I'd like to share with you a great article I received from Julia McCutchen - www.JuliaMcCutchen.com. Julia McCutchen is the creator of the How to Write the Ultimate Book Proposal Online Masterclass Course and the author of The Writer's Journey: From Inspiration to Publication. A former managing director and publisher, she now works as a writers' coach, mentor and professional publishing consultant

How to Become an Author Entrepreneur
The landscape continues to change at a rapid pace in the world of publishing.

Increasingly publishers expect authors to contribute to the publishing process and be actively engaged in supporting their books in the world.

So much so that the description of author entrepreneur* now offers an insight into a new level of authorship welcomed by traditional publishers, and essential for success with self-publishing.

But what exactly does it mean to be an author entrepreneur?

In my view, there are two criteria:

Having a professional and business-like approach to published authorship at every stage of the journey from inspiration to publication – and beyond.

Taking responsibility for creating as many different opportunities as possible for reaching out to readers, being visible as an author and building a solid platform to connect with your audience.

In traditional publishing, agents and publishers are extremely cautious about taking on new authors and new books.

Yet the numbers of writers seeking representation and a publishing contract continues to rise.

As a result, standards are high because publishing professionals can afford to be selective about which projects to go ahead with.

So if you have fabulous ideas, write with an authentic voice which engages your reader, and can present yourself professionally, you will give people the confidence to take you seriously.

In addition, creating a community of people who are interested in your work means that your voice will be heard by those people when your book is published.

Add this ‘ready audience’ to the new readers who will ideally be discovered in large numbers when your book is published, and you have the makings of a successful book launch.

This is the combination of factors which traditional publishers are looking for and which you need to aim for if you are self-publishing.

So here are 3 tips to help you move towards becoming an author entrepreneur:

Take yourself seriously as a writer and adopt a professional approach to every stage of your writer’s journey.

‘Raising the bar’ is one of the themes which applies to all of the work I do with writers who genuinely want to achieve success as published authors.

This involves shifting your writing, and the other activities related to authorship, towards the top of your priority list.

One way to achieve this is to write in your journal about the ‘big picture’ of how important it is for you to fulfil your potential as a published author.

Then refer to this regularly to inspire you to establish a mindset which ensures that your intentions become your reality.

In doing so, you will feel justified in taking yourself seriously as a writer and making a commitment to the focus required for adopting a professional approach.

Prioritise authenticity, excellence and action!

These qualities are right at the top of the list of requirements for becoming an author entrepreneur because without them, your chances of success are greatly reduced.

So take some time to consider how you can adopt a truly authentic approach which reflects the truth of who you are and what you want to achieve with your book(s).

Make a plan of how you are going to achieve your intentions once you have clarified what they are.

Sharpen the focus on your vision of yourself as a published author and write out the many small steps you need to take to arrive at the destination you envisage.

Include a time frame for each stage of your journey - and start taking action straight away!

Embrace the requirement to build your author platform at a level which fits your intentions of authorship.

Creating a platform continues to be one of the most important tasks to devote time and attention to alongside developing your ideas and writing your book.

If this feels like a challenge for you, commit to taking a course, reading relevant information, and/or working with an expert in this area to help you learn what you need to do.

Stay out of overwhelm by choosing just 3 ideas to work on first.

For example, set up a blog (or write more for your existing blog), explore social media such as Twitter and Facebook, and look at the possibility of some ‘real world’ events such as speaking or seminar engagements.

These are all ways of building relationships with like-minded people who will be interested in you and your book.
Of course you will need to make a conscious choice regarding the level at which you apply these principles to suit your individual requirements.

Yet some degree of acceptance and action towards becoming more entrepreneurial in your approach to authorship is the way forwards for writers who genuinely want their books to succeed in the marketplace today.

Enjoy the journey!


* I would like to acknowledge Joanna Penn, who was my October Writer’s Journey Free Teleseminar Interview guest, for her work in supporting ‘author entrepreneurs’ and for inspiring me to write this article as my contribution to this topic. If you would like to listen to the recording of our interview on How to Identify the Right Publishing Option for Your Book you can do so by clicking here … You can see more about Joanna’s work for authors who are interested in self-publishing here www.thecreativepenn.com

_____________________________________________________________

© Julia McCutchen 2009. All Rights Reserved.

