I was spending some time with a couple friends yesterday, when my son found some paint and asked if he make a painting (the 3rd one of the day!).  We all became inspired to do our own after we saw the fun bunny he had produced and jumped right in!

As I was working on mixing new colors, I started thinking about how there was Nothing I would rather be doing in that moment.  I am so thankful to have a small child around that is constantly teaching and reminding me how good it feels to prioritize my play time!  I am also extremely thankful for the fun and awesome friends I have surrounded myself with who also value playing and creating and who don't mind stepping outside their comfort zones for the sake of having Fun!

A dear friend and I were having a conversation yesterday about feeling insecure in relationships. 

This is what we came up with:

When we're feeling insecure in our relationships, a lot of us will look at our partner and what he or she needs to give us in order to make us feel more secure (like "he doesn't tell me I'm beautiful" or "he doesn't appreciate me").  But security is not something someone else can give us.  True confidence is internal.

The more helpful question we should be asking is not "Does my Partner think I'm awesome?" but "Do I think I'm awesome?"  If the answer is "yes", then you are correct and you probably weren't feeling insecure to begin with.  If the answer is "no", then get happy because you just discovered the source of your problem!  Its not your partner, your family, or anyone else.  Its you! 

The good news is you can Always change You!  In fact, you are one of the only things whose change you can really control.  So have fun with your design! 

Here's to the Awesomeness that you are, and are becoming!

Suzy

Last night a friend and I were going to perform at a local open mic venue with our red noses, some songs, some dance, some paint, and lots of fun.  Only, we were exactly two seconds too late and the person in front of us was the last performer to sign up.

We had two options (at least) the first was to be devastated (which we were for a moment) and the second was to have fun anyways.  We opted for the second and set off to explore our local scene.   After some impromptu acapella performances and fascinating exchanges with people (a given when you’re in the nose), we found ourselves in the middle of a charged and raging drum circle.

I had met the main drum leader earlier in the evening and marveled at his enormous, powerful, and clearly symbolic necklaces earlier.   His presence and energy were both powerful and soothing.  I immediately jumped into the center of the circle and the conversation began.

I was feeding off of the drums and they were feeding off of me.  I absorbed and processed the information they were giving me through my body.  There were no bent pipes, nothing holding the energy back from being released.  Everything was free flowing from the beats, into me and back out again.

I didn’t feel self conscious, I wasn’t thinking about my “moves”, I was trusting the rhythm and I was free.  I was wearing this freedom boldly on my face in the form of a raging smile and I was communing with everyone in the room.

One of the best parts was when my flowing skirt started coming off.  A female drummer was concerned for me but I only smiled at her and showed her the shorts I had on underneath.  I laid my skirt on the corner of the room and went straight back to the center of the action.  It took me a moment to release tiny thoughts of self awareness that threatened to creep onto my body now that I had lost my flowy friend, but after becoming aware of these thoughts, I was able to let them go without drama.

I looked at my friend and co-red noser who was dancing in the back of the room and I was able to completely absorb the wild energy she was emitting and get over any inhibitions once again.  Finally, my red nose actually started coming off from all the gallivanting.  I very simply took it off and placed it on top of my skirt.  Now I was truly naked!  But without much ado, I was quickly back in the beautiful flow.

I understood very clearly last night why drumming was such an integral community event in many tribal communities for so long.  I remember hearing that a tribe in Africa had a word for a dancer who entered a trance and was one with the drums and the spirits.  This person had completely abandoned ego and had just let go.

We don’t have to do anything, we just need to let go and let it flow!

The power of laughter...

Laughing for no reason except feeling good is simply the best. It allows our whole body to relax and feel energized at the same time. The more you laugh, the more you love. Also, the amount in your bank account won't matter as much. And you know what happens then? Well, go laugh, you'll see.
 
This man in the subway totally gets it. Warning, this may put you in a great mood:

Welcome to our brand spanking new blog! We are Suzy and Sophie, the creators of Art Ovation, in Winston Salem, NC.

We recently realized that the best of everything in our lives, we got by having fun: relationships, children, money, careers, etc. You name it, and there is a fun story behind it.

So our goal here is to bring you the best and the bestest of the internet, the media, life, to apply having fun and realize the missing piece. We will try to tackle serious topics and turn them around so you can see something new and hopefully feel a giggle or two coming up. Or, even better, we hope to inspire you to grab that pen, that phone, that boombox, that camera, or whatever suits your fancy and go have fun!

Ready? Set. Go!