This sneak peek at the Creativity Tribe Pop-Up shop was promised in last week’s post. I shared the big news that Creativity Tribe can be found as a year round vendor at the Corpus Christi Southside Farmers’ Market, Saturday mornings. This week, I want to dig a bit deeper and share some of the goodies we have created.
You can find Creativity Tribe at several local markets and events. We set up our Creativity Tribe Pop-Up Shop featuring handmade mixed media art, jewelry, cards, smaller prints of larger works, and spiritually influenced art-ifacts.
Small Sculpture Art
Hand-built ART-ifacts and Prayer Boxes
Both Eric and I love to make art with a wink towards spirituality. The Creativity Tribe Pop-Up Shop has been a fun way to connect with that part of our creative spirit. I have sculpted works out of clay since my early 20’s, and these little art-ifacts are some of my favorite small works.
For Eric, the little prayer boxes or travel altars have allowed him to dive into his roots as an eco-artist. The Altoid Boxes are perfect for small but meaningful art.
Wearable Art
Crowns, bracelets, and necklaces fit for a Queen.
When I began making art, I would go hide out at my favorite-ever bead shop… Artitude. Artitude is no longer around, but it lives on in the handmade jewelry of artists from my area… including me. That is where I fell in love with wire. The love affair is still quite steamy!
Amanda Mathews of Love is a Seed as Golden Butterfly Queen
Pretties…
Mixed media works, prints, handmade cards, stickers, and magnets
These are some of our newest pieces. We have made prints of our larger paintings, including a mural Eric did for a local business. It’s a great way to share big pieces with more people. Once we joined the Farmers’ Market, we decided to expand to include handmade, one-of-a-kind cards as well. One of our best sellers, though, is consistently our stickers…. we have originals and prints. We are pretty much in love with them ourselves and can’t wait to add more to our collection!
More to come for the Creativity Tribe Pop-Up Shop…
The last several months, as we have increased the offerings in the Creativity Tribe Pop-Up Shop and increased our presence in the art community, we have been beautifully embraced by art lovers. We are looking forward to making more goodies to share over the course of the coming year. More to come!!
We are all on a journey of some sort. Living the Creative Life is about looking inside and seeing where your journey is leading you. Recently, my journey has reminded me about the value of building self-trust. Building self-trust is a powerful gift for a Creative to give themselves because it often means they can more fully share their gifts with the World.
Tips for Building Self-Trust
Here is one of my favorite tips to help Creatives stand up and say to themselves and to the World…. I am doing it because I said I would.
Start a Conversation
In college as I was studying theatre, I discovered how powerful it could be to have a conversation on paper with myself when I wasn’t so sure I could follow through on my ideas or keep my commitments to myself and others. Inside my journal, I would begin a deep talk from the part of myself that needed to be heard and let another part hear them out, even going so far as to answer the first part back in the voice of a loving, nurturing parent or creative guide. Over time, I began to have those conversations more subtly in my head, and now, they are part of my daily self-awareness. Occasionally, when I get stuck in the I-can’t’s or I’ll-put-it-off-til-tomorrow’s, I get real with myself on paper. And then I dive into trying to understand the stuck part by listening from a place of love and compassion. I began calling them Inner World Conversations.
The Inner World Conversations go something like this….
If you would like to build your because I said I would Self-Trust Muscle, get in touch with the Reluctant Part inside by starting your own Inner World Conversation. Begin by using two different pens, one for each inner voice. Ask yourself what the Reluctant Part (the fearful, stuck, little, hurt, unsure part) of you needs to say, and then invite that part to share. When you feel you have expressed the first layer of what you need to say, stop and read it back to yourself. Don’t edit. Don’t over think. Pick up the other pen and invite the Heart-Centered Part (loving, compassionate, listening, peace-making part) of yourself to respond in a supportive way.
The back and forth can go on several times as the Reluctant Part finds a sense of being able to fully express itself and the Heart-Centered Part discovers how to help it feel heard and supported. The goal isn’t necessarily to make yourself do something, it is to build trust with yourself. As a Creative, the more you foster a space of listening for difficult emotions like fear, doubt, and worry, the more you can likely build an Inner World that helps shift those emotions to deeper levels of peace, enthusiasm, passion, and ease. This can help shift an automatic kind of living to an intentional, self-supportive way of being. Lots of magic happens there!
