Category Archives: Artistic journeys

Exploring Painting through Video

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My heart and soul have been surprised over and over again, with every work of art I explore. ~ Kathleen Carrillo 

ThePaintingExperience.com claims that “if you can hold a brush, you can paint.” Fair enough – you may not be able to create a museum quality piece, but there is no reason why anyone who desires it, can’t try it. 

A short video from http://www.thepaintingexperience.com explores the therapeutic value of “dabbling with art” or experimentation with painting. The video makes a powerful statement for seizing the moment and allowing your heart to lead the way through color, shapes and forms put to canvas. To watch the video, please go to this link.  http://bit.ly/VulI01.  

life paint and passionThinking you’d like to try your hand at some kind of art, is a positive first step. Smart people learn to follow their intuition. Art creation, of any kind, provides a wonderful outlet for our translating our emotions and our thoughts into imagery whether it is through music, film, words, dance, theatre, or any other kind of art or craft. 

Not every community, such as the town of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, has imaginative businesses like Splatz Canvas and Wine, providing space, instruction and all the art supplies needed, so you can just dabble. An alternative –  in-home art workshops, brought to you digitally, is also useful. Learn more about www.thepaintingexperience.com through their website. 

artistically speakingThanks to artist Sheryl Allen http://smallbizbiglife.com/ for sending me information for today’s blog. Earlier in the week,  she contacted me as a result of a blog posting on All Things Fulfilling about Splatz Canvas and Wine. She’s been on a blog radio show called, Artistically Speaking http://bit.ly/VocrmJ.

Visit us tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling, where sharing independent thoughts, words and views is all part of the business. This blog is brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Using a Blog as Vision Board

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“Never mind searching for who you are. Search for the person you aspire to be.” ~Robert Brault

Yesterday I discovered All Things Fulfilling was featured once again on author Mara Purl’s blog. http://bit.ly/11hneiN. Purl had this to say about the content that we post on this site. “Just one glance at Sue’s extensive, multi-faceted, eclectic and intriguing blog will demonstrate she actually practices the fulfillment she talks about.” 

I would agree with Purl’s assessment of this blog; the subject matter is always a little different. I write about what is  in my heart on a daily basis. We all find enjoyment in different things in our lives, so I try use my intuition to steer me in knowing what others might find appealing and interesting in the arts and humanities field. Perhaps All Things Fulfilling could be described as my vision board for committing to and exploring possibilities for creating a lifestyle filled with heart and soul.   I use my emotional energy to help others follow their hearts desires to do what makes them happy in their careers and find personal fulfillment in their personal lives.

Mara Purl’s fictional characters in her Milford-Haven books, are people who have decided to think outside the box and create a life that is uniquely suited to their personalities and interests. I like that, Purl’s characters “sit right with me.”Click for the Milford Haven Novels ink pen with heart

So, I’m going to put Purl’s next (3rd) Milford-Haven novel on my vision board, and I’ll let you know when it is available.

Did you know Mara Purl is now a national best selling author of women’s fiction? Visit us tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling.This blog is brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard, author of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Keeping Art In Perspective

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Art allows us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time. ~ Thomas Merton 

I chuckled to myself yesterday. Why is it that when we parents ask our children, no matter what age they are, what they are doing they always reply with a pat answer of “nothin’?” 

The other day,  I checked in on my son’s blog. I found he ‘s not coming clean with me. He posted his year in review and quite to the contrary, he’s been one busy young creative. And he forgot to mention in his list of accomplishments that he also has a fulltime job and sometimes teaches his craft of independent filmmaking, too.  http://bit.ly/VnC0EZ.

Since he can take a good ribbin’ all in good humor, I am going to make a request of him for the coming year. I am going to ask him to every once in a while, take a deep breath, relax, and do exactly what he tells me he is doing – nothin’! 

We all tend to overextend ourselves in this fast paced world and sometimes need to practice the art of relaxation. There is a good article posted by rowdykittens.com about the importance of putting our feet up and doing something just for ourselves. http://bit.ly/WIf4wY . 

It’s wise to set aside a little time weekly, just to BE, and that means something different to each of us. I guess, right now it is my time to BE a mother speaking. 

art is part of lifeAs the parent of an artist, I need to remember,  for my son’s sake, there is not much distinction between working at his profession, and doing something pleasurable. Both bring inspiration and joy.  It is all part of living a fulfilling life.

Namaste, my son, I bow to you for all that you do!

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com

Searching for Creative Outlets?

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“Anyone can dabble, but once you’ve made that commitment, your blood has a particular thing in it, and it’s very hard for people to stop you.” ~ Bill Cosby 

Ever thought you’d like to explore painting but never had the gumption or confidence to try it? Or have you hesitated because you don’t want to invest in all the “gear” that comes with it, in case it ends up not really being your thing? No way to know if you will like it, unless you give it a whirl. 

