Inspiration: Guest Post by Jess Gonacha Swift
September 11th, 2009, 4 Comments
Hello Creative Everyday peeps! A big thanks to Leah for inviting me to be a guest blogger here- what an honor. Goodness.
She asked me to write about inspiration, which is very timely for me lately, because I've been feeling unfocused and not all that inspired, so it's time to get my creativity moving and think of some ways to get back in action!
Here are some of my surefire ways to move toward inspiration:
1. Look through books and magazines (favorites: Olle Eksell, books of flower shapes, Anthropologie catalogs, pattern books…)
2. Pick an unusual color palette to work in.
3. Paint a white surface a color. It's always less daunting and gets the juices flowing.
4. Doodling.
5. Go on a walk through my neighborhood or out in nature. I get my best ideas while out walking.
6. Thinking about making art as a way of documenting my thoughts/feelings. When I can make it more personal, then I'm more easily inspired.
7. Cleaning out and rearranging my studio. This seems like maybe it could fall into the procrastination category as well, but it actually helps me clear out my head and feel like I can start fresh.
What do you do to get inspired? And once you're there, how do you stay inspired? I'd love to hear about it - and possibly learn some new tricks! Feel free to email me () or leave comments with your ideas and tips.
Thanks again to Leah for inviting me to be a part of her ultra creative and inspiring blog!
Tree image from Janesdead's Flickr photostream
Anthropologie images from their catalog
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Jess Gonacha Swift can eat grapes until she gets sick. In fact, she might like eating grapes more than she likes making art, but since it's a bit impractical to buy grapes every day, she settles for drawing and painting all day instead. She lives with her cat, Anika, who chirps when she runs, and her husband, Ryan, who listens to an iPod when he runs. (Jess likes to step on fallen acorns when SHE runs.) She likes to dream about living on a houseboat in Amsterdam one day, but for now you can find her in Atlanta, Georgia, where she spends her days doing freelance illustration and surface pattern design, running her etsy shop, blogging in two places (Treasuring and Pecannoot) and painting up a pink cloudy storm!
Our Magic Dance with the Universe:
Guest Post by Silky Hart
September 10th, 2009, 11 Comments
There are tried and true elixirs that always work their magic on me. When my vibration sinks, I’ll watch the “Where the Hell Is Matt” video and dance right along with Matt and the folks from around our planet. Within minutes, I begin to breathe in my connection to All That Is, and I truly feel inspired.
As many times as I’ve seen Paul Taylor’s dance masterpiece, “Esplanade,” his breathtaking artistry never ceases to make my eyes swell up with joyful tears. The blissful, energetic everyday movements which are accompanied by Bach’s gorgeous Double Violin Concerto make my heart leap.
I’ve always loved Renoir’s painting, “The Luncheon of the Boating Party.” The dreamy way everyone seems to be enjoying food, drink, each other and life makes my heart sing. When I was in my 20s and living in Manhattan, one day I was walking around on my lunch hour and happened to stumble into an exhibit that featured this painting. It was the first time I had seen it in person. I had no idea it was so BIG! I confess I wept big ole tears.
And speaking of Manhattan, I used to live on the Upper West Side by Central Park. No matter what frame of mind I was in, I knew if I meandered through this glorious park soaking up the vibrant energy, I felt uplifted. I also had my secret nooks and crannies where I’ve written hundreds of journal pages. So, whenever I see a photo or I’m just there, I feel connected to the best part of myself and that’s inspiring.
I’ll share one more of my inspirational touchstones. I love Audrey Hepburn. Her precious, authentic essence is one of the reasons I think she is such an enduring and endearing icon. I’m in awe of both her artistic talents as an actress and her extraordinary humanitarian accomplishments. She also loved to dance and had early dreams of being a dancer.
Well, I’m sure you’ve experienced how clever the Universe can be. When I’m in need of a little inspirational lift, Audrey will show up. I swear it! For instance, I’ll be walking by a store window, and there will be a poster from “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” The number of times this has happened over the years is uncanny. I even confessed this to my husband, Tom. And now, he has experienced this, too. I personally think it is a wink and a nod from the Universe. Somehow, someway there will be Audrey reminding me of who I really am.
What is so much fun about these Audrey occurrences is that they are a surprise. I never know when she is going to appear. I find it inspiring to be delighted by something that is out of the blue.
From my own experience, I’ve learned the value of keeping inspirational touchstones close by as well as being open to new sources of inspiration.
