Let's Meet up! Meet the team and Final Q&A with Christie

Hey everybody, um, we just wanted to start the, um, the live today showing off all the amazing work that everyone has done, um, this week. It's been so— that was just a taste of it, of what we could get together, but there have been so many, um, amazing paintings and progress and wins that you guys have shared. So, um, I appreciate all of you that did share that, um, with us because it makes it fun to be able to see what everybody is working on. Um, so I hope you guys enjoyed this week. It is coming to an end. Um, here it is, our first day of summer, so my girls are home, friends are over. There's probably going to be a lawnmower going on outside here in a minute, but I, um, I'm excited to be here with you guys. And, um, you're getting ready to meet some of the Tribe Sister team. So this is the last day to sign up and join us and become a Tribe Sister and get those 4 bonus paintings that we have shared. And they're on the, um, the page when you go to find out more. You'll see the bonus videos that I'm talking about. So it's the last day for those, and we close doors at midnight tonight. So after I introduce you to the team and we hear a little bit more from them, I'll be taking all the Q&As and going over any questions that you guys have had this week, or if there have been things that I have seen come up a few times as far as questions, I can address those and answer those for you as well. So if you are still debating, we, uh, we are here to answer your questions and can't wait to have you join us. Um, last I looked, um, we were over 150 new members, um, this week, so that is So exciting. I already am like feeling all the energy inside of the community, and, um, the women are so excited and, you know, getting loved on right away, and that's what we want. So, um, so excited to invite you guys to be a part of that with us. So I am gonna pull up, um, Megan is our community manager, um, and when you don't hear from me, you're going to be hearing from Megan. So she helps me, uh, do everything having to do with Tribe, coming up with the fun contests that we do, making sure that you guys are taken care of and giving you the support that you need. And then we have Miss Toni and Brenda and Robin. These are some of your, um, big Tribe sisters, um, and they are mentors in the group. So these ladies have been Tribe sisters, um, Honestly, I don't know how long for each one of you. So we'll have you answer that. But they have been Tribe Sisters for a while and just showed up really big in the Community. And we reached out to them about a month or so ago and asked them if they would be interested in being a big sister to kind of help your journey go even smoother when you, when you join us. So, Megan, I'm going to pass the baton to you to just let you kind of introduce yourself and share a little. And then, Toni, we'll go to you and then Robin and then Brenda.

Cool.

All right. So yeah, I'm the community manager. It's a super fun job. I get to have my coffee in the morning and scroll through all the awesome posts, all the awesome artwork that we're sharing. I really do. I just get to be in the Inner Tribe community. And if you've been with us all week, You know, everyone talks about how awesome it is, and it really just is. You know, when I, when I joined Christie, you know, she, she made it really clear what the expectations were in there and kind of the vibe and, um, how she wanted it to be. And we've really stuck with it, and it's just, it's really just a special place. I feel like you have to kind of be in there to, to really get a sense of it. But yeah, that's it.

I don't know, I don't know what else you need to know.

I'm in Philadelphia, so A lot of times when people actually hear me, they're like, oh, your voice here?

No, that's awesome. Thank you for sharing that. I love that. And Miss Toni— Toni has been with me for over 3 years, right, Toni?

Yeah, actually it's over 4.

Oh my gosh.

Yeah, actually over 4. I'm Toni Landis and I'm from Texas, if you can't tell. It'll take you about 5 seconds, but, um, I could be on here all day, just as Pauline said yesterday. I could be on here all day talking about Christie, but we don't have time. So back in March of 2019, to take you back, I painted at two paint nights, and I had always had the voice— I'd always wanted to paint, but I always had that inner voice say, but you weren't born with it, you can't do it, you're not talented, you can't draw a stick figure— all the things we tell ourselves. Well, I stumbled across Christie in the feed, as a lot of you have, and I thought, what's $10 to paint the truck and flowers or whatever? And I thought, I'm just gonna do this with a new attitude. I'm gonna think that I can do it if I put my— the time in and practice. So I joined that challenge, and my life has— I can't tell you all the ways my life has changed today, or we'd be here forever, but Joining that tribe, if you are on the fence, all I can say is I had just gotten married, um, finally found the love of my life at 53, and I had just settled into his home, but we were going to build our own. So I was kind of feeling misplaced. I had just sold my home I purchased, so I was kind of feeling displaced a little bit. I mean, he was trying his best, but it was like I just needed something that was all mine. All mine, nobody else's. And I had fought for purpose and all of that to find where I was supposed to help people. And I started painting. I was painting day and night, literally. I mean, and I was newly married, so I had to fit everything in, but I was painting nonstop. And the first thing I learned is, ladies, if you will give yourself grace and just pick up that paintbrush, if you practice Anything you practice, you'll get better, no matter how long it takes of practice. So I painted, painted, painted, and here we are 4 years later. And I was a mentor in a different kind of avenue about a year after I started with Christie, so I've been super close to her. I feel like before I got to meet her last year, I got to meet Megan in person, and I got to meet like some of the people you've met in person. And you guys, this group— I, I've been a part of a few other groups since painting, and I'm not just saying this, this group is different. It holds a level that you can't find everywhere else. And I promised myself I'm not going to cry, but in this season that I've had lately with my mom fighting ALS, I've had very little time to pick up the brush. The other night, God just said, stop and pick up a brush. I stopped and picked up a brush in the flowers this week. I still want to do the palm trees and all the things, but it's just what I needed. And it's just the time with all of you and seeing all your positive comments and just, just, there's just, there's so much I wanted to say, but I'm gonna let other people talk. But I'm like Paulette, I'm an extrovert, but I do have introverted moments if you catch them. They're few and far between. But I just love the whole team. Uh, you will not get customer service like you get with these guys, and I'm not just saying that, you guys. I've had to use customer service, so I know. I mean, they answer as quickly as they possibly can. If it's on the weekend, give them a break. They don't have a weekend. They have to have time off with their families, but they will answer you and they will see it all the way through. And that's the one thing— all I'm going to say is I love Christie from the bottom of my heart because God led me to her and she is the real deal. I mean, she doesn't fake it. She doesn't pretend that every day is a walk in the rose garden. But you know what? That's what I love about her is because she's real and she shows real life and she shows it's okay to live in real life. It's okay to have a few anxiety moments. It's okay as long as you steer back to who's in control. And I love that about her. That's why I joined this group. And to be honest, you guys, I've had a reevaluation season where I've let go of a lot of things I'm involved in. But this one I cannot let go. I cannot. I can't. If nothing else is standing, this is going to still be here. So I just hope that when you're searching your heart for where you need to be, if God leads you here, I hope that you'll join.

