5 Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Completely Lose Your Shit

We’ve all experienced it. Something comes up to throw us off track, fill us with anxiety, disappointment, frustration, or trigger us to completely “lose our shit.” When things eventually smooth out and we realize that we are fine and still breathing, we sometimes wonder why we freaked out in the first place. Over time I’ve learned …

7 Insights from my 2nd Uplevel Gold Retreat

Only a few hours ago, I made it back to Guam from Asheville, NC, where I attended my 2nd Uplevel Gold retreat hosted by Christine Kane and her Uplevel team. The insights are endless, but there are some that really stand out, lessons relearned on a deeper level. I have been participating in the Uplevel …

How to protect your vibe from toxic creativity-killers

Do you ever feel completely drained or unmotivated to create anything? I’m pretty sure we all experience this on some level at some point. If this is you, it’s all good. There is nothing wrong with you. There are toxic creativity-killers that I have learned to identify and either avoid or zap with my magic wand of …

Why I Won’t Be Holding the Luna Festival this Year

Ok, I will be honest, it was hard just to write that title. As difficult and bittersweet as it’s been to come to this decision, I know it is the right one. Here’s why. In order to convey what led to this decision, let me go back in time to when I had the inspiration …

What’s to Come for Creative Indeed in 2016

Ready or not, here we come! Every day is a new day, and here we are at the start of a new year cycle. It’s important to remember other cycles in our lives though. Rhythms and routines are everywhere, in nature, our bodies, our behaviors. The way I have built my life in the last …

My 10 Most Memorable Experiences in 2015

What a year of surprises! Between painting on a wedding dress, travel to Asheville, live art at the Electric Island Festival, receiving the award for Home-Based Business Champion of the year by the SBA, and so much more, it has been eventful to say the least! Looking back, these are some of my most memorable …

An Amazing Adventure at Jonas Gerard’s Art Studio & Gallery

Previous posts detailed my trip to Asheville, North Carolina for a business retreat as a part of the Uplevel Academy Gold program that I am in. I shared about the retreat, and then did a whole post on my explorations of downtown Asheville as well as a post just for my explorations of the River Arts District in Asheville. …

The River Arts District of Asheville: From Industrial to Artsy

As you saw in my previous posts, I recently went on a trip to Asheville, North Carolina for a business retreat as a part of the Uplevel Academy Gold program that I am in. I shared about the retreat, and then did a whole post on my explorations of downtown Asheville. This is a separate …

Exploring Downtown Asheville: Art, Food, Beer & Pretty Trees!

Amazing art, food, beer, and pretty trees! These are a few of my favorite things! My previous post included my reflections and pictures from the Uplevel Academy Gold business retreat that I attended last week. I got to town a few days early, so took advantage of that and explored all over downtown Asheville, and …

Reflecting: Trip to Asheville for Uplevel Academy GOLD Business Retreat

What an amazing adventure I just got back from! Some of you may know that for 5 years I’ve been participating in the Uplevel programs for life and business created by Christine Kane. This year I joined the Gold program for soul-driven entrepreneurs, and intended to make it to at least one of the three …

Full Moon Photo Journal Recap of Adventures & Inspirations

A photo journal of the last month’s adventures, life milestones, inspirations, random shenanigans, errands, creative projects, and scenic moments. A story in imagery from one full moon to the next!

The Joys of Starting a Small Purposeful Business on Guam (step-by-step from an artist’s view)

Photo by David Zimms. Starting your own business is an intense undertaking. This post has been building in my mind for quite some time. There are many amazing points to sustaining your own solo-entrepreneur style business on Guam. However, there are also many challenges to getting yourself set up smoothly. It can be tricky if you are, for …

Why I am not offended by the offer of “exposure” in exchange for my work

You know what I’m talking about. Creative artists of all kinds get asked to donate their work or talent for a fundraiser, charity event, or whatever other production, in exchange for “exposure.” Some feel offended when asked to “give our talent for free.” I don’t. Here’s why. I’m specifically referring to the unpaid opportunities that come up …

Free Art Lesson: Latte Stone Acrylic Painting Demo by Michelle Pier

“IlluminLatte” is an abstract latte stone painting I did recently. I recorded the process from start to finish, sharing and explaining my painting style. This piece is an acrylic painting done on stretched canvas, and all the paint is Chroma brand metallic acrylics. This is a full length video, just over 20 minutes. Below is …

Creative Session: The Healing Power of Art

Hafa adai! This weekend I had the special honor of leading a Creative Session focusing on the healing power of art. Art has a natural way of being healing, simply through the act of creating. The creative process is something that happens in everyday life… You have an idea, or see something inspiring. You have …

The Easy Way I Got Started Painting With Acrylics

One of the most common questions I get asked about painting is: What supplies do you use and where do you buy them? I am writing this to save myself from repeating my answer over and over. I mean, I don’t mind, but this will be much more helpful, for me and you. So, painting …

Create Your Own Art Space, Even Under Challenging Circumstances

You can create art in just about any space if you get a little creative. When I got back into painting in 2007, it was not an ideal situation for creating art, or so I thought. My boys were 2-years old and 8-months old, and I was overwhelmed with life. We lived in a small studio space …

Getting Started with Creative Journaling Workshop

Yesterday I had the honor of leading a Creative Journaling workshop at the “Guam is Good: Cancer Symposium” held by the Edward M. Calvo Foundation. Keynote speaker Lori Earl flew to Guam to speak about her family’s experience with cancer. She is the author of the book “This Star Won’t Go Out,” based on her …

The 10 Basic Essentials to Creating Your Own Wellbeing

I took this photo this morning, while I was reflecting on what went well last week, and where my focus will be this week. I’m reminding myself of the basic essentials of my own wellbeing and why I do what I do. People ask me all the time, “How do you sustain creativity? How do you …

Holiday Craft Demo 4-part Series Featured in the Pacific Daily News

This Holiday Season I am featuring a 4-part Holiday Craft Demo series in the Pacific Daily News, written by Lacee Martinez and photographed by Mark Scott. The first craft was featured this past weekend. I will add to this post as each feature is published. HOLIDAY CRAFT DEMO 1- Creating an ornament using an old …