From the category archives:

Creativity

Squam Art Workshops Fall 2011

I spent last weekend in the woods at Squam Art Workshops where I played with paint, dipped my feet in the cool lake, connected with creative souls, and re-energized my spirit.

I attended last year and enjoyed the creativity and connections. It was nice to be back and to enjoy some warm, sunny days for at least part of the retreat – perfect weather for chillaxing on a dock. But don’t get me wrong, I made good use of my waterproof shoes and down parka as well!

I got my hands dirty in Mary Beth Shaw’s Stratilicious, Baby! class where we learned how to create interesting textures and layers using materials such as wood icing, tar (yes, tar!), and beeswax. I’ve played with encaustics before, but this time I got to etch the wax and color it in with oil paints, which created a very cool effect.

On the second day, I did yoga with the wonderfully grounded Michelle Madden Smith in front of a toasty fire. I don’t think I’ve ever practiced yoga wearing as many layers as I did (think Stay Puff Marshmallow Man!), but it was a chilly morning. Once I got my ujjayi breath going, though, I was in the zone. I wish the class had been a full-day. It was so blissful.

I also took a hand-lettering class with Penelope Dullaghan who is a fellow contributor to Christine Mason Miller’s forthcoming book Desire to Inspire.  I really loved the effect in my first piece using the tip of a liquid acrylic ink pipette on top of a wet wash of color. I wasn’t able to recreate the look again, so I was grateful I had my happy accident.

The last class I took was Care and Keeping with “the other Jen Lee.” It was funny how people kept getting us confused.  I spell Jenn with two n’s and live on the west coast – she spells it with one n and lives on the east coast – we joked that we needed to have signs or T-shirts so that people knew which Jen(n) was which!

I appreciated the spaciousness that Jen invited in during the session. We got to spend part of it on our own and I lounged on a dock and refilled my well. It was just what I needed before leading a short talk on the Right-Brain Business Plan after lunch. During my presentation I connected with all sorts of wonderful women who are running creative businesses or who dream of doing so one day. The great thing about being at Squam is it certainly inspires people to live their creative dreams!

One of the highlights was getting to have many belly laughs with my lovely friend Kimberly Wilson. She recently launched a new e-Course about creative and conscious business and I’m on of the featured guests. I can’t wait to see her again when she’s in town next month!

You can see more pics from my trip here on flickr.

And before I headed out to Squam, I had the chance to hang out with my dear friend Leah. This was the third fall I’ve stayed with her – I like this pattern! In 2009  we led a workshop together. In 2010, we went to Squam together, and then this year I got to visit and meet her super sweet little girl Annabelle. Isn’t she a cutie?!

Going on this trip made me realize how much I’m really craving a nice private retreat with my Nurture Huddle. Oh, that just sounds heavenly! I can’t wait for us to start dreaming up some locations for us to gather at next year!

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Whole Living June 2011 Issue

I’m beyond thrilled to have a piece in the June issue of Whole Living magazine! It’s an article about envisioning success in your career and is adapted from my book The Right-Brain Business Plan.

The spread is on pages 129-130 and the image that goes with it is gorgeous. Last month I had a brief mention in article in Whole Living, but it’s pretty darn exciting to see “by Jennifer Lee” on the page!

I must say that the past couple of months I’ve been in the “now what?!” post-book launch dip. I wrote a little bit about my blahs in last month’s newsletter. I’ve just recently started to emerge from the exhaustion and  fogginess. It was good to give myself time and space to be there and now I’m excited to really dive into to some cool projects. I’m heading to Vancouver tomorrow participate in a think tank with my mentor, Andrea J. Lee, and to speak at her Wealthy Thought Leader event. (BTW, if you’re at all interested, there’s a simulcast option so you can watch from the comfort of home.) Anyway, I’m jazzed about getting t0 mastermind some new ideas I’m working on.

And earlier this week, I got so energized visiting with a community of really amazing creative women who gathered at Teahouse Studio in Berkeley. The space is absolutely gorgeous. The photo above just captures one of the many nooks and crannies brimming with colorful inspiration. I love knowing that Teahouse Studio will be a hub for creative souls in the Bay Area and I look forward to taking a workshop there and hopefully to leading one there in the fall. The workshops sound awesome and you can check them out here.

