creative thursdays is simply happy. to visit here each day is a gift and
knowing that you are supporting yourself as an artist, only helps me on my journey.

happy first! happy weekend!

happy anniversary, Marisa!
*
you are a true inspiration. thanks for being you and putting your heart & art out there for the world to appreciate.

hugs!

kc

You know how I love your characters and to have one with the entire gang, how fun! I think I found your blog close to a year ago and I'm so happy that I did. You know how much me (and Twig), love Creative Thursday. : )

Marisa, YOU are the gift to us. You and your work bring joy and inspiration to me and obviously many, many others. I don't know you personally but I can tell from your blog, podcasts and art that you are an amazing, wonderful, very special person with an extraordinary talent. Huge congratulations on your one year anniversary. We celebrate YOU!!!

Happy Anniversary! I have been a longtime lurker and admirer from afar...I so admire your beautiful work.

I'll leave you with a quote that has been swimming around in my head:

"We are here on this earth to fully awaken to life, and we need to start with wherever we are." --Foo Schroeder.

Congratulations, Marisa. I am so happy for you that this year has been so successful with your paintings and prints.
Your work just brings so much happiness to others. Your paintings are cute and innocent and make me smile and I am ever so grateful to you for that.

I wish you a happy and peaceful weekend with Sean.

Happy Birthday!!!! I'm happy to celebrate this day with you! Your paintings are so cheerful and put a smile on my face! Congratulations

Happy 1 year anniversary! You are such an inspiration for all of us creative types trying to find our way.
Thank You.

Congras Marisa!! I've to say how wonderful was found you. You'r so creative and inspires me all the time. Your positive energy is amazing and so encourage.

I hope this weekend stop the rains and we'll can go out to enjoy last days of this summer ;)

Thanks for your generosity!!!

Congrats- i just recently found you and immediately ordered prints! They make me smile every day when I walk by them hanging in my home!

Happy Friday - almost as good as creative Thursdays! Congratulations on your 1 year anniversary, I wouldn't have found you without etsy.

Congrats on the anniversary!! I always look forward to your blog posts. Such creativity and inspiration!!

I just found your blog and I love to visit every day! I hope I win!!

I really hope that I get picked.

I love your world that you create through your art.

A joy to behold....

Pick me! Pick me!

Happy #1!

Oh, how exciting! Your anniversary and a giveaway!
I've been following your blog for a while now and am finally delurking today :)
Congrats on your 1 year on etsy! I love seeing your new paintings and listening to your podcasts. Thank you for sharing your experiences with us and being an inspiration to fellow artists and creative types.

Wishing you the best for 2008!

Congratulations! Your paintings make me smile and feel good inside. Thank you for that!

you're the bestest! happy 1 year anno!
xo

Yay!! Happy Anniversary Marisa!

I'm so glad you're living your dream. And thanks for all the encouragement to the rest of us to do the same.

I love your work!

Marisa,

Thank you for sharing your work with me and the fam. We smile at your painting daily and think of you fondly.

Kate and "the gang"

Wow, I have just been surfing the net and came across your gorgeous paintings. They are so cheerful and inspiring and I just love your use of colours.
Happy 1 year anniversary.

Hello Marisa, congratulations on your first year at Etsy and wishing you many, many, more!!! I first heard about Creative Thursday when Michael Neill success coach and show host of You Can Have What You Want, a weekly call in show on Hay House Radio, was giving advice to one of his listeners whom spent many years being afraid of her creativity, afraid of what people think, afraid she might do things badly, afraid her creativity didn't have a reason - It was just something she wanted to do and it made her happy (except she was afraid of that!). Not only did he point her in the direction of your website, he explained something called the three dragon concept - three things which get in the way of anyone who is beginning explore their creativity.

1) Dragon of product; if your going to create anything, you have to please the audience your creating for. It sounds reasonable, but unfortunately that reasonable approach is what stifles creativity. Remember, your not painting a picture, your just paining. If you've ever found yourself throwing out your novel, your recording, your design and starting again because your, agent , publisher, manager, critic or family member said "oh, that's not very good!", then that's the voice of the dragon of product.

2) Dragon of control; The more emotionally open you are, the more energy you spend trying to controll your emotional expression - so that people with think well of you, they won't think your too emotional, or that there's something wrong with you. What a lot of us fear the most is that we'll be revealed as we truly are and not as we want to be seen. so, if you want to defeat the dragon of controll, you've got to come to terms with who you really are. And who you really are, and who you really are is horrible, and wonderful, it's a hero and a villain, it's a loser and a winner, and everything in between. Creativity isn't pretty, the end result may be, creativity is it's going to places you wouldn't usually go.