If you want to use this article in your ezine or on your website I’d be happy for you to do so as long as you use the complete article, including the copyright line, and include the following paragraph in its entirety:

Julia McCutchen is the creator of the How to Write the Ultimate Book Proposal Online Masterclass Course and the author of The Writer's Journey: From Inspiration to Publication. A former managing director and publisher, she now works as a writers' coach, mentor and professional publishing consultant. She has over 20 years' experience and a publishing track record which includes UK # 1 and international bestsellers. Julia is passionate about opening the way for you to find your true voice, discover your Self in the process, and write consciously, creatively, successfully and with soul! For more information and to access free articles and audios for writers, visit www.JuliaMcCutchen.com

Labels: Cultivating Creativity

Elizabeth Gilbert faced down a ­pre-midlife crisis by doing what we all secretly dream of – running off for a year. Her travels through Italy, India and Indonesia resulted in the megabestselling and deeply beloved memoir Eat, Pray, Love, about her process of finding herself by leaving home.

Listen to her inspiring talk here re how to nurture creativity

In this talk Elizabeth Gilbert muses on the impossible things we expect from artists and geniuses -- and shares the radical idea that, instead of the rare person "being" a genius, all of us "have" a genius. It's a funny, personal and surprisingly moving talk.

*

Labels: Cultivating Creativity

"I have always been able to see what others were unable to see; and what they did, I did not see."

- Salvador Dali

Several years ago while in New York I stumbled on a book that was to change my life - "Psychic living: tap into your psychic potential" by Andrei Ridgeway.

"In this technological day and age filled with busywork, " he writes, "many of us neglect our psychic potential. Our instincts are repressed and our inner voices buried...."

"...For many, the word "psychic" is so big, so titanic, they can't accept it. They don't realize it is a normal state of being, that as a lover, and a friend, we use this part of ourselves all the time."

Today as I continued to feel my way toward my preferred future, my true path with heart, and needing a boost I decided to try one of the exercises in the book - evoking the seer.

"For an artist, whatever, he is looking at has meaning. He doesn't need to use the word "clairvoyant, " because the whole universe is holy. Whether it be a spirit that appears out of thin air, or a piece of fruit on the table, it has soul," he writes. Then he encourages us to see the world as an artist and expand our vision to see into other times and places. "It is a wake up exercise, like a cup of coffee for the eyes."

Seeing exercise

Try Andrei's exercise - I just did and it was extra-ordinary! (I've posted my experience at the end of this entry)


Step one Go to a bookstore, library, art gallery or museum and visit the art section. You can make it a filed trip with a friend or lover. Give yourself time. Pretend you are living in the Renaissance, before the invention of People Magazine, when art mattered. Go through the books as if you have never seen any of those painters before, and be especially open to painters whose work you have never seen before. If you have not been in the painting world for a while and feel the need for a starting point, try one of these artists: Salvador Dali,Alex Grey (especially his book Soul Mirrors), Georgia O'keefe, or Claude Monet.

The books that you are drawn to will contain images and colours that resonate with your soul. Go through the pages/view the paintings at a leisurely speed. When you find a painting that really moves you, that stirs your optic cells, sit there and stare at it for a while. Let the light and the colour fill you up.


Step two Write a paragraph about your favourite painting, why it touched you, what is was about it that awakened your soul, Write stream of consciousness (IE just free write without "thinking") I liked the painting because it made me think of god and being a little kid and no end to wonder with yellow warmth and excitement in my belly. Let your pen go wild. No censorship.


Step three When you enter back into reality - your home, office, or the coffee shop next door - see if you can perceive in the objects and people around you the same level of beauty you saw in the painting. Rarely do painters create strictly from the unconscious. Most of them combine their hidden selves with the world around them, blending spirit with matter int heir own masterful way. See what it feels like to perceive life through this double lens, to bring your soul vision into the mundane, to see in the face of a stranger the same wonder and intensity that lived in the painting.

If the painting you chose was famous, buy yourself a print and put it somewhere in your home. It will act as a reminder of how your soul sees the world, keeping your eyes attuned to beauty as you pass through the day."

(excerpt from "Psychic living: tap into your psychic potential" by Andrei Ridgeway, pg 43)

Seeing Cass


Leap Away Girl 1969, Ian Scott

Today I went to Te Papa and after wandering around the many walls of art this painting "Leap Away Girl" by Ian Scott immediately called to me.

Here's what I wrote:

"Fresh yellow greens, clear blue sky and white puffy clouds - the colours call to me as does the name of the painting - Leap Away Girl. "go follow your dreams" the painting called, "look to the horizons and keep following your dreams, allow the fresh, invigorating colours of nature to guide and inspire you - the red energy of passion and goals, of motivation; green the energy of pastures news, of the heart chakra , of feeling energetic and alive, connected to nature, of following the seasons; blue the colour of peace and calm of warm days and summer skies of mother earth and the heavens that envelope her; white the colour of purity, marriage, union, partnership and marriage - contracts of love."

The energy and vitality of the painting arrests me, stops me in my tracks, draws me deeper still - it's joyful, hopeful, sensual,epxectant . The curvy shapes of the clouds in the sky and of the hills - dancing, playful, irregular, creative, uniform - heralding surprises, defying expectations.

