Joey O'Connor's Blog, page 3

Battles Artists Face [Quote]

The warrior and the artist live by the same code of necessity, which dictates that the battle must be fought anew every day.

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Steven Pressfield, The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles

Question: As an artist, what battles do you fight every day? How can I pray for you and the battles you may be facing?

I’d love your stories, comments and feedback.

Comment now on Art, Life & Faith. The War of Art (New Yo...

Leap into Your Creative Fears

The world needs your gift of beauty.

When was the last time you actually leaped into your fears? Like a cliff diver standing on the edge of a cliff with the water far below, when was the last time you really went for it by jumping with abandon?

Today you have the choice to embrace your God-given creativity or allow the fear of failure to paralyze you from fulfilling your creative calling. The world needs your gift of beauty. Don’t allow fear to knock you sideways into that deep ditch of proc...

In Search of Happiness? Cultivate Gratitude

Cultivating gratitude is a sure path to happiness.

If you’re in search of greater happiness, cultivating gratitude is a sure way to immediately change how you view yourself, your life and your circumstances. In my conversations with artists and people who want to bring greater beauty, meaning and purpose into their lives, a key question I often ask is, “How are you cultivating gratitude in your life?” It’s a question that often turns heads because it’s not what they expect to hear. And that’s...

The Spiritual Side of Stump Removal

Are you stumped? You have more options than you think you do.

Yesterday was Labor Day and I exerted my best to put the word ‘labor’ into the day. It was a national holiday, but no picnic in my backyard. After 19 years in the same home, we’re finally making some changes to the backyard. Thanks to the California drought, we’re swapping out half of our dog-destroyed back lawn for decomposed granite and patio stone work. On a small side slope next to my neighbor’s backyard, I’m moving my favorite...

Creative Funding for Artists from The Grove

Do you know artists who need help funding their next art project? Or art event? Or even their professional career development? For too many artists, ‘starving artist’ or ‘struggling artist’ isn’t a stereotype, but a daily reality. Limited access to finding grants, art funds, artistic foundation support and venture capital makes it extremely difficult for artists to fund their next movie, music CD, dance performance, theatre production or series of paintings. Getting past the gatekeepers in th...

The Journey to Extraordinary – Scott Rigsby

If you want to take a journey to extraordinary, take a moment to watch this inspiring video about the generosity of one person impacting the life of double-amputee Ironman triathlete, Scott Rigsby. The power of generosity and the amazing stories that flow from it can truly lead you on a journey to extraordinary. How? There is something about generosity that causes a seismic shift in people and the difficult circumstances they face. Generosity inspires hope, courage, and perseverance.

Genero...

The Journey to Extraordinary - Scott Rigsby

If you want to take a journey to extraordinary, take a moment to watch this inspiring video about the generosity of one person impacting the life of double-amputee Ironman triathlete, Scott Rigsby. The power of generosity and the amazing stories that flow from it can truly lead you on a journey to extraordinary. How? There is something about generosity that causes a seismic shift in people and the difficult circumstances they face. Generosity inspires hope, courage, and perseverance.

Genero...

A Question of Focus

Crickets. That’s all you’ve been hearing lately from me. The crickets started cricketing last summer and they’ve been buzzing for quite a few months now. (My last post, Great Power and Beauty Await You, was way, way back in July…cricket season!) For me, it’s been a question of focus. A question of focus with my art, life, faith and creativity. I’ve simply been focused on larger projects requiring greater time, energy, faith and focus than ever before. I know many of you will benefit from the...

Great Power and Beauty Await You

This weekend, great power and beauty await you if you’re willing to stop and be still. I don’t know about you, but the past few weeks, my life has been pretty hectic with lots of work, high school graduation parties and family birthdays. I come from a large family, so between Krista’s family and my family, it seems like we’re going to a birthday party every other week. Now, don’t misunderstand me. I love my work with The Grove, working with artists, writing and film producing…and birthday par...

5 Secrets of Flourishing Artists – A Free Webinar

Are you a flourishing artist? Or do you feel discouraged and overwhelmed like you’re floundering? Whether you’re flourishing, floundering or somewhere in between, I’d like to invite you to listen to this free webinar, 5 Secrets of Flourishing Artists. As a writer for over twenty years, I’ve certainly gone through seasons where I feel like I’m floundering. There are days when it seems like I can’t get traction for where I want to go. And if it’s not my writing or film projects, it could be my...