What is becoming a new concept in entertainment, creativity and socializing in other places has now arrived in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Splatz Canvas and Wine is an imaginative business that provides opportunity for people to stop in and dabble. People may not have aspirations of becoming the next Picasso or Monet, but it gives them the chance to have fun with a group of friends exploring a new hobby together. 

paint partySplatz Canvas and Wine provides the instructor, the canvas, paint, easels and all the other art supplies needed to create a painting that is uniquely yours. Organize a girls night out party, birthday parties for children or adults, corporate parties or enjoy a different kind of date night at Splatz. The older set (over 21 years of age) can order up a glass of wine and along with munchies. 

There are millions of people worldwide, who find personal fulfillment in painting and other art either as a hobby or as a career. Splatz Canvas and Wine provides a space to discover what people find so satisfying in creating images to hang on the wall. 

Now you can create, socialize and paint at Splatz Canvas and Wine in the ‘Boat!

Visit us tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling, where sharing independent thoughts, words and views is all part of the business. This blog is brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

The Art of Meandering

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“Wondering is healthy. Broadens the mind. Opens you up to all sorts of stray thoughts and possiblities.” ~ Charles deLint 

Have you ever walked as a way to help sort out your thoughts? I find fulfillment in using it as a method of putting things in perspective.  Far too often, however, my objectives also include giving myself a cardio workout, so I move at a very brisk pace. 

 One day as I walked this past summer, I was behind “a slow poke.” I proceeded to pass the woman. I reached my endpoint, turned around to go back home and passed her again going in the other direction. As I zoomed by her, she remarked to me that I sure walk fast, and that she was impressed. 

walking in waterWalking at a fast pace is all well and good but my thinking tries to keeps pace, so it is hard to quiet my mind when I move along too quickly. There is value in letting our thoughts wander, roam and journey off the beaten path. 

Since my goals for walking are not to lose weight, I need to practice the art of  meandering. I have made a deal with myself that a couple of days a week I will: 

Go on a meditative walk

Be more focused on observing the surroundings

Imagine a personal paradise and escape to  it 

 Marcel Proust says “the only paradise is the paradise of lost.” I interpret that to mean being lost in our dreams, imaginations and thoughts. That kind of oasis can be found by all of us, if we allow it. 

If you were to write a book  about your personal utopia, what would it look like? Do you think you will ever find it? How?

Visit us tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling, where sharing independent thoughts, words and views is all part of the business. This blog is brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Scholars Singing a Cappella

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“Everyday we should hear at least one little song, read one good poem, see one exquisite picture and if possible, speak a few sensible words.” ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe  

On Friday night, my husband and I attended a delightful performance at Colorado Mountain College http://bit.ly/WwAT4i that had me grinning from ear to ear.  One of the top ten male collegiate a capella groups in the country, the Buffoons from the University of Colorado, Boulder, traveled to Steamboat and entertained a nearly-packed house. 

CU BuffoonsAlthough the young men in the group have very diverse educational interests, their melodic voices could not have been more harmonious. The camaraderie they share through their love of music and entertaining was very apparent. They really clicked as a group, and each one of their finely-tuned voices, was important to the overall effect. 

Each year, the choral group is, in part, replaced with new talent, as some of the singers graduate from college. The repertoire of songs is assorted, some tunes have been sung for years, while others are more contemporary, which adds appeal to audiences from different generations and musical interests. The Buffoons perform at approximately 60 venues annually. 

The a cappella group was founded fifty years ago, by Dr. Oakleigh “Oak” Thorne, the musical director of YaleUniversity’s choral group the Yale Wiffenpoofs. Thorne moved to the Denver area to pursue his PhD in Biology at CU. 

 To read more about the Buffoons and the current roster of singers, visit this link http://bit.ly/UZPofR . Information about  their independently published DVD’s is also available on their website. 

To listen to a two minute You Tube video of the vocal group performing, please go to this link http://bit.ly/XSgLeb.

Thank you to the sponsors: Emerald City Opera http://bit.ly/W9i49D, Ski Haus http://bit.ly/13THStA, Steamboat Resort http://bit.ly/WjLiAB, and Colorado Mountain College http://bit.ly/UckN1r  for bringing the talented Buffoons from the University of Colorado to town! It was a lively, fun night.

Look forward to visiting with you, our readers, tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling – where sharing independent thoughts, words and views is all part of the business; I hope you’ll join us. This blog brought to you from www.cornerstonefulfillmentservice.com

 

 

 

A “Tweek” to a Word Brings Response

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On Tuesday we had the first meeting of the year for our meet-up group, We Write Steamboat (formerly SHe Writes Steamboat). A decision was made at the end of last year to change the name of our group to encourage more male authors/publishers to participate in this monthly networking opportunity for independent publishers in Steamboat and Routt County, Colorado. 

Guess what? A little “tweek” to a word, brought more male writers to the group. They outnumbered the women, this month. Although we have had male independent publishers attend since the inception of the group, almost two years ago, our goal for the year is to welcome even more. 

EreaderprintThe town of Steamboat Springs and the surrounding Routt County has many writers who are drawn to this area for its inspiring landscape, recreational opportunity and an alternative lifestyle. Creativity, artistry and innovation in this town draw many location neutral businesses. With the development of digital technology, business for some people can be accomplished from anywhere. Living in an urban hub like New York, because you are a publisher, is no longer necessary with the ability to send files and images electronically. The new option of e-book publishing requires no shipping or printing companies.