"Let go. Let live. Follow your dreams," it challenges and encourages me. Allow the green of the heart - of courage and positive emotion, growth and renewal to nurture you; the blue of the horizon and sea to guide you - to flow like their currents to distant shores and new memories awaiting. The white of the clouds to soften your fears to life you higher still."


Now that I am back at the office the painting lives inside me still, whispering to and challenging my soul. I have printed out a copy of the painting and placed it on my inspiration wall, saved it as my screen saver, and pasted it in my inspiration journal. I see myself in the image of the girl - colourful, jubilant, happy beyond belief. It reminds me of my dream "I dream I am on vacation, it's the perfect career for me" - taken from a song by the Eagles. And of my morphing back toward art, writing, photography and photo journalism - and there on my business card for all to see is a reminder:
Cassandra Gaisford - Artist, life coach, author, photojournalist"


"Art washed from the soul the dust of everyday life." Pablo Picasso


Try this exercise yourself - I'd love to hear how awakening the seer within transforms your life.

Labels: Colour, Cultivating Creativity, happiness, intuition, Life coaching, Motivation, Spirituality in art, Thecolourgirl.com

Last month a friend commented to me that my soul looked like it was tired. I nearly burst into tears. I guess it's the sort of relief people must feel when someone who has been ill gets a diagnosis. Finally, my dis-ease had been named - burnout and emotional exhaustion. Some of it was self created - some of it just happened.

It seemed as though overnight everything had changed. I was trying to juggle a new relationship, full time study, living between homes after renting my house out and on-going dramas with my family. My new relationship started to show strain and my partner pretty much cautioned me not to neglect him for the sake of our relationship. Something had to give so, prioritising my relationship, I gave up my course.

Now I find I have a bit more space but oddly enough my partner doesn't - a whole bunch of family dramas have hit him. All the negativity was killing me and taking a step back I realise that his total unhappiness with EVERY aspect of his life was taking a toll.

My girlfriend said what I needed was to get away for a while and take a retreat. Now what I'm finding is so many people I look up to are doing just the same thing - taking time out to re-centre and think about who they are and what makes them happy.

Last night my partner had a melt down and accused me of not being there for him - this when he cancelled the night out we'd been planning for weeks because of an ex-created drama. Today I went around to see him and he sulked and literally turned his back on me. I didn't feel anything - other than feed-up with all the drama.(He later rang to apologise - so that's progress.)

Importantly what I'm realising is that I really need to get away. And the Universe is telling me to go for it! Synchronicity is the Universe's way of saying "you're on the right path!). Today for example, my good friend Maartje let me interview her re her own transition - and told me she took a gap year in her mid 40's to think about who she was and what she wanted.

Last week, as I said, my friend encouraged me to contact a retreat in Australia and offer some of my services in return for a break. Either that or get a gap-job somewhere cruisy.

Then today I read Tina Su's post

For the next four weeks, I will be living in an ashram near Bangalore India. I will be attending a meditation and spiritual retreat called Inner Awakening that I have been anticipating for many months now.It’s an opportunity to learn directly from an enlightened guru in a serene environment, along with several hundred other spiritual seekers from around the world.

I’ve decided not to bring my laptop or cell phone, and to fully immerse myself in the experience. Besides, a month without technology sounds like a really nice cleanse of its own.(she's since said that she's extended her trip for 2 months!)

I don't feel like I need to go away on a spiritually lead guru-style retreat but I do feel like I need to grab some space and time to myself. So once my baby sitting task is over I'm going to grab some soul time and take off for a while. Somewhere quiet and somewhere warm - right now Samoa is looking good.(I have 2 weeks more to go before my mother returns from France and I can hand back her very cute, but needy,dog.

Here some of Tina's tips for creating your own retreat:
Create Your Own Personal Retreat

While I am away, I want to make sure that you guys are taking care of yourselves, by creating time out of your week (or day) to connect with yourself, to love yourself, and to give thanks for the things you are grateful for.

If you want to experience a piece of what I am doing, consider doing one or more of the following ideas:

* Cleansing Day - Take one day (a month or a week) off to spend with yourself. Spend the day on your own without the computer, phone, music players and tv (shut everything off). Spend the day communing with nature, going for walks, contemplating in your journal, and maybe reading inspirational things. Optionally, consider spending the day without speaking, unless you are addressed by another person.

* Take a Meditation or Yoga Class - at the local gym or meet up. Many temples of various religions offer meditation classes for free. It doesn’t hurt to be open to it and experiment with them. When I first moved to Seattle, I would go to a local Tibetan Buddhist temple for this.

* Moments of Stillness, Everyday - spend 10 minutes everyday with your eyes closed in silence. Start with some deep breaths and focus on your breath. Whenever thoughts come, just bring your focus back on your breathing. Extend it to longer than 10 minutes if you can. 21 minutes or more gives best results.

