Care

It is like days are turning around the same word again and again… The same word, but two meanings.
What comes on your mind when you see the word care?

Does it bring you positive feelings?

June is a month of positive feelings, I guess…
We feel good in our care for our gardens where we can see the first fruits of our work and care.
It is great to see our school-children, how they went through the school year with our care and now, they deserve a vacation. 
We feel good while we plan with care where to spend the summer this year…

But the feelings can be also negative…

We don't feel good when we care and worry about tomorrow and what it might bring.
We care about our work – are we good enough, smart enough, etc. 
We have negative feeling, when we care about what other people might say about us…
Worries, fears and that kind of care can block us and put us into the stress, discomfort.

The same word, but two meanings. Which meaning do you prefer?

Take CARE for your 'gardens', those in your towns or in the villages, in your heads or on your bodies. Your care will bear fruit for sure!
Good luck!

Before and After

Do you remember the picture as work in progress in the post  'Work in progress - or the healing power of creativity'? I was healing my hurt soul with the therapeutic art expression.

When you create, lots of processes are going on in you - the process of  purifying, self analyzing and deep thinking… That's what was going on with me as well.

And that's how this little picture with a special title was born: 'Be natural':

Hmmmm…

Are we ever natural? When? How we 'are', when we are natureal?…

When we are natural, we grow. When we are natural, we bloom. When we are natural, we are playful, curious, amazed… When we are natural, we are relaxed. When we are natural, we are the way we are.

How do you feel, when you are (or think you are) natural?

PS: the print of this inspirational painting can be found in CreatissimoLab e-shop :). Get inspired to Be natural every day!  

Guessing game

Today is a great day for games, so let's play! : )

Last time we were trying to guess this place? And today we will explore Slovenia too… No praise, no glory, just having fun and maybe learning something about Slovenia ; )...

What is the name of this Slovene town?

Here are some tips:

• be focused on the background of the picture;
• in this town, a creative person ('on a picture') is looking at you from a window;
• Romans were here ages ago too, of course;
• and I loved this place as a child, because they produced something sweet here.

So what do you think? Any ideas? (PS: No worries if your answer won't be correct. I will applaud you for your courage).

PS: This week, my mentors from Finland will explore Slovenia too! Oh, well, first of all, they will check the progress of my phototherapy research : ). Yay! Happy! 

Mixing

What a great creative week it was for me this week… And on my hands too! Paint on my fingers all day long… and there was hardly any time to take it off and do some 'business' stuff as well. Good feelings and energy which I think I've got last weekend when I went away to 'my' place. 

Your answers to my question on a FB showed that you want to see more of my works and hear about art and phototherapy here, on my blog.  Maybe you've noticed that I listened to you already and talked about that in my last few posts :).

And as for my works… It's not that I hide them or don't want to show you my creative process… It is just that I have the time and practical 'obsticals' that keep me stuck where I am. When I'm in the process, with dirty fingers and all, it is just impossible for me to take pictures and photograph the process. Maybe it would be easier to record everything with the video-camera on a trypod…, but at this point I can't do it as there are other things that I have to do as well. Maybe… some day…

Anyway, in all that creative spirit this week, I also decided to try Vladka's challenge to combine different stamps. I like mixing things; it is my 'style', so I had fun with it. This is what I came up with in my playful mood:

Let's take a closer look what I did:

Observations

I took a break, maybe I even escaped… I found my inner peace at my special place where I usually get my energy back. Among fields, meadows, woods, the river, stones… Besides collecting the blisters on my hands, I could afford a big, relaxing 'nothing'. I was observing. I was just looking at the grass…

…through a window:

…closely (after the rain):

…from far:

…in the wind:

…and the Sun:

And from another point of view:

Do you know that an ordinary grass can be an inspiration for creating, too: 

Have you looked at it (closly) lately, the grass? As you know, inspiration can be waiting for us right in front of our nose…

Work in progress – or the healing power of creativity

Surely you've heard of the healing power of creativity. Many studies have proved that. My field of work is mainly focused on art therapy and phototherapy, although sometimes the work also includes other forms of art, creative thinking. At the stage of getting to know the client I choose such tasks, which would show me which areas are best to work with a certain client.

