Category Archives: art curriculum

Clearing the Way

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“The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.” ~ Pablo Picasso

Are you person who has always had an artistic calling, yet you have never pursued your passion in earnest? You are not alone. There are many people, for various reasons, who have had to travel down other career paths feeling they have not fulfilled their God-given talents.

Matt Tommey book1The book Unlocking the Heart of the Artist: Practical Guide to Fulfilling Your Creative Call as an Artist in the Kingdom speaks to this issue for the new generation of people who seek personal fulfillment as a priority in their lives. He invites others to live fully, doing what makes them happy, and to become “unstuck” by expressing themselves creatively.

The author, Matt Tommey, is a successful basket maker and art consultant from Asheville, North Carolina. His sensible messages to other artists, through his publications, helps clear the way of self-doubt by providing hope and insight to individuals who wish to thrive and become fulltime artists. His book Crafting your Brand: Simple Strategies for Cultivating a Successful Creative Career, is also a good resource for anyone who wants to pursue their calling.

A well-rounded artist, Matt Tommey,  makes a living in a combination of ways, also offering workshops on the craft of basketry. To learn more about his workshops,  how to order these publications and to see his website,  http://bit.ly/1bpQhI9 .

Do return tomorrow for Film Friday, we will be featuring a film that is soon to be released that plays well into our recent topics of writing on All Things Fulfilling. This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Social Entrepreneurs

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“Being successful and fulfilling your life’s purpose are not at all the same thing…” ~ Rick Warren

There is an NGO that All Things Fulfilling has been following for a few years called the BOMA project: Prosperity with Dignity. The BOMA Project has lifted North Kenyan women out of poverty by giving them entrepreneurial skills so they can help them selves. If you missed our previous blogs about the mission of this organization, please visit these links.

The founder of the BOMA Project, Kathleen Colson of Dorset, Vermont has been selected as a Rainer Arnhold Fellow. This prestigious fellowship is awarded yearly and it “is offered to 16-20 social entrepreneurs around the world who have promising solutions to the biggest problems that face developing nations.” 

Kathleen Colson1Colson’s vision and spirit, along with the partnerships she has fostered has lead to educational opportunity, advocacy, economic empowerment, leadership and training for women in a part of the world where poverty is widespread.

Today, I would simply like to say Congratulations to Colson and her “team” of people who have been so successful in lifting up 28,000 women and children out of extreme poverty by helping to launch 1380 micro-enterprises in Northern Kenya. The income and savings from the businesses are used to support 23,340 children and 4,668 adults. This group is just one of many NGO’s that have had fulfilling results in helping people in impoverished countries.

To learn more about the BOMA Project’s mission and accomplishments, there are several You Tube videos on the Boma Project Channel. http://bit.ly/1cvIz2d . Check them out.

In the future, I would like to highlight social entrepreneurship here in America on All Things Fulfilling. Please send me suggestions of undiscovered, worthy candidates who have done much to empower women in the U.S.A.  but have not yet reached celebrity spotlight status.

All Things Fulfilling is brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com, a company specializing in e-commerce and e-marketing for independent publishers.

Life and Comfort Zones

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“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” ~ Neale Walsh

All week we have focused on women using their own unique spirits and gifts to find success and bring personal fulfillment to their lives. Sometimes it takes courage to dig deep to identify and use the skills we innately have for the benefit of others.

I just signed up to do something that scares the bejesus out of me. In the past, just the thought of it, has been one of my biggest fears in life. I know I can do it. I have found inspiration and accomplished it many times before, and each time, it gets easier. So, I am stepping out of my comfort zone and moving full steam ahead to confront this “thing” head on, for good, once and for all, so it will become a non-issue in my life.

comfort zone picture

I’ve got a plan of action, and in order to accomplish it, this “thing” that makes me uncomfortable needs to become second nature in order for me to successfully go about fulfilling my dreams and sharing it with others. I’ll keep you posted in coming weeks of my progress and tell you what helped me to know I have what I need inside already.

accomplishment

Just writing my thoughts down for good measure and sayin,’ so, now I can move forward …..

Do return on Monday to All Things Fulfilling. The space where independent thoughts, words and views are all part of the business. This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Wholesome Balance

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It ain’t the clothes that make the cowgirl, it’s the attitude and the heart. ~Unknown

Yesterday’s blog writing was about a cowgirl artist. If you didn’t read the article, scroll down and check it out.  Donna Howell-Sickles’ brand of art is fun, and it captures an active way of life, along with a unique fashion style which is popular around many Western states. For gals who have roots in the Wild West, most would probably say they love Western living and find contentment in it.

