I Double Dare You!

 I've been in my studio...

getting it messy again..  

I don't know what it is lately, but I cannot get enough color on my palette.

The brighter and deeper the hue the better...

I don't know how long this phase will last but I am loving it for now.

I wanted to tell you that I submitted a short story

to a NATIONAL writing competition here in Canada.

This is the first time I submit a story.

(Go big or go home...)

It's a CBC short story and poetry competition.  

The winner gets 6000$ + they get their story published here.

I've been wanting to submit to this competition for the last three years

but I always managed to find 1000 things I NEEDED to do 

and never had time to follow through.

 I submitted in the creative non-fiction category.

I chose a story from the book I'm working on but I had to re-write it (often) 

because the word limit was 1500 words (4pages).

I don't expect to be the winner,

or one of the four runner-ups who will each 

receive 1000$.

I am aware that almost every writer gets rejected... 

hundreds of times

even the absolute best.

But, one thing is for sure...

Even with ALL the odds against me, 

I feel so good about this.

I feel good because I can no longer let fear rule.

Because doing something is so much better than doing nothing.

Because I am one step closer to sending it ALL out there.

Because I am getting braver and so much nearer to 

becoming the me I want to be.

For now, I will let it go and set it free.

And look forward to painting some more in the days to come.

These paintings will be in the shop later on today.

I dare you to take one step closer to your biggest dream today.

I double dare you!

PS.  I'm going as Little Red Riding Hood tonight.
(What are you going as?)

Happy Halloween!

xo
PS.  Thank-you for all of your sweet words of congratulations on my last post!

 

I Have Good News...

Hello Friday...

What took you so long?

  I don't know about you guys but this has been one  

emotionally charged 

busy week in the Daniel household!  

Owen has been sick all week!

Sleepless nights full of deep loud coughing that

keeps a mama on stand by all night long.

(He's finnaally getting better)

I started coaching Owen's basketball team...

I forgot how draining it was to talk over the sound 

of 100 basketballs bouncing in the gym.

(somebody save me lol!)

My nephew was born!

Landon Daniel

8 pounds 13 ounces

21 inches

(welcome to the world little one!)

A secret undercover project

with my very talented friends...

more to come on this soon(ish).

Let's just say I was WAY out of my comfort zone for this one folks...

(WAY!)

Writing, editing and editing some more.

I'm reaching a deadline for a writing project...

(feeling the fear and forging straight ahead...deep breathes!)

No time in the studio ALL week.

until TODAY... 

Sweet Friday!

Let's get messy!!!

AND....

Last but not least....

Look what showed up in my mail box last night?

I'm PUBLISHED!

My banner 

was selected for the Banners We Love in the

absolutely BEAUTIFUL magazine

Artful Blogging!

  What a FABULOUS way to end such a nutty week!

I'm off to get my paint on...

Wishing you all a weekend filled with tender loving care!

xox

 

Brave Butterflies

I've been writing again...  Writing.  My other love.   The one that always makes me go deeper.  Not too long ago someone commented on my artwork and said if you look quickly your work is cheerful and colorful, but if you spend a few moments really looking at your girls and their eyes, you see what lies beneath.

I think that person was right.  There is so much more going on than the surface bright colors and cheerful combinations of girls with birds and girls with feathers.

I've been living in that layer.  That place that calls me during the day and even in my dreams.  I've been writing by hand and with my computer.  Exploring that place that I often want to leave behind.  The one that is trying to get noticed and striving for my attention.

I've also been reaching out this week.  Asking for help, guidance and  direction.  With my writing, my stories, and my words.  Asking the same questions.  Again.  Secretly wanting someone to knock at my door with a written confirmation that says YES Danielle, you ARE supposed to go there, YES, you are supposed to share, YES, you are good enough. And, hoping like hell they come to the door and say MOVE ON GIRL!

I've been practicing courage a lot this week.  Setting myself up for rejection and criticism.  I have to be honest, I almost threw up yesterday after pressing send message.  It was NOT easy.  But I survived.  And today, I have a few butterflies in my stomach because I feel brave.  I followed through.  I. took. one. more. step. forward.

The sun is shining today after many days of cold rain and strong winds.  I hope you are well my friends.  I hope you are reaching deep inside.  I hope you feel butterflies in your stomach.  Let's all be BRAVE today. xox

Join the Revolution NOW!

Have you heard about the a new revolution starting? 

The one where your heART makes a difference?

