Choosing What You Choose
Too many choices? Too little time? “First world problem,” you might say — and often, I agree. Having choices is a privilege. […]
Wither art in times of turmoil
“This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need […]
Celebrating The Muse—A One Year Anniversary
Candles and Balloons—Celebrating One Year of Meeting the Muse After Midlife As I reflect on the one-year anniversary of publishing Meeting the […]
Expand Your Joy by Listing What You Love
Last week, I mounted my horse for the first time in six weeks. For most equestrians, mounting is second nature—we forget about […]
Stumbling in the land of too-much-ness
While we’ve kept our national attention on Covid-19 and its variants, another pandemic has slipped into town: too-much-ness. You can see it […]
An Unlikely Path to Humility and Mindfulness
When I taught several groups of Japanese managers near Tokyo, one of the qualities I most admired was their humility and consideration […]
Sparking creativity with curiosity and joy
Words from a creative genius Maybe the essence of creativity isn’t complicated. Or maybe we should replace the word “creative” (to help […]
The Glory of New Growth (A Pause)
I find it a miracle that despite what is happening in the world (and thanks for the well wishes about the loss […]
Eight Books Someone Should Write
The uber-creative illustrator and drawing coach, Wendy MacNaughton, issued a challenge this week to the folks following her on Substack: come up with imaginary […]
Coping with (collective) grief during the holidays
The holidays can be challenging when we’re feeling grief, especially after personal losses—even those from long ago. This year many of us […]
Do you need a “mistake pass”?
A vocal coach in Australia described her method of helping the participants in her classes sing more freely: she gives them each […]
When clouds get in the way
Does it ever happen to you that—when things are going great—blue sky and fresh breezes—some small thing derails you and lets a […]
What’s in your manifesto? (Is it time to share what you believe?)
These days, a lot of people are so busy saying what they’re against that we never hear what they’re for. Throughout history, […]
The Courage to Be Mediocre
Does the idea of being mediocre stop you from trying to do the creative thing you’ve always wanted to do? If so, […]
Overwhelmed? It’s OK to “Cry Uncle!”
I had tea this week with a close friend, one of the most kind, competent, and generous people I know. Also one […]
Surviving Mile 19
“Hitting the wall” is the term runners use to describe the moment when the bottom seems to fall out of their stamina, […]
Enjoying the dog days of summer (a pause)
The dog days of summer are here, but as our temperatures in the Northwest head toward 90 (remember, few of us have […]
How to Celebrate a Birthday with 72 Delights
Birthdays are a funny thing. When I was six, a birthday expanded my world. It meant more adventures, a later bedtime, and an allowance. But […]
Let these quotes about the creative process inspire yours
While I know that reading about creativity isn’t the same as making something (and reading about writing isn’t the same as writing), […]
The one tool you need most when you want to create
We’re all creative—and can express our creative spark in endless ways. Yet when it comes to expressing ourselves we’re often handicapped by […]
The Gift of the Ordinary
Grief knocked again—or, more accurately, knocked me off my feet and left me wailing. You’d think after writing about grief, I’d know […]
Letting the tulips sing
Can flowers sing? No way to prove this but recently they sang to me. Finding new colors I recently returned from visiting […]
To practice receiving
A dear friend living in the shadows of cancer, With death on the horizon, Sat with me and said, “Throughout my life, […]
Tiny beautiful acts—a 100-day creative challenge
Could devoting yourself to tiny acts of beauty, gratitude, or creation for 100 days change your life? It did for Suleika Jaouad, […]
Six questions to expand the creative you
Does your creative spirit ever feel tamped down or just-around-the-corner-but-out-of-reach? When that happens to me, I have two approaches to rediscovering my […]
We Don’t Need to Know Before We Go
One of the cool things about artists is that they often start their pieces (and I’m defining artist in the broadest possible […]
Finding magic in my pencil
There are many ways to get to know someone, even someone we haven’t met, and this week I’ve been playing with one […]
Lessons from the Harvest
I love fall with its colors, coolness, beauty, and the poignancy of knowing that winter is coming and the rains will start. […]
Setting Myself on Fire, or the Power of Moments
Some events in our life stand out like none others–so disorienting that they challenge us to know where we are and maybe […]
Sing the Song that Wants to Come Through You
Last week, a friend thanked me profusely for a two-word expression I shared with her seven years ago: “both/and.” The words helped […]
Finding the Secret to Magic
Magic was a way, for a moment, of stepping away from what other people taught me, to a place where a different kind […]
To care without despair
How to avoid depair as we continue to care? And create without hate? I’ve had to meter my news so that I […]
Using the fire of anger to create beauty
Uncontrolled anger kills. Combined with political motives and manipulation it starts wars. It’s challenging not to be angry and scared by Russia’s […]
How to invite Beauty into your life
I’ve been craving Beauty as we pass through the darkest time of year. Fortunately, she’s everywhere when we seek her, send her love, […]
Let your imagination inspire reality
Sometimes what comes out of our imaginations can seem truer than the accurate words the dictionary knows or the facts we’ve held […]
Breaking the grip of self-judgment
Self-judgment is a nasty critter. Under the guise of inviting us to learn, it amplifies any mistakes we’ve made and makes it […]
How to become expert at beginner’s mind
I’m in that lovely stage of discovery, in which I’m not expected to know anything. I have room to play, make mistakes, […]
How to love what you don’t like (to do)
Doing what you love and loving what you do opens the door to more creativity, insight, and fun. But what happens when […]
Finding beauty when you’re feeling beastly
“We respond with joy to the call of beauty because in an instant it can awaken under the layers of the […]
Fail often/fail better
I love the words of Samuel Beckett, inspirational even as they came from a dark piece of his prose: “Ever tried. Ever […]
To gain perspective, turn upside down
The tragedy of George Floyd invited many of us to wake up, to see the world as it is and not what […]
Can we celebrate now?
