Amretasgraphics Blogzine issue 04 - June 2011

amretasgraphics

blogzine live a joyful, inspiring, rich, radiant, energized, happy, creative, artsy and colorful good life!

ISSUE

04

juNE

2011

get and stay inspired!

in this issue: amreta sidik # emmanuelle lambert natasha papousek # petrea hansen-adamidis robyn lindsey

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Hello!

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Let’s Get and Stay Inspired 5 .....Amreta in Jakarta, Indonesia 8 .....Emmanuelle in Brussels, Belgium 10 .....Natasha in Lemon Grove, cA 14 .....Petrea in Toronto, Canada 20 .....Robyn in Portland, OR

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Kindwords Garden

some selection from my Fortune Cookies Cards. Learn how you can submit your favorite quotes to be included in the next series.

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For the next blogzine...

seeking creative-journaling-junkies (like me! :o)) to share favorite tips on creative journaling with our readers.

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Hello! amretasgraphics BLOGZINE IS BACK! YIPPEEE!!

How wonderful it feels that finally it’s up online again, as colourful as the previous three issues, plus happy, tweaked contents! For this issue I’m so excited to be able to team up with four inspiring ladies across the oceans from where I live in Indonesia...Emmanuelle in Belgium, Natasha and Robyn in the US, and Petrea in Canada ....

Isn’t it fantastic, the lovely internet world? :-) I hope what you find here will help you get inspired, get energized, get creative, get ahead, and love your life! I appreciate very very much your support and participation to keep this blogzine up.

Everyone is welcome! If you’re interested in taking part in the next blogzines, visit www.amretasgraphicsblog.com and you can find the information on the related posts under ‘Blogzine’ category.

It’s a chance to be our guestblogger, to share your insights, gifts, experience, and especially if you have something lovely to offer from your website, blog or shop. Let people know how awesome you are!

Get Inspired.

This month’s theme is....

On the few next pages I believe you will enjoy tips and stories shared by this issue’s contributors about getting and staying inspired. A must read for you all creative souls :-)

Amreta amretasgraphics@gmail.com

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Let’s get and stay

INSPIRED

Do you wake up every morning feeling fresh, joyful and inspired?

Especially if you are an artsy type, oh dear, inspiration is your best friend. I would love to have that feeling all day and night. As curious as I am, I’ve asked four lovely friends to share their stories on how they get and stay inspired, packed with time-tested personal tips, creative ideas and recommendations to inspire and help you feel happy and good. I’m on board, too! :o) The stories are organized by the contributors names in alphabetical order. Anyway, my friends, life is colorful and good. Join us in this inspiring journey!

XOXO

Amreta Issue 04 - June 2011 participants: Amreta Sidik Emmanuelle Lambert Natasha Papousek Petrea Hansen-Adamidis Robyn Lindsey

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amreta www.amretasgraphics.com | www.amretasgraphicsblog.com

Jakarta, Indonesia

My thoughts about getting and staying inspired Like it or not, getting and staying inspired is a habit. Inspiration doesn’t always come ‘just like that’ (though sometimes it does!).

We do it over and over and over again until the process becomes effortless. I feel most inspired when I feel healthy and good about myself, when I walk in the nature, when I work alot, when my body is moving. I found that getting inspired is about taking good care of yourself by nourishing your mind and soul with beautiful, delightful images and ideas, and your body with all that it takes (exercises, rest, good food) so that you are ready to process all those images and ideas and take creative actions. Getting & staying inspired is about honoring the happy soul and the creativity you are blessed with. I love being an inspired person! :o)

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Amreta’s getting-and-staying-inspired list MY THANK YOU BOOK journaling with colourful pens and pencils, outside in nature under a tree, or in a nice cafe. Veggie sandwich or just bread + cheese. Coffee or rooibos tea latte .

Photo hunting in nature or in the old parts of town. When time allows, I love taking the bus or train and going to the mountains or to a botanical garden outside Jakarta. There I walk, then sit to doodle or write in my journal while sipping hot tea.

