The path less traveled

It takes courage to march to the beat of my own drum. 

Some don't understand why I don't walk the beaten path like everyone else. 

I can't. 

My heart won't let me. 

I am true to myself. 

My days are numbered and this is the one life I have to live. 

The Story of Tight Squeeze

Here's a little window into my creative process around making these tight squeeze videos :)

Rethinking Failure

Rethinking Failure 

The risk of failing is often something that holds people back from following their creative pursuits. Failure, when you break it down though, is really not that bad. Great things come from failure and often will make you stronger, more focused, and better in the long run. 

Do you have something you want to persue that the fear of failure is holding you back from? Well,here is a poem I came up with to help rethink failure:

F- find the courage to try 

A- attempt to achieve it 

I- invest time and energy into something you believe in 

L- let yourself be vulnerable 

U- uncover your fears 

R- realize what is important enough to risk attempting 

E- endure the struggle 

Creative inspiration

Liz Gilbert is a person who deeply understands the creative process. Today I was needing a little inspiration and found solace in her insight and new perspectives.

Surrendering to the Creative Process

This song took so many turns.  It started on a roadtrip to Sacramento where the idea popped in my head and I started writing verses.  There was no storyline yet, just a raw funny essence.  I showed the raw verses to a friend and she wanted to know what came next and that is when the song got a little more raunchy.  On a drive to San Francisco, two more verses popped out of me, one about the bar and one about the guys place. I realized there how import it is to set the story- once I established the setting at the bar, things started to get more interesting! (If you can't tell yet, driving is where I get a lot of my inspiration for songs!)  When these verses came out, it felt so good, like this voice of the story could be heard. I showed this new essence of the song to my dear friend Lisa who helped me extract the last two verses and clear out all the lines that did not add to the story.  This video is what I consider the finished version of the song although I want to make an amazing music video with it one day (**Should any film makers happen to watch this video and read this and are inspired to undertake this project, please reach out!**)
Creating this song was a reminder for me how much surrender it takes to create wonderful things.  I had to let go of my attachment to the lines I wrote that did not add to the story even though I thought they were clever and witty. I recognize it's important to do what it takes to let things flow.
I hope this video makes you laugh and feel excited as the story of this poor girl evolves! 

Saying "Yes!"

Once upon a time I lived in San Francisco and was a member of an improv comedy troupe where I learned the magic of saying "Yes!" On the stage, saying "yes" in a scene means that you agree to support the creative idea of your fellow actor which takes you into unknown territory and requires you to trust that other person to make the scene work.  What happens when you say yes is you learn to surrender and to let go and creativity begins to bloom.

In my days since improv acting, I have continued to explore the magic of saying "yes!" in the real world and watched that magic carry me to unexpected places and experiences. Recently a friend of mine presented me with an opportunity to go to South Dakota to compete with her in a week-long sail boat race- the Hobie North American Championships to be precise.  My sailing experience was limited to a handfull of sail-trips around the Monterey Bay on large boats where I mostly ate cheese and drank wine. Turns out catamaran sailing is way next level: 1-There is no wine involved and 2- You are strapped into a harness and using your bodyweight to keep the boat upright as it zooms over water. While my experience was next to none, my confidence was high that I could learn what I needed to know and be equipped to compete and besides, what's the worst that could happen- so I said "yes!"

What came next was the delightful aftertaste of the sweetness of "yes."  I had an opportunity to shine in a whole new way. I got to met people from all over North America and share in a unique experience with them. I made new friends, new connections, and deepened connections I already had. I even had the unexpected surprise of a local reporter writing a story in the town newspapre about our team with a full page picture!

Now I'm not gonna lie: I loved the attention.  It felt so good to be seen and recognized and it reminded me of the endless possibility the universe holds. There is so much out there waiting to be created. When you can ditch your expectations, allow yourself to be vulnerable and let the people around you share in the creative unfolding of plans and actions, magic happens!  The second you get out out of your comfort zone you start to build deeper relationships through the authentic shared experience.  If you have an interesting opportunity you are considering, even if you are unqualified or might fail, try saying "yes!" and see where it leads you!  

Sailing With No Wind

A friend took me sailing, but the wind decided not to blow. As we sat on the barely-moving boat, enjoying snacks and the beautiful day, the situation began to feel like a metaphor for my life... I am creatively stuck with no wind to fill my sails.

I've always had a good relationship with creativity- it seems to flow freely and abundantly for me. I've never had a problem depending on it, in fact, just like wind for a sail boat, it has carried me through most of my life.  Recently, however, my creative wind feels like it stopped blowing. I feel stuck in a place of in between with no clear direction and no driving force to fill my sails.  I have a plethora of half-crossed off lists, empty goal sheets, and notebooks full of ideas, but I'm lacking the creative inspiration to manifest them.   I try to call upon my creativity, but it's as useless as asking the wind to blow. It is a force of its own that I am not in control of.

I heard a skilled sailor can sail in little to no wind.  If you can learn to sail through the windless times, when it blows again you will be ready to ride it like a champ.  The same goes for creativity. When your inspiration does not flow strongly, practice finding just enough to move you. Little movement is better than no movement. When creative inspiration does arrive, you will be fully prepared to let it carry you!