Day One of April Blogging Challenge

As Woody Allen once said, “90 per cent of life is about just showing up so show up is what I am doing although I don’t have much to say… yet. My writing mojo has been so dormant for so long that it will take this week just to prime the pump but that’s okay.

I have a lovely day starting with wishing my sobrino, Andrew a very Happy Birthday. I am staying in a great and cost effective hotel in Querétaro, Guanajuato just for a change of scenery. Bit of sightseeing, bit of shopping and tomorrow I’m going to do something, anything with this COVID hair! My usual hairstylist is in CDMX but I’ve found a good one here, too for cuts which is always a great start!

So, this month is ALL about starts and yes, finishing unfinished projects. AND all about infusing my daily life with more and more artistic pursuits large and small!

Bienvenidos, Abril!

Announcing a new Artist Way group/ group Starting in March!

Yes, Artist Way tribe, it’s time for Group # 14!

We’re ready to start or continue YOUR Artist Wat journey in March for a 12 week session in two parts. You can participate in either OR both! Each session will be two hours and we will use our Peoples’ Choice favorite book by Julia Cameron, ‘ Riding the Dragon, the Artist Way at Work… in your life!’ This is her most cohesive book and includes 12 powerful themes. We need a minimum of FIVE participants and a maximum of EIGHT to launch this group and because we are all on Zoom these days you can join us LIVE from anywhere in the world! Here we are on Mexico City Time/ Central Standard Time but will choose a doable time that works for you no matter where you are!

Sorry, not gratis This is a time proven quality program that has tremendous value so I’m charging a modest fee. Past participants/ continuing alumni are always half price!

Six Week Fee is 65 USD and the full program is just 100 USD. Fellow Canadian? We accept your CAD at par, of course. Fee payable via PayPal to canadacalling88@yahoo.ca

Preguntas? Questions? Call me on WhatsApp at 52 332 837 8789

Btw, LOCAL participants in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico will get delivery of included journal, flow-y pen, clipboard and metal nicho and magnet design. Previous Artist Way experience not essential. The book, Riding the Dragon is available in paperback OR as an ebook. Selected excerpts included in sessions so not essential.

Claim your spot pronto by contacting me at canadacalling88@yahoo. ca

Finding Community Divine Domingo Uno y Dos

We started our Prosperous Heart Artist Way journey with a powerful group bonding Soul Art experience led by our very own returning alumni participant, Ana Madero, a gifted visual artist and Soul Art practitioner based in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico.

From there we seguegued into our first group theme from Julia Cameron’s book, ‘ The Prosperous Heart’ that was appropriately enough called Finding Community. Wherever we are, at whatever our stage of life we naturally seek out community either unconsciously like meeting our neighbours or consciously like joining a group like this either in person or increasingly now, online. Some groups are open to the public and others, are private with or without an entrance fee to be a member.

It is worth mentioning that this is our 13th Artist Way group using one of Julia Cameron’s books, but the very first virtual one. We are separated by physival space but not like minds who believe in the tried and true Artist Way process and the three Artist Way tools of the Morning Pages, the Artist Date and the Artist Walk. Through through these tools we formed a creative cluster to explore this topic as well as five others.

Finding Community

Kindness

Forgiveness

Velocity

Generosity

Staying the Course

Our sessions either start or end with a check in on the three Artist Way Tools and then we do a deep dive from the content of the chapter’s theme using quotations, exercises and reflections from other Artist Way books and the greatest teacher of all, LIFE!

Andale!

10 Psychological Tricks That Will Boost Your Creativity

https://www.verywellmind.com/the-most-unusual-psychological-tricks-to-boost-your-creativity-4022442

Many of these are well know and are included in the three proven Artist Way tools. But there a few others also worth looking at.

5 Simple Activities That Will Boost Your Creative Thinking/ Divine Domingo Dos

https://uxdesign.cc/5-simple-activities-that-will-boost-your-creative-thinking-3869f81ceb88

Buen Domingo, Artist Way tribe wherever you are! Glad you found us in cyberspace, our first virtual borderless creative cluster!

Today our theme from Julia Cameron’s book, ‘The Prosperous Heart’ is a very apropos, Finding Community.

Some questions to ponder prior to the session starting at 1:30 pm. Central Daylight Savings Time. I’ve updated my Zoom subscription to Zoom 5.0 so here’s hoping all will be well this afternoon!

What does community mean to you? How important is community? Does our need for community change as we get older? Is community different for expats and Nationals? Is a completely virtual community possible? If you have any other questions about community please contribute them to our discussion.

