“Many people fail in life, not for lack of ability or brains or even courage but simply because they have never organized their energies around a goal.”
Elbert Hubbard
Guys are pretty good at “organizing energies around a goal.” As a gender, they tend to be goal-oriented and driven, competitive, and able to focus and tune everything else out in order to achieve something. Women know how to multi-task. They juggle several plates at any one time (and not just their own) with family, jobs, households, and more. Often women’s own goals, hopes, and dreams get lost along the way in order to keep all those plates from toppling, and to bring some kind of balance to a full life.
How to solve the problem of finding time to create art then?
1. SCHEDULE IT IN. Make a date with yourself and keep it. Your appointment to contribute a piece of art to the world is just as important as many other things you do in your life, and more important than some. Value your talents by giving them time to grow and mature.
2. PLAN TO SUCCEED. Each night, prepare what you need in your work space to begin creating art immediately the next day during your scheduled appointment. Then when it’s time to create art, you’re ready to start creating, and not spending much of your allotted art creation time gathering supplies. BONUS: When creating is on your schedule the night before, you have the whole night to formulate ideas for your project.
3. COMPLETE A DRAFT. You can edit or touch it up later, but write the draft, finish a composition, get the quilt top made. Allow enough time to actually finish a project or some whole portion of it. If it takes longer than you thought, try to leave your project at a point where it’s easy to restart.
“Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow.” Mary Jean Irion
Find the perfect executive gifts and organize a work space as well with our beautiful desk accessories. Take your pick from our collection of wooden letterboxes and pen/pencil holders, with custom-designed inlaid tile, found on our website at www.creationsunlimitedllc.com (“At the Coffeehouse” just added to our line).
Until next time, happy creating!
Anne and Helen
Friday, June 11, 2010
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
CREATIVE ORGANIZATION
FOR BEST RESULTS
Hello from Anne and Helen of Creations Unlimited, LLC!
There’s something about the bright sunshine and the fresh, fragrant air of springtime that nudges us into spring-cleaning action for better efficiency, creativity, and innovation in our work. We want to enjoy the gorgeous blooms of the season, literally and figuratively, and bring a few inside to beautiful offices and homes prepared to receive them.
1. START WITH CLEANING
Gather your cleaning supplies and pick up your duster. Clean your main living and work areas first. Pick up clutter and tidy as you go, then when it’s done, it’s all done. Drop-ins welcome.
2. WORK SPACE READINESS
A well-organized work space is an invitation to create. What’s more exciting than a fresh canvas, a blank Word document, and a colorful array of fabric, paints, or other tools just waiting for your creative innovation? Prepare your desk, straighten up your supplies, do your filing, then sift through your inspirational materials and begin.
3. REPURPOSE EVERYDAY ITEMS
Wake up your work space and make it so authentic to you that you enjoy spending lots of time there. Convert elegant, colorful, or cheerful household items you already own into useful storage containers for your office. For example:
Hello from Anne and Helen of Creations Unlimited, LLC!
There’s something about the bright sunshine and the fresh, fragrant air of springtime that nudges us into spring-cleaning action for better efficiency, creativity, and innovation in our work. We want to enjoy the gorgeous blooms of the season, literally and figuratively, and bring a few inside to beautiful offices and homes prepared to receive them.
1. START WITH CLEANING
Gather your cleaning supplies and pick up your duster. Clean your main living and work areas first. Pick up clutter and tidy as you go, then when it’s done, it’s all done. Drop-ins welcome.
2. WORK SPACE READINESS
A well-organized work space is an invitation to create. What’s more exciting than a fresh canvas, a blank Word document, and a colorful array of fabric, paints, or other tools just waiting for your creative innovation? Prepare your desk, straighten up your supplies, do your filing, then sift through your inspirational materials and begin.
