Wednesday, February 16, 2011

An Online Course - Oh the Stories You’ll Tell: A Celebration of You and Your Work Begins March 14th, 2011



Back by Popular Demand!

No two stories or the ways in which we tell those stories are alike. We all have interesting lives and we bring a distinctive perspective to all that we do and yet, how many times have you thought of sharing a story but stopped yourself? How often have you felt you had nothing to say?

We don’t celebrate ourselves or the moments that make up our lives nearly as much as we should and - as artists, writers, bloggers, crafters and creative folks making a presence online – it is especially important to do so. Getting your authentic voice out there and being truly proud of it takes courage. Whether you are writing in your professional life or your personal one, it helps to have someone cheering you on and providing the advice and encouragement you may need while working to make your dreams come true. Let me be that personal cheerleader.

“Oh the Stories You’ll Tell” is a 4 week workshop designed to recharge your storytelling and celebrate the true magic in all you do. We will tell stories in all sorts of ways from writing and art journaling to collage and video/photography. As we explore new and unusual ways to tell our tales, our vision of who we are and what we do will broaden allowing us to find unique ways to represent ourselves and our work in person and online.

Within this limited enrollment class, you will find exercises, thought-provoking prompts, inspiring pdf’s and funny videos. In addition, you will interact with members of the group and receive personal attention from Natasha. This course has been designed so that many of the activities will fit within the framework of daily life. In fact, the hope is that it allows all of us to be more present and fulfilled in our day to day lives. In the end, you will have a journal filled with memories of your storytelling journey that you can refer to anytime you feel as though you are losing your way.

If there is one thing I have learned as a writer and artist, it’s that we need to shake up routines, find new ways of looking at things, and find an inspiring and supportive community where we can share our ideas.

I hope you will join me on this journey. In the end, we will not only have found a way to stay true to our voice but we will celebrate it in ways that will enhance our personal and professional life.

The workshop will begin on Monday, March 14th. You will receive a link to a private site a week prior to the start of class. The cost of this course is $40.









About Natasha

Natasha has been writing since the day her mom put a journal in her hand at age four. She received her MFA in writing from the New School in New York City before spending time as Marketing and Development Director for a nonprofit and later, freelance writer creating promotional materials for small businesses. Natasha assisted in creating original curriculum pieces for a private school in Manhattan before being invited to teach writing and editing workshops for some of the students. She has taught writing and photojournalism workshops for teenagers and written for publications such as Family Circle, Latina, Lifetips and MediaBistro. She is a 2011 Sketchbook participant and will be teaching along with 20 talented, professional artists in the upcoming 21 Secrets course.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Are you IN?




I've come to understand that time flies when you having fun but it also whizzes by when life is NUTS! The whole family came down with the flu so I was the round the clock family medic. Then, we had a celebration for my son and now, here I am.

All the while I have been working on new classes (check back later today for a class announcement) and focusing my attention on where I want to go with my art and writing.

However in the meantime, I'm still moving this party to Nachos but I'd LOVE to know who here is still up for the Thursday Sweet Treat! May I see a show of hands for who wants to play??

Either leave a comment here or email me to let me know if you are still game. My goal is to bring the fun back on March 3rd...so let me know your thoughts.

Big things are honestly about to take place around here....so let me know if you are in!

Monday, February 14, 2011

Universal LOVE




Life has been NUTS! The whole family was sick and it felt as though it would never end. Everything was put on the back burner but now I'm playing.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

I'm not a huge Valentine's Day gal because I think it can often make people feel bad. It's geared toward couples "in love" when really it should be about love - universal. However, I do dig the idea that there is a day to remind us of what we should be doing all the time - loving one another well.

So, in honor of loving all I'm celebrating ART JOURNAL LOVE DAY! I created a page and I thought I knew exactly how it would turn out and I found that it's completely different from what I imagined. I also discovered it's for a friend who needs to remember how loved she is these days.

So, pop over to Dirty Footprints if you have a sec and make an art journal page. Share it on your blog and you could win ...a prize! YES, a TOTAL LOVE FEST PRIZE!! Woooohoooo



Monday, January 31, 2011

Want to Know a Secret??




21 What? Ways to bake a cake? NO!

21? Ways to do narly tricks on your skate or surfboard? NO

21? Types of drinks you can make? Umm...potential class but NO

How's about 21 AMAZING secrets you can learn from AMAZING, INCREDIBLE, SENSATIONAL artists, including ME!! That's right....I will be joining 20 artists on April 1st for the most magnificent art journaling journey.

From April 1st to August 1st, 2011 you can bask in all things art journaling on the 21 Secrets playground.The cost is $59 and you get SO much material...videos, pdf's and months to get to know these artists, art therapists, writers, and creative extraordinaires.

But don't take my word for it. PLEASE check out all the phenomenal women I will be working with...it will blow you away. Visit Dirty Footprints Studio and the fabulous Connie - the founder of this art sensation for more information.

I truly hope you will come play on April 1st. Registration starts Monday, March 14th, 2011. I can promise you, you will LOVE it!

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

True to Myself



It has been a LONG time. Please forgive me! How are you all doing?? I've missed you very much so here's a BIG hug from my heart to yours!