Feel free to look at the files for our authors we have set up on our We Write Steamboat Facebook page. http://on.fb.me/W7aadC. Check out the diversity of subjects, we Steamboat independent publishers have written about. Our group has award-winning authors with award winning books; some have books in print and others have e-book publications. Some are available in several formats. 

It is going to be a good year for our group, I can just feel it. We Write Steamboat has more publications that are in various stages of production that will be added to the files on Facebook as they are completed.

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFufillmentService.com.

Crossing Mountains to Get There

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“Nobody trips over mountains. It is the small pebble that causes you to stumble. Pass all the pebbles in your path and you will find you have crossed the mountain. “ ~Author Unknown

event-sundance-filmThe Sundance Film Festival is on my mind this week. If you have been to Park City, Utah, the venue of this independent film festival, you know  the area is surrounded by the beauty of the Wasatch Mountains and the historic downtown is steep with artistic flair. The screening venues for the event, such as the Egyptian Theatre, entertained locals from the “rough and tumble days of exploration and active mining.”

The festival, founded by actor Robert Redford in 1981 brings together, every winter, scores of people who love independent films, as well as people who work in the industry. What began with 10 emerging filmmakers decades ago has grown and evolved into one of the most respected film-award contests in the country. To read more about the history of the Sundance Film Festival, please visit this link. http://bit.ly/VVfrFe.

A few of the many films that will be screened throughout the week are:

To read about other official slections, films that were juried into this festival, please visit http://www.sundance.org/

This morning, my husband and I would like to send a shout out  to our favorite filmmaker, who will be working very hard at the festival, behind the film camera. Hopefully, he will remember to take a few minutes to enjoy and take it all in! He deserves it, he’s successfully climbed mountains in his career field, since before high school, to get there! http://bit.ly/UJrK73.

Look forward to visiting with you, our readers, tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling – where sharing independent thoughts, words and views is all part of the business; I hope you’ll join us. This blog brought to you from Sue Batton Leonard, author of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and www.cornerstonefulfillmentservice.com.

Individual Expression

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“Some days there won’t be a song in your heart. Sing anyway.”
Emory Austin 

In the January/February issue of Art of the West Magazine, there is an article by artist, Logan Maxwell Hagege, called My Voice is Coming Through. Hagege’s interests in art began in animation, but they eventually turned to fine art. Yet, the influence and his previous experience with animation can be seen to a certain extent, in his paintings. Many of his paintings reflect a southwest environment, but there is also a collection of paintings depicting the northeastern part of the country that truly reflect everyday life on the water. To see Hagege’s website, follow this link. http://bit.ly/Rv5ukg. 

We pick up cultural and societal influences throughout our lives –  in our travels, and through our encounters with people.  Reading the title of Hagege’s article My Voice is Coming Through made me think of how our own voices are reflected in everything we create. Whether we are practicing the art of living through our relationships, writing, painting, making films, composing music, making jewelry or any other kind of art. In the end, our creations are a picture of our imaginations, thoughts and emotions. 

self-reflection-in-mirrorOur voices even come through in the children we raise, steer and mold. We hope some of our words of wisdom to our kids will be remembered and thought about. Sometimes our attitudes come echoing back to us through our offspring, and we regret some of the things we ever said! I don’t think there has ever been a parent who hasn’t experienced that. 

In this digital age, we create profiles of ourselves through the images and words we post on the internet. Be aware of that, and post appropriate content. Believe it or not, potential employers now look at the internet to see what they can find out about someone they might hire. 

Individual expression is one reason why people find using social media fulfilling, but make sure it truly reflects who you are and what you are all about. 

More independent thoughts, words and views from www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com   tomorrow!

Color and Creativity

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“The soul becomes dyed with the color of it’s thoughts.” ~ Marcus Aurelius 

I’ve often wondered what life looks like through the eyes of the colorblind.  So many aspects of our lives require making color choices.

Color choices even affects our attitudes and dispositions, helping us to feel as if we can conquer the world or not. Try wearing all black one day and the next day wear fuchsia, orange or brilliant red. Wearing bright colors puts extra spring in our steps. 

Colors of LifeI know two men who are color blind. Evidently, the male chromosome make-up is more susceptible to this condition. Here is an article explaining why this is so. http://bit.ly/ZSMqRL. 

Are the brains of color-challenged people wired with enhanced creative thinking skills to make up for their inability to see color? Or are their  imaginations stymied because they can not see color? I came across this interesting article about being a color-blind artist.http://bit.ly/Zx2Cag.

The Huffington Post cites green as a color that “sparks inventiveness.” http://huff.to/Wjc5v2 . Perhaps the reason the Green Mountains of Vermont draws their fare share of artists and writers. Gorgeous, lush green, including the most wonderful perennial gardens, provide inspiration from nature. 

But, let’s face it, beautiful landscapes whether they are forests, seashores, wide open vistas in the plains, craggy rocks and other unique earth formations provide artistic stimulation. 

What colors and sights bring the greatest fulfillment to your eyes and spirit?

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.