An owl coin-purse my friend Jenn gave me

In the past year I have started a collection of owls. I don't know how it got started but I am now in the thick of owl collecting. I've recently moved and can't wait to get my own place so I can cover the walls with my owls. It's going to look so cool! I know that owls have been trendy in crafts and jewelry this year but I can't find where it started. Does anyone know how owls became so fashionable?

vintage owl painting

While looking for the symbolism of owls I found a particularly good description from here,

"The Owl is the bringer of wisdom. The all-seeing owl possesses supernatural qualities and is often associated with intuition, clairvoyance and clairaudience. The Owl’s energy is at its peak in the very heart of darkness. When we are plunged into blindness and disorientation. He penetrates the darkness of the blackest night. Seeing and hearing that which others cannot."

I found this vintage owl at St. Vincent De Paul for 25 cents

I am in such transition at the moment and truly don't know what this year will bring. How awesome to have a symbol in my life that can find it's way in darkness and blindness! That knows where to go when it can't see the way!

The article goes on to say that,

"If the owl is calling you, or you are aware of the owl being present in your life, dreaming or waking.
You are being called upon to open your eyes, ears and mind to the truth of a situation. To listen to the wisdom deep in your heart and soul. That still small voice is trying to reach you in some way. To assist you or help you in a current challenge you may be facing. 

Tap into the power of the Owl by calling on your own intuition, listen to your own wisdom for there is something you need to see or hear. As the owl is so strongly associated with the night time, his wisdom may come to you while you slumber. So take the time to be aware of your dreams or make a special effort to remember and write down any important dreams you have. The Owl is a messenger that can bring clarity and illumination. "

Affirmation:

I open my heart and soul to the truth.
And ask that my life’s journey be illuminated before me,
I ask for the wisdom to see. 
Even in the darkness of life’s challenges.
And the ability to manifest my true path.

excerpted from Universal Psychic Guild

This was a xmas present purchased from Etsy

Check out My Owl Barn if you love owls like I do.

Find your own spirit animal.

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Do you collect a certain animal? How do you feel about spirit animals? 

 Lately I've been having a hard time with my circular thinking. I'll start ruminating on the changes that have occurred in my life over the past year, asking myself over and over, "what's next? what do I do now?" Getting diagnosed with arthritis, leaving teaching middle school, the end of my 3-year relationship and now moving back to Michigan has really shaken up my ideas for the future and I find that I can't turn my mind off, even when it would be better if I could. I've been looking for a way to break the cycle of angry, negative thoughts and wondering, worrying and focusing on the unknown. 

Last week I went with my mother to her church for a Lent activity. We made Episcopal prayer beads  with the women of the church and learned about using prayer beads and different prayers. I was really interested in learning about the many religions and prayers that people use with prayer beads but what really caught my attention was that many people use them to stop their worrying. The workshop teacher told us that when she can't sleep she would just repeat "All is well" with each bead over and over to quiet her mind.

The prayer beads I made at church.

As we strung the beads we learned the significance of each one. There are 33 beads on the line, one for every year of Christ's life. They are split into four groups of seven, for the calendar and the seasons and most prayers are prayed to the right three times around for the trinity. Since I have a very liberal belief system I was interested in learning about other spiritual prayer bead practices. I found several links online to prayer beads for many different belief systems. There are feminine divine prayer beads, spirit/totem animal beads, Wiccan prayer beads, Celtic prayer beads, Hindu, Islamic and Christian prayer beads. I am amazed at how many different ways you can use these beads. I was also rereading Eat, Pray Love and realized the author speaks of these beads in the prologue to her book.

We were inspired to make some more prayer beads.

So we made them from clay (below.)

 We made them with felted wool (below.)

We made them with paper-mache (below.)

We haven't sanded and painted the paper yet.

I'm finding beading to be a good way to focus my mind instead of fixating on the fact that I'm not very comfortable with the changes happening in my life.

I even found that as I was knitting in the round I would be thinking the different prayer bead sayings I've learned. I'm working on a cowl so as I knit around and around I was thinking in circles in a completely productive way. 

My knit cowl in progress.

 I'm trying hard not to focus on what I've lost but what I've learned and to start new repetitions.

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Are there circles in your life?

What do you do to break out of negative fixations?

photo by Jon Brown

This week's Dream Circle participant is Anna-Marie Still, a talented artist whose unique stretched denim canvases had me captivated from the second I checked out her blog. You can purchase her gorgeous paintings and hand-made journals (which are drool-worthy to art journalers like me) at her Etsy shop. You can find Anna-Marie on facebook and twitter and on www.crescendoh.com the week of March 14^th.

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Can you share a story about being afraid and doing it anyway?

