terrific tuesday-"The Walk" begins!

Today is a special day, unlike any other Tuesday. Today is the start of a class I have feel like I have waited years to take! 

Yes, that's right, it's a new Brave Girls Club class. It's called The Walk. Here's a link to the description and a short video at the Brave Girls Club website. Be sure to watch the video!

http://bravegirlsclub.com/walk

What I find with Melody's classes is that, whether you are an artist, a crafter, or just want to improve yourself, these classes provide the right level of tools to make you a success. Melody teaches some basic painting and collaging skills, using simple tools like Mod Podge, credit cards, and 3 for $1 craft paint. 

Anyone can use these tools, and make beautiful "art" that will support the class work. I remember the first time I signed up for a class, I thought "wow, what's with all the art? I'm either working on me or working on art" but you know what? When you create something, be it complicated or simple, you use a different part of your brain. This frees up the cognitive side of your brain to analyze the class content, while you are simply performing the task of gluing down phrases or painting a quick background. It always amazes me the depth of learning that I get from this simple process. I wish someone would use this in ordinary school environments, I'd love to know if it works! 

This particular class will also incorporate a lot of hand journaling. I don't do a lot of written journals, typically, (and when I do they are often in my art journal and covered over so no one can see them!) so this will be a real exercise for me. I'm actually looking forward to it! I think the last time I rigorously journaled was at Brave Girls Camp, so it will be good to get back into my words and explore what's in my heart right now. 

The Walk is a class about our journey in life. If it is anything like Melody Ross's other classes that I have taken, it will be spectacular. I am giddy for it to be time for the class links to be posted, which happens at 12 Mountain today!  

Just so you know, there is a LOT of information that gets shared in these classes, but it is released in bi-weekly installments so that you can take your time, digest the information and still have time to do the coursework thoroughly before the next lesson. This works really well for me. My typical approach is to watch videos on Tuesday (release day), then I kind of let them roll around in my head. If they are too tempting to wait, I might start doing something on Wednesday, but usually it's Thursday by the time I decide I'm ready to get painty and inky. I will start and stop and so on until I finally complete the lesson. Sometimes the lessons are really hard-- they make you look at things in your life that might not be the most pleasant, but as the class progresses, you will find that everything gets lighter and you will make huge life progress if you really focus and stick with the class. 

If you are interested in taking this class, you will be able to sign up for a month after the class starts. Please consider it and please join me. Oh and hey, if you are already taking the class, and find, after a lesson or two, that you are lagging, shoot me an email and I'll try to help you get on track! That's what we brave girls do-- we stick together and do difficult things! :) 

Make it a great day!

the post

If you don't know about Brave Girls Club (BGC), I encourage you to go to www.BraveGirlsClub.com and learn more about it. Briefly, BGC was started in 2009 by Melody Ross, a very talented artist and inspirational speaker. She and her sister, Kathy Wilkins had a dream of a safe place for women to meet, grow, and heal. 

It blossomed and grew, and now BGC has over 70,000 members, and provides camps several times a year in beautiful Idaho, as well as some amazing online classes. The goal of BGC is to help women improve themselves, often using small art projects to enrich the lessons and make them easier to really absorb. It seems that if you do something with your hands, at least for me, it allows my mind to go deeper.

As a "next step," BGC has created a haven for women to share their stories with other women. This place gives us all the opportunity to share and grow more by sharing our truths. When I was approached by BGC, I didn't even hesitate. I knew exactly what I wanted to write about. I have actually done a couple of stories. One about my weight loss success in progress, and the second about my tech writing talk with the girls in Africa last summer. It was amazing to sit down and write the stories out.

What I didn't expect was the reaction of other women when they read my words. I don't know why but I just never expected the feelings that have been raised in me and the depth of emotion at being able to provide a hint of light to another person and perhaps help someone else in their journey. This is a new to me thing. I have listened to others for so long share their journeys and share their stories, and I've kept quiet about my own journey and just continued on it, experiencing it, living it, breathing it, but keeping it quite private. I had no idea the riches that would come to my soul as a result of this sharing.

So, with that, I send you off to read The Post. Read, absorb, enjoy!

art checkpoint

Recently, I’ve made a decision to pursue my art more regularly and get back to creating the way I was at the start of the year. Somehow, this year has morphed into less art and more of other things. I’ve been reviewing the year, as I do around now, and trying to see what worked and what didn’t. Clearly, being away from my art did not work. What started out as a year filled with painty hands and exciting ideas has ended up with less accomplished than in previous years. With that in mind, I decided to rekindle by looking at what inspires me. I found my artist statement:

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I create art to share the feelings in my soul and express my heart. I create many different kinds of art, including mixed media canvases, pen and watercolor doodles, acrylic paintings, quilts, and photographic works. I am constantly looking for new ways to express myself, and constantly challenging myself to try new materials and tools. I am inspired by color, in nature, in the world around me, and even in the art aisle. Sometimes I will see a color and know that I need it, just because it makes my heart sing. There’s a hum that goes through me when I find the right color or paint, which is a joyous feeling. I am often influenced by situations around me, quotes that I’ve seen, or comments made by people. I am additionally inspired and influenced by the works of other artists, including Georgia O’Keefe and Melody Ross.

I am often daunted by a blank canvas, so a typical part of my process is to just paint something on the canvas, be it a color or a scene, which is often expendable and covered over with other materials and paints, which may or may not be related to the base in color or topic. I love to repurpose vintage and old materials, using them in unexpected ways that may be different from their original intent.

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Having an artist statement is a big for me and being true to my artist statement is something I’m going to strive toward and support as this year closes and 2014 opens.