Thank you for sharing, Toni. Love you.

Love you.

And you didn't cry.

Well, I got tears, but some of it's allergy related. Some of it—

I know, mine too.

I'll just say allergies so y'all know that I'm not— because I'm a crier, so it's okay.

Oh, um, next up we have Robin, and, um, I got to meet Robin last year at the live, but then Robin took a huge step and flew all the way to Honduras with me too, and You, you really get to know people when you spend a week with them in a foreign country, um, staying at an orphanage on bunk beds with mattresses this thick. Um, it's a good— it's a great bonding experience, and I hope to have many more of you come with me at some point in the future. But, um, Robin has just been— she jumped in not too awful long ago. How long ago was it, Robin?

It'll be 2 years in November.

Okay. And she has just, you know, same thing, just really shown up in the community and just became more and more involved and just love having her in there cheering you guys on and helping guide you and be your support as well. So Robin, I will let you share a little bit more.

Okay, I took up painting. I'm in Kentucky. Back down where I lived, where Christie was born. That's what you told me. Yeah, yeah, in Bowling Green. Um, I took up painting during COVID Um, sipping paints, and, um, took up painting in 2020 with a local girl here. Uh, she did mostly door hangers, and I did those until my husband said we had plenty, and, uh Then I looked for something else, and lo and behold, Funky Flyers Fall— Fall Funky Flyers came across my Facebook feed. So I joined that challenge, or I can't remember exactly what it was, but did that and purchased a few other paintings. Jumped on board when Tribe opened up, and that was around December, and y'all were doing a lot of Christmas and things like that. And I think you even had a challenge going on. And I kind of dived into the vault because I, I was still staying back and kind of feeling everybody out and filling the group out to see how, how everything worked. And I think about mid-January, I started posting my paintings on, got a lot of feedback, a lot of positive feedback to make me feel good about my painting. And the more feedback I got, the more I started participating in the paintings of, you know, that Christie was offering in her lives. And still checking out the vault when I could. I was still working at that point. And so it was kind of a weekend gig. And so, and then Honduras came up. And I love to travel and I kind of told my husband, I said, I'm going to Honduras with Christie. And he kind of looked at me and said, what? And who's Christie? And yeah, is she that girl that you get online with sometimes? And I said, yeah, that's— I said, I feel that it's something that I've been called to do. And I said, I told my husband, I said, she's taking her family and kids. I feel safe. I said, you know, we're, they're going with a good group, Rice Bows. And from what I could check out and got a lot of, participated in some online chats like this with some other girls. And so we took off and went to Honduras for a week and loved on some kids there at that orphanage. And definitely life-changing. Look forward to going back. Still have to convince my husband of that at this point, but I do want to go back. And I, I just love painting. I love the challenges. I have retired completely, so my calendar is filled with the, the current intertribal Calendar is what my calendar has on it. And then I fill it up with things from the vault, and I've reached out to some of Christie's guests that she's had on here and followed them on their pages and do some of their things. I do, I do door hangers still. I like doing the art resin. That's about it. I really enjoy it, and it seems like the more I do it, the better I get at it. And that, that makes me feel good.

Yeah, definitely. Yeah, I loved, I love how you talked about you came in and you just kind of felt things out and that's okay. You know, like we want people, we get it. Like it's all new. Some of you have maybe never even been in like a Facebook community before, like a group like that. So it's kind of like a whole new thing to you and you just kind of want to see how things run and test everything out. But I think what Robin said was so key because it was like once— apologize for the lawn mowing that I knew would happen right as soon as I started talking. He's right by my window. But anyways, once she started posting and then she got the positive comments and the encouragement and everything else and how that built her confidence. I tell you guys all the time, you know, I want you to post, I want you to post, I want you to post. We want to see your paintings because we want to love on you and tell you that we're proud of you. And it's not about how beautiful it is, it's not about it looking like mine, it's about you trying something new and overcoming something. And, you know, I, I try to encourage the ladies in the group when they do post, because we talk a lot about the negativity and the positivity and the right mindset, right? And I'm like, don't post something negative about yourself when you're posting your painting, because like that's a defense mechanism for us, right? Like to try to defend before someone else maybe says something negative. We're like, well, if I already say I hate it, then it's not going to hurt my feelings if they say something bad about it. But that's not what I want you to do. I want you to look at this piece of art, whether you love it or not. I want you to look at your finished piece, and when you post it, I want you to tell me what are you proud of? What did you overcome in that painting? What did you learn? Maybe it was just a technique, like, oh, I finally nailed that brush stroke and I got it. Like, I'm proud of that. Like, let's, you know, change our mindset about what we're looking at when we're looking at our finished paintings, and then, um, share it in the group. Because— and then look, I mean, look at Robin now. She came from coming in slow and then starting to get more engaged, and now she's big sister and a mentor and flew to other side of the world with me to go do art with kids. And, um, you just really don't have any idea what, uh, God's plan is for you until you put yourself out there and you're willing to step out and try those new things. And honestly, it's just really exciting when you can just give that over and just say, I'm here for the experience and I'm just going to see what happens, and then let it happen. Because, um, I mean, news flash, none of us really know what's going to happen next. I certainly didn't know what was going to happen in my life when I was doing paint nights. 10 years ago. Um, so you just never know what he's going to have in store for you. Um, so thank you for sharing that, Robin. I love that.

