Creating Our Future

Long ago, I was given the gift of a phone appointment with a psychic. During that call she said to me, "Look at the palms of your hands. Are there lots of "x's" in them?" I had never noticed it before, but there are lots of "x's" in my palm. She told me that "x's" in our palms are a sign of creativity and I should honor that gift because creativity is one of the highest powers in the universe.

I believe everyone is creative. Just the way we get out of bed in the morning is our own creative ritual. "X's" in our palms are not a requirement to create. Not every Sneetch has a star on their stomach, but they're still a Sneetch!

The creativity of people, animals or nature (ever see a plant grow around some obstruction?) have always sparked a flame in me to go to my studio and create.

A few years ago, an instructor told our teleclass that animals aren't creative. I was so upset with that judgment! Apparently, this instructor never credited when a cat turns a box or a drawer or some tight space into the perfect place to squeeze itself in like a puzzle piece to take a nap! Animals are creative visionaries too. To me, creativity is observing one thing and giving it a different meaning. It's about shifting how things are perceived or done. It's about choice and going beyond limitation.

Kudos to the designer in this video clip who looked at stoves and found new meaning to the way we could be using them! Imagine not having pots and pans to clean any longer!!!! More time to create!!!!

Is there an item or belief...that if you play around with its meaning...it could change the way you perceive or do things forever?

Balancing Out Our Education System

I thank Goddess for messengers like Sir Ken Robinson! Not just for his message, but also for the way he delivers it, showing that humor is a natural product of the creative perspective.
Like Oprah, I so honor teachers for the mission they have chosen. My parents were both teachers. I feel we're all teachers in our own unique way...whether we're it's intentional or not.
I am posting this lecture because I know I'm not alone in my experience of my grade school training. Here I was, a right-brained, art-blissing, wild-mind, hungry heart...expressing in the way I knew how....only to get report cards that said, "She rarely participates in discussions...she daydreams...I hope she tries harder next quarter." It was so challenging to only have left-brained activities honored while art, creative writing, music and dance were minimalized. Where is the balance in that?
I have many friends who are currently working hard on their intention to bring more holistic awareness into the education system. I'm pleased that Sir Ken Robinson gave voice to what many have been aware of for far too long. Bravo to creatives who stand strong in honoring the importance of expressing their creativity. What would the world be like if creative expression was viewed as the miracle it truly is? What if Danny Lillienfield, our class clown in first grade, wasn't sent to the principle for standing on his chair and singing burp songs in the middle of class?

Finding and Creating Our Tribe

I've been meaning to post on this blog for quite some time this month, yet I've been soooo busy getting my coaching web site together that many of my sacred rituals have taken a back seat. I have to admit, marketing is not my favorite thing to do. It sometimes can get image-y and sometimes even borders egoic to me. Yet, it is vital to keeping a business in flow. The saving grace to me are people like Seth Godin who see marketing for what it is. He always observes the creative, entertaining side of everything which keeps things fresh.

This clip is keeping me inspired to market as well as hone in on my tribe. I hope it does the same for you.

Finding Your Peeps

Having supportive friends is like Heaven on Earth. This dear, supportive friend took

me to this Artomatic Exhibit/Peeps Show in D. C. for inspiration.

When one is committed to making their dreams manifest, one of the most important steps to take is to be true to yourself about who in your life is supporting what you are doing and who is not. There may be people you have in your life who doubt your success in your endeavors or who may even be projecting their own issues on your dream. Perhaps they react to your ideas with cynicism. When you ask about their cynical response, they may respond with "Wow...can't you take a joke? You take things too personally." Accepting responses like this or even allowing unsupportive people onto your path is like watering your freshly seeded garden with poison!

Dream manifestation is a fragile process. Keeping your path clear of people and situations that don't offer 100% support is begging for doubt and sabotage.

This was my lesson for 2009. From my ARTbundance coach training, I learned to pay attention to what my body and feelings were telling me about who and what I was accepting in my environment. And usually when you take such a huge and important step like this, the universe casts its vote, by sending you signs that you made the right choice. I urge you to take inventory on who and what's on your path, check in with your body wisdom, and keep the garden clear of the weeds that are feeding on the precious energy you need to turn your dreams into reality. Find your peeps who keep the journey a pleasant one. And may I take this opportunity to thank my wonderful friends (you know who you are) who have been so supportive on my current journey!
Some further reading on this subject... I highly recommend page 85 of this book (Eliminate Sabotage):

American Express-ions

I just adore this commercial! Not only is it funny how the extraordinary can be found in the ordinary, (or the expressive in the everyday) but, to me, it shows that whatever filter we have in our mind is what we observe out in the world. In otherwords, whatever we are looking for in life is what we'll find. (I confess I have looked for expressive faces in everyday settings and items after seeing this commercial...they're not that easy to find. But possible.) If we look for expressive faces in everyday settings in life....we will find them. Perhaps we're in a crappy mood, we may notice only crappy things around us. Is life really that simple that we can choose whatever it is we observe out in the world? I'm struggling so hard not to use the term "law of attraction." How about "intentional observation filtering?"We are bombarded with so many sense-attracting stimuli out there that the mind has to choose which perspective to allow in, while filtering the rest out. That's why I love this commercial. It reminds us how simple it is to find entertainment and humor right under our nose! Comedians and creatives are masters at this! Have you found what you're looking for out there...or does it start inside?

It's All About the Process

When I was 19, I lived in NYC. Therefore art and culture were right in my front yard! On one of those down days, I was able to take myself to the Museum of Modern Art to get my spark back. The first piece of art I saw when I entered the museum exhibit was a HUGE canvas painted totally white. So what do you think my reaction was? "How did that make it into a museum! I could get a four year old to make a totally white painting. I don't "get" how that piece was considered museum-worthy."

It wasn't until later on in life, while I was coaching, that I "got" that painting. And this is true of art of all types, from writing to any form of creation. It's all about the process more than the result.

Think about that. What if? What if the artist who painted that white painting created it while hanging upside down in a pit of snakes, trying to believe in the light of their painting? What if they painted that painting with a special paint of recycled sock lint saved from their dryer for the last 30 years? What if they used one of their body parts or a bottle of kaopectate as the brush for the paint? It's all about the process of how it was done over the result. How more than what.

I once heard a knitter complain that the project offered in a workshop I was giving wasn't worth the price of the workshop. Interesting how that was perceived. The workshop was about learning the process of knitting enough to take the skills with you through life, not about the project. Sure, you could buy a similar item in Walmart for a few bucks, but you wouldn't learn the process and skills you'd learn to make endless projects.

So, in this crazy multi-task era I encourage contemplation on enjoying and being totally present during the process...really involving every cell in each detail of the creative process. Let go of the results.

This may be a metaphor of honoring the process of a creative endeavor, but how can you apply it to all you do in life? How would focusing on being passionate about the process and letting go of the outcome change how we live life?

Any thoughts or stories to share?

Can Humans Really Do That?

Did you have a stressful day today? Well, you could be doing this for a living!