I'm feeling very inspired today....and yesterday and the day before as well! That takes me right back to Friday! What was so special about that day? I was sooooo, soooo excited because I finally got to hold my new wee baby in my hands....not a real baby ...but the pre-publication draft of my book: "Happy@work: job hunting for mid-lifers." It felt so incredibly exciting to finally see it all printed out. It's not quite the same looking at it page by page on the laptop screen!

People I showed it to were excited as well - they loved the layout so much they kept flicking through the pages....proof that sticking to my intuitive knowing that powerful visual communication is an important element. I really appreciated the extra effort that Blair at PrintStop went to, "I like making things look beautiful" he said. So he took the time to trim the pages so that they were exactly the size of the finished book. It's great to see such a positive response to the black and white draft - wait till people see it in colour!

It was exciting today as well to work through one of the chapters "Challenge Your Fears" with one of my coaching clients. She is about to embark on a huge career change and go back to school! It's not easy going back to be a university student at 35. It was fantastic to see how much courage, comfort and inspiration she gained from the chapter. She loved the photo I'd chosen for the introduction....it helped her kept her thoughts on a higher energy plane instead of getting bogged down in lower level fear chatter.

So finally the dream I have had for so many years is coming true. For ten years now I have began the year with a new dream/goal journal. In it I create the year I want to have - my commitments and intentions, dreams and desires. The ones I haven't completed yet I carry forward to the new year. This way they stay alive. 8 years ago I wrote about my dream to write a series of books that would help people be happier at work and in life. It didn't happen over night but it is about to happen! Proof that dreams do come true if you want them badly enough.

Next month I will be running some powerful creativity dream workshops around New Zealand to help people who are stuck create their dreams too. Drop me an email if you would like to come along. Feel free to invite a friend or anyone else you think would love to join in too.

Labels: Cultivating Creativity, Motivation

Here is the very first commission I have received since commencing my career as an artist. The client has specifically asked for a calm, peaceful piece of work for her son's bedroom in their lovely, modern house overlooking Kapitii Island,,,,

Journey with me as I show you how I created something inspired that I hoped she and her family would love - and they did!

"I love it! I just love it!" My clients said, "I don't care what my husband says...I'm having it!"

And so did other people:
"Just wanted to say ....I just LOVE those two pieces you did. They are truly awesome!!!
Really really good!!"

As it turned out her husband wanted to have his very own painting - one that would complement a piece of furniture he had designed. So one commission became two!

Here is how they both started out - as a blank canvas!

here is the canvas - the size customised to fit the exact dimensions they both required.

With both pieces I spent a lot of time clarifying carefully what they wanted - no point creating something that doesn't meet their needs! An important part of this was getting a clear idea of how they wanted to feel.

The first piece flowed easily - I rang the client to come and have a look at the first draft. "I love it! I think it's the best work you've ever done." So the first draft was the last draft! The work was done. Here is is in the studio

Her husband's piece took a wee while longer. As you can see it's quite a different piece altogether. There were many design
elements in the room to work with - strong black lines, modern furniture, terracotta tiles and existing art work. But we got there...here we are with the first draft. Lately I went back and strengthened the black gestural flourish and minimised some of the other elements

Both pieces worked well because the purchasers were actively involved in the creative process whilst also giving me free reign to create what I felt would suit them best. To me that is passion@work - we are all happy with the outcome.

That's the joy of commissioning work from an artist - you get what you want!) Contact me if you would like a piece specifically painted with your home or office space in mind.

Labels: Commissioning a work of art, Cultivating Creativity

34 rain sogged people in today

Wet weather may hve waterlogged wallets as no spending today but good feedback and enjoyment of the creations:
"Beautiful images for a dreary day"

"What a warm surprise: joyful! Thanks for a uplifting visit amongst this wonderful art!"

"Great to see and feel the enterprise and the energy."
"Inspiring"

One man came in AGAIn to see Deanna Gracie's jewellery and said he will come back again on Friday. Her Jewellery has proved to be a real favourite. One lady emailed Deanna especially to ask her to exhibit her jewellery in a national jewellery show!

ALL enJOYed

Sales would be fab, fab, fab.....the seeds will germinate in their own time and bear fruit in ways we have not anticipated...of that we can be sure.

So like so many creative ventures it is important not to lose faith and to know that in time the money will flow - the important thing, for me personally, is that the creations are uplifting and joyful and positively affect peoples emotions. As one person said to me:

"This has really made my day. I'm quite cynical- but you have achieved what I would expect from something like this (my sumi_e ink Gimblett inspired works). They are so beautiful and simple."

"Their simplicity inspired so much emotion,

" she later wrote in our guestbook.

That makes me happy:)

Plus today I was offered a very, very, very exciting business opportunity to do with marketing the arts...too early to say yet as I have to dot a few "i's" and cross a few "t's"...but it is huge and could signal a whole new career direction!

Plus I am so happy because while working in the gallery my friend Cho Chan came in and insisted on paying me upfront for a copy of "Happy@work: job hunting for mid-lifers" Amazing! I have not even finished it. See my post on the happy@work blog for more details www.cassandragaisford.com

The Joy’ance exhibition has been a phenomenal success. So much so that our landlord has extended our lease by a week. We’ll be open right through to Sunday September 14 – 10:30- 5:30.

That’s great news if you haven’t been able to experience the art works yet. I’ll be there personally on Monday 8 and Tuesday 9 September. Do pop in – I’d love to see you and tell you more about the joy behind my creations.

Click here to see more about the show

You can preview some of the paintings in my online gallery


Here's some feedback I've received so far:

“Your work is great – lot’s of Chi!”
Nicola – textile artist

“So like you to have them (the pieces) inspired by such positive feelings.”
Lee Campbell 02 Sept 2008

“"Wow! So amazing to see your pieces in reality. They have so much life in them.”

“Well done Cassandra – studies of energy and colour energise.”

"It is lovely to see your new joyful sunny work Cassandra! "- Moira

"Your yellow and orange work looks very spontaneous and gestural which is gorgeous to me." - Karen- August 2008

If you like the image above click here to view and purchase

Not sure if now is the right time to be buying art? Here are 10 powerful reasons to buy art during a recession

Labels: Exhibitions and competitions