You're welcome.

And then, um, last but certainly not least, we have Miss Brenda, who has been with us, and she does have a little bit of an art background. Um, but I love, like, hearing Brenda talk about it. It speaks to the, um that it is for everyone, no matter what level you're at. Like, we have a lot of beginners who are brand new, and then we have people who have more experience or maybe learned different techniques years ago, and what they still gain and get out of TRIBE. And then, of course, you know, the community part of it. So, Brenda, I'll let you share a little more.

Okay. Hi, everyone. I'm Brenda. I am from— I live in Florida, Freeport, Florida, close to the beaches. So if you want to come see me, I'm not against that. So, um, I, um, yes, I've had a little bit of a background for art. Um, I think it just started with a love for art, uh, years and years ago. And my daddy loved art, and then in his 70s he started painting, and he said, I'm signing you up for a class. So I went with him and learned in oils first, but put it on hold for a while to raise some teenagers and kids and Um, then there's just times in my life where suddenly I knew I needed it again, so, um, came back to it. I've taught, done a lot of things, so I've had opportunities to teach art a little bit, not, um, in a traditional way, but it's, it's been fun. I did a little traveling arts, so that was fun to go into Boys and Girls Clubs and, um, ministry at our church that I used to teach kids. That's probably one of my favorites because they're just hungry to learn stuff. But, um, so anyway, I was doing that and I was taking classes at our college, and I had a, um, a very wise old art teacher that taught me a lot of traditional things. But, um, and I did a lot of realistic paintings, but I was just not happy with trying to make a picture look like a painting, and I could not get it. There was just something missing. So I was craving um, my love for like Van Gogh and Monet and other things like that, a more impressionistic look. And, um, was just in a void, and that class had gone away during COVID and a lot of things occurred, and I just found myself really needing to paint and not knowing where it was going to come from. One day, lo and behold, it was Christie's shining face on Facebook with, um with the Jar of Sunshine, I believe it was, the sunflowers. And I thought, oh my goodness, that is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. And so I talked to my husband, he said, go for it. So I signed up and I loved it so much. I remember even watching classes because my daughter, her husband's in the military. Originally, all this kind of stemmed from her being gone because they were in Okinawa, and then now they're in Georgia and we were traveling and I was even watching the videos. On the way, you know, back and forth and stuff, and getting home and running and trying to paint it and everything. So I had so much fun with that, and I was so happy with the results and the looseness that it created in me. Because, you know, sometimes you just get stuck in a bubble, you know, if you're doing certain things, and you just realize— and I think as artists we try to do— I mean, I've got watercolor paints, I have oil pastels, I have oils, I have craft stuff, I have it all. Um, and I like to do different things, but Christie kind of catered to a lot of that. And, um, then when she posted that she was going to do the Funky Spring Flowers, that's when I signed up. So I think that was 2021, I think something like that. Okay, so anyway, I have not stopped painting since, except for currently because I had some surgery. But, um, love it so much. It has really created a new me and allowed me to be able to look beyond what I thought I had to do and find more other things that, you know, God is presenting for me to do. The other really cool thing is that I had just been craving for God to show me how I can use his gift toward him. And, you know, Christie sharing her faith and all the other ladies and the friendships that have been made through this, it has just been such an amazing thing. Such an amazing thing, because I can, you know, just the tiniest little things that are going on, and I could, you know, text one of the ladies or something like that, and they're just right there with just loving on me and telling me that, you know, I'll be praying for you.

Or—

and, um, that's a community that I didn't really even have in my church. Um, so it has been such a gift, and I thank you for answering that call, Christie, because I see what he's doing, and he is doing amazing things. So, you know, why should you join Tribe? Why not? I mean, you could get home and try to paint it and get frustrated, or you could listen to someone who's been there and knows exactly, uh, what's, you know, how to teach us through it. Or one of my favorite, favorite things is to see Christie struggle and see her realize, oh, I really don't like what I just did, and watch her fix it and make it amazing. And I think we need to see that. I really do. I think You know, so many people— I mean, I meet people and they say, oh, you're such a good painter. But, you know, and they think I could do anything, and I really can't, but, but I'll try what I can, you know. And it's just so cool to see how, you know, how transparent she is. And Megan too. Megan's heart is amazing. I have just really grown to love her too. So anyway, I'm gonna stop bawling.

Um, why did I sit down?

Kleenex is at my desk again. I know. And I, if I don't have it with me, I just had knee surgery, and if I don't have it with me, it ain't gonna be here for a few minutes, which is a challenge. So we're getting there. But, um, so anyway, um, thank you. Thank you for including me in this group. And that right there, I just said to my husband last night, I said, how, how did I end up to be a part of such an amazing group when I knew that I needed it so desperately? And then here I don't know, but I know God knows, and I'm thankful for it, and I'm thankful for you. And I cannot wait to meet you ladies all in person and give you big hugs, and all the ones that are coming too.

Yeah, I know, man, talking to you guys and talking to the ladies yesterday is making me be like, we have got to— I have to, I have to schedule a meetup. Like, we gotta—

yes, can I just, can I just poke one Can I just say one real quick thing? I promise I'll make it quick.

I promise.

