The Courage to Create

Our windows are open. I’ve been laying awake n the morning listening to the birdsong. All different types of birds adding their unique love of life to the world. No need for permission to sing or be. Just singing and being.

Collaging daily is coming easier fore this year’s 100 day project. It feels easy to just create. A dozen days in and I do not care what the pieces look like. I am only happy to engage in the process and just be creating.

“Remember that in choosing to create you have acted with a rare courage. You have let down the mask; you have called forth your best self; you have taken a chance and revealed your heart to the world. This, no matter how struggling and unformed the creation it brings forth, is a praiseworthy act. For all creation is an act of love, and in the merest making of your art you have, in your own small way, made the world a little richer, a little warmer, and a little more filled with love.”

Kent Nerburn – Dancing with the Gods (thanks to Tara Leaver for quoting)

Anything that you do daily becomes not only habitual but ritual. There’s a sense of purposeful clarity on our daily promises to ourselves. Remove the negotiation and the act becomes a prayer for a better life. There is nothing more noble that a commitment to ones happiness.

Happy to have you with me on my journey as I let down my mask …

And If you enjoyed what you read, subscribe, via the subscription box in the sidebar, to my thrice weekly posts via your emailbox. And visit me on Instagram to see my daily pictures, friend me or like my page on Facebook. Or come find me on Twitter or Pinterest too. I am always practicing Intentional Intouchness so chat at me please. I live for conversations.

And, as always, Thanks to you for your visit.

What Will I Get Up To This Year?

Now that I have addressed the majority of my anxiety by taking the step to ask for pharmaceutical assistance from my doctor (he actually warned me not to quit after I was feeling better and I laughed at him and said,”You don’t know me. I’m the first one to admit I have this problem all over social media. I’m good for life now”), I realized that I can again start from here and do anything I want to do.

Armed with my Word of the Year, Focus, I can don my sparkly cape and head off in the direction that feels the best for me. That kind of permission is a little daunting. Like a free period during school, should you binge eat Hoho’s of go grab a smoke or take a walk or write in your journal? Suddenly being able to choose feels overwhelming.

But I started to think about the projects in my year that will be inevitable. I’ll most likely do a 100 day project again come April. There’s the ICAD project in June and July. And perhaps I’ll host my own creativity month somewhere in there. Those are the times when I feel focused and alive. Unlike writing, I have a pretty tangible thing for my efforts. It’s very gratifying too to have all the admiration that production gets you.

What else have I been thinking? I claimed my intention to continue to work on my soul as I connect with community and devote myself to creativity. So it would seem that community connections would be something that may need my attention. I say this but I still have yet to join those group classes at the gym. Or create a Facebook group or make a date to chat via Skype with some of my online people. I need to put my actions behind my words it seems.

And then there’s my writing. I need to respect my abilities and share them with the world. I love blogging and will continue to share what I am doing because it keeps me alive as a writer. This is the year that I need to commit to larger writing challenges more. I enjoyed the heck out of writing the Wholehearted piece for Quiet Writing’s Terri Connelan. So we shall see what and where I can find to continue this kind of writing expansion.

As always, I commit t0 my growth and betterment and to use the blog as a way to pursue that. Whether it’s reporting my art project progress or speaking about what I’m feeling or the lovely place and people I share my life with, I will keep showing up here. Until it no longer serves me. Thank you for reading what I write even if I don’t know you are. You make my day.

And If you enjoyed what you read, subscribe, via the subscription box in the sidebar, to my thrice weekly posts via your emailbox. And visit me on Instagram to see my daily pictures, friend me or like my page on Facebook. Or come find me on Twitter or Pinterest too. I am always practicing Intentional Intouchness so chat at me please. I live for conversations.

And, as always, Thanks to you for your visit.

We Are All Event Planners for Christmas

If you were told you’d been volunteered as an event planner and decorator for a royal ball, you’d laugh your butt off right? But regular people across the globe will do their best to plan and execute a special event all on their own this month mostly without professional help. And I’m darn proud of all of them for their upcoming efforts.

We pull it off, you and me, every year. That once a year special event for which we have to send out a hundred invitations, cater quantities of food, and decorate huge floral centerpieces for. We spend lots of time and/or money to gift everyone we know with the right present as if they’re all having a birthday at the same time.

Yes I mean Christmas.

It’s truly a miracle we all don’t lose our minds feeling overwhelmed and incompetent. But then the end comes and you sigh with relief that it’s over and think perhaps there’s a better way to execute it next year. Until the next year comes and you have the same game plan as always.

