Get paid $1500 for your ideas. (oh, and photo contest is in this post too)

Idea Bounty… http://www.ideabounty.com  is truly a great site:
Major organizations submit proposals, creative people confidentially send their best idea… winner gets $1500. Sure, that’s not a lot for an idea that could create millions for a company – BUT you actually get a credible venue to get your brilliance out there.

Didn’t love the proposal from Red Bull or BMW, but now there are two bids out for ideas that contribute to global well being:
WWF (the convservation site, not wrestling)
Breadline Aftrica

That’s cool.  Also wwf canada has a photo contest on now.. check that out to, photographers!

Mira’s List – grants, fellowships, and more

A blog well worth visiting..

http://miraslist.blogspot.com/

Link to BEST article EVER.. your thoughts can physically make you younger.

Link to BEST article EVER!

I choose my age before my birthday each year. It’s not vanity. It’s about not allowing my own thoughts to age me.   This is a belief that I am very passionate about.  In my bathroom for all to see is a card: “how old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are”

I knew as I headed into my 40’s that if I ‘registered’ those ages in my head in terms of my own ‘expectations’ of a person that age, as well as the cultural expectations of people that age.. well, I would not be a crazy waterskiier that I still am.   It was self preservation that has made me be the age I think I am.  It was knowing that thoughts alone would be enough to make me more fragile physically, and might keep me from making big changes, including leaping from careers,  and certainly could prevent me from becoming an author and artist when our culture implies that you can only be that if you’ve been doing it all your life.      (and by the way, I am past that whole 40 decade.) 

 And, finally, here’s proof that backs up my beliefs!  Check this out!

Just say NO! to aging: A provocative new book from a Harvard psychologist suggests that changing how we think about our age and health can have dramatic physical benefits

 http://www.newsweek.com/id/193197/

GO!  GO check this out! I’m so excited.

By the way, last year I was ‘eternal’, the year before ‘timeless’, the year before ‘ageless’, and then I think I was 37 1/2.  This year, I’m “nana-age”.  (Hey,I coulda had my girls at 14)   My family actually celebrates the age I’ve chosen or that they recommend each year.  If I do need to know how old I am in linear left brain thinking years, I normally have to ask my daughters.

I think people born later in the century than me may have a healthier perspective of aging and ability than my generation.  Which of course I have no idea what generation I belong to, being timeless and all.

Today, Father’s Day, I didn’t pre-plan to entertain my Dad, who is on the other side, but…

Sometimes I just trust that something will happen as it should, instead of fussing with ‘what might be appropriate’ at times when I really don’t have the answer anyway.

I knew I would want to honour my Dad on Father’s Day.  He died a couple of years ago.  (Halloween, in fact.  What a guy. Such a magical man, such a magical time to cross over)   But, there is a part of me that had this thought about Father’s Day:  ”If I ignore it, it will go away.”   That’s the part that struggles with him not being here in mortal form.

And so, I just decided to put my painting artist hat on and paint ships all weekend.  (That is more appropriate than one can imagine.. but that, dear readers, is far too long to explain in a blog.. it’s in  novel #2… partly in process, but #1 is getting completed first.)

Anyway, I decided to trust.   I knew something would happen. If you’ve read the previous post you’ll know I was supposed to be painting and ignoring the ‘other important projects’ like the new office chair that lays in pieces waiting for assembly. However, today, Dad’s wife, my stepmom, popped over for coffee.   So, being a practical girl, I thought we could visit and I could assemble that chair. (since I don’t visit and paint very well)

First please note: My dad was a mechanical wizard. Owned and used every tool known to mankind.

It wasn’t a difficult task, but as I kept misplacing a bolt (either under my butt or already in my hand) I laughed and said, “Dad must think this is pretty funny.”  I hadn’t consciously been thinking he was nearby, but alas.. the words were spoken. 

Next, I was trying to get a little plastic thingy where it needed to go, and rather than grab a hammer from downstairs, I grabbed the ice cream scoop, further cracking up both Leona and I as we visualized Dad shaking his head with a smile.   Even funnier, was that the scoop was Dad’s and has been in the family for .. well.. ever.    And that made us look at each other with that look that says, “well, I’ll be darned, he is here!”   

Next, I made him proud.  Leona, now very involved in the assembly of the chair, suggested vice grips for the silly little plastic thingy.  AND I had vice grips.  Right there in the kitchen in the pot of spatula’s, wooden spoons, and other cooking utensils.  (Ya, it’s a sign of my cooking skills I’m sure.  Maybe I need them to release things I’ve melted together.. like pots, or something).  I know Dad was proud that I had vice grips handy and that we got the job done. 

Of course my Dad had given me those vice grips one year in my Christmas stocking. ( I do love tools.. a lot.  I may not be so good using them, but I love them.)

In a blog post, can one really say enough to help others understand how true it is that Dad was nearby, and that we entertained him well?  Perhaps not. But Leona and I knew.   

The painting I just finished today will probably be named after him in some form.  Wanna see?  It’s not a good scan.. but here it is:

copyright 2009 by Janet L. Whitehead

What does it take to create?

