Thank you Jamie Ridler for starting this awesome experience and creative community!
I just got my book: 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women - yippee!! Went for a frosty trek to the postal outlet with snowsuit-stuffed little baby strapped on to my chest, through the muck and ice and snow, to begin my creative awakening of 2009!!
And now to begin....to acknowledge where I am creatively at this magical moment in time.
Let me begin with my perpetual place of being.
My personal mission in life:
TO INSPIRE AND TO BE INSPIRED.
Thank you to the other phenomenal women of this community who are providing that fantastical inspiration!
And where I am, now, January 10, 2009: I AM A MOTHER.
This is a bold new creative adventure for me. Having been diagnosed as hormonally imbalanced and concerned about infertility for several years, this has been a mighty miracle in my life. An unexpected, overwhelming blessing where the rewards just swirl and multiply around each other like a giddy tornado of creation, rather than destruction. I actually feel most creatively alive now than I ever did in my independent, single professional artist life. Connecting with some new age thinking, I got into Christine Northrup's books before the pregnancy and wondered why I was creatively stifled in my life....was it the physically demanding work and intense hours? Was it my upbringing, my parents' divorce, my mother's battle with stress? Was it my procrastination? Was it my enthusiasm for beginning a project but rarely following through? Was it my love of the outdoors and not wanting to 'waste' a minute of sunshine and frolic? And then, voila! My little Elliott came along. And I foresee many more 'births' in the months to come.....
I AM A FREE SPIRIT.
Creativity is freedom. When I am free...from too many obligations, from fear, from excuses, from demands, from criticism, from limitations...I am creative. When I am traveling, I am creative. When I am lying in my bed and cannot fall asleep over all the enthusiastic visions I see, I am creative. When I am performing, I am creative. When I am looking out the window of the bus to the vast canvas beyond, I am relaxed. I am creative. But also, when I am disciplined, I am creative. When I stick to my routines, and my yoga classes, and dance classes, and writing regularly, and honour my commitments, I am also creative. When I have too much time on my hands, I become withdrawn, lazy. I need a the juices to keep flowing; I need to stay connected.
I AM A CREATIVITY JUNKIE.
I am addicted to creative pursuits. I love SARK. I am excellent at developing ideas, but I need to stay focused, I need to master my procrastination. I have many projects 'on the go'.
Creative projects I would like to accomplish are:
- scrapbook/artsy journal of my pregnancy & of Elliott's 1st year (buy scrapbook, go on snapfish & compile photos, buy decadent paper, glue, collect quotes, tokens of memories, etc)
- learn to create a photojournal
- publish my adapted Shakespeare plays for kids (write to friend for info, ask another friend for illustrations, write summaries of plays, go to bookstore & look for publishers, contact shakespeare for kids groups)
- collect quotes for my treasure box of inspiration
- organize and compile all of my poetry into one beautifully unique and vibrant book
- take NIA classes
- collaborate with my sister (the illustrator) to manifest the story written for Elliott; take a class for writing children's literature in the next few years
- become more involved with youth, teaching, mentoring and developing theatre projects as an arts educator/creative spirit
- collaborate with my life partner to build a puppet theatre company for young children
- travel the globe and observe, listen, explore, experience, learn and write, write, write
- meet with other moms to discuss and explore the creative journey of parenting (put 'mom' on my blog and look for others, go to yummy mummy or other mom websites)
- sing more in the shower
- dance every morning
- write more letters/send more pictures to my foster child in Brazil
- learn to bake
- be a fairy godmother
- find a magical escape to keep dreaming and visioning
- embrace every moment with humour and grace
This is where I am. My intentions are all sitting on the table waiting to be devoured. Let's eat!
I don't know which is more delightful ~ your headdress or your whimsical to-do list. I can't wait to see what else you cook up to eat.
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazingly brilliantly FUN photo! What an enchanting list! I'm hungry! :)
ReplyDeleteI love your to do list. I AM a fairy godmother. My fairy god daughter is now in her 40's and she still calls me her fairy godmother. It always brings a smile to our faces, a twinkle to our eyes, and a surprise to other people! They wonder what in the world we are talking about. MAGIC! A wonderful thing.
ReplyDeleteHappy journey to you!
the energy in this post (and picture!) is amazing! you go girl!!
ReplyDeleteWhat awesome, exuberant energy and glorious creative projects! I'll look forward to watching them come alive!
ReplyDeleteI'm not teaching Nia this year or I would so get you to come to my class :)
What an amazing collection of goals!I can't wait to see what sort of magic you conjure! This is going to be an exciting journey. :)
ReplyDeleteMuch Joy, Many Blissings~*
Molly
That you count motherhood as a creative adventure is wonderful...how blessed is your little Elliot that you feel this way!
ReplyDeleteAwesome photo, awesome list! So much joy and energy, I love it.
ReplyDeleteHi Britt,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comments and the Fairy dust :). We do share many goals! How wonderful to find someone with such vibrant energy. Your list is fun, fun, fun. AND you like Nia!
Hugs,
Janet
I just LOVE your pic! SO energetic, and beautifully creative! Thank you so much for your beautiful message on my blog.
ReplyDeleteI have Christine Northrup's book and I adore SARK! I think I'll opening up Christine's book again thanks to your mention of her :)
The way I created my Home a Sanctuary was actually a process. It started with me deciding that I wanted to Seasonally (and for each Holiday) decorate my place, inside and out. It started with a small garden in front, then a shade garden in back. I went to the dollar store one day (before Halloween) and that was the first time I bought figurines, and all kinds of Halloween and Winter themed decorations. Every year after that I would add.
Also, I would light candles, light some incense here and there, sometimes we would have Dinner *picnics* in the living room :) I then decided to redecorate the kids' rooms and the kitchen, ALL having a specific them; example, my son loved wolves so I used a border in his room coupled with sand colored paint with accents of blue. My daughters was safari with lots of calming green. The kitchen butterflies for transformation, the living room was decorated toward balance and stability.
I actually got a lot of my ideas from the book called *Home Sanctuary* by Nicole Marcelis I treated my apartment as if it was a home. All our friends at the time (I'm divorced now) would always ask, *Don't you want your own home?* My answer always was the same, *I have my own Home*
Of course I would like to buy a HOUSE, but a *Home* is what we make of it!
So sorry for the very long post but I hope that has helped a little bit. I just took a little of this and that coupled it with each personality and used color, scent, touch, taste and sound to create a Home Sanctuary. I was very purposeful and intentional! My kids remember a lot of the good things more than the *bad* things! I love knowing that!