Many mix up art therapy and phototherapy with therapeutic art expression and photography, which are healing as well, but in this case, we  'treat' ourselves, without a therapist or consultant. We try to heal our soul, the pain, or we put on our canvas the joy, enthusiasm, fascination. We do this ourselves.

(in progress…)

Closely

These days I look at the World 'closely' ... What if you're small and others big? How is it, if you don't see what lies behind the great fear that stands in front of your nose? How is it, if you look up and see the World from another perspective?

Click

Sometimes all it takes is a click and everything is different. There is no need to move mountains, swim across the Ocean, win the lottery or be the first at talent show. No need to know by heart at least five encyclopedias, survive cancer, test the drugs at least once, believe in miracles... Just a click and everything can be different.

(where, in which direction?)

This World…

…is full of inspiration. This World is full of fun. This World is wonderful!

Many times I get inspired by the things and creatures around me. Many times I'm amazed by the creations of Nature. Many times I can't believe I'm a part of this wonderful World!

A new auction for the phototherapy project - an auction of my works is on the go and this time the theme of my works is dedicated to this amazing World!

Please, visit my CreatissimoLab FB Page to bid for the work you like and help us with the project. Also, you are invited to answer the question there, about what you'd like to read more on this blog. Thank you!

PS: If you don't have a FB profile and would like to participate (or have questions), e-mail me and I'll add your bid there for you. 

Your answer…

…would help me and this blog get better… :)

You can answer the question directly on the CreatissimoLab FB Page or here on the blog (if you don't have a FB account or have other reasons to not answer there). Thank you very much!

Various flowers

Aren't they interesting, all these flowers: of various shapes, sizes, colors, ages…? It's hard to find exactly the same flowers, and that's fascinates me and inspires me. So, where does it say that we have to compare with each other if we are not the same??

The flowers should be a great example to us… Aren't all lovely, special, interesting, different…??

Flowers on the trees:

Stop on time (for the holidays)

At the University of Art Education we had a professor who remind us a lot that, when painting we also have to be able to stop. Finish. End something. And really, Life is full of such moments that call for conclusions and new beginnings.

Stop on time when you enjoy the festive goodies.
Stop on time when you leave on vacation.
Stop on time when you create.
Stop on time when you criticize or praise someone.
Stop on time when you sigh about the unhappy or happy days.
Stop on time when you do the shopping.
Stop on time when you watch TV.
Stop... on time... Look at the Nature, which teaches us just that: to create, grow and complete = stop on time.

Wishing you great holidays! – the right ones!

PS: Thanks for the beautiful and warm thoughts in comments under my previous posts.

Do what you Love – Love what you do

'Today, I only do what brings me joy and happiness, things I love to do and that make my heart cheer, and I do them in my own way and in my own rhythm…' (Charlie Chaplin)

What do you do in your Life, with your Life? Do you do what brings you joy and hapiness? Do you listen to your heart and dreams?

Easter on your mind

Only one week to go and Easter will be here. My statistics shows that some people are searching for my Easter works and ideas on my blog and website. So, to make it easier for everybody, I gathered some of my Easter creations in this post (with the links)...

 

Here they are, but first, read what you will see after you follow the links below:

Was it fun?

So, how did you like the guessing game? It might be hard for people from abroad to guess, but why not take a challange and give it a try? Let's have fun with it, ok? Here is another picture of the old town I was asking about in the previous post. The flag might help and give you some clue…

No?

Guessing game and sweet things

Today is a perfect day for playing games! :-)

Here is a guessing game for you: What is the name of this old Slovene town?

I will not give any award, you will just have a chance to learn a little bit about our little Slovenia ;-)...

And today is a great day to not tell you about the sweet things you already know about if you read:
my FB page
my blog about phototherapy project
and if you read Maja's blog (I will not tell you about it because then there will be too many competitors for the sweet biscuits).

