Creative Life A thru Z ~ M = Be Marvelous

Jean Hart Artwork

Healing Arts journal 

www.zazzle.com/jeanhar1*

Better Together, acrylic, Mandala, by Jean Hart 

 The Creative Life A thru Z

~M = Marvelous 

 Week Fourteen

What ever you do, Be Marvelous!!

Life is what you celebrate, All of it. ~Joanne Harris 

This week is the celebration of the letter M. oh the words and fun that came to me with this letter. I believe so far I live in the activities of M. 

When I was an exhibiting artist I had a solo fine art exhibit at the

 Northeastern Nevada Museum in Elko, Nv 

It's show title was "Kaleidoscope"

 To see a small part of the exhibit at Highland Estates.

Click below 

https://youtu.be/CKpwJG4WZcg

I had been painting mandala's ever since I read a biography of Carl Jung. 

He said he did a small mandala everyday in his office before he started work each day. 

I started with easy coloring books, and then later went on to make my own designs.

In world history all different cultures,  Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, Celtic, and, Native American have been making mandalas for well over 5,000 years. 

One of the ways to use a mandala is to ask a question while you are creating your mandala, by the time you are finished hopefully you will have an answer. 

Mandalas are symbols of community, wholeness, and spiritual journeys.

I am not going to go into the whole philosophy of the mandala here. My suggestion is for you to go to the library or internet and check out a book that can explain it in far more detail then I can on my simple blog here. 

Art Journal Assignment: 

Drawing a mandala 

Freedom, mandala by Jean Hart 

1. You can either buy a coloring book of mandalas and color in them, or you can make your own. 

a. draw a circle, fold it in half, then half again. 

b. Keep in mind that a mandala is a symmetric design and is repeated from one quarter to the other. 

2. Drawing a mandalas is a time for you to be still, calm, and quite so you can focus on the big questions in your life. So, before you begin coloring, ask yourself a question, you might ask what you could do to change your life so you can enjoy it and have more fun with family and friends. 

3. While the design is repeated from one quarter to the other quarter, meaning what is put on the right is also drawn on the left. YOU can color it anyway you wish. 

4. When you finished, turn over your drawing and write the acronym B.L.E.S.S.M.E. 

(body, lifestyle, emotions,social,spiritual,mind,environment.).

Now write 2 activities that came up that you could do. Do not worry if you didn't think of something for each category.  I personally like to keep the B.L.E.S.S.M.E. acronym in my active thinking. 

5. Have fun with this, be creative, and don't censor yourself. 

keep this list handy and commit to making those changes within the month. 

I like to put these suggestion on my daily calendar so I can make plans to do the activities. 

Kitchen Assignment:

Let's Get Cooking 

For me, since I'm spending more time at home and in the kitchen learning how to eat clean and healthy, I have been turning some of my favorite recipes into a healthier recipes. 

Vegan Magic Cookie Bars 

I love magic bars, so I went hunting for a healthy version. 

My family loved this one. It's gooey on the inside, sticky all over and 

Marvelously Magic!!

This is the recipe I used :

https://www.foodfaithfitness.com/paleo-magic-cookie-bars/

Field Trip:

If you can, if it's this time of year where you live. 

Go to a Farmers Market.

There is nothing like fresh vegetables from the farmers. 

I had such a wonderful day with my daughter Sarah. We went to all the booths, asked questions,*(because everything is handmade), and came home with very fresh and unusual vegetables. 

Framers Market

spinning wool 

fresh tomatoes 

I came home and made with all the fresh vegetables, vegetable dumplings, with fried shisuto peppers. 

There's lots of more activities for the letter M, and I will most likely continue posting later. 

As always have fun with this, share, like and follow so you don't miss a single post. 

I would love to see your mandalas. 

Because this is an ongoing project for me, and I continually change things for each letter. I would love it if you left me a little comment on how you are enjoying the assignments. 

 Be Inspired,

~jean 

Creative Life A thru Z ~L is for leave a little happiness wherever you go

 Jean Hart Artwork 

www.zazzle.com/jeanhar1*

Creative Life A thru Z. 

L = Leave a little happiness

 wherever you go

Where do I get my inspiration????

From Life itself. 

But, there are times when I just can't think of a single thing to do or help myself get out of a slump. 