Fresh in my mind is one of my 2010 intentions… "my personal art/painting will be my primary artistic/business focus" .  For the past 7 years, I’ve been teaching art workshops all over the country with no focus on my personal art.  To step back from that a bit and find the balance is scarier than you might think.  I was comfortable in my habit patterns, my status and my finances, but I realized that everything I was creating was for a class or a workshop and that I was only feeding off of my students energy & excitement.  There’s a reason that the stewardess on a plane tells you to put your oxygen mask on first before helping someone else.  To make the choice to shift and feed my own soul first through my personal artwork and then release it out to inspire others, clearly is the right choice, but it was still scary to take those first few steps toward it, and is still a bit scary as I find my footing while I’m learning to balance it out.        

Emerging Lotus Series by Anna-Marie Still 

Can you tell about taking a chance and how it worked out?

I truly believe that if you trust your heart, as risky as it may seem, it will always work out.  Taking a chance in my 2010 intentions, as described above, seemed very risky to me.  I’ve always been a risk taker, but this one in particular seemed really hard to step into, as I had to let go of something in order to move forward.  It’s always hardest when you have to let something go in order to take a chance because there’s no turning back. 

However, when I mustered the boldness to let go, and I took those first steps, opportunities started cropping up for me that line up with my new focus.  I’ve got 5 paintings in an Exhibit this month to raise awareness for domestic violence and I’ll be painting “live” in an Art-A-Thon for Haiti with my paintings being auctioned off for the cause.  To have my first events come so quickly and be so strong in purpose further solidifies that I am on the path I belong and each step is easier than the last.         

Could you please share a story about the unexpected moment of synchronicity?

mmm…I’ve got a good one.  When our second child was born, I was feeling as though “the powers that be” were telling me to sell my mail order baby products business.  Initially, it made no sense as it was those very same “voices” that had guided me to start my business only 2 years earlier.  Around that time, I got an email from a woman who was complementing me on my products, and I heard a voice say “offer her the business”.   Mind you, this woman made no indication that she wanted anything to do with my business and I had no idea that she was capable of sewing and manufacturing all the items I carried.  Although it made no sense, and I felt like she might think I was a crackpot, I asked her to call me.  When she did, I said “you may think this sounds crazy, but I feel like I’m supposed to offer you the opportunity to purchase my business”.  She said, “I don’t think it’s crazy at all, I’ve been praying for something like this to come along”.  The whole transaction was quick, smooth & pleasant and she is still running the business today!       

To me, stories of synchronicity are extremely powerful as they are evidence that allowing yourself to be guided by “the powers that be”, even when you don’t understand it, will always nudge you in the right direction.  I can look back over my journey and see how all the little bits along the way have come together and now help me in what I am doing right at this moment.

Artwork by Anna-Marie Still

How do you feel about dreaming BIG?

I’ve always been a BIG dreamer.  It’s always been an essential part of who I am.  My downfall with dreaming big, however, is that I’m so good at it that sometimes I’m content to let those dreams live in my head only.  I think that sometimes, because they are so vivid and fleshed out in my mind, I’m content with them right there and I don’t push myself to manifest them outward as quickly as I should.

I recently took the Mondo Beyondo course and learned the importance of making a clearing which in turn, helped me recognize this about myself.  Now that I recognize this tendency, I can call myself on the carpet and push myself to take action and manifest those dreams in a more timely manner.       

1993 watercolor by Anna-Marie Still 

How did you get started as a blogger and artist?

I started painting watercolors mostly in the early ‘90’s.  My boyfriend at the time bought me an art table and I just went at it.  Back then, however, there were not the means that there are today to promote oneself as an artist (i.e. no internet to reach out and meet gallery owners across the country, no blogs, no Etsy, etc) so my work just sat in piles.  Again, I think that is a perfect example of how my BIG dreams lived in my head.   I wanted to be a working artist, but didn’t know what the next step was, so I just let it live in my head.

In 2003, I became a demonstrator for a Rubber stamp and scrapbooking company which is what launched me into my role as workshop instructor traveling the country teaching to groups in size of 5 – 7,000.   In 2006, I was getting pretty burnt out from teaching and not taking time to feed my own creative needs and started exploring blogs on the internet which compelled me to start a blog of my own.  I was feeling the pull back then to do exactly what I have done this year and even blogged about it back then.  However, out of guilt to my workshop attendees and the company who had treated me so well, I let go of that urge back then, deleted all my blog posts referencing the pull I was feeling, and threw myself back into my teaching role.  That sustained me for a few more years, but as you can see, when something is meant to be, you really can only put it off for so long before it will resurface again. 

I wish I hadn’t deleted all those old blog posts as I think it would interesting to go back and re-read them now.  I think it’s important to be authentic on my blog and have found that as I crack myself open and let it all spill out in that space, that I definitely work through things much faster and my readers also enjoy the rawness & realness even though they may not always understand my sometimes cryptic posts.  It took me several years to find my blogging groove, but it was definitely worth it.

