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...]
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...]
Tune into Your Inner Voice for Truth, the Rest is Just Static
July 18, 2013 By 2 Comments
Self-motivated change is one of the benefits of being human. You can decide at any point to change your life completely. Pick up and move. Quit a job or kickstart a new career. Begin a relationship or finally put an old one out of it’s misery. And while making these big choices (as well as all the small ones that follow) your powerful inner voice is by your side. Your rock. The trusty friend that takes all our phone calls and is available at all hours. But in times of big change you can get … [Read more...]
Kick a Rut in the Butt Using Space Not Force
July 11, 2013 By Leave a Comment
I flew back into Denver from from Portland, Oregon, late last night and I’m still processing all of my adventures, as I put off unpacking and phone calls and open up to a new creative flow. My brain is lighter. Heart, more open. Body, stronger, and energy more in balance. Before I left I would not have identified myself as being in a rut, until I was miles away from the familiar and cozy. Then I saw the rut looking back at me. Clear. Unfolding. Unraveling in my expanded head and heart space, no … [Read more...]
The Power of Faith in the Creative Process
May 23, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Faith is one of the most powerful parts of any creative process. I’m not talking about the spiritual kind (although that certainly helps) but faith in your ideas and ability to express yourself freely. And as easy as it might be to casually say to someone else, it’s one of the hardest things to actually DO when your creative babies are hanging out in the wind, waiting for acknowledgement. Any time you are putting something in the world that is new or pushing the envelope beyond your comfy, … [Read more...]
Diminishing Creative Gains? Time for a Gut Check
May 9, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Every creative has experienced a period of diminishing creative gains. You know what I mean -- it feels like you are producing a product or a result more than creating something beautiful from the heart, and it can start to weigh on you. Clients have needs (and demands) and since they are paying, they get first priority (says your mind). So when the line of creative joy and obligation are fully intertwined and your creative twinkle is waning, it’s time to hit pause and do a gut check. Stress, … [Read more...]
The Direction of Your Life is Never Direct
April 18, 2013 By Leave a Comment
One of the most important things I’ve learned in my life so far is that no matter what I think is the most “direct” way to experience or learn something, life has entirely different plans. But beyond this sentiment sounding like fodder for boring bumper stickers and endless motivational posters, there is a much bigger, often overlooked truth nestled in here. The direction of your life is never a direct, straight line so why do you expect it to be? You often don’t realize the limitations you … [Read more...]
Being Emotionally Stingy Blocks Creativity
February 21, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Needs, requests, obligations and other people’s drama -- all things that suck up time and inner creative fire. And when the day is done and you have given to everyone and everything else, where are you on the list? Do you even show up? If you’ve been feeling creatively bereft and frustrated, you may not realize how you are being emotionally stingy with yourself and blocking creative inner guidance. Being emotionally stingy is usually something that creeps up as a behavior … [Read more...]
Finding Your Creative Stride
January 31, 2013 By Leave a Comment
With all the hope of fresh new beginnings as the year kicks off, by the end of January it often feels like you're in one of two camps: Your creative mojo is perked up, ideas are trickling in and all is going with the flow, OR... You are still scattered, disorganized or feeling a bit "off", experiencing some stumbling blocks and feeling like you are running through a giant vat of pudding. For most people, it's usually a bit of creative inspiration blended with sticky spots, but that's … [Read more...]
Possibilities and Time: Are We Creating our Own Limitations?
December 4, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Minutes, hours, days, weeks, years -- when the timing hits just right it makes us feel like our lives are on track and in the flow. When timing does not meet expectations, we can start to feel worried, lost and frustrated; the mind taking off in a million directions. Yet, in the big picture, the real importance of time is how we perceive and make use of it. So what's all the fuss for? People naturally create and project a timeline that matches the strength of desire. Using that as a … [Read more...]