Mindful Ways to Manage Creative Expectations

  It happens to the best of us when we create - the rise of pesky creative expectations!   When tuned into the passion of the creative process and fully engaged, energy is high and we are immersed in building what we envision. Inspiration is flowing and the creative process is organically emergent and natural.   What we might not realize is that we are also adding a few creative expectations to the mix, unconsciously.   For example, we can create art, a … [Read more...]

Balancing the Weight of Evidence and Trust in Creative Endeavors

  There’s no way around it; embarking on creative endeavors has a baked-in requirement - that we learn the unique balance between evidence and trust. The balance doesn’t have to be equal in measure, but it does need to feel authentic, and in alignment with what we value and want to create.   If we place too much focus on “evidence” we can convince ourselves right out of an idea, or into one built around safety rather than inspiration. When our values are not our own, but based … [Read more...]

What’s Your Biggest Obstacle to Creative Wholeness?

  Exploring the idea of creative wholeness is one of my passions as a creativity coach, intuitive, and writer. So this weekend when I selected The World card from The Wild Unknown deck to kick off my Sunday meditation, it got me thinking about the concept in a visionary way.     I blog regularly about the idea of creative wholeness in its pieces, providing insights and ways to deepen a personal creative practice or mindset.  However, I was still drawn to writing … [Read more...]

Creative Fog is Natural and Necessary to Ignite Genuine Self-Expression

  Creative fog happens to everyone sooner or later.   It can feel like a spacey, fuzzy vibe that triggers the sensation of being ungrounded or floaty. Creative fog can also make us confused about what’s important, or unclear about what we feel inspired to create.   Sometimes we get locked into this smoky, hazy space by trying to mentally push our way through. We may also unknowingly pile on harsh self-talk, self-judgment, or experience anxiety or mood swings as our … [Read more...]

How We Unleash Natural Talents When We Get Clear On Our “No’s”

  The word “no” looks small on paper, but it’s a powerful word to express when it really means saying "yes" to something much bigger - our natural talents.   As little ones we learn about the word “no” pretty quickly. Sometimes we were doing something legitimately unsafe and needed to be redirected. Other times the word was expressed with annoyance because of the state of mind, mood, and ingrained personal fear patterns of our caregivers, making us a bit … [Read more...]

How Good Are You At Owning, Then Releasing, Your Mistakes?

  We all make mistakes. What we don’t always realize is how we hold onto the energy of them long after they’ve transpired, and what it does to our self-esteem and creativity.   Our mind can get caught up in repainting our memory or retelling the story of our mistakes, too. The creative inspiration that could be saved for our projects can run amok, crafting new villains and building fresh plot lines, all while we sit with the emotions, letting them replay larger and deeper into … [Read more...]

Stillness Is the Key Creative Step You May Be Missing

  The energy expended “pushing” through life takes its toll when each creative step we take is an active one, and never counterbalanced with stillness.   Multiply this pattern by a million moments and we suddenly find ourselves running on empty while calling it living. As a result, the body and mind suffer, and the heart is filled with tasks and expectations instead of fun and joy.   Wow, this turned dark pretty quickly! But, think about it. Push past the “to-do” … [Read more...]

Patiently Nourish What is Ready to Emerge or Cycle into a New Stage

  We are on the brink of spring in the US which always sparks thoughts and excitement about what’s about to emerge in nature. The fresh sweet-smelling air, tweeting birds, budding trees and plants inspire us to do the same; to come out of our slumber and create anew.   Despite this spark of seasonal transformation, it’s important to remember that the energy of all of the seasons - winter, spring, summer and fall - resides within us and can be accessed at any time to instigate … [Read more...]

The Heart Knows, The Mind Follows Its Lead

  There is always a push to choose between the guidance of heart and the mind, as if one is better than the other.   Some of it has to do with the way society has created these aspects as identifiers, the other has to do with the way we see our core tendencies in comparison to ideals or other people.   Whether you identify as a heart-driven person or a mind-oriented person, everyone expresses qualities of both depending on what we feel or fear moment to … [Read more...]

Do You Judge Yourself For Needing Help?

  Do you judge yourself for needing help? From time to time we all need help. On a mental level it seems simple enough to ask for it. But what happens when the realization that we need help triggers deep emotions within us we don’t understand?   Of course it’s natural to want to avoid pain or emotional upset, but the bigger challenge in avoiding “feeling bad” is that we don’t ask for help at all. Why? Because we are afraid to be vulnerable and may be confused about the kind of … [Read more...]