I Bid You Adieu 2012.

The last day of 2012 has arrived. I'm not sure if I am happy about this or completely unprepared for the adventures in store with 2013.

I do know though that 2012 brought many changes, opportunities, blessings, and room for growth. Some of these changes were sad, while others were unexpected and warmed my heart. I began this year with so many hopes and dreams. So thankful that my little family and I were reunited and living under one roof again.  Open to all the wonderful things that the following 12 months would bring. Having no idea exactly what the Universe had planned for me.
Some of the highlights of 2012 that come to my mind instantly include:

• Celebrating one year of business with my FB art page and website. Im still in shock each time I realize that I am living my dream of perusing a career in art. I am now close on celebrating two years of business and I can't believe I have over 600 followers on my FB page! Thank you to each of you who support me.  I am also surprised at how quickly my name has been established within the community and can't help but smile each time someone says "Oh you are Sadie Jane the artist!" Each time I hear that it confirms to me that I am living my dream.
• Being involved with the 'Evening of Art' fundraiser for a local women's shelter here in town. I was able to share my passion of art to help support a wonderful cause. Looking forward to doing it all again in 2013.
• The group art show at Bella's Cafe and Bistro where my work was on display at one of the most delicious restaurants in town. 
• Dancing with Dorthy in the thrift store to Brown Eyed Girl. My kindred spirit, she makes me smile so much. I ran into her at a store over the holidays. Looking forward to seeing her within the next few weeks. 
• Having my sis Andi come and visit me. That week was amazing. From horse back riding, yard sale hunting, coastal adventures and more. We never stopped having fun. It was her first time out east and we had a time!
• Photography lessons with Joan Cameron from Focal Point Photography. I finally understand what all the fancy words mean. Thank you Joan! 
• As of July 5th I began teaching art classes. I am still overwhelmed at the response to these classes. Seats fill so quickly and the art work that is created in the time frame blows my mind. So much talent in this area. I have met so many wonderful souls and feel so incredible helping them liberate their inner artist. 
• That special magical day at the beach when I felt like I was in a Dawson's Creek episode. Oh I will never forget that day. You can read all about it here 
• While it was bitter sweet, celebrating one  year of living here in Nova Scotia. I have been very blessed in so many ways since moving here.
• Meeting some incredible souls by chance and in turn developing the most wonderful relationships. 
• The most hilarious and delicious Thanksgiving dinner. I discovered that breaking bread doesn't mean taking a loaf and snapping it in two pieces. Hahaha. Though that is the new tradition. Surrounded by so many warm kind souls and blessed to be able to share food, a nest, and warmth with them. And sharing some traditional Newfoundland cuisine (pease pudding' ) with them. It was such a grand day. 
• Being presented with employment opportunities through GBS Communications. I love this job!
• Having my Pop bring my family together before he left this world and being able to have spent time with him once more. I miss him so much. 
• To my pirates back on the Rock, I will forever remember how  you made my sad visit to Newfoundland a more joyful one with sing a longs, great cuisine and loving company. They really helped in creating a balance of joy to such a sorrow filled weekend. 
• My art show opportunity with Art of Eating Deli and Catering. Thank you so much Fran! All the best with your new career adventure! 
• Thoughtful Tuesdays! I love these blogs. I know Im behind on a few so I will bring a few into the new year for you to read. 

There were many many more wonderful moments but these stand out the most to me. In all areas of my life 2012 has blessed me.  While I will not share the heartache it brought, it did keep me balanced. I'm curious to see where 2013 brings me.

Thank you to everyone who has played a part in making 2012 memorable. Wishing you all a safe and wonderful New Years filled with many creative opportunities.

Thoughtful Tuesdays : Look for the Good

For the longest while it seemed all I could attract into my life was negative energy. Everywhere I looked there was something awful, something bad. My mood was pretty much always in the dumps. I felt awful about myself, my life, and everything that I attracted my way. I tell you one thing, it's not a very good way to live, at least not for myself. I was miserable. So then when I started doing some serious self work a few years ago someone told me to find at least one positive thing about my day. It could be the sound of a bird singing in the morning, or a wonderful adventure with a friend of mine. Whatever it was, I had to take time each day to focus on it. At first I found it incredibly hard to do. I was in such a dark and dreary place. To be quite honest, I had a hard time giving myself permission to seek out the positive and acknowledge it. Nothing was changing for me, so I finally decided to just give in and look for something, anything that made me smile even a little bit, or made my heart sing even just one little note. It didn't take  long after that first initial decision to look for the good before the daily list started to grow and grow. I was floored at how many good things happened in my life in the run of a day. All this time I was dwelling on the yucky stuff completely distracted from the wonderful things happening in my life. What a difference it makes too I tell ya! Now it comes so naturally to stop and smell the roses, to see the good in almost every situation. It really makes a difference on my body, my mind, and my soul.

