I Can Do It! Tampa 2011 - Part One: Marianne Williamson

As promised, I Can Do It! Tampa energized my mind, body and spirit. I attended the 3-day conference with my friends, Joanie and Elaine. We stayed at the Marriott, across the street from the Tampa Convention Center where we enjoyed a 12th floor view from our balcony and comfy beds. Happy for our girlfriend time together and anticipating enlightenment, we attended keynote speakers, various conference workshops, and breakout sessions, and rejoiced in the inspiration available to us. After each event, we shared our insights and breakthroughs over salad, oatmeal, or rice curry and vegetables.

My three-day journey began on 11-11-11 with an all-day workshop with Marianne Williamson. Her newest book, A Course in Weight Loss, offered sound advice, practical exercises and plenty of revelations to me personally. I immediately saw the wisdom of embracing healthier eating, and intend to work through the book’s 21 chapters on my own, or with a small group of women in Venice starting in January 2012.

Marianne taught us that “every moment gives us an opportunity to rise to the occasion of our higher selves” and challenged us to consider “any thought that is not love is fear” and “any thought that does not support my perfection is an attack.” Throughout the three days of the conference this theme in different words was interwoven from various speakers as a deeper understanding of the importance of self love.

That first morning in Tampa, as I listened and participated in the Course in Weight Loss exercises, I felt a shift within me. My journey of self-love and conscious healing of my inner child began forty years ago in the seventies when I found a path to spiritual awakening. Yet, here in this workshop with Marianne Williamson, another layer of onion was being peeled; another petal of the perpetually opening lotus blossom opened, and I glimpsed further within.

Already the price of the conference admission was worth it, and I had just begun.
-Raphaella Vaisseau
P.S. Click here for slide show of my 3-day experience at I Can Do It! Tampa, November  11-13, 2011

Shop Etsy.com for Holiday Gifts from Artists Around the World

Here's a selection of art I've discovered on Etsy.com celebrating amber, gold, brown, metal, wood, glass, and all earthly treasures.

Click HERE to view it live on etsy or click on individual pictures within the Treasury to view selected items. Have fun!!! Of course, I also have my own Heartful Art on Etsy as well. -Raphaella Vaisseau

New Fe Bailey PSA from Tropical Healing: What can you do to reduce plastic consumption?

Fe Bailey's new Tropical Healing PSA video (below), "What Can You Do To Reduce Plastic Consumption?" states that "we all have the choice, power, and responsibility to reduce plastic consumption." This is something I have been more and more committed to in recent months since I learned that recycling simply isn't taking care of the problem. Conscious people have been carefully recycling for decades, believing we are making a positive difference in our world. Yet much of the plastic we think is being recycled is not. Some is down cycled or simply shipped to third world countries.

I discovered this while listening to an interview with Annie Leonard about her book, The Story of Stuff. Here's a link to one of  Ms. Leonard's videos: The Story of Bottled Water.

As this relates to the Tropical Healing PSA below, The Story of Bottled Water also answers the question, What can you do? In the notes below the video is this suggestion: "Before the bottled water craze hit, we took it for granted that public fountains were part of any public building: schools, offices, sports stadiums and parks. Let's bring them back! In the U.S., many state building codes mandate that there be one source of public water for every 1000 people the building has capacity for. Why not subsidize public water fountains as part of local efforts to build green?"

As for me, personally, what I've done (am doing) is using cloth bags for groceries, and I fill glass water bottles to have in my fridge and to bring with me instead of buying the little disposable plastic bottles. It takes an extra effort and planning ahead, but it's working for me and I feel good about it. Next step for me: I will discontinue using plastic merchandise bags even if they claim to be made with recycled bottles, and switch instead to paper bags.

Please share your thoughts and comments about this and your actions and ideas about reducing plastic consumption in your life. Bravo to Fe Bailey and her crew for making this film, and to Annie Leonard for her work on reducing consumption in many areas of our lives. Thank you to both of these women for their proactive contributions to making a better planet for us all.
-Raphaella Vaisseau

Margaret Mead Never Doubt Quote as Reminder of People Power

One of my favorite Heartful Art creations, always a beautiful gift for teachers, service volunteers, and retirees, and people making a positive difference, this famous quote speaks a timely message.

Contemplate the words of famous anthropologist, Margaret Mead: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.

Now, as so many people from so many places rise up to speak their minds, this affirmational and motivational quote is apropos for our time. Margaret Mead's words can act as a catalyst for conversation.