I came across a blog the other day with interesting reading. Mind ~Body~ Spirit of a Cowgirl: Where Western Meets Wellness is a good resource for women who take living “authentically” seriously; where mind, body and spirit are balanced. Mind you, women living in concert with their souls can be found anywhere, not just west of the Mississippi. We carry our hearts with us wherever we go, and it is up to us to nurture our whole beings with all things fulfilling.

There is something for everyone to explore on freelance writer, Genevieve’s website,http://bit.ly/15KK5YO  including fashion and beauty products and tips for finding inner peace. I particularly like the traditional recipes which focus on healthier ways of fixing them with more wholesome ingredients, which support active lifestyles.

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Image above: Artist Unknown

Do return tomorrow to All Things Fulfilling, the space where independent thoughts, words and views are all part of the business. This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com .

More than a Picture

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To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone and a funnybone. -Reba McEntire

I walked into the Steamboat Art Museum http://www.steamboatartmuseum.com/  during the First Friday Art Walk not knowing what to expect of the Cowgirl Art exhibit, I was about to see. I was immediately drawn into the large scale images of Donna Howell-Sickles. Besides the wonderful use of bold color, the spirit of the images attracted me.

Donna-Howell-SicklesStrong women living larger than life  and a love of all things Western is depicted in each of the artist’s images. The work of this Texas artist from St. Jo, are highly recognizable branded images which she has worked to perfect since she was in college. Her art all came about after seeing a 1930’s vintage postcard that made its mark on her psyche. Her dreams of becoming a notable artist have been fulfilled. Her original paintings are in the NationalCowgirlMuseum and Hall of Fame and in prestigious galleries and major museums. Her art has been featured in Southwest Art Magazine.  http://bit.ly/16i0va6.

Cowgirl Rising bookThe exhibition at the SteamboatArt Museum runs until October 13, 2013. Do stop by to see it, and visit the gallery store, next door. Donna Howell-Sickles’ prints, note cards, an independently published book “Cowgirl Rising,” and a stylish neckerchief with her images are available for purchase. Other gift items, such as jewelry, dishware, teeshirts and purses which incorporate her brand images are available on her website. http://www.donnahowellsickles.com/. Click for info & ordering

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com. Do return to All Things Fulfilling tomorrow!

Meeting Needs, Circuitously

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“I’m conscious of a series of circles working its way through my life.” ~ Ben Okri

Circle-Of-Life-(Small)

Image above: Artist Nathalie Parenteau

There has been a certain synchronicity lately on All Things Fulfilling around the theme of building things – building stone walls and memorials, building a beautiful home and family, building business through our passions, building meaningful relationships between people and community.

If you read yesterday’s blog called “Riding the Circuit,” there was a bit of self-deprecating humor over searching for answers to what the term “circuit rider” means. Here is a continuation of my story.

As a first time visitor, I opened the red doors to the tiny UnitedMethodistChurch on TaylorsIsland with quiet trepidation, and with much curiosity about what this “circuit rider” my mother spoke of might look like. I imagined someone in the pews would be wearing a cowboy hat, since that is what I had grown accustomed to seeing on Sunday mornings as I entered the UMC in Steamboat, Colorado. From my relatively new Western point of reference, in my mind a circuit rider is a cowboy who rides the rodeo circuit.  

In I entered. I sat in a pew behind a small group of people who turned, smiled warmly and said “Good morning, welcome!” 

“No cowboy hats in this crowd, East coast dress code” I thought. I sat quietly and reverently listening to small town conversation around me. Finally, someone remarked that “the Reverend must be running late.”

“No big deal,” I thought. I was used to people running late, in places where people recreate (in vacation places like shore towns and ski resorts) people have more laid back attitudes, and seem to run on their own time clocks. 

Finally, in the Reverend walked. What I came to find out after the powerful, inspirational sermon he delivered was that the “Rev ” is the “circuit rider” my mother talked about. He goes around fulfilling  the spiritual needs of people at four services, at four different churches on Sunday mornings. That’s why he is called a circuit rider! To read more about this preacher’s life, please visit this article. http://delmarvane.ws/1bqWxTq. This minister has been serving people for almost sixty-six years helping to build one-on-one relationships between people and God, in different communities.

Tomorrow, a shorter blog. I promise! This blog is brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

 

 

Gift of an Angel

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a life lived There is a blog that I encountered over the weekend that I feel deserves very special attention. I hope you will take the time to visit it because it is filled with beautiful images and a beautiful story. It is written by a mom, who was given a gift from God, and out of her realization of what that gift has meant to her, she has created an inspiring and peaceful space on the world-wide-web. It is a place where people can perhaps come to terms with the challenges that they face in their lives and maybe put things in perspective about finding personal fulfillment.