I made this little jar of 100 slips of Good Intentions. 

I read so much, I have joined so many clubs, and blogs. The information alone on Pinterest is exhausting sometimes. 

To help myself not waste so much time on the computer I came up with 100 things to do when I need inspiration. 

The only rule is, when I draw one of these slips out of the jar, 

I HAVE TO DO IT!!

This little slip is awesome!

One of my Assignments in the course 

"A Life of Happiness and Fulfillment",

 was to anonymously leave notes of encouragement wherever you go for someone to find and hopefully brighten up their day. 

I have been doing this with my art note cards for years, and although I never sign the note I sure hope it puts a smile on someones face for that day. 

Give it a try. I would love to hear what you wrote on your slips of encouragement. 

As always, have fun with this and share, join in, comment, and like. 

Be Inspired,

~jean 

Creative life A thru Z ~ H is for Honor Yourself

The Creative Life A thru Z 

Jean Hart Artwork

Healing Arts journal 

www.zazzle.com/jeanhar1*

The Creative Life A thru Z

~H is for Honoring Yourself 

 Week Nine 

My Heart, Jean Hart

"If you want to soar in life 

you must first learn to F.L.Y. 

(first love yourself).  Mark Sterling

Welcome back. It's a beautiful day where I live. It's August and still summer here. 

I just couldn't handle the heat anymore,

 so I honored  myself  by taking a trip to the beach. 

H is for Honor Yourself

I was stumbling last week with H. I just couldn't come up with an activity to help my heart....Then this morning, this very morning it came to me. 

Honor Yourself~Love Yourself~Respect Yourself 

With the Solar Eclipse happening this Monday, the energy level all around is charged. 

I looked up my astrological sign and it said I was in for a whole belief system transformation!! 

I'm not sure I'm ready for that, but I certainly am ready for a change. 

Last year I asked for a more "creative life"  and was given this opportunity after taking a healing arts class. 

A creative life means different things to different people. In my life I wanted it to mean expansion of life, ideas, adventures. I also wanted my creative life to help me understand the moments in life and be grateful for them. 

I almost panicked myself last week when I realized that it's peach season and I haven't made a single peach dish!! Then I took a big deep breath and saw that it's August and I have time.  Learning to stay present and 

be still is a creative art. 

Journal Assignment:

I asked a big question on the last blog yesterday.  

What's the best part of your life right now? 

Take some time a think about this.

 It will help to keep you in the present moment, 

not past achievements, or what's ahead of you. 

Here is a Two Minutes in Nature video to help you be still and meditate this question on. 

Two Minutes In Nature~Redwoods 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViBeZg7CigY&t=24s

Green is the color of the heart charka . When I was hiking in the Redwoods I filmed this  because the greens were so brilliant, so many different greens. I felt this redwood forest had to be one of the most healing places I have ever walked. 

Art Journal Assignment: 

Materials:

1. one heart cookie cutter

2. blank paper no lines

1. Take the heart cookie cutter and start tracing its shape. Make as many hearts as you want. Overlap them, keep the separate, turn them upside down. 

You are only limited by your own imagination with this. 

2. Write what you are grateful for in each heart. 

3. Color in the hearts, fill the whole page with color. 

 Activity:

I don't know how I can have a week of H without it meaning Home.

This week take a good look at your front door area.
Both inside the house and outside. 

Does it look welcoming? Friendly? 

Think of ways to clean up, clear up, and warm up this area in your home. 

It soon will be fall, I'm planning on having a new Fall wreath this year. The one I've used for years is getting a bit old and dusty. I want to invite new energy into my home. 

As always, have fun with this. Feel free to leave a comment, share, like and subscribe so you don't miss any of my post. 

Be Inspired, 

~jean 

My online store

www.zazzle.com/jeanhar1*

My YouTube channel

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAs1D80KombtJ5q19W8yzhg

My 500 Mile Walking Journey

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAs1D80KombtJ5q19W8yzhg

The Creative Life A thru Z~E is for Environment, Big Question

The Creative Life A thru Z

 Week Six 

E is for Environment

Jean Hart Artwork

https://www.zazzle.com/mbr/238392465965343686/collections

The Big Question?