But this is a funny story because when I started painting, all I had was an iPhone. So when I learned to paint with Christie, it was an iPhone, backing it up for it. And 6 months only after I started with Christie, I went to something I didn't even really know what it was all about. It was Heidi Easley's Paint Party Business Live. And here I am, I've only been painting 6 months and I'm entertaining, having paint parties. I'm like, that's not me. If you had known me prior to that, that's not me. I think everything out and all the things. Well, I got to meet Christie in person there and I told her, I said, well, I've learned to paint on an iPhone. And she went, what? She goes, no laptop? I go, no. And she goes, Wow. And it had only been 6 months. So ladies, there's no excuse. And, and to say all that is now I can actually sit down, fill up sketchbooks, because tracing templates, her teaching you how to draw, I can actually really draw now. And that is because of Christie as well. So that's all I wanted to say.

Thank you. Yeah, um, so I just want to open it up in the comments for any questions that you may have for, um, the team or Megan or any of the ladies specifically. I mean, y'all are probably tired of hearing my voice in my face, but by the end of this, I had one thing when Brenda was talking.

It reminded me, I don't think we really chatted much about it, but, um, inside the Inner Tribe, one of the things we do each month in addition to Christie's tutorials is we have like a tribe sister paint party. Um, and sometimes we do it through Zoom, and sometimes we do it right through Facebook. Um, but it's not like a formal paint party, like I am not teaching a lesson or anything. It's just we just come and kind of chat, ask questions to each other. And I love when Brenda comes because she is like my VIP person. She's so good at answering people's questions. And she has like all these fun tools. So somebody would be like, oh, well, I saw this. And I was like, oh, I have these right here. Like experiment and kind of teach them. So it's fun. It's just something else that we do that I think sometimes we forget about. Um, I always look forward to it, but it's— I don't know if we talk about it a lot.

No, I'm glad you brought that up because I think because I'm not physically doing— you know what I mean? Like because you're doing it and not me, I did it just slips my mind when I'm like naming off all the different things that we have going on. Um, but yeah, there are definitely, um, opportunities for you to kind of experience this feeling of, you know, just being on the screen with other people. Of course, we don't live stream those things, they're just for the people who get on the call. Um, but it's, um, I, I love that aspect of the community, and I know that it has helped so many tribe sisters feel closer and more connected. Um, so if, if that is where you're feeling right now and you're like, wow, this sounds like these women sound great, but am I gonna fit in or am I going to be a part of— like, yes, 100% yes, you will. Like, you're going to be welcomed in with open arms right away. And you know, I say it till I'm blue in my face, but the more you give, the more you're going to get. So the more engaged you become the more you're going to get out of the experience. And it's just really exciting to— for me, just talking to everyone this week and seeing everyone's wins has just, I think, even reignited, like, my love and passion. And, like, I'm just like, there's something about new energy too, you know, like new beginnings and bringing in a group of new people and I have so many fun ideas in store that I'm excited about. And even yesterday, after I got done, um, I did an interview yesterday with some of the ladies in the group and then jumped right into Tribe and taught them our Quick Win. And I had all this leftover paint on my palette, and I was like, I'm not wasting that, because it was like the thick-bodied acrylic paint, so it's more expensive. Like, I don't really care too much about throwing away craft paint because It's cheap, but you know, the, the thicker body paint, I was like, I got to do something with this. And this was my dream, like this was why I wanted my studio that I have moved into. Right now we're in my home studio, um, and it just got very cramped and overwhelming in here. But yesterday Corey built me this great, you know, big workstation that I have to work on. And I was like, oh, I'm just gonna walk over here and I'm gonna grab this canvas and I'm just gonna start painting. And I just started two new paintings just right after that one, you know, to like start preparing for, um, things we're going to do in summer. And, um, I just am excited for this new chapter in Tribe and with me finally getting the studio in a workable space. And like, that is going to bring new opportunities for what I'm able to teach you guys, um, now that I have the space. And I know people have been patiently waiting for, um, some of like the really thick impasto style painting. Um, you guys have seen my flower, uh, painting that I did at, uh, Justin Gaffrey's art studio in Florida. And, um, so Brenda's like, um, so I'm like, very close to getting, getting that, uh, getting that going inside a tribe and getting to share that technique with you. So, um, if you, if you don't know much about me or my style, um, and I can kind of let the ladies, if they want to answer that too, Sometimes people ask me what my style is, and I don't really know exactly the right words to, uh, explain it, but I'm an ever-growing and ever-learning artist, and I love sharing everything that I do discover. I'm like a big dork about it, and I will get so excited over a new tool or a new technique that I learned, and the first place I go is to my tribe, and I'm like, you guys, look at this. 'Look at what I just found out. This is so cool. Look at what we can do with this.' Um, so, um, anyways, I don't know if you guys have anything to add to that.

I just thought of something.

Yeah, go ahead.

Um, well, I, you know, even though I've been painting a while, I, I still get intimidated when I look and I, I'll be trying to do something, I'll look up and you're like, you painted 5 more flowers than what I have just painted. And I just wanted to say that, you know, we all have our own pace We all have our own skill. I mean, there are people that could literally— I've watched these videos— throw paint on the canvas and you're going, what in the world? And they turn it upside down and it looks like Jesus. Or so we cannot compare. And Christie has been at this a while, and that's her strength. That's one of her skill sets, is she's able to see it and pull it. But the more we follow her and try to follow some of those things, I think I've gotten you know, a little more content with because I'll do it and I think, oh my goodness, I don't look anything like what she just did. But so I just wanted to say that because I know a lot of beginners are even wherever, even myself, you know, we get intimidated sometimes if somebody can do something, you know, in a different way or better, or we can't keep up or whatever it is. We just gotta just keep trusting that process and, uh, it'll be there. So anyway, I, I found that I've, I've gotten better at that too.