Laughing with Angels is about finding loveliness in the home and family. Artful living.  ‘Nuff said. I hope you will take the time to visit the site, and please read what inspired the name of the blog, Laughing with Angels. http://bit.ly/13Fc0JI.

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com. Have a great day, everybody. Please return tomorrow for more of All Things Fulfilling!

Stone Preservation

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“We can throw stones, complain about them, stumble on them or build with them.” ~ William Arthur Ward

Beautiful stone creations with historical value – things to preserve rather than destroy. Building with stone goes back centuries. Along with our culture’s growing passion for geneology, there has been an increasing interest in the art of preserving stone monuments and markers in America. Even the finest historical markers and structures made of rock, like cathedrals, churches, castles, bridges and roads need attention because their integrity becomes compromised due to land development, weather, neglect, acid rain and vandalism.

Jonathan Appel, is a stone conservator who has been working in graveyards to preserve monuments and markers in Civil War areas, such as in Frederick, Maryland. http://bit.ly/18ApKGI. Finding fulfillment in preserving our country’s history on holy grounds, he trains others to become monument conservators through workshops.

Last weeks blog about the building of rock sculptures for a unique, personal reason left me feeling uplifted, because one man’s efforts became an community building event. stone_sculptor_at_workOut of all the statues, obelisks, monoliths, pillars and plaques that have been created to memorialize the spirit of beings, all over the world,  I hope an overwhelming number of them have been placed to remember positive spirits who have existed on earth.

If you did not read the blog or watch the video about community efforts to support a grieving man and his art, visit this link. It’s an interesting story. Let me know what you think. http://bit.ly/145b3xc

Please return to All Things Fulfilling tomorrow for more independent thoughts, words and views from www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com . Our blog tomorrow is about a special angel and how that angel has inspired a blog that I believe deserves special mention for it’s beauty.

Film Friday: The Way, Way Back

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“To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly.” –Henri Bergson

Coming of Age Stories:
• Protagonist undergoes growth and transformation
• Transitions into adulthood – emotionally, physically, morally
• Presents key ideas and themes that follow throughout the book or film
• Story told through a voice or point of view that affects the story or makes the viewer or reader sympathetic toward characters.
• Opening scene usually sets the stage for the story. Turning points have significance to the conclusions.
• Are honest and moving.

way_way_back_xlg-691x1024There is a recently released film that has been said to contain all of the needed characteristics of good coming of age movies. The Way, Way Back is a top pick for summer movies. This is a story about human relationships in a day and age when  there are few standard definitions of “family.” A brother and sister uprooted by divorce, and displaced to a New England seaside town of the mother’s boyfriend is the basic story. How the siblings handle loss and change, are all part of this coming of age story.Click for info and ordering The Way, Way Back

To read Leonard Maltin’s review of this movie on Indie Wire, please follow this link. http://bit.ly/12HnPeQ . According to Maltin, this is a not to be missed movie. LA Times film critic, Betsy Sharkey, has also given rave reviews to The Way, Way Back.

To see where this movie is making its debut in theatres near you, please follow this link. http://bit.ly/11GxiYU. Brought to you by the same studio that produced Little Miss Sunshine and Juno!

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com. Happy Film Friday, everyone. Do return to All Things Fulfilling on Monday.

Rock Art a Healing Medium

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Making art is like giving a gift: evidence of your spirit and that you are here.” ~Patty Mitchell

Ok, so it’s not a National news story, but, it is significant to me. The short and long of the narrative goes like this….one man, stricken with grief over the death of his dog decided to make rock art to relieve his pain and sorrow. His creations brought community together, and they joined in the action so many were touched by his story. The artist’s work was then destroyed by someone who didn’t like it.

Bondville VermontDoesn’t quite seem fair, does it? The rock art sculptures, all one hundred or so of them, took delicate balance, patience and vision to build in the middle of a tributary of the WestRiver, in the small town of Bondville at the base of StrattonMountain, where I resided for almost thirty years.  The “stone forest” was not bothering nary a soul, just healing someone who needed it, yet the art was raked over like coals.

Once again, the community is gathering to support the rock artist and to do something about helping him rebuild his life through his art.

Want to learn more about this story of personal fulfillment, spirituality, community and what some see as a grave injustice? Watch this video and tell me whether you think the rock sculptures were offensive. I welcome your comments.

To view the video: http://bit.ly/1axocOu.

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