Please read the Finding Community chapter in the book prior to our session. We will start with a group check in on the three Artist Way tools, then turn our attention to our weekly theme.

As always, we welcome comments, suggestions or postings to our Facebook group of called Continuing the Artist Way. I have posted quite a lot of pages to this Facebook group this week but ALL present and past participants are welcome to do so as well!

The Artist Way beat goes on…

Artist Way Group/Grupo #13 starts June 7th on International Soul Art Day!

We are excited and proud to announce the continuation of our collective journey ON the Artist Way wherever you are in the world!  Seven Divine Domingos are coming YOUR way starting with our group participation in Laura Hollick’s International Soul Art Day, a splendiferous Sunday to pull out your art materials of any types and just make art!  Ana Madero, a gifted and talented San Miquel de Allende artist and certified Soul Art practitioner will be facilitating our launch day so stay tuned for inspirational postings on our group Facebook page called Continuing the Artist Way.

After that spectacular debut worldwide, we will step onto the magic carpet ride that is the Artist Way using SIX powerful themes from one of Julia Cameron’s books, ‘ The Prosperous Heart.’

Here are the SIX powerful themes from the 50 page workbook included available either in print for local participants or in PDF format for participants far away. This is our very FIRST ‘borderless’ ZOOM creative cluster so don’t delay claiming one of only NINE grid spaces on our ZOOM meet up gathering!  Our debut, introductory fee is only 1500 MX pesos or 65 USD or 88 CAD and past participants can join us for half price. We want this interactive Artist Way experiential extravaganza to be accessible to ALL! Guest speakers or guest collaborators are welcomed gratis for one of the sessions below on Sundays from 1:30 to 3 p.m.

Finding Community

Kindness

Forgiveness

Velocity

Generosity

Staying the Course

Go ahead…jump right in, join us and infuse some dynamic joyous creativity into YOUR summer!

Preguntas?

Contact Joanna at canadacalling88@yahoo.ca

Join us in our Facebook Group called Continuing the Artist Way.

Book Passage’s Conversations with Authors – An ExtendedSession site

https://bookpassage.extendedsession.com/

Such a wonderful and enduring author! Join us tonight online for a live interview with Isabel Allende!

Lockdown Month Two en CDMX

As we collectively move into the second month of a world shaking, world changing lockdown in one of the largest countries in the world I can’t help but wonder how and why I could/should awaken out of my lapsed blogger torpor and revive this once reasonably active blog.

If ever was a time to spring forward into a heightened sense of awareness and creativity THIS would be the time, the exact right time.

To this end, as of tomorrow, April 15th I’ll be posting three times a week on Wednesday, Friday and Monday with the option of posting a link or commenting on something, anything creative that intetests me and may be of interest to our Artist Way tribe anywhere in the world!

 

 

 

Postales y Postres/ Postcards y Postres/ Cocktails y Collage/ Estudio Arte 24 Horas/ 24 Hour Art Salon

You know how sometimes the muse just swoops out of nowhere and something totally original is fully, or almost fully formed? About a year ago to the day something called Collage & Cocktails in Calgary drifted across my awareness in a very superficial way.  I thought at the time that that was an interesting way to combine two artistic pursuits, creating collages and swilling unique retro groovy cocktails. I AM a trained and certified bartender by the way.

So what has emerged today three weeks into the new decade?

Postales y Postres by day

Collage y Cocktails by night

A 24 Hour Art Studio that can be open during regular OR after hours speak easy style. With matching cocktails featuring bathtub gin, of course!

There are 24 Hour Gyms, why not 24 Hour Art Studios?  Serving the night owls amongs us, and you KNOW who you are!

 

Five Minute/ Cinco Minuto Collages

Assignment Uno

This is a great exercise to get your creativity flowing! It helps not to overthink and wonder what comes next. The objective is to work quickly and intuitively within the five minute timing. Do not worry if the collage does not look ‘finished.’

Five collages, five minutes each is the modus operandi. Collect five small piles of images and ephemera in five small plastic bags or folders. Once the bags or folders have an interesting assortment of choices take a 3 by 5 cardboard or 140 lb. water colour paper or other background and start gluing every which way!  Don’t forget to start the five minute timer. If you like what emerges in the timed collage you can always return to it and add additional features…or not.

You just may surprise yourself with your mini collages! Now go and collect that ephemera and those images!

I’ll post this week. Feel free to send me pictures of yours to canadacalling88@yahoo.ca.

Title message Collage-arama # 1.