So, I'll just say: have a nice day and enjoy in the beautiful, sunny days! Smile! :-)

Blooming

Not long ago it was sleepy like this, but these days...

At our place you will find spring on the trees (in selected colors):

and on children's creative art works:

How about at your place?

Let your creative ideas bloom, too! All the best!

Favorite activity?

And how do you spend your 'we'-time?

source

Carpe Diem!

Wake up!

This is how I would sum the events from the last and this week. As if I would, just like nature, enter the spring! ;)

These days my thoughts often escape to Japan, which has awakened me from the comfort and pleasures. On Friday, I joined a number of bloggers and spent the day in silence and dedicated it to that beautiful country. I also have a special bond with Japan as a very dear friend of mine lives there. Today, I finally heard from her. Luckily she is ok. I was relieved, even though I still feel the emptiness, because I can't comprehend how many people died, because of the earthquake and tsunami.
What will remain in the hearts of the survivors? Will they ever be healed?

Over the weekend, I was focused on Finland. As the first phototherapy project is on the go already, I'm often in the contact with my two mentors from Finland. Good thing is that Skype was invented, so we can communicate almost as if were together in the same room! :)
My mentors from Finland are great! Their commitment, support and time that they devote to me (yes, even on weekends), leave me breathless; but on the other hand, they are a wonderful example to me, to see what would I like to be. I grow and waking up with them! :)

Waking up every day in the mornings is a pleasure for me as I listen to the birds, that are singing outside in our garden. Their happy songs always bring me in a good mood!
I wonder if the little birds are affraid to take off and fly for the first time? Do they need a courage?
A few of us will talk about our courage that helps us to 'fly'. We will talk about that on the blog 'The Courage To Fly'. :)
In March and April you will read inspiring stories and thoughts of different creative authors. Join us - maybe you too will wake up and fly into the wide creativity!

(You will be able to read my story on April 18, 2011)

(Click on the thumbnail to jump there and find the first stories and the calendar of upcoming posts)

These days, in me, emotions also woke up and bumbled their 'songs'. For them, I need (and want) to thank special people who supported me and saved me from some burdens :).
Thank you very much:
Andreja from Mavrična ustvarjalnica, who made sure that we now have enough cameras for the first project. Andreja, we use them already! :)
Vladka from Ustvarjalna skrinja and Martina from Chez Moi, who donated a precious gift - a piece of it looks like this:

It is already in childrens' hands! :)! Feelings can not be described!

And thank you to my dear friend from Estonia, who also put some effort in the project and helped me by supporting my idea. Thanks, Ande, you always know how to help! :)
This awakening is certainly the most beautiful one!

I hope you also are happily awake and that you are not grabbed by the spring's fatigue. Relax in the fresh colors of spring and creative inspiration! At our workshop with children we made flowers for Moms as they will have a special day on Friday. And how have you spent the day and how did you wake up?

PS:
Auctions of my works are still going on! Some Easter bunnies are waiting on Friday, when they will find out who will adopt them ;)! Please, join us if you can! If you will adopt a bunny, you will also get special 'words of wisdom' with the bunny, so why not surprise yourself with something beautiful and inspiring?
Direct link to the auctions on the FB page.
A post about the auctions on the blog with more explanations.

Auctions of my works for phototherapy project

Well I finally gathered some of my works, that I wish to scatter among you!

As Easter approaches, I chose to start with my naughty bunnies. Some are: curious, in love, unhappy, dreamy... Adopt the one that touches your heart the most! :)

And I will also have some spring art works and some for different tastes. Depending on the response...

Auction can be found at CreatissimoLab FB page. Anyone who does not have Facebook profile, and still wants to participate, can write their offer here in the comments and I will put his/her offer on FB for him/her. For any questions about the auctions, please contact me by e-mail.

I'm sure you know the rest:
Money from the auctions will go for the phototherapy project. You can read about the progress of the project on a special blog.

Here are the links to the auctions that I will add continuously:



Thanks in advance for your cooperation! All we involved in the project are sending you our Love!