* Write a Love Letter - to yourself, to another person, or to the Universe. The point of this, is practicing of gratitude, and realizing the abundance of goodness you have in your life.

* Selfless Service - Do something for someone, or for some group of people without expecting anything in return, and don’t tell people that you did it (bragging that you did something counts as expecting something, and it no longer becomes selfless service).

* Inspirational Reading - Read something that inspires you, and gives your inner space a sense of peaceful clarity. I highly recommend “The Power of Now” and “Living Enlightenment” (Here’s the shortened version of the book). I also really liked “The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari“.

Labels: Cultivating Creativity, happiness, intuition

The other day after an incredibly stressful week out of the blue I received this email. It came from a lady who had come to view  my house:

“I am totally in love with your art.  The little white painting over the dining table is singing in my heart still. I was so thrilled that I found your web page! I would really like to know if the small white painting is available. If not, I'd like to look at any work that is.” - Violet

These few sentences totally transformed my mind in one quick brushstroke and illustrates the power we all have to uplift each other.

Tip - go forth and sow the seeds of kindness. Give unsolicited positive feedback as often as you can. The benefits are two fold - the recipient will feel better and so will you. Try it and see:)

The  painting Violet fell in love with was inspired by the work of CJ Twombly - an American artist well known for his large-scale, freely scribbled, calligraphic-style graffiti paintings, on solid fields of mostly gray, tan, or off-white colors. 

Labels: Cultivating Creativity, happiness, Spirituality in art

I can't believe that a year has passed since I won the Wai Art Awards. I still remember receiving the call telling me that not only had I won the Supreme Prize but that I also picked up $3000 in the process. The timing couldn't have been better - I used the money to travel to Hawaii and attend a Sumi ink workshop with Max Gimblett on the island of Maui.

Labels: Cultivating Creativity, Motivation

“The future belongs to a very different kind of person with a very different kind of mind – creators and empathizers, pattern recognisers and meaning makers. These people...will now reap society’s richest rewards and share its greatest joys.” Daniel Pink, author of A whole New Mind.

I came across this quote the other day while reading Donald Trump and Roberty Kiyosaki’s book Why We Want You To Be Rich.

Given recent events driven by corporate greed and corruption their predictions have never rung truer. As more and more corruption is exposed and increasing numbers of people in traditionally highly valued careers, such as lawyers, accountants, and bankers, fall from grace, society will assign less financial, and I would add – moral value - to these occupations.

As a society many people have tended to see left-brained, analytical types as smart, successful and needed. Creative, right brained people have often been under-valued and written off as “airy fairy” and ‘flakey.” That is why accountants, attorneys, doctors, dentists ad MBA’s are generally paid more in corporations all around the world.

But now the moral fibre of many of these “professionals” is being called into question and with the spot light firmly on their activities many of them are not looking so bright.

Bankers are a case in point. Appearing to lack empathy and unwilling to move beyond the boxes they must tick on their forms they err less on the side of humanity and more on the side of excessive caution and profit and are calling in loans and kicking people out of their homes in every increasing numbers. Fraud is rife too. Recently one of NZ’s biggest players has been exposed for misleading investors – something their laywers are trying hard to avoid taking the rap for. Many people blame the banking institutions for the crisis we are all facing now. Their shonky loans and greedy activities have virtually caused the world to self implode.

Then there are the lawyers. I watched with disgust as a lawyer appearing on National TV argued why a man falsely accused of rape should not have been given name suppression until the truth of the allegations was determined. She smiled with smug self-satisfaction as she argued her case convincingly – sparing little compassion for the man’s career and life now in ruins. Not long after I heard of a man caught using his phone to take photos peering up woman's skirts was allowed name suppression. Supposedly if you cry "suicidal thoughts" this is a more "just" reason to avoid being named. :( We all know of similar stories where "smart" lawyers allow wrong doers to walk free. Others charge like wounded bulls, often by the second, and cause people to run up such huge bills that they end up practically giving them the clothes off their back - or as was the case in Horowhenua in the 1800's, forcing people to sell their tribal lands to clear legal debts.

Creative people on the other hand, whilst not beyond their own ego drivers, tend to have more innate sensitivity and a compassion for all living things. They tend to be natural empathizers - caring people who know what it is like to walk in another persons shoes. Creative people are also flexible – able to adapt to changing circumstances.

Creative people, argues Donald Trump, don’t need to be motivated by anyone else. They motivate themselves. They find their inspiration instead of looking for it. JK Rowling for example, found her inspiration for Harry Potter while sitting on a train.

