One Little Idea, Two New Books, Hundreds of Sketches and a few Halloween Martinis!

Creativity leads to more creativity - Ideas feed on possibilities!

Have you ever noticed that when you open your mind to possibilities your mind opens up to you? I've always known that my artistic creativity fed on itself and the more I involved myself in being creative the more creative I became.

I've discovered in the last couple of months that this creatvity flows over into the "non-artistic" parts of my life if I pay attention.

Case in point, I am working on a Martini Recipe book. I am either at or very close to the 100 recipe mark at TheMartiniDiva and I promised myself that was the magic number for a book. I knew I was going to do art for the book - hey, I don't do anything without art - but an interesting thing happened along the road to the book's concept.

Here is the scenario. I write a Retro Pop Culture blog and relate a lot of my posts to my life growing up in the fifties, sixties and seventies. It would have been wonderful to post old photographs of my life and my family, but I do not have any of my photos with me, they're all in storage in California. So, I did a quick little pencil sketch for one post which evolved into a cartoon of me in the eighties.
I took one look at the sketch and realized it would be a wonderful chapter illustration for a book I was thinking of writing about growing up a baby boomer and my illustrated "comic, retro graphic novel" began!

Then I realized that this could be a great way to bring art into my Martini Book as well and did a quick sketch of a martini glass. But the really cool thing was this sketch inspired a little one page story and all of a sudden my Martini Recipe book evolved into something much larger.

So, I am in the middle of writing and illustrating two books and it all came from the fact that I didn't have a photograph to post to the PopArtDiva Retro Pop Culture blog.

Of course, this all comes at the same time as a big ad campaign that I'm designing for so my work load has increased on an exponential level! But the busier I get, the more organized I get and the more I get done. Amazing what can be done when it has to be done and when you let the possibilities in!

Not only that but I am gearing up for the holidays. Today I designed this year's Halloween Martini Recipe Card and completed the last 9 of my 14 Halloween recipes for posting in October. Next weekend I'll start my holiday designs for The PopArtDiva Boutique!

VISUALIZE VISUALIZE:
I am already checking out format options at Lulu.com for publishing my books. I can actually see the finished books in my mind! That's powerful visualization. I'm really excited and this encourages me to continue the sketches and the stories.

IT'S ALL IN HOW YOU LOOK AT IT:
I didn't plan to get back into a lot of advertising design when I "retired" from the art shows, but it seems I'm in demand and I've always enjoyed the challenge of turning crappy input into decent graphic design. And you get a lot of crappy input sometimes. But instead of doing my usual complaining about how no one understands what it takes to turn crap into art, I've decided to treat each project as a challenge to develop a visually appealing layout no matter what kind of input comes in or how disorganized it is. I'm getting paid by the hour so if they want to pay me graphic design rates for basic office work, fine by me!

This new view of "crappy input" as "input challenge" has eased my stress and detoured me away from my usual path to bleeding ulcers!

ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE:

• I am grateful for the graphic design work because it means income.
• I am grateful that I didn't have easy access to my old photos because the sketch I did turned into something that is going to be a joyful project and, possibly, a profitable pair of books.
• I am grateful that I was able learn a new attitude towards an old irritation.
• I am always grateful for Pixel and her daily playtime needs because she makes me laugh and teaches me to always spend a little time every day to play!

Happy October - I love Halloween and it's coming up - oh, just think of all the purples, greens and oranges I get to color this month and all the monsters and goblins I get to draw!
Halloween Designs coming soon to The PopArtDiva Boutique!

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DO YOU HAVE TO ASK?

This image is entitled "Why Me, God?" and is available as a free download for personal use only as a 5"x7" card image at PopArtDiva.com.
Post images Copyright 2008 by PopArtDiva.com. All rights reserved. No permission is given to copy, distribute or reproduce without written permission from PopArtDiva.com.
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Hey, You Big Chicken! ASK AND YE SHALL RECEIVE!

You'll have noticed I've been absent the last couple of weeks. Not really out of choice but out of a case of what I call "the blues". I won't give it that other word that starts with a "D" - it's like if you name something you give it life so I refrain from that as much as possible!