My heART sister Louise Gale is launching 

a new initiative to help us all:

*Live with Gratitude 

*Choose Kindness

*Practice Self-care 

*Be creative 

*Spread happiness 

*& Energize from the heART 

In Louise's words:

If you have asked yourself

“What can I do to make a difference?”,

I hope this new community will inspire you.

Throughout 2011, as I have been working through my coach training and experiencing all the ebbs and flows of life, I came to realize more and more how the energy of our thoughts and feelings really do make a huge difference. Not only to ourselves but everyone around us, spreading wider and wider.

Choosing good thoughts and feelings positively raises our vibrational level and helps us attract the things we want in our life.

As human beings we often focus on what is missing in our lives, what is wrong and what isn’t working. Imagine if we were to turn that around and focus more on what has gone well, what is working and really start to focus on what we are grateful for.

I am so honored to have been asked 

to contribute to this beautiful community.

Please follow this link to find out 
HOW
I hope to make a difference.

 Find out more soon about each contributor as Louise shares it all here.

I hope you will join us so we can all take part in living from our hearts...

Join the movement here!

  

FearLESS Update...

I wasn't always an optimist.  

The first thirty years of my life the cup was half empty. 

I lived in the past and worried about the future. 

I wasn't happy. 

I grinded my teeth a lot in my sleep.

  I never thought the happy moments would last. 

I lived in fear.

Many moments happened in between then and now. 

Some big, some small but they all mattered and brought me to this very moment.

Remember the word I chose for myself this year? 

This one?  

Well, I am learning that AMAZING things 

can happen when you fear LESS.

When you look at fear and say:

"Yup, I see you, I feel you, but I'm doing it anyway".

     I`ve been thinking about this lately because really good things are happening to me.

  GREAT things! 

BIG DREAM things and I`m trying to soak it up! 

I`m trying to accept them without diminishing their importance

and believe wholeheartedly that I DESERVE it!  

I`m trying to stand in my light and say YES! 

Thank-YOU!

I BELIEVE!

I want to end this post with a beautiful quote that a dear friend 

pointed out to me the other day (Melissa ♥)

"I've been absolutely terrified every moment of my life 

and I've never let it keep me from doing a single thing I wanted to do."

"Georgia O'Keeffe"

How have YOU said NO to FEAR lately?  I would LOVE to hear about it!

PS.  I'll be able to share more soon. xox

The Photo Walk + Self Portraiture

  

    This is my third and final post dedicated to my experience at  

The Be Present Retreat. 

The weather was beautiful while we where there. 

It only rained on our final night and it drizzled the day we were leaving. 

The clear skies made it easier for photo walks which were led

by the ultra cool and talented Vivienne McMaster.

Not only am I uncomfortable in front of the camera, but I am also timid behind it.

Ever since starting this blog I have felt like a less than average suckie photographer...

To be honest, getting the right photos for the blog has stressed me out..until now.

It was Vivienne's first time teaching LIVE and not online,

and let me tell you, she lit a fire inside of me!

I have to out myself by telling you that I had signed up

for her online photo class earlier this year called: 

You Are Your Own Muse. 

But, I was a no-show.  I totally chickened out.  

Now I know what I missed out on!

I was the only one in the group with a point and shoot camera.  No fancy lens (yet).

Vivienne presented photo taking in such a way that made it accessible,

fun and actually non-threatening.

She inspired me to be in the present and let go of the view finder...

In the end, I was transformed!

I can honestly say that I look forward to taking MANY 

more photo walks in the future...

I know I have A LOT to learn, but I'm not scared anymore. 

And I TOTALLY have Vivienne to thank for this.

She is a photo whisperer!

  

 The following photos were taken on a photo walk the day I was leaving.  

It's not easy for me to share these but that's why I'm doing it.

I hope to be able to share more with you in the next few months as 

I have signed up for You are Your Own Muse class again. 

This time I will be there with bells on.

I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend. xox

Taking It all In...

 

I'm having difficulty articulating what I experienced, at Frog Creek Lodge. I'm back home and in full gear again, running around, doing errands, wearing my many hats, but something is different.  A great shift has occurred, a very beautiful, open and honest shift.  Maybe even something magical...

 

Maybe it was the perfect setting, the nurturing environment, the home cooked meals. 

Maybe it was the eleven other souls destined to meet and share this experience. 

Sometimes, once in a blue moon everything just lines up...

This is where we sat and shared our writing,

lovingly guided by Liz Lamoureux who organized this retreat. 

