Holiday Inspiration

This week is going to be filled with traveling back and forth to northern Illinois. I don't mind that because all the trips are visits to family for the holidays. Now that I am officially off on vacation the next week and a half, I am starting to feel more inspired, and it also helped that I got over my fear of using my sewing machine again. I have not used it since about this time last year, but it felt good and very familiar when I got to sewing some gifts for friends. I am also sewing pet pillows and toys this year. I did that last year, and it worked out really good; the cats are still playing with the catnip toys I made them, and this year's batch of cat toys will be more potent because we grew our own catnip this year.

I am so thankful for the time off from my "day job". Although work slowed down, I desperately needed a break. It is good, very good to have this time around the holidays. I am long overdue with seeing my sister and her family and I am excited about seeing Lynn's side of the family also. It is always good to reconnect with those you love.

Too Much in the Details?

Lynn and I were talking tonight about a recent print she picked up to be framed and hung in our dining room. A comment was made that it would be my job to cut the picture down to size and frame it because I am so detailed when I do things. I really never thought of myself as being detail oriented, or at least I have not accepted that in my nature for the most part. I think this stems from the creative drive and thinking that to be creative, I also need to have a free spirit all the time. The more I think about that, the more I realize that being detailed has its place in the artistic world and in my creative world in particular. When I create, I like to be detailed. That may be why I like to do bead work and embellish items.

In the broader scope of the creative world, being detailed really is the nature of a lot of great artists. For instance, Georges Seurat's "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte". It is one of my favorite impressionist pieces. The whole very large painting is made up of dots of paint. It took him two years to do. It truly is a masterpiece of patience and persistence.

Listening to Your Muse

When I am still or have time to myself to just "think" it always seems to be about art and creating art. I usually think about the process of creating a piece, the concept of something I want to design, and what I want the message to be. I find this to be for the most part a blessing, because it entertains me and inspires me. It is nice to think and daydream about the creative process. Where there may be a problem is if all the daydreaming and thinking about the process does not ever lead to anything.

Life lesson for today:

"Listen to your inner muses. Great thoughts should lead many times to great actions. In-action is your enemy."

In-action is your enemy in the sense that if you have some awesome creative stuff running through your mind, and it never comes to fruition, it is a shame. One's creative voice should not be suppressed. All of us have a right to be creative. Embrace it.

Free Resource to My Readers

A Free Creativity Resource courtesy of Artella:

Download a FREE copy of the Artella eBook, ExerSIGHS: A Self-Esteem Workbook for Writers and Artists, filled with guided exercises and inspiration to boost your self-esteem effectively and immediately, triggering momentum for your next creative project, and breaking down blocks FOR GOOD.

Download your copy here

From the Heart

I have been doing a lot of thinking about the goodness in people lately, and I was talking to one of my friends about one of the most heartfelt gifts I received in my life. It is a simple plaque that was given to me by my godson, Sam, about 8 years ago. It basically states that it does not matter what car you drive, the house you own, or how much money you have, what matters is that you were in the life of a child. He was about 7 or so when he picked that gift out for me for one of my Birthdays. When he gave it to me, I was so taken aback all I could do was hug him tightly and cry.

So my point is, that small gift has meant so much to me over the years, that other more expensive gifts I have received pale in comparison to the how heartfelt that one was. The plaque has a place of honor in my home office where I see it everyday as I leave the room.

This leads to this posting's life lesson:
"Your social status or monetary wealth are not who you are personally. Both status and wealth can go away in the blink of an eye. Our inner strength and character are true measures of what makes us who we are."

No matter how much money you have or don't have does not define you as a person. I have gotten to know many truly amazing people in my life, and I don't look at their social status or wealth, what I look at is how they "are" deep in their hearts. I find that those that come from a genuine place are those people I want and need to be around.

The Holiday Spirit

So this year's holiday season kicked off quite well. Lynn's parents and my brother and his family all came to Thanksgiving. Note to anyone who EVER considers rotisserie-ing a duck on the grill... DON'T DO IT! 700 degrees later we had a very charred bird (that greasy, fatty, little duck...) ! But, we did have a smashing success with the Turkey. I followed the "Good Eats" Recipe, it was great! Everyone was in great spirits and the dinner went quite well. I was so glad we had the time together.

For Christmas this year, Lynn has to work that day. Unfortunately, she works in the telecommunications tech support industry and she is one of the low persons on the totem pole. But, thankfully she gets off work at 3:30 that day, so we will be able to have a nice dinner that evening. Neither of us are too upset about her having to work, other than (hopefully) having to schedule another day to get together with her family. We put it in the perspective that Christmas is more than just ONE day, it really has to do with the whole season. The tree is up, the house is decorated for the most part, and we have been watching a ton of holiday movies. We are in the holiday spirit.

This coming Saturday there will be a lighted parade on the square. We only live about 5 blocks away, so I plan to walk up town and meet Lynn after she gets off work for the parade. We are really looking forward to it, and I hope to get some good pictures.

Treating Others With Respect

The 2008 presidential elections made my passions flare. I did not agree with the opinions of the Republican party on most, if not all, of their political stances. I became very passionate about defending my opinions to a fault. Lynn had to reel me in quite a few times and remind me that even though other's opinions may vary or be drastically different than ours, we have to allow them to have an opinion and treat them with respect.

It goes back to the golden rule, which really spans most major religions. That is why I think one of the life lessons that I wrote has to do with respecting others:

"Treat others with kindness and respect. All of us have value and worth, even those that have differing opinions or are from different backgrounds. "

I learned on Saturday that it is very similar to one of "Eight Verses of Thougt Transformation" -- the verse is: "Determined to obtain the greatest possible benefit for all sentient beings, who are more precious than a wish-fullfilling jewel, I shall hold them most dear at all times" (Composed by Langri Tangpa Dorje Senghe). You will see in later postings that this verse also applies to some of the other 21 life lessons. I wrote the lesson a couple months ago, well before I knew anything about the 8 verses.

I think treating other's with respect / the golden rule is one of the core concepts to the meaning of life for most of us. I know for me, it is very important, but is a struggle when it is someone who has a different opinion than my own. I need to keep it as something I am cognizant of and practice to the best of my ability.

In the art or creative world the concept of respect also applies. When I was in high school, I had a friend whose mother was taking photography classes. Her class term paper about a famous photographer was on Maple Thorpe. Thorpe's work is very controversial, but as a budding artist my friends mother came to respect Thorpe for his innovation. She did not necessarily like any of his work, but she respected him as an artist. This is something in the creative world, we should all keep in mind -- even though we not like someones work, we should respect them for their vision and also getting themselves out there for others to even have an opinion on their works.

Much to learn...

I experienced something this last Saturday that I never did before, I went for a day retreat at a Tibetan Buddhist temple in Madison. The retreat was on mindfulness and meditation, I have MUCH to learn.

First off, sure... I have meditated in the past, but not for a full hour before breakfast, again for an hour after breakfast, and then did walking meditation. I learned that there is much more to Tibetan Buddhist meditation than just quieting ones mind. That is the first stage of learning to meditate. No... there is more... there is meditating on a question or a teaching and trying to figure out what it means to you. I think that is beautiful, but I was no means prepared for the day or that kind of concept. It was intense -- I did not make it through the full day.

After the walking meditation we had an hour of teachings by one of the monks, during that teaching I learned that the topic of the retreat, "The Eight Verses of Thought Transformation" regarding the 8 key attributes that a Bodhisattva embodies or has attained, was considered to be an advanced topic. I was not "there" with my understanding of Buddhist teachings. I did meet some very nice and extremely interesting people during the small group discussion, but I left after lunch. I took in a lot that morning, and I know I have much to learn...

The topic and the day was slightly intimidating, which I think is a little ironic because I have never found anything about Buddhist teachings as intimidating, but my exposure in the past was only what I did through reading or other types of self-discovery. To actually be physically at a temple and with others to learn about teachings is a whole new ball of wax. It was a beautiful experience and I am glad I did it.

Complicating Life

This week has been pretty dreary as far as weather wise in SW WI. I am trying to adapt to shorter days. It is taking me a while to adapt, and I feel really tired most days, but with that said... this week has been rather good overall.

I promised to post my 21 life lessons that I have identified in the work of fiction I am writing about a spiritual journey of 7 individuals. Here is the first lesson I would like to share:

" Life does not have to be complicated. We are the creators of our own complexity through the daily choices we make."

This lesson is really resounding with me this week. In my "day" job, I have been working on a project a couple months now. The project has gone full circle, and the route we originally intended to go with it is back in the scene. The point I want to make with this, is that I "over thought" the whole project from the beginning. I should have kept it simple and straight forward like it was at first. I tend to make things more complicated than what they need to be. The work project showed me that if I would have stuck with the original plan, I would have had better outcome when presenting it to others. My advise -- keep it simple, and listen to your gut -- it will let you know most times if things are going to get too fussy.