I've been experiencing a block to my creativity or rather a block to the enjoyment of my creativity - something that almost never happens to me! My creativity and my art have been my most reliable saviors. Through the loss of family members, bad economies, broken relationships and all the other "hard knocks" of life I have always been able to use some form of creative outlet to chase away "the blues" or keep them at bay until I could deal with them.

The past two weeks has been difficult for me because, though I worked, I was not enjoying it! To make matters worse I could not, for the life of me, figure out what brought this on. For a control freak like me that's just adding fuel to the fire! Not only was I "blue" I was beginning to get pissed off about it, lol!

So, I ASKED for some prayers and good thoughts from friends. They came through in spades and within 24 hours something absolutely amazing happened! Not only did I realize what it was that was creating this block to my muse, I discovered it was something that had been blocking my way to much of what I have wanted over the course of my life!

What was this block? Simple. It was "ASKING". I have never been able to ASK for anything easily. I had a hard time ASKING for the good thoughts I mentioned above! It was like pulling teeth for me to ASK for just the good thoughts! I spent 2 hours trying to decide if I would ASK. Give me a break!

Whether it is ego (won't admit the need for help) or lack of ego (don't believe the help is deserved) doesn't really matter to me at this point. I could not ASK and if you don't ASK you don't RECEIVE!

But you know what? I freaking DID IT! I girded my loins, looked at the big, ugly block of fear that had barricaded my way to so much of what I wanted in life and I took a flying leap over that ugly Mother of broken dreams! When I looked back I was surprised at how small that road block was! Why it was just a little bit of silliness wrapped up to look like the "Demon of Failure and Rejection"!

You see, what could it do to me? If you ASK, what do you have to lose really? Nothing in the big scheme of things - just the fear of rejection and what is that? Nothing. Fear is nothing. Rejection is nothing. It's only a temporary bruise to the ego and the ego ain't paying your bills or making you happy! Sometimes it's doing exactly the opposite!

ASK! ASK because all people can do is say no and no is just a word! No won't bite you! No can't hurt you if you don't let it. No is nothing. Not if you really want something bad enough! You'll take a No a million times if you have a Yes coming down the pipe!

ABUNDANCE COMETH:
So, how does this relate to abundance? Well, I have a really good idea for a product - I mean a really good idea. But this product would require large amounts of money and some business expertise I don't have.

Dear Me! I would have to ASK for something. I would have to ASK for help! Oh, my ego was having a hissy fit, it was drumming in my head, "No, No, I can't let you do that - you'll embarrass me. You don't have the right to ASK for something. I'm going to make you so sad you won't be able to ASK for anything!"

Something clicked in my head and I screamed back, "Shut up, Ego! Go to your room, you've been a bad Ego for decades and I've had enough of you! You are grounded and I don't want to see you again until you've learned your lesson!" And I sat down and wrote a letter and ASKED.

Whether or not this letter gets me what I desire remains to be seen. But in the simple act of ASKING I have opened up possibilities, possibilities that would not exist had I been to fearful to ASK. And possibilities are the pathway to abundance! Possibilities give you detours around road blocks, possibilities give you hope and hope gives you abundance! All you have to do is ASK!

I kind of like this ASKING. I think I'll do more of it in the future!

VISUALIZE VISUALIZE:
I am going to be visualizing my letter winging it's way into the "right" hands. I am going to visualize millions of bills floating gently down upon my product(s) from the sky. I am going to visualize some food too because right now I'm hungry. ASKING requires calories, lol!

IT'S ALL IN HOW YOU LOOK AT IT:
I don't like being "blue". But if I had not had this bout of temporary "blueness" right now, at this moment in time I might never have seen that silly roadblock for what it was - just a bump and not a mountain.
For the first time in my life I see how the words "bad" and "good" are only concepts we apply to situations. What may be bad now might be a good thing for the future. Bad blues, Good blues? - Yup, it's all in how you look at it.

ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE:
I am deeply grateful that the thoughts and prayers that I ASKED for were sent my way.
I am grateful that I am, once again, free of the "blues" and happily regurgitating more ideas and doodling away.
I am grateful that I finally saw my fear of ASKING for the silly boogyman that it really was.
I am grateful for spaghetti - especially spaghetti with Italian Sausage!