3. REPURPOSE EVERYDAY ITEMS
Wake up your work space and make it so authentic to you that you enjoy spending lots of time there. Convert elegant, colorful, or cheerful household items you already own into useful storage containers for your office. For example:
- Polish silver trays, antique cigarette holders, or unusual bowls and use them to house frequently used pamphlets, coasters, books, or current projects
- Your favorite mugs (only the ones you like) work great for holding painting and writing supplies
- Colored pencils, watercolor pencils, or paintbrushes lend artistic flavor to your setting when displayed in tall canning or barrel jars
- Ceramic pitchers can add interest as vases for a fresh bouquet of flowers
- Large baskets with handles instantly make your work supplies mobile
Press more of your pretty possessions into new service for an unexpected and fresh take on organization. Save your plastic bins for the storage unit or garage.
A closing thought:
“Great necessities call out great virtues.” ABIGAIL ADAMS
Need an original gift for dads, grads, and brides? Check out our website at http://www.creationsunlimitedllc.com/ for our ever-growing product line.
Until next time, happy creating!
Anne and Helen
Thursday, December 10, 2009
The Clutter of Creativity, 5 Simple Ways to Organize Your Living and Work Spaces
Hello and Happy Holidays from Anne and Helen at Creations Unlimited, LLC!
In this busy time of year with extra shopping, decorating, parties and more on top of your regular schedule, we offer 5 simple ways to keep your work and home spaces more organized and tidy, and keep "hectic" to a minimum.
1. RULE OF FIVE
In the midst of creating art, preparing food, quilting, gardening, decorating...it is easy to look up and find your workspace a messy disaster. Eventually the lack of organization will be a detriment to productivity, efficiency, and your psyche.
To keep materials accessible and the mess contained, each and every time you enter your workspace (or any room you want tidier), put away 5 things. Small things, big things, whatever things, but 5--every time. For example, file 5 pieces of paper, put away 5 pens or paints, business cards, correspondence, catalogs, etc. Toss and recycle as many of these items as possible so they don't overflow your file cabinet or storage units.
If you've let things go for a while, you may spend some time at this initially, but keep at it and you will succeed in bringing order to your spaces, and the time to maintain them will lessen. When there are not 5 things to put away, you've got the system, and you can switch to a Rule of 3.
2. IF YOU ADD, THEN SUBTRACT
When you add something, take something else away. If you bring home 3 new items that will stay in your office, closet, or house, donate or remove the same amount from the same room. More is not always better. Think of it as white space on a page. It's cleaner, easier to read, and information is more manageable if you leave some space.
3. HOME SWEET HOME
We've all heard--a place for everything and everything in its place--but sometimes this isn't true. Some things do not automatically have a home. If this is the case, then you have to create one.
You may need some kind of storage piece to assist here, but when your information and materials have designated places, you will save time and frustration by not having to search for what you need when you need it. If it is essential enough to keep, give it a home.
4. PUT IT AWAY IMMEDIATELY
Think twice before just setting things down. Put them away instead. Handle something only once if at all possible.
5. COMPLETE SMALL TASKS IN ONE SITTING
Finish your little tasks in one sitting. For example, complete one small art project; deal with every piece of mail when it arrives. This step develops the discipline you need to take on and complete bigger projects, which can then be divyed up into smaller tasks, which you can complete in one sitting, and so on. Put everything away when you're done, so you don't leave a trail of new small, unfinished projects, and the mess that comes with them.
That's it. Creativity in progress requires "stuff," so these suggestions will not completely cure a clutter problem, but the five steps are easy and they can help.
Until next time, enjoy this beautiful season of love, hope, peace, and good will.
Anne and Helen
http://www.creationsunlimitedllc.com/
"Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love."
Hamilton Wright Mabie
Monday, November 2, 2009
Holiday Gift Show
Hello from Anne and Helen at Creations Unlimited, LLC!
A million thanks to all who helped us at our booth at the Tacoma Dome Holiday Food & Gift Festival. Kathy, Joel, Tom, and Anna-Marie who helped us move-in and decorate by committee; Mindy and Trisha who cashiered in our booth, and a huge thank you to Jenny, who flew in from Washington, D.C. and took time out from college to assist us in every way. Our neighbor vendors were wonderful, especially Madeline and Darrell Jensen, who brought good will and Christmas cheer early. Each of you are a gift to us and we appreciate you sharing your talents.