This is the place where my heart opened and my fears subsided,

where I felt unconditionally undertsood and accepted.

There were many fragile moments,

too precious to share here and that shall 

always remain in our pockets.

It is here that I learned I could thread words together 

while being vulnerable in the company of others.

Where I could lean in and let myself fall one minute

while stand strong for others the next.

It is here where I was reminded of true beauty.

The beauty in the broken, the vulnerable, the strong and the real.

And, the absolute beauty and perfection of the present.

Where I learned to believe wholeheartedly... 

That the very BEST is yet to come!

I have so much more to share with you,
so please bare with me as I share it slowly.
(Steve said the cheese has been in overdrive lately...what can I say...I LOVE cheese).

*************************************************************
I wanted to share a link to a fun shopping site in the UK that has featured my blog.
Stop by to check it out.  They have so much wonderful information to share.

The Be Present Retreat is featured the beautiful
NEW Stampington & Company publication called Mingle.
My HeART sister Beth Nicholls is also in this magazine sharing her
Do What You Love Retreat!
Check it out...you will be inspired!

Also, I have been dusting my ETSY shop all day!
(It is a rare occasion)
Many new originals, prints and art quilts have been added.
I thought I would invite you for a visit since it`s all tidy!

Thank-you all for being part of this journey with me. 
xox

The Light Keepers

I am back. And forever changed. I had a feeling it would be pretty special.  I had no idea it would  bust me open.  The eleven women I met and shared with are all phenomenal.  While I waited at the airport for nine hours (that's not a typo), I wrote this poem.  It's dedicated to each one who has made me a better human by showing up and sharing their light with me.

The Light Keepers

I see her, this girl,

Mystified by raindrops of joy.

Wrapped in the tear stains of her light keepers.

She remembers their thunderous laughter,

And the doorway to their feathered stories.

I see her, this girl,

Walking in her paper shoes.

Trying to stand tall without them.

Squeezing her heart with the hum of their voices.

Exhaling the waves of her lonely whispers.

I see her, this girl,

Clutching her handkerchief,

While she sits with a fragile heart.

Her hands embroidered

With the texture of their kindness and love.

I see her, this girl,

Picture-poems gathered in memory.

Bouncy balls skipping by.

Barefoot dreams in one single cup of tea.

Twelve shimmering lights twirling around the trees.

I see her, this girl,

The one I always knew.

Living inside each abandoned sound of a broken heart.

Deeply stained in delicate paper.

Their essence tattooed inside her skin.

I see her, this girl,

Connected to each light keeper.

Fiercely embracing the beauty of their song.

Awakened by her silent voice, her wordless stories

And twelve colorful scarves fluttering in the wind.

For each and everyone of you.  I love you dearly. xox

 This is a self portrait taken after I said goodbye...

tear stained.

One last walk in the woods...

More to come about this trip soon. 

I'm still catching my breath and processing it all.

Leaving on a Jet Plane...

     I am up two hours before my regular wake up time this morning because I have a list a mile long to accomplish before the sun sets tonight.  I am still buzzing from a very busy weekend at the Fringe ART Tour.  The attendance this year just blew me away!  It was so wonderful to connect with other artists of all ages and styles.  I'm already looking forward to participating again next year.  Thank-you to all my local peeps who made it out.  ♥

I have approximately 28 hours before I leave on my next adventure to Seattle, Washington.  This is the least organized and prepared I have EVER been for a trip thus far.  So, I will be "getting er done" today as they say here in the army.

I am participating in a Be Present Retreat, organized by the amazing Liz Lamoureux.  I will be here, in the Pacific Northwest staying at the Frog Creek Lodge.  These three AMAZING women will be teaching at the retreat where I will dive into a world of photography, writing, painting.... and a wholatta FUN!

Photo credit:  Liz Lamoureux 

I have never been to this kind of retreat before where
it will be smaller and more intimate. 

I'm looking forward to meeting new friends...
and meeting new heART sisters,
if I can just get packed already...

Photo Credit:Vivienne McMaster, second and fourth photos taken by Mindy Lacefield, third photo taken by Liz Lamoreux)  

My shop will be closed while I am away but I wanted to leave you with a few small paintings I finished last week.  Think SATURATION!
I guess my palette is changing with the seasons...

 

Many NEW prints and originals will be listed when I get back.

Until then, have a great week.  I am so excited for this next adventure...I have a feeling I will not be the same when I get back...I almost feel like a transformer getting ready to transform from the inside out.

Much LOVE,