At my house, I make it all look so easy to accomplish. Deep down I do love it. But I also would love if anyone could do the majority of it so I could just make the wrapped presents pretty and decorate the house for multiple uninterrupted hours. The cleaning and card sending and even the cooking I could farm right out. Alas, last year, I accomplished the musts but fell short of the wannas. Holiday expectational debts I would soon forget.

But last year, the kids were treated to a Christmas just as they should with sweets for breakfast and Santa gifts and stockings brimming with stuff. They played with their stuff, bickered about sharing each other’s stuff, and played at a couple playgrounds. Oh and watched multiple movies. And then attended one more holiday get together to be showered more gifts from family.

Hoping you make sure to get your needs met during the siege of the holiday event season. That your gratitude for being surrounded with the ones you love surpasses the anxiety of cookie baking and clean toilets. I eventually always find relief and rest after the chaos finally, basking in the afterglow of a job well-done and look forward to having the brain room to get back to regular creativity.

Let the planning begin.

And If you enjoyed what you read, subscribe, via the subscription box in the sidebar, to my thrice weekly posts via your emailbox. And visit me on Instagram to see my daily pictures, friend me or like my page on Facebook. Or come find me on Twitter or Pinterest too. I am always practicing Intentional Intouchness so chat at me please. I live for conversations.

And, as always, Thanks to you for your visit.

Join my Second Creativity Workshop Happening in November 2018

Last year in November of 2017, I conducted my first Creativity Workshop. My passion on the subject of creativity comes from my experience of uncovering my authentic self by respecting my inner creative needs. This was a very rewarding and enlightening experience for me and my attendees.

And this year, on November 10, I’m conducting the workshop again.

The first Creativity Workshop wrap-up post can be found here. The people who came all recognized the importance of creativity in our lives but it was as if we all needed to hear this from one another to truly appreciate our own longings.

I wrote, “And I now understand the same fear that threatens to keep us from our truest and most authentic self is the same as that which keeps us from our most creative selves. I find this kind of knowledge is too juicy to keep to oneself. Because if you can separate yourself from your fear and feelings just long enough to make a better choice that makes you feel better, at least you know you have a choice.”

I have been called an Ambassador for Creativity and I think that’s flattering and true. We all deserve to enjoy the process of flow and finding out what we think of our worlds and ourselves separate from all the worry and to do lists. Consider joining our small group as we explore what creativity means to you.

The workshop will be held from 10 Am to 12:30 Pm at the Retreat House at Hillsboro at 22005 Church Street in Hillsboro, Maryland 21641. Seats are limited and Tickets are free and can be reserved by going to this site. There is a suggested donation and light refreshments will be provided.

I look forward to seeing you there!

And If you enjoyed what you read, subscribe, via the subscription box in the sidebar, to my thrice weekly posts via your emailbox. And visit me on Instagram to see my daily pictures, friend me or like my page on Facebook. Or come find me on Twitter or Pinterest too. I am always practicing Intentional Intouchness so chat at me please. I live for conversations.

And, as always, Thanks to you for your visit.

The End of My Icad (index Card a Day) ’18 Challenge

All the daily creativity came to a screeching halt nearly a week ago with the last day of July and the 61^st card. With the combined 100 day project and this one, I had created every day for 118 days straight. I felt neither overly happy nor sad for the halt. I had fulfilled my challenge to myself. But I must admit that I have felt slightly untethered since then. A feeling that was echoed by at least one other artist who had done the challenge with me.

Day #1 through Day #22 of the ICAD ’18 Challenge

Day #23 through #42 of the ICAD ’18 Challenge

Day #43 through Day #61 of the ICAD ’18 Challenge

I considered that I could and should replace that daily habit with some other intention. But that was swallowed up in a flurry of Summer activities which were all good. But I am also asking this of myself, why does it take an outside “force” to get me to commit to the art. What about being obliged to myself? Or perhaps, what do I create in my life that makes me accountable to regular artwork?

Our creative needs are ours to fulfill. And if it requires a little trickery on our parts to get ourselves to creatively comply, so be it. Any challenge is good even if that means creating your own like I did in June for the Our Creative June Challenge, well then let’s do it again together. I live for a creative community and I think everyone deserves to have one of their own.

And If you enjoyed what you read, subscribe, via the subscription box in the sidebar, to my thrice weekly posts via your emailbox. And visit me on Instagram to see my daily pictures, friend me or like my page on Facebook. Or come find me on Twitter orPinterest too. I am always practicing Intentional Intouchness so chat at me please. I live for conversations.

And, as always, Thanks to you for your visit.