Bye and go forth and ASK!

PopArtDiva.com - Where Retro Meets The New Millennium!
Retro Inspired Art, Comfort Food Recipes, Martini Madness and Trivia

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YUP, REDESIGNED POP ART DIVA DOT COM'S HOMEPAGE AGAIN

I redesigned my website a few months ago and I've been bugged by the busy look to the home page since I did it but I wasn't inspired until just this last Friday morning!

Suddenly the lightbulb went on over my head! I needed to use retro iconic images that fit with each division of my business or section of my website! Wow, a vintage lunch box for my pop culture art, a retro pop bottle for about the POP! And it would give me a cleaner look AND graphics for navigation!

Nowadays, you have to KISS - keep it simple stupid - and put up pictures so people know where to click. You've seen the cash registers now at fast food joints? They don't have numbers they have pictures! Want a hamburger - the clerk pushes the button with a hamburger on it, duh-oh!

I'm tickled pink because not only is this way more fun and in keeping with my "quest" but it's animated - I even have a rocket blasting off! So, take a second (you folks with dial-up might have to take a minute), click over and take a look - WAIT FOR IT! The animation takes about a minute or two to get to the rocket blast off - PopArtDiva be a retro happening cartoon station now!

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REALIZATIONS = CREATIVITY = HAPPINESS: The Secret To Being A Happy Artist

ABUNDANCE COMETH:
I finished this commission for a pop art sixties style portrait for Eileen William's Boomer Blog, The Feisty Side of Fifty which she will be using on her masthead there soon.
This turned out so wonderful and Eileen was really pleased and excited as it will work for all her media needs as well as for her new book. I loved this pop portrait because it was right up my pop culture art alley! This will definitely bring in more portrait commissions and I loved doing it! See, follow your passion and success will follow that!

Though I have been stressing over money (who doesn't these days?) I am holding fast to my belief that the Universe/God will provide. But that worry creeps in, doesn't it? Though the Universe/God did bring me another graphics job, plus I finished a logo so that check is coming, and another graphics job check is due any day, my past worry patterns insist on sticking little worry thorns in my side. "But what about tomorrow???" used to be my motto! This from someone who did art shows for a living and relied on the fickle art buying public?!

I was talking about this stressing behavior with my friend, Audrey, and she said I was "blocked". I understand that - I do have some serious brick walls to hurdle in my journey to trust. But, as we drank a couple of my Orange Julius Martinis from The Martini Diva.com, Audrey showed me an exercise to unblock myself (an EFT from the Boundless Living Challenge) - it's a simple mantra that you speak as you tap your pressure points. I thought - hey, it can't hurt and started to practice the exercise that evening.

The very next morning I got an e-mail about possibly getting a celebrity guest on my retro pop culture talk show. That is so huge for a show that's only been on for a month!

Plus it's not just one comedian - it's a flock of them I might get to interview - fun and business all rolled into one - I love it!

(BTW, here is the image/brand/logo I created for my show "Trippin' Down Memory Lane" - it's kind of my own pop art logo for my show and I really like the retro microphone, radio and player juxtaposed with the contemporary pop image of myself.)

Next thing? I sailed over my block about my creating how to videos on making various designer martinis and did my first video HOW TO MAKE A KEY LIME PIE MARTINI!

I've been wanting to do these videos for ages and just never "got to it" though it was a simple matter of making a video while I made martinis - something I do quite often!

This will not only create more buzz for TheMartiniDiva.com but they're fun to make and I get to drink the martini afterwards to celebrate! Love your work and it will love you back!

VISUALIZE VISUALIZE:
I have wanted my own home for ages - since I sold my house in California some time back. I miss having a real studio where my work does not overflow into my "life" constantly. As an artist I need to get away from my art occasionally! But I have been finding it hard to visualize where I want to live because ....... I kept putting conditions on why I couldn't go where I wanted (I can't afford that area!). You know what I realized this week? I realized that how I get my home I want where I want my home is not my worry! I have limited myself and God/The Universe by putting real life conditions on my dreams! You bet I know where I want to live and I don't have to worry about how I get to live there! I just have to visualize it and give power to my dream! That realization gave me back my dream of my perfect home and studio. Why do we let our dreams go? They are so important to our quality of life!