I’ve also discovered the importance of the unexpected. We’ve all experienced the thrill of a new culture in a new land. We’ve all tried something new, and to our delight, discover we loved it. What is inspirational about being pleasantly surprised is that we are reminded that the sky is the limit. There is no end to splendid experiences when you are open to it.
All in all, I think these inspirational gifts are us co-creating with the Universe. We are connecting to our truest, creative essence. And, from that place of alignment, we are our own best source of inspiration. When we connect in this way, we twirl around in our own inspirational vortex on the dance floor of the Universe.
So, in the immortal words of Eliza Doolittle:
I could have danced all night! I could have danced all night! And still have begged for more. I could have spread my wings And done a thousand things I've never done before. I'll never know What made it so exciting; Why all at once My heart took flight.
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Silky Hart is an expressive arts goddess who relishes in empowering and inspiring people to realize their creative dreams. For more than 15 years, Silky has passionately led workshops, classes and retreats in creative expression. She has also led expressive arts sessions in a wide variety of settings including psychiatric hospitals, schools, shelters, treatment centers and healthcare facilities. Silky is a Certified Expressive Arts Therapist with a BFA in Modern Dance and an MBA in International Business. Next April, she is co-leading a yoga and expressive arts retreat to Costa Rica. Recently, she started a blog called Expressive Hart. Silky believes in the transformative power of the arts and creative expression to restore, expand and transform physical, emotional and spritual well-being. She lives with her husband, three cats and dog in the historical section of McKinney, Texas.
Guest Post by Silky Hart
House Update
September 9th, 2009, 7 Comments
So the move is coming along and things are a bit hectic, but at the same time, very exciting. Most days last week, I was at the new house to meet contractors and delivery folks who often give 4 hour windows of time in which they might arrive. This meant I was spending a lot of time in an empty house, which was kind of fun and kind of odd.
When I wasn't working with someone in the house, or hanging temporary paper curtains on the windows, I spent much of the time sitting in an empty room on a lawn chair with my laptop and a tv tray. Over the weekend we got a larger fish tank to put our clown fish in, so now I can sit and look at the purty tank.
Ok, so, paper shades, people...who knew? Not me, apparently. For those who have not been introduced, there are these temporary paper shades out there for people like me with lots of windows and no curtains to put on them, who need something temporary besides sheets to get some privacy.
When I walked into a curtain store and said, "I've got a lot of windows and I'm overwhelmed!" The kindly older window shop owner said, "Focus on a few rooms at a time and here, take a few of these paper shades for your bedroom and bathrooms."
Paper shades? Hallelujah!
I then went out and got a bunch more and started hanging them up. And, seriously, they're so cute that I may just take my time properly covering the windows...until the cats realize they're made of paper and rip them to shreds. Hehe.
Speaking of kitties, Sadie had her little lump removed and is recovering nicely. She's been super snuggly with me and her pal, Emma. (That's Sadie in the back and Emma in front. You can see a corner of Sadie's shaved belly sticking out. She's got quite the stylish haircut at the moment.) We don't have the lab results yet, but I'm hopeful about it all.
I was planning to sit down and write a post about inspiration and synchronicity, but clearly I was wanting to share a house/kitty update more, so I'll get to that other post shortly. In the meantime, I hope you've been enjoying the amazing guest posts! I know I have! It makes me all giddy actually to be sharing these different perspectives on the topic of inspiration here. I hope the posts are inspiring you as much as they are me! I've got many more to share with you to keep you inspired throughout the month, so keep checking in!
p.s. I was on Connie's fabulous blog talk radio show, Creative Juicy Life with my friend and Creative Play workshop co-leader, Jennifer Lee, on Sunday and you can listen to the recording right here.
And if you're in the Boston area, we'd love to see you at the Creative Play Workshop on Saturday, September 19th! You can get all the details and sign up here.
Digging for Inspiration: A Guest Post by Connie Hozvicka, Dirty Footprints Studio
September 8th, 2009, 12 Comments
The best way to have a constant stream of inspiration is to look at your life like an Archaeologist. If you fall short on ideas to attack the next canvas with, or the paper in your art journal looks daunting...start digging through your own life for inspiration.
What gets you jazzed?
It could be something as simple as a combination of colors you saw when you were window shopping at the mall--to something as deep as your ancestry, your culture, your home, your own personal history. But, if for some reason, all the Creative Juiciness of your own life fails your imagination...I say really become an Archaeologist and start digging through other people’s junk!!!