I encourage myself and all of us to listen to each other. Share what we believe. Speak our truth. Kindly. In the way of Gandhi: "Be the change you wish to see in the world." We are the world. We can make a positive difference in our own lives, in the lives of others, and in our world.
-Raphaella Vaisseau

New Recovery Prayer Magnets by Raphaella Vaisseau 30 Days of Get Your Art On - 9.26.11 (RV Day 8)

I spent my art creation time today (for my 30 Days of Get Your Art On commitment), creating new art for three great prayers of recovery. The most well know is The Serenity Prayer (right), which is celebrated around the world. Although I already have many versions of this beautiful prayer, I was inspired this morning to paint new art for a little 2x3 magnet.

The other two are less well known outside of the AA 12-Step Program. Both are shown here as 3x3 magnets. I painted all three prayers with wreathes of simple flowers and vines, to give the words plenty of room. Most of my Heartful Art is available for wholesale. You might also be interested to know that sometimes organizations arrange to bring my products to retreats and special events on a short-term consignment basis. Let me know if you have an upcoming event you'd like to discuss.

I make these recovery prayers as posters and matted prints as well as these magnets. Browse my main online store for many recovery slogans and inspirations. Words are powerful tools to assist us in getting through challenging situations and to support in reaching our goals. If you are in a 12-step program, these magnets make great gifts for sponsors, family, and friends.

With Summer behind us, we go forward into Fall. I understand that the autumn leaves are brilliantly colored up in the Northern US and along the Canadian border. I do miss Autumn. I long to get a whiff of fresh cool air of a northern fall day and hear the crunch of dry leaves underfoot as I walk. Perhaps next year. Although I do take one day at a time, I'm tentatively planning a visit to Minnesota a year from now, a trip which is long overdue. 2011 has been a fairly good year for me and Heartful Art, with steady improvement toward my goals. If things continue along this path of recovery (on many levels), I believe 2012 will be even better. I hope so. For me, and for you as well.
-Raphaella Vaisseau

Two Mixed Media Art Cards by Raphaella Vaisseau for 30 Days of Get Your Art On - 9.25.11 (RV Days 6 and 7)

What a week I've just finished! Big wholesale orders, new gallery possibilities, keeping up with inventory from dozens of consignment vendors, plus keeping my word to myself by doing 30 min of new art per day for the "30 Days of Get Your Art On" project.

I'm learning to do the creating new art thing in the morning, so I'm not blogging in my sleep. Leaving it to the end of the day has been challenging. Yesterday I couldn't do it first because Saturdays I am up at 5am to get to the Venice Farmers Market early and have my booth set up before daybreak.

So yesterday I fudged a little. I did my 30 minutes before the end of the day, but I did not stay up an extra hour to scan, post to Etsy, blog, and post links to facebook and twitter. I'm doing that now instead. My day of rest will have to wait a week, or at least until I ship the orders I'm still working on today (and tomorrow, and the next day). Nevertheless, I must say, even though this commitment has added a new pressure to my already pressured life as an artist, I'm loving the creative aspect of making new art every day.

I am gearing up to spending my 30 minutes a day on bigger paintings that have been sitting in various stages of creation in my studio for weeks. Some, I must confess, have been on my studio walls (and floor) for months.

Presenting two new ACEOs from Day 6 "Sticks" and Day 7 "Respect Women" of the 30 Days project. Click here to see all my original artist trading cards in my Etsy store. They are OOAK (one-of-a-kind) and when they're gone, they're gone. Maybe some day I'll start selling ACEO prints but for now, they are all original creations of art. They are the same size as a baseball card, 2.5" x 3.5" and they're affordable and adorable. Of course, they can be framed as wall art, but they're also collectable since artists from all over the world are creating them and selling them on Etsy. Browse the ACEtsy Street Team blog to discover more artists making art cards. Have fun. Buy art. Share it with others.
-Raphaella Vaisseau

My Brother's Birthday and 30 Days of Get Your Art On - 9.23.11 (Raphaella Vaisseau Day 5)

September 23, 1953 is the day my little brother was born. His name was Rick. Although remembering him is not exclusive to this day, every year on September 23rd, I celebrate his life.

For my 30 minutes of creating art today I continued working on the new grid I started a few days ago. I'll post it again when it's complete.

Meanwhile, here's a print of a flower I painted a decade ago. "Tiger Lily" seems like a nice remembrance flower for my sweet angel brother.
-Raphaella Vaisseau