Figment 4 ~ And the Oscar goes to...

This week's Figment assignment asked who you would thank if you won an Oscar. Around here the Oscars are quite a big deal. One of my sisters is a film nut, as you can see if you visit Planet Shannon, and generally once the nominations are out (which is tomorrow, by the way), we get to as many as we can as quickly as we can! And a dear friend of our's throws a swanky affair for the night itself, complete with red carpet.

Writing my speech also reminded me of the meaningful experiences I have had in theatre. When I was in grad school studying drama, I sure spent more time exploring the stage than the library. I often say that everything I needed to know I learned from theatre, and I've been meaning to start compiling a list. So today, I'll make a start.

Everything I needed to know, I learned from Theatre

• You can make magic out of nothing.
• A dingy basement can become a sacred space.
• Always smile and connect to people when you meet them.
• Be professional whether or not you're being paid.
• Do what needs to be done.
• Believe in people, and they will share something amazing.
• If it's honest, it's interesting.
• Everything's better if you get to go out for beer afterwards.
• Celebrate everything.
• Be brave.
• Share yourself.
• Challenges and hard work mix well with laughter.
• Everyone wants to be included.
• Dress to the nines!

Time to Be

Ever noticed how your best qualities can sometimes get in your way? One that takes on that role in my life is my tendency to be a "doer." I love to dive in and make things happen. A day doesn't go by when I don't want to have crossed something off my to-do list and taken at least one step towards my hopes and dreams. Mostly I think this is great (which is good because it's kind of hard-wired into my character), but sometimes, ack!

When does being a doer take on a less appealing face? When I've become a person who doesn't relax, who is glued to her datebook and who forgets what it's like to be spontaneous, when things start to blur into "tasks to get done" instead of moments and experiences to savour. This happens to me, well, more often than I'd like.

But yesterday getting a task done turned into a joyful, meandering afternoon. My husband and I decided to take a walk up the street to donate some items that had been cluttering up our den. We packed up some bags and stepped out into the day, fully intending to be back in 30 minutes. It was a gorgeous day (as far as Toronto in January goes) and after dropping off our donation, we decided to extend our walk.

For the next 4 hours we walked around looking at houses (one of my favourite activities) and found ourselves in the Beaches neighbourhood where we explored the shops and stopped for a yummy lunch (far too much french toast for me, mmm!) and then walked back. It was awesome (except for the resulting sore feet). And the best part was just hanging out and chatting while we strolled along, spending time together just being ourselves. I've heard it said that we are human "beings" not human "doings," and yesterday was a good reminder of that.

Don't get me wrong. I won't be giving up "doing." I love and celebrate that part of myself. But I also recognize that sometimes I can work in that mode too often and forget that I've got a range of personality available to me.

I really believe that we've got one job to do while we're here on this earth: to be who we are. And by that I mean all of who we are. So yes, I'm a doer. But I'm also someone who loves spontaneous long walks through cool neighbourhoods and interesting stores with good company, sharing casual but intimate conversation and eating far too much french toast.

More Postcards!

And I am absolutely thrilled to say I've received 2 more postcards! Aren't they wonderful? The one on the the left is from Katie. Thanks, Katie! I love Reggie the puppy! And the one above is from Maria. Thank you, Maria! I just love the colours and the texture!

Receiving these postcards is so fun. I'm loving seeing everyone's creations. I am feeling badly, however, that as a total newb I sent out my postcards without an envelope or covering to protect them. I hope they aren't thrashed by the time people get them! Live and learn!

Postcard Swap

Yay! I have received my very first Happy New Year postcard from the swap I'm participating in. Thank you, Cynthia! And check out the treat I got with it! And it couldn't have come at a nicer time because I'd had a really tough day and one of my cats, Bascha, was having a really tough night. (She's feeling quite a bit better now, phew!)

One thing leads to another...

Today my creative activity was going to Nia class. Nia is a fusion fitness activity that combines dance, martial arts and healing practices like yoga. For me, it is a movement practice that takes care of my body, inspires my creativity and fuels my spirit all at once. I am very lucky to have come across a great teacher, Martha Randall.

