Get Planning with Your 2014 Planner!

The new year is here. Know what that means? My awesome chickie, Leonie Dawson's 2014 life-awesoming planners are out. I love them and swear by them for productivity and getting your creative dreams fulfilled. There is one for life and one for business. I use both. I love seeing my goals manifest. It's such a great resource and it's one of my top 3 highest recommended "get that creative life going" tools.

Get yours, today!

Divine Decluttering

Living out your creative dreams isn't all glitz and glamor. This week, I rolled up my sleeves and got some organizing done around the house. I'm not really a big one for cleaning - I can always find something "better" to do with my time (like researching various aspects of creative business). But this week, I felt the need to organize, tidy up, and make my life more efficient.

Whenever I complete a project, I make sure to document it. Whether it's on a Pinterest board or in my 2013 Calender and Workbook. I find that going back and seeing what I've accomplished helps remind me, on my bad Lupus days, that I do get things done. It may just take me a little longer than most people.

Pinterest is a site that I just love! It's tons of helpful hints, hair advice, fashion inspiration and artistic input that I know what to do with. I can't rave highly enough about this site, so come follow me!

Seriously, these two resources have done more for me, my business and my creative journey than ever before.

What did I do this week? I'm glad you asked! I went through my clothes and cleaned them out. If you want to have more coming in, let some stuff go. Then, after I had weeded out everything I was going to get rid of, I reorganized what was left. My armoire has so much room in it, now! It's all about how you fold. Check this out!

I love divine decluttering. Even the smallest act of cleaning can be a sacred, spiritual and creative act. All it takes is the intent. I am happy about my decluttering and don't see it as a "chore" because I'm making room in my life for all the wonderful things that are on their way to me.

I love it when I find some tip to make my life run efficiently, don't you? What other tips for efficiency in life have you come across? Which ones do you use? I'd love to hear your tips and tricks! How do you divinely declutter your life?


Remember, my lovelies, we are all visionaries. We just have to figure out where we excel.

Love to All,

-Bri

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Free Art Supplies!

 I know that, getting started in a creative endevor can cost money because, starting out, you don't know what kinds of materials can do what. Oil vs. Acrylic? What's the difference? And it can get pretty expensive playing around with different things before you find your groove. I went to college for art, which means I got to try out a wide range of mediums with loan money. Still, being a professional artist, creativity specialist and blogger, I know we need all the help we can get.

But, never fear, my lovelies! Visionary Bri is here to help you once again.

This is a link to a Facebook page where you can request some free art supply samples to be sent to you. I signed up for mine, today. And I hope this will help you along your artsy, creative way.

Conte A Paris

Also, here's a E-How article which might be helpful, as well. I haven't used any of the things on here, yet. But, if you do, let me know how they turn out.

How to get Free Art Supplies

Until next time, my lovelies, know that I am eternally encouraging you. We are all visionaries. We just have to figure out where we excel.


Love to All,

-Bri


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Goddess Leonie: Inspiration Woman with Freebies!

During my late-night web browsings, I came upon this woman. Leonie Dawson. Upon browsing her site, man this woman is cool. Can I just be honest, here? She's become one of my idols.

 

Leonie Dawson is the creator of LeonieDawson.com, one of the longest running creativity, spirituality & business blogs on the web.

Leonie is a writer, blogger, retreat leader, globe-trotter, visual artist, mama, and vessel of wild creativity & sage guidance for the 20,000 Goddesses who orbit around her virtual altar each month. Her strategic musings & practical wisdom have been featured on Problogger, Tiny Buddha, spirituality magazines like Goddess, Spellcraft, Life Images and Spheres, and in three of SARK’s best-selling books on creative fulfillment & freedom.

Purposeful, passionate & unendingly prolific, Leonie published her first book at 22, held her first art show at 23, began leading women’s circles at 23, created her first retreat at 25, launched the Goddess Circle — a subscription-based women’s community for creatives of every color — at 27, and has guided 4,000 women through transformational Circle experiences over the past 3 years. She’s also released 5 e-courses — including her signature workshop for entrepreneurs, Become A Business Goddess — 4 meditation kits and 2 workbooks into the digital ether, building a multiple six-figure business in the process.

Leonie has walked labyrinths in the moonlight, wept atop mountains in the middle of a storm, danced with a baby in an old cow shed as a Filipino tribal chief sang, and once married herself in a public commitment ceremony — witnessed by goddess maidens of honor that she’d met on the Internet.

No stranger to praise, applause & offerings of gratitude, Leonie has been called an “illuminated creator,” “inspiring, wise and oh-so-talented,” a “healer, guide and sacred teacher” — and she’s here to help you bring your soul-stirring dream into reality, and become the Goddess you were born to be.

Ho, this woman is neat. I hope to meet her in person, some day. Personally, I snagged her 2012 Creating Your Goddess Year workbook and I love it. I found this video which shows you all that's inside it. 

Aren't you excited to work with it? The new 2013 one was just released with 2 separate editions. One for life and one for business. You can bet your booty that I've got both. ;-)

One of the things on my Christmas list, this year, is Leonie's book. Entitled 73 Lessons Every Goddess Must Know. I've pointed it out to hubby numerous times, saying, "Want it, honey. Want. Pleeze?"

