Inspiration

"If there is a 'secret' to my success, it is showing up over and over again to take the next indicated step and letting go of the results.'

Molly Gordon, The Way of the Accidental Entrepreneur

Project 365 ~ Week 8

Project 365 is my attempt to capture a year in my life through a photograph a day. On Saturday's I'll post the week's pics. At the end of the year, I'll create a video of all these precious moments. Feel free to participate at any time. Yours can be Project 347 or Project 292. It's up to you.

Bascha Bear

Justin and I just got back from a vet trip with our dear cat Bascha. She's 18 years old, diabetic and has hyper-thyroidism. She has no teeth, doesn't see much and hears even less. To care for her I've learned to give needles and how to take blood from her ear. And for many reasons, those included, we're starting to see that we're nearing the end of her days.

We love Bascha so dearly. She's been in my life for 15 years and though I did have rabbits, I consider her my first pet. I got her from the Humane Society when she was 3. She'd been found on the street and was so skinny we thought she was a kitten. She was missing all the fur on her back haunches and the Humane Society had decided they'd give her no more care. So I cared for her instead.

She's a scrapper. When I first got her she was a little wild, didn't like to be held and would bite you if touched her lower back. But over time she began to feel safe and we discovered that she was full of purrs and love and was deeply intuitive. She's tough enough that even when Jinx grew to twice her size, Bascha remained in charge. She fell in love with Justin the minute he came through the door, so I knew he was a keeper. Justin teases that she's just like me - all love and sweetness until you tick her off and then the fire comes out.

Tomorrow we'll get the results of her tests and then we'll make a decision about what to do next. If it's time to say goodbye, we'll spend the weekend loving her up and actually allowing her to have some tuna. Or maybe fries, she's got a thing for anything greasy. We're blessed for every day we've had with her. She's our beloved, which is what the word Bascha means.

Thinking about... feedback & fitting in

Recently I asked people why it's so important to us that people like our artwork. In my own life, I'm noticing how that's also true for me about anything that I've really put my heart into. When I offer a workshop, I'm hoping with all my heart that people are going to love it, that they'll feel inspired and hopeful and glad they took part.

There's something wonderful about this. It inspires me to offer my best work and to learn and grow all the time. It comes from a place of deep commitment to the participants and a sincere desire to make a difference in their lives. It makes me see that creating a workshop or a newsletter or a meal or an event is a creative act, and it can be one that you pour your soul into during its creation.

And what happens if despite all that, people don't like it?

Here's what I've learned about how I process that particular situation:

1. Let yourself feel what you feel. If I'm hurt, disappointed, angry, defiant or whatever else, I get to experience that like a storm until it settles. I don't have to pretend it's not there, judge it, rise above it. I just get to feel what I feel.


2. Look for learning. Once the storm starts to quiet, I see if there's anything I'd like to respond to. I'm not adjusting the work to this particular person. If I move away from the core of my vision to accommodate someone else, it will start to feel wobbly and I will start to feel more insecure. I'm moving in the wrong direction. But if I use the information to see if I can bring my creation closer to what I dream of for it, then I can use that and improve the work. The difference is palpable.


3. Let go of what's not useful. If someone just didn't like what I've created or offered or shared, but it's something that I believe in or love or is true to me, I remind myself that not everyone is going to love what I do, and that's fine. What I've learned from the information is that my gift is not for this person. I can let the rest go.


4. Trust. I remind myself that my people are out there, people who will appreciate my unique gifts and offerings. One of the truly important things about blogging is it allows us to extend our reach in finding our people, so that when we share what is uniquely and authentically our gift, we have more of an around-the-world opportunity for someone to read it and get it.

Molly Gordon talks about how in business we have a niche and we have an offer. I think this is true in life too. Our offer is what we sincerely, authentically bring to this world. It's who we are and what we share. And our niche is that place, that ecosystem according to Molly, in which that offer is easily and recognizably of value. There's nothing to be taken personally about being a rainforest plant who doesn't fit into the desert. Just keep looking for home and reaching out to your people.

How do you manage it when someone doesn't like what you do?

My hair tangles...

There is a brief moment in one of my favourite plays, the Duchess of Malfi, where the Duchess simply says, "My hair tangles" and in that moment we know that something will be going wrong, that this little tangle represents the chaos to come.