Thank you to all our friends, family, and shoppers who visited our booth. We hope you enjoyed the show and shopping at Creations Unlimited, LLC!
Happy Holidays!
Anne and Helen
www.creationsunlimitedllc.com
A million thanks to all who helped us at our booth at the Tacoma Dome Holiday Food & Gift Festival. Kathy, Joel, Tom, and Anna-Marie who helped us move-in and decorate by committee; Mindy and Trisha who cashiered in our booth, and a huge thank you to Jenny, who flew in from Washington, D.C. and took time out from college to assist us in every way. Our neighbor vendors were wonderful, especially Madeline and Darrell Jensen, who brought good will and Christmas cheer early. Each of you are a gift to us and we appreciate you sharing your talents.
Thank you to all our friends, family, and shoppers who visited our booth. We hope you enjoyed the show and shopping at Creations Unlimited, LLC!
Happy Holidays!
Anne and Helen
www.creationsunlimitedllc.com
Monday, October 19, 2009
HOLIDAY GIFT SHOW
Hello everybody, from Anne and Helen at Creations Unlimited, LLC!
Just a quick note to invite you all to visit our booth (1820) at the Tacoma Holiday Food & Gift Festival this week, October 21-25 at the Tacoma Dome Convention Center.
The hours are:
Wednesday, Oct. 21: 11 am - 8 pm
Thursday, Oct. 22: 10 am - 8 pm
Friday, Oct. 23: 10 am - 9 pm
Saturday, Oct. 24: 10 am - 9 pm
Sunday, Oct. 25: 10 am - 5 pm
Several new products will make their debut for the Tacoma Dome show (but not yet launched on our web site.) This is our first time at this event. We're so excited and would love to see you there!
Best regards,
Anne and Helen
Until next time, enjoy the fall colors!
Just a quick note to invite you all to visit our booth (1820) at the Tacoma Holiday Food & Gift Festival this week, October 21-25 at the Tacoma Dome Convention Center.
The hours are:
Wednesday, Oct. 21: 11 am - 8 pm
Thursday, Oct. 22: 10 am - 8 pm
Friday, Oct. 23: 10 am - 9 pm
Saturday, Oct. 24: 10 am - 9 pm
Sunday, Oct. 25: 10 am - 5 pm
Several new products will make their debut for the Tacoma Dome show (but not yet launched on our web site.) This is our first time at this event. We're so excited and would love to see you there!
Best regards,
Anne and Helen
Until next time, enjoy the fall colors!
Friday, September 25, 2009
THE FIVE "Cs" of CREATIVITY
“Odd how the creative power at once brings the whole universe to order.” Virginia Woolf
Hello from Anne and Helen of Creations Unlimited, LLC (http://www.creationsunlimitedllc.com/). We’ve been thinking about and discussing our different styles and approaches to creative efforts, and thought we would share them with you.
Anne’s creative style is deeply colorful, rich, and complex. She is unafraid of taking her creations to new levels of multifaceted intricacies and beauty. People look at the tremendous, time-consuming detail in her work and know she is patient, because her designs are elaborate and require focus and concentration. Her creativity reflects her intellectual depth, artistic flair, and stunning layering. She takes the same care in nurturing people.
Helen’s creativity is different. For her, simplicity can be profound, and humor is an essential part of her day. She wants each of her creations to have a purpose, meaning, or an application to daily life. Brimming with ideas, she sees possibilities and the value of creations through both philosophical and practical lenses. Her creations contribute a sense of hope, joy, vitality, and love, while reflecting her distinct voice.