Dance was my very first love. It's something I've always done. I remember dancing on a red carpet while my Grandmother played the piano. I remember choreographing numbers for my friends and performing them in my grade 4 class. I remember studying acting and one day a movement teacher came to class; I was in heaven.

Dancing has lead to some of the happiest and luckiest moments of my life. At a time when I didn't know who I was or where I was going, I started going out dancing with one of my sisters. Out on the dance floor, losing myself in movement and music, I remembered what it was like to be alive. I could honestly feel that as my body moved, my spirit was shifting into alignment with what I was meant to do, where I was meant to be. Shortly thereafter, I left a long-term stifling relationship, struck out on my own with no money and no job but with a lot of help from my sister, a great sense of hope and a whirlwind of energy. And before I knew it I looked up on that dance floor one night and met the man of my dreams.

Now Nia is where I do most of my dancing. And one of the extraordinary things I've found is that it has oftened inspired me to paint. I'll be stretching and sweating and reaching for the sky and suddenly I'll have an image in my head that I know I'm going to put on canvas. Today's picture, "Core," is one of those paintings. One of the things I love about art is that exploration in one area can lead to inspiration in another. How can your photography inspire a play? How does that collage suggest a poem?

I can honestly say that dancing has changed my life. And part of my dream is to spread that around. As a theatre director, I have often cast people who thought they couldn't move in movement-based roles so that they could discover something new and wonderful about themselves. This year I took my Nia White Belt and am now a certified instructor. I hope to begin teaching sometime this summer. Also, after seeing how guests go crazy on the dance floor at weddings, I realized that there are people who are aching to dance but who don't want to go to a crowded pick-up joint to do so. So this year I'm hoping to throw a big dance party. I want to book a space, hire a dj and throw an event where people can dance, dance, dance and remember (as I do) what it means to be alive.

And if you're feeling dance call to you right now, I invite you to go find some space in your home, turn on some music, loud and lively, and shake your groove thing! Remember what it's like to feel alive.

Self Portrait Tuesday - Personal History

A week of firsts! This is my first entry into Self Portrait Tuesday. This month's theme is "Personal History." As this picture has become rather iconic in our family, it called out to me to share it. My dad had this on his desk for many, many years. I'm the girl all dressed up in her favourite t-shirt, lol. The little boo on my lap is my youngest sister. The beaming boy there is my brother (Jason, you need a blog too!). And then that's Spooky Suzie looking mischievous on your right.

When we were kids the 4 of us were inseparable. A lot of our favourite memories revolve around going out to blockbuster movies, especially anything sci fi or fantasy (Star Wars all the way). We'd wait in line for hours, but not mind at all. We'd just sit on the floor and pull out some poker dice and play. We also had tons of fun playing Rummoli whenever Dad would pull it out. We just bought ourselves that game this Christmas and had so much fun and laughter playing. My husband thinks the way our family plays games is so crazy. If someone runs out of money in Monopoly, they get slipped some money from the bank. We just want to have fun together. In my husband's family, his Mom trounced him at Risk repeatedly! hehe.

Figment 3 ~ Future Self

This is my 52 Figment submission for this week. The question was "Imagine having a conversation with yourself 20 years from now. What would you want to ask?"

In co-active coaching, we often use the concept of the future self to help clients envision their future. And that process has made me quite familiar with listening to what my future self might want to tell me. But this is the first time that I've considered what I might want to ask. What wisdom would I most like to draw on? What pitfalls would I want to avoid? What regret do I not want to create? My questions were inspired by my desire not to miss out.

I think my future self would tell me that she wishes she'd said no sooner and more decisively to things that drain her energy and that don't fulfill her. She wishes that she'd made her choices with the firm belief that she could make magic out of even the most challenging situations. She wishes she'd said yes to time with her husband, every chance she got. And she wishes she'd always insisted on extreme self-care and committed to herself as an artist. And on top of it all, she's thrilled to have the opportunity to tell me, so that I can make those wishes come true.

