The Creative Sandbox

Weave a series of small creative resets into your hectic workday to help you stay more calm and focused — and give yourself some much-needed breathing room while running your heart-centered business!

What if your workday could consist of more ease and flow?
What if you could find a way to be laser focused on the day’s tasks?
What if you had less anxiety — and instead had more calm in your day?
Wouldn’t that be amazing?
Wouldn’t that ultimately HELP you with your business?

But that’s not what’s happening is it?

Instead you may be at the point where working harder isn’t working. That no matter how much effort you put in, you’re stuck in a cycle of overwhelm — and yes, there may be times when you worry about what the stress is doing to your mental, emotional and physical well-being.

You started your business to gain more freedom in your life, but now it’s starting to make you feel like a prisoner — spinning in a state of doubt and anxiety much of your day.

You just don’t have the time to get it all done.

You keep putting off your personal life “for later”.

And nobody around you actually gets it. They all have their heads in their 9-5’s and have no clue whatsoever how hard being an entrepreneur truly is!

I’ve been a full-time artist and business owner for over a decade, and during this journey I’ve learned something really important about creativity…

I’ve learned that the creative process itself has been amazingly helpful to my sense of well-being. It’s the juice. The flow. The magic elixir that gets me back in the game, even when I don’t feel like it.

And more importantly, I’ve discovered that being in this state of creative flow is also immensely helpful when I’m at my laptop with my biz hat on.

When the business side of my life feels like crap, when I’m soooo overwhelmed with all the things yet to be done, when I feel like throwing my laptop across the room — that’s when picking up my paint brush (even for a few minutes) gets me out of my head and grounded back into my body.

And when I become more mindful and present, when those creative juices are flowing, and I’m feeling more relaxed — that’s when I know it’s time to return to my laptop with my biz hat on once again to make those important business decisions.

But NOW those crucial business decisions are coming from a more grounded and creative place.

Yes I’m an artist, but I'm also an entrepreneur just like you! I definitely get that the anxiety and stress of running a business can be extremely high.

There are times I feel stuck and discouraged, or find myself beating my head against that proverbial wall. No one but us quite understands how challenging running a business can be.

I’m sure that from time to time (or even daily) you feel all of these things — and you also know that spinning in your head can keep you stuck, which can lead to poor business choices and hasty decisions that you then have to go back and undo.

Or even worse, you're so overwhelmed and stuck in overthinking that you make no decisions and don't take any actions at all.

That’s when you find yourself scrolling on social media, and wondering why you can’t seem to be as energetic or productive as your fellow entrepreneurs seem to be.

I’m about to share a solution that will help get you back into a state of ease and flow during your workday — and when you do, you’ll become much more relaxed and present while you deal with “all the things” that inevitably come up when growing a business.

Imagine this instead...

You’re actually excited (yes, I said EXCITED) about your workday — eager to get to your workspace in the morning with a hot cup of joe or tea, and start your day. You might even have a big cheesy grin on your face ;-D

You’re also happier, taking deeper breaths, and feeling a lot more ease and flow throughout your day.

You're beginning to think of your workspace as a sandbox where (with a bit of adult supervision *wink wink*) your inner child can actually join you — putting a splash of creativity and fun into whatever you’ve got going on.

Why are things looking up for you?
Why are your stress levels down?
How on earth did you find a piece of peace in your busy workday?
Where is all this amazing ease and flow coming from?

Well my friend, it’s because you decided to give yourself some much needed grace by adding short bursts of creative self-care into your busy day — and now you’ve got some of that secret sauce right at your fingertips.

What is this fun, magical, colorful elixir I’m talking about?

Introducing…

The Creative Sandbox

An online mini (but mighty) course that shows you a simple, fun and colorful watercolor process that will help reduce your overwhelm and stress — and instead put that much-needed relaxed vibe back into your day.

The set up is so compact that you can easily keep it near you in your workspace, either next to your laptop or on a nearby table. So there’s no need to “go somewhere” other than right where you already are!

You simply flow back and forth between your painting space and your laptop — and start to reap the benefits of refreshing your creative energy throughout your day.

This is an easy-to-learn process that is not about “making a pretty picture” — there are no goals here, only creative play.