A very wise man once told me that there is no such thing as not saying anything. He explained that even when we don’t talk, when we don’t say a single word, we are saying a lot. So in my silence during 2018, I didn’t mean to say, “Good-bye,” but in many ways, that is exactly what I was saying. Good-bye.
I stopped talking to you here, sweet Creativity Tribe. I pulled myself off some of my favorite social media platforms (for some, I still haven’t returned), pulled away from some of my local friends, and I dove deep into myself. I didn’t do this out of a sense of pain or as a way of escaping. I did it because my heart, at the end of 2018, was blown WIDE open, and I knew this was an opportunity to enter into myself to explore my HeartSpace with the lights turned on and the music of my spirit turned up high. Who can say no to THAT?!
Into the HeartSpace
The events that led up to the opening of my heart are for another visit… it’s a really beautiful story. What I do want to share is a peek into the journey of diving into my heart. Haha! Also, a really beautiful story.
In the first days of 2018, I realized I had to say yes to the heart journey. I began by tapping out of the regular rhythms of my life. I spent extra time with myself. I took time waking up. I played with my lingering dreams, stretched them out into daydreams later in the day. I payed attention to the energy that pulsed through me. I felt more alive. I brought myself to the page… my thoughts, the images that accompanied them, and the curiosities that danced around me…. I wrote them out, drew and painted. I EXPRESSED what was inside. And all of this led me to know myself in new ways.
What I Discovered
I could see strength and confidence I had not known for many years. I discovered how powerfully I was loved in this world… so much love!!! And I could see very clearly some of my deepest wounds and the atrophy of my lifeforce those wounds had produced. And then I decided to re-vitalize those places.
This brought me to my Body Wisdom Journey. For as long as I could remember, I had struggled with weight. My weight not only weighed down my body, it also weighed down my dreams. My lifework suffered because I struggled to move. My hip has been a source of pain for the last several years. It has held me back from sharing myself, my art, and my ideas. But that changed after I began my Body Wisdom Journey.
In July of this last year, I discovered an eating plan that really worked for me. I began working with a coach and my body loved me for it. That was a gamechanger. It meant that I could do more. And it meant I could dream bigger.
That brings me to the whole reason I am writing to you here again. I am ready. I am…
Saying Hello, Creativity Tribe….
I am looking forward to 2019 with the same passion I looked forward to diving into my heart at the beginning of 2018. I am looking forward to this because it means I can share the lessons, wisdom, and beauty I found inside there. I have more projects than ever planned for Creativity Tribe. Some will be in-person, but many are opportunities for us to connect on-line so that Creativity Tribe is without bounds. #CreativityTribeWorldwide!
I want to invite you to celebrate Creativity Tribe with me! What are we celebrating? Five years of instigating creativity in one another. That’s right, five years ago I took my personal creative-life-centered blog (Art of Collecting Yourself) and transformed it into a professional website…. and my life work… Creativity Tribe.
{Make sure not to miss the give-away at the bottom of the post.}
I tell you, I didn’t REALLY know what I was doing. I had never built a website before, and those were the days before drag and drop platforms. I taught myself to build a site over the course of a couple of months, and after plenty of tears, nail biting, and Google searches, I launched on September 9th, 2012.
I had inklings of what Creativity Tribe would become. They were all driven by my deep desire to help people fall in love with their own creativity. I wanted to create a kind of sancturary for the creative spirit, where creativity and spirituality supported personal growth, where people could dare to be their best, and because of that, we could all make the world a happier place.
Highlights from the Last Five Years
As soon as I jumped in, I just knew I would be super focus on making something powerful with Creativity Tribe.
I headed up to Wisconsin for a massive roadtrip to teach at an art retreat. I was totally engaging my Wanderlust. I encouraged the Tribe to join me in spirit by engaging their Inner Wanna Be’s. A few local Creatives starred in a video exploring what they imagined being in their lives….sometimes their wishes were possible, other times fantastical. It was great fun to explore this with them.
