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Do What You Love interview – Priscilla Jones

Posted on 2011-02-03 at 9:20 am.

Priscilla Jones is an award-winning mixed media artist based in Lancaster, in the north of England who has exported her designs to Japan, the USA and across Europe, including freelance designs for greeting cards, wallpaper, fashion and interior fabrics. Priscilla’s unique art work in both 2D and 3D is known for its etherial feel and shabby chic colouring.

Priscilla is continuously exhibiting her work in exhibitions both nationally and internationally and is a freelance educator in Further/Higher Education and secondary schools. She also runs a programme of independant workshops and talks in galleries, museums and selected venues.

Priscilla will be teaching a delicious workshop – ‘Structure and surface: 3D sculpture with wax, wire, fabric, paper and found materials’ – at the Do What You Love retreat in May.

Today we explore her work and influences and find out more about her creative business. (All photo credits: Priscilla Jones)

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Do What You Love – the e-course

Posted on 2011-02-02 at 5:00 pm.

Written by Beth Kempton

Can you honestly say you are you doing what you love? Wouldn’t you like to be able to say that, and mean it?

This online adventure will take you step-by-step on a path to discovering your true passion, and finding a way to make it a greater part of your everyday life.

In six weeks you will expand your comfort zone, nurture your playful spirit and use this to feed your creative soul. You will travel this path with a community of like-minded people from across the world, sharing your stories, forging new connections, and inspiring each other.

Based on the principle that adventure fuels creativity, a rich combination of thought-provoking posts and stories will be shared, along with journal prompts, photo exercises, tools to help you on your path and fun weekly missions.

And we have an incredible line up of interviews for you – some really amazing people will share their stories along the way, to challenge and inspire you. (Stay tuned for the interview line-up announcements here soon – they will blow your socks off!)

If you throw yourself into it, you will emerge more confident, more curious and much more likely to end up doing what you love.

This will be like no other class you have ever taken. Can you afford not to join us?

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Sign up here for the Spring 2011 edition of the Do What You Love e-course which will run six weeks Monday March 14 to Saturday April 23 2011. We have curious souls signed up from three continents across the world and an AMAZING line-up of interviews (to be announced soon). Join us for this adventure.

Why do you need this right now?

Shades in the mail

Posted on 2011-02-02 at 8:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

What? That’s what I thought when the 3D glasses arrived in the post! My younger brother had stuck stamps on one eye and put the address on the other, and they arrived! I only wish I had seen the postman’s face this morning…

The post office actually franked the eye! Hurrah for Royal Mail

See the note on the back? From ‘Goggles-R-Us’ ha ha. Already plotting next month’s edition…

Love this Campaign for Real Mail. A bit of randomness is good for the soul. Why don’t you start your own and brighten up someone’s day?

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Have you listened to the new Do What You Love interview podcasts posted recently?

Rachel Hazell on paper, Paris and penguins (photo credit: Kelly Whybrow)

Flora Bowley on painting, passion and pursuing the art of globetrotting (photo credit: Tyson Robichaud)

Read other interviews with inspiring people doing what they love here.

Do What You Love interview – Rachel Hazell (podcast)

Posted on 2011-02-01 at 7:15 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

(Photo credit: Kelly Whybrow)

Meet Rachell Hazell, an incredibly talented book artist who resides in Edinburgh, Scotland, but frequently travels the world to make books in extraordinary places. Rachel will be teaching ‘Maps, charts and other discoveries: An extraordinary expandable sketchbook journal’ at the Do What You Love retreat in England in May. I caught up with her to discuss paper, Paris and penguins. We also talked about really important things like chocolate, artistic residencies and getting commissions. Apologies for all the laughter, it’s an occupational hazard!

Listen to the full interview here:

[audio:https://cdn.dowhatyouloveforlife.com/110201_Do-What-You-Love-interview_Rachel-Ha.ell.mp3|titles=110201_Do What You Love interview_Rachel Hazell]

(Photo credit: Shannon Tofts)

To find out more about Rachel please visit her website Read Make Love Books, her photo blog Obsessions of a Travelling Bookbinder or connect with her on Facebook.

More on the art, supplies and experiences mentioned in the interview can be found here:

(Photo credit: Rachel Hazell)

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See here for more interviews with inspiring people who are doing what they love.

100 days to go until the Do What You Love retreat

Posted on 2011-01-31 at 5:05 pm.

Written by Beth Kempton

(Photo credit: Papakata)

Have you secured your place yet?