So, and, and I just love that it has changed. Like, if you think you're going to join Tribe and it's going to stay the same and you're going to get bored, absolutely 100% that is not true. Because from the first day I started in 2019 to now, Christie has kept it fresh, different. She's always trying new things, then she brings it to us. You don't just see that in, in other places. Um, she— her group has grown so much, and you will get whimsical, but just like the lily and the bee, you will get more fun. You'll get a little bit of everything, and you can find what you love the most, and she encourages that. And I think the greatest thing she taught me is to leave type A at the door and just to enjoy painting. Just to enjoy the process is the best thing I could say.

I love that. Thank you.

I have—

I was just gonna— I was just gonna answer Sherry. She was wondering, um, the, the Tribe Sister Paint Parties, we're all just working on our own thing. Um, sometimes it's— it goes along with whatever Christie's teaching in the Tribe that month, and sometimes it's not. Sometimes it's just whatever. Sometimes it's just playing around with new materials or doing whatever. So it's very informal. Um, and then Christie Marie had a question for you.

Um, are your designs to be able to— yes. So, um, yeah, any of my designs are able to be used for in-person paint parties. So the only very strict rule that I have is that you cannot teach it online in any way, shape, or form. And I had to extend that because during COVID people were wanting to take those designs and do a box with them and send people kits but using my design, and I don't allow that either. So no teaching online, no sharing time lapses of you painting my tutorial online, because that's the same thing— you're showing them the steps, right? Like But, um, coming from where I came from and starting my business doing in-person paint parties, I decided to allow that in the very beginning and never changed it. And some people thought I was crazy to let you guys use my designs at paint parties, and they're like, why would you do that? You should just start a franchise and they have to buy the designs from you. And but I— that's just not how I wanted to do it, um, and I wanted the ladies to, um, you know, really learn how to do it and then teach it. Um, and but I also did it because I know how hard it is as a paint party business owner to continually come up with fresh ideas and new ideas each month to fill your paint parties. And so, um, for those of you that do own a business and you teach in-person paint parties, um, you will never have a shortage of things to choose from, especially with the upcoming seasons. I mean Fall was huge in my business. Every, you know, every fall, in-person paint parties. I mean, I sell them out one after another after another after another. All those paint parties that I sold out, those paintings are in the vault. So I mean, you know, these are just some classics that always do well, that people are always happy with at the end of a paint night. And you guys do have access to all of that to teach in person as well.

All right, it looks like Rhonda had a question too. She said, thanks for the encouragement. I'm worried about keeping up. What if my too busy life makes me fall behind?

So I think, uh, Rhonda, thank you for asking. I think a lot of people have that concern, um, sometimes because we all get so excited and we're talking about all the things, it starts sounding like too much. Like, oh, that sounds great, but like I don't have time for all of that. Um, and I'll let these ladies speak to that too, but I know that most women, they— in the group, it's not a consistent thing. Like, it's like some weeks you have a lot of time to paint and some you don't. And it's just having the ability to come in when you can, and then if you need, you know, a couple days off or a couple weeks off, you know it's going to be there. You always have the replays, everything. That we do is recorded, so you won't miss out on anything. And I tell people all the time, sometimes ladies will be like, I'm so far behind, and I'm like, there's no such thing. There is no such thing as being far behind because you are on your own path. You're taking this at your speed, and whatever that means for you is what it means for you. Um, I think you have to look at TRIBE as a whole of like what we offer in a month.

Month.

So like, you get the 2 new paintings with me, you get a guest artist, you have the devotional. There are lots of things you can consume, but it doesn't mean you have to consume them all in that month because they're still going to be there for you the next month, and then you just have more to choose from. So it's really just giving you choices and you can decide what you want to tackle. I mean, May is a perfect example of this. I wonder if I can pull up Um, I'm trying to figure out what I can pull up that would show the difference. I just wanted to show the difference of the two different paintings I taught this month. One was the bee with the lily, and, and you've heard people kind of mention that in the comments and stuff. And the other one is what I did yesterday, was a quick win. And what did we end up naming it? Um, yeah, a Luminous Aurora Lily, I think. And the, and the Tribe Sisters helped me come up with that name. So it's that kind of thing, you know, like we, we're, we're in this all together. Um, but they're two completely different styles. The bee with the lily came from something I painted for myself because as a teacher sometimes I get so busy teaching and working in art that I'm not doing it for me. And so one night it had just been a long day and I came here in my studio and I told Corey and the girls, I was like, I just need 2 hours. I just need to paint and listen to music and not think about work or life or anything. And I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do, and I opened this Farmer's Almanac magazine to this picture of the bee with the lily, and I was like, I'm just gonna try to paint it and see how it turns out. And usually I am more impressionistic, but what came out of me during that process ended up being a very realistic um, painting. And I always send my— my mom is an artist too, and so whenever I'm done with a painting, I always send it to my mom. And she was like, that's really realistic for you. And I was like, I know, it's like so different than the way that I normally paint, but I loved it. And it was just so fun to kind of tap into that different artistic side too. So like, that was one extreme this month. And then we did the whimsical, totally fun fluorescent you know, big lily with big brush strokes and all kinds of stuff yesterday. So you kind of just pick and choose what you're drawn to. Um, but I have to say, and I meant to say this yesterday too, the women— those of you, Tracy, here in the comments who have done the Bee with Lily, it intimidated a lot of them because it is a realistic, more realistic looking painting. Um, I've got to figure out where I can pull this up to show you guys. Um, sorry, hang on just a second. But the women who have decided to, um, do it have just done such an amazing job. And I know for them that it has been such a big win because they looked at it and they're like, I don't know, I'm not— I don't even know that I want to attempt that. And then They did it and it looked great. And they like that. That is the type of accomplishment that we, you know, we love to see inside of the group is people overcoming, you know, those things that we tell ourselves like, oh, I can paint her whimsical stuff for this style, but there's no way I could ever paint something like that. And actually, yes, you can. You can. I'm just gonna pull this up really quick. Megan, if you see other questions, you can go ahead and grab those.