With all of this in mind, I am going to move forward, create, share, and nourish my artist self!

Brave Girls' Camp, May 2012

A couple of weeks ago, I had one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I went to McCall, Idaho and spent 4 ½ days in a lodge with 30 women, making art, talking about life, and becoming brave. I went to Brave Girl’s Camp, a women’s art retreat, put on by Brave Girl’s Club, a company founded by Melody Ross and Kathy Wilkins. It was an astounding experience! Here’s how it went.

I flew from San Jose to Boise, with a layover in Salt Lake City, leaving home at 6 am and arriving in Boise around lunchtime. My fabulos friend Mel and her husband met me at the airport took me to Eagle Idaho where we were to meet our bus in the evening.

After a lovely lunch at a little café called JoeMomma’s (not kidding), we headed down the street to a reception at Fair Trade Exchange, a wonderful shop owned by Jeanette Priddy and her husband, who also own the town coffee house “Rembrandt’s” which is located in an old church. I had a photo of the coffee shop, but Blogger isn't liking it, sorry! (it keeps rotating it, so you'd have to turn your head to see!)

Wonderful people, with a wonderful mission to empower women all over the world. They offer handmade items from purses to jewelry to baskets, made by women in underdeveloped countries like Uganda, Tibet, and more. Their store is filled with so many beautiful items. It was a delight to visit, and the treats they brought over from their coffee shop were SO good too!

Soon it was time to head back to the Hilton Garden, where we were met by Brock Ross, Melody’s son, who gave us each a bag full of Brave Girl Club goodness. Amazing generosity and gifts. Sorry, can’t share exact stuff, you have to go to find out, but it’s oh, so, wonderful! Heck, we even had treats for the trip!The drive to McCall is about 2 hours. It goes by really quickly, because the scenery is amazing. The road follows the Payette River, which was running super fast and was just stunning.

When we left the river behind, we saw miles of farmhouses, barns, and just plain beautiful country. I was surprised at how good the lighting was.

Golden hour seemed to last more than an hour in Idaho! In talking to a really nice local on the plane ride home I learned that this is because Idaho is so close to the time zone line. If you go just a bit farther north from McCall, you end up in Pacific time!

As we drove up to the lodge, it was a mass of wonderful women, loving each other, hugging and greeting. Again, no details, you have to experience it. The lodge is beyond description. It is lovingly decorated so that no matter where you look, you see something interesting or meaningful. I am not including too many photos from here on, because I want YOU to experience Brave Girls' Camp and I want YOU to get the wonderful and amazing surprises that I got when I arrived!

Since it was dinner time, the tables were already set, candles were lit, and we were treated to the first of many spectacular meals. Kathy Wilkins and her team put together mouthwatering meal after meal. Apparently, they get together ahead of camp and prepare tons of food that they then freeze and bring to camp. Brilliance, because it means that Kathy is free to do other things at camp, like cooking OTHER amazing side dishes. (Oh, the stuffed bread on the first night, holy cow!)

After dinner, we all gathered in the living room to talk and get to know each other a bit more. Shortly after, we were assigned to our rooms, and our “room Moms” showed us where our rooms were. It was lovely, and we were all treated so gently and wonderfully. We were pretty much all exhausted after traveling all day, so bedtime came none too soon!

The next three days are a blur of significant chats, creating art, walks through the neighborhood and to the nearby lake, and just being. The love shared at Brave Girl’s Camp is beyond anything I have ever experienced. I have had some significant experiences at women’s Christian retreats in the past, but this, this is what it’s all about. Wow. Women mentoring other women. Openly and with great joy, sharing the ups and downs of life events. Really. It was amazing. I’m trying to keep detail out, because you really have to experience it to believe it. Trust me.

I will include a significant little mixed media painting that I did.

I spent a lot of time in the amazing art room, which was filled with any and everything you could conceive of  to create with. It was amazing! Here's me, working hard.

I really don't think I've ever smiled as much or so genuinely as I did at camp. I felt safe, loved, and oh so pampered.

Saturday came all too soon and we had to realign with the real world. Trust me, I was NOT ready to pack my bag back up and get back on the bus! I could have stayed for at least another week! The ride back from McCall was completely different from the ride TO camp. The bus was filled with joyful, chatting women, discussing everything from the weather, to family, to what it was going to be like outside the lovely cocoon created by Melody, Kathy, and the staff at Brave Girl’s Camp.

Would I do it again? In a heartbeat! I am told that each camp is different. I will tell you that I believe this. I believe that what happens in the lodge in McCall is nothing short of miraculous. It’s magical and, for each camper, it’s a different experience. You get what you need, and it happens in a kind, gentle way that leaves you knowing you are loved and worthy and enough. Could it get any better than that?

Coming home has been interesting. Fortunately, my husband is a gentle man who saw immediately that I was different and decided to nurture and treasure that difference. He’s made my return to reality as gentle as possible, while still helping me meet my obligations. I’ve come to understand just what a gem he is by how he’s handled me this week. I’m different, really, I am. I’m softer, less stressed, and to be honest, I’m thrilled with me. Each day I get yet another affirmation that I’m on the right track, living the live I was meant to live. I’m continuing to learn to dream big, and, like a sunflower, I’m keeping my face toward the sun, in the light, and continuing to grow. Life. Is. Good. Thank you Melody, Kathy, and all the staff at Brave Girl’s. If you want information on Brave Girl’s Club or Camp, visit www.bravegirlsclub.com. They’ll have the bus waiting to take you on the trip of a lifetime.