?
A lot of life has to do with the environment you surround yourself with.
This includes, body, mind, and spirit. 
Look around you, and keep your mind in the present moment. 
?
Do you want to know how it ends?

Stay focused, now close your eyes 
and imagine what outcome you want to have in a certain situation you have been thinking about. 
Journal activity:
Next, write down what needs to be done to make that happen.
Third, take one action today in that direction. 

Amazing things happen when you take the time for the mind and imagination to come together. 
Meditate with 
Two Minutes in Nature

ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmCz96uro8E

Be Inspired, 

~jean 

Essential Imagination

Jean Hart Artwork 

www.zazzle.com/jeanhar1*

"No amount of skillful invention can replace the essential element of imagination. "

 Edward Hopper 

So true, when you need a little imagination, What do you do? 

I doddle!

Yes, just holding the pencil in my hand sometimes helps me to come up with something imaginative. 

I'm back to line drawing. 

What a fun way to doddle when you just need some inspiration.

Be inspired,
Currently in progress is the curriculum for
The Creative Life A thru Z

~jean 

Jean Hart Artwork Fall edition

Jean Hart Artwork 

www.zazzle.com/jeanhar1*

This weeks Art O Mat blocks. 

I have started my Fall editions.

If you see anything you like and would like me to paint a larger painting please contact me.

I'm happy to take commission work.

Please like and share

Be Inspired,

~jean 

visit my zazzle store.

www.zazzle.com/jeanhar1* 

100 prints

Jean Hart Artwork 

One print for 100 days for $10.00 each. 
All artwork is done by Jean Hart. 

Each day I will upload a new print of my artwork . The challenge was given to me to post a print of my artwork for 100 days.
These prints are 5" x 7" and will sell for $10.00 each. 

Starting Sept 1 , 2015
If you are interested in buying one of the prints just message me here. Be Inspired, 

~jean 

Perfectionism for an Artist

Jean Hart Artwork 

www.zazzle.com/jeanhar1*

Perfectionism:

Just writing the word has made me shiver. 

While trying to be perfect with my art these are the things I have perfected.;

increased stress, decreased productivity, irritation with co artists, never ask for input, stress-related physical disorders, high b/p, loss of hair, weight gain, over confidence, and competition of spirit, 

and yet I still felt my perfectionism was paying off. 

CRASH!!!

Pen and Ink Elephant, Jean Hart Artwork 

Creativity and perfection go together like fire and water.

They just don't mix.

I can not remember when I started to think that my art needed to step up.

It may have come when I was showing my artwork in solo shows and just about had a break down.

But, when I look back at it. I believe it was when I first entered my first acrylic painting into the county fair and won the largest and prestigious La Vern Hunt award. 

Where do you go from there!!! 

I thought," can I keep that kind of standard up?" 

Being creative when you are first starting out. Especially, when you are showing your work publicly requires a certain amount of risk, taking leaps of faith. 

When you are first learning a new technique, it just can't be perfect. You will make mistakes. 

Make a wish, digital, Jean Hart Artwork 

Perfection is such a sabotager. It's very nature asks you not to take risks, leaps, or even be curious. 

You become stuck in painting the same things because , people liked that, after all you won an award for that tree. 

The worst part of perfectionism is that it makes you not want to go into the studio.

I spent many hours just reading books on art, watching videos and organizing my art supplies. 

Did I paint during this time. NO WAY!! 

Let me just say now that thank goodness this perfectionism state did not last long. 

I look at art everyday. Everyday I am amazed at the artwork 

I see in museums, magazines, and on the Internet.  

It's just a good lesson for any artists to understand that there will always be someone better then you.

Someone who writes better, draws better, paints better. 

But they are not you. They do not have your ideas, your life experiences, or your talent. 

I believe, while my artwork might not be perfect, it is the best I can do at the time I painted it.

Here is a little story:

I have painted in many styles. 

I am always surprised what sells. I have painted pieces that took me months to create and thinking this is the best piece of art I have ever created, and it never sold. 

I painted a little abstract and the crowd went crazy!!!

So calm down. If we knew what people wanted, we would paint that. 

The trouble is they don't know what they want until they see it. 

So, paint. Paint what you like, what you connect to, and it will turn out to be creative and as perfect as a living piece of artwork can be. 

Be Inspired, 

~jean