Any Time You Can Make the Choice Be Sure to Take the Stairs

 

The climate around the internet can be overwhelming.  You look around and you see all the shiny happy people taking the most beautiful pictures and offering the most wonderful portrayals of these fantastic lives.  So fabulous are these portrayals that you start to wonder if the recession is over?  Has everyone found a job?  Have we all gotten back to that magical lucrative place where we can buy buy buy without any thoughts of budget or future earnings?  

And if you are running a business online you would think that this magic kingdom is THE PLACE to make so much money.  Get on board!  Buy this information product! Run your ad here!  Connect with this person or tweet at that person and PRESTO you have a successful track in place and most importantly you will be set for life monetarily.  

I have been online since 2008 and have seen some average people become media superstars.  And I KNOW that this did not happen overnight.  They worked hard and make sound strategic decisions and yes had some chance conversations with people who saw something in them and it helped them to move along on their course slow and steady.  I remember when Tara Gentile took over Scoutie Girl.  I actually had an ad running on the blog the month she took it over.  I remember when the buzz began to build around Danielle LaPorte. 

This past week I made a commitment to going back to the basics in my writing.  I think a writer's greatest asset is to read other works and continue to challenge one's thinking so that we have a fresh perspective.  I picked up a book called Take the Stairs by Rory Vaden because the title alone struck a chord in me.  Quite frankly I think we have forgotten how to do the hard work, put in our paces, live lean and do the grunt work to really build something of value in the online world.

For me this is helping me to hone what my life coaching services look like.  I will not take a gig with someone when I know I am not the best fit for them.  The life coaching space is way too sacred for me.  I want to do good in the world with my work but not at the expense of my core values.

What about you: 

In what area of your life do you need to hunker down, steel up, do the hard work and take the stairs?

Find more of my work CLICK HERE

 

Her Boots Showed that She Meant Business

Make no mistake

following your dreams

staying your course

well

It is NOT

FOR the faint of heart

But...

You gather a tribe

You do your homework

and 

you put on 

your brave girl boots

Details:

7.5x9

Altered Book page

Acrylic Paint/Watercolor/Marker

Words:

Vital Gear for the Brave Girl

$20

Cotton Candy Dreams...

Lovely Lola

loves to listen

to her heart

and find the little twinkles

of inspiration

within the whispers

of her heart...

Details:

7.5"x9"

Altered Book Page

Ephemera/watercolor/acrylic paint/pen and ink

Words:

She dreams in sparkles and cotton candy

$20

Twinkle Beautiful Star

Lovely girl
lovely little star you are
you dream your dreams
they are for you
and watch to see
how they will come to be...

Are you lovely Starr?

Here are her lovely details:

Starr is created on 108 lb watercolor paper with paper and acrylic paint, india ink and other ephemera

Details:
9" x 12"

This is a one of a kind piece and will come to you with a certificate of authenticity.

$35

Be True

Be true...

No matter the circumstances

Be true...

No matter the disappointments

Be true...

No matter the betrayals

Be true...

When you resolve to be true to who you know yourself to be

to the better angels of your nature

to the inner knowing

of your best self

Details:

7.5" x 9"

Altered book page

ephemera

india ink

acrylic paint

$10

Artist Spotlight: Lisa Larson

Art Link

Art Link

Art Link

Love Warrior

Love Warrior

She chose to let the people go in her life

that she had to beg for time from

prove her worthiness

and turn toward those 

that believed in her

and had been there all along

Details:

7.5x9

Vibrant Colors

with Beautiful words

"Love Warrior"

$10

Build a Fire Under Your Desire

 This week's Linger Question is inspired by a quote by Napoleon Hill: 

"The starting point of all achievement is desire.  If you are lacking in persistence, you need to build a stronger fire under your desire."

Under what desire do you need to build a stronger fire?

Check out the video to hear how I applied this question in my life. 

Find more of my work CLICK HERE

She Filled the Bowl of Her Heart

She went to the top of the mountain

and surveyed her world

she gathered up what she saw 

and filled the bowl of her heart...

The Details:

9x12

watercolor/acrylic paint/pen/ephemera

140lb watercolor paper

Original

$35

You Say I'm A Dreamer

Love a Dreamer

The vibrancy of life

The joy of the unknown

well sometimes...

not so much

but oh so many MORE times

Contentment

Happiness

Fulfilled

Details:

7x9

Original

India ink/ephemera/marker

Words:

Love a Dreamer

$5

Clothes on the Line, Love in the Heart

The Heart Always Knows Home

The simplest of things...

A clothes line

The wind

a nest

Flags

a beautiful day...

Details:

7x9

Mixed media original

altered book page

acrylic paint/watercolor/pen/scrapbook paper

a surprise original on the back

The words:

The Heart Always Knows Home

$10

Welcome Simplicity

Welcome Simplicity

The season is here

The time is right

Whatever season you find yourself in

You can decide today

To say no more

to nonsense

to feeling unworthy

to waiting on someone to help you begin

BEGIN

Details:

7x8

Mixed Media

watercolor/ink/pencil

Words:

Welcome: Simplicity Kindness Authenticity Friendship Love

$10

Artist Interview: MCatherine Lunsford

Name: MCatherine

Name of Business: Hide A Heart

Creative Influences: My Mother, Classical Music, Fine Art, and Nature

Preferred Medium of Creativity:

My preferred medium of creativity is that of being a performing artist, writing my own poetry and music, + handmade gifts for friends.

Brief Bio: I am the former Polydor recording artist MARY CATHERINE LUNSFORD and Oregon Symphony Pops Mezzo-Soprano MCATHERINE. My husband and I have been married for 39 years and we have two sons and two granddaughters.