Are you celebrating? It may be long overdue. Life without celebration is like hiking across a snowfield during a whiteout when the […]
How to use anger to fuel your creativity
With a new year, new, very different, President and Vice President, vaccines rolling out, and spring on its way, I thought we’d be done […]
Confessions of a judge-aholic.
The poet Rumi once wrote: “Out beyond right and wrong, there is a field. I’ll meet you there.” How I’d love to […]
Celebrate the messy ordinary
I just finished Nina RIgg’s uncommonly beautiful and ultimately uplifting memoir of the last year of her life, The Bright Hour. Nina, […]
Fuel your creativity with silence
As part of my stretch-my-creativity-during-the-pandemic campaign, I’m taking an online course about voice called “Express the Music of Your Soul” from […]
Finding the art of the “new normal”
First of all, it’s OK. Whatever you are feeling, or doing, it’s OK Life today is not normal. How can we hope […]
3 steps for handling environmental stress, bird by bird
On Sept. 19, 2019, the New York Times published a devastating statistic about declines in the bird population across North America, […]
How to find Magic in the Ordinary
Last weekend, our furnace quit. That meant no heat and no hot water. We warmed the house by turning on our stove’s […]
Got Rhythm?
We all have rhythm. It’s built into us through our heartbeats and the circadian (24 hour) rhythms that influence when we feel hungry, […]
Is it time to create your “Joy List?”
This week, I’m balancing writing an article about coping with life’s little losses by remembering all the joys that I’m finding. I’m […]
When good enough beats great
When the late William Stafford, one of my favorite poets, was asked how he managed to write one poem (or more) every […]
Does it spark joy? If not, create your own.
[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”3.0.47″][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”3.0.48″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.21.4″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” z_index_tablet=”500″] I fell in love with Marie Kondo, […]
How to move your creative potential into practice
We’re all innately creative. Creativity, like love, is a force field that surrounds us and comes through as it’s needed. As writer […]
Find Your Inner Porpoise
The books written about Purpose or “Finding Your Inner Purpose” on Amazon have it almost right. They just spelled it wrong. Change […]
Images of imagination
This week, I’ve been thinking about the power of imagination, especially as we age. Imagination provides a spark for creativity. Creativity feeds […]
When you’re feeling the weight of the world
Another week, another tragedy. I was up before dawn to drive to a conference when tragic news, from the far side of […]
What are you devoted to?
Remember the Everly Brothers hit “Devoted to You?* Darlin’, you can count on me Till the sun dries up the sea Until […]
How to rebound from rejection
Got Rejection? One of my writing buddies inspires me with her ability to not let rejection stop her. We’re part of an online […]
Improve your day a click at a time
[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.0.48″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.17.6″] What if one click of acknowledgment could reinforce the skill, craft, or project you’re working […]
Sweat your way to community
[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.0.48″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.17.6″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”] Sometimes you build community by talking, finding common interests, and […]
When Grief comes to call
Grief is a tough master. When you don't run from him, he's can show you a way to your deeper creativity.
When wonder beats words
[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.0.47″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.106″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”] After a productive day writing, I was burnt out on […]
Ask a better question…create a better world
[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”3.0.47″][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”3.0.47″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.106″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_layout=”light”] Whenever I lose my glasses, which, I’m […]
12 Great Quotes on Creativity (with a few you haven’t heard)
When I was moving into my fifties, I was consumed by an enormous hunger to express myself creatively. It wasn’t that I […]
Does your work make you better?
[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.0.47″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.106″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_layout=”light”] In her stunning collection of essays (highly recommended) This […]
The Secret Key to IGNITING Performance
[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”3.0.47″][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”3.0.47″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.106″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_layout=”light”] Picture this: a lively […]
How to start that big project (or how to get the camel to stick his nose under your tent)
Do you have a big project waiting in the wings that you can’t get started? Maybe it’s de-cluttering part of your house, […]
What to say when you don’t want to say anything
I woke up this morning thinking about what to write and…and my brain was empty. What do you say when your […]
Is patience your key to moving ahead?