In the creative process we can see complexity creep into it where it really should not be. For instance if you want to do a drawing - dive in! Don't stare at the paper and ponder if you are using the right weight or at the pencil that you are using and wonder if it is the right hardness. Sure... the outcome may be slightly different if you used different mediums, but there should be a freedom and fun in creation; we should not let ourselves get caught up in the weeds of complexity.

B&B's

B&B's are a wonderful thing. Lynn and I along with our friends Lynn and Ted all spent this last Saturday night at a B&B. We stayed at Fargo Mansion Inn in Lake Mills, WI. It was a gorgeous old place. The structure was built in the 1800's, and it was decorated in every room with antiques. It felt like we were stepping back into the past to a grand old time.

Going away to a B&B usually helps me reflect on life. I thought a lot about the projects that I have been working on, and some other creative ideas. I think it helps to be somewhere where there is not a TV or a computer readily available. I need more trips like this. Over the last year, I have hardly taken any "real" vacation time. Thankfully, I have a week and 1/2 off around Christmas this year. I have been so busy that I forgot that I even put in for that time until I was checking my time off requests from earlier this year!

I mentioned in the previous post that I will be sharing my life lessons, those are definitely to come, but I will also be sharing with you articles about creativity that I have found and also some inspirational creativity quotes also splashed along the way.

So, for today: we have an article from the jpb.com website: 10 Steps to Boosting Your Creativity.
Enjoy...

Direction

This last weekend was spent at a retreat in Williams Bay, WI. My friend Debby followed her dreams and started her own business instructing NIA dancing and organizing retreats. The retreat was her first that she formally hosted under her new business. I had a fabulous time at the retreat, which I was grateful for because I have been really stressed with work and finishing up school in the last couple months.

The whole week before the retreat I pondered if I should even go, I thought it would be new ground and that I would not hardly know anyone. It was like the anticipation of the first day of school in a new school. I am glad to say I was wrong, I did know almost all the other women that attended the retreat, and I also met a couple new kindred spirits. It was refreshing to be in a space where everyone was free to express themselves and explore new things. Our retreat was centered around a concert on Friday night and a morning workshop on Saturday by Jennifer Berezan. I have been to workshops taught by Jennifer twice before, and she is always phenomenal.

The weekend helped inspire me to get a bit more serious about the writing I have been doing. I have been working on a spiritually themed work of fiction now for a couple years on and off. I think I have a good concept and a good foundation to continue on with developing the story. I feel that I more direction and focus on the project. The center of the work is around seven individuals that are pulled together that all have to learn three life lessons each. So, scattered in future postings I will be sharing the twenty-one life lessons. I think writing about them in the blog will also help me with progress on the project. It is both exciting and scary that I will be putting my "lessons" out there for others to read, but I think it is the right thing to do.

In closing, the photo above was taken at the retreat. I found the weather vane for some reason intriguing. More than anything, I think I was looking for direction that weekend, and this image symbolizes that.

The world of the Rockhound

When I was young, my parents would take us (my 2 brothers, sister, and myself) rockhounding. I still remember that my sister and I would sit in a pup tent and eat lemons with salt. I think the whole salt with lemons is a family thing because I don't know really anyone else that eats lemons or limes that way! (I digressed a little bit... now back to rockhounding...)

I loved it, but I was very, very young, and it was a very longtime before I did it again.

I did not go rockhounding again until my early 20's. Kind of picked up where I left off years earlier with the love of the search. With one of the geode finds, I popped it open during a "geode" cracking party, and inside of the geode was liquid -- proverbial primordial ooze. It was amazing, becuase there was cracks in the rock that would have allowed the liquid to seep in.

Geodes are one of the earth's amazing geological creations. They are literally formed out of gas bubbles that occured millions of years ago in mud and ooze. The bubble solidified, and over millions of years, the crystals inside formed.

I love rockhounding becuase when you find a crystal or a mineral, you are the first person EVER to find it. I think that is amazing... it took millions of years to form, and YOU were the first one to hold it in your hands.

The Secret to Creativity

I watched "The Secret" the other night again. I think I have seen it about four times now, and I find something new in it each time I watch it. I truly believe in the law of attaction. I have seen it work in my own life.

