By J.J. Long We are beyond thrilled to announce the launch of our newest branch of JJArtworks called JJArtworks™ Publishing! JJArtworks™ Publishing is starting things off by offering new non fiction books grounded in the genre of self development. Although our content is geared towards creative entrepreneurs, self employed artists, and small business owners looking to expand their growing empires, we really feel the content packed in our books will add value to anyone that is willing to take the time to read or listen. All of our books will be offered in e-book, paperback, and audiobook versions and can be purchased by visiting Amazon.com. J.J. plans on hiring a multitude of authors in the near future and is hoping to release books beyond self development by expanding into fiction novels, children's books, coloring books, and more! This expansion will hopefully happen within the next couple of years. In the meantime, please feel free to browse our current catalog and sign up for the JJArtworks Newsletter on the footer of our website to be kept in the loop with new book releases, upcoming events, and other offerings. 😀📚🎨👍 Here is a sneak peak below of our first self development book called "The Mindful Artist" written by J.J. Long. The introduction talks about J.J.'s personal experiences with mindfulness and how mindfulness increases productivity, reduces anxiety, and creates overall abundance for creative entrepreneurs in both your personal lives and careers as well. If the Introduction encourages you to read more, click on the links below to visit Amazon and pick up a copy of the ebook, paperback, or audiobook versions! (J.J. getting ready to narrate the audiobook of "The Mindful Artist" at JJArtworks Studios) Introduction from "The Mindful Artist" "For the first 10 years that I was a self-employed artist I was not a mindful artist. I didn’t know what mindfulness was and I just roamed the world on autopilot every day like many of us do. I had great aspirations for my life and big dreams for my art career, but I was so caught up in the minutiae of every day life that I never took the time to listen to myself and reflect inward. As a result of not giving myself enough time to focus on myself, I was always stressed, financially unstable, emotionally and physically drained, and was just never in a confident state of mind. I never had enough money in the bank, never had time for a social life, and was just never satisfied. My eyes were always set on the destination rather than the journey and I never took the time to relish in the amazing progress that was always unfolding underneath my feet. I’m a fairly grateful person and have very strong morals and values that my parents instilled in me at a very young age, but if I’m truly honest with myself, those first 10 years of being a self-employed artist, I never took enough time to really honor the blessings that came my way. I never gave myself permission to really celebrate the present moment, because I wasn’t at my destination yet, and it was only when I would arrive at that destination that I would truly be happy, and everything would be worth the struggle and the sacrifice. We’ve all been there, when you’re doing one activity but while you’re doing that one activity your mind is wandering off thinking of something completely different and we’re not fully present in the moment. It’s even worse when you’re in the middle of a conversation with someone and your mind wanders off thinking about work related projects, or that email you have to send, or the errands you have to run for the household. I know it’s embarrassing to admit, but this was how I functioned those first 10 years, with a glaze over my eyes, and my brain preoccupied on the future. I knew I wanted more out of life, but I didn’t know how to get there. It wasn’t until about 2013 when I discovered mindfulness from a friend that my life began to change for the better. By this point in time I was 32 years old, and I barely had 2 pennies to rub together. My music career and fine art career had officially worn me out and I was looking for a lifestyle change. As I learned about mindfulness, I learned that being more focused in the present moment and slowing down has health benefits and can create prosperity in your life. I soon began applying many mindfulness techniques into my daily life such as meditation, writing in a gratitude journal, going for daily walks, listening to music, etc. As a result, what soon happened was that these mindfulness techniques then began to encourage other healthy behaviors in my life like daily exercise, drinking more water, getting an adequate amount of sleep every night, eating healthier, etc. What I realized was that once I started listening to my mind, I also started listening to my body and before I knew it, I was really nourishing my health in a big way. In this book, you’ll learn how mindfulness can also positively affect your work life as well. As creative entrepreneurs, it’s easy to get side tracked with all of the tasks and responsibilities we have, but as we learn how to focus and listen to our minds, our strategies and visions for our businesses can really take flight because we’re finally planning from a place of clarity and calmness rather than from a place of chaos and disharmony. Through mindfulness we can truly increase productivity in our careers because we’re finally making decisions based on our priorities, avoiding burn out, and maintaining our health which will give us more energy to get more work done in a more efficient and meaningful way. Are you ready to be more mindful? Let’s dive in!"
5 Comments
10/19/2022 08:33:37 am
Town interview could. Through rather run happen.
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7/6/2023 02:55:42 am
Thanks for sharing your knowledge. So helpful. Keep it up!
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AuthorJ.J. Long is the founder and CEO of JJArtworks. J.J. has been professionally painting, singing, acting, writing, teaching, and doing voiceovers for over 13 years. The purpose of our blog is to help artists thrive in their own businesses by sharing valuable and sincere content. Archives
March 2023
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