The Money Tree, really, not kidding

Yes, that is a money tree. 

The blogging powers that be, threw this picture prompt at us this week

Instead of lamenting the fact that money doesn't grow on trees, I am going to announce my latest 'money tree' idea....that strangely enough runs directly into The Money Tree. 

Yes, the money tree is capitalized because there is such a thing, almost... well, it's a TV show concept of my new mentor, Tara Reed, so it is the very real dream of a very real and successful chic.

In looking at tackling my art again.....and doing it smarter, I was led to art licensing.

(That is the process of selling art to manufacturers, rather than just individuals.)  

At the painfully awkward wedding this past weekend, a friend/acquaintance/er,stranger with connections...encouraged me to look into it. She's been successfully marketing art for several years this way and could not believe I never followed up. Well, um, it didn't seem doable at the time. 

Now, it is simply time. 

I have the ideas, the sketches, a new domain name and a plan.

But enough about me, The Money Tree is a fantastic idea!

Tara Reed along with Bruce Feagle and Marty M. Fahncke are preparing this idea for a reality TV show. 

For the record, I am not a fan of reality TV, but the concept is really cool. 

"Each week The Money Tree team helps someone who desperately needs to find a way to earn income from home:  the soldier who has returned from the Middle East with injuries and needs to supplement disability income or the single mother of five who hasn’t gotten a raise in 2 years and is at risk of losing her home.  Each submission video is more compelling than the next:  stories of regular people trying to overcome challenges and make ends meet."   The team jets in and offers multiple ways to make money online. Cool.

They are looking for people to submit their stories here and experts to help with the show here.

 

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The Best Nest

Remember this book?  Anyone?  I will explain at the end of this little story.

I have an out of town wedding to attend tomorrow. It's going to be over the top and slightly uncomfortable....but I won't get into any of that. All I have to do is get myself there - dressed appropriately - and smiling pretty. Okay, got the smile handled, ( I smile, or *gasp* giggle, when nervous anyways ) and can drive just fine, (especially now that gas is down to a mere $3.27 a gallon- said sarcastically) 


It was the dress that stumped me. I love dresses and have a closet full to prove it, but none seemed right, the LBD (little black dress ) wasn't special enough, and so I happily went on the hunt for the "perfect dress"

Looked at all my favorite stores....tried on some nice designs....sigh, they just weren't right. So I figured I'd look at what I have in my closet ( yes, I am still doing the 333 project - but my dresses had to stay hung in my closet - it is my only storage area, the rest of my clothes are boxed up and off limits)

Okay, I will wear the red dress. It's basically plain, except for being red, giving it that extra-special  flash. All I needed was shoes. (black looked too harsh, white too much like Minnie Mouse and...well, if I wasn't buying a new dress, I could certainly treat myself to new shoes darn it all)  -again, this was all factored in to the 333 project, I made an exception for the weddings.

I love dressy shoes almost as I love dresses. Tried on everything from a gorgeous leopard print peep toe pump to a sassy strappy white and black number that I couldn't explain if I tried. Looked at the red heels, tried on multiple colored shoes, just in case they would work ( or just because I wanted to try them on...)

What did I come home with? A fairly boring pair of nude pumps, peep toe pumps, but oh so plain. They were the practical choice, and in the store I started wondering if I really wanted to wear red....so the shoe had to go with navy blue, another favorite dress without a good pair of dressy shoes.

There was a problem, both those dresses were sleeveless, one a halter top style, the other spaghetti straps, not going to work for the church wedding. So I looked for a cover up of some kind. Won't go into all my fails in that department, but I did end up with a nice taupe jacket-like thing. I look terrible in tan, but this had a metallic look to it, so it works.....

...no it doesn't, I tried it on with the dresses and ugh..hated the look. It was so off, the color, the shape...but before I returned it, I tried on my black dress, my go-to LBD that I was trying to avoid. Huh, that looks good with the jacket, great with the shoes....wait a minute, I have the perfect thing...yes!  Took off the jacket, pulled out a lime green ruffled extra long summer scarf....perfection. The nude shoes look fine, but my own strappy sandals would have done the trick too. So I am wearing the LBD that was hanging in my closet, the lime green ruffly scarf to  the reception, will wear the jacket and the new shoes to the church.