Happy Belated New Year to each of you. How has the New Year been? Tell what's new?

The start of the year has been rather interesting for me. I know normally people slow down at the end of the year and then come January 1st they ramp up again with resolutions and energy to take on all the things they hope to accomplish but this year wasn't like that for me. 2011 started with a call for stillness and silence. So much happened at the end of last year that I needed quiet and so I went with that thought and feeling.

I started the next installment of the BIG painting series at Dirty Footprints Studio called DEEP which has allowed me to get quiet and get into a place where I can grow personally, professionally, and creatively.

I needed time to sort through things and slow down enough to begin to hear the sound of my own inner voice and heart. I needed to be more at peace with myself. I am still immersed in that process but I know in my heart that I am ready to return to blog land> I want to connect with each of you and get this place going again.

As I mentioned last year, I will be merging CreativeNachos and Thursday Sweet Treat. CreativeNachos is where this all began and it's time for all of this to live under one roof and expand. In addition, I will be teaching new classes on Nachos and have some other surprises.

I want to thank you for all the love and support you always share with me and all the patience you have had as I've worked to grow as an artist, writer and woman in this life. I would love to hear how your lives are going, what your hopes are for this year and all you would like to share so please feel free to comment or email.

In the next week or so, you will begin to see changes. Please bear with me as I make this transition. My goal is to be set up completely by the first week of February.

Love and shimmy shakin' magic to you!
Tasha

Friday, December 3, 2010

Here's What We Are Going To Do

The Home of My Passionate, Creative Heart
Created by Natasha Reilly

I wanted to begin by sharing this piece that I created for Week 6 of BIG, created by Dirty Footprints Studio. This is a deeply personal painting ...it's huge and wonderful. I am very proud of this work as lots of love and passion went into it's creation.

Since I began the Thursday Sweet Treat, I have loved all of the creative souls I have met. There have been some amazing times and some tough times here and the entire time I have learned and loved in more ways than I ever imagined possible.

The time has come for the TST to change a bit. Before I began this, I was writing a blog called Creativenachos. I have gone back and forth between both for awhile but the time has come to combine these worlds. As I grow and change as an artist along with all of you, I feel it's only right that my blogs grow and change with me.

So, aside from the merger, I am going to change the way we do things on the TST a bit. I want to delve a little more into process so we not only see what we create but we learn more from one another as artists. It won't require a ton of work on your part just a new way of exploring this artistic journey together.

I will be closing the TST for a few weeks again in order to bring about the changes needed. I think it's ok to do that now as the end of the year can be crazy for everyone and this allows time to focus on relaxing, being with family and friends and gearing up for the new year ahead.

The TST will open again in mid-January. I will post more as I get closer to being ready and of course I will be posting off and on throughout the holidays. I will be in touch and it is my hope you will return next year for a whole lot more artistic fun. Also please check back as I will be teaching some new classes and I will be posting lots of info about them.

Much love to you and thank you for inspiring me to grow the TST and create something bigger than I imagined!

xoxoxo,
Natasha

Thursday, December 2, 2010

How Do These Artists Share Love?

PLEASE NOTE: Please join me tomorrow for an important TST announcement. Thanks!


This week, I am in LOVE with the beautiful works these talented, professional artists created. Each one celebrates inspiration, blooming, the layers of love, poetry and love shared between two people. It's just wonderful! The work that I created was twofold - it was for a class I am in and for the TST. I have not revealed it in either place yet but will share it here tonight.

Please join me on a LOVEly journey....




Maureen, super talented artist, created this gorgeous piece.

"What can I say? Feeling "I love you" makes me feel like flowers blooming inside me . . .and any sense of gratitude, felt and/or expressed, also feels like beauty blooming. So, that's what got painted," said Maureen.

"I want to be sure to credit Amanda/PersistentGreen for being my artistic muse on this. A few months ago she showed me a new style she was trying, with abstracty flowers, brilliant colors, and black highlights. I was captivated. I'm trying to play with the ideas and make them my own, without copying her. For me, it's combining a sort of stained glass outlining, with the "loud" colors and flowery shapes."

http://aquamaureens.blogspot.com













Felicia Kramer, creator of Another Bright Idea and More Bright Ideas, created this stunning piece.

"I love texture, and with this piece I simply played with various textures, overlays, opacities to see what kind of effects I could get," said Felicia. "There’s about 6 layers here, I think. I topped it off with two lines from a poem by my favorite, e. e. Cummings."

www.etsy.com/shop/anotherbrightidea
www.etsy.com/shop/morebrightideas
www.feliciakramer.blogspot.com










Amanda, creator of Persistent Green, created this phenomenal Live Laugh Love, mixed media wall hanging, approximately 6 inches across.

"This week's theme made me think of a phrase that's been special to my husband and me for years now--Live, Laugh, Love," said Amanda. "The funny thing is that now the saying has become really popular; we see it in gift shops all the time (and often can't help buying pillows, plaques and all kinds of things with variations on the phrase). I couldn't resist making an artful object of my own!"

http://PersistentGreen.com






Now tell me, is your heart not full? Are you not madly in love??