Chris Coco Media
Design + Illustration
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Pattern Bliss

At Pattern Bliss blog I'll be sharing my favorite surface pattern design inspirations, trends, a sneak peek my pattern designs, my favorite shoes, and, of course, cute dog pictures. Plus you'll get a glimpse of what goes on inside my studio in my sketchbook series.

Soul Work: One Brave Thing Each Day

She believed she could so she did

Lately I've been thinking a lot about doing your soul work—figuring out what inspires you and gives you purpose creatively and spiritually.  Here are three things that inspire me. (And in the third bit of inspiration, you'll find out how the Little Red Hen inspires the quote above.)  

Monica Lee over at Smart Creative Women has this fabulous website and podcast. I love every podcast Monica creates. Her idea of doing one brave thing each day is what inspired the post. It would be impossible to pick only one episode to share because they all rock! The best part of her show is the fact she shares inspiration for artists at every stage. Her recent interview with Carrie Schmidt is amazing. Check it out. 

Verily magazine shares so many inspiring stories and ideas. Sometimes I feel like the editors there are reading my mind and give me the inspiration and the burst of creativity I need. This post is wonderful: Seven Secrets of Happy, Healthy Women. One of my favorite ideas in the post comes from Diane von Furstenberg, "who starts her day by emailing a kind word to someone. A little act of kindness will go a long way toward happiness for you and those you encounter on the daily."

A little background about the art above. I think so many of my creations start from something going on in my everyday life with my family or friends. Is that true for you? I originally did a version of this inspirational quote for my daughter a few years ago when she was was studying for final exams. Recently I broke out the paints and updated it. I always wondered about the source of the quote. Who was that brave girl in the quote? You see it everywhere on Pinterest. I think I like this story best about the source, it's from the tale of the Little Red Hen:

A little red hen found a grain of wheat. "Who will plant this grain of wheat?" said the hen. "I won't," said the cat. "I won't," said the rat. "I won't," said the pig. "I won't," said the dog. "Then, I will," said the little red hen. So she did .

Have a wonderful day! And share what inspires you in the comments here or on my new Facebook page. xo Chris

Soul Work, InspirationChris Olsoninspirational quotes, quotesComment