I don't know about you, but what sold me on this lady and everything she's doing was her Freebies! It gave me a glimpse into what she was doing before I committed to buying anything. Now, I'm hooked. Her poster, "How to Be a Goddess" is the Desktop wallpaper on my laptop.  

Whenever I'm feeling down, confused or just looking for a little support, there's always something on Leonie's site or YouTube Channel that catches my eye, seems to fit and gets my creative juices flowing. Take a look around there during the weekend and see if you don't feel inspired, as well. Her optimism is contagious!

I also want to tell you about one last thing. Leonie's 2013 Create Your Incredible Year Workbooks. Oh my, honey pie! The Create Your Incredible Year In Biz + Life workbooks are DIFFERENT. They are powerful catalysts of change that not only inspire a new direction but make you feel good about yourself and your work at the same time. They call out your highest potential, and your ability to make it all happen. It uses simple yet powerful techniques to help you not only dream your biggest dream and set your goals, but to actually MAKE THEM HAPPEN too.

Many miracles have been made from using this workbook. You’re going to read the words of women who’ve been using it every single year and swear by it for making their new years their very best ever. It’s something I use religiously – and I’m constantly amazed when I review each year’s at just how of my dreams and goals came true.

This woman, her videos, her art and her products are truly amazing. I would absolutely never, ever endorse anything I didn't adore and Leonie Dawson is it. I can't wait to meet her in person and chat about spirituality, business and mama-hood (one of my dreams).

I hope that you can find as much inspiration from Leonie as I have.

Dream big! Live bigger!

  
As always, my lovelies, please remember that we are all visionaries. We just have to figure out where we excel.


Love to All,

Bri



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"Hustle" aka "Marketing"

Otherwise known as yelling, "HEY! I'M DOING SOMETHING OVER HERE! LOOKIE LOOKIE! PAY ATTENTION!!!"

Living an independent, creative and free life requires a fair bit of what I call "hustle," which is known in the actual and real business world as "marketing." Now that may sound like a daunting concept to you, but think of it this way. Unless you know me, personally, my marketing has reached you. You've found me and you're reading this. Take a look at all the countries that people live in who read my blog. Impressive, isn't it?  All of these readers, including you my dear friend, can be attributed to my hustle regarding this blog.

*insert self-congratulatory pat on the back here*

The word "marketing" is one of those big, scary, business words that intimidate the sometimes shy, creative temperaments of artists like me. It's an intimidating word like "deficit," "revenue," "optimized," and "consultation clarity meeting." It's one of those words that, honestly, makes people like me run for the hills. "Ah! Scary professional thing! Don't understand! Too intimidating! Let the suit-wearing people deal with those words and just let me play with art and create nifty stuff!"

And that's fine, if you feel like that, when I use official-sounding business words. I used to feel exactly the same way. But I quickly learned that, right now, I can't afford a P.R. person or a savvy personal assistant or any other suit-type person to take care of the "fitting crazy little me into the actual, real world" duties. I'd either have to learn how to do them, myself, or be like Henry Darger who's impressive body of work was not discovered until after his death. In short, if you don't share your work with the world, honey, it's gonna take a long time for the world to recognize that you're doing anything, at all.

 One of Henry Darger's paintings

Personally, I'd like to be alive to hear when someone either likes or hates my creative projects, so that left me no choice but to tackle the big, bad, normally-reserved-for-people-in-ties jobs, myself.

Let me explain to you some concepts and what I mean.

Basically, no one knows that this little corner of the internet called "Visionary Bri" exists unless I go out and tell people that it's here. Every time I make a blog post, I visit a few key sites that I've found and post the link there so people can come and look around.

As I go about my daily life, I have stickers with my blog address on them that I won in a contest from PrintRunner and I hand out the stickers. My website is also on my business cards which I hand out, as well. If you don't know me and I happen to come across you, chances are good that either one of  both of these things will be given to you.

Any time you go out and actively tell people about what you're doing, letting them see your face and directing them to where they can see more about you or your product, is called "active marketing."Attending seminars, joining committees and rubbing elbows with like-minded people. In internet world, "(a)ctive marketing campaigns are designed to drive traffic to a site immediately. Often times, active campaigns are paid placements that only drive traffic so long as the ad is running and once completed, traffic begins to dwindle immediately."

"Passive marketing" is simpler, but some thought has to be put into it to maximize its efforts. Any billboard you see, any sign hung outside a business, any radio commercial you hear, any link you see is passive marketing. You make the initial effort to create a marketing plan (commercial, sign, etc.), but you don't have to be there every time someone sees it. In internet world, it is placing an "ad one single time that produce(s) sales for five continuous years. Customers stream in to your company saying they remembered the ad spot you ran years ago and they still felt compelled to work with you and your organization. Too good to be true, right?This is exactly what passive campaigns are designed to do."

Once you know 1) who you're trying to market to and 2) what would be the optimal venue for your advertising, marketing is pretty easy. It doesn't have to be a huge multi-million dollar campaign, but it certainly can be, if you have the money to throw at it (which I currently don't). Think Super Bowl commercials. So much money spent on one commercial and who in The United States can forget the donkey that wanted to be a Budweiser Clydesdale?