IT'S ALL IN HOW YOU LOOK AT IT:
I couldn't get into the dog groomer and decided to clip Pixel myself. That's about as stupid as cutting your own hair, lol! I spent all day Sunday shearing off her coat - she wiggled, I slipped, each time she wiggled a little more fuzz came off until I had a naked dog! I mean all the way down to nothing! I have a Yorkipoo that looks like an overgrown chihuahua now! It's not the best look for Pixel. I am not an artist with dog clippers, mea culpa, my bad, poor Pixel. But her beautiful fuzzy look will be back in weeks, it's hot and she seems to like the Paris Hilton look for summer, lol! She's cute no matter how much or how little fuzzy she's got going on - I, on the other hand, am not and thankfully I was smart enough to pay a professional to give me my punk spike look!

ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE:
I am grateful I was smart enough not to take the dog clippers to my own hair (as I have been known to do!) I am grateful Pixel is cute enough to survive a bad haircut! I am grateful I was able to twist my body enough to do a French manicure on my toes and that, as an artist I am able to do it without guides. My toes are really cute now - for an old broad.

I am grateful that I decided I needed a Key Lime Pie Martini and said "oh, heck, let's just set up the video and go for it" - I am now started on my video series for The Martini Diva - and it's really fun! Next one is being done over at Audrey's - funny costumes and a few martinis make for great laughter and bring the energy level very high!

I am truly grateful for the realizations and breakthroughs I've had this week - they dragged me out of my money-stress-slump and brought me to a great level of business acumen this week!

I am grateful I woke up today, I am grateful for the friends I have, I am grateful for the family I had and I am grateful to be living in a world where I have a chance to change myself into a better person and a better artist.

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Post images Copyright 2008 by PopArtDiva.com. All rights reserved. No permission is given to copy, distribute or reproduce without written permission from PopArtDiva.com.

THE CREATIVE USE OF ROCKS AND BATHROOM VISITS

TODAY'S PRACTICE OF UNIVERSAL LAW and POSITIVE THOUGHT as it relates to my life as an artist:

ABUNDANCE COMETH:
I did a new Martini Recipe Art (for products on the PopArtDiva Boutique) - Jackass, The Martini - it's a joke martini that was inspired by my dislike of the sophomoric film Jackass, The Movie - see even things you dislike can spark your creativity! My humor at work again.

I also wrote several post drafts my Retro Pop Culture Blog, and created the recipe cards for The Martini Diva™ and The DIVA of TINY FOODS™ - I'm finding my positive thought practices also seem to be giving me greater focus on all the creative aspects of my work - my writing as well as my art, interesting! I wonder - does a more positive mindset clear the cobwebs and let the universal muse through easier??

VISUALIZE VISUALIZE:
I need to have a lot of dental work done. I don't have dental insurance and, frankly, don't have tens of thousands of dollars for the proper work. I have - in the past! - gone in to the bathroom, looked at my teeth and despaired. The other day I was doing just that and realized I could use this time for visualizing a beautiful mouth full of sparkling, shiny teeth instead! This is a giant step forward for me because it means that my mind is beginning to train itself to think on a positive track! Plus what a great use of the time spent oogling myself in a mirror, lol! I think I'll photoshop a great set of choppers onto a photo of my mouth, size it to my actual mouth and paste it on the mirror where my new smile will be!

IT'S ALL IN HOW YOU LOOK AT IT:
As a digital artist I spend a huge amount of time editing large files in graphics programs. No matter how large a hard drive, how fast a CPU, how much RAM, there is still a great amount of time wasted in waiting for filters to process and files to save - especially at the size files I work on. Friday I was sitting there swearing at my computer "hurry up you bloody box - I haven't got all day!" - my usual rant at the time wasted. For some reason I looked over at the area where my mouse and Wacom tablet were and there sat my "Faith" rock. How it got there is beyond me, I keep it by my bed! But there it was and then I realized that I could use that "wasted" time by grabbing my rock and practicing some belief and faith exercises as well as a few gratitudes while my computer slugged away instead of grumbling and strumming my fingers in agitation! Another breakthrough in my thought patterns!