The holidays can be the most delightful of times - according to all the commercials, movies, tv shows, and songs. It can also be an emotional trying time for all no matter what walk of life you come from. So I'm going to doggy dare you (oh yes, I just said doogy dare!) to try to find the good this holiday season. No matter what the holidays has in store for you, try to find the good in every situation. Be mindful of how your body responds to your attention being on the positive instead of the negative. How this influences your interaction with yourself, and with others.

The following is an exact excerpt from the book Listening To Your Inner Voice by Douglas Bloch. I in no way possess any ownership of the following. I am simply sharing the thoughts, expressions and words of an author who has inspired me.

Look for the Good

Life is an interpretive experience. What happens is less important than how we respond to our circumstances. An intense stimulus that some people report as pain, others report as pleasure. It is we who decide what interpretations will be. 

Are you a "goodfinder"? A recent study of the country's millionaires showed that the most common trait they all shared was the ability to discover good in any situation. This trait is also common in the "triumphant survivors" -those individuals who overcome adversity and emerge strengthened and renewed. 

A sincere spiritual seeker suffering from a chronic illness wondered, "why haven't my prayers been answered?" One day, in deep meditation the reply came: "Look for the good in your sitatuion and you will see that the answer has already been provided." Suddenly this woman realized that her crisis provided a wonderful opportunity. She embarked on a program of nutrition, exercise, and yoga which led to a dramatic improvement in the quality of her life. 

Abraham Lincoln once said, "Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." Your state of mind is up to you. Choose now to look for the good. 

Affirmations

1. I look for the good in all my affairs.
2. No matter what the circumstances, I find something positive that I can learn from them.
3. I experience all events as enhancing my spiritual growth.
4. For every loss, there exists a corresponding gain.
5. What goes down must come up.
6. Your Own ______________.

Thoughtful Tuesdays : Do It from Love

I used to be very scared of love. I would present myself as someone who greeted it with open arms, but in truth love scared me. Love meant being vulnerable. It meant opening myself to new things, sometimes scary things like rejection. It meant learning more about myself in the process. I kept my walls up high and let me tell you it was a lonely place. Not just in the area of relationships, but in regards to health, spiritual life, passions, and so on. So finally I decided to take these walls down brick by brick. It was hard work. I was exposed to elements I never allowed myself to experience before. In many cases, I had to acknowledge and feel the heartache and pain of love before I could enjoy the purest form of happiness that love brings. I had to take risks and try something new so that when it didn't work out I knew that my heart belonged somewhere else - an opportunity for growth and self exploration. One of my most valued lessons and most challenging, was that of self love.
What a difference in my life now. The abundance of love, and in turn the richer the quality of my life.
So today love and be loved with a sense of curiosity as you discover what love can do for you. Find love in the choice of words you use, in the actions you present to the world. Find love within yourself, for yourself and embrace it with open arms.


The following is an exact excerpt from the book Listening To Your Inner Voice by Douglas Bloch. I in no way possess any ownership of the following. I am simply sharing the thoughts, expressions and words of an author who has inspired me.

*Feel free to change the word 'God' to fit your belief system. I directly quoted Bloch's work.

Do It from Love

In determining the quality of your life, there is an important question to ask: "How much love do I express?"

How much love do I express in my work? Do I love my work or is my job just a job? Do I enjoy the people I work with?

How much love do I express in my relationships? What level of intimacy do I experience with my significant other, children,friends, and relatives?

How much love do I express in my finances? Am I holding on to money out of fear? Or am I using it to empower and support others, both in my investments and through giving?

How much love do I express in my health? Do I love and nurture my body and supply it with proper nutrition, exercise, and rest?

How much love do I express in my spiritual life? Do I worship a loving God or do I fear a God of wrath and punishment?

By taking inventory of these areas, you will arrive at a simple conclusion - that how good you feel is a function of the amount of love in your life. If you wish to feel better at the deepest level of your being, the solution is clear. Love more. 

Affirmations

1. The primary motivating force in my life is love.
2. Whatever I do, I do from love.
3. Each day, I follow my bliss.
4. I am willing to take the risk of being close.
5. I walk through life with an open heart.
6. Your Own ___________.

A Well Needed Update.

