Category: Creativity

Squam Art Workshops Fall 2011 Recap

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!

Whole Living Magazine and Creative Inspiration

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.

Mentioned in Whole Living magazine!

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.

I get to be a Squammie again!

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! 🙂

New Years Sale on Unfolding Your Life Vision Kit

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!

Celebrating with Kate

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 my Right-Brain Business Plan e-Book, and she did all of the darling illustrations in my forthcoming book, hence the celebration.

In 2008-2009, Kate, her sister Molly, and I even did a fun, collaborative project together called Kiss the Paper (and we celebrated the completion of that year-long blog at Kirala as well, at the same table even!). Kate launched a new blog this month called eat 30 where she documents her new habit of eating breakfast daily. It’s been fun to get a glimpse into her mornings.

I feel so fortunate to partner with such a talented, loving, and sweet friend. Thanks so much, Kate! You’re the best. xoxo

A Creative Space of My Own

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 I tolerated that tiny corner of such a messy space for so many years! I mean really?!!!… beauty and spaciousness are two of my core values and I certainly wasn’t honoring them here! My breaking point was when Emmett knocked over the waste basket for the bazillionth time and then fell asleep on top of the trash.

I started to collect images of my ideal space. I envisioned the creative space I’m in now and a future studio space outside the house. You can click the image above to see a larger version.

Now my piles of paper and projects are neatly tucked away in these fabulous boxes from Ikea. And I’m surrounded by my Right-Brain Business Plan. My vision board is hanging on my bulletin board along with my goal sheet and creative cohort map. I’ve also got my perfect customer profiles on display in my cool card carousel and one of my walls is covered with pages from the fabulous Paper Source wall calendar.

Plus, I still have room to do yoga and meditation. (Although I could be making more space in my schedule for that!).

At the start of 2010, I choose “grounded growth” as my intention for the year. Moving into my own office was an important way for me to honor grounded growth. And it symbolized giving myself permission to take up more space. During intuitive painting last year, I’d been playing with being big and taking up more space so it was cool to see how that translated into my work and personal life here.

If you don’t have a creative space just for you, I recommend carving one out for yourself. It doesn’t matter if it’s a small area for now (maybe a desk or altar in your bedroom, or a corner of the kitchen) as long as it helps you nourish your inner muse. Decorate your space with whatever inspire you – perhaps colorful artwork, photos of your favorite vacation spot, candles, and flowers. Spend at least 10 minutes a day there to honor your creative spirit. You could journal, do art, or plan your day. Here’s to a creative space just for YOU!

Reflections on Squam Art Workshops Part 2

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” syndrome), the Squam atmosphere is totally warm and inviting. The generosity, heart, and vision of founder Elizabeth MacCrellish infuses the whole experience with love and the retreat naturally draws kindred spirits. Being in an inspiring community and making new connections was definitely a highlight of the retreat.

And of course I had a blast getting to hang out with my pal Leah! That’s us in the Layered Lines class (perhaps a little high from the turpenoid fumes! Ha!).

And here we are being silly as we sat in the Playhouse listening to music and stories.

Here I am with the lovely Susannah Conway. Last year, I was honored to be interviewed by Susannah about my creative life on her blog. Her Open Your Eyes class rocked and I’m inspired to take more pics. “Shoot the red” is engrained in my head!

I loved connecting the dots between people’s web presence and who they are in real life. I’d been hanging out with Louise for a couple of days, but once I saw Louise’s cute business card and recognized her artwork, the lightbulb finally went on above my head, “Oh that’s you!” So funny! And I enjoyed meeting other folks that I knew from blogs and social media. It’s fun to put faces to names and to make a real-life connection.

Here are some of my roomies from the Sommers cabin. Oh boy did we share some laughs! On the last night, Lorrie suggested a wonderful ritual to help us remember our time together. We each decorated a rock with a message and then we randomly picked one out of a bag. The rock I made said, “beauty” and the rock I received said “You are beautiful.” And to top it off, Kristen got my rock and I got Kristen’s. Gotta love the synchronicity.

If Squam is calling to you, make a commitment to your creative spirit and say, “Yes!” Make it happen. You will be inspired. You will be nourished. You will be with your tribe. Sure it costs a pretty penny, you don’t have the time, it can be intimidating to meet new people, it’s a long trek to get there, and when you finally arrive you’ll probably be cold (okay, freezing). But those are just the logistics, details, and flimsy excuses from your inner critic (I know because I’ve heard them, too).