At least once a month I treat myself with an Artist date to the thrift store. I bring my camera, $20 bucks, and a complete openess that anything could happen!
What I find is always a surprise. Like seriously, as fabulous as those panties are--would you wear used panties?!?! Especially hot pink ruffled ones!! Who knows where those frills have been?!?! But this photo alone is enough juiciness for creativity!! Think of the stories you could write...the fun you could have in the Art Journal...the risky business you could create with a painting inspired by that photo above!!
Do you get what I’m digging at? Inspiration is everywhere...especially hidden in other people’s junk! Even the unmentionables!
I get lost in the patterns I find at Thrift Stores. Look at this photo!!! I couldn’t take my eyes off the mesmerizing repetition those television screens created. If you go deeper..think of the metaphors of that many rejected televisions sitting there...still working...but not as pretty and slender as those new flat screens that are all the rave! Next thing you know you’re making a statement about society..about women’s issues...about your own life possibly--all found in a pile of lonely tvs! That’s Art babey!! Forget waiting for inspiration to hit you...instead it’s waiting for you to come visit!!
I love the bold, the tacky, the kitsch, that lives at thrift stores. I was obsessed with these boots...that could only fit a 12 year old pageant tween, but still, I love how they sat there all snuggled between coffee cups!! What a weird and wonderful world a thrift store can be! A perfect breeding ground for inspiration.
Last, you never know who you could run into at a thrift store!! Recently I met a gorgeous couple at my local Goodwill that looked like they walked straight out of Venice Beach from the 1960’s!! Plus, chilling in a basket inside their shopping cart was their furry bunny child Ruby!! How Creative Juicy is that?!!?
So the next time you’re whining about a lack of inspiration...hit a garage sale or cruise a local thrift store!!! But don’t go looking for bargains...instead, think of yourself as an Archaeologist...one that digs through the unloved, unwanted, discarded parts of this world..and excavates beauty, inspiration, and pure Creative Juicy fun!! Plus, you might get lucky and find a pair of hot pink cowboy boots in your size!
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Connie Hozvicka is passionate about creativity and has spent the last fifteen years inspiring others to dive deeper into their own creative juices. She has a BA in both Painting and Art History, and is a licensed Art Educator, with a vast experience of nurturing Artists of all skill levels, abilities, and backgrounds. Her own Art work has been exhibited in galleries nationally, published in various publications, and collected internationally. Connie shares her Creative Juicy Life on her blog DirtyFootprints-Studio.com, hosts an internet radio show on everything Creative and Juicy called Creative Juicy Life, teaches Art full-time in a public K-8 school, paints like a mad-chica every second she can, and joyfully soaks in the sun in Phoenix, Arizona. You can join her for some inspirational digging as well, at the upcoming Creative Dig Workshop in Cleveland, Ohio on Saturday, September 26th.
Creative Every Day Challenge Check-In: September 7th-13th
September 7th, 2009, 19 Comments
This weekly post is a place for CED participants to share their creative activities.
Ways to share: Leave a comment on this post and/or use the "Mr. Linky" widget below to link to a post (or posts) about your creative activities during the days of 9/7/09 - 9/13/09.
The widget below is an optional method of sharing your creativity that makes it easier for others to check out what you're up to. You can use it to link to a blog post (or posts) during the week listed. Or if you have a bunch of posts and don't want to link to all of them, you can link to your main blog page once. Do it in a way that makes sense and is fun for you! (If you're reading this in a RSS reader or email subscription, you will not see the "Mr. Linky widget", so click on over to the blog to use it.)
You can also take advantage of the great CED flickr group to post your images and see what others are up to.
Join in the Challenge: To find out more about the Creative Every Day Challenge check out the details here.
If you want to sign up to be a part of the challenge, leave a comment on this post or email me to let me know. When you contact me, please let me know how you'd like to be listed in the list of participants, which resides in the right sidebar (I can list you as your name or as a link to a blog if you have one. A blog is not required to participate!) Please email or comment to let me know you're participating before you start posting links in the comments or on the "Mr. Linky" widget.
Theme: The (totally optional) theme for September is inspiration. I'll be posting about the theme throughout the month. You can find out more about how you can use the inspiration theme here.
Happy Creating!