As far as the law of attraction when it comes to creativity, just like anything else ... if you apply the law and believe in the law, I think creative influences are attracted into our lives if we allow them to be, and one is open to receiving.

Unlocking The Creative Mind

I have written several times in the blog about the struggle of being creative. I will be starting a series now regarding how to unlock creativity and the resources that are available to all of us either on the web, in books, or podcasts.

I feel that it is important to share what I have learned over the years and what I continue to learn about when it comes to creativity.

So, here we go... my first resource - a on-line video from the Video Jug folks. This video explains how to improve your creative thinking. Enjoy...

The Struggle

I love art and the creative process, but I struggle with it. I think the reason that I do is that I am scared to share what I can do artistically. Its the most ironic thing to say sometimes becuase I value creativity so much.

So this is what I have decided to do... I have to be creative (outside of blogging, writing, and other "computer stuff") for at least 1/2 hour a day to start out with. I need to get my hands dirty and my mind stimulated. Once I get going, I should be fine. It's just taking that leap into the process with both feet.

I'll post how I am doing on this endeavor... (wish me luck)

The Burning Need to Go To Burning Man

I have a dream or rather a wish. I want to go to Burning Man in the next couple years. According to those I have shared this with, it is right up my ally being the "oobie-joobie" person that I am. I love the idea of Buring Man, and what it stands for. Thankfully I was able to find a group in WI that goes to Burning Man every year. I have hopes that everything will work out where I will be able to fullfill my own wish.

Degree Completion!!

It has been a long, long road to this, but I am finally near the end of taking classes for my Bachelor's degree in IT. One more week left!

So you may ask how can someone that is majoring in IT be so interested in the creative process? Well, the answer is that I see creativity in all facets of life. You have to think creatively in order to build a website or design a program as much as you need to think creatively to write a book or do a painting.

Creativity affects all apects of life.

Quote for the day:

"Creativity is a lot like looking at the world through a kaleidoscope. You look at a set of elements, the same ones everyone else sees, but then reassemble those floating bits and pieces into an enticing new possibility. Effective leaders are able to” ~ Rosabeth Moss Kanter

Drawing Inspiration

It occurs to me that I suffer a good portion of the time with a creative block, and this blog is an avenue to slowly get myself out of that state. I have wanted to start a blog and eventually a podcast for a very long time, but I always seemed to come up with an excuse not to. The culprit behind the excuses? FEAR. When you read about the creative process and those that create in one way or another in their lives, fear is almost always behind the block or delays in creating. What do we have to fear? Well, for me it is getting myself "out there". I have had this in the back of my mind since I was a child that my art or writings may not be good enough to share. But really, I think not only do I possess some type of artisitc talent, but I think all of us do.

So, my goal this week is to at least create one original work whether it is through adding to the fictional story I have been writing on and off now for a year or so, or doing some type of visual piece of artwork. All of us have to "just do" what we want to creatively, and not be afraid of our skills or what others think of our creations.

Satori

So, why the term "Satori" you may ask? This is a word that has had a special meaning to me for a good number of years now. Ever since I read "Way of the Peaceful Warrior" by Dan Millman, the word has stayed with me. How I define satori is really being in the moment or in the zone. I long to have satori consistently in my life, so I think that is why it always comes back to me.

When it comes to creativity, satori fits... be in the moment, be one with your art and the process. That, is the essence of the living a creative life. When I was in high school and college, I always wanted the end result, I did not understand that the process is the most important part of creating. Now, 10-15 years later, I am finally starting to get it. Sure, I slip up sometimes and rush through the good part, but I think a lot of us do that. When we recognize that we are rushing, we need to take a step back and breath.

Sunny Southwest Wisconsin

Welcome to those who are reading my new blog. I come to you from sunny, and beautiful southwest Wisconsin. I just recently moved here at the beginning of the year, and it was the best move I think I have ever made with my family. It is a lot different living in a small town of 10K opposed to where I moved from, Rockford IL, which is about 150K. I feel more at peace with life and myself since the move. This blog, and a future podcast has been a long time coming. It feels really good to take this step.

What is Satori Vibe

Satori Vibe is a new blog dedicated to the creative process whether it is through all the different ways we experience it in our lives, whether it is through our hobbies, passions, or jobs. I truly feel that everyone has a creative spark, it is up to us all to recognize this and learn to embrace it.