Browsing bookstores! Especially the illustrated children books, graphics, designs, home-decor, cookbooks, self-help, business books, magazine and stationery sections.

Listening to inspiring audiobooks (from www.audible.com) while walking or on the road.

Daydreaming while leafing decorating, lifestyle, scrapbooking, or flipping through National Geographic magazines.

Watching ‘Charlie and Lola’ videos. over and over and over again. repeating the character Lola talking. I loooove this lil’ girl! And I’m inspired by the illustrator Lauren Child’s artwork in the video.

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Surfing the internet, of course. There are so many fun, beautiful blogs and websites out there! My first destinations are mostly: www.creativity-portal.com | www.marthastewart.com | www.lillarogers.com | www.katespade.com | www.etsy.com and from there...more readings, eye candies and links to follow!

Enrolling to self-paced inspiring courses at www.dailyom.com and www.goddessguidebook.com . Reading inspiring posts on www.goodvibeblog.com and www.copyblogger.com and having armchair adventures through books such as: the classics Peter Mayle’s Provence trilogy and Josh Bernstein’s Digging for the Truth.

Amreta Sidik published her first web graphics in August 2000, and has created thousands of graphics by now, in her spare time after work, on weekends and holidays. She loves journaling, and she loves playing with layouts and colours. And how she loves books!

She also loves so much being in the countryside. Thanksfully, though she lives and works in the big city of Jakarta, Indonesia, there are still places in or near the city to go when she needs to be close to nature.

To see more of Amreta’s artwork and to download more blogzines, visit www.amretasgraphics.com or www.amretasgraphicsblog.com

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emmanuelle www.plansonacomet.com | @emmainbxl

Brussels, Belgium

My thoughts about getting and staying inspired How to get inspired and stay inspired? It’s not as difficult as it sounds, if you are willing to stay open. To me, getting inspired begins at home, very simply, by opening my eyes to what surrounds me. Taking a walk in the woods or downtown and really look at things around me, taking pictures of anything that catches my eyes and stops me dead in my tracks. You don’t need a fancy camera, a point-and-shoot or even a phone will do! I also practice yoga a lot, which really opens not only your body, but also your mind to new perspectives.

I think ultimately that to get inspired and stay inspired, you have to be curious, open and willing to let you soul be touched!

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My inspiration shortlist The first thing for me is a journal, of any kind. It can be a notebook of you’re more inclined to write, an art journal if you’re more visual, or it can be both! I actually have two: a regular notebook (Moleskine) where I write and an art journal whenever I want to get messy and play with paint.

There are loads of creative e-courses you can sign up for. I did in the Spring WishBIG e-camp over at Wishstudio, which consisted in a series of workshops by various teachers. Watch that space for next offering, and also have a look at the links over there (in the “Inspiration Lounge”), there are plenty of artist’s blogs listed that can spark your creative light!

I also love Andrea Schroeder’s website, ABC Creativity , where you can find tips on creative journaling, meditations, and also a free ecourse on creativity!

Finally, I am a huge fan of Jamie Ridler’s work, at her online studios. Once a week she posts a podcast interview of an artist in her series “Creative Living with Jamie”, once a month you can make a dreamboard on the Full Moon, and much more. Inspiration comes in many shapes and forms on her site!

If you ever feel stuck, I have one recipe: move! Put on the one catchy song or music that you really absolutely love, and dance like no one is watching, let loose and break the resistance away!

Emmanuelle Lambert French thirty-something living in Brussels, Belgium. Yoga student {soon-to-be yoga teacher}, writer, blogger, creative genius wannabe, daily adventurer, dark chocolate lover. Oh, and she also has a lame sens of humor. Emmanuelle blogs at www.plansonacomet.com, exploring growth and transformation, living life to the fullest, with a cup of tea and a yoga mat by her side.

You can also find her on Twitter @emmainbxl. photo by Lionel Seneterre

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natasha www.natashapapousek.com | www.cmoondesigns.com | www.musingsofahennaphile.com

Lemon Grove, CA

My thoughts on inspiration Inspiration is elusive. I have found that if I wait for inspiration, the creative impulse gets up and goes somewhere else. It is only by doing something, anything art-related on a regular basis that the Muse comes and sits with me.