A creative train of thought is set off by: the unexpected, the unknown, the accidental, the disorderly, the absurd, the impossible. ~Asger Jorn
What Inspires Me: A Guest Post by Goddess Leonie
September 4th, 2009, 16 Comments
I am slowly learning
not to look to others
for inspiration
but to find it instead
in the way the wind blows against my face
and how the earth feels beneath me when I walk it
and how my guides reveal themselves to me, wrapping me in their horse-scented
love.
Inspiration is how life looks and feels when Iʼm not worrying about
how I should change, or it should change...
and instead just trusting that who and where I am is just perfect.
Inspiration is my path,
with its luscious valleys and heart-opening mountains,
with the gentle weave of a river
bringing new blessings and lessons in my life.
And the truest inspiration of mine:
is discovering the Goddess inside me:
her story, her wisdom, her joy, her creativity,
that needs and wants to be shared.
___
Goddess Leonie is a Goddess Guide who helps women discover the wise, creative, joyful
Goddess inside them through art, e-courses & coaching. She lives in the alpine mountains
of Canberra, Australia in a rose-hewn cottage with her love Chris & their two hilarious puppies.
Visit her blog + website is www.goddessguidebook.com for more goddess joys + inspiration.
Check out her Goddess School to discover the spirited and creative e-courses she runs for women.
What’s Inspiring You Lately?
September 3rd, 2009, 15 Comments
Yes, I'm curious. What's inspiring you at the moment? Are there any books or tunes or artists that are lighting your inner fire?
I'm constantly adding to the list of what juices me up and I plan on sharing some of those things throughout the month. I'm super excited about and inspired by the wonderful guest posters who will be sharing stories of inspiration here throughout the month. Jen's post yesterday was fabulous!
I've had a fairly quiet day today for the first time in a solid week and so I thought it'd be a great moment to share a few things that are inspiring me and ask you about your current inspiration!
Nature: I'm feeling inspired by and grateful for the gorgeous weather. I took a walk down to a nearby river where I ate my lunch and wrote for an hour. It was lovely. I'm always inspired by sitting in nature and near moving water.
Books: I'm currently reading: The Wishing Year: A House, A Man, My Soul A Memoir of Fulfilled Desire by Noelle Oxenhandler and absolutely loving it.
Music: Somehow I missed out on the music of Arcade Fire, but the song "Wake Up" in the trailer of Where the Wild Things Are (also very inspiring, check it out below) was haunting me, so I got the album the song came from and I'm thoroughly enjoying it.
Inspiration Journal: I keep a nifty inspiration journal by my bed. It's one of those thick, red, canvas-covered, blank journals you can get in book stores. I keep it to do very light, low-pressure, playful collages and doodles in whenever I feel like it. It's fun sometimes to tear through catalogs and magazines, ripping out images of whatever catches my eye. I glue them in in a pleasing fashion and sometimes write words alongside them. Looking back through it today, it felt like I had been writing a visual love letter to our first home. Sadie helped me flip to this page today. I like all the muted colors and textures here.
Interview: I loved this video interview of Dirty Footprints Studio's Connie on Darrah's blog, artcetera. Connie is too cute! I loved when she said, searching for your artistic voice is like searching for your own nose, it's already there, you don't need to find it!! Ok, she said it better than that, so go over and listen for yourself. And if you'd like to hear more of Connie (and me!), tune into Connie's blogtalk radio show this Sunday, September 6th at 6pm EST when she'll be interviewing Jennifer Lee and I about our Creative Play workshop in Boston this month and lots of ways to add creative play to your everyday life. You can even call in and say hello!
Writing: I love Eileen's writing. This post about the times between our creative pushing and the meanings behind our obsession with Buffy (or whatever it is you're obsessed with) is saying about you, is a great example!
Podcasts: I love to listen to podcasts, so I'm super excited that the fabulous Jamie Ridler has started her own all about creative living! Check out her very first podcast here.
And the list could go on and on and on...But for now, I bid you adieu.
p.s. Please send some good kitty vibes to my kitty Sadie who is having an itty bitty lump removed tomorrow. Thank you!!
Finding a balance between push and release
Guest Post by Jennifer Hofmann, Inspired Home Office
September 2nd, 2009, 14 Comments
In order to drive a nail into a board, there's the obvious downswing that pushes in the nail. Equally important is the back swing in which you prepare for the next push.
If you're driving a car, pressing the accelerator is only half of the "getting there" equation. You also have to decelerate at the appropriate time, or your car will be in a world of hurt.
To accomplish just about anything, what's needed is a balance between push and release.
