art to inspire: advice your dad might give you

Father’s Day is right around the corner, so this week’s art to inspire has a fun spin: a light-hearted take on advice your dad would might give you about life and business. Sure, a few of these could be a bit of a stretch, but you’ve never been afraid to use your imagination before. So let’s do this!

Welcome to Me print (above) by Conilab: I am who I am. Like it or leave it.” Take a cue from dear old Dad on this one and embrace who you are  - flaws and all. People will love you just the way you are. Unless you are a selfish, angry butthead. In which case, you might want to make a few changes.

Screw This print by Sweet Harvey: Screw this!” If something is not working for you, it might be time to re-evaluate. Just because you’ve been doing X, Y, Z for years doesn’t mean you have to keep doing it that way. If it’s not working, fix it.

Beer print from Amy McAdams Design:I’m gonna grab a beer.” Dads know when to reward themselves with something they love, and you should be doing the same. The next time you meet one of your big goals for the month or plow through your exploding inbox, reward yourself with a little something. It doesn’t have to be a beer.

Wake Up print from Typographics: “Wake up!” When you were little, did your dad every have to give you a gentle nudge stern reminder that it was time to wake up for school? Well, consider this your wake up call from Dad. If you want your dreams to come true, you’ll have to go out there and chase ‘em down. You won’t hear a knock at your door if you don’t get out of bed.

What words of wisdom has your dad shared with you?

Leave your response in the comments below.

That’s it for art to inspire this week. Happy (early) Father’s Day to all the dads out there!

art to inspire: sometimes it just takes one

Last week, I was catching up on a friend’s blog and she mentioned that a buddy of hers, Megan Gilger, had just opened up a new print shop. So of course, I headed over to check it out and immediately feel in love with darn near every print in Megan’s shop.

Those are a few of her designs above. To see more of her work, visit Hitch Print Shop.

Thoughts to lead you into the rest of your week…

There are more bloggers and Etsy sellers these days than you can shake a stick at. So it is easy to fall into the “Little ole me. I’m not as popular as ________ and what I create doesn’t seem to matter because no one is noticing me.” attitude. I get it – there is a lot of  ”competition” and some of your competitors seem to have it all figured out, with thousands of sales under their belt and tens of thousands of subscribers to their blogs.

BUT you don’t have to reach tens of thousands of people with your voice, your message, your beautifully crafted clay animal figurines. At least not yet.

Just start with one.

Every great thing in this world started with just one person thinking it was so.

And then another, and another.

Your work could be the thing that brightens someone else’s otherwise dismal day. Your message – that heartfelt blog post you wrote last week – can make an impact and strike a cord with a perfect stranger.

That sounds pretty powerful to me, even if you do only have 42 twitter followers.

So go ahead, stop comparing your small potatoes to another’s seemingly abundant garden.

Looking over the fence isn’t going to help your garden grow.

You need to plant your own seeds.

With that in mind, I have a challenge for you: Start this week to make a difference. Attempt to impact just one person’s day, outlook, or attitude. Ignore your follower count and those other thoughts swirling around in your mind – aim to reach just one person. It won’t be long before that one turns into two and two turns into ten…

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images above c/o Megan of Hitch Print Shop Be RealBe BoldBe True

art to inspire: 7 reminders you should hang in your workspace

Imagine if every time you were feeling unsure, stuck, or in a rut, you could simply look up and be reminded of the things you have forgotten along the way. Well, guess what? You can! You just need to track down a few posters or prints that speak to you and hang them where you’ll see them most – in your studio or office.

Not sure where to find these thoughtful inspirations? I’ve picked out my seven favorites to get you started.

(above) 1. Make Magic Happen and 2. Always Stay Well Tuned

3. Just a Little Encouragement

4. Don’t Let Yesterday…

5. Dream Big

6. Change the Conversation and 7. Creativity

What gets you through tough days?

Share your favorite inspirational quote in the comments below and join the conversation.

art to inspire: 7 prints to inspire you in your workspace

Naturally, as the writer of a column called “art to inspire,” I am a firm believer in surrounding yourself with inspiration each day – in your home and elswehere, but especially when it comes to your workspace. So here are seven suggestions for new office hangings to remind you of the things I am sure, deep down inside, you already know…

1. Live with Passion

2. Dream Big

3. We’ve Got to Live, No Matter how many Skies have Fallen

4. Trust your Instincts

5. You are so very Worthy

6. Change your Thoughts, You’ll Change the World

7. This is my Year

Looking for more inspiration? You can read past art to inspire articles here to get your week rolling. And if you feel so inclined, please share your favorite quotes and/or inspirations in the comments below.

Art to Inspire: 6 Full-Proof Ways to Ensure Happiness in your Business (and in life)

If you are feeling stuck in your art, unable to move forward with your business, or simply feeling uninspired, it may be contributing to your overall happiness (or unhappiness) not just with your work, but your home life, too.

So this week, I have put together six full-proof tips for getting back on track down the “happiness path” in your business and in life.

And for even more inspiration, visit my Art to Inspire gift guide, featuring 20 additional prints and originals to make your heart smile, after you’ve read through this post.

1. Choose your own path: Don’t compare yourself to others. It will only get you heading down the wrong path quick. Instead, choose your own path and know that the one you choose is the absolute right path for you at this moment. Trust your intuition and let that little voice inside of you in.

2. Creativity takes courage: When you are feeling down remember that you are courageous as a creative entrepreneur. This stuff takes guts. And it can be tough. I mean come on, even Henri Matisse thinks so! Are you really going to argue with Matisse on this one?

3. Sing your own song: Be you! I can sense that you are the very best version of yourself when you are around people you feel comfortable with. Maybe your close family and friends – with them you let your hair down, you sing your own song, act a fool without apologizing, speak your brilliance, and just “get real”. If you can do it with them, you can do it with everyone else (strangers, perspective clients, and fellow biz owners included).

4. Don’t wait for inspiration. Pursue it: Don’t wait around for that magic moment to strike you. Create the magic moment yourself. If you wait, you’ll never get there. And we are not living in eternity.

5. Haters gonna hate: You have to know that “haters gonna hate”. It happens to everyone at some point. It is not just you. So, you need to remember that you cannot please everyone. Period! And you also need to learn to be okay with that. If you can do this, you will be so much happier.

6. Always radiate sunshine: Finally, make an attempt to radiate sunshine from the inside out every day. It’s the little things that bring joy to your life. If you can find those things, you will radiate happiness (and sunshine) until the end of days.

What do you do to maintain happiness in your business (and in life)?

Share your response in the comments below.