New Releases by Pam Grout

Art is a tool for living, a spiritual calling that all of us must eventually answer. Just as athletes aren''t the only ones who need exercise, artists aren''t the only ones who need creativity. All of us must exercise creativity on a regular basis to keep our spirit and joy from being diminished. In this age of remote controls, convenience food, and prepackaged everything, our souls are crying out for the spiritual replenishment only offered through a creative practice. Art and Soul takes readers on a year-long journey into their creative souls, offering a map for finding and expressing the art that dwells there. It encourages readers to recapture their authentic self that many abandoned long ago with their Crayola crayons. Even those who swear they can''t paint, write, compose, or build can express creativity in everyday activities that revitalize and nourish their spiritual well-being. Art and Soul is divided into 52 weekly chapters, each containing an inspirational message; a creative assignment, and three or four suggestions for fun projects that encourage us to stretch our creative wings. Here are just a few: Go to a thrift store and buy the most outrageous outfit you can.Learn three little-known facts about Martin Luther King Jr..Make sugar cookies shaped like body parts. Come up with the title of your own autobiography.The ideas range from the practical to the ridiculous, but all are easy and fun to complete. This book will show readers that they don''t need fancy art supplies or lessons to be creative, and that getting in touch with our creative selves is just as easy as do-re-me. Finally, the perfect book for women who have had it with feeling like the dynamic pulse of life hasfaded and who are looking to recharge their existence. The draining stress and hubbub of the modern world can sometimes make a woman feel like she''s just a shell of the fun-loving, vivacious person she once was. To solve this common problem, author Amy Hall presents Getting Your Groove Back, a sassy and hip collection of tips and exercises for women who are eager to reinvigorate life by recapturing their lost but innate Grooviness-the spunk and special aura that used to set them apart from the crowd. This book covers everything a woman needs to know in order to get her career, relationships, and sense of self back on track by standing up to the evil forces of numbness and mediocrity that have taken root! Hall dishes out tough love, provoking insights and advice with a biting humor that just doesn''t stop. At the office . . . A tried-but-true confidence builder moves from the bedroom to the office place. Wear really sexy underwear not only on third dates, but also to any dreaded presentation you must give.In relationships . . . Save the money you set aside for the obligatory birthday gift for the friend with whom you are no longer close. Spend it on yourself instead. Go buy a decadent box of chocolate-dipped strawberries from those fine Godiva folks and scarf them under a tree, celebrating your ability to sever the old and seek out the new. That relationship had a place in your past, and guess what, we call it the past for a reason-move on. Besides, the hussy never returned that favorite belt of yours she borrowed; hence, it''s time to trot toward evolution.Within the inner self . . . Stop beating yourself up because you''re not what you said you''d become when you were a little girl. Okay, so you didn''t get an Olympic gold medal or become an ambassador to the UN. It''s true our lives don''t always deal us the cards we need to get the grandiose life, but get real, you''re a born couch potato and you detest politics. Why should you feel guilty any longer for not doing something that doesn''t fit your personality anyway? There''s nothing wrong with not being a famous athlete or political figure. There''s lots of us out here, and we''re okay people. Join us. Love us. Become one with us.Getting Your Groove Back is the ultimate book for those who are tired of fluff and want fun self-help with an attitude

The author gives sound strategies and practical tips to find people who can help you along your road to personal success.