Sandtray Creations are a mixture of sculpture, movement, 3-dimensional collage, drama, mixed-media art, and intuitive presence all wrapped into one powerful process.

On the face of it, it’s simple — you choose little figurines and arrange them in a box that has sand in it. Then we talk about it. On the face of it, But it’s really much deeper than that.

I've witnessed both personally and through my clients everything from subtle transformations to profound catharsis from this unique art-making exercise.

I have about 500 objects and figurines in my collection for clients to use. This little guy, the Tribal figure, only stands about 2.5 inches tall but delivers a powerful message. He is often used to describe dreams, spirituality, ancient/past life experiences, or unknown future outcomes. Since he is made of brass (I think), he is heavy for his size, therefore, at times he represents the "heaviness" or seriousness of one's spiritual quest. I call it a "he" but he's also been used as a "she." Not often, but a couple times this figure has been used to represent one's spouse or mother.

What would you pick?

I'm a little pug in the Twitter dog park. Therefore, I was intrigued when I heard about the Mr.Tweet application, which states "Helping you find great people and followers relevant to your interests."

Through Mr. Tweet I found folks who are in my fields of work and interests: creative folks, artists, painters, writers, Rochester, NY folks, art therapists, expressive arts peeps, musicians, poets, workshop/retreat mavens, gallery owners, and some other Tweeps too.

On May 29, I began to follow @Mr.Tweet, which is the way to sign up for the free service. In about 3.5 hours I received a DM (direct message) with a list of 200 people he recommends I check out to follow due to my current followers, friends, and Tweets.

Of the 200, I chose to follow 37.
Most of the 200 were social media pofessionals, not my bag.

Over the following weeks, I unfollowed 6 of the 37. Mainly due to posts that weren't of real interest to me.

Of the 31 remaining follows, I was re-followed by 21.

On May 29, I had 71 friends and 90 followers.
Today (22 days later), I have 111 friends and 197 followers. Not all from Mr.Tweet connections but most.

These numbers may seem small to some but, to me, they are just right. Slow and steady. S-l-o-w and steady.

Thanks @Mr. Tweet!

My Creative Life is a weekly interview, with the same five questions,
with folks who are living authentically, creatively, and making a living out of their passions.

This week I'm honored to have the inspirational Shannon Jackson Arnold who is a writer and writing coach. Of the many services she provides she will help you with your manuscript, publicity and even keynote speeches! Check out her website to get motivated! http://www.theinspiredwriter.org/

1. What do you do? (career wise - whatever you want to share) I am a writer who loves exploration and discovery. (My new project is a series of books for spiritual seekers.) I also coach and teach writers artists and solopreneurs through my business, The Inspired Writer. I love to be an inspiration catalyst and seed-sharer for others to bloom bigger in their life. (Can you guess that I love flowers and flower metaphors?) I'm also a blogger, a paper artist, budding photographer, work-at-home mom, wife and much more, so I'm often flowing among my myriad passions and roles.


2. How did you prepare for this career? (formal and informal education, books, workshops?) The three things that helped me the most were: writing regularly, reading regularly and sharing what I've learned. Some training came from my education (college and various writing workshops), but most came from hands-on experience. I've been fortunate to have a career that spans newspapers, radio, magazines, corporate communications, marketing and books. In recent years, I've added leadership, personal and spiritual development courses, too. And I'm always reading, usually 4-5 books at a time. (My favorite books to recommend to writers: The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron, Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott and Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg.)

3. Besides living according to the values of creativity and independence, what other values are you honoring by following this path? The necessity of self-expression, self-love, curiosity and service. The power of possibilities. And the belief that we are all here to offer something that only we can give.

4. What struggles or challenges do you face, if any? I notice that I can sometimes be fearful (both about success and failure) and will sabotage myself by doing other busy work to procrastinate working on my writing or business projects. I'm learning, though, how to shift out of these behaviors. I also sometimes find it a challenge to find a flow that feels good among my many roles. So I'm always playing with the flow and checking to be sure all the flowers in my life's garden get tended!

5. Can you give some advice to folks who would like to do what you do? Write. Read. Believe in your dreams. Go for it. Be patient. Be persistent. Be kind to yourself. Give back what you learn. Bloom big — the world needs the beautiful flower you are.

Click here. to remove your name from receiving e-mails regarding arts advocacy

My Creative Life is a weekly interview, with the same five questions,
with folks who are living authentically, creatively, and making a living out of their passions.

This week I'm honored to have Meghan Murphy an illustrator with a sense of humor! Please do yourself a favor and put a smile on your face by checking out her website at
www. kawaiinot.com. Her comic strips are reminiscent of Henny Youngman - short, simple but full of vigor.

1. What do you do? (career wise- whatever you want to share)
I am a freelance illustrator. I also produce a bi-weekly webcomic called Kawaii not.

2. How did you prepare for this career? (formal and informal education, books, workshops?)

I was lucky enough to go to an "arts" high school, so I was started on my creative path ev en before college. I went on to receive a B.A. in Visual Arts from SUNY New Paltz, and then a M.A. in Com pu ter Graphics Design from Rochester Institute of Technology.

3. Besides living according to the values of creativity and independence, what other values are
you honoring by following this path?
I'd like to think I am honoring the value of "being crazy"--'cause sometimes it is good for the
soul just to be ridiculous for awhile. It's the old idea that being a
little loony keeps you sane in the long run.

4. What struggles or challenges do you face, if any?
I have to work to keep myself busy. I need to have a couple jobs/pr ojects/ideas going on
at once to keep my brain from rusting.

5. Can you give some advice to folks who would like to do what you do?
My best advice would be just to keep doing what you're doing. If you love it, it is worth
your time and effort. The more you do, the better you get,

and the more things will happen.

This piece is created on unstretched raw canvas - giving it an "earthy" feeling.
As always I was going for flow but this time with fewer distinct colors so to emit a sense of ease.

The frame is metal with UV glass which will protect the painting from fading or discoloration.

Title: The Calm
Size: 14x11 inches
Medium: acrylic
Date: 2009
Price: $165

Ready to hang.

More photos available.

Can be mailed with or without frame.