Creative people use their brains in the biggest way possible. They listen to and use both sides of their brains for maximum impact. "A few years ago, there was an article about the most desired recruits for medical school, music majors. The reason is that their left and right brains are equally developed because music is mathematical and creative at the same time,” recounts Donald Trump in his book.

The same principal applies to truly great architecture. Mediocre architects lack an artistic, creative sensitivity, They also lack a concern with the human connection or sensitivity to space. I’ve seen this first hand and benefited in turn by being invited to come up with an alternative design to what I can only call the most inhumane, ugly and totally devoid of any sensitivity, design I have ever seen.

The fact that my concerns are being listened to is further confirmation of the power of creativity. Here’s little ol me, with no formal training in architecture, but a naturally creative and empathetic mind, being taken seriously. You can follow my journey to architecture here

Creativity is also related to intuition – a powerful, non-rational innovative and decision making tool. More and more businesses are tapping into the power of intuition to help them achieve phenomenal results. Donald Trump, is a big fan of following his gut instincts and has achieved results that many people only dream of.

Are you creative? Have you ever had a great idea? Have you ever made money from your great idea? Have you ever used creativity to solve a problem or challenge? Would you like to do less and achieve more?

Click here to learn how you can strengthen your creative powers and get rich.

Labels: Cultivating Creativity

I was pretty excited to sell another painting the other day through Millwood Gallery in Thorndon - a nice positive sign in a climate filled with talk of recession. Business is good for Murray so he's keen to take a few more of my pieces - a lovely floral still life, a pastel sketch of the Grand Canal while I was in Venice and a landscape. Yay! Unlike other artists who churn out the same thing year after year I like to keep my work fresh by engaging in new techniques and subject matter. One artist who doesm't do this admitted that painting for him has got to the stage where it is paint by numbers - can't imagine there is much passion in that! Right from the start Murrray has been a great supporter of my work. When I first approached a gallery (after reading Julia Cameron's The Artists Way and summoning up courage the gallery I approached was really rude and told me my work was too "naive." Murray at Millwood loved them and took all three - promptly selling them too! Interestingly his business is still thriving and the other gallery has closed.

Art sales are booming in other parts of the world too - particularly in the Middle East. While up in Auckland last month I heard of several NZart galleries setting up shop over there.

I thought you may be interested to learn what's going on over there in case you want to get in on the action or just need a good news boost.


The Middle Eastern market – Sotheby’s arrives in Doha [Feb 09]
(source: http://web.artprice.com/ami/ami.aspx)

In August 2008, the Art Market Insight published an overview of the boom in Iranian art. The United Arab Emirates, the new eldorado of cultural tourism, is building its Louvre in Abu Dhabi and its Guggenheim in Dubai, the city that has established itself, in two years, as the new capital of the Middle Eastern art market. In 2008, auction revenues in Dubai amounted to USD 34.9 million, a +70% increase on 2007.

In the Middle East, the number of collectors has increased (investing, as a priority, in their compatriots) and the market has rapidly become international. Following its first auctions in Dubai in 2006, Christie’s has included a greater representation of modern and contemporary artists in the London and Paris sales. In 2008, Bonhams followed the lead set by Christie’s in opening a local branch, while Sotheby’s plans to follow suit in Doha.

The first Sotheby’s Doha contemporary art sale is planned for 18 March 2009, the opening day of the Art Dubai fair (18 to 21 March). In order to attract both local art lovers and international collectors, the auction house’s strategy is to mix leading Western contemporary art figures such as Andy WARHOL, Damien HIRST and Gerhard RICHTER with the fastest-growing Iranian artists in the market, Farhad MOSHIRI, Charles Hossein ZENDEROUDI and Mohammad EHSAI already having achieved fairly spectacular auction results during the 2008 first half.

Charles Hossein ZENDEROUDI of the 10 up for auction found favour with collectors despite the fact that the artist had exploded a pre-sale estimate of USD 20,000 in April 2008, setting a new sale record of USD 1.4 million (Tchaar-bagh, Christie’s Dubai).

Farhad MOSHIRI, has also been seriously bid up by collectors since 2006. Sotheby’s bought in its two Moshiri canvases at its London sale on 6 February 2009. On 18 March, Sotheby’s hopes to achieve USD 250,000 to 350,000 for Moshiri’s Diamond Head, the work featured on the cover of the catalogue. Will the highly symbolic nature of this work be enough to tempt collectors? It depicts a falcon, the iconic emblem of the Persian Gulf, crossed with the eagle, the more universal symbol of courage and strength. The head of the bird is adorned with the famous crystals often used by the artist. In March 2008, these same crystals were to ensure a new sale record of USD 900,000 for the work Eshgh (Love), compared with a pre-sale estimate of USD 200,000 (Bonhams, Dubai).

