Making connections

Yesterday the wonderful Doris Stahl of http://art-affair.blogspot.com/ asked for my favourite line of my favourite song for a series of images she is producing based on a collection of peoples suggestions.

Without hesitation I sent her a line from Starry starry night, by Don McLean then looked it up on You Tube and found several beautiful versions with Van Goghs images set to the music. Looking at the images I remembered being in the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam when I was 17 (yes 30 years ago) and taking illegal photos of some of the images hoping i would not be arressted.

I then realised that I have had a beautiful minature enamel teapot for the last five years on my kitchen dresser with Van Goghs images on each side. And I also have a rather sick cartoon of Van Gogh having difficulty keeping his glasses straight that has been dog eared in my diary for years.

Then it hit me. Starry Starry night is about Van Gogh, whom I have been connected to since I was very young and my little ebook was called Sunflower Seeds, and of course, Van Gogh was famous for his sunflowers more than any other painting. Doh!

Never realised how connected the teapot is to my favourite song, the song to my favourite artist and the artist to my Little Book of Sunflower Seeds (and other bits of good news and happy thoughts).

It took a german artist living in Orpington who is on a mission to produce a prolific amount of work in time for an exhibition in August to highlight an Irish womans subconcious connection to a dead Dutch man!

If you want to listen to something really beautiful and look at something special at the same time, check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkvLq0TYiwI and stop what you are doing for 4 mins and 20 seconds. You'll be glad you did!

A sunflower seed about to take root

This morning I made a decision that has been germinating in my brain for a long time. In October of this year I will be having an art exhibition.

Not as part of a group, not in partnership with another artist but on my own and by myself.

The thought of it is as exciting as it is terrifying but there is no point whatsoever in encourging people to be themselves, do what they want and not putting my money where my mouth is.

And like all things big and scary, once the decision is made the motivation is natural and I have set a target of 35 paintings, of which I have 13. No pressure there then. At all.

I love to paint and the more I paint the more other work comes in and the more I find time to do the things I enjoy and having had two previous exhibitions in almost twenty five years, its high time I went for my own precious goal and see what happens.

The decision was crystalised in a coaching conversation with a colleague in fifteen minutes this morning (Fidelma Greene www.fidelmagreene.com, no point in being a coach if you dont have one!!!) who realised her own sunflower seed come to life recently when she delivered a powerful seminar called 'Leading with Spirit and Soul'.

Once Fidelma got clear on what she wanted the seminar to be about, her natural gifts and talents kicked in and she led a powerful day that will be followed up in September by an equally powerful seminar.

So today I am finishing the images for Sunflower seeds (getting copyright issues sorted) and buying 15 canvass's before I change my mind and spend another winter wondering if I should do this or not, assuming with total Colgate confidence that everything I need to make this happen will kick in and all I have to do is plant the seed in a sunnyplace and give it light and water.

Invites going out in September!!!

Sunflower Seeds, taking off....and a real challange.

Having slaved for 3 years over a novel which I loved writing but can see why epics take lifetimes, I wrote Sunflower Seeds (& little bits of good news and happy thoughts) over two nights in 3 hours.

I sent it out in pdf as a little pick me up for clients/colleagues etc.

I am overwhelmed with the amount of people who want a print copy.

You have to laugh!

So now I have the challange of finding a printer that dosent want a kidney or a pint of blood to produce this simple little book, so I can sell it on my website/amazon/bookshops and anywhere anyone wants it.

Simple.

The book that is, the challange is not.

In the meantime, if you want a free copy of the ebook version before we hit the printers,

just email info@mcdonaldcoaching.com with Sunflowers in the subject line and you will have a copy in your inbox in jigtime.

This week continues to be miserable on the news, and beautiful on the beach across the road from my house, hard to reconcile chaos in the economy with a blue and silver tide and the smell of sweat pea.

In every recession there is an oppurtunity, in ours I think the oppurtunity is to look for ways in which we can help. Whether its clients, friends, colleagues, family or just people you meet, take inspiration from Arvind Devalia and see how you can make a contribution to make someone's day brighter. Check out his amazing work on Web: http://www.arvinddevalia.com/. and his latest book http://www.getthelifeyoulove.com/ which by pure coincidence, and ironic given that he is highly allergic to sunflower seeds, has a sunflower on the front cover!!

I have known Arvind for several years and he is a genuinly caring person, making a huge difference to the world. Now THAT is a REAL challange!!

The cost of sunshine.

Today is one of those fabulous sunny days that we forget when we are in the middle of a recession. We may not remember today in the bigger scheme of things, but I suspect we will remember the state of our banks accounts, the size of our overdraft or the exact amount of the pay cut/loss we may have been presented with this year.

Pictured here is my mam, Peggy Faulkner, 76 year old stroke victim, who completed the 2007 marathon on an adapted bycycle to raise €3800 for the nursing home she now lives in and in doing so, made something fantastic out of a situation that was very difficult.

This week she won the Leinster final of Mum of the year with Woman's Way magazine.