The crossroad trip was amazing. I met artists, dancers, drummers, and activists. When I got home I was ready to take that energy and sprinkle it over Creativity Tribe.
A Detour
But my body had a different journey in mind. Just months after returning from my trip, I became very sick. Turns out I had endometrial cancer. For awhile, I went on pushing to make things happen here… kept blogging, kept sharing, kept creating. One night, in a conversation with Tracy Verdugo about how I was sharing my journey, she encouraged me to stop…to just focus on me and nothing else. And so I took the guidance of this wise-woman-friend and focused on my personal health and well-being.
Treatment took a long time to start. (You know, red tape has its own agenda.) In the meantime, I began listening to my own Inner Guidance. After all, I feel like that is a kind of sister to the Creative Spirit. I had a sense that the Universe was teaching me how to offer more experience-based wisdom to the Tribe.
My surgery finally happened in 2014. I have been thriving ever since! And my journey with cancer has gone on to help me guide other survivors in re-creating their lives after diagnosis.
Essential Oils
That is when I began diving more seriously into essential oils. I had been using them for about 10 years at that point with my massage therapy clients. With my personal level of self-care hitting a stage of epic proportion, I knew I wanted something powerful to support my journey. What is more powerful than Mother Nature?!
My favorite oils have remained a big part of my life and are now heartily sprinkled into the work I do with clients and in Body Wisdom Oils, my free essential oil group.
Back to Work
Once I got the all-clear, I was excited to get back on track. For me, that meant getting in front of Creatives locally (I make my home at Corpus Christi, Texas), at retreats, and developing on-line offerings. For quite awhile, my absence created a lull in visits to the website. So, I focused on local events. The year and a half after that was thrilling. I crafted so beautiful gatherings that blended art, spirituality, and inspired community.
Image by Liz Ophoven
Inspired Community
That’s when I really began to understand Creativity Tribe. Creativity Tribe is an inspired, creative community. Sometimes that means a community of two people (me and a life coaching client), and sometimes it means many more (Creativity Tribe’s Facebook Group or Instagram Challenges). That is where my focus has been… those online opportunities to instigate creativity with one another.
Live Broadcasting
Just over a year ago, I discovered Live Broadcasting. I discovered it first on Periscope, and then, I began using Facebook Live on the Creativity Tribe Facebook Page. I love this way of connecting with Creatives. It has definitely made a difference with visits to our little on-line home. I broadcast nearly daily on Periscope. (As a note, I just hit 2 million hearts. So epic!) And if you can’t catch me live, you can find a library of over 500 creative-living-focused broadcasts. I hope you will check it out. You can watch from your phone with the Periscope app or on your computer by signing into Periscope.
Celebrating {A Give-Away}
To celebrate, I am giving away a digital print of the little inspirational phase I share at the end of my broadcasts. That’s right, a give-away! It is a reminder that no matter what comes around, creativity always finds a way. To receive the print, grab my Self-Care Spark Guide. (It is also free.) Then, next week, I will send out the print to everyone on the Creativity Tribe mailing list. I can’t wait to share it with you!
The need for self-care seems to hit when it is most inconvenient. Life gets busy. Life piles it on. Someone you care about needs a little extra care….or a lot. And you are lift wondering how in the world to make it all work without dipping into reserves that already feel shallow.
Several years ago at the height of “going places” in my career as a helping professional, I got a hard taste of burn-out. Finding my way back to center meant balancing my busy schedule of pursuing my dreams while also committing to a consistent practice of meaningful self-care.
I have found that weaving this self-care into the rhythm of life is ideal. If we make plans to take care of ourselves the same way we plan for taking care of business, we can have both. If we don’t, we are often left wanting more of life and not having the energy or focus to make it happen.
With that in mind, I have woven a spirit of renewal into a 21 day self-care e-course with Re-Treat Yourself Well.
When self-care takes a back seat, you can feel low of spirit, low of energy, and challenged to find your way back to the bright side of life again.