It's been quite some time since I wrote a true blog. Life has really taken me for a dance I never expected. With so many turns, twists, and sudden stops that barely gave me time to catch my breath before the tempo would pick up again and sweep me across the floor once more.  When 2012 began I had no idea how things would unfold. Never in a million years could I have guessed the events that took place. I have been very blessed by the Universe with all the gifts it has presented me. The opportunities that at one time only existed in dreams have become a reality for me. This isn't an end of the year blog though. This blog is intended to let you in on what's been going on and why I've been MIA in the blog world as well as on my art page over on Facebook.


So the sad news is that there are no art classes for December. However they will resume in January but there will not be as many as there has been the past five months. So the burning question - why am I not going ahead with classes this month? It started last Monday. I was sat on the plane with my pen, paper and calender trying to create a schedule, but my soul wasn't in it. I was exhausted from the weekend, my heart  still too raw from the funeral. I was also trying to fight off the flu, so I put my work aside and decided to meditate for the remainder of the flight. When I arrived to work the following day I discovered my predictable shifts had changed. Normally I work 9-5 which allows me the freedom to teach art classes in the evenings. For the rest of this month my schedule is now the closing shift or an our or two earlier, which means there is truly no time to teach. I didn't want to complain whereas the team has been beyond accommodating with my schedule. Particularly recently as they went above and beyond with time off to be with my family as we made this transition with the loss of my Pop. At first I was crushed to see my schedule was all evenings and nights leaving no time for my art clients. There are great reasons for the changes in my shifts though and I am happy with them all. Sadly it means there is no time at all for teaching art this month, but I have found acceptance and peace with this.

I mentioned that classes will resume in January and that there will be a decrease. There are several reasons for this. The main one being that I have to stop burning the candle at both ends. Teaching art is a passion of mine, however I need to take care of my well being too. Doing both jobs 'flat out' leaves me with zero free time for self nurture, play, or even rest. The past five months have been fabulous and exhausting. My body has worn down a lot and I need to listen to it's needs as well. This past week it has been yelling for my attention to take care of it as I battled the flu. So I need to create a healthier balance in all areas of my life. This means making some sacrifices, and again, I have found acceptance and peace with this. 

I've noticed that the age group 13-17 rarely fills seats so I will be taking that age group out of my monthly classes. If a demand for this age group is found then I will put it back into the schedule again. So if you are in this age group and want to take art classes, or know someone in this age group who would be interested let me know by sending me an email. For now I will focus on the two age groups that fill the most seats, 7-12 and 18+.  As it stands right now Paint Like A Master is the most popular for both age groups so I will keep that class and maybe change it up once in a while with different paintings outside of the Masters. For ages 7-12 I may add a drawing class or mixed media class as well. Which will give a total of 3 art classes per month. The demand for private lessons is increasing greatly so I will spend more energy focusing on these as well. Trying to fit in at least 3 students per month. Which makes 6 classes all together. Previously I was teaching a combination of 14 classes and private lessons and while I loved every moment of it, with another full time job it really took it's toll on me.

With the fresh start of a new year just weeks away I think it's a great time to reflect and learn from the past few months and create a brand new start for a new year. It's been an exciting learning experience for me. I have lots of ideas in mind to help satisfy everyone's itch to create.  I will change up the structure a little bit and will be spending some time this month reevaluating how I manage my time. I have a large amount of emails to sift through and respond so if you haven't heard from me yet expect to over the next few weeks. Hopefully with this new schedule I will have time to blog more about the going-on's in my life, about events I am involved in and things I like to share with you. At first I was so upset to have to take out classes, but now I see the beauty in it. The positive outcomes it has in all areas. It was a difficult decision to make but I am happy about it now.

Those of you who have requested, ordered, or inquired about commission work I will also respond to you in the same manner as I sort through and make my lists. Right now I have a few projects I  need to sort away first. I also am waiting on an order of paints to ensure the highest quality of work for your orders.

While I was at the hospital on Thursday in Outpatients (I wanted to see what was making me so sick so I could get better faster) The woman who registered me said "Oh you're Sadie Jane the artist! I've seen your work at Bella's" and commented on the paintings of the birds I created. My heart was glowing. I never did catch your name my love, but you certainly made me feel better that day! So thank you. And  thank you to each and everyone one of you who have attended classes, purchased paintings, taken in my art work at shows,  and overall supported my career as an artist.I am so grateful for each and every single one of you! One day I will be able to do this full time and I can't wait for that day! Until then, I appreciate your understanding as I balance two jobs, and the beautiful chaos that life brings each and every day.

Now it's time to create a healthy meal plan for the week so I can nourish my body and give it the fuel it needs to survive the holiday season and prepare for the new year!

Create yourself a great day folks!