courage

It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power.
Alan Cohen 

There has been times in my life when circumstances presented themselves and I chose not to do anything.  The main reason I chose to stay stagnate was out of fear.  Afraid of this or afraid of that.  When the situation(s) changed and I was forced to do what I had feared the most I was amazingly surprised how empowered I became.  Thus success followed.

I so want to get the point where I choose to fly from the nest instead of waiting until I am pushed to learn how well I can fly.  I feel the stirring of change rising.

Share your stories with me of times when you displayed courage.  

I really do want to hear them.

Sedona calls to me

John and I recently returned from our annual Sedona, AZ trip.  What a place!  We love it there!!!  So much to see and many trails to take and to feast your eyes on Sedona's beauty.  John is always commenting on when you look at the red rocks and walk even a short distance away you can see something different.  

Every morning we put on our hiking boots, walking sticks in our hands, and we are off for an adventure.  My daughter still has a hard time believing I actually do hike and climb as much as I do.  There's something about Sedona that brings it out of me.  The first morning out was a chilly one.  Our choices were to climb in the shade, Doe Mountain, or in the sun, Bear Mountain.   Because it was so chilly I opted to climb in the sun. (in hindsight I should have thought about it just a little bit more.)  Doe Mt. vs. Bear Mt.-you can guess where this is headed.  Can't you?  We are walking and climbing, walking and climbing.  I looked up and thought "this isn't going to be too hard".  Boy was I ever kidding myself.  What I was looking at was a small hill.  There was a wee part of me that wanted to talk John into turning around.  I had to turn off the chatter in my head so I started to see this hike as a metaphor of life -  just keep putting one foot in front of the other, stop and take a breath if needed but just keep going.  In this photo we are not even half way up to the top .  Little did I know that getting to the top was a very steep incline.  But butt and my legs were burning by the time I got to the top!  

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL VIEW IT WAS FROM THE TOP.  We were so high up that we were actually in some clouds.   We later learned that Bear Mountain s 1,800' up and is considered one of the most strenuous hikes.  It took us 3 hrs. to get up there and 1 hr.  45min. to come down.  

Bear Mountain will forever remind not to look at how difficult something can be just break it down into manageable pieces and get on with it.  The view will be worth it from the other side.  After that hike we went straight to the hot tub!  

The next day we climbed Devil's Bridge which was very beautiful, too.  It was like one big photo shoot. Everyone up there took turns walking out onto this narrow rock formation that resembled a bridge.  And whoever was on the other side would take the picture.  We met people from all over. 

My ultra favorite spot is Bell Rock.  We usually save this until the end of our trip because it is so special to me.  I climb  about two thirds of the way up  to sit on"my" rock and meditate.  John continues up further while I just sit in silence.  Oh what a peaceful feeling, I can't even explain it.  Down below on the flat landing was a woman who was doing a spiritual dance and another group of women doing yoga.  I can close my eyes right now and my heart & soul is transported there.

surprise in my inbox

I got a very nice surprise in my inbox letting me know that I was a featured artist.  What an uplifting message from the Universe coming in the nick of time when I am starting to feel a little (and temporarily) deflated.

Since 2002 I have read a daily message from this same book every year, Journey to the Heart by Melody Beattie.  Here are snippets of today's message,  "You are being guided.  You are being led.   Now is the time to practice what you know.  Trust.  Let go.  Let the journey unfold."

Head on over and read the article
http://www.artpromotivate.com/2013/11/teresa-cash-mixed-media-artist.html

Sitting on the otherside of...

I have known one of my strengths is I like to take a project and make it work which has always served me well as an Office Manger in my daytime jobs.  So I applied the same tenacity and perseverance to this project.