Both of our creative processes use what we call, “The 5 C’s of Creativity:”
1. CLARITY. We have a project in mind when we begin working. It might be a poem, a quilt, or perhaps a new design for a gift, our tile art, or apparel. We focus on what it is we want to do, gather materials and ideas, and then let it all perk for a while. Very soon we notice that things related to our project begin to pop out at us—a piece of the design, a phrase or main idea, a color scheme—and our creations take off.
2. CONSISTENCY. Whether or not we feel inspired, we continue to work at our project. We may set it aside for a while for a short break, but we return to it quickly. Like doing a crossword puzzle, a particular piece may stump us and when we come back later, we get the answer because we have a fresh perspective, and the will to finish it.
3. COURAGE. In his landmark book, “The Courage to Create,” Rollo May considers creative courage “the most important kind of courage of all.” When we abandon good projects and start others, or procrastinate finishing something important, the creative courage to overcome obstacles is missing. While moral courage can right wrongs, Dr. May describes creative courage as “the discovering of new forms, new symbols, new patterns on which a new society can be built.” In practice, this is not as easy as it appears to be in theory, but what of value ever is?
4. CONFIDENCE. Confidence comes with developing talent. It is the clear, consistent, daily discipline of working towards goals or the completion of projects. In these efforts we see the results of work, and can also picture the final outcome or product. The creative process itself then becomes an affirmation, and begins to satisfy the deep hunger to produce. At this point, it’s important to stay on track and continue to strive for mastery. Guard against diluting strengths or becoming “jack of all trades and master of none.”
5. CHARISMA. All work has a certain charisma. Creative work has charisma in spades. We recognize charisma in creative talent when we look at a painting, design, or work of art, and our jaws drop with the “wow” factor. Talent shows through. The artist creates something new while revealing personality, a message, or a true and accurate reflection of a portion of life. Creative genius is at work, and the viewer not only appreciates it, but participates in it, if only for a moment.
A parting thought for the day:
“The reason a lot of people do not recognize opportunity is because it usually goes around wearing overalls looking like hard work.”
--Thomas Edison
Warm Regards,
Anne and Helen
Come view our website at http://www.creationsunlimitedllc.com/ or visit our display at the Tacoma Dome Holiday Food and Gift Festival (Tacoma, Washington) from October 21-25, 2009 (Booth 1820) to see our latest offerings.
Hello from Anne and Helen of Creations Unlimited, LLC (http://www.creationsunlimitedllc.com/). We’ve been thinking about and discussing our different styles and approaches to creative efforts, and thought we would share them with you.
Anne’s creative style is deeply colorful, rich, and complex. She is unafraid of taking her creations to new levels of multifaceted intricacies and beauty. People look at the tremendous, time-consuming detail in her work and know she is patient, because her designs are elaborate and require focus and concentration. Her creativity reflects her intellectual depth, artistic flair, and stunning layering. She takes the same care in nurturing people.
Helen’s creativity is different. For her, simplicity can be profound, and humor is an essential part of her day. She wants each of her creations to have a purpose, meaning, or an application to daily life. Brimming with ideas, she sees possibilities and the value of creations through both philosophical and practical lenses. Her creations contribute a sense of hope, joy, vitality, and love, while reflecting her distinct voice.
Both of our creative processes use what we call, “The 5 C’s of Creativity:”
1. CLARITY. We have a project in mind when we begin working. It might be a poem, a quilt, or perhaps a new design for a gift, our tile art, or apparel. We focus on what it is we want to do, gather materials and ideas, and then let it all perk for a while. Very soon we notice that things related to our project begin to pop out at us—a piece of the design, a phrase or main idea, a color scheme—and our creations take off.
2. CONSISTENCY. Whether or not we feel inspired, we continue to work at our project. We may set it aside for a while for a short break, but we return to it quickly. Like doing a crossword puzzle, a particular piece may stump us and when we come back later, we get the answer because we have a fresh perspective, and the will to finish it.
