While visiting family in Connecticut last week, I was reminded how creative inspiration shifts whenever I’m reconnecting with them and my hometown. There are predictable places and faces so it doesn't feel quite a “vacation”. There’s also an existing history to align with or rebel against, instead of a “new” adventure type feel to the travel experience. I always see my trips back east as sort of a clashing of the new and the old in the same viewfinder, kind of like a set of before and after … [Read more...]
Creative Listening Calls for Head and Heart to Collaborate
October 24, 2013 By 2 Comments
When you listen, what resources do you call on most -- your ears, mind, heart, intuition, or senses? Creative listening takes all of these tools and one invaluable motivator to tie it all together, a willingness to hear under the surface. The true value in any exchange, whether it takes place within yourself or with a partner or friend, is how you listen to what’s really being said. It’s the glue that acts as a bridge between the meaning, emotional connection and the truth for … [Read more...]
The Inner Mirror and Expanding Creative Freedom
October 10, 2013 By 1 Comment
Everyone has an inner mirror. It’s a tool that reflects back to you a collection of thoughts, ideas, emotions and experiences that shape how you see yourself. Often your inner mirror is a bit dirty, carrying residue from what you consider failures, heartbreaks, mistakes or disappointments. Yet, this mucky buildup is really just the opportunity to see what needs to shift, so you can to break free from self-judgement and expand into creative freedom. A common unconscious reaction is to try and … [Read more...]
Change, Flashbacks and Getting Past your Back Story
October 3, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Change can feel like a scary word, even if you’ve offered it an open, heartfelt invitation into your life. Knee-jerk reactions including, “What the hell was I thinking?” or “Maybe it’s not too late to change my mind” are also common, as you turn back to review the series of choices that brought you to the present day. It’s absolutely normal to have a few flashbacks and heart attacks while moving through deep inner change. What matters most is the step you take next. Will you travel into … [Read more...]
Perfectionism and the Creative Brick Wall
September 26, 2013 By 2 Comments
Perfectionism is a slippery little bugger on the windshield of life. It glides in and out of minds and hearts with ease, single-handedly grabbing ideas and almost-finished projects and smashing them against a creative brick wall. While our inner TSA agent slowly inspects every nook and cranny of our creative seeds under the guise of self-preservation, it also keeps us from putting something out into the world that isn’t “fully-baked”. So whether or not you currently identify yourself as a … [Read more...]
Why it’s Important to Connect the Dots of Passion Along the Creative Path
September 19, 2013 By Leave a Comment
When you throw together all of your life experiences, relationships and passing interests that led to nothing but detours, you are just scraping the surface of what shapes your creative path. Is this mind blowing? Not really, but it's pretty amazing if you think about how each of aspect has looped towards, away from and over each other to bring you to the present moment. So, having gotten this far on your winding creative path, can you take the viewpoint of a hawk, high on … [Read more...]
How Creative Shame Dampens the Spirit and Ways to Shake it Loose
September 12, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Creative shame is an extremely powerful emotion but one of the least talked about, especially when it comes to how it interferes with our creative spirit. Behind the scenes, the little negative voice in our head remains a private matter, directing us to choice points or talking us out of our awesomeness. Soon it’s easy to see how the world is reflecting back to us various challenges, “proving” the voice is right, but in reality, it’s just unacknowledged shame in the background pushing the right … [Read more...]
Creativity and the Inner Boss
September 5, 2013 By 1 Comment
Creativity and the inner boss. When paired together these concepts seem to be total opposites, pushing against each other’s efforts in a way that ends in a stand-off with no winner. Yet, this dynamic duo can definitely be a powerful pair, if they join forces for the greater good - you. The inner boss is not the ego (although it can certainly be bossy), but the way you manage yourself. Do you go full-steam into something, only to get bored towards the end and let things come to a thud? Do you … [Read more...]
Divine Timing for Sharing Creative Gifts
August 29, 2013 By 2 Comments
Is there an ideal time to share your innate creative gifts and ideas? Is it wise to throw ideas into the public eye, even while they’re still forming? How about sharing creative work because you have the tools to do so within seconds? What if the answer to each of these questions was yes…and no, depending on the gift of divine timing? I believe there is optimal, divine timing that helps you connect to and share your creative gifts effectively, but it’s not something you plan. … [Read more...]