Life feels like that today. I'm feeling a bit vulnerable after my second beta of my collage workshop. It went well. It's just that I'm surprised at how sensitive I get when I'm sharing this work and still learning how to constructively adapt and grow. And this evening one of our windows is leaking uncontrollably. Justin and I are changing towels every few minutes and hoping the damage doesn't get too bad before someone comes to look at it tomorrow.

Challenge seems to be all around so many people I know and love. Let's all take a collective deep breath and see if we can find some ease.

Project 365 ~ Week 7

roject 365 is my attempt to capture a year in my life through a photograph a day. On Saturday's I'll post the week's pics. At the end of the year, I'll create a video of all these precious moments. Feel free to participate at any time. Yours can be Project 347 or Project 292. It's up to you.

Valentine's Date

Justin and I had such a memorable Valentine's this year. Instead of going out for dinner, we decided to make dinner at a cooking class! We signed up for a Valentine's lesson and meal at the T Spot.

The menu was fantastic and the experience a lot of fun. We broke into different groups for varioius appetizers, salad, main course and dessert. Justin and I volunteered for the main course and learned how to make a beautiful sauce for beef tenderloin.

It was exciting to be in a professional kitchen and seeing how different the scale and intensity is.After we'd done our cooking, we were able to enjoy it in a lovely dining room.

We had a beautiful table.

And the view was absolutely beautiful. I think one of the best I've enjoyed in this city.

And best of all, the company.

And the winner is...

Happy Valentine's Day, everybody. Today, participants of the One World One Heart Giveaway announce their winners. I'm thrilled to say that 95 people entered the draw for an email tarot reading. This is so encouraging as I'll soon be offering this as a service you can purchase, so stay tuned for more information about that.

In the meantime, to celebrate the number of entrants, I've decided to offer 4 readings - 1 reading a week over the next 4 weeks. Here are the lucky winners.

1. Reading to be received by Feb 18:

2. Reading to be received by Feb 25:

3. Reading to be received by March 3:

4. Reading to be received by March 10:

Congratulations! I will be in touch with all the winners. Thanks so much for participating, everyone!

Last Chance for Tarot Draw

I'm participating in the One World One Heart blogger giveaway by offering a fee email tarot reading to 1 lucky winner. The draw closes tonight and tomorrow I will announce the lucky winner. I am so looking forward to connecting!

Enter the draw by leaving a comment here.

Enjoy!

Shannon shared this video with me, having found it on this blog. I love, love, love it. This is art I'd love to take part in!

Project 365 ~ Week 6

Project 365 is my attempt to capture a year in my life through a photograph a day. On Saturday's I'll post the week's pics. At the end of the year, I'll create a video of all these precious moments. Feel free to participate at any time. Yours can be Project 347 or Project 292. It's up to you.

Why do we yearn for our art to be wanted?

I'm doing a lot of thinking this week - inspired by the naturopath, my upcoming Studio performance for Expressive Arts Therapy and my mentor, Sunny.


This week, Sunny encouraged me to consider expanding my thinking about something I'm developing into a piece that involved creating for others. At first I couldn't understand why she was suggesting it. Why would someone want that? And then this little creative spirit inside of me starting dancing and clapping and saying, "Really? Oh, yes, please. I'd love to do that for someone." And in that instant some block and lots of hurts seem to dissolve away.


As I travel the blogosphere it's clear how many people are aching for someone to see their work, their art, their creations and say, "That's magnificent. You are a such an artist. Could I buy that from you? I would so love to have that."


In my heart I think that some of it is the very human longing to be seen. Our creations are so intimately connected with ourselves that when they are witnessed and loved, we feel witnessed and loved.


What do you think motivates this yearning? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Thinking about... Natural Time

The second principle of Nia is Natural Time. It's about moving and living in a way that is connected to the natural rhythms of your body and the earth. The opposite of Natural Time is what the founders of Nia call Mechanical Time. It's the structure we put around time - the days of the week, the hours of the day. When we get too caught up in Mechanical Time, we can get out of synch with ourselves and our bodies. We wake up because our alarm says so. We eat because it's 6:00. Our time becomes defined by our commitments and the structures that support them. And in the midst of that order, sometimes we forget to breathe.

Reconnecting to our natural rhythms is a great way to breathe, to open up to the possibility of spontaneity and surprise, to experience the magic of what's going on right now instead of what is supposed to go on right now.