This is about letting the ease and flow of the watercolor process loosen you up a bit, get you out of your head, and then seamlessly weave that ease and flow into your workday.
You’ll get to play and experiment with color, and there will be many fun “happy accidents” that seem to happen out of nowhere — that’s the magic of watercolor!
Taking some creative time gives you a chance to slow down and get more grounded and centered. Sort of like what yoga does for you, but easier and more colorful than “going to the mat” ;-)
There’s even a gold gel pen to play with — which is one of my favorite parts of this process!
You’ll be creating on thick watercolor paper that can be cut into colorful bookmarks, gift tags or used to write sweet notes to friends. Or simply toss them into the recycle bin or pile them up on your desk (like I do), and then move on to the next one.

Here’s what you get in the course:

Seven short videos breaking every step of this fun creative process down into bite size pieces, making them easy to follow. There’s only about 90 minutes total so you can easily binge watch them, and then start experimenting.
Plus a bonus video where I show you an additional technique that will help you process some of those big emotions that inevitably come up during your day. This is so powerful, and will be a huge help to get you unstuck so you can re-center and move ahead.
A list of all art supplies needed (including links). The list is simple and concise — this is about enjoying snippets of creative time woven into your workday, and not about getting sidetracked into buying #allthethings ;-)
You'll get added to my email list where I will share lots of tips and notes of creative encouragement along the way.
You also get access to me as your mentor by reaching out via email with your questions and feedback. I would love to hear all about your creative journey, and lend a hand when I can!

Just about now you may be asking yourself — can this really be true?

Will the process of creative play actually turn my stress levels around and get me to a better place? Can it actually help me focus on the day-to-day tasks required to run my business successfully?

My answer is yes yes — and YES!

To support that claim, here are some articles sharing the awesome benefits you’ll experience when adding a bit of creativity to your day:

Here's a summary of some of the science-backed outcomes to expect when you weave a little creative time into your day:

Reduce stress and anxiety
Improve connections in your brain for better problem solving
Release negative emotions in a constructive way
Stay more focused and present in your daily activities
Channel that awesome state of “creative flow” back into your business
Reduce the stress hormone cortisol (the fight or flight hormone) and its negative impact on your health
Greatly improve your overall mental health and well-being which then flows into the rest of your day — and even into the next!
Boost your self-esteem for times when you may need to have a really tough talk with a client, do a presentation you're hesitating on, get on camera when its not your favorite thing, or just in general to stay in a more upbeat, positive mood.

All of this will also help improve the health of your business. After all, success is mostly an inside job, right? The more your internal state of mind is relaxed, creative and centered, the more you can fully show up for your heart-centered business.

Just about now you may be saying...

“Well that sounds really good Barb, but how will this contribute more value to my business? After all, I don't have a whole lot of free time!!!”

Let's slow down a bit and take a long, hard look at how having a creative activity at your fingertips adds more value to your bottom line — because that’s why you’re in business, right?

Wouldn’t you agree that lowered levels of anxiety would help you make more grounded, creative and healthier business decisions — instead of wasting your precious resources (time, money and energy) on poor choices made from a place of being stressed?
Wouldn’t those healthier, wiser business decisions also save you a huge amount of time not having to go back and fix things?
Wouldn’t you agree that the better you feel, the better you do? Study after study shows that engaging in creativity is immensely helpful to your overall well-being.

Having this fun, creative process right next to you, where you can easily dip in and out during your workday, is such a powerful tool in your business arsenal.

When it leads you to falling back in love with your business — everybody wins from your new state of well-being.

You do. Your friends and family do. But most of all, your clients and customers will feel the ripple effects of this new relaxed vibe — and when they feel that energy, they will sooo want to pay to hang out with you!

Where creativity flows, energy and excitement soon follow.

Imagine how this new way of showing up will lead to the feeling of freedom and joy you started your biz for in the first place.

The creative process is not just for artists.
It’s also not just for those retirement days down the road when you’re looking for a hobby.
It’s definitely not something to be shoved in a corner for “when you have time”.
It’s not just for when you go out with your besties to fling paint & drink wine — although I’m all for doing that too!
And most of all, it’s not for those who don’t see the benefits of weaving creative play into their daily life.

But that’s not you, right?

This watercolor mini (but mighty) course is NOT for you if...

You decide you have no choice but to keep going in the direction you’re headed (i.e. towards potential burnout).
You don’t think running a business should be ANY fun.
You’re a perfectionist and don't want to loosen your grip on the reins by inviting some play into your day.
You’re too afraid to try something new and different to help you enjoy your biz more.
You’d rather ”play it safe” and stay on the struggle bus.