Community

I've got community on my mind tonight. It's election night in Canada, and it's been a very dynamic race in our riding. It's the first time my husband and I have voted in this neighbourhood. Going to our all-candidates meeting was a great way to discover who else lives here and what they are concerned about (the environment, same-sex marriage, childcare). And we learned some more about the nearby streets as we got lost on the way to the polling station (lol). And we'll find out what our country's priorities are in a few hours.

I've also officially finished all of my postcards for the postcard exchange. I had so much fun creating them. I'm really excited to be swapping creations with people from all over the States, England, New Zealand, Australia and even Scarborough, Ontario! It's so fun. I really hope that everyone enjoys what I've created, and I can't wait to see what they've done.

And one of my sister's is moving to a new home, a new community. She's really hoping to find some like-minded spirits, find a place that feels like home and make some true friends. And so I'm wishing this for her too.

Illustration Friday

This is an illustration for my first participation in Illustration Friday. The theme is "Cat." This friendly critter comes from my story Life with Stella. (The link sends you to a PowerPoint presentation. It may take you a moment to load, but I hope you'll find it worth the wait)

Knots

You know when everything (your space, your life, your work, your day) feels like a jumbly, tumbly, chaotic mess? That's the kind of tight, twisted, knotted kind of place my brain is right now. Don't get me wrong, I love of splash of chaos in my life - the chaos of a garden grown wild, the wildness of doing something spontaneous, thrilling and a little bit mad. But I am in the knotted jungle of household clutter, business clutter and what I call priority clutter. Ack!

Household clutter seems to be obscuring my vision of a serene and beautiful home. By household clutter I mean undone jobs as well as physical objects. I've been pretty good with the latter. (If that's something you're working on, I've found FlyLady to be a great resource) And the guideline I'm living by now are these words by William Morris:

Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.

I'm working on it! And as for the wealth of undone jobs, I'm learning that it takes time to tend to and to create your home, just as it does your garden.

Priority clutter is what I call those activities and commitments that take up your energy that have nothing to do with what is actually important to you. If you spent a week writing down all your activities, how many would actually reflect who you are and what's important to you? An obvious starting point to ensuring your time and energy are spent on your priorities is that you have to actually know what they are.

My priorities are: my work, creative work, relationships, home and self. Until recently, my creative work had been put on the back burner. Now I have committed time to this area of my life. I love it. I'm excited. I'm passionate. I'm just exploding with ideas. And I'm noticing that I'm a bit tired, a bit pressed for time. That's a signal that I've got priority clutter. So it's time to start clearing out the no-priority stuff from my schedule and my life.

And business clutter. I'm feeling frustrated with setting up structural and organizational systems. I am committed to running an inspiring business that is structured in a clear, smart, efficient way that supports prosperity, joy and integrity. I want every aspect of my business to honour beauty, truth, magic and love - whether that's in my stationary or in my spreadsheets. And I'm really on wobbly legs trying to figure out how to make it happen.

Getting started or making a change is often, if not always, uncomfortable. So I'm taking my grumpies as a sign that I'm making progress. I'm untying these knots, a bit at a time. I truly appreciate moments of beauty and ease in my life, my home and my business. And in the chaotic moments, I take a lot of breaks, I laugh when I can, and I acknowledge myself for ploughing through.

Completion

I love synchronicity. Noticing patterns and signs was what got me interested in studying English when I was a girl. Now I take the greatest pleasure in noticing it in life. Looking for themes is one of the ways that I make sense of the world and one of the ways that I really enjoy exploring it. Creatively, I often use a theme as a starting point. For the postcard swap, we are celebrating the Year of the Dog. For inspiration, I looked up what themes we can look forward to during this upcoming period. From that, I came up with a list of 10 words to explore. This postcard represents 'Completion.'

And having, um, completed that card yesterday, here I am on the last day of the course portion for my coaching certification. And truthfully, how I feel is complete. I've learned a great deal, become more and more grounded in who I am and what I have to offer, and I'm really excited about spending this year sending my magic out there and inviting people to come and play with me. I'm deeply committed to helping people find their way in the world, a way in which they recognize and like themselves each and every day. I'm deeply committed to my own creative work, to giving it time and space to grow and develop. I'm deeply committed to making magic this year, and by that I mean making good things happen: creating a moment, a creative piece, a bond, some hope, where nothing existed before.