You're muted, Megan.

Oh, sorry, that's mine.

Oh, I'm muted. Thanks, Brenda. Dinah was wondering if if individual tutorials are available, and they're not, Dinah. It's all— everything's in Inner Tribe, um, unless Christie's running, you know, a workshop or something like she just did. But everything's there in Tribe for you.

Yeah, so the way that we structure our business, everything that I do, all the new paintings that you're ever going to see me post on the Social Easel, um, all of those are for Tribe. That is like the core focus of my business. And so the Tribe Sisters get the new paintings, any new ideas, any new fun whatever thing I decide to do or come up with. They're— that's who that is designed for. So all past tutorials are a part of that, and the membership is giving you access to all of those past things, which is, trust me, thousands and thousands of dollars worth of tutorials and way less expensive than you buying them individually. Plus you're gaining the community, the support from myself and Megan and these ladies right here, and you have the continual teaching and the ability to actually like communicate with us instead of just a single tutorial you bought on your own and you're on your own, right? Our goal in creating this is for you to not be on your own. We want you to be a part of something where you have the encouragement because it's proven that when you do something together and you have support and accountability, you will become more successful at it. You will achieve your goal faster when you are a part of a group doing it together. And so that is why we've designed and created the business the way that we have. So this was what I wanted to share really quick. Sorry, this was the— this was me teaching, but this was the bee with the lily. So you can see by looking at it, um, obviously— okay, I want to make sure I had it on pause. The one on the left was my original, and— oops, what did that just do?

I want it like that.

Um, and then we did the one that I taught last week over 2 different sessions on a canvas. So the first one I just did in my mixed media pad, and like I said, that was just me playing one night. And then, um, this is the process. Obviously this one's not done yet, um, in this where I have it frozen, but you can kind of see that. But the women have done such an amazing job, and this is an example of when you would have a template for something like that. I don't just expect people to know how to draw that, or draw a bee, like whatever. It's something like an animal that is, you know, that's just hard. Um, I always give you guys a template for something like that. Oh yes, so to answer your question, yes, there was. Um, Sherry said, I'd like to share that the actual paintings you teach is only part of the reason I joined. I mostly want to be instructional how to paint with Christie. I'll get specific paintings but also the knowledge and skill to try other styles as well. I'm very excited about all of this. Yay, I'm glad! And that's what, um, that is, that is really my goal, is to hopefully for you guys to not just join because you liked a painting I did, or this month you liked what I did, but maybe next month it's not really your cup of tea because I'm never gonna please please everyone, right? Like, there's— that's impossible. So I, I try to talk to people about coming into it with an open mind, that even if the subject matter is maybe not something that you would like, or maybe you're like, well, I'm not painting that, I'd never put that in my house— don't paint it for that reason. Paint it to learn the techniques from it, because every single lesson that I teach you is not just about copying a painting. About learning techniques along the way that build skill after skill after skill. And so the more different types of paintings that you try and the further you push yourself out of your comfort zone and try something that maybe you didn't think you would like, the more you're going to learn. And then, you know, that big fear of failure that we all have— you have to fail in order to grow. And I think sometimes we forget that we don't just get to go through life and everything just work out for us every time we try something new. It's through the failing and messing up that something will click and you'll learn it. And then when you learn it, then you continue to build on that and grow. Um, do you guys— does anyone else here have any other questions to or I mean any other things that they wanted to share regarding any of that. Deborah said, are we always going to go on StreamYard to get everything? So in the Tribe Sister group, we stream directly to the group. So you just go to the Tribe Sister Facebook group and you refresh it and do it there. And that is something that, you know, Megan and I were talking earlier at the beginning of the week, this was our first time to try the actual live stream with, um, StreamYard, and we really like it because it is a direct link and there's no confusion. So a lot of times people get confused and they will go to the Social Easel Facebook page or they'll go to the Tribe Sister group, but then they didn't refresh it and so they're not seeing the live, and so that can cause some confusion. So I personally like the direct link. It would still stream into the Tribe Sister Facebook group, but we may, um, we may test using livestream as part of Tribe too. And then for people— some people don't even want to be on Facebook, um, it would also be an opportunity for them to still participate in the teachings and the replays and all of that kind of stuff. And not have to go into Facebook to do it. So, and do you, do you want to know my favorite part?

Yeah, you can see everybody's name. Yes, there's no Facebook user, like you just see everybody's name.

I like that too because that is kind of annoying when it, when it does that. Um, Trisha said, so may I ask, I'm trying to open a paint studio in Mississippi and it is okay to teach and use? So yes, absolutely, Trisha. Like I said, like you get immediate access to all of that. You can use anything, um, inside the Tribe Sister Vault to teach at your studio. So, um, that is just something that I wanted to provide for people who had paint party businesses. You just can't share, um, online— like, you can't teach it online. It would only be in-person paint parties. And then as far as, um, like Nina had mentioned, if you're having trouble finding things, I would encourage you to make sure that you are using your welcome guide. It's in our guides of the Facebook group, and download that if you have not already and you are a current Tribe Sister, because it lays everything out for you exactly where to find things. We don't go to different places. So I'm— when I, when I teach in Tribe, I am in the Tribe Facebook group. It's more of a just a technical thing of you having to refresh the page and then seeing it pop up. But that is why I'm kind of like, or we just do both, and some people can join through the link and some people can watch it through the Facebook group if they choose to. So that may be what we do over the next month or so. And, and I just want to also say this regarding like choices like that that we make and decisions that we do inside of the group. Everything Megan and I do is for the community. So her and I are always brainstorming behind the scenes of like, how can we make things better? And then we don't just make those executive decisions. Um, I mean, there might be a few that I'm just like, yeah, I want to do that. But I usually come to the group and I'll say, hey guys, I'm thinking about this. Do— well, even the Bee with the Lily, I didn't know if I was going to teach that, and I posted it and I was like, you guys want to learn this? And of course everyone was like, yes, of course. But like, whenever there's like changes that we've made that, you know, like I made a few months ago back in the fall to start kind of slowing things down a little bit and breaking sessions up, like that was something that we brought to the community and got their feedback on. Sometimes we'll send you guys surveys that Megan makes And all of that is just to hear from our community and what is working for you and what we can make better. So hopefully that— yeah, Tricia's joined. Yay, Tricia!