Once you understand the concepts, marketing is easy!

To start out, scope out the 'hood like a thief in the night. Start out right where you are, either at your computer or your home town. Start off with friends. If people know who you are, first, the chances of them being interested in what you're doing is higher. Do you know any local merchants who might let you put your business card or a flyer up in their store? Ask them about it. Always ask. The worst that they can say is "no."

You can search the internet to find communities of like-minded people and I'm always in favor of this because I can do it late at night without having to get out of bed!

Now, I am lucky enough to live in a town where there's a university and it's pretty sizable. People overlook universities, but they offer a substantial population of all kinds of people who would be interested in what you're doing. Plus, there's a new crop of them coming in every August, so take advantage of that if you can.

One of my marketing schemes that I came up with (and you can feel free to steal if you like) was my little marbled boxes. First, I cut the bottom off of a graham cracker box so that I had the bottom plus about 1 inch going up the sides. Then, I took some computer paper, took out my marbling kit and marbled some paper.

I then glued the marbled paper to the boxes with some plain white glue and affixed a little sign.

See the pretty marbled paper?

"Please Take One" finished Marbled Box with stickers

So, I made 2 of these little boxes. I put them in my purse and I hit the streets of my town. My first stop was my local university. I had to park The Visionary Van and walk for a bit, but it was okay. I used to attend this university back when I was younger, but it took some doing for me to find the "free for all" bulletin boards where you can post anything you want. Eventually, I did find one, though. I took two thumb tacks and stuck the box to the bulletin board at about eye level. Now, the little box sits there, waiting for people to find it.

Did people look at me funny, walking around a campus looking a bit confused on a Sunday. Yes and no, but I did spy some college boys checking me out, so I don't think my presence was entirely unwanted there. ;-)

I also took a box and put it in the local "when I was in school here, I spent more money here than I did on tuition" coffee shop. It's got a different name, now, and is under new ownership. But there was still a place for local people to put business cards and the like.

Marketing isn't all that hard, once you break it down. I encourage to come up with your own ideas to get your work out there in the public eye or steal mine. Maybe you won't be able to make a living off your creative work, yet, but it's better to give people an opportunity to be interested in you so that you can work on making a living at it.

Keep creating, my dears. Don't shy back from telling the world what you're up to and don't wait 'til it's "perfect." Get out there and show 'em what you're made of!



And please remember that we are all visionaries. We just have to figure out where we excel!



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1st Birthday Party

It's nice to see you back, again, lovely peoples. For the upcoming weekend, Visionary Bri will be going dormant. This weekend, we're celebrating the first birthday of my one and only baby. This first year of being a mama has flown by so fast!

For her party, we're going with a Winnie the Pooh theme. Being a creative individual, I'm doing most of the stuff for the party, myself. I even made a special onesie for her, keeping with the theme. I cut the 1 out of yellow felt and hand embroidered around it and around the wrists.

Other ideas for her party, I found on Pinterest, specifically the cupcakes from this site, decor inspiration from this one and a cookie recipe all my own.

So, in order to focus on the party and all the things that need to be done for it, this blog will go dormant over the weekend. But, don't worry because I'll be back on Tuesday with your regularly scheduled blog post including more photos of all the things I made.


Until then, keep creating and remember that we're all visionaries. We just need to figure out where we excel!

Henry Rollins' Message to Us All

I found this video via UpWorthy. I love this site. I follow them on Facebook and it's always a joy to see them in my feed. With all the negative things that are being spewed on the news, it's nice to see things covered that are uplifting. It's awesome to see the good that people are doing in the world.

Mr. Rollins is someone whom I've watched and admired for quite a few years, now. Seeing him perform his spoken word pieces is amazing. In this video, he addresses "young Americans," but I think everyone can take something away from this video, to follow one's dreams single-mindedly.

Check this man out. My husband and I adore him. (I also have a signed poster from him that a friend in Colorado obtained for me. It's him congratulating me on my nuptials and it was a wedding gift. I consider it one of my coolest possessions.)

Without me gushing over this man further, I give you "Letter to a Young American: Part 1."

If you like interesting talks, also check out the site Ted. You won't be disappointed. In fact, I'll probably be linking some of my favorite videos from there to this blog, in the future.

Sometimes we all need a little encouragement or someone to hold the torch for us as we walk our path. Today, I send you illumination.

Be well, babies. And, remember that we're all visionaries. We just have to figure out where we excel.

Self Care: Episode 2 -- Diet

Before any of us can do anything truly remarkable or glorious in this world, we have to learn how to do one simple thing. We need to learn how to take care of ourselves. A person can’t give the best of themselves or create their best work if they aren’t operating at their best. Do you think that Michelangelo could have painted the Sistine Chapel on only 2 hours of sleep and a granola bar? I certainly don’t think so.  

In a little creative play and experimentation, I created a collage of words with Watercolor Pencils on the topic of self-care.

I’ll address each of the things I came up with in subsequent posts.

Diet