Can you tell us a little bit about your art and the role it plays in your daily life?

My blog mantra is Evoking Art Everyday.  I believe with all of my heart that it is vital for everyone to take a little bit of time each day to do something creative.  As a working artist, “it’s my job” so art is a HUGE part of my day…everyday.  That said, because it’s my job, I have to be careful that there is some “down time” art that simply feeds my soul.  This could be something as simple as making a project with my kids or knitting while watching tv or sketching while I’m waiting in the pickup line at school.

What led you to art? How does your art differ from other artists?

My mother was always artistic.  She always made every card she ever gave people.  She’d draw it out and color it and her penmanship is beautiful!  Looking back at it now, analytically, her artwork is not great by any means – however, what was great was her freedom in self expression and the joy it brought her.   I’m pretty sure that her approach to art is what compelled me to simply assume that I could pick up a paintbrush and be an artist and be comfortable with the fact that I am self-taught.  I was in my early 20’s, banged out a few paintings and I owned the fact that I was an artist. (crazy, right? who the heck did I think I was?)

I took an almost 20 year break from painting, just diving in again last year.  I work in mixed media nowadays and my style is very different, much more organic and free, at least it feels that way to me.  Instead of stretching canvas or using panel, I stretch recycled jeans as my canvas. That is my starting point, giving me a fresh & different perspective every time I begin a new piece. 

Make Your Mark Journals available here

What workshops are you currently teaching? Where can we sign up?

For the first time in 7 years, I actually do not have any classes/workshops on my calendar at the moment.  (Yikes!)  I’m in the process of setting my show/event schedule for the upcoming year and am hoping that a few teaching opportunities will present themselves as well. I truly love teaching art workshops and need the balance of having that type of interaction with other creative souls.  I am a motivator by nature so I couldn’t possibly let that go, I just need to balance it.

That said, in addition to focusing on my personal artwork, I have created an art journal with every artist in mind. Each “Make Your Mark Journal” is constructed by me. I take great care & pride in creating each one, knowing that it will be the perfect place for you to explore your own wildish soul. A comfortable place to dig deep and sing in your soul-voice as you “Evoke Art Everyday”.  My Make Your Mark Journals are available in my Etsy shop and I will also be featuring online art journaling tutorials on my blog in the coming weeks.  I’m really excited about sharing my art journaling techniques and inspiring others to dive in as well.        

Anything you would like us to know? Anything you would like to add?

Above all else, I encourage you to follow your heart and make a clearing for the things you dream of.  Your dreams will always be there, but that’s the point, THEY’LL ALWAYS BE THERE!  Even if you try to push them down, or simply let them live in your head, they will always be there, so take some time to get quiet with yourself and ask yourself, what do I need to do to step out into those dreams TODAY?  I can guarantee you, you probably won’t be 100% comfortable with the answer you get, however if you trust your heart you won’t be let down.  You can absolutely lead the life you want to lead and draw in the things you love, and push aside the things that hamper you.  While I have no regrets and embrace all that I have learned along the way, I wonder…where would I be in my artistic journey had I not pushed it aside for 20 years?  Your path will evolve as you allow it to, the beauty & longevity of the journey is up to you and you alone.

You can sign up for my Indigo Footprints Art E-Newsletter using the sign-up box in the upper right-hand corner of my blog. Indigo Footprints is an embodiment of both my personal mixed-media art and my instinctual need to inspire others to nurture their own creative souls. I have been teaching artist workshops in one form or another consistently for more than 7 years. Indigo Footprints declares accountability to not only “Evoke Art Everyday”, my blog mantra, but the importance of sharing that art with others.

I’ll be a guest curator on www.crescendoh.com the week of March 14^th.  Be sure to visit and read my Art Saves story and check out all the coolio inspirational links I’ll be sharing that week!

Thank you, Anna-Marie, for participating in this Dream Circle Interview. Your innovative artwork, unique mix of creativity and encouragement, and authentic writing are so inspiring!

If you are a blogger, artist, writer, crafty goddess or dreamer and would like to be featured in a Friday Dream Circle Interview, please contact me at katrinakniep@gmail.com. 

I got this story in my email inbox today with Christine Kane's awesome newsletter. Since it says you can share it, I thought I would.

Why Becoming an Imperfectionist Makes You Successful and Happy
by Christine Kane 

"Anything worth doing is worth doing badly."
~ Julia Cameron

How much stuff do you think about doing?

How many things would you love to try but stop yourself because you don't know how to begin?

Do you avoid projects because of the pressure to do them well?

If so, feel free to join me and some of my most successful friends in our exclusive club of very special and talented people:

We call ourselves the Imperfectionists!

What's an Imperfectionist?