Like most of the creative people I know, I have a frustrating tendency to focus on the push. In fact, as I write this, I'm in the process of trying to convince myself that I don't want release at all (even though I need it). Instead, I should actually be pushing harder. Frustrating.
Push is not a resting state
When you're in a period of intense creating, you lose the ability to contrast it with your resting state. The creative state begins to feel like normal, the baseline, when it isn't.
The trouble is, that pushing harder and forcing work out of ourselves turns off the creative flow. Inspiration goes from a gushing torrent - to a trickle - to a dry river bed.
Pausing is vital to the creative process. Taking a break, releasing the pressure, is what fills us back up again. Once we're replenished, you can create again without struggle.
But it's hard.
If you live in the States, you're probably unaware of how much drive is a part of our culture. Productivity. Proving our worth. It's a silent message, but ingrained and ever-present.
Because of this, slowing down to replenish is counter-culture. Pausing is like swimming against a powerful stream. I often find myself feeling guilty and apologizing for taking time to nourish my spirit. Sometimes I just ignore my need to stop because it's so hard to claim it.
Lately, I've been on an earnest search to discover what replenishes me. Recently, I was surprised to find that I was trying to concoct an "inspiration pill" which would allow me to quickly find my center and begin working again.
It's laughable, isn't it? Hurry up and slow down! In truth, pausing takes as long as it needs to and, by nature, can't be hurried.
What I do to find inspiration
Interestingly, the word "inspire" means to breathe in. So oxygen is a good start. I also like to breathe in quiet - whether that comes from actual silence or my noise-canceling headphones. Removing sound helps me hear the important messages that come from inside.
In my heart of hearts, the thing that nourishes me most is singing old hymns from my days as a music minister. It's been years since I sang at Mass on Sundays, but I get out my guitar and a big binder of sheet music and play until my fingertips are throbbing.
Something about the lyrics reminds me that I'm just a tiny star in the human constellation... and this is a good thing. These hymns remind me that it's God/Universe who's making the stars turn, not me. That it's safe to let go and trust. I don't have to control everything (even though my ego wants to).
After a session like this, I have happy tears and a deep feeling of release. Suddenly there's room in my life again for all the things I love. Things come back into balance again.
It took me a long time to figure out that this is what works for me. And it will probably take the rest of my life to find ways to not resist doing it. I'm okay with that. Like everything in life, it's a process, not a destination.
What works for you? How do you pause and replenish?
Bio: Jennifer Hofmann was not born organized. In fact, her creativity and ADD meant she started projects she never finished, was surrounded by clutter, and struggled to keep up with everyday tasks. Today, Jennifer still isn't the poster child for House Beautiful, but she understands people who struggle with clutter and overwhelm and offers unique solutions that help small businesses grow and thrive.
If you've tried to get organized in the past and failed, you're not alone. Jennifer's approach helps small business owners discover their natural strengths and how to integrate them so that organizing becomes easy and enjoyable. Based in Salem, Oregon, Jennifer teaches teleclasses and coaches entrepreneurs – please visit her at www.inspiredhomeoffice.com.
Guest Post by Jennifer Hofmann, Inspired Home Office
Creative Every Day Challenge: August 31 – September 6
August 31st, 2009, 18 Comments
This weekly post is a place for CED participants to share their creative activities.
Ways to share: Leave a comment on this post and/or use the "Mr. Linky" widget below to link to a post (or posts) about your creative activities during the days of 8/31/09 - 9/6/09.
The widget below is an optional method of sharing your creativity that makes it easier for others to check out what you're up to. You can use it to link to a blog post (or posts) during the week listed. Or if you have a bunch of posts and don't want to link to all of them, you can link to your main blog page once. Do it in a way that makes sense and is fun for you! (If you're reading this in a RSS reader or email subscription, you will not see the "Mr. Linky widget", so click on over to the blog to use it.)
You can also take advantage of the great CED flickr group to post your images and see what others are up to.
Join in the Challenge: To find out more about the Creative Every Day Challenge check out the details here.
If you want to sign up to be a part of the challenge, leave a comment on this post or email me to let me know. When you contact me, please let me know how you'd like to be listed in the list of participants, which resides in the right sidebar (I can list you as your name or as a link to a blog if you have one. A blog is not required to participate!) Please email or comment to let me know you're participating before you start posting links in the comments or on the "Mr. Linky" widget.
Theme: The (totally optional) theme for August is move and for September it's inspiration. I'll be posting about the theme throughout the month. You can find out more about how you can use the move theme here and the inspiration theme here.