Could have just stayed home though and been fine. 

           Click your heels and repeat after me, there's no place like home, there's no place like home.

I promised I'd explain the picture book connection, for those who have never read The Best Nest, or have forgotten the "moral of the story" here it is, The Best Nest, is basically the story of a dissatisfied bird, Mrs. Bird. She is unhappy with her nest and wishes for another, better one. Mr. Bird searches for a new nest, a better nest, only to discover in the end, that her nest is actually best. Couldn't help think how Mrs Bird like I was this week... learned my lesson ( and got a practical pair of shoes :)

That's not my name

Time to put the secrets away.  When I started this blog, I was in an entirely different place. It has gone through several changes as I got my creative sea legs...went from a wanna be artist/writer/teacher, to a muralist, gallery artist, creative writing instructor, an art teacher, sculptor's apprentice, an assistant to an art dealer.......then jumped to online freelance writing.....love the journey and my work. 

I have been a virtual creative explosion.  

 So I am renaming the blog, Creativity Explosion, which is also the name of a series of crazy, messy, fun art classes I teach throughout the school year.

I will still blog as usual, be a happy little sheep following prompts and blog challenges along the way, but it no longer feels like I am sharing secrets. So, Secrets about Secrets has been retired. Instead, like the new name implies, I am ready to explode back on the art scene, much more prepared, hopefully wiser and less wide-eyed. - in other words, I've seen the dark side of the art world and don't want to go back there again.

So, welcome to my Creativity Explosion!!!  ( I try not to abuse exclamation marks, but since I do not have any Acme dynamite lying around, three in a row will have to suffice)

 The Ting Ting's song, "That's not my name" is a favorite of mine ( for a secret reason, ha...guess some secrets still linger)  and it is an appropriate way to turn the page. Enjoy!

First Love, um, pass...

um, first love? that is the topic? seriously? 

My first thought was, no way am I actually talking about first love. Thanks to facebook, all my "secret first loves" are a bit too close for comfort. I am not nearly as brave as a fellow blogger who expertly outlined crush after crush....in detail.

Maybe I can talk about first love once removed...as I watch my kids go through their first love and cringe. So far so good, but I won't talk about them- that is far from fair. Just because I mine their lives for article fodder, does not mean I can just spill their love secrets on my blog. Even slightly disguised, that would not be right.

But then, I remembered a first love that won't make me blush, books. 

I can shamelessly confess my love affair with books. The words, the structure, the feeling and the ability to vicariously escape into new worlds.  Just like love, I fall into books too easily.  

boring, but I feel like I dodged that bullet! :)


Inside, Outside, Upside Down  was one of my very first favorites

"mama, mama I'm going to town, inside, outside upside down"....think that line was prophetic!   I have certainly been on a bumpy ride.



Watership Down totally captured my imagination, read and reread it throughout junior high...and other times...

Great Gatsby and then Zelda's biography...and then a stream of other biographies....

Gulping down book series, picking up books outside my comfort zone and then falling in love all over again...
or not. There have been books I have physically thrown, either they scared me to death, or I was so mad at how it ended.

Using books as my first love isn't really cheating, this lasting love of mine is the epitome of true love. The phases of love; initial chemistry, physical attraction, deep emotional attachment. I go through all those stages with books...yes, even physical attraction- I am not sold on ebooks, I like the experience of flipping pages and carrying books, in fact, I get practically giddy at library book sales.

There is often a dark side to love too.  Now that I am a full-time freelancer, I experience book lust, all my writer friends with their publishing contracts.. book deals...me, with my rejection pile growing....but all's well, my love is strong.

ed gorey...dr.seuss...roald dahl...(and quentin blake) ..lois lowry..

their worlds are now mine, 

love changes you.

 

Control

Spent more than half of this weekend wandering the halls of the hospital. A flukey condition, coupled with hospital policies and procedures, the personal schedule of the attending physicians and surgeons...created a situation where I had no control. As I paced, I realized how many times I have been here before...at the mercy of bureaucracy.