Amongst the other headline lots in the 18 March sale: a calligraphic composition by Mohammad EHSAI, estimated at between USD 300,000 and 400,000. The artist proved resilient during the autumn auction round, achieving sales of between USD 400,000 and 430,000 in Dubai followed by London and may benefit from the renewed confidence of market players (AMCI) whose buying intentions are very high (70% of voters).

In London, Charles Saatchi has opened his gallery to young Middle Eastern artists with a three-month exhibition Unveiled: New Art from the Middle East (30 January to 9 May). His trend-setting role can only be beneficial for Diana AL-HADID, Sara Rahbar and Marwan RECHMAOUI, who have yet to make their saleroom debuts.


The race for art island: Louvre and Guggenheim battle it out

Already, the giant of the art collection world, the Guggenheim Foundation, has signed up to build a museum in Abu Dhabi designed by the architect Frank Gehry that will open in 2012. Now, in a race of cultural brand names, the Louvre is attempting to beat them to it, with the leading French architect Jean Nouvel to create a new museum that will display works from the Louvre.

Abu Dhabi, which has more than 9% of the world's oil reserves, plans to make the museums the centrepiece of a £14.5bn cultural and financial quarter set on an island named Saadiyat, Arabic for "isle of happiness". There will be three other museums, luxury hotels and golf courses. But the government is aware that in its competition to lure tourists away from the shopping haven of Dubai, the Louvre could be the deciding factor. More than 7.5 million people trooped through its doors in Paris last year. Abu Dhabi is said to be prepared to pay Paris more than €750m (£500m) for the jewel in its cultural crown.

Delicate diplomatic negotiations to transport the Louvre to the Arab world have taken place for more than a year in Abu Dhabi and Paris, with the French daily Libération asking whether the project was the "most novel and controversial deal in the history of French cultural politics". Like the Guggenheim, French curators will not exhibit nudity or religious subjects likely to offend in the location. But some in the arts world say the deal is less to do with culture than political and economic interests, and France trying to flex its muscles on the international stage. Already, French curators are advising on the construction of an Islamic art museum in Qatar designed by I M Pei, who created the Louvre's glass pyramid.



Backstory

They were once little more than oil outposts in the desert, wealthy but remote, seven emirates bound together in a federation on the south-eastern tip of the Arabian peninsula. But the United Arab Emirates are fast reinventing themselves as a cultural and recreational hub, with tens of billions of dollars of investment transforming Abu Dhabi and Dubai in particular. Abu Dhabi, whose petrodollars give it one of the highest per capita incomes in the world, is styling itself as the cultural alternative to Dubai's more ritzy holiday and retail destination.

The emirates capital plans an "upscale cultural district" on Saadiyat, with the $400m Guggenheim museum part of a $27bn government-funded development that will include museums, a concert hall and art galleries alongside two golf courses, hotels and an "iconic 7-star property". The Dubai plans include indoor ski slopes, an underwater hotel, a $4bn theme park, and the elite island development known as The World.

Business is booming in NZ!
Check out Deanna Gracies’s order book – this amazing jewllery designer says business has never been so good. Her order book is jam packed. If you’re in the market for a custom designed work of art contact Deanna now before you have to go on a waiting list! Recession? What recession? There’s always a market for quality pieces of art that sets the soul ablaze with joy.

To get hold of Deanna and view her latest works click here

Labels: architecture, Cultivating Creativity

During turbulent economic times, companies naturally tend to turn inward. Talking about the core business that everyone understands and can predict is like eating comfort food on a dreary day -- a temporary escape to a better time and place. Read more about how innovators can survive and thrive during recessionary times here


Hear how you can harness disruptive innovation to create great results



(image source:http://www.katize.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/apple_computer_logosvg.png

Labels: Cultivating Creativity

Are you a fast thinker or a slow thinker? Check out this thread by innovation guru Rumi Shivaz - I love the image he has used too. He looks like an old soul.

Rumi's thread reminds me of one of my clients, a man in this 40's who had for all his life thought he was stupid...why? "At school," he told me, "I needed time to think but all "the smarter" kids piped up first." Classic introverted versus extroverted thinking - the latter overtly more valued within the pre-university system and im many workplaces.

While quick, extraverted thinking has it's strengths, many people tell me that more often than not they have no idea what they think until the words tumble out and they try to make sense of it. Introverted thinkers, on the other hand, tend to work out carefully what they want to say before they say it. Sadly, many people mistake their silence for a lack of opinion, or worse, a lack of intelligence.

True creativity benefits from whole brain thinking.