I thought I would go camping this weekend.. 2 to 3 nights, up the lake, boat access only, and bring my paints.  Key purpose: get some paintings finished for an upcoming show.  With the rainy stormy weather,  I realized I was only kidding myself.  Yes, I’d go.  The wind and rain would play havoc with painting, but I would sit there in my glory enjoying the lightning, taking pride in my anchoring skills as the boat survived the storm, and basically drinking in the beautiful energy of a wind, water, and lightening.   But that wouldn’t get the paintings done, now would it?

So I promised myself.. I will paint all weekend at home. I will not let the 187, 486 other important projects interfere… (like the new office chair scattered in pieces beside me waiting to be assembled; or the new promo cards that need to be made.  {oh no! they do have to made by Monday if they are going to be back by the show!};  or.. well, the fridge.  I’m pretty proud of myself for putting the ‘camping-like food for painting weekend’* in the fridge and consciously warning myself that ‘cleaning out the garbage in there this weekend is against the painting laws.”  

*oysters, cheese, crackers, pure raspberry juice, cottage cheese and fruit… mmmmm…”     What was I doing shopping? ARen’t I supposed to be painting?

Hey What am I doing here!!!!???????

Maybe if we all practised being two..

Evalee is two!  Oh the fun of it all!  Everyone got to play ’slide’, ‘wagon’, baseball,  and participate in pinata smashing, candy grabbing, .. icing picking, and if we weren’t the ones laughing, we got to listen to the laughter of children!    A perfect party for a two year old!

Here’s the gist of my message on the card for Evalee:  ”May you have many fun  things to play with, and many fun people to play with, and lots and lots of playtime… cuz that’s what two years old do!”

Exactly when did the world decide that there was a point where we stopped playing and work was far more important?

That’s just wrong.

Practise being a two year old….  the more we practise, I bet the more we get inspired, and smarter, and funnier, and more loving… and the ‘chores’ that can’t easily be converted to play, get done quicker and easier with less stress, and the new ideas and new perspectives  that emerge lead us to … hey, exactly to where we really want to be!

Go play.

Announcing ‘The Demise of Noshud Hafta’!

One small creative expression can change your life…

It is with great pleasure
that I announce the release of my new storybook and art exhibit,

The Demise of

Noshud Hafta 

 

The Exhibit: An adventurous tale told through finely crafted ceramic ‘pages.’
The Book:  A truly unique experience ~ this magical story of a leprechaun on an enchanted journey is illustrated cover to cover with the porcelain and stoneware ‘page’ sculptures.

This is a project very dear to my heart. I wrote the story in 1994. It changed my life.  It just took me awhile before I figured out how to illustrate it and share the message!

My hope is that the story inspires others to recognize what stops them and find their way to pursue the soulful journey of their dreams, as it has me.

“Her pottery, much like herself, is magical and oddly captivating and through her words and intuitive nature she is able to tell stories that engage the reader on a level that is not easily achieved.” 
Quote from article by Tanya Orozco, Echo Magazine.
May 7 2009.

The genre is still a mystery: Is it a children’s book?  A children’s book for adults? An art book?  Or does it deserve its own genre: fantasy self-help?  Either way, it seems to be appealing to all of the above.   The first edition with hand gilded edges is selling well, and a second edition is already in process.  I’m am deeply honoured by the positive response to this storybook. (And yes, if you collect ‘first editions’ you might want to order soon!)

And because I just couldn’t resist this opportunity to provide a tool to further assist others in making their own discoveries.. I also wrote a workbook: You get to go on your own storytelling adventure and defeat your “Noshud Hafta’s!”

Remember: One small creative expression can change your life.

To learn more and to order the storybook or/and workbook
please CLICK here:

The Demise of Noshud Hafta – storybook and workbook

 (Once you get there, be sure to follow the link to ‘browse’ the book. If you went to a bookstore , you’d get to peek through the book. We tried to give you a similar option on the website!)

I’m so honoured by those who have given such positive feedback, and so grateful to all of those who have supported, encouraged, and believed in me!
Thank you!  And Tommi thanks you. 

This is Tommi ripping through the pages on her  journey:

Apres Birthday Treats

Apres Birthday Treat that I am currently consuming:    I ran out of birthday cake, but still have whip cream.  And cranberry juice.(this is the part that makes what I’m about to describe such a healthy treat).  And Mr. Christie ginger snaps (the best packaged ginger snaps of all)  Smash and mix them all together and it is one strange but rather nummy treat.  And anything that makes me this happy, I KNOW is good for me!

Now, here’s the best Apres Birthday Treat!   This made me gasp in delight today when I opened my email.  Many thanks to the kind and generous creator, Jill Badonsky.. whom I hope you all know  is so brilliantly wise in the realms of  understanding the creative being  that I am in Awe.  Check out her books, creativity coach training and more.. www.themuseisin.com

Yes, this is me waterskiing on my birthday. Look great, don’t I?  Click on image to see me larger. Check out those faeries!

