{inspiration 911 for the creative souls}

(c) Jill Badonsky

Creative souls aren’t immune to bad-hair-days… you know, those days when so many things occupy your mind and it feels like you’re driven away, far far away, from being inspired. That kind of day really tortures me when it happens.

But not so long ago I found a way to counter-attack those bad-hair-days: thankfully I subscribed to Creativity Portal’s Discover Your Muse E-zine. And there’s a special section on the website where Molly Anderson-Childers conducted interviews with Muses, Authors, Artists, Writers, Teachers, Coaches & Creative Professionals, in a series called “Creative Careers in the Arts Interviews.” It’s about creating fabulous careers in the arts. Eeew.



And so, I printed out all those interviews, put them in one (creative) folder. And I would pick one or several interviews when I feel like uninspired. Then I’ll go outside and walk or dance or laugh. At least, move your body and get some sunshine if possible. And count the leaves you see on the street… just kidding, it’s impossible, but it’s fun. It’s all about being playful. Sometimes I read the interviews outloud. It feels good, too! If fact, it feels reaaaally good. It feels like having candid conversations with these creative souls.



Especially the interviews with Jill Badonsky's Nine Modern-Day Muses (and a Bodyguard).

And still better, the author of the interviews Molly J. Anderson-Childers, has a list of 101 Ways to Delight and Inspire Yourself. Which is awesome.



Oups, no, I will not spill too much information, follow the links, go get the fun yourself :-D

{spring cleaning + eat, pray, love}

time for spring cleaning! a happy and busy weekend. a friend of mine told me to keep visualizing the end result, when the house is fresh clean, well organized and lovingly decorated. yummy! orange you pretty my dear home!

in a few days my website will be the target for my spring cleaning madness. oh no, probably 'madness' is not the right word but anyhow, it will be moved to a new server, and part of the work will cleaning up, getting rid of some unused files.

{for spring cleaning guidance, i follow this article on wholeliving}


in the meantime, i'm also reading elizabeth gilbert 's "eat, pray, love" - such a wonderful memoir of a wonderful writer. reading this book, i wanted to laugh, to cry, to think about my own life. made my mind travel back to my own trip to bali a few months ago. i was there for work, but i told my swedish friend marie louise that i should come back to bali for a personal trip. vacation. which would mean one step further to get to know this beautiful, very famous part of my own country. this must have something to do with culture, history, archaeology, folklore, arts, my main interests. and something to do with wellbeing too, right? mmmmh...i should book a vacation for myself right away.... but first, for now, spring cleaning to be done!

and this, video of elizabeth gilbert musing on new way to think about creativity. watch, it's brilliant!

{rosy notes: rosy shop}

There are times I play with my own imagination. In that very personal space of mine, I have a shop, or a coffee shop, and regardless of what it is, how the store looks is quite certain: roses in the front, at the entrance. How wonderful, (always in my imagination) that my customers, before entering the shop, would take time to stop and smell the roses... :-)

{picture of au nom de la rose, courtesy of zenog}

{words}

“If I had a rose for every time I thought of you, I'd be picking roses for a lifetime.” - Swedish proverb

{rosy notes: someday}

...someday, I want to be seen wearing a stylish rain jacket, cute knee-length boots, carrying a tin bucket full of fresh cut fragrant big petaled pink roses. It would certainly be in a pretty day...


{words}

"Fragrance is the rightful heritage of the Rose, and it is what we consciously or unconsciously expect of it" - Louise Beebe Wilder in The Fragrant Path.

{rosy notes: rosy welcome}

Isn't this happiness, the moment you come home, a fragrant, extravagant bunch of rosy beauties greets you at the entrance?


Let me tell you a tale. Once upon a time there was a girl who had a weakness for pink roses. Any kind of roses, any kind of pink. One lovely summer she made a long trip and stayed at a lovely cottage in a lovely little village in the middle of Sweden. Next to the cottage there was a chicken house, not an ordinary chicken house, because a beautiful bush of pink roses adorned its wall. The girl found herself in love with the cottage, but she also loved going to the chicken house, she felt a delicate happiness just by walking pass the bloom of roses.

Then the girl continued her trip in Sweden. She arrived in a cute little town by the Baltic Sea and her wandering led her to a streetful of cute houses and, 'oh my god' the girl sighed 'pink roses everywhere!' Strange might it seem, but the girl took her time to stop at every door of houses with pink roses on the wall, and those moments she felt warmly, cheerfully welcome. 'Oh boy' the girl looked around her. It was far prettier than her years of dreams. The girl was overwhelmed. By the beauty. And the happiness. Love. The girl didn't mind to be overwhelmed like that!

That day, the girl learned one of many ways that made her oh so happy when coming home: pink roses at the entrance. A rosy welcome.

{rosy notes: anne sophie mutter, mendelssohn's birthday}

Counting down to happy heart's day, I want everything rosy in my home and blog. Even the music. I start with this. One rosy note a day.



Violinist.com sent me a message on facebook: "Interview with Anne-Sophie Mutter: She has returned to the Mendelssohn Concerto, with a new recording and performances with the NY Phil this week in honor of Mendelssohn's 200th birthday."

Ow, one of my favorite violin concertos, on the hands of one of my favorite violinists, isn't that a fabulous combination! I jumped on the link. Landed on the page where Laurie Niles had the interview with the first lady of the violin. There she is, in turquoise gown with her ultra famous Stradivarius violin, surrounded by oh-so romantic pink petals, ready for a birthday party. A special one, Felix Mendelssohn's, the very one who composed the violin concerto Ms Mutter is playing.

Reading the interview, and looking at the pictures of the CD cover, it's just perfect for my must-listen list for the happy heart's day. Can't wait. I can already hear the concerto playing, the brilliant notes dancing in my head and suddenly a rain of pink petals surrounds me, so fragrant I'm transported to a rosy world full of loving hearts. It's only a start...

{weekend love}

Finally weekend, love love it. No extra work no rehearsal with the orchestra this time, a rare occasion somehow, so I will...


<1> Continue redecorating my room
<2> Read new books that I bought this week
<3> Upload new graphics
<4> Organize my idea books
<5> Label my files and CDs
<6> Write handwritten notes to a great friend
<7> Have a walk and get inspired
<8> Have a quiet time for myself :-)


Images from Martha Stewart

{magical fancy}

I found out about a magical eye behind camera Amanda Pratt through Absolutely Beautiful Things today and her shots just left me dreaming this whole evening...


Wanna look fabulously good, wanna feel extravagantly good. I put on red, throw myself into a sea of pink flowers...


A girl like me can have a fanciful life too! It's magical.


And colorfully fun. Yes I can, I can! :o)

{love note from the sun}

A true lesson in living life...

{mr lincoln's definition of success}

I love love love encouragement...who doesn't? It feels really good reading positive quotes and advices from people who've been 'there done that'. Seems like I enjoy very much putting together those words into graphic cards. I think I could even start creating a section here called "a note a day". Probably it will gives me motivation to hunt for encouraging words each day, and challenge me to stick to a daily good-time habit. Who knows who knows. This makes me feel good somehow :o)

{flower notes: tricia guild}

I will I will I will always listen to decorating advices from Tricia Guild!

{weekend note}

{happy friday}

Have a nice weekend...If only I could just run to the lake every Friday afternoon :o)


Orserum, Sweden, July 2008

{got idea: happy blue}

Oh, thumbs up again to Domino for ideas to create a happy room when 'the walls are blue...' :o)



On my own list:
Chinoiserie
Folksy details
Cheerful patterns
Flower power
Happy artwork
Pictures of happy moments
Books on display
Dash of lime and red