When I doodle every day, even for just 5 minutes, then visual ideas begin to swirl. When I write, even for just 10 minutes every day, then ideas for my blog and articles begin to surface. I don’t need a special place (although it’s nice and I do have my little painting space with a dreamboard and a plant nearby) but I do need consistent time.

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I used to think that schedules were confining, but now I embrace them. They give me structure and that’s just what I need to be creative. I walk for a half hour first thing in the morning and enjoy all the ideas that start bubbling as I move my body. I write for at least 15 minutes after breakfast and sometimes it’s wonderful, but most of the time it isn’t. However, it opens my mind and makes other writing I do during the day flow more easily. And I doodle in a journal for 5 minutes before I go to bed. Since I started following this schedule (which is pretty flexible), I’ve been more creative and felt more free.

When I really need to get something done, using a timer helps me get it done. It sounds counter-intuitive, but for me, being on the clock makes things happen. I can do anything for half an hour...and usually that half hour is amazingly productive, when I force myself to focus on nothing else for half an hour.

I like to work on several projects at once and bounce between them.

Somehow, taking a break from writing to draw or cook in stages helps give my brain a little mini-break and when I return to the original project, things flow again. On good days I go from an hour on the computer to an hour of painting to a half hour of reading to more writing, then painting, then cooking...and it all feels like a wonderful circle of creative productivity.

Among my must-haves is music. Although I don’t need a special place for most of my creative work, I do have a favorite CD which helps me focus on whatever I’m doing: Theta Transport by Tommy Brunjes. Most trance/electronic music works for me, but I’m really enjoying Theta Transport right now. I also have relaxation cd of ocean waves that I find very effective in helping me concentrate as well.

There are times when I want to do something, but can’t pull an idea out of my head. That’s when I go to the Inspiration folder on my computer... it’s a virtual scrapbox of images, links, quotes, and ebooks. There is always something in there that sparks an idea and gets things rolling. And I am constantly on the lookout for something new to put in my folder... even the hunt for inspiring things is an inspiration!

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Zentangles always get me back into the groove

Drawing Zentangles is a wonderful way to get back to creativity.

You divide your paper into sections (called “tangles”) and then you choose from a palette of repetitive designs, and then you fill each section with a design. And when you are done, you have something amazing. I got inspired by the book, Zentangle Basics by Susan McNeill, and love to use Indian bridal henna fill patterns in my tangles.

When all else fails and I’m really feeling mired in creative despair, I take a class. Classes get me off my butt and somewhere else (even if it’s just a new screen on the computer). They introduce new ideas, new perspectives, new techniques and connect me with new people.. very inspiring! The last class I took was the Take Back Your Creativity e-course. It really helped get back on track and back into the creativity habit.

Ultimately, creativity is, for me, a habit. When things feel stuck I just have to keep practicing. When fog descends on my brain as it does from time to time, I just need to keep doodling every day even if I’m only copying designs. I need to keep writing every day even if it is just writing to-do lists. I need to just keep doing something, ANYTHING..and then the wheels eventually start to turn, the engine runs smoothly and ideas spin again.

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Henna doodling. Photo by Debbie Solan.

Natasha Papousek I am a freelance writer and henna artist, compulsive doodler and interested in all things textile, colorful, henna, cultural, musical, bread baking, cultured foods, and gee-whiz science. I may not understand a lot, but I’m having a lot of fun learning! My blog is a meandering on life, the universe and the creative process. I’ll share what I know, lay down some dilemmas, and hopefully learn a thing or two.

This post was originally published on http://www.musingsofahennaphile.com/2011/05/27/thoughts-on-inspiration/

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petrea www.offbeatfamily.com | www.artherapist.ca | @offbeatfamily

Toronto, Canada

My thoughts on inspiration My children inspire me. In my line of work (I am an expressive arts therapist who works with children and their parents who are having some life struggles) I meet many children who have been

through horrific experiences yet somehow their inner spark still shines through. Sometimes their spark gets drowned out by their circumstances, and weak coping skills land them in trouble.