Social Media Links:

Web: http://marycatherinelunsford.com

Facebook: https://facebook.com/marycatherinelunsford

Blog: http://marycatherinelunsford.blogspot.com

MySpace: http://myspace.com/marycatherinelunsford

Store: http://hideaheart.etsy.com

Hide A Heart Links:

Web Stores: http://hideaheart.etsy.com or http://hideaheart.com

Facebook: https://facebook.com/hideaheart

Twitter: http://twitter.com/hideaheart

Blogs: http://hideaheartinspiresexpression.blogspot.com or http://hideaheart.wordpress.com

What is one of your earliest creative memories?  

When I was four years old I used a chair to climb up on to a table to dance and sing. From that moment on I sang every day of my life from the moment my feet hit the floor in the morning until I lay my head down on the pillow at night until reaching the age of 42. My mother set a timer every day for two 30-minute periods during which I was NOT allowed to sing!

How did you find your creative voice?  

Singing was my creative voice of expression for as long as I can remember. 

Did your creative habits make a smooth transition into your adult life?  What did the evolution look like? 

Perfectly smooth until I turned 42 and was forced to realize I needed to draw upon the larger canopy of my being as an ARTIST above being a singer and luckily, being an Artist helped me create a path for reinvention

If you had a creative hiatus, what event/circumstance brought you back to your creative lifestyle?

After developing head-neck cancer, I could no longer perform professionally. I struggled at sea with no rudder casting about for reinvention for about sixteen years. It was when my husband asked me about the little heart game we play I realized creating positive meaningfulness for others with glass hearts would reignite my own spirit-driven passion. 

Is there a particular moment where your creativity became infused into a spiritual practice?

Peering into the eyes of my newborn son and realizing I was now responsible for another life and thing, “Oh My Gosh, am I prepared to do this?!” Reading SUCCESS IS THE QUALITY OF YOUR JOURNEY by Jennifer James when I turned 40 created a significant paradigm shift. When diagnosed with cancer, I began journaling to sort out my thoughts through which occurred a fusion of body and mind with spirit. Realizing there is a finite amount of time in which to make a difference in small but significant ways.

  

What are you working on currently? 

Writing my memoir, creating hearts and inventing ways that Hide A Heart inspires people to express affection.

  

Is there one particular thing that you do that ushers you into a place of worship?

I live deliberately, practice good custody of my health and take daily notice of the beauty in the world God created.

Sacred vs. Scared –same letters, two different outcomes.  Your thoughts? 

For me being scared is the catalyst that often creates another way having faith can lead to the sacred.  It is an opportunity to redirect fear into introspection, and positive outcome that enriches my journey of life.  

Favorite Quote?

“Nothing is impossible. The very word says, ‘I’m Possible’! Audrey Hepburn

“Linger” Question- food for thought to leave with the readers 

My recent realization is that all our experiences of loss while living life on earth is preparation for the ultimate loss of our earthly life and that everything we use, love and know here is only temporarily borrowed.

 CLICK HERE to purchase the e-book of this Interview series for $4.99

Rain Down Love

Love Rain Down

Sometimes the rain arrives

at just the right time

a basket filled with comfort

poured down on me...

washing over me...

cleansing

the sadness

healing 

the hurts

righting

the wrongs

Details:

7x10

Altered Book Page

Mixed Media Art

Original

surprise original on the back

 watercolor/acrylic paint/pen and ink

Words:

 hope... future

"God is raining down his love on me"

$20

The Path Opened Before Her...

The Path Opened Before Her...

The time had come

and her heart was open

to let less fear

stop her movement forward...

Details:

7x9

Altered book page

mixed media

watercolor, acrylic paint, ephemera, india ink

Original

surprise original on the back

CLICK HERE to purchase

Nobody Talks about the The Let Down of Creativity

Linger Question: 

Are you ready for the let down that happens at the end of a project? 

Find more of my work CLICK HERE

 

The Girl is a Warrior

Gentle Warrior 

She has been to the hard spaces of her life

and the decision to begin again

the mistakes do not define her

but indeed they do shape her

BUT

she gets to decide how...

Details: 

7x9

Mixed Media

altered book page

Original

with a surprise original on the back
$20
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE

Created with acrylic paint, ink, pen, watercolor

Comes with certificate of authenticity

Seasons Change

Seasons Change 6x9

Her heart could sense the change in season

She felt the hesitation

But she took a deep breath

Sensed the need for the change

and stood in the fullness of 

who she knew she could be

Details:

6x9

Altered book page

Original

the backside has a SURPRISE original for you

pen/pencil

scrapbook paper

watercolor

gessoed to preserve the beauty

$10
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE

Artist Spotlight: Beth Morey

Art link

Art Link

Art Link

About the Artist:

"I am a self-taught mixed media artist, creating whimsical pieces that whisper truths about ourselves that we may have forgotten. I love to make art because it heals me, and because bringing beautiful things into the world is fun. I try to let my art be honest. Girls with blue hair seem to appear at the end of my paintbrush remarkably often."

http://www.bethmorey.com

 

Ready to See More Beauty in Your Life?

Find more of my work CLICK HERE

 

The Dreams of an Authentic Girl

Elevated Girl 9x12 on Watercolor

She is the girl with the

dreams in her heart

and the 

stars in her eyes

she holds on to who she knows she is

on the inside

and moves deeper into it

every day

Now available on Etsy: CLICK HERE

Milestones

This has been a whirlwind of activities over the past 3 weeks.  Decisions were made and celebrations happened.  The highs and lows of time that has passed and sins forgiven and things that could have caused our demise turned into good. Jesus talks about living waters that flow so freely when you trust that the mistakes you make are not the end of the story.

I am beginning to feel a deepening in the "why" of the tasks I take on, the connections I have made and continue to make. The mystery is lifting and I am settling into the me that I am meant to be.

Find more of my work CLICK HERE