3) Dragon of meaning; If you've ever been bored of a Shakespeare play, chances are it's because you had to study it (or it might have been a crap production) like; 'The Academic Analysis of a Shakespeare Poem, a Beethoven symphony or a picasso painting...' at some level we're aware that great art isn't really design to appeal primarily to our intellect... but when we're being creative we stifle our creative genius by trying to make sense of what we're doing as if creativity was an intellectual pursuit - So, we can see it in other peoples art but we don't see it in our own. It doesn't have to stop you, when you ask yourself why? and the answer is... "well, because I want to!" your probably on the right track with your creativity.

Just wanted to share this with you:0 and say thanks for being here and for inspiring me!

With sparkles and rainbows
Katx

Hooray for Friday. Happy Anniversary!

Woohoo! Feliz Aniversario!

Your work is gorgeous!

Congratulations on your first year anni ~ I've just "met" you and think your work is wonderful!!

happy anniversary!

Hi I wanted to let you know how much your painted friends and their color palettes brighten my corner of the world whenever I do my daily pop-in to see what is new. Happy first blog-aversary!

Happy Anniversary. It was love at first sight with your paintings. I just adore them. You're a big inspiration to me. Thanks!

I just found your site.
how wonderful your paintings are and the tiny critters that live in them!

I love your website! I found you in Artful Blogging and I've been visiting your blog ever since! Also, today I was in a performance art piece....it was fun to try something new! Thanks!

I love your little paintings... I look forward to seeing each of your daily posts, and I look forward to someday owning an original. I'm determined!

Hi!

I LOVE your paintings, so sweet and happy.

We are in the middle of some changes and freshening up in our house. The two kids will be bunking in together to make room for #3, who will be arriving in a couple of months. This 'gang' print would be perfect in either of the bedrooms! btw, we are thinking of naming our baby Ruby, like your little girl in red :)

I only started reading blogs about a month ago, but yours is in my favorites. I love seeing your drawings, they are wonderful. I know this is the 8th, but I must have checked your blog after you posted this. The 7th was my Dad's 87th birthday. I thought that was neat.

Happy Anniversary! I stumbled onto your ad in Artful Blogging last night at Books A Million. Your artwork is just adorable! I would love to win the print to hang in my own studio as I love to enjoy things from other artists.

Love your work! I am a long time painter, too. Your colors choices make my heart sing! Just discovered your blog and will be back for sure!

I need this painting in my baby boy's room! Pick me! Pick me! :) And, of course, your work is always an inspiration as are the ideas you share with us all. xxooo

I eyed your Etsy shop for quite some time wanting "The Gang's All Here." So, when I got a raise at the end of the year, it was my celebratory purchase. I love it! And I have to tell ya, when I went to get a mat cut for it, I received LOTS of compliments!

Happy 1 year anniversary!
I am always inspired when I stop by to visit!

Take care,
Melba

oh! I hope I'm not too late!

I ADORE your work!

Happy anniversary :)

Yay Marisa! And here's to another fabulous year! :)

I love your work -- have several pieces hanging in our home. We're about to celebrate our first baby -- seems appropriate for the print!

Just found your blog last month and thought I'd 'delurk',

Congrats on your Etsy anniversary! I celebrated mine at the end of this past December. I also started working for myself this past year!

Here's to many more years of doing what you love!

btw, your color palette rocks!

i can't believe i won:D thank you sweets!

Marissa,

I know your contest is over but it is not the reason why I am posting this comment. Here's the reason: I have quit my "day job" as they say a couple of years ago and I have been struggling to make a living with doing something creative. I have an idea of what I want to do but I seem to stumble on a lot of obstacles or scepticism that always make me go backwards. The fact that my husband is not all that supportive (but not entirely unsupportive) is another stumbling block but nevertheless not the main reason for my lack of success. At the moment, I am dealing with a lot of family illnesses, being the only caregiver left to look after everyone and I fear that I am using this time to stall my goals and dreams. I am not being as productive as I should but also thinking a lot about giving up.

Well, this morning I opened my recently acquired copy of Artful Blogging magazine and I was immediately drawn to your article. I went online and discovered your blog as well as your podcasts and .... I had an HA-HAH! moment. I have listened to the last 5 podcasts so far and it helped me re-affirm that I am on the right track. I WILL succeed. My favorite: You can't give a s**t what they think! And apparently, I can't give a s**t about what I think because I am my worst critic. I keep saying to myself that I am an amateur (no artistic training or background), my style is "no-style" and that I am not good enough compared to others out there.

I know you might not have time to read this but just to be able to write it out makes me feel like I am on to something. I just wanted to thank you for giving this little "frenchie" from Quebec a little boost on a very dreary and snowy day. From the bottom of my heart, Thanks for your help! I WILL MAKE IT.

CeeCee