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Many of these children are resilient and are able to find their way back to their inner beauty with the right support. When I go home to my own children I find that they too inspire me to appreciate the little things in life. “Little” things to us adults, but big to them. My 7 year old is constantly showing and explaining things to me that he obviously is inspired by. To a child every “small” thing holds wonderment and can spark excitement.

So watching the children in my life, both those I work with and those I live with, is most inspiring to me. They remind me to appreciate and find inspiration in everything.

In order to be inspired I need to be ready to receive the inspiration. I must be open to finding inspiration in everything around me.

What I have noticed is that inspiration feeds its self. Let’s call it the inspiration muse; if I have a creative idea and go with the flow of following it, it leads to more creative and inspired ideas. If I ignore the inspiration then it’s lost for who knows how long. To remedy this, I carry notebooks or sketchbooks and will type inspirations directly onto my iphone and e-mail it to myself.

Above impromptu stick family representing our family.

Made just before I found out I was pregnant with my 2nd child.

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My inspiration list Okay, I must admit I have become quite addicted (in a good way) to using an app called “sketch pad” on the iPad. I was feeling rather overwhelmed when starting up our blog because I did not have the time to do art in the way that I wanted. But with this app I started making these little art cards which have become the background to some free affirmation cards I made for subscribers on my site.

Some were really quirky some, very earthy, some reminiscent of children’s art. Using this application gave me that chance to explore different styles of expressing myself in a quick and convenient way; without the time consuming set up and pretty much anywhere.

Inspiring book about the creative process: Sean McNiff’s “Trust The Process” and Avia Gold’ s Painting from the Source http://paintingfromthesource.com/ Both these authors are art therapists who have influenced my work with others and have helped me connect more with my inner muse.

I love this website for the quotes alone http://tinybuddha.com and there are great articles about life there too.

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I don’t watch TV very often as a find it is a big time drain. But I do love films, especially independent ones, as well as documentaries such as those home grown in my country at the National Film Board of Canada. They have great animation as well.

To stay inspired I need to listen to those inspirations when they arise within and take action- write them down or when appropriate act on them, then and there. I remember when I first started writing my e-courses I was so full of ideas I couldn’t shut them off. One night I went to bed and had a slew of ideas but because I was so tired I just told myself that I would write it down in the morning. Well I was wrong, when the morning came, the ideas had vanished. Now I always make sure that I have a book near by my bed for those times.

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I like to always have on me something to draw or sketch on and a camera or (if your phone has a camera great!)I have been taking shots of anything lately, be it nature, art or strange things like a giant moth on a tire that we saw one morning.

Another tip for inspiration: look within for your inspiration.

Don’t get too caught up in how or what everyone else is doing, you need to listen to your inner voice. Sometimes the only way to hear your inner voice is to quiet things down through daily meditation such as guided meditation or sitting in silence.

Trust that you have an inner muse just waiting to unleash her inspiration on you. For myself, I meet my inner muse through daily meditation and allowing time for creating, whether it be writing, drawing, painting, scribbling, or collage. Do you get the picture (pun intended)?

I love joining online groups where others are following their creative journey such as the sketchbook project I joined, and the 365 project where participants are invited to take one photo every day for a year (I just joined). I just have to make sure to pace myself.

As for music, this is a very important part of my getting in touch with my inner inspiration muse. Music can call one to dance and

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connect to their body and can allow for the release of pent up emotions.

I believe that emotions that do not get released become blocks to one’s creativity. I love to dance, practice yoga, ride my bike to help keep that creative flow moving through me. I love all sorts of music; variety is key. I love “world music”. I am especially inspired by Gabriel Roth’s 5 rhythms dance. I have been to 5 Rhythms workshops and find it is a beautiful way of connecting with myself, in mind, spirit and body.