What if 1 day this month you turned off the alarm and took off your watch? What if you ate when you were hungry and slept when you were tired? What if you took off the schedule just for a day and let time unfold before you. What would happen?

Here's one inner dialog that comes up for me

Jamie's Inner Dialogue around Natural Time

- If I didn't watch the time for a day, I'd just want to sleep! I'd notice how tired I actually am. Hello, I have to get things done. I can't just lollygag around for a day!

- Um, little voice, did I say you weren't allowed to do anything?

- Um, no.

- If you feel inspired to do something, you absolutely get to go for it.

- What if I'm too tired?

- Then you're too tired and it's time to admit you need some rest. And hey, you can take more than 1 day in Natural Time.

- I can?

- Yep, in fact, you could design your life around it.

- Gulp.

What does your inner voice say? What if you spent a day in natural time? A week? Are you willing to try it?

Snow Day

Once again the snow hit. I ventured out to teach Nia but surprisingly students didn't, lol. The snow was beautiful, if difficult to travel through. Most of this picture's are actually by my husband who is a nutbar and wanted to get out and experience the weather. Gotta love him.

Introspection

Yesterday I went to my naturopath. I expected to leave with very rigorous guidelines about my diet, perhaps a bunch of supplements and a reminder to keep up with my journalling. As it turns out, yes, I need to stay away from wheat and sugar, but what we really talked about was how certain beliefs and old wounds are standing in the way of my vitality. And the one clear message I left was is it's time to let go. Hmm, I wasn't expecting that.

Since I left the office, I've been feeling very introspective. I've had some amazing synchronicities. Like I stopped by daisies' blog and she had this quote at the top of her post: “You can clutch the past so tightly to your chest that it leaves your arms too full to embrace the present.” Jan Glidewell This is almost precisely what my naturopath had said to me about some issues I've been having in my chest and arms. Can you believe it?

And last night I had 7 distinct and memorable dreams. Something's shifting. That's for sure. And I'm ready for it to happen.

My Name Is...

In expressive arts therapy class today we worked with spoken word. It's amazing how the simplest thing can be compelling, touching, revealing, funny. We shared stories about their names. We created word poems with the colours we felt today. We created sculptures to express concepts and ideas. We shared. Let me share with you what I wrote about my name.

My name is...

My name is Jamie. My parents each independently chose it as their favourite name for a girl, perhaps one of the only things they ever agreed on. No one else ever had my name. It was mine, mine, mine.

Except the Bionic Woman, but she was cool.

And a Barbie doll made in the 70s, but she had a dog, and I wanted a dog, so she was cool.

I guess because no one ever had my name, I didn't need a last one. I was free of my clan, not tied to men's names. I didn't change my last name when I was married. It didn't matter much because I am Jamie. I am always Jamie.

No short forms.

No nicknames.

Well, my husband calls me little acorn, but that's not connected.

I'm Jamie.

I'm Ja-mie.

That's me.

What's the story of your name? I know Jana shared her story recently.

Note: Until February 13th you can sign up for my draw for a free email tarot reading as a part of the One World, One Heart Giveway. Sign up in the comments here.

Wishcasting ~ The Performance Piece

Last Valentine's Day I launched Wishcasting, a place for the sharing and supporting of wishes. Now I'm turning that concept into a performance piece which will be shared in its early stages at my Expressive Arts Therapy studio day next Monday. During the performance, audience members will be invited to make their wish into one of these wish globes and then cast it themselves into a net (pictured above).

I'm also currently making wish globes that will become a part of the set. They are a joy to make. I keep coming up with new ideas for them - like beading on the invisible wire that suspends them. Creating these also reminds me of when I was a girl and my mom showed us how to make spectacular sparkly ornaments by simply straight-pinning sequins onto a styrofoam ball. I think if I were to do this performance on a stage with full lighting, I would revisit that craft project of my childhood.

In the meantime, it's been a joy to share the experience. Yesterday my 15-year-old niece came over to help with the creation process. Here are the 3 wish globes that she made.

I hope that one day I'll be able to share this performance with you and you'll be able to cast your wish into the net of dreams.

Note: Until February 13th you can sign up for my draw for a free email tarot reading as a part of the One World, One Heart Giveway. Sign up in the comments here.