I also did a quick little graphic for the masthead for my Boundless Living Profile - I've joined the 45 day challenge there with some specific goals in mind. Interestingly enough, I was invited to it about the same time as I decided to take a left turn on this blog by adding my universal law practices to it - hmmmmm.
ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE:
Speaking of rocks, I also have a "gratitude" rock I use in helping me focus my mind during the time I practice being grateful for what I have. For some reason this rock helps me focus. I do not allow myself to think of anything but gratitude while I hold it or stroke it. If I find my mind wandering I put the rock down until I can refocus! (I sort of don't want any energy there except gratitude energy - yeah, hippy-dippy but, hey, energy is energy!) This particular rock is actually a piece of amethyst crystal cut into a very odd shape by a friend of mine who has since left this plane of existence., so I also feel a closeness to him at the same time. A double whammy of good stuff!

So today I am really, really grateful for my sense of humor, my creatively warped brain and the synchronicity of the mechanisms of the Universe/God. I am also grateful for the fact it is raining and cooling down, I am grateful for my friend Audrey and her invitation to the Boundless challenge, I am grateful I am not sitting at an art show during a monsoon and I'm grateful for my pretty rocks that serve a higher purpose for me.

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Post images Copyright 2008 by PopArtDiva.com. All rights reserved. No permission is given to copy, distribute or reproduce without written permission from PopArtDiva.com.

I FEEL LIKE A GAZILLION BUCKS!

I'm a day late posting this new Make Yourself Some Money art. I fiddled with it longer than I expected and didn't finish in time to post yesterday.

But here it is - I made myself into money - pop art money! And I made it a big denomination - hey, why mess around with chump change?

It is one way I can do pop art portraits of people and even pets. I can change all the copy to suit whoever orders the portrait and the back side (for actually printing out their own play money!) can have their pet or whatever they want on it.

I plan to offer the front of the bill as fine art giclees at 10" x 24" on a 2" gallery wrap canvas for $500.00 which includes shipping within the continental US and sales tax (prices subject to change). Heck, if you want the back of the bill too you can get another!
Contact me at: makememoney@popartdiva.com to order!

Now how cool would it be to have your own face on your own money hanging on your wall? It's a nice little way to focus your prosperity visualization! Which leads me to. . . . . . . .

TODAY'S PRACTICE OF UNIVERSAL LAW and POSITIVE THOUGHT as it relates to my life as an artist:

• ABUNDANCE COMETH: I finished not only this Personalized Money Pop Art, but 4 new Martini Art Designs for my Pop Art Diva Boutique and my website, I've already sold four items with the new designs. I love martinis and this love inspires a whole series of Martini Art works. Yes, the universe/God will bring you what you ask for but I don't think it/He expects you to be lolly gagging around eating bon bons and waiting for it to drop in your lap. I think you have to do your part. That's called work, people. You got to do your part!
  
• VISUALIZE VISUALIZE: I'm posting my own Money up where I can see it to aid in my visualization of more prosperity. I'm also trying to get more specific on my new home. I'm attempting to ask for what I want and not say what I don't want! So, I've added a porch all around - I love porches that go all around a house! Oh, and I added a waterfall to my pool! I think I might add a martini bar in the middle of the pool!
  
• IT'S ALL IN HOW YOU LOOK AT IT: I had a little fender bender yesterday. You can read more about it on my rant blog, The Brat in the Hat. Not the best thing to have happen, but it could have been worse and Petunia, my car, still works just fine. I got all my "upset" out on the rant blog. How I look at it now? I'm not big about cars anyway. To me they are simply a mode of transportation and not a symbol of my success or my abilities. I will have to tell my chauffeur I'm getting in the future to watch out for badly placed light poles, lol!
  
• ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE: Today I am grateful that I didn't hit another car or a person instead of that pole. I am grateful for BlogTalkRadio where I get to host my own Retro Inspired Pop Culture Talk Show and I'm really grateful to my friends who called in this morning so I didn't have to talk to myself for an hour! I am always grateful for Pixel who keeps me company and makes me happy to come home to see her little wiggling butt and happy doggy face!
  

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TAKING THIS BLOG AND MY LIFE DOWN A NEW ROAD OF POSITIVE CREATIVITY AND A HIGHER USE OF MY TALENTS

This blog is about my life as an artist and my journey through the universe as a creatively driven person. Since I have also been working to create a more positive and more abundant life in all ways - creatively, financially, emotionally, spiritually and physically - I have decided to add a more personal dimension to this online journal.

I recently retired from doing art shows for a living to concentrate on my online businesses that include my website, my online boutique, my online radio shows, and other web enterprises. I did art shows for nearly 30 years professionally and, frankly, I was getting burned out with the physical demands, the unpredictable income, the weather issues, the greedy promoters and the fickleness of the buying public. I had plans to retire and concentrate on my web enterprises. Though this "retirement" had been planned for some time, it came about much earlier than anticipated as a result of the economic upheavals of these times.

At first I was thrown into a downward spiral as I watched my main income source dwindle to practically nothing in a matter of weeks - but then I realized that maybe, just maybe, this was the Universe/God telling me that it's time to move on to my new life - both the creative one and the personal one.

I made the decision to take that big leap into the unknown and turn all my energies towards what I truly want my life to be as I head towards my next 50 years. I have committed myself to doing what is necessary to make that life happen. Part of that commitment is to be more diligent with my thoughts, more grateful for my talents and blessings received, more goal oriented and more adaptable to how my revenue is generated! This new blog direction is going to help me organize and work on those commitments.

Lately I have discovered that the Universe/God will provide in unusual ways. With that in mind, I shall practice thinking more carefully about what I want for my life, work towards it with all my creative energies, devote my time and my talents towards my end goals, be open and adaptable to how life can twist and turn, then let the Universe/God take care of the rest. That's all any of us can do!

Each of my posts will now have

• Abundance Cometh - my latest art and creative endeavors (like my new talk show, a new website, a new artistic outlet)
  
• Visualize, Visualize - my goals for the moment - the progress and challenges
• It's All In How You Look At It - my attempts to turn negative mindset into positive energy
• Attitude of Gratitude - listing a few things I'm grateful for in the moment

We all have bad days or experiences and I'll post about those moments on my rant blog, The Brat in the Hat. I highly recommend everyone have a rant blog - it allows for venting, gets the issue out and lets you move on with your life. And it's cheaper than therapy! Let's be honest - we all deal with negative situations on a day to day basis and old, grumpy habits die hard - you can stuff it down and deal with it later or you can air it out and let the Universe/God deal with it! I just do it in print. Maybe, someday down the road, I won't need a rant blog anymore because . . .

This journal is me climbing out of the hole of old thinking patterns and the battered baggage of old habits. At least it should be an interesting study, at best an inspiration for others.

SO, FOR TODAY, THE FIRST POST IN MY JOURNEY:

• ABUNDANCE COMETH: my newest art created for the humor section of the PopArtDiva Boutique is here.
• VISUALIZE VISUALIZE: I want to become more financially secure so I've created my own money, I'll post the finished "currency" tomorrow here and on PopArtDiva.com - and I can make custom money for you too!
• IT'S ALL IN HOW YOU LOOK AT IT: Like I said, what I saw as a bad thing - losing my way to earn my main income, may actually be the gateway to the life I really wanted! It took a little lightening bolt from the Universe/God to strike this concept into my mind. During a moment of "poor me-itis" while I bemoaned my situation a thought passed through my head that I was "bitch slapped by God" - this immediately cracked me up and awakened my funny bone, my biggest savior in life. The Universe/God has a wicked and twisted sense of humor when it comes to my life.
• ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE: Today I am especially grateful for my creativity, the talents I have been blessed with and my slightly warped sense of humor. These have always been my salvation and now they may be my key to success.

Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, Terri has left the building. The next act is PopArtDiva!

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