I went on my first creative retreat almost two years ago. It wasn’t a conference that was packed with classes and activities. It wasn’t a family vacation where I was wrangling kids between pockets of relaxation. It was a time away specifically for the purpose of filling my creative tank and stepping outside of my daily routine, so I could … Read More
My Daily & Weekly Planning Sheets | Free download
Historically, planners have lured me in and then fell short. I would try to use them to get myself organized and stay on top of my schedule, but the format always felt forced. It didn’t work the way I needed it to work. So, a few months ago, I finally designed my own daily and weekly planning sheets. In developing … Read More
Mentoring for the Creative Entrepreneur
Back in June, I launched Mustard Seed Mentoring, a mentoring group for creative entrepreneurs. I must admit, I was a ball of nerves when I first launched it. Would anyone even be interested? I know I don’t have all the answers… Would I have enough answers and experience to make an impact on the creatives who join? Now that I … Read More
Miss Mustard Seed is 10 years old!
A little over 10 years ago, I did a google search for “home decor blog” and discovered a whole new world. Well, new to me. I found “my people”…housewives, moms, and decor enthusiasts sharing their love of home on the internet. They were Myquillyn of The Nesting Place, Melissa of The Inspired Room, Sarah of Thrifty Decor Chick, and Layla … Read More
The Creative Exponent
I met Shaunna about 9 years ago at the Blissdom blog conference and we hit it off almost immediately. As fellow “furniture girls”, we knew of each other, but we hadn’t connected until that event. Since then, we’ve been like peas and carrots. We’ve done speaking engagements together, taught workshops on paint and creative business, and were vendor neighbors at … Read More
How I Journal
I’ve mentioned journaling a few times on Instagram and here on the blog and have received some questions about how I journal. I know there are a lot of “journaling methods” out there and I wouldn’t say I follow any specific method, but just started writing and figured out the best way to organize it all for my brain and … Read More
number one
On my @marianparsonsart Instagram, I shared my very first oil painting along with this caption… Number one. This was my first attempt at oil painting just over two years ago. You can see my tentative use of the paint. The barely-there stippled cloud declares my uncertainty. The mishandling of the colors and weak composition show my lack of knowledge and … Read More
join me on my next step of faith
I know I’ve been cryptic about “things I’m working on” and “new projects” for the past few months. Those vague phrases are actually referring to several irons in the fire. You know about some them like the fabric designs I’m working on for Spoonflower and the oil painting course for beginners, but there are a few other projects that are … Read More