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Mentioned in Whole Living magazine!

by jenn on April 19, 2011

in Creativity

Whole Living May 2011 Issue

I absolutely love Martha Stewart’s Whole Living magazine. They always have such great articles to inspire healthy living and beautiful images to collage with. I’m thrilled to share that I’m mentioned on page 122 of the May 2011 issue. Yipee!!!

In the article I share a few creativity-boosting tips for changing up your space. The spread features artist Robin-Luciano Beaty who moved from her dark basement into a beautiful eco-friendly studio that she built in her backyard. It’s gorgeous!

I can certainly relate to how freeing and inspiring it feels to claim your own creative space. Last year I moved from a messy, dark office that I shared with my husband in the downstairs part of our house, to a bright and sunny space upstairs. It’s made a world of difference.

May is Whole Living’s inspiration issue – Dream it, Do it – 32 ways to tap your creativity, find your calling, and write your next chapter. Good stuff! Pick yourself up a copy and enjoy.

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I get to be a Squammie again!

by jenn on January 15, 2011

in Creativity,Travel,Workshops

Squam Art Workshops Fall 2011

Yay! I got my Squam Art Workshops confirmation today. I had such a great time last fall and I’m really looking forward to returning in September (it seems so far away!). Thrilled that my friend, the lovely Kimberly Wilson, will be there, too.

I’m a sucker for boxes, so I signed up for Art & Spirit Boxes. It looks like fun! I also adore hand-lettering, so I signed-up for that, as well. In addition to art and creativity, I appreciate that there are some self-care focused workshops, too.  I’m stoked that I will also be doing a yoga class with Michelle Madden Smith. I enjoyed her free class during the last retreat and am looking forward to a yummy, spirit-filled practice. And I’ll be taking Jen Lee’s course Care & Keeping which sounds like another juicy opportunity to tend to my creative spirit.

I’d love to hear if you’re going, too. One of the fun things was getting to meet fellow creative bloggers in person. And if you’ve been thinking about going… do it! 🙂

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Unfolding Your Life Vision

Since January is the perfect time to envision your year and beyond, I’m offering a sale on the Unfolding Your Life Vision Kit.

Now through Saturday, January 8th (9pm Pacific), you’ll get 15% off your order by entering the code VISION2011.

Yesterday afternoon I put together my collage book for 2011. My word for the year is Shine so I made it out of sparkly gold paper, light blue for Right-Brain Business Plan, and a dark sage green for Artizen Coaching. I included words and images to help me focus on health, exercise, eating more veggies and raw food, my book launch, creativity, expanding my business, money and abundance, spirituality, connection, and more.

Here’s a peek at what I put together. I get so inspired when I look at it. It’s going to be a fabulous year!

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Celebrating with Kate

December 13, 2010
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Last night Kate and I enjoyed a celebratory dinner at Kirala (yum!) in honor of finishing my Right-Brain Business Plan book. (Wish we got a better pic. Oh well.) Kate is a fabulous friend plus my ultimate creative cohort – she designed my brochure and my Unfolding Your Life Vision Kit, she designed and illustrated […]

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A Creative Space of My Own

October 31, 2010
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Over the summer I moved my work space from the cramped and cluttered downstairs office I shared with my husband (see before photo below) to the guest/yoga/meditation/ironing room now turned bright and airy creative space. I’ve been feeling so much more focused and inspired now! Here’s a peek into my before situation. I can’t believe […]

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Reflections on Squam Art Workshops Part 2

September 25, 2010
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Yesterday I posted about my experience taking classes at Squam. While the courses are absolutely fantastic, what makes Squam so special are all of the Squammies – the delightful creative souls who make the pilgrimage to nourish their souls. While I always find it unnerving to be in new groups (a bit of “first-day of school” […]

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Reflections on Squam Art Workshops Part 1

September 24, 2010
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I’m finally getting my Squam post up! I can’t believe more than a week has past since my trip to Boston and New Hampshire. I’ve been exhausted (travel always does that to me), but I have so many fond memories of the retreat. I connected with inspiring women, I dabbled in some new artistic techniques, […]

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Self-Care Friday and Creative Inspiration

May 14, 2010
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Friday’s are my self-care days. I don’t schedule meetings or calls. I take quiet time to just be. To unplug.  To not feel obligated to do anything. It may not be for the entire day, but even just having a few hours of white space helps me recharge from the week.  When I don’t gift […]

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