Sweet Kindred Spirits

The gift of friendship, the gift of community, the gift of kindred spirits winging on a wire. It is sweet, this heart connection. Sweeter still, is wrapping up the gifts within us. We each make our own, beautiful package. Together, the gifts may be opened for all to see...shared, in common, singing for humanity. ~ ATB

Leonardo and Me: Becoming a Life Change Artist

By Susan G. Parcheta (at LivingstonTalk.com)

“You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don’t try.” ~ Beverly Sills

 Get out your paintbrush, prop up the easel, and grab your color palette, sketchbook and pencils. Whether you know it or not, you’re an artist; it’s time to get into the studio — to draw, design, paint your way through your next life challenge.

What? You say you can’t change? Oh, but you must. All of life is change, and the sooner we learn to ride the waves, the smoother the changes become. What? You say you’re too old? You’ve lost everything? You’ve been passed over, your health is failing, the economy has taken its toll on you, you feel totally washed up?

So there you are, on the shore of some strange island. What scenery do you see? You don’t think you can paint your way back to normal? To a new life that pleases you? Think again.

Authors Fred Mandell and Kathleen Jordan help you navigate questions like these in their new book Becoming a Life Change Artist: 7 Creative Skills to Reinvent Yourself at Any Stage of Life.

Think like the great artists – DaVinci, Monet, Cézanne, Picasso. With knowledge, effort and diligence you can wield the paintbrush to your life canvas; you can follow their lead, through the essential dimensions of each life transition. You can explore your options in this territory of your creative dilemma, and with the artists’ tools in hand, you have the power to discover what’s meaningful, what works.

Getting to the sweet HeART of the matter.
~ ATB

Swan Lake