Welcome, welcome.

Yeah, I'm so excited. I still have to start my— I'm gonna do a big canvas and a Post-it note of all the names of the ladies that have joined this last time. Figure out how I'm going to turn that into a piece of art. I have some ideas in my head, but, um, so stay tuned for that. I'll be sharing some pictures and videos of me working on that. But it's so exciting to welcome each and every one of you, and we just want you to know that not to feel overwhelmed when you get in and just take it one step at a time. Um, you can download that welcome guide immediately. It even has a checklist for you, so you just can go— I mean, I'm a checklist girl, so I like to just be able to go down a list and make sure I'm doing and all the things. Um, and, uh, yeah, just get in and introduce yourself. We want you to do a— well, I don't think we've done that yet, have we, Megan? Like, said, like, we want you to— yeah, so we'll do like a welcome post. Um, and we— I know some of you are like, I don't want to share my face, but we would really love to see your face. So it can be you with a painting or whatever, but, uh, or your favorite, your favorite photo of yourself, um, just so we can get to know you and know a little bit about where you are in your journey and just know how to encourage you once you join.

I wanted to say how much I'm enjoying looking at everybody's paintings and how I've noticed that the new members are coming on and introducing themselves, which is great. And can't wait to see their paintings also. And it's just a great experience to, to take the time. And I would encourage anybody, everybody to do it and see what everybody else is doing, because not everybody's doing the paint, the current painting. They're diving in, they're diving in the vault, and you might see something that you might want to try.

Yeah, I definitely agree. And that's what I love is like, so like kind of going back to that comment about like, will I feel behind or, you know, Everyone's doing their own thing, so it's just— and then you may even be inspired. You may see a painting that you're like, where did that come from? And it's in the vault and you didn't even know it was there until one of your tribe sisters paints it and shares it. So sometimes it's fun to watch that happen. It'll start— one will post it and then all of a sudden you're seeing a whole lot more of them because people get inspired to go do that one too. Hey Jennifer, welcome back! There have been several, and I just have to say, I love that, um, Jennifer is rejoining us us again, um, from being a Tribe Sister before. And I have seen several of you guys in the comments saying, I've come back, like, I'm so excited to be back, I've missed it. And that just makes my heart so happy. I mean, I know there are sometimes just things in life that stop us, you know, from doing something, um, but I love that, that you were able to come back first of all, and that you wanted to. And that, um, I think that speaks volumes about our community of women too, because A lot of the comments were talking about how much they missed the, the community and the group and the just the dynamic of it all.

So real quick, real quick, I just wanted to say welcome to everybody joining and just, just give yourself a chance. And if you've got a busy life, we all have busy lives, just if you don't paint one month, you have that library, you have that I did the Cheetah Santa Claus last year, had 60 people. That will pay for 5 years or more of your membership. You know, it was, it was almost awesome.

You have not told me that.

That's awesome.

Over $3,000. So you guys, the paint parties has changed. Yeah. Even if you do one paint party a month and you pay for your membership and you don't want to go into the business, so to speak, pay for your membership. I guarantee you it'll be worth it.

Yeah, it'll be worth it. I love that. Even Pauline, you know, who was like— she was like, I had a friend come over and, you know, taught her how to paint. And well, it's like something like a lot of people are like, no, I would, I would never do that. But you really—

well, I would never have thought I would have done it either. And what's really funny about this is I wanted to teach elementary school and I never did it. That was one of those things I missed. Well, God has now brought back teaching, but guess what my favorite paint parties are? They're kids. So he brings it all back around. And that's not really Christie's favorite, so to speak. Everybody has different things that they want to do. So don't limit yourself. The one thing I'm doing right now is a devotion called 100 Days to Brave. Step out and try something that you normally wouldn't do. That's all I want to That's all I want to throw in there. Just step out and do something you're afraid to do.

I love that. 100 Days to Brave. I'm writing that down.

It's by Annie F. Downs, and it is amazing. It has scripture, a devotion, an act— call to action. Um, I'm on day 40-something to ask my husband out on a date. But anyway, it goes through different sections like friendships, church, like groups. Like, it's so amazing. And I do a lot of them. I do a lot. The ones that Christie even suggests, I do. Like, I love it. But this one is really causing you to step out of that comfort zone.

I love that.

So you guys, just be brave. Just do something for yourself. How many times as women do we do anything for ourselves? We will spend all the money on the kids and all the money on the husband, but when do we just do something for us? Yeah, do it for yourself.

I agree. And, you know, to speak to, um, Tony's point about, you know, doing the paint parties and paying for your membership, um, I know some of you— I can already like see faces in my head of them being like, well, no way, I am not doing a paint party. But you could sell your originals and also pay for your membership. We have so many women do that. So if cost is an issue, I would say jump in do it. Do the paintings, do the work, post them. You're gonna have people who want to buy them. And then look at what you can— is there anything extra going in your life that you could be like, well, I could skip that coffee, or maybe I won't go grab fast food today, or maybe whatever.

$10 a drink, right? $10 a drink.

I was saying I went and got Wendy's the other day and just got a combo meal and it was like $11 bucks. And I was like, what is going on?