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Toast in the post

Posted on 2011-01-29 at 9:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

I don’t know about you but we seem to get more and more junk mail these days. I miss the days when I would race home from school, hoping to find a pale blue airmail letter with a Canada or France postmark, bearing a letter from my penfriend. And remember the excitement picking up the letters from friends and family which were waiting patiently in Poste Restante at strange post offices in remote countries when travelling. Now we have email, mobiles, Facebook, Twitter and all, it is easier to stay in touch, but harder to properly communicate with old friends. There is nothing like snail mail, and ink on paper, for this.

And so, in protest, me and my two brothers (who live the other end of the country) have decided to start our own mini Campaign for Real Mail. Every month this year we are going to send each other silly things in the post, and see whether they arrive. The only rule is ‘no envelopes allowed’.

This started when we were reminiscing about our time at uni, when I sent my older brother a piece of toast through the post, and amazingly it arrived! So for January, I am sending them both some tea bags – a nice cuppa from Yorkshire (which is famous for its tea). I wonder whether they will get there…

Have you ever sent or received something weird in the post? It’s completely pointless fun! Why not try it?

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Now here’s a lady who really is doing what she loves… Have you heard Flora Bowley’s story? Flora lives and works full-time as a painter in Portland, Oregon, where she is inspired by magical forests, abundant gardens and a thriving community of fellow artists. Flora’s love for life and spontaneous nature are clearly visible in her vibrant, easily recognizable paintings. Flora will be travelling to England in May to teach at the Do What You Love retreat. Her work can be found in numerous galleries and homes across the US and internationally, and also on a variety of unique products made in collaboration with Papaya! Listen to the podcast of the latest Do What You love interview here.

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I am Guest Curating on Crescendoh.com all this week. Pop over to read my Art Saves story, and see my collection of inspiring posts from other artists and writers.

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Are you doing what you love? Would you like to have your story shared on Do What You Love? New series starting soon… see here for more details of how you can get published here.

Share your story on Do What You Love

Posted on 2011-01-28 at 9:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

Are you doing what you love?

Whether the answer (right now) is yes or no, we all have a story to tell.

In celebration of the Do What You Love e-course launch, I am putting out a call for guest posts for this blog. It attracts four-figure weekly traffic, and I want to open up that platform to share your stories with the world.

I am starting a new series shortly, capturing the essence of what it means to do what you love, warts and all, and I’d love it if you would be part of that.

What’s your story? Are you doing what you love? If so, what changes or sacrifices have you had to make along the way to get there?

If you aren’t (yet) doing what you love but want to, what obstacles are standing in your way, and how are you tackling them?

Please contact me if you are interested in having your story highlighted, and sending more readers to your part of the blog world.

You never know, your story may end up in the book proposal I am secretly working on…

(PS If you have no idea what you love, it might be an idea to sign up for the Do What You Love e-course!)

This is me

Posted on 2011-01-25 at 12:15 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

So how did this crazy, mad, happy creative journey begin anyway?

Where did this artist thing come from?

And why does it matter?

Find out in my Art Saves story over on Crescendoh.com

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I am honoured to be Guest Curating on Crescendoh.com all this week. Pop over to see my collection of inspiring posts from other artists and writers.

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Join us in the stunning English countryside for the Do What You Love art and creative enterprise retreat (May 11-15 2011). Combining creativity, enterprise and community, it will give you the time, space, tools and inspiration to help you do what you love. Choose from art workshops with outstanding teachers including painter Flora Bowley, mixed media artist Priscilla Jones and book artist Rachel Hazell, and put your burning creative business questions to successful entrepreneurs. See here for more details and registration.

saving time

Posted on 2011-01-24 at 9:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

Time is precious

We try to save it, to make it, to manage it.

But sometimes it just seems to slip away.

Someone told me the word ‘chronophage’ means ‘time eater’?

I’m not sure if it is really a word, but I like it.

I think the online world is a chronophage.

So I made on little change in the organisation of my day, and it has made a huge difference.

I just separated my to-do list into ‘online’ and ‘offline’.

Now I get distracted a whole lot less.

And I have more precious time to spend on precious things.

How do you manage your time?

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I am Guest Curating on Crescendoh.com all this week. Pop over to read my Art Saves story, and see my collection of inspiring posts from other artists and writers.

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Give yourself a gift

Posted on 2011-01-20 at 9:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

The gift of permission

The gift of time

The gift of space

The gift of community

The gift of creating

The gift of dreaming

The gift of belief

The gift of making it happen

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Give yourself the gift of a break from it all, to indulge in art workshops and to grow that creative business dream, in the company of a community of like-minded souls.

Give yourself the gift of a place at the Do What You Love art and creative enterprise retreat in the stunning English countryside, May 11-15 2011. Tomorrow (Jan 21) is the last day to sign up and recieve the gift of a £50 (approx $75) early bird discount.

Give yourself a gift you deserve and register now.