I love completion. It gives me a chance to celebrate all that I've accomplished. (Today I'll be doing that over a bottle of red wine and some brie with my husband and my sister.) And I love stopping to realize that I'm in a new place, with a fresh perspective, taking a deep breath and wondering what's next.

Intention

Today's pic is this week's figment for Swirly Girl's 52 Figments. It is a response to "where would you go if money wasn't an issue and your safety was gauranteed?" When I was creating my list, I noticed how writing it down felt so different than thinking about it or even chatting about it. When I was thinking about the answer to this question, it felt like daydreaming. When I wrote it down, it felt more like planning.

I remember once finding a little red piece of paper folded up and tucked into a drawer years earlier by me. On it were wishes I had made for myself, and I was astonished to find out how many of them had come true. Magic. Maybe that's one of the things that has fuelled my love of lists. I'll have to check in with myself down the road to see what's happened from this list too. I am 100% sure I will dance!

On the same note, I found the courage to start a list of goals on 43 Things, but not without a moment of panic. I had entered 5 goals when suddenly I realized that there didn't appear to be a delete function. I had this immediate and horrible nightmare of this list existing for all time pointing to things I had neglected or chosen not to do. The horror. The horror. I stopped immediately. Later, when I was much calmer, I was able to search through the help directory and find that yes, you can delete goals, however they admit that it's not too easy to do. And, you know, perhaps that's how it should be.

Balance

Now, because I'm a coach it might suprise you to know that I'm not very fussy on the word "balance," at least not in how I used to define it. In the past when I heard the word balance, I thought of sameness and symmetry. I thought of all parts being equal. And often that, well, that bores me. In addition, that perspective didn't provide any insight into how I wanted to live my life. And so I sought a view of balance that did.

I think of scales when I think of balance. And what I've decided to measure is how well what I'm creating outside of me weighs against what's inside of me. For me, this image helps me stay focused on and committed to one of my top values which is authenticity.

Another way I like to think about balance was inspired by my studies of Nia. Carlos, one of the founders of Nia, said, "When you lift one of your feet, balance comes out to play." I love that image (I'm a big fan of playing). Now I imagine that challenges or situations that throw me off are, just like raising your foot, an opportunity for balance to come out and play.

And lastly I realize that often when people talk about "balance" they are referring to their lives being proportioned in a way that makes them happy and provides them with ease. They aren't feeling rushed and tired, oppressed by the weight of priorities out of control. I understand that. As a coach, I am committed to helping people get to feeling like they can make choices in their lives. In my life, in my own words, I choose to call this harmony.

Note: The picture for today and for yesterday are 2 of the postcards I have created for the postcard swap I'm participating in.

Connection

Another way that magic shows up is through connection. When you start putting your unique energy out into the world, something happens. It's like you're sending out a message on a very particular frequency, and you and others who are attuned to the same frequency magically start to find one another.

So today I really want to celebrate my connections, especially the people in my life who support me in my creativity and love me, my husband and my family, my clients and my friends. I want to celebrate the new friendships I've made over the past year, especially through Nia and through my coaching certification. And I want to express my gratitude for the amazing and inspiring community of creatives that are putting their work and energy on the Net and making magic. Thank you.

Connection really matters. I have to tell you that today I just felt so great that someone left a comment for me on my blog. I smiled and smiled because she'd taken the time to connect. And I'd been inspired to connect with her because of the beautiful contribution she'd made to Swirly Girl's 52 Fragments.You can see some of her work at her website, chestofdrawers. Thank you, Claudia!

Who are you going to connect with today?

Mr. Sandman

What does sleep have to do with creativity?

I can think of a lot of times in my life where lack of sleep has accompanied my creative process. It's the night before a show and the set isn't finished. Or perhaps you're completely inspired and just don't want to sleep until you're done. In these instances, creation can happen in spite of being tired. But, I would argue, it doesn't happen because you're tired. (Though I do have to say that being tired can sometimes take the edge off a stressful situation, as you just don't quite have the energy to care.)