Hospitals, educational systems, foster/adoption agencies and the court system all render a single individual virtually helpless. No matter how much research I've done in order to prepare, or how many questions I ask - dealing with these systems is an exercise in frustration. They are not built to handle individuals as individuals....no, everyone is treated the same- p.c. extreme.

Ironically, "control" is the word of the week for the GBE2 challenge.(actually last week-little late due to the hospital stay)

Initially when thinking about this topic, I flashed back to eating disorders, mine and all the people I had met in treatment. I don't remember most of their names, but they all made an impact on my life- we thought we could be in control, but striving left us completely out of control.

Later in the week, I remembered it was the four year anniversary of the death of a close friend. It was such a sudden death, completely unexpected- no control....his death brings up all the emotions of all my losses. The twelve year old son of a girlfriend, my girlfriend, a baby of another friend, my son's twin, my miscarriages, another friend, an aunt, my grandma, a cousin and on and on...too many. No control.

Finally though, when dealing with the hospital, yet again.... I decided to just zen out.
I have control over my own reactions,
I can control how I respond to the unending waits,
I can control what I eat while there, even when the options seem to be caffeine/sugar/fat/-
I can take care of myself, read a good book, pray and leave it up to the One ultimately in charge.

Home again, weekend gone, control is only an illusion.

     

Fan the flames of creativity

Nablopomo asks, "What is the best way to fan the flames of creativity?"

In an attempt to describe my multiple careers, I often say that I am a "creative professional", unsure if this fully describes my roles as a freelance writer, artist, creative writing instructor, sculpting teacher, art teacher....those are all different- but since all require activating my creativity on a daily basis, it seems to fit. Keeping my imagination fired up is important to my success and income.

Julia Cameron's books, The Artist Way, Vein of Gold and so on.....taught me how. She is responsible for providing me with my daily/weekly/monthly plan for fanning the flames of creativity.

Her outline includes;
1. Daily journaling- 3 pages, written longhand, first thing in the morning
2. Daily walks ( I think she suggested weekly, probably in an attempt to be kind, I have to walk out my thoughts daily)
3. Artist dates: Once a week, go somewhere interesting- alone. Antique shops are good, botanical gardens, art show...this is great for fresh inspiration. ( I often cheat a bit and bring my girls, but they need it too, and since I work so much, this time out is necessary )

None of these are to be approached with any sort of "high art" mentality, more like "hey, hi how are you"  Clear space in your brain by journaling, then fill it with something new through the walks and dates and finally- I added clearing my physical space

4. Cleaning-  Once a week, (or whenever I am hopelessly stuck) deep cleaning the house and studio is a great way to turn on the creative fire, partly because while I am cleaning, I suddenly start coming up with dozens of ideas and want to stop to pursue the new rabbit trail.... Finishing up though, makes the week go much smoother.

 

Bring on the angry mob.....

NaBloPoMo asks, "What food are you really not a fan of?"  Well, those of you who have been reading along will know of my war with jello. I am not a fan of jello. Jello hates me.  I am okay with this, since as several people have pointed out, jello is a fake food. So I can easily lump it in with other fake foods that I am not a fan of.....including, but limited to, diet foods, weirdly shaped pieces of meat, sausage, bakery that falsely claims to be baked by little elves in a hollow tree, and brightly colored food-especially anything blue that shouldn't be. If my mom is reading this, I know. I know I used to eat Boo Berry cereal. I am over it.

I am also not a fan of a food that is passionately loved by many. I am almost afraid to admit how much I do not like this food, the idea of this food, and the smell of this food. 

(I use the term "food" loosely,  I can easily lump into the fake food category)
Some people may not like me anymore after this admission, but...

 “Trying to get everyone to like you is a sign of mediocrity.” ~Colin Powell

Okay, here goes....I am not a fan of bacon.
blech.

people are clearly obsessed with this strange food, a quick search brings up some disturbing merchandise

it goes on...bacon flavored toothpaste, bacon flavored lip balm, bacon underwear....and on and on.
I am ready for the angry mob

bring it bacon lovers
me and my unclogged arteries can take you