June 25, 2012

art to inspire: 9 Inspiring Quotes to get you Through the Summer

The sun is shining and the flowers have bloomed – it is finally summer, the season of rest, relaxation, and sitting by the pool. For me, summer is not just about sunburns and tiny umbrellas, though; it is also the season of reflection and regrouping.

Now, I know that the end of the year is the time typically reserved for these types of things, but the middle of the year is just as good.

Why? Depending on what industry you are in, summers are typically slower than the other seasons, with customers on vacation and kids out of school – leaving you with more time to plan for the next six months and evaluate your progress thus far.

Make sense?

Good.

So while you’re resting, reflecting, and regrouping this summer, here are 9 inspirations to get you through the slow(er) season…

(above) 1. Let the Flower Bloom

2. Let the Sun Shine

3. Find a Path

4. Do Not Forget to be Awesome

5. Live with Passion

6. Ma’am Step Away from the Computer

7. One Step

8. Adventure

9. Don’t Give Up

Have your own quotes to share?

Leave your response in the comments below.

Today’s article is my last post for Art to Inspire here on Scoutie Girl. I have absolutely loved being a contributor here for the last three and half years, but have decided it is time to move on to pursue other interests. Thank you so much to Tara for having me and all the amazing Scoutie Girl readers who have followed my columns here over the years. I hope you’ll continue to follow me on my blog, papernstitch.

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April 16, 2012

art to inspire: words to live by

Instead of blabbing on and on, I am going to let today’s artwork do the talking. Here are nine quotes to get you through the week…

(above) You are my Sunshine by Blacklist Studio

Don’t Let… by Rachel B (Moonflowers)

Always Chase your Dreams (Bear and Robot)

Happy Travels by Karen Yi (Almost Sunday Inc)

Dr. Seuss Quote Print (Livy Love Designs) +  Find your Purpose (Tucker Reece)

There is Nothing Wrong with You by Mati Rose (Suspect Shoppe)

Do More of What Makes you Happy by Brooke Witt (Near and Dear)

Not all who Wonder by Rebecca Peragine (Fresh Words Market)

What words do you live by?

Leave your response in the comments below.

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November 28, 2011

art to inspire: good things grow

print by slidesideways - click for info

You’ve probably been overwhelmed with an endless supply of turkey, stuffing, and sales over the long weekend, so I am going to cut right to the chase for today’s art to inspire…

If you’ve ever compared yourself to someone else, maybe compared your shop/small business/blog to someone else’s, I think you need to hear something:

Good things grow.

Its true. Good things do grow.

BUT not all things grow at the same rate.

Sunflowers begin to sprout from a seed in just seven to fourteen days. Gerber daisies produce a 4-inch plant from a seedling in around twenty-four weeks (that’s almost six months). And growing roses from a tiny seed can take years to reap the rewards of actual blooms. Different flowers bloom at different rates, at different times of year, in various conditions.

So what does all this mean for you?

Think of your business, blog, or shop like a flower. One that starts from a humble beginning: a mysterious seed outside of its packaging, that you can’t identify as one such plant or another.

Give it plenty of water once it is planted. Take care of it. Nurture it. And don’t give up. You never know what you have until it blossoms into what it was always meant to be – a sunflower, a daisy, a rose.

Every flower is different. So how can you compare your “seeds” to someone else’s?

Give it time, keep at it, and stop comparing because eventually, if what you are creating is good, it will grow into what it was meant to be.

- – -

image credit: Good Things Grow. Over the weekend at a holiday show, I met Scott and Jacquelyn Scoggin (the duo that started Slide Sideways) and this is a print from their shop.

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November 14, 2011

art to inspire: the guide to getting anything done in 3 simple steps

You have a laundry list of goals and ambition practically oozes from your pores, but are scratching your head when it comes to actually getting things done?

“How can I possibly get to where I want to be? Am I good enough, smart enough, passionate enough to accomplish what I set out to do?”

Yep! You are. You just need a few guidelines to motivate you. So here are the 3 simple steps to getting things done and accomplishing your dreams…

Rule Number 1: If you want to be… be!

If you forget the other two rules, fine. But remember this one! It sounds simple and really kind of “duh,” but are you doing this? Are you practicing this simple rule in your life right now? Because if you’re not, its not quite as “duh” and certainly not as easy or simple as it sounds.

Sitting around complaining about why you’ll never amount to anything special is easy. Quitting with the excuses and the feelings of inadequacy is hard. But you can absolutely do this!

If you want to be a huge success in the indie-preneur community, get to work! Let people know what you are doing and why they should care. Don’t retreat in to that dark corner you feel comfortable in – you know your products are awesome and soon others will too – because you are creating a presence for yourself online and off.

Rule Number 2: Turn the page.

The battle is practically over once you open your “book” and turn the page. It’s like this… Remember back when you were in college and you were cramming for tests at the last minute? Once you actually made the commitment to sit down and get started, it felt much easier. Before you knew it, your wheels were turning and you had been studying for hours. That’s when you realized that “it” (whatever “it” was) wasn’t as hard as you thought it would be.

That’s exactly what you need to do right now. Take a seat and focus your mind on the tasks for the day. How will what you do today help you accomplish your goals in the short-term and the long-term?

Rule Number 3: Let it flow.

Feeling stuck or at a dead end? That’s okay. You’re not alone. I’ve been there. Heck, we’ve all been there.

Don’t fight it. If you’re having trouble moving on to that next phase, take a break. Do something you really enjoy and clear your mind. When you come back, let things flow naturally because small things can turn into big things if you let them.
Take it slow if you need to and things will flow eventually. You just have to keep at it.

So that’s it: the guide to getting anything done in 3 simple steps!

What’s the next step?

Share your struggles when it comes to getting things done in the comments below.

—

all images c/o ConiLab

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September 26, 2011

art to inspire: a time for adventure

"Let's Be Adventurers" by Fifi Du Vie - click for info

Wake up. Brush your teeth. Get dressed. Have a cup of coffee (or tea). Maybe even a bagel. And then get your work day started.

Sound familiar?

We all fall into routines. Good or bad. It happens. And that is perfectly okay. Routines can be a great thing – they keep us organized, on task, and give structure to an otherwise unstructured day.

BUT if those structured days that you’ve come to know feel more like a rut than a routine, its time to make a change.

What kind of change? A simple shift toward becoming an adventurer.

Do something completely out of the ordinary, something far from the “normal” day to day tasks of your business. Something that is for sheer pleasure or inspiration. And, most importantly, something that reminds you of your passions, not your obligations.

When it comes to adventure, there are no limitations. It can be as small as taking a Photoshop course at your local college (you’ve always wanted to take it and although it has nothing to do with your current creative pursuits, there is truly no time like the present. so get to it) OR as big as packing up all your belonging and moving across the country to a new place with new opportunities (this is something that I literally just did myself – I moved from Jacksonville, Florida to Seattle, Washington on September 23).

Believe it or not, taking the time to do something that seems like it’s “just for you” and completely unrelated to your biz can end up positively affecting your creative work exponentially. So give it a try…what do you have to lose?

Being an adventurer will not only bring you back to your day to day with a fresh perspective, it will also re-ignite the flame that has been dimming for some time.

So, what kind of adventurer will you be?

Leave your response in the comments below.

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