That is why I have designed Re-Treat Yourself Well, a 21 day self-care e-course, in a way that helps you consistently schedule a tiny bit of time for investing in yourself in a big way.
Image by Liz Ophoven
Creativity Tribe’s Re-Treat Yourself Well e-course explores simple practices that you can weave into multiple areas of your life.
Re-treat Yourself Well E-Course:
When: 21 Days…starting Monday, August 21st (This event is closed.)
Where: Online with daily prompts delivered to our Re-treat Yourself Well Portal
What: 21 days of gentle art-ivities, guided meditations, and simple, stress busters to spark epic self-care… Specifically designed to help you lean into more fully enjoying this masterpiece called life.
How:Re-Treat Yourself Well blends self-care practices with creativity. You will feel like your own personal self-care mentor. When life gets a little crazy, you will use your dynamic self-care plan to respond to it.
Scheduled Self-Care: I have created this re-treat with your busy schedule in mind. Busy is a great reason to practice self-care…..in a smart way. We will get focused on Mondays and sprinkle the week with tiny sparks of inspiration that can be done in 15 minutes.
Mojo Monday: Hour-long group calls set the tone for your week. Those calls will be recorded so that you can listen when it is most convenient for you.
Daily Self-Care Sparks: You will receive inspirational nuggets like meditations, easy self-care actions, journal prompts, art-ivity projects, and mindset tweeks to help guide your self-care journey into a personalized practice of renewal.
Personalized Renewal Style: I will help you identify your unique approach to filling-the-cup, so that you can feel assured your self-care practice offers time-efficient renewal actions JUST for you.
Inspired Community: Tap into an inspired, online community where you can share your journey and connect with other self-care focused creatives. I will be available within our private Facebook group during the 21 day retreat to offer encouragement and guidance.
Who: Anyone who wishes to invite renewal and relaxation into their life in a more mindful, creative way.
Price: $75 with two payment options (see below). (This event is closed.)
Why: Because you deserve to… Re-Treat Yourself Well.
One of the best gifts of being an artist-married-to-an-artist is that we understand the creative process and can support one another as we work on a project. This last year, he has been a trouper. Creativity Tribe has bloomed in so many ways. He has been right there beside me, attending workshops, acting as my cheerleader-man, my roadie, my counselor, and my behind-the-scenes partner.
Creativity Tribe is thriving, in part, because he is as dedicated to sharing a love of creativity as I am.
So why all this talk about my artist-hubby? Well, this last weekend, he was commissioned to paint a large mural for a local tea house, Lotus Dreams Tea. I will be following his progress here and on the other social media spots I hang out on.
Have you ever wished to have your own art oracle? To have a collection of cards that might give you insight into the workings of your life? Beautiful cards with images, symbols, and stories that speak directly to your heart? Now is your chance!
Join me, Rachél Payne, for a 21 day guided e-journey where mixed media altered art cards meet the inner sanctuary of Self. Our time together will include my favorite tips, tricks, and tutorials for creating dynamic, mixed media art cards, as well as, a simple, creativity practice to help you connect more deeply with your own Inner Sanctuary.
This sacred creativity gathering spotlights a personal journey of discovery in the midst of inspired community. Dive into this experience as a way of getting to know yourself more fully, but be prepared to allow the Creativity Tribe community to inspire your art and your heart to expand and deepen all at the same time.
They class is filling up with the most beautiful array of people. Artists. Writers. Dreamers. Spiritualists. Ordinary, everyday people who wish to spark meaning and magic in their lives. Sound like your kind of people?
Give yourself the gift of inspiration. 21 Days ….just enough time to walk away with a collection of cards you will treasure.
Templekeeper’s Oracle Journey blends creativity and spirituality….
Mixed Media Art Tutorials
Create your own Art Oracle using Playing Cards
Enjoy a simple, safe meditation that connects you to your heART
Join Rachél in Guided Visualizations
Facebook Group to share your Art and Experience
Plus, BONUS: Art Card Trade the week after the course
“Tune into your dreams,” he said. Sitting with one of my mentors at Cafe Calypso, whispering between the words of the folk songs that come wafting by, I am caught up in his words. I feel a bubble form around us. People float around the bubble but never stop to engage. I am grateful for this time with him, alone. His thoughts make my mind expand. His heart opens me to more fully loving this life that we have shared for nearly 30 years. Dr. Erwin was once my college freshman English professor and is now my mentor, my friend, and my muse.