She can no longer read the magazine.

She can no longer hold a converstation.

She can no longer do any of the things I take for granted and moan about, like putting a wash on firsth thing in the morning. She used to wake us with the sound of the washing machine.

She loves her life. Even now.

Although we fought like cats and dogs when I was younger, I am constantly inspired by a woman who continues to live her life and make friends in high places and revel in her new found media attention.

But she loves the day attendants as much as the celebrities.

And thats her gift.

So if the budget is tight have a look out side.

The sunshine costs nothing.

In fact, you might even be worrying that you have no holiday in the sun booked for this year.

This week, taking my cue from my mum, and in an attempt to counteract the constant barrage of misery and bad news that is constantly in the air, this week I wote a little book. Not a mindboggling literary masterpiece, just a little book of happy thougths and lovely images. The writing of it was pure fun, and the giving of it in e-book form to a few clients and colleagues took the click of a mouse in an email.

The response has been overwhelming.

I should have done it years ago instead of waiting until a recession hits.

What random act of kindness or creativity can you do that will put a smile on someones face and give you pleasure in the making?

What would be your own personal sunflower?

have a lovely day,

anne

New Day, New Name, New Approach

Today I moved another step closer to my "ideal" life, finishing the artwork for the cover of my novel Poppies and Sky (see photo) , identifying two new products that will use creative writing and arty stuff and uncovering an untapped resource of passive income in the process!

One of the insights I had was that my blog was called "Clippings of Tin" as in living on feck all and my previous newsletter was called "Wing & Prayer". Although I like them and had great response to both, they were in fact, the very names of a poor existence, and as I always preach about making ourselves martyrs, I have ditched both and replaced the blog name with the name of my current book, "Sunflower Seeds".

I have a pain in my backside listening to the recession, depression, and bad news every time i read a paper, turn on the tv or listen to the radio.

If we all listen to bad news that is depressing then its only a matter of time...

So with that in mind, I have begun a little book of good news to be out mid summer and available in shops and on Amazon in time for Christmas (I know I know but these things take time).

So the next few weeks will be busy doing things I love, and singing the "My Lovely Horse" by Dougal and Father Ted whenever I hear something more miserable than has gone ahead already.

And hanging paintings in a gallery.....

and selling artwork in the design mart in Temple Bar...

and finishing Sunny Side Up by the end of July.

Who needs a holiday?

Time flies!

It is no great surprise to me that its over a year since I last posted something on this blog (march 08 to be precise), as thats one of my least productive habits. It does, however, have a bright side as you can read the last post and be amazed at what has changed over the last year!

Apart from the obivious one year older, my family has been reduced by 4 kittens and 4 chickens, the former going to good homes, the latter being sent to heaven by some heavy handed kids.

The famous novel is finished and a proof copy on its way, and another book has been commissioned which is proving a joy to write, although the subject matter (an adopted womans search for her birth mother) is quite sad. It's a real challange to write someone else's story but although progress is slow, its great to know my job is in the writing, the promo and publishing is someone elses headache!

And on a similar note...

The Sid & Janey cards are now a real live product and I have a stall at a designers market in Dublin to sell cards featuring art (above) and cards, but I also have a student daughter who needs a job so I dont have to stand in the rain/wind/snow/baking sun selling!

So I can write and paint and let someone else do the other stuff..how cool is that?

Now all I need is a pa, a housekeeper, a launderette and a chauffer and I'm sorted!

Feel the fear

How many times have you said "read this, it's amazing" and handed over your latest inspiration or self help book??? How many times have you got the said inspiriation or book back?

The answser to the first question I suspect is "loads of times".

The answer to the second question is probably "rarely" or worse "never".

Over the last twenty years I have given away;

Women Who Love Too Much

The Artists Way

The Right to Write

Feel The Fear and Do It Anyway

Rich Dad Poor Dad

The One minute Millionaire

Sunscreen

and my latest ....The Secret.

So when I decide to have a look at some of the passages that inspired me to make changes I turn to my bookshelves and see not the book, but he space where it used to be.

And then I get irriatated.

Then I try to remember who I gave the particular book to.

Then I realise that by giving them away, I have left myself short.

Oliver Plunkett is alive and well (see previous post)

So over the last week, I have bought AGAIN;

You can heal your life

Suncreen

Feel The Fear

One Minute Millionaire

and done the unthinkable.....written my name on them! I hate defacing books but realise this is one of the only ways I can lay claim to the book I bought and possibly hold on to it for when I NEED IT!

One of the nicest things I discovered is that reading some of these books after twenty years, they are as relevant now as they were when they blew my brains all those years ago, and instead of The Secret book, I treated myself to the Secret desk calander so I have a daily fix of good stuff to ponder on just inside my left eye radar.I can see the Sunscreen as I type and Lousie Hay, Mark Victor Hanson and Susan Jeffers are on my beside locker.

I look foward to being a healthy, fearless millionaire shortly!

And now I have to practice "this is a great book...you can buy it on Amazon!"