Glamour Has Substance!

I find that nothing is better to distract myself from the hard work I'm doing on the elliptical machine at the gym than a good ol' trashy magazine. You know the ones - lots of pictures of celebrities walking out of the grocery store or Starbucks.

Well, yesterday I thought I was in for the same ol' fare when I picked up the latest issue of Glamour magazine. I was more than pleasantly surprised to find a fantastic article by Jessica Matlin entitled "Tips From the Women Who Make You Gorgeous". (October 2008, pp. 127-132).

"Oh great!" I thought. More silly tips on applying makeup that I rarely wear.

But wait, there was more...

These were short little snippets of interviews with some of the top executives in the beauty industry - we're talking about president of L'Oreal Paris, Karen Fondu, legendary supermodel Iman, CEO of Shiseido Cosmetics, Heidi Manhaimer (the first American woman to hold this position in the company's 136-year history), president and CEO of LVMH Perfumes (guides brands like Dior and Guerlain). There's more, but I'd like to get to the point...

These are definetely women who have worked hard to climb that corporate ladder and have broken through the glass ceiling. Here are some of the important things they had to say about business and success:

"Don't be afraid to admit you have no idea what you're doing. It's not a sign of weakness; it's a sign of courage. I ask my mentor...for help all the time."

"It's normal to be nervous about new challenges. Anyone who isn't scared by something brand new is crazy!"

"My beauty ideal is that modern woman who is slightly not put together. I think imperfections are beautiful."

"If you overreact when you make a mistake, you'll just make another. Instead, reflect upon how you can fix things and avoid the problem in the future."

Um - are you listening to this? These are top executives - and yes, they have the same fears, hesitations, and doubts that we all do. But do they let those fears stop them from getting and going for what they want? NO!

They not only push past this fear, but they accept it as a part of the package. True courage does not come from doing something easy that everyone can do. True courage comes from doing something scary, something risky - DESPITE that fear. It's not that the courageous have no fear, they just see it as part of the package and continue to move forward.

What can you do TODAY to move past a fear? Ask yourself "What's the worst thing that will happen?" It's not half as bad as you think. It's just the flimsy tissue paper wrapped around the gift that you really want and deserve.

Read the whole article here.

Open Your Wings

by Tally OliveauI left my cocoon today,
wet wings frigid,
dripping,
shaking with anticipation.

I know I can fly.
I feel the wind on my face.
It makes me tremble
on this tiny
thin
branch.

Emerging slowly,
cautiously testing
my footing.
Still holding tight
to what seems a dream -
the life of a catepillar
the life that only yearns
for change.

So, Here I Am.

New Cards!

Things have been busy around the studio this past week. A whole slew of new designs are popping up for 2009, and holiday orders are EXPLODING!!

Feel free to pop by the website: www.papierstudio.com to get a gander at some of the new stuff coming out of Photoshop. I think I've really gotten a swing of Photoshop - at least I let myself think that for now. I know I probably have only mastered a very small percentage of what this amazing program can do - but I don't let that stop me from creating! Here's a sneak peak!

The water drops above came from a photograph I took of my car windshield while it was raining! Some minor adjustments, a few photoshop brushes of my doodles - and voila! dreaming of the sea...

As some of you may know, one of my specialties, besides the patented gift card holders, is my line of Judaica cards. This is close to my heart, since I have found a vapid hole of classy, artistic Judaica cards. I am doing my best to fill that hole.

Artful Living

I am so pleased to announce that I will be teaching two of my most popular classes at Artful Living in Ojai (details below). They have no website for me to link for you, but their telephone number is 805-640-0800. According to Barbara, the owner, if you call, or email them at artfulliving@ojai.net they will send you their newsletter and registration information and pricing.

I am very honored to be teaching at a location where the likes of Lyn Perrella and Kelly Kilmer, to just name a few, have taught.

Here's the details (hours are approximate):
October 18: 10am-4pm
Visual Journaling - Caverna Magica
Come along on a fantastic voyage of self exploration through art journaling. Using music, breathing techniques, and guided visualization, Tally will lead you on a spelunking adventure you will never forget. We will be digging for the artistic archeological treasures that are hidden in your subconscious. We will shed some light on the dark caves of your mind that maybe you haven’t explored in a while – or maybe never even been discovered.

October 19: 10am-12:00pm
Image Transfers
Image transfers are a wonderful way of getting a very translucent image over decorative or other papers without using a transparency. The transfer actually becomes almost part of the paper. Students will be learning different image transfer techniques in this class including gel medium transfers onto paper and fabric, packing tape transfers, gin transfers, and transfers onto metal. This is a wonderful technique that you will be able to apply in hundreds of ways in your own art. This is a techniques class, therefore, you will not be creating artwork in class.

Even if you have taken my Visual Journaling class before, each journey is different and even the same journey can be different at a different time. For additional details and supply lists, please visit my website (link at the upper right of this blog), and click on the link to "Workshops".

I hope some of you will join me!

I Love to Look!

My dear friend Peggy has honored me with this award that she created herself! She gave this award to blogs she loved to keep visiting over and over, not only to look at the art, but to hear personal stories and outlooks on life. Thanks Peggy!

I just named a group of blogs I love in this post. I hope you'll go visit. Peggy would love it if you would pass on this award to others you love to visit.