I created a poem about seeing things through the eyes of a child and made a slide show of pictures of my children over the years on my website http://www.offbeatfamily.com/parenting/through-a-childs-eyes/

Petrea Hansen-Adamidis Websites: http://www.offbeatfamily.com | http://www.artherapist.ca Twitter: @offbeatfamily Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/OffBeat-Family/162301193831792 20 e-mail: petrea@offbeatfamily.com

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robyn www.empoweredlife.biz | www.anempoweredlife.wordpress.com

Portland, OR

My thoughts on inspiration I work a full time job plus run my personal coaching business, so, very often, inspiration is elusive to me during my hectic work week. I do get ideas during the week, and jot them down in my ever-present journal, but I am finding more and more that the creative time for me is on weekends. During the weekends, I get my journal out, I make lists of all I’d like to accomplish, I sit down with my supplies or laptop, and I create. Because of my work schedule, I find that I have to create wherever I am on the weekends. Often it’s on my couch, sometimes it’s in the car on a road trip. I do know, though, that I have to seize the weekend to move forward in my business, with my projects.

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My inspiration shortlist I blog hop during the week, while at work. I read what other’s are doing, but I don’t take notes. I just notice if all those that I grow to love are happy in their lives, basically. I don’t take notes or try to revisit because I really find myself comparing my progress (or perceived lack of) to theirs.

I love connecting with some amazing soulful people on facebook, twitter, and the Goddess Circle.

The Wise Tree (available in my etsy shop www.robynsart.etsy.com)

The wise tree, to me, symbolizes my tie to my creativity. It was *the* photo I started in my journey to be a photographer, it linked me to my father, and it pointed me to the path I’m now on.

When I “fall off the inspiration wagon” I list out my qualities. I look at how far I’ve come. I think of the words my father (who I lost in 2010) would say to me if I was struggling. I pull myself out of the hole.

Robyn Lindsey I can be found at www.empoweredlife.biz and blog: www.anempoweredlife.wordpress.com I’d also love to tell you about an upcoming Artist Empowerment Class that I’m offering. Enrollment begins on June 24 and the 6 week online class begins on July 11, 2011. Details can be found here: http://anempoweredlife.wordpress.com/artist-empowerment-class/ Let me help you live an empowered life!!!

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Kindwords Garden These fortune cookies cards were published on www.amretasgraphicsblog.com earlier this year. More are coming and these are a few of my favorites.

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Send us your favorite quote

to be included in our next fortune cookies cards (and don’t forget to give us the link to your site or blog :o)) to amretasblogzine@gmail.com

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Send us your favorite quote

to be included in our next fortune cookies cards (and don’t forget to give us the link to your site or blog :o)) to amretasblogzine@gmail.com

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Send us your favorite quote

to be included in our next fortune cookies cards (and don’t forget to give us the link to your site or blog :o)) to amretasblogzine@gmail.com

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Send us your favorite quote

to be included in our next fortune cookies cards (and don’t forget to give us the link to your site or blog :o)) to amretasblogzine@gmail.com

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for the next blogzine...

Are you a right-brainer who loves journaling the creative way?

Join us in Amretasgraphics Blogzine issue 05, July 2011.

We’re seeking lovely-creative-journaling-junkies who would be glad to share their favorite tips on creative journaling with our readers. Do not forget to include one or two pictures of your journaling artwork + a nice picture of you + links to your website / blog / shop / twitter / facebook. Share with the world how creative and awesome you are! :o)

Send your tips + pictures to amretasblogzine@gmail.com by 8 July 2011

Sweet Thanks! :o) 27

THANK YOU Otherwise stated, the design and all graphics in the blogzine are by Amreta.

Pictures are provided by the contributors: Amreta Sidik, Emmanuelle Lambert, Natasha Papousek, Petrea Hansen-Adamidis, and Robyn Lindsey.

You can view and download this blogzine via www.amretasgraphicsblog.com or www.issuu.com/amreta Fonts used in this issue are: Alexandria - Ronita - Love Ya Like A Sister - Donatora - Rage Parma Petit - Lettertiep - Stencil - Lane Narrow - FFF Tusj Mountains of Christmas - Little Days - Illuminate Font sources fonts101.com | kevinamanda.com/fonts | dafont.com

amretasgraphics www.amretasgraphics.com www.amretasgraphicsblog.com