He talks to me of my dreams and says, “Many people are never confronted by their dreams.” The word CONFRONT hits me hard. Confronted by a dream?
As a Life Coach and Sacred Creativity Guide, I often work with Creatives who play with dreams that are whispering to them. Dreams do that. They start with a whisper and become louder and louder. Sometimes they become loud because they need our attention. I also think they grow in strength as we give them attention. The more we tune into a dream the more the dream grows and blooms.
The Pop-up Sanctuary for the Creative Spirit invites participants to “Tune Into Your Dreams.”
Tune into Your Dream
Are your dreams speaking to you? Whispering? Are they speaking loudly? What would happen, do you think, if you turned the volume up? What if you invited your dream to confront you? Would you open yourself to it?
I invite you to play with opening up to your dream. Dreamwork is powerful. Ask your dream to show you the way, to show you the next right step to move towards fully embodying it. Invite yourself to tune into your dream and lean into your own amplified existence.
Rachél Payne, MS is the heART and soul behind Creativity Tribe. She is a Life Coach, Sacred Creativity Guide, and Arts Educator. Rachél’s passion is help others fall in love with themselves and their life using creativity and spirituality. She lives in Corpus Christi, Texas (just off the Gulf of Mexico) where she offers sacred creativity workshops and one-on-one sessions crafted to her client’s needs. She also works with Creatives and Wanna-Be-Creatives via the internet. (Note….we are all creative, some just don’t yet fully own it.) You can find her under the Creativity Tribe handle on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter…and nearly everyday live and on replay through Periscope.
I fell in love with journaling the day it was introduced to me. As an adult, I discovered you could create journals that held both words and images. Mixed media journaling opened self-expression up to me in a whole new way. My creative spirit and my art in general have never been the same!
It has become a tool for ironing out ideas in my professional life, a stress-buster for my personal life, and a go-to source for personal development when I help other Creatives spin their dreams and engage more fully in creative projects.
About a month ago I started broadcasting on Periscope. Periscope is an app that allows you to visit live with people all over the world and then watch the ‘scopes as a replay.
This upcoming week I will be joining a group of mix media art journalers on Periscope as we share tips, tricks, and inspiration to help you dive into #CreatingFearlessly!
The Creating Fearlessly Mixed Media Art Journaling series is FREE. There are a couple ways to keep up with it. To watch live on Periscope at the scheduled times, go in and search for each of the presenters, then follow each of the artists to receive notifications. OR search #CreatingFearlessly on Twitter to find replays.
Whether you are new to art journaling or have a stack of self-expressive jewels tucked away in the corner, this series is bound to offer you some little gem.
When I get down to the core of what creativity means to me, it is about something sacred, the making of life's meaning and magic.
Follow Me on Periscope
Join me on Periscope for LIVE (and replay) broadcasts about living a creative life. I will be offering tips, tricks, and inspiration to help you connect with the meaning and magic of your life. It's my reminder to you that ...
Creativity Always Finds a Way!
Ready to spark your self-care journey? This full color guide to gives you a handful of self-care actions to help you manage stress and up your self-care game. Filled with tips and tricks, this e-book helps you bust stress so you can more fully connect with the heart of your creativity.
Just click the image above for your FREE GIFT!
Welcome to CT
Hi, I am Rachél.... the quirky, big-hearted soul behind Creativity Tribe, a sanctuary for your creative spirit. As a life coach and artist, I know the importance of community, celebration, and transformation. Creativity Tribe is abuzz with connections to other creative bloggers and offers tips and stories to inspire your creative lifestyle!
http://creativitytribe.com/
Creative Live Coach
There is a beauty that comes out of sharing a journey with another person....a dream for yourself, a direction for a project, a way out of the muck that holds your Creative Spirit back. Let's talk about working together. creativitytribe@gmail.com