When you say, “Yes!” to an experience like Squam, you’ll be reminded that you’re not alone on your personal journey. That even rock stars like Jonatha Brooke feel vulnerable when they’re singing a new song for the first time. That no matter where you’re from or what your circumstances are, we all yearn for creative expression and connection. That when you honor that yearning you make room for even more creative goodness to blossom.

If you need a little nudge, get the Squam Art Workshops Journal. I had no idea how gorgeous it was until I saw it in person. Seriously, it is like a heavenly slice of Squam that you can hold in your hands. Until the next time I go on retreat, I’m gonna crack this journal open whenever I need a fix of heart-warming, soul-nourishing creative inspiration. Yum.

Reflections on Squam Art Workshops Part 1

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, I savored a yummy yoga class,  I enjoyed the fresh outdoor air, and I loved having delicious food cooked for me everyday (and don’t even get me started on those marvelous macaroons!).

Last year Leah, Mindy, Melba and I attended just the Squam art fair on Saturday night after Leah and I led a workshop together in Boston. We had such fun meeting some of our online buddies in-person and getting a taste of the Squam spirit that Leah and I decided to participate in the whole shebang this year. I’m so glad we did. I’m super inspired by the creative community that convenes there and the whole experience definitely fed my soul.

The experience also gave me some new insights into my creative process. It’s been awhile since I’ve taken an “art” class that focuses on learning techniques. Instead, for almost the past two years I’ve immersed myself in expressive arts and intuitive painting which is all about the process not the product, about the experience not technical skill. As a student and a teacher of intuitive painting, I’ve trained myself to be okay with making “ugly” art. So, it was a bit of a head trip for me at the retreat as I paid more attention to my inner critic wanting things to “look good” and to have “presentable” finished pieces. I know it was all self-imposed pressure and that the atmosphere there is totally supportive. It was just interesting to notice what happens for me when I’m creating for just the sake of being in the creative process versus when I am attached to the outcome. And I suppose both have their places. While I thoroughly enjoy diving into the depths of my crazy intuitive paintings, there is also something quite satisfying about making a beautiful, delicate piece of art to display like I got to do this past weekend.

The first class I took was Layered Lines with Diana Fayt.  I really dug her drawing/painting technique which uses oil pastels, turpenoid, and graphite pencils. It’s quite simple yet creates a super cool effect that almost looks like an etching. My favorite pieces from the weekend were from this course. I’m definitely gonna play with this method a bit more. I even went and got more supplies today so I can continue to dabble.

The next day I took the Open Your Eyes photography class with the lovely Susannah Conway. Photography is a medium I’m not as comfortable with but want to get better at it. Fortunately my hubby is a photographer so I have access to great gear. Now I just gotta learn how to use it more effectively!

In the morning Susannah walked us through lots of great images to inspire us and to teach us composition basics. I could listen to her speak all day – I just love her voice and wisdom!

In the afternoon we went on a photo safari through the woods. Of course we had to stop at the lake to get some shots of the beautiful views.

I had fun getting to know my fellow classmates as we explored and experimented. And it was fascinating to notice how we each saw the world so differently through the lens.

This is one of my favorite shots. Thanks to the lovely Jayne who patiently modeled for us as we all snapped away! I posted more of my pics on Flickr.

On the final day, I took Flora Bowley’s Bloom True painting class. Above is a peek at one of her amazing paintings. It was fascinating to watch her demos and see her magical art come to life before our eyes.

Here’s a shot of my two paintings in progress, but since we only had a half-day class, that’s as far as they got. I had fun being playful AND I noticed in this class especially how much I struggled with process versus product. We started off being very intuitive and free-form but as we started to hone in on where we wanted to take the painting, my inner critic kicked in big time. It was a good reminder to let go and pay attention to where the aliveness is rather than what I think looks good or is the “right” thing. I certainly had fun with blue!

There’s so much more goodness from the weekend. I’ll share a bit more tomorrow. Until then, check out the links to more Squammies’ posts here – you’re sure to be inspired!

Self-Care Friday and Creative Inspiration

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 myself with this weekly mini-retreat, I get cranky and resentful. But when I allow myself to indulge in some breathing space, I can relax, enjoy, and even get inspired!

Today I treated myself to a much needed mani and pedi. Feels good to be able to wear sandals and flip flops proudly again! I also enjoyed a lovely walk in the sun with my dog.

Here’s my cute pooch Emmett hanging out in the front yard with me. Oh, he’s such a sweetie. Cuddles with Emmett are also a good part of self-care Fridays!

How do you practice self-care? What’s different for you when you enjoy breathing space?

P.S. – I had the pleasure of being interviewed on a few podcasts recently. If you’re wanting some creative inspiration, take a listen: