It's Sunflower Month!

Hello <<First Name>>,

This is the inaugural newsletter of Julie Bovee Art. Thank you for subscribing and taking a chance on it! If you feel you've received this email by mistake, you can unsubscribe.

This issue is dedicated to the bold and cheerful sunflower. Sunflowers make me smile. They exude happiness and are a sunny celebration of summer. I recently returned from a road trip through the central valley of California, where we drove past miles and miles of bright, cheery sunflower fields. They were all in bloom and spectacular. With August being my month (Leo), it seems fitting to start off this newsletter adventure with a tribute to the showy sunflower.

Roadmap - What to Expect

My plan is to send periodic newsletters, each one celebrating a different flower. Throughout that month, I'll write about some of the healing properties of that flower, some trivia and inspiring information, and will create a short series of artworks inspired by it. You'll be able to read more on these topics on my blog and I'll upload images of the artworks onto my website.

In the following newsletter, I'll include a summary of the previous topic's activities with links to read more if you have further interest.

Occasionally, I'll offer limited freebies to subscribers. For this first newsletter, I plan to mail a small goodie package to the first 100 subscribers that provide their address in the contact page on my website or via email.

Healing with Sunflowers

Sunflowers reach out to us with a message of happiness; encouraging us to smile and lighten up. Research has shown that smiling has numerous benefits. It reduces stress, boosts the immune system, reduces blood pressure, uplifts your mood, is contagious, and more. 

Even fake smiling (where you hold a pencil sideways in your mouth between your teeth, forcing your face into a fake smile) has a positive result, causing your body to release feel-good endorphins and seratonin. When I first read about that trick in a book, I was skeptical, but tried it anyway and have been doing it ever since. I especially make an effort to force a smile whenever I catch myself scowling (for example, when watching politics on the news), and it makes a difference. It distracts me from the scowl, bringing me back into the present moment and aware of what I'm doing, and most of the time I'll realize what's just happened and smile for real, feeling happier. It works!

Sunflowers can serve as a personal trainer for your mood. Similar to the fake smile trick, try keeping a bunch of them around your home or office and take a moment to gaze at them when you're feeling stress or irritation. Allow their cheery appearance to bring out your natural smile and lighten things up. 

Never a shrinking violet, sunflowers are associated with the solar plexus chakra which lies just above your belly button. Sunflowers help to clear and balance it, boldly reminding us that we're unique and perfect just the way we are. Sunflowers are our happiness warriors, showing us how to stand up tall and shine with confidence. Enjoy some sunflowers today and allow their cheery presence to refresh and boost your spirits.

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