Monday, April 22, 2013

I Will be Happy Anyway - NEW Illustration

Hello Beautiful People!

I hope everyone is doing well on this gorgeous spring day!  Don't you just love this time of year?  It's my favorite!  I love watching everything come to life around me - so inspiring!

So, I have a new little treat to offer in my Etsy shop - my latest illustration, entitled, "I Will be Happy Anyway."


I was inspired to create this piece when a friend of mine was telling a sweet story that happened with his 5 year old daughter.  They were chatting about her upcoming birthday, and about all the fun things that she wanted to get for presents.  He then asked her, "But, what if you don't get everything that you want?"  And she simply replied, "I will be happy anyway!"

It really touched my heart, and I wanted to take those words into my own life, and remind myself that even when I don't get exactly what I want out of life, I can choose to be happy anyway - no matter what!

As we all know, this world can be a frightening, discouraging place, but I truly believe that we create our own happiness, and we can find it all around us, if we choose to.

Enjoy!

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Abundance

I have a confession to make.

I'm a little bit obsessed with having the perfect house.

I just love picturing my dream home.  I love thinking about all the improvements I would do to my current house.  Or, I love browsing Zillow, looking for that beautiful home in the perfect neighborhood where I'll live when all the problems in my life go away.

It's so much fun, in the moment, to fantasize about creating my own little perfect bliss-land in my future home.

But then, you know what happens?  I come back to reality, and I start to get annoyed with my current circumstances.  I begin to notice all the things that I don't have.  I focus on everything that's wrong with my house and my yard and my neighborhood.

I get discouraged and frustrated.

Now, I'm all about having goals and ambitions and dreams, but you know what I think is even more important?

GRATITUDE

Honestly, you have to start with that.

Otherwise, we will go through this life feeling completely empty and disappointed.

So, you know what I'm going to do?  I'm going to stop looking for things that are wrong with my current home, and instead, be grateful for what I do have.

I came across a beautiful quote the other day that I fell in love with. It goes like this:

“Both abundance and lack exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend... when we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that's present -- love, health, family, friends, work, the joys of nature and personal pursuits that bring us pleasure -- the wasteland of illusion falls away and we experience 
Heaven on earth.” 
~ Sarah Ban Breathnach ~ 

Wow! When I read that, it just brought tears to my eyes.  It seemed to be exactly what I needed to hear at just the right moment. (Don't you love when that happens?)

You know, I found myself complaining the other day, and I mentioned how I wished I lived in a home with a great view.

Funny thing happened.  I was looking through my pictures later that night, and came across a few that I had taken in my yard over the past few months:






The "great view" has been there all along.

Yes, abundance surrounds all of us.  

Always. 

Whether we see it or not.

I plan on opening my eyes a little more.  

  

Both abundance and lack exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend... when we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that's present -- love, health, family, friends, work, the joys of nature and personal pursuits that bring us pleasure -- the wasteland of illusion falls away and we experience Heaven on earth.   Breathnach, Sarah Ban - See more at: http://quotationsbook.com/quote/17776/#sthash.okkLHHXJ.dpuf
 
Both abundance and lack exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend... when we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that's present -- love, health, family, friends, work, the joys of nature and personal pursuits that bring us pleasure -- the wasteland of illusion falls away and we experience Heaven on earth. - See more at: http://quotationsbook.com/quote/17776/#sthash.okkLHHXJ.dpuf
Both abundance and lack exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend... when we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that's present -- love, health, family, friends, work, the joys of nature and personal pursuits that bring us pleasure -- the wasteland of illusion falls away and we experience Heaven on earth.   Breathnach, Sarah Ban - See more at: http://quotationsbook.com/quote/17776/#sthash.okkLHHXJ.dpuf

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Stop Comparing

Don't you hate when you have this brilliant idea, and then you go online and find out that somebody else has already done it?  And they're doing it way better than you can do?

Grrrr.

That totally happened to me today.  And I'll admit, I was jealous.  And mad.  And annoyed.

Now, I'm not going to tell you who it is that's way better than me, but I will tell you that I have since changed my attitude around.  Yay for me.

I know it's not good to compare and think terrible thoughts like, "What do I have to offer that hasn't been done already?  What's so special about me?  That person is way more talented than I am." 

It's hard, though, right?

Well, I've decided that a helpful little thing to do when I feel those thoughts start to beat my spirit down, is to stop comparing myself to everyone else, and just compare my current self to my past self.

Pretty good idea, right?

So, yeah, I'm not a wildly successful artist right now with licensing deals and more money coming in than I know what to do with, but if I compare myself, to the Laurie from 5 years ago, than I'm doing pretty awesome.

For example, this is totally embarrassing, but do you want to see one of my very first attempts at digital art?  Eeek, here it is:

 

I honestly had no idea what I was really doing.  I had been using Photoshop for years, but only for working on photographs,  I had never tried to create an art piece from scratch before.  I didn't know anything about all the different Photoshop brushes out there, and how to make my own brushes, and how to add texture, and lots of other tips and tricks I've learned along the way.


So, here's my advice to myself today:

Focus on the progress that you've made.

Know that you have something unique to offer the world.

  There is only one of you.  

Keep expressing your unique creative voice!

Wow, I do feel better now.  Thanks, Laur!  : )

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Shine Your Light - New Illustration

You know what amazes me?  The limitless amount of potential that we all have inside of us (and don't you just love the word "limitless"?)

Honestly, I really don't think we understand the greatness that we're capable of.

And we all have it.

It's a gift.

I see glimpses of it shining though people all the time.

I saw it the other day as I was sitting in church listening to a talk from a sweet 12 year old girl.

She was talking about all the wonderful things that she would like to accomplish in her life, and also how she wanted to be a shining example of goodness to those around her.  She said that she wished she could shine brighter than the brightest city lights that shine so bright, they can be seen from space.

It made me smile.

It reminded me that there is so much greatness in this world, and so many good-hearted people.

I thought of the light that all of us have inside, and this is the phrase that popped into my head at that moment, "Shine your light.  It's brighter than you know."

I quickly jotted it down, and knew that a new illustration was soon to be born.


And the sweet girl who gave the talk - her favorite color is blue.  So, this one is for her.

Maybe it will help you, too, feel the greatness inside you.

I hope so.  : )