But there is another side to this coin. How many times have you done less than your best work because you were exhausted? How many times have you sat looking for inspiration and stared at a blank, blank, blank wall with dead-tired eyes? Can making sure you get enough sleep serve your art?

I have to say that I resisted even considering this issue. I thought, man, if I'm thinking about getting enough sleep, I'm lame - I'm old! But now I've shifted my perspective. I know that taking care of myself is taking care of the most valuable resource a creative person has. Actors know this, and that's why they have the well-earned reputation of being self-obsessed.

Don't get me wrong, I am not encouraging self-absorption. What I am suggesting is that by attending to your own needs, especially the basic ones of eating and sleeping, you are caring for the most valuable asset you have in your creativity bank - your self. And on that note, good night :)

When one door closes...

Wow, the postcard exchange is closed already! The deadline was Friday (remember, that auspicious day), but they've had so many responses, it closed it early! I managed to get in before the deadline. I'm really glad because I've already come up with a concept, bought supplies and started tearing up magazines! I'll be sure to let you know how it goes and about any new ones I hear about.

In the meantime, I found something else cool today. It's called 43 Things. It's a system of public goal-setting and support. You create a list of 43 things you'd like to do and people can cheer you on and you can see who else is interested in doing the same thing. When you have done it, you can mark it as complete and it stays as something you've done! I was totally excited when I found this list, but I have to admit I was a bit intimidated when it got down to putting down some goals. Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge list-maker, goal-setter. Perhaps it was the public nature of posting my intentions.

So, knowing me if it made me nervous, I better just dive right in there and do it! What the heck, eh? I'll let you know when I've posted and please let me know if you decide to jump in and list 43 things too. I'll be sure to cheer you on!

Space

Here's one of the reasons I believe in magic. As soon as I made this commitment to making space for creative projects, I started stumbling across cool and exciting things to do and to share. And that's not even mentioning how I'm just exploding with things I want to try, do, taste, see, explore, say, glue, colour, cut, shop for, you name it!

So the new cool thing I found today and, of course, immediately signed up for is a postcard swap. I have never heard of such a thing before, but it inspires 10 little projects and connecting with people - what could be bad? The basic idea is that you say you want to participate (deadline is Friday, January 13 - auspicious, eh?) and then you get a list of 10 other interested people. Then you make (yes, I said make) each person a postcard and mail them off by January 28th. Now, there are some other requirements (like the postcards have to have a dog on them somewhere), so if you want to participate please check out all the details.

Info for the postcard swap is at: Postcard Swap

Figment 1

Here is my first Figment and my first art project of 2006. I wish you could see the way it sparkles. Right now it's winking in front of me and catching my eye. Cutting out of the paper reminded me so much of when I was a kid and my mom taught me how to do 3D decoupage. I still remember using tiny, really sharp scissors to methodically cut out the pieces that I thought would have the most impact when raised. So this project took me back as well as forward into the new year.

The other thing I really noticed was that as I sat and cut and glued and painted, a rather dark mood cloud finally passed along. I mean, who can be grumpy when working with glitter glue?

Creative Spark

I formed Starshyne Productions to provide a home for my creative work, to encourage the expression of my artistic spirit.

As a coach, I work with creative people who are chosing a unique path, one where the signposts have not been laid out as clearly as if they planned to be accountants or teachers. I help them design a life that supports their unique self and their creative endeavours. I am committed to doing the same for myself.

I've decided to start the year off creatively by participating in Swirly Girl Christine Miller's 52 Figments. Every week she's sharing a downloadable .pdf file with a question and a place for your answer, which you create and then mail back to her. You can be as creative as you like. Her first question is "What's your theme for 2006?" Mine is *2006 ~ The Year of Magic* and this weekend I'll be creating my sparkling response to send to her on Monday. She's going to post replies on her website, so join in and we can all see what themes are rippling through our world for 2006!

You can find Swirly Girl's 52 Figments at http://www.swirlygirl.com/.

Beginning

Inspiration. Struggle. A light on a dark day.

As a person who believes in beauty, love, truth and magic, I've put the emphasis on magic this year by dubbing 2006 the Year of Magic. I'd like to share with you how it unfolds.