3. COURAGE. In his landmark book, “The Courage to Create,” Rollo May considers creative courage “the most important kind of courage of all.” When we abandon good projects and start others, or procrastinate finishing something important, the creative courage to overcome obstacles is missing. While moral courage can right wrongs, Dr. May describes creative courage as “the discovering of new forms, new symbols, new patterns on which a new society can be built.” In practice, this is not as easy as it appears to be in theory, but what of value ever is?
4. CONFIDENCE. Confidence comes with developing talent. It is the clear, consistent, daily discipline of working towards goals or the completion of projects. In these efforts we see the results of work, and can also picture the final outcome or product. The creative process itself then becomes an affirmation, and begins to satisfy the deep hunger to produce. At this point, it’s important to stay on track and continue to strive for mastery. Guard against diluting strengths or becoming “jack of all trades and master of none.”
5. CHARISMA. All work has a certain charisma. Creative work has charisma in spades. We recognize charisma in creative talent when we look at a painting, design, or work of art, and our jaws drop with the “wow” factor. Talent shows through. The artist creates something new while revealing personality, a message, or a true and accurate reflection of a portion of life. Creative genius is at work, and the viewer not only appreciates it, but participates in it, if only for a moment.
A parting thought for the day:
“The reason a lot of people do not recognize opportunity is because it usually goes around wearing overalls looking like hard work.”
--Thomas Edison
Warm Regards,
Anne and Helen
Come view our website at http://www.creationsunlimitedllc.com/ or visit our display at the Tacoma Dome Holiday Food and Gift Festival (Tacoma, Washington) from October 21-25, 2009 (Booth 1820) to see our latest offerings.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
MAXIMIZE MEETINGS, How to Have Creative, Productive, Marvelous Meetings: 7 Tips
“The creative is the place where no one else has ever been. You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you’ll discover will be wonderful. What you’ll discover is yourself.” --Alan Alda
Hello from Anne and Helen at Creations Unlimited, LLC. Hope you’re enjoying these beautiful, if unpredictable September days!
We just spent an entire day in a meeting! Our day consisted of planning details of our upcoming booth at the Tacoma Holiday Food and Gift Festival (October 21-25 at the Tacoma Dome). This isn’t our first all-day meeting, and we have come to realize how much we look forward to these days, and why they inspire us with joy (and not dread). So, we took the time to identify what makes our meetings fun, productive, and extraordinary. Here’s what we discovered:
1. EASE. We ease into our workday…welcoming each other, filling our coffee or teacups, offer culinary treats, and have everything pre-organized and set out, ready to begin. We’re human beings first, not production robots.
2. AGENDA. We have goals for the day, and a set agenda. Our plan is flexible and we allow for an influx of new ideas, additions, corrections, editing, and changes as need be. New, better, and more creative ideas come pouring forth with an open atmosphere of supportive exchanges of thought.
3. GET TO IT. Our agenda for the day is full, and somebody has commuted to the meeting, so we are motivated to make the most of our time. We cruise through the steps of our plan, thoroughly, but at a good, steady pace.
4. SHARE GREAT CUISINE. Lunchtime! We go out to one of our favorite haunts, a café which in itself inspires us by its beautiful interiors and wonderful food. Our conversation is everything but business so we really feel like we’ve taken a break.
5. SHOW, TELL, AND CALL. Back to work after lunch, we again waltz into work by doing something truly fun first. We show our new products, innovative prototypes, or share raw, but exciting plans for future designs. Sufficiently enthusiastic now, we get back to our to-do list. We discuss gaps in our plans, and rally help from people who excel in areas we do not. We make phone calls on the spot—less to do later—and our questions get answered immediately.
6. TASKS LIST. We list every task that needs to be completed by a certain deadline, and then divvy them out according to the talents and strengths of our team. Whoever is best at doing a task gets the job. This way, everything not only gets done, but we also get the best and fastest results. Having a show looming automatically poses the deadline for us, but if you don’t have a set deadline, put one on the calendar so your hopes and dreams don’t drift into the never land of oblivion.
