The Book Thief / Reframing

I missed the Book Thief when it came out in November.  I thought I would have to wait until it cam out on DVD but was pleasantly surprised to see it playing at the local second run movie theatre. I went to see it Monday night. This is one of my favorite books and to see it portrayed on the screen so beautifully was so fabulous! Geoffrey Rush was Poppa to me, all the actors were perfect in their roles. It brought back all the wonderful moments in the book. If its gone from your town so you can't see it, check out the DVD when it comes out.  What a beautiful movie and such a beautiful story.

Reframing Your Experience

I'm starting the year personally with a lot of artistic endeavors.  Way more than I have ever taken on. At one point I thought how did I get here, I must be crazy. Initially I had signed up for Studying Under the Masters and Be Your Own Beloved. Two classes would be easy to do.  Then part 2 of a class I had just taken came up and the discount price was something I just could not pass up. Then my friend Connie Hozvicka offered Painting the Feminine. A class with a subject dear to my heart. A bonus was to paint with all my fearless sisters again. It was an opportunity that I could not resist.  Then I won a spot in 21 Secrets. Yes you got it, I have five classes scheduled and some of them overlap. Here is my schedule. I feel like I am back in college taking too many credits.

Jan 3   - Painting the Feminine 4- weeks
Jan 15 - 21 Secrets - 21 weeks
Jan 14 - Studying Under the Masters - 9 weeks

Jan 29 - Draw and Paint What You Love -Pt 2  6 weeks
Feb 1   - Be your own Beloved - 4 weeks

Doesn't the schedule look daunting, it does even for me who juggles a lot of things.  I kept thinking was I out of my mind. This is where coaching came in and I coached myself in the process of reframing. 

Reframing.

The coaching concept of reframing is to take a different approach to our task, use words to reframe the experience.  Here is what I did.

I took inspiration from my friend Jessie Marianiello, she is a painter who created the Northernly Painting Retreat for herself.  She retreats to a cabin in the north of Minnesota to get a lot of her painting done. I thought I can do the same thing. I can look at all these painting classes as one big retreat.  Like being an art apprentice and learning from all these wonderful teachers. If I add up all the instructors I end up with 34 different teachers.  Now that is pretty intensive in itself. I am looking for a catchy name for it now. When I find the right one I'll be posting on Facebook about how it all goes. Just the fact of turning this idea around has made the overwhelm disappear.

The next time you are having issues and frustration try reframing your situation. A new outlook may just be what you need.