Find out more about your thinking style by taking the Myers Briggs Personality Indicator

Labels: Cultivating Creativity

Many of the people who purchase my art often ask me, "what was the inspiration behind your painting?" They love to hear the story and see the painting as it progresses. One of my clients, who purchased Autumn Leaves, has been very, very patient. He emailed me before he headed off overseas, "Hi girl…off to Samoa for a friend 60th !...need some R&R, sun & vit D…look forward to your story on return …Cheers Richard"

I love being called a girl! It makes me feel young again. Anyway he purchased the painting at the Joy'ance exhibition and has been waiting ever since - I just want to get the story just right as this piece is very personally significant to me.


This time I thought I would start the story right from the beginning. What is the inspiration behind this piece? Once again I return to joy. Partially it is inspired by my trip to Italy several years ago- the gallery in San Gimignano called "Cassandra" and the sunflowers growing wild in the fields. Partly by the beauty and symbolism of the organic square (this will make sense as it evolves"; partly it is inspired by the joy that cheerful colours inspire. Largely it is inspired by the playfulness of artists like Henri Matisse and Max Gimblett who both paint with such glee.

As one of my favourite artists Mark Rothko once said, “Painting should be ecstatic or nothing.” So I'm planning a solo exhibition and returning to "jouissance" as my theme. This should dove tail nicely into the french lessons I have just started and my dream of living and creating in the south of France.


To add to the joy while creating I'm playing a completion I created called "happy music" Right now the fabulous Bee Gee's are playing, "you should be dancing." I'm doing a wee dance as I paint....just taking time out to keep you in the loop!

Better get back to it now:)


Back now! Here is San Gi - after a few hours in my studio....this time listening to Pink!

The cool thing about this process is I can see at least four other paintings within this painting - so I guess you could say that this is the mother painting from which all others will be created.....the thing I have worked out, about an exhibition is that similarly of style seems to be the way people go. So, unlike the Joy'ance exhibtion where I showed quite an eccletic range of paintings, the Jouissance show will have a similar, unifying theme. However, I will be

exhibiting figure work (my new passion!) alongside the more abstract pieces.....I'm also going to be working in a variety of mediums, including encastic (bees wax). This is another passion, my father was a bee keeper and apitherapist who passionately believed in the curative, healing powers of bees, and who also made his own beeswax polish.

The finished art work: Licorice and Butterflies

As the painting began to take shape I was contacted by a good friend and professional colleague Lawrence Green about having a joint exhibition next year. The theme is "art should make you laugh."

So I began some brainstorming re themes and came up with so many ideas - a key one being children's birthday parties. Hence the licorice theme here with all the cheerful colours. The butterflies were added to reflect the joy of dance and inner transformation that many people go through on the way to joy.


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Labels: Commissioning a work of art, Cultivating Creativity, Exhibitions and competitions, Spirituality in art

What an eventful day today! Last night i hardly slept a wink - and today life took a suprising turn...finishing with this delightful and quite unexpected email from Mark Olsen

On 20/10/2008, at 5:44 PM, Mark Olsen wrote:

Hi Cassandra

I have just finished and named a painting after you for an exhibition that I have in Christchurch this Thursday - will send an image tomorrow - Mark

Here she is.....She is part of a collection for an exhibition that Mark Olsen is having with Fisher Galleries in Christchurch, opening this Thursday night

First Reaction!
Earlier today after wondering how on earth I was going to get my book published and into the hands of the people who need it most I received two very encouraging calls. (did you know that 80,000 jobs were lost this year!)
One from my dear friend Monika who phoned from all the way in Keri Keri to urge me to look for alternatives re publication (versus get into more debt over it)

And then dove tailing on this conversation, In a moment of added flow Denis Robinson, the author of the New Zealand's Favourite Artists series of books followed up from his call to me the other night and emailed an publishing company on my behalf . This was quite a surprise and very, very generous of him). Even more delightful was that less than 30 minutes after emailing them they came back to him:

"This sounds great! I know quite a few people who would want to get hold
of a book like this.Thanks for suggesting Cassandra contact us. I look forward to receiving
the material from her."

Well I didn't need to be asked twice. The timing couldn't be more perfect as they are having a new projects meeting 30 October - now is that flow or what!

Speaking of flow - have you completed the career nirvana survey yet? Go on! What are you waiting for

Where there's a will there's a way...
Check out the full story re over-coming the obstacles on the way to production

Labels: Cultivating Creativity

Think and grow positive
Coming up with fresh and innovative ideas requires positive, proactive and inspired thinking. Get rid of negative thinking and boost your creative powers. hear an excerpt from The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale to help you think and grow positive

Learn to value creativity
What will the world of work look like in 2030? This is when kids starting school now will graduate! We don't even know what the world of work will look like in 2 years let alone 21 years. The future of work requires creative thinkers about to adapt to rapidly changing circumstances. Are school educating kids out of their creativity? Hear UK author and creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson

Labels: Cultivating Creativity, Motivation

Here's a photo of the quick 10 minute sketch I did while waiting for my daughter to have her hair done..

can you quess who it is? Quick hint on the quick sketch...taken from a shot in a celebrity magazine...