7. DINNERTIME! If we have a marathon business day then one of our meals is homemade. It can be either lunch or dinner, but one of us hosts a meal at our home. It doesn’t have to be fancy, just good. Anne is a champion at meals. She loves to cook, and her meals show it. Her gourmet feasts nurture and sustain us, and reinforce strong, shared, personal bonds. If you want a cohesive team who will work their hearts out for you, provide outstanding perks for them. Take care of people and they will take care of you. This is our way, our sendoff (small gifts are nice too). We haven’t forgotten life’s niceties, and small kindnesses and terrific hospitality are key, and often overlooked, in business.
That’s it until next time. We hope you find our successful meeting tips helpful. We invite you to visit our website at www.creationsunlimitedllc.com to see our growing product line and link to our fantastic associates. To ensure quality, we only provide links to those companies we use ourselves.
Blessings!
Anne and Helen
“Around here…we don’t look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we’re curious…and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” --Walt Disney
Hello from Anne and Helen at Creations Unlimited, LLC. Hope you’re enjoying these beautiful, if unpredictable September days!
We just spent an entire day in a meeting! Our day consisted of planning details of our upcoming booth at the Tacoma Holiday Food and Gift Festival (October 21-25 at the Tacoma Dome). This isn’t our first all-day meeting, and we have come to realize how much we look forward to these days, and why they inspire us with joy (and not dread). So, we took the time to identify what makes our meetings fun, productive, and extraordinary. Here’s what we discovered:
1. EASE. We ease into our workday…welcoming each other, filling our coffee or teacups, offer culinary treats, and have everything pre-organized and set out, ready to begin. We’re human beings first, not production robots.
2. AGENDA. We have goals for the day, and a set agenda. Our plan is flexible and we allow for an influx of new ideas, additions, corrections, editing, and changes as need be. New, better, and more creative ideas come pouring forth with an open atmosphere of supportive exchanges of thought.
3. GET TO IT. Our agenda for the day is full, and somebody has commuted to the meeting, so we are motivated to make the most of our time. We cruise through the steps of our plan, thoroughly, but at a good, steady pace.
4. SHARE GREAT CUISINE. Lunchtime! We go out to one of our favorite haunts, a café which in itself inspires us by its beautiful interiors and wonderful food. Our conversation is everything but business so we really feel like we’ve taken a break.
5. SHOW, TELL, AND CALL. Back to work after lunch, we again waltz into work by doing something truly fun first. We show our new products, innovative prototypes, or share raw, but exciting plans for future designs. Sufficiently enthusiastic now, we get back to our to-do list. We discuss gaps in our plans, and rally help from people who excel in areas we do not. We make phone calls on the spot—less to do later—and our questions get answered immediately.
6. TASKS LIST. We list every task that needs to be completed by a certain deadline, and then divvy them out according to the talents and strengths of our team. Whoever is best at doing a task gets the job. This way, everything not only gets done, but we also get the best and fastest results. Having a show looming automatically poses the deadline for us, but if you don’t have a set deadline, put one on the calendar so your hopes and dreams don’t drift into the never land of oblivion.
7. DINNERTIME! If we have a marathon business day then one of our meals is homemade. It can be either lunch or dinner, but one of us hosts a meal at our home. It doesn’t have to be fancy, just good. Anne is a champion at meals. She loves to cook, and her meals show it. Her gourmet feasts nurture and sustain us, and reinforce strong, shared, personal bonds. If you want a cohesive team who will work their hearts out for you, provide outstanding perks for them. Take care of people and they will take care of you. This is our way, our sendoff (small gifts are nice too). We haven’t forgotten life’s niceties, and small kindnesses and terrific hospitality are key, and often overlooked, in business.
That’s it until next time. We hope you find our successful meeting tips helpful. We invite you to visit our website at www.creationsunlimitedllc.com to see our growing product line and link to our fantastic associates. To ensure quality, we only provide links to those companies we use ourselves.
Blessings!
Anne and Helen
“Around here…we don’t look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we’re curious…and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” --Walt Disney
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