Patience Is NOT my middle name. As I age and am aware of the years passing, I still want to do so […]
A surefire way to add joy to your life
I usually love the turn of the year, when I set time aside to do visioning and planning, think about the big […]
Finding Lightfulness
‘Tis the season of light in many faiths. But not all of us are feeling jolly. This is also a time of […]
Cultivate the space for creativity
You know the adage: “The past is the past,” often spoken as if the past is over and no longer a dynamic force […]
How to plan a staycation that will make you want to stay home
Update: I wrote this during a summer when the smoke from fires was such we had to stay […]
When One is More than Enough
Did you know that Vincent Van Gogh sold only one painting in his lifetime, and it was to his brother? Throughout Van Gogh’s […]
Is this it?
Sometimes I open the door to my mind to write and there’s nothing there. Depending on how I’m sitting (or what I’m hoping to do), […]
What is your creative work?
What does it mean to work creatively, and to know that you are doing the creative work that is uniquely yours to […]
A chance to live dangerously
Since you’re going to get older, why not get a bit bolder? I heard those words last week from Dr. Bill Thomas […]
Finding the essential in aerospace and art
I recently had an opportunity to tour Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos’ privately-funded aerospace manufacturer and spaceflight services company. Tucked in an industrial area […]
How to Birth a Dream—Gently
Before a dream can be transformed into a project in the world, it has to be born. We talk about “making” dreams come true, but […]
Ten Leadership Lessons to Steal from Springsteen
Creative Commons photo by GabboT Steal if you want to, but I think Springsteen would let you drive away with any insight you’d like from his […]
The Subversive Pile Next to My Bed
Words can be dangerous, sentences subversive. At a time when many of us are asking, “What can I do,” I’m starting a very undercover […]
Structuring Your Time Without Killing Your Muse
As a creative entrepreneur, I often wrestle with how to manage my time, get things done, and nurture my creative zeal. I […]
Why Music is Subversive
As I was mid-way through the Women’s March Olympia, (capitol of the other Washington), a woman near me burst into song: “This little […]
Dreaming Big: Daring to want what you want
A friend of mine recently confided that she hasn’t been able to do the artistic work that fills her spirit because of […]
Why Positive Thinking Can Have Negative Results (and what to do about it)
In last week’s post I wrote: “Wishful thinking actually decreases our possibility of meaningful action,” as I explored why dedicating ourselves to what […]
Forget New Year’s Resolutions…try this instead
The fact that resolutions are made by Congress should make them suspect. (I wouldn’t choose Congress as a role-model of effectiveness …) The […]
Seven Great Last Minute Gift Ideas—for those who are broke or tired of buying stuff
With Christmas, Hanukah and Kwanzaa on the near horizon, I want to offer some support in case you, like me, suffer from seasonal I-don’t-know-what-to […]
The Perils of Working from Passion
Do you ever get so excited by a project that you can’t wait to work on it? You bounce out of […]
Discover Your Stuff-Handling Personality with This Free Test
It’s fashionable these days to talk about giving away stuff, thanks in part to the wisdom of Japanese tidying fanatic, Marie Kondo. […]
Honoring our true colors in a violent world
Black lives matter. White lives matter. Pantone* shade 316 – 6C lives matter. *a system printers use for matching colors Like you, I’m […]
8 new words that will open up your world (warning: they’re more than 2 syllables)
I heard recently that on-line copywriters should write at a third grade level. That’s five grades down from the 8th grade level recommended to […]
Try a magic wand that can shift your perspective
Despite calling myself, at times, a “change agent,” I still stumble on one irrefutable fact: most of life is outside of my […]
Learning to love the in-between
A story has a beginning, middle and end. But in the roadmap for our life’s stories, how do you describe the space […]
5 ways to tame your inner critic
I just heard a quote by actor, author, teacher, impresario, Michael Port: “You can be a performer or a critic but you can’t […]
Living, for a moment, in the small stories
Last month, I described a path towards finding your big story, the narrative you can use to make your career or business […]
Looking behind to step ahead
To start my new year, I took a day of looking back to step ahead. Unlike the vision day I took last […]
My favorite fall things
Raindrops on dahlias and nuzzling my horses Leaves that go crackle and new on-line courses, Wearing yummy old sweaters and starting to […]
Are you ready to unmask from “appropriate”?
Did anyone ever tell you, as a kid, that you needed to be appropriate? Sure, it’s important in our civil culture to […]
In praise of an audience of one
Despite the buzz about content marketing, and writing for your audience, the words of Kurt Vonnegut, as quoted by the brilliant Maria Popova, live on: "write for an audience of one".
