Magic was filmed. I think you will especially like the ghost stories from the shop where Sally Owens sold her herbs.

Click here for more video fun!

I have begun showing some of my artwork at the First Friday ArtWalk, locally. It is a great way to get a response for what people like and is tons of fun. I have several artist friends who show as well.  This week, my hubby and I had fun with making pipe cleaner crowns during the show. I have been making pipe cleaner head wear for years now and Eric was just brave enough to show off my mohawk. The art made for great conversation starters and jacked the energy up so that our table was buzzing with activity.

I talk about developing my business a lot here. I suppose it feels like I  live and breathe it these days. One of the themes I have been following is developing art doll workshops and eventually offering my art dolls in an Etsy shop.  Tomorrow, I am pitching some ideas for a three day workshop to the Art Center of Corpus Christi. So I sat down and did a mock up of a project I am hoping we will do. The big doll’s name is Cassie. The little book tells a story about her and the fairy who lives with her. I had a blast creating it and am already exploring ideas for more. The little box is an Altoid tin…or at least it was, now it is a doll house.

Amidst all the work I have been doing, I have also included healthy doses of self-care. Every couple of weeks, I meet up with my friend and fellow blogstress, Rosemary, at a little lunch spot that features magical cakes. We sit, nearly always in fascination of our friendship, and quietly take in the exquisite examples of cakes that surround us.

Today we talked about photography and caught up on the synchronicities that never fail to come into our lives. Outside the cafe was a tree in full bloom. And although Rosemary was in a hurry to get back to work, we stopped to enjoy its beauty.

That is when I found a little friend who is as busy as I am. I am printing her up to remind me of the sweetness that is sure to come from all that I am doing. When I saw how perfectly she came out, I couldn’t wait to share her with you too.

I mostly just cropped them and tweeked the colors.

I tried to make the image as dynamic as what I saw and also to capture the iconic feel of the more historical or popular rides.

Then, I decided to just play with the program I was using to make the adjustments. This picture of the ferris wheel behind a mesquite tree seemed like it might just have more to offer.

Tweeking it made it more dynamic.

By playing with contrast and color, I was able to tell a totally different story.  I wonder if anyone would see a ferris wheel here at all. To me it resembles sunlight. What do you see?

This one outing brought such a sense of adventure and satisfaction, that I decided to invest in myself and got a new camera. I hope to share more cool pix soon.

I have to admit, I have been wanting to go and dreading it all at the same time. When I was in my 20′s, I went to a carnival that has up until now ruined them for me. The crowd got aggressive, and I almost got my arm broken. Where’s the fun in that!

I have been all about challenging out dated ways of thinking these days, so when I saw the ferris wheel from the freeway last weekend, I began dreaming of carnival art. I got interested in carnival art through Polyvore last year. I had fun blending items to create carni-centric sets.

Kaziah’s Dark Nature by rashamaria featuring black jewelry

When Lisa hinted that she wanted to go, I saw this as my chance to get an up-close look at the carnival scene and create a new memory about them all at the same time. I didn’t have a working camera with me, so I grabbed my cell phone and started clicking. The whole thing was overall pretty small, but it seemed every inch was packed with something interesting.

 Artist Dates can be energizing to your imagination and put a new zing in your art. They are great to do with friends, but sometimes even more valuable on your own. Either way, I can’t tell you how much they have brought to my life. Over the years, they have made me grow beyond what I thought I could.  The most impressive aspect of an Artist Date is that rather than learning and healing through difficulty, as we so often are forced to do, the curiosity and adventure that is par for the course helps you learn through play.  What more could you ask for?

Now there’s some joy and happiness for you?!

Take time today to tell your loved ones that they are loved. Take time to see and connect with the person who takes your order at lunch. Slow down enough to listen. Don’t keep pushing others out of the way to get to your own agenda. Make people the thing you value over property or prosperity. And take time to value yourself. Don’t kill yourself trying to make a living. And don’t live at trying to make a killing. Kick it down a notch. Look at the sun as it makes its course through the sky, feel the breath feeding your body, and listen for spirit’s movement. Make life your dance. This is it, this moment. That is all there is. Choose to make it count, and let it be enough.

They don’t know our back-story or what our deep secrets or dreams are. They come in contact with us at the cafe several times a year or happen to go to the bead store where we like to sit and make wire wrapped bracelets.

We hear parts of their story spin out as they talk on the phone or pick up enough tiny bits over the course of years that we could tell another person a story about them thick enough to fill a whole novel. They aren’t our friends in the same sense others are, but they don’t just fit into the measly slot of acquaintance.

Perhaps there is some spark between you, like the smile they shared across the room when they saw you struggling or the time they touted on and on about your success when they heard another person, a friend you shared, speak of your recent accomplishment. It was also, perhaps, their absence for a few weeks that you felt, the absence that made you wonder about their life beyond the walls of the grocery store or cafe or bead bar, the absence that made you contemplate asking the questions that might fill in the missing parts of their story. If you reached out to them, could you make a go at being part of one another’s circle of friends? Or was this occasional intersection of lives enough?

This afternoon, I discovered that such a person in my life is now gone. The story of who she is left incomplete. Behind the busy-ness of the day that I show to the world, I trace the infrequent connections that I made with her. I dance around her pains and what I know of her triumphs. I hold up a mirror to her unfinished hopes and tearlessly weep that she never had a chance to fully go there. And just when I start to touch the realm of sadness, I get very still, pull back to sit with the ways she blessed my life even without anchoring herself in it.

I will miss you, my friend. Your smile and your heart brought me joy. Peace be with you.

~Rae