Yes, I am sitting on the other side of the finish line.  I have diligently been working on building my website where I can sell my artwork.  This has been one of my dreams for a long, long time.  I knew NOTHING before I started down this path.   My friend Heather Hanson pointed me in the right direction, I got all pumped up and I just began.  Wait a minute.  That previous sentence made it sound like I started right away but that isn't true.  I purchased the domain name in April and I actually didn't start until August.  It seems that being a slow beginner may be part of my DNA.  There was a time when I was weary and my friend Kelly Hoernig was there to provide me with support and a pep talk.  She said things to me that I needed to hear.   Along the way I had detours and unpleasant distractions.   My butt got sore from all the long hours sitting in front of the computer.  My index finger is tender from scrolling my mouse forward and backward.  There were times when I wasn't sure I would ever be able to grasp all the nuances that go with building a website.   Now I am familiar with HTML codes.  Next I am learning about SEO's.  Yikes!


The night that I pressed the publish button my husband was standing beside me holding my hand.  We both smiled!   I beleive he was just as excited as I was.

In life, as well as in the virtual world, we need each other.  Success isn't a solo act.  I am grateful for everyone who has provided encouragement and support while I travel this creative path.

I am asking that you check out my website http://www.teresacash.com and help me spread the word by posting a link on your site.  Thank You very much in advance.

checking in

Thought I better check in with the virtual world.  I've had several people send me private messages wondering where I am since I haven't posted in awhile.  Well... I have many things going on right now.    Some good things/some not so good things.  I'll share one of the good things with you.

I am building my website.  Learning as I go which is both rewarding and frustrating.  I've had several hurdles that set me back,  mentally, which caused procrastination to set in.  Mid August I posted that I was 80% done well I am relieved to announce that I am now 90% done.  See I am progressing.
I have always dreamed about owning a store so I decided the virtual store would be a great way to start.  I will be selling my original artwork, archival prints of my art, little plaques of my art, and custom vintage art.  I will also be introducing "I'm Just A Little Angel..."

I just completed the 21 Meditation with Deepak Chopra and Oprah.  I can't adequately expressed how much I loved it.  I would get up at 5:15am most days to mediate then write in my journal.  What a terrific way to start my day.  I am convinced that meditation is a practice worth adding to my life.

What have you been up to?

Drum roll please!

Remember a couple weeks ago when I told you I was invited to be a Guest Designer for Linnie Blooms?  Today is my introduction.  I am featured on Linnie Blooms --- just click on the Linnie Blooms link

You will find a brief story about me along with the first project I designed.

Everyday Linda will introducing a designer and how they have used the Linnie Shapes.  Save her link http://www.linnieblooms.com and stop by everyday to meet the designer and what she created.

Linda Barutha, is the owner of Linnie Blooms, she has created Linnie Shapes made out of canvas.   Honestly, I had never used canvas before.  This challenge wasn't as hard as I had presumed it to be,  in my head.  I believe one reason why is these shapes are so dang cute and canvas is pretty flexible to work with.  All my scrapbooker friends, you will really LOVE them.   Go try them for yourself and show me what you created.

 I hope you you stop over and celebrate with me!

80% done

It has been an exciting time for me lately.  There have been many projects I have been working on and they are coming to fruition.  It seems like when I  decided to "become clear on my intentions" the Universe has truly stepped up and guided me.  I still need to practice listening a little better.  :-)

I have been wanting to have a website where I can display and sell my art.  I thought it would be fun to create my "virtual" store.   I knew it would be best (financially) for me to tackle this project of creating a website myself.  So that is just what I did!  I got some valuable guidance from several friends then I set forth.  Was it hard?  What I found to be the most unsettling was not knowing what I was doing.  Mainly I didn't understand the terminology.  I decided not to worry about it because I knew that if I kept moving forward it would all come together eventually.  And that is exactly what happened.  I am happy to announce that I am..............

I have a checklist of things to do yet but I feel I am over the hump.  What a great feeling that is!!  I'm sure John is delighted, now he doesn't have to hear my heavy sighs any longer. :-)  The URL is going to be http://www.teresacashart.com  I wanted to keep it simple.

Expect an invitation from me within 3-4 weeks for my GRANDE OPENING. Sure hope I will see your smiling face there.