Max Gimblett's view on this quick sketch - of which he is a pro!
"Good instincts,

"10 mins is about gesture, only gesture, 50 years ago it was named
contour.

Strictly suggestive, open and all encompassing, attempting to entice
spirit"


Now the next thing I have to do quickly is raise $74,000 so I can publish 4,000 copies of "Happy@work: Job Hunting for Mid-lifer's +"

Just checked in with my astrology guru Susan Miller:
"Even better news is due October 28 when the new moon arrives in the same part of your chart ruling earned income. Be sure to ask for that raise, or, if you like, negotiate elsewhere. The two weeks that follow this powerful and highly friendly new moon - one of the best of the year - will set the tone for the whole year to come. This is not "any old day" or point in the year. It's special, so take this date seriously and take any step you can think of toward finding your extra money. It may take weeks or months, but that doesn't matter - what does is that you begin in the days that closely follow this new moon, October 28."

Can you help?
So do I need to wait until the 28th or can you help me now.....pre-order "Happy@work: Job Hunting for Mid-lifer's +"

Labels: Cultivating Creativity, Motivation

Creativity in any form often benefits from collective energy and enthusiasm. So often the creative process can feel like such a solitary affair. Sometimes this can make it challenging to stay the distance and make it through to the finish line. But it doesn't have to be this way.

I love collaborating and sharing my enthusiasm with like minded people. This helps boost my creativity no end. While working on the final edits of "Happy@work: job hunting for mid-lifers" I was stuck on finding an image to illustrate the chapter "Employ yourself." I was also stuck on where and how to have the book launch.

Inspiration struck in the middle of the night : "Artists experience the realities of self employment every day...why not have a photo of someone or something artistic,' my intuition gently asked. But "who and what", my rational mind wondered.

The next day while visiting my friend Ron Epskamp, passionate owner of Exhibitions Gallery" I summoned up the courage to ask him if he would consider holding my book launch there. " With pleasure," he said and promptly whipped out his calender. "Why not on the 28th of November to coincide with our Christmas exhibtion of artists." I was thrilled!

"Perhaps you would consider profiling one of my artists - Mark Olsen."

And suddenly, miraculously, there was the answer to my "problem" re who to use to illustrate my book!

"Working out the 'how'" as Mark Olsen, one of New Zealand's most successful artist's says:" is as simple as focusing on what you want - end of story, the "how" finds you."


From IT worker to Best-Selling Artist - Mark Olsen to Speak at Happy@work Book launch
Mark and I share a passion for self-development and an awareness of the power of the mind to transform reality. Something also shared by the creators of the DVD's "The Secret" and "What the bleep do we know" Joy turned to elation when he agreed to present his own personal story re moving from IT sales person to accomplished, best selling artist.

Here's the brief I gave Mark:
"Essentially the focus is to inspire people to follow their passion ...to have the courage, hope, perserverance and resilience to believe dreams really can come true.....I think your own personal story re how you made your dreams come true and using relevant learnings that anyone looking to make a move to fulfillment could apply...bricklayer, return to work mum, solo parent, disillusioned office worker..many who may not know that they want, or if they do, how it could be possible - your "what I have learned" musings bill perfectly!."

...and his reply:

"I enjoy not only speaking on the mind set tools that I have employed, but being able to state how I applied them and what the results have been. This way I have the example that folk can click with opposed to just telling them how to live their live. I also believe that our only gift is that of our own example as words do not teach"

Mark will have returned from the US the week before The Happy@Work Book launch" which will be providing the next chapter in his story. This will be compelling listening so mark off the 28th of November 5:30 - 7:30 in your diary now. Spaces are strictly limited so please RSVP by dropping me a line

Pre-order you copy now!
A limited stock of first edition, signed copies of "Happy@work:job hunting for mid-lifers+" will be available prior to and during the launch.

Avoid disappointment - find out more and pre-order now

Mark's feedback also gave me a boost to surge through the final edits and helped curb any doubts I was having about the whole project:

"Good on you for doing this project - it will take people's attention off what is and place it upon what they would like - doing so you have given them a helping hand - how very cool" - Mark Olsen


Thanks Mark and Ron- and everyone else who inspires and supports me. I couldn't do this without you.

You can read more about Mark's inspiring career makeover in "Happy@Work: Job hunting for mid-lifers +"

RSVP TO LAUNCH:
Don't forget to put a bright orange circle around the 28th of November 5:30 - 7:30, at Exhibitions Gallery, Featherston Street, Wellingtonby RSVPing to cassandra@cassandragaisford.com.

Look forward to seeing you there:)

Labels: Cultivating Creativity, Motivation

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