This course is PERFECT for you if...

You know deep down in your bones that it's time to get yourself headed in a healthier, more balanced direction.
You want a little more fun in your workday!
You are ready to be done worrying about what your stress level is doing to your well-being — and to the health of your business.
You’re willing to entertain the possibility that weaving creativity into your day will give you more exuberance to tackle those sometimes mundane biz tasks.
You can see that taking a little creative time will give your biz a much needed infusion of creative juice.
And most of all — you desperately want to feel more freedom and flow during a hectic workday!!

I’m not suggesting that adding creative time is going to dramatically improve your business overnight…

But if you’re experiencing burn out, or even major overwhelm and stress — you have to admit that something has got to change about how you’re showing up each day.

Real growth in your personal and business life is only going to happen when you get yourself settled down, out of your head, and back in touch with that awesome heart that took the giant, audacious leap towards being an entrepreneur in the first place.

That’s where you’ll find that magical elixir — by intentionally being more present and thinking from a more creative place.

Doing this fun, creative watercolor process (that you can easily mix into your day) will help immensely.

So where would you rather be a year from now?

Barely holding on to your idea of a dream business while STILL not knowing how to relax and enjoy your workday?

Are you willing to take a shot at something a bit different perhaps? Something that will help you be more present and fully engaged in your biz?

Will you be perfectly fine exhausting yourself from swimming in circles??

Would you rather be immersed in some more of that beautiful creative juice you felt when you first dove into the business world??!

Of course you want to be relaxed and able to approach your workday from a more creative place — one where you can make healthier, wiser decisions.

The question is, will you?

Just the FAQs...

I have a pretty small workspace, how much room will this take up?

My little creative sandbox is set up on an old 16” x 20” paint board on a side table in my workspace, so not very much at all. You can even put it right next to your laptop so you can flow seemlessly back & forth between both.

Won’t this make a big mess in my work area?

Not at all. Watercolor is the least messy painting medium I know. You’ll be pleasantly surprised how low maintenance it is.

How can I possibly find the time to do this when I’m so swamped?

This is something you weave into your day in little snippets — watercolor is the perfect medium for this. Or you can do a little in the morning, take a creative break mid-day, and then take a colorful dip one more time when your workday ends.

I’ve heard that watercolor is REALLY HARD!!!

The creative process in this course is not about making a pretty painting of a flower or a birdie. This is simply a form of creative play so you can relax, get out of your head, and have a few minutes of colorful fun throughout your workday — think abstract doodling.

I know nothing about art supplies, how will I know what to get?

When you sign up you’ll be given a list (with links) to all the supplies you’ll need. There’s not much: 2 brushes, some paint, watercolor paper, a spray bottle — and my favorite, gold gel pens! The other couple items needed you will already have at home.

What if I have questions about how to do this? Am I on my own?

Never! You can always email me at barb@barbtoland.com, I will be more than happy to answer your questions.

Do I have to know how to draw to do this? I’ve never been very good at that.

There are absolutely no drawing skills required. This process is more along the lines of freeform and abstract — it’s about using creativity to help you relax for a few minutes during your workday in order to re-center yourself.

Won’t this just sidetrack me from being productive in my business?

This creative process is meant to relax and ground you during your workday, not to sidetrack or derail you completely — but even so, it still beats mindlessly scrolling on your phone!

There’s so many FREE watercolor courses online, how is this different?

This course is sooo dialed in — you won’t be wasting any time on the fluff. You’ll be able to binge the course in about 90 minutes and learn EVERYTHING you need to know to start creating, quieting your mind, and reducing your stress.

Plus, when you've paid for the course, and purchased the art supplies, you’ve now put a little more “skin in the game” shall we say? You will have made a conscious decision to invest in yourself, in your personal health and well-being, and ultimately in the health and well-being of your business.

If you haven’t found the answer to your question or concern in the FAQs above, you can always send me an email at barb@barbtoland.com — I will be more than happy to help!

So what do you have to lose?

Would you rather remain stuck in —“OMG I'm so overwhelmed and stressed, I don’t know what to do” ???!!!

Would you rather invest a small amount of time and money so you can have a fun, creative way to loosen up and relax when you need it the most during your workday?

We both already know how you really want to show up for your awesome, heart-centered, kick-ass business — especially if you've read this far ;-)