• An Imperfectionist is often a recovering perfectionist.

• An Imperfectionist knows that getting something done is better than sitting back and waiting to do it perfectly.

• An Imperfectionist knows that being a Perfectionist is simply an excuse NOT to take action.

• An Imperfectionist congratulates herself for taking small steps.

• An Imperfectionist buys herself flowers when she accomplishes something - even if it's not quite up to her ego's high standards.

• An Imperfectionist knows that getting a scary thing done IS the reward. Not the kudos or adoration.

You Might Need to Become an Imperfectionist if…

• You tell yourself you need to get "just a little more information" before you'll try something.

• You have a case of the "Used-to-Be's." ("I used to be so good at this!" Or "I used to be so thin!" Or, "I used to write everyday and now look…")

• Your mantra to the world is: "I'm just so overwhelmed! There's too much to do! It's so hard to be me!"

• You call friends and co-workers to get sympathy for how hard it is to accomplish your goals and dreams. They often agree, citing how special you are because you have been given so much talent – and how it must be quite a burden.

• You spend more than one hour per day on Facebook, watching television, or not fully engaging in other addictive activities.

• At the end of every year, you wonder why you never seem to move any further towards your dreams.

• You are waiting for your POTENTIAL to finally kick in.

Why Becoming an Imperfectionist Makes You Successful and Happy

Being an Imperfectionist is an Intention.

When you become an Imperfectionist, you finally recognize your ego voice exactly for what it is: Your own personal Success Prevention Expert.

When you become an Imperfectionist, you finally realize how many Success Prevention Experts exist in the world.

When you become an Imperfectionist, you lower the bar – or better yet, remove it altogether. You can then create in the moment without any grade or standard. Ironically, this allows for such freedom and joy that you might end up doing a great job. (Or at least having a great time!)

When you become an Imperfectionist, you place your creative attention on the project or activity itself. You don't waste it on obsessing about the outcome. (This paradoxically leads to a higher chance of greatness, and a definite outcome of happiness!)

When you become an Imperfectionist, you get things done imperfectly. You then learn that you cantweak and fix and try again. This process makes you Unstoppable.

When you become an Imperfectionist, you finally understand that there are no mistakes. Just judgments.

Becoming an Imperfectionist doesn't mean you don't become a master of your craft or your passion- but that's not the starting goal.

How to Become an Imperfectionist

1 - Imperfectly pick one thing you keep telling yourself you want to do.

2 - If you read #1 and think, "I can't possibly pick just one! There's too many!" then do not proceeduntil you have picked just one.

3 - Get a timer, and set it to 55 minutes.

4 - Walk away from your computer right now and spend 55 minutes doing that very activity.

5 - Repeat #4 again tomorrow.

6 - Repeat #4 again every day after that until the item is complete.

7 - Celebrate the item's completion with chocolate, flowers, or a manicure.

8 - Go back to #1 and start over.

An Imperfect List of Things You Can Do Imperfectly

• Imperfect Writing

• Imperfect Meditation

• Imperfect Yoga

• Imperfect Romance

• Imperfect Hiking

• Imperfect Vacations

• Imperfect Scrapbooking

• Imperfect Cooking

• Imperfect Dinner Parties

• Imperfect Bowling

Add your own items to this list as needed. Find a way to let yourself experience them without judgment. And listen to this recovering perfectionist when she tells you that your success is guaranteed when you live by this principle!

Disclaimer: The preceding article should be ignored by the following people:

Brain surgeons. 
Commercial airline pilots. 
Skydivers.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE?
Please do! Just be sure to include this complete blurb with it: 

Performer, songwriter, and creativity consultant Christine Kane publishes her 'LiveCreative' weekly ezine with more than 11,000 subscribers. If you want to be the artist of your life and create authentic and lasting success, you can sign up for a FRE*E subscription to LiveCreative at http://www.christinekane.com/.

WANT TO SEE HUNDREDS MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS ONE?
See Christine's blog - Be Creative. Be Conscious. Be Courageous - at ChristineKane.com/blog.

According to the blogoshphere March is National Craft Month.

Here are five craft sites to kick off your craft month:

1. The list of family crafts at about dot com is very extensive. I always find their directions extremely easy to follow.

2. I will be making these paper beads from A Storybook Life this week. They are beautiful and simple.

3. After searching through the Goodwill for wooly sweaters I am ready for this sweater boot project from Craft Magazine. With this weather I think I'll make a few pair!

4. The necklaces, T-shirts, headbands, earrings and bracelets at P.S. I Made This all look simple and beautiful. I'll be making the stacked chain necklace and the flower headband first.

5. I'm hopping on the Amiguri Kingdom site, their Flickrpool and Youtube to crochet my own cute little pals.

I've got a bunch more ideas to share all throughout March.

Happy National Craft Month!