Now it's like $27. That's, that's half of your membership, over half of your membership in one meal. In one meal. But I've sold, I've sold a lot of paintings just by doing what Christie said, by putting them online. Pete, I sold, I've sold over probably 50, but I've sold about 10 to one lady because every time she sees it, she's like, I've got to have that. I've got to have that. And I'm like, y'all, that's memberships right there. That's membership paying every— like, if you don't want to do the paint parties, that's okay. Not everybody wants to do them, but you can just post your painting on your Facebook page and people will start buying them.

It's crazy. I was just gonna—

sorry, I'm switching gears. Tammy was wondering, she wrote, do members get on the page even when you aren't currently teaching so that new members Can ask questions. So I think maybe Tammy's means it like in the Inner Tribe group.

Yeah, do you want to kind of explain how we handle like that? Like, I don't know if she's asking specifically or like just kind of, but you can explain how we answer those or the ask tab and all that kind of stuff.

Yeah, so we have like a lot of times people will just— if it's a painting-related question, we encourage you to post your painting. So like if you're working on that lily and the bee and you're having trouble blending the green or something We encourage you to post what you have going so far and then you can say the Tribe Sisters like, oh, I'm having a hard time with this, like any ideas. And so then, you know, that's what this group of big sisters is there for and that's what the whole group is there for. I mean, people will chip in nicely to, you know, give you some suggestions if you want it, like if you ask for it, if it's more of a like, where do I find question or how do I do this? This question, we have a, like, a thread that we keep pinned to the top of the group where you can ask those kind of questions. And that's something that I check. I try to check each morning, um, so I can help direct you with that. And then the other thing is, like, customer service type questions. And so we, we encourage you to email, um, with those kind of questions because that's one of the things that Christie's like, you know, and, and me too, like, we want and I think everyone appreciates it, but we want the group to be like fun and art and pretty. And so we don't want like, how do I, you know, here's my new email address, or I want to change which bank I'm paying for. Like, we don't want that clogging up your feed. We want your, your feed to be like fun paintings and cheerful stuff. So our customer service team's awesome. Um, so if you email them, they get back to you for those questions.

Yeah, I think— yeah, that was what I was, um, wanting you to explain too. And then I did, um— sorry, Tammy— um, I did a behind the scenes the other day, um, where I show you everything inside the vault, inside the tribe group, and how it works. Um, but to Megan's point, like, we really kind of keep our this is what we call the feed. Like, when you come to the group, it's called the discussion tab up here at the top. But when you scroll, it's either going to be from me or Megan sharing something with you, or it's going to be your tribe sisters. Um, so I mean, Katie is asking for prayer, like that kind of thing. That is, that is accepted and that is okay. And this is a community that we want you to feel a part of. and then sharing artwork. And so you can just kind of see like what people are doing inside of here. Um, that's what we want it to be when you come to the group. We want it to be a fun place for you to go and see what everyone's working on and cheer each other on. We don't want it to be filled with like customer service questions. So, um, we have, like she said, customer service is going to be the fastest And best way for you to get a response is emailing Christie at thesocialeasel.com. We keep that up at the top of this Facebook group here so that you can see that. And then we also have like in our featured tab, anything important that you need to know is always going to be in the featured tab. And Megan does a great job of doing little short videos walking you through things, showing you how to do stuff. If you're not quite sure where to go or what to, what to do, always go to the featured tab and check that out. And that, um, we also have that ask thread up there right now as well to be able to answer your questions.

Okay.

Well, thank you ladies for joining me today. I appreciate your time being here. It was good to chat with everyone again. Um, I'll go ahead and take you guys off the screen so you can go about your day, and then if there are any, um, last minute questions, um, you guys have me for a couple more minutes and then, um, I will be wrapping up. So just wanted to make sure I get all your questions answered. Um, so this is the last day to join, last day to get the bonuses. Um, it is $47 a month or $470 for a 1-year contract, and that is the equivalent of you getting 2 months for free when you do the annual membership. Um, but it is non-refundable, so don't do the annual unless you're 100% sure you want to be in for a year. If you're not sure and you just want to feel it out and see if this is the right group for you, I would encourage you to try a month. Give us a month. See what you think about it. See what you think about the community and the environment and see if it's a right fit for you because you're not locked in to anything. But by taking that chance, it may open a completely new door in your life, a new avenue. It may give you hope and joy and encouragement that you're missing. And I think we all need a little bit more of that. So, um, it's been a fantabulous week with you guys. The paintings have been so fun. Um, all the positivity has been fun. I just have to say that as well. Um, all of you who have joined me throughout this, um, entire week have just been so great and so awesome. Um, sometimes when we do a big launch like this there can be some negativity sometimes, and, um, God just took care of those people and they haven't shown up. So I just, um, I'm loving the vibes that this week has given. So it was a summer vibes painting workshop, but our group is a good vibes only group, and we keep it that way, and we're very protective of it. But this is it. We would love to have you. If you have any other questions or concerns, please email Christie at thesocialeasel.com. I'm going to throw that back up there just so you can get the spelling correct. If you ever forget what that email is, you can always just go to thesocialeasel.com or The Social Easel on Facebook, and that information is there for you. So you'll be able to reach out to us and ask us what you need. And then I would just— one last thing I always say is remember when you're emailing in that there is a person behind that keyboard as well, and Sometimes when people are frustrated or confused, they tend to take it out on the people they're asking help from. So I have an amazing support team, that's Jennifer and Lynn on the other side of that keyboard. So I just ask that you treat them with respect and kindness when you do email in and ask for help as well, because they are there to serve you and give you the best experience possible. So Appreciate everyone, and, um, y'all have a great weekend. I'm off, uh, for Memorial Day weekend. We are going camping and I'm going off the grid. So, um, thanks again. I'll see you soon. Bye.