Thanks Jill!    Thanks whipcream and cookies and healthy cranberry juice! (hmm, am I picking up something from my grandaughter here?.. Evalee says thanks to things we normally don’t think of.  Yes, yet another thing to learn from a not quite 2 year old!)

About not writing.. for ..OH MY.. 24 days! And dirty laundry. No.. actually, clean laundry.

I`ll be darned. I have not posted for 24 days.  You know, in the world of blogging, that is a very very big no no.  `They` say people who start to follow your posts apparently disappear .  I hope you are all okay, and that the disappearance didn`t hurt or anything.   And if you happened to have a quantum discovery on `disappearing`and `reappearing`, I’m glad I could help.   (Please share your tips.. I am certain we have that capability – I just don`t know how to do it yet.)

24 days of unattendance to my blog:   Let’s see.. my book “The Demise of Noshud Hafta”  arrived and the art exhibit opened early May!  (More on that to follow)  And, I don`t know, maybe I’ve been breathing ever since. (smile!)   Certainly I’ve been ‘catching up’ on a number of things that got set aside in the final production days of sculptures and book.  Apparently the utility companies prefer if you pay your bills and they don’t have any sort of policy that allows for artists/writers to postpone paying while in highly creative mode.  

Okay, I didn’t leave it so long that we had to discuss payment policies – but it is true that that sort of detail got set aside, and the important things like coaching, creating and family got priority.

The laundry got a bit scary too.. that took awhile to deal with.  For those who visited my home, you didn’t know that my bedroom was piled high with clean laundry – none of which had been folded for..  um… a  very very long time.   Dealing with that meant dealing with a lot of wrinkles and some re-washing since Casper the dog thought I had created a new bed for him.

The yard never got dealt with.. and of course getting the boat washed, waxed and in the water took a real high priority after the show opening.  (Yup, ‘Baby’ is in the lake and I am one happy woman. )

Okay, this post has helped even me know why I haven’t blogged: all of the above, plus I sincerely needed more time away from the computer.  Who knew publishing a book would have required so many billion hours on the computer?

The point of the story is this:   I did complete a project and publish my first book (hurray!) and I could not have done it if I had given the details of every day home and administration maintenance any sort of priority.  It IS okay to let those things go and  create instead!  It DOES feel wonderful!  And those everyday details?.. well, they were still there when all was said and done.  The bills didn’t disappear (unfortunate, but true), the clothes  were still there (although many were ‘lost’ for awhile under the mountain)… and I hope like stink that you didn’t disappear either.  Or if you did, that it was a very valuable experience!

Gifts for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.

Tatiana the Dog, and her human mommy, Dora made a new video with ideas for Mother’s Day.  Besides sharing good ideas, Tatiana invites us to post more ideas.  Thought I would share Tatiana’s link and a couple of wonderful ideas we have had for gifts.

http://tr.youtube.com/user/Whisperland

As my Dad got older, I knew there were still a lot of stories to get into writing.  One day I realized how hard it is for someone to put their stories down, and especially for Dad as  he was aging and in much pain. I created an ‘altered’  book where he could tell us stories here and there and we would write them down. 

I found a used old book on Vancouver, and rewrote the title to “The boy from Vancouver.” using a gold paint pen. (One of my favourite creative tools)  I randomly pasted various rectangular shapes of nice lined paper throughout the book  creating space for us to write his stories, with original text and photos as a background.  In addition, I added some old and recent photos of him and family throughout the book, and made a bookmark from one of our old favourite photos of him:  Dad looking very cool as a teen walking down the streets of Vancouver.   

I do wish we’d gotten more stories written down, but I am glad for what we did get.   The process of having Dad tell stories and not feel he had to keep them chronological, took a lot of pressure off.  Sharing a life in writing is such a huge undertaking that I am certain it stops so many people – yet the stories of these people we love are  important to us.  This book made it simpler, and the time spent with him very special.   The memory of my wonderful father telling me the stories of all his cars will stay with me forever, and now it can be passed down too.

Letter writing.  As suggested in Tatiana’s video, I also once wrote a letter to my Dad. It meant so much to him, he framed it!

One of the best gifts ever was a combined project by the family. My Dad’s wife had written a story after my Dad sold the boat.   The delightful story was written from  perspective of the much loved boat.  Leona never told Dad about the story and we often thought we’d do something with it, but alas.. you know how time can be.  Well, just before his birthday – which sadly was his last birthday – she mentioned the story wishing she’d done something with it.  As inspiration can do, we decided it was time.   So, I ’shut down’ everything else in life for a couple of days – no calls, no outings, no anything – gathered photos and put together a scrapbook of all the good times in the boat.  The story Leona had written was spread throughout, and other family members contributed their memories as well.   It was an extraordinary gift.  My Dad said to me, “I really have been special to people, haven’t I?”   The comment made me cry realizing  that on his birthday, my Dad recognized how valuable and how loved and how much he had been an inspiration to so many people.

Okay, so now I’m crying.   More ideas for mother’s day soon.. my daughter’s have given me so many wonderful gifts. 

Do pop in to see Tatiana the Dog’s video!  This california girl is wonderful, so is her human mommy.  My dog, Casper is in love with Tatiana. hmm.