Happy Creating!
Everyone who's ever taken a shower has an idea. It's the person who gets out of the shower, dries off and does something about it who makes the difference. -Nolan Bushnell
Wishing Well – Setting Your Wishes in Motion
August 30th, 2009, 17 Comments
dandelion wishes
I grew up in a house on the edge of a State forest, so there were no big city lights around to dull the sky. When you went outside at night and looked up, you'd be overwhelmed by stars. As a little girl, I used to wish on stars out the living room window. I remember wishing to win the lottery a lot, which looking back now, seems silly. I mean, how many little girls do you know buy lottery tickets? I didn't even have a grandmother who gave out scratch tickets and my parents never played the lottery either, so the choice of a wish there was a little odd.
I think when I wished to win the lottery, what I was wishing for was lots of money, so that I could then go out and get for myself all the things I wanted, like the mini motorized car that I circled and starred and dog-eared in the Sears Christmas catalog every year.
In my teen years, we got an incredibly sweet, buff-colored cocker spaniel named, Sable. It was my job to take her out every morning, around 5:30 am, and last thing before I went to bed, around 9 pm. Growing up in New England, it was usually frigidly cold at both those times of day and I'd often dance around the grass to stay warm while Sable sniffed out the perfect spot. One night, I looked up a the light-bright sky and made a wish on the first star I saw. It became a habit, something I'd do every night when I took Sable out. I'd look up into the sky, focus on the first star I saw, and whisper, "Star light, Star bright, First star I see tonight, I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight." And then I'd wish...
By then I'd realized the folly of wishing to win the lottery that I didn't play. I'd moved beyond wishing for the "how" and moved into wishing for the "what." I wished for that certain boy to notice me and ask me out, to get a part in the play, to travel abroad, to do well on the SAT's, to get into the college I applied to, etc... I made my wish with all my heart and then just as quickly, I'd let it go, mainly because by then the dog and I would be quite numb and ready to get out of the cold. Amazingly, this time around, an astounding amount of my wishes came true and in record speed.
by the light of the silvery moon
I've always had an interesting (and seemingly contradictory) balance of the "practical/cynical" and the "anything is possible" going on in my head. I'm not sure why this is, but it's there. I picture it like I'm holding a balloon that sometimes has my feet lifting lightly off the ground, but never strays too far. I can't see completely delving into either side. Both feel necessary to me. I appreciate the logical side while being fascinated by possibility, magic, and synchronicity.
In my 20's I was introduced to The Artist's Way in which Julia Cameron talks about her "God Jar," a place to tuck wishes and worries that you simultaneously put out there and let go of. I made my own out of an old spagetti sauce jar that I painted with dancing figures. Every couple years I check all the little folded pieces of paper inside to see what has come true and what I might like to add. About once a year, I also have a practice of writing about my ideal day. In both cases, I'm amazed by how these practices have worked for me. I think I hold them lightly in a, "well, it can't hurt" kind of way.
Thinking about it now though, I realize that I clearly do believe in the power of wishing. I've developed a regular practice of making mixed-media vision boards with the full moons along with Jamie Ridler's dreamboard group, I often take advantage of Havi's personal ad posts, I used Jennifer Lee's "Unfolding Your Life Vision Kit", and I'm taking Jen and Andrea's Mondo Beyondo course right now.
With the month of move coming to a close, I've been thinking about how making a wish is a way of setting things in motion. Even if you can't always see the movement happening, just putting it out there may be aligning the stars in ways that we can't understand. There's also something quiet brave about speaking your wishes out loud. Wishing is a vulnerable act. It's often why we whisper our wishes to the stars or don't tell anyone what we wished for after blowing out our birthday candles. It's not just that we're risking them not coming true, we also risk being disappointed, we risk failure, we risk feeling unfulfilled. But in the wishing we gain a sense of empowerment and sense of valuing ourselves.
Taking the Mondo Beyondo class has inspired me to reexamine my own big wishes, to grow some of them larger and to wonder about how much I really want some of the things I thought I did. Some of my newer wishes include owning a home in Maui and teaching at a retreat in Costa Rica. Some wishes are ones I've had a long time, like publishing a book about creativity and writing/illustrating a children's book. Some are still too young and tender to share quite yet. But just writing them down, it feels like I've taken some great big, bold leaps forward.
Do you dare to wish for big things? What are the ways you put your wishes into the world? What wild things might you set in motion by expressing your deepest longings?
