Creative Arts Exercise

I signed up for an expressive arts coach newsletter weeks ago (http://www.theexpressiveartscoach.com/) when I was researching art therapy and came across expressive arts (still has me excited). I just got the first newsletter (well not just (I got it a week ago and I finally have time to view it) so here goes. The newsletter starts out by taking us through two exercises: 1. guided imagery and 2. making a collage from our soul (my collage is seen to the left..I tried to move it but couldn't figure out how).

According to the expressive arts coach since i decided to take the adventure of creative exercises I am:

1. creative

2. need creativity in your life

3. enjoy exercising your creative muscles

She hopes I'm honoring this part of your Self on a weekly basis! If not, things may seem a bit unbalanced for me. She said I need to consistently engage in some sort of creative endeavor.

I wouldn't say I'm unbalanced right now but I do need some creativity so this is what I needed. I ignored my creative self for a long time so its time to rekindle my relationship with the artistic self. Carey sent me this wonderful website http://www.theartistsway.com/the-basic-tools that I have to finish reading but it talked about Artist's Date and i need to start committing myself to taking myself out once a week. It is defined as a "once-weekly, festive, solo expedition to explore something that interests you. The Artist Date need not be overtly "artistic"-- think mischief more than mastery" Someone else said Artist Date consists of the following:

• A commitment of time spent on yourself once a week. • Time spent solely on you -- no companions allowed. • A date with your inner-artist, or your inner-child. Same thing I just like the bullets:) I think i can consider what I am doing now an artist's date since 1. I'm by myself and 2. I am engaging in some creativity exercises. I think this most definitely qualifies. Sure I should be sleeping but already I feel energized.

What' s funny about all this is a couple of months i was talking to J about the need to do something creative. Then i got a couple of resources from Carey and a month or two later I got into an enlightening convo with J about my purpose. Everything indeed has a season and activity under heaven.

CREATIVITY EXERCISE #1Visualization or Guided Imagery
The coach talked for about 6 minutes and told us to close our eyes and breathe and imagine a room (we should ask our self what it looked like colors and furniture) and that a guest is coming to the door who has a present (who is the guest and what did they bring us). when it was over she asked us to journal about this experience. I really have no interest in writing in my journal about this but I did find it quite relaxing.

CREATIVITY EXERCISE #2Make a Collage from Your Soul
I finished my collage with Indie Arie in the background (pic you see at the top). By the time i finished "I Choose" was playing which is very appropriate. I feel the this collage is truly a collage to my soul. It shows how i envision a world that I follow God's will and heart to the ends of the earth by empowering women. Not sure everything in the pic with my camera phone is clear but it says from top to bottom:

Naturally Steph

And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom .

Experience A Life Free With God's Word

Rediscover Life

Authentic Living

Peace

Partnership

Love Your Life

In the middle a woman is floating in air (representing true freedom)

At the bottom the words say:

To be His Hands and His Heart

One by one, these women are being transformed by God's power

Extending a Hand of Hope

Quote that spoke to me

I cant remember where today I ran across the below quote but I just came across it again through an expressive arts newsletter and it spoke to me even louder:

"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom."

-Anais Nin

I am currently pondering that quote since i am allowing my soul to recharge.We often stay in the state of less for one reason or another (often times its safer) but then we realize that state doesn't fit who we are today..that state hurts us more than the fear to see what else is on the other side of unknown limitless possibility. We no longer want to stay that bud but we want to blossom. I'm saying we because i think that's a shared feeling among many. I believe this ties into me enlarging my vision that God has spoke to me about. I have been saved by Christ 9 years so it was my early 20's when i came to him. I continue to grow in him. One desire that has grown deeper and deeper as i age is to become the woman he created me to be. Because of this I can no longer stop at seeing things bud (realizations, breaking through barriers) but I need to blossom. A rose is magnificent is how it blooms..it blooms wide and i think that is how God wants us to be. He has equip us with so many things that start out as a seed then a bud then it blooms. This year is about enlarging my vision because being on autopilot is not doing anything for the things God put inside of me aside from letting it be dormant. I dont want to die as a bud.

Exhausted

I have absolutely no energy for anything and my knee hurts. i don't like to complain but I want to go wahhhh! I arrived home at 615 today which I cant remember when my body has last seen my home at that time. I feel run down which i guess isn't surprising since traveling always seems to make me tired. I had a wonderful weekend visiting my parents, j's mom, and jackie but getting back into my normal routine as of Sunday where i literally dropped my bags off and went straight to church and getting back into my normal routine and not being able to sleep has me exhausted!! I skipped the gym today and decided to come home and rest. I need to listen to my body instead of going with routine. i remember feeling like this not too long ago and i was so glad i took the time to recharge.

Grace Cards Monday-April 12th

Quiet: Turn off the noise. Silence nourishes the body, mind, and spirit.

Dance: When we ask for guidance, take action, and put our faith in on an outcome we can't yet see, we've begun to dance with grace.

Valor: Be courageous. The unmistakable touch of grace will follow us wherever we go.

I don't see what the cards may be telling me just yet but it's also 3:32 a.m. and I can't sleep. I'll revisit tomorrow.

Looking at this a few days later (not much more sleep). I can see that my grace cards were telling me i needed to recharge my soul . I need to turn off noise and normal actions for a moment and be silent and light my candles and go to my serene place. I needed to remember whatever God has put in me with come to fruition. More and more grace.

Coach Carolyn messages that spoke to me--the week of March 28th &April 5th

Since I've missed a couple of postings under this topic I'm going to take care of two weeks in one post. All I can say about both of these items is TRUTH! Let's begin to step out onto the things we are called to do. There are no limitations except the one we put on yourself.


Week of March 28th:

The Greatest Failure!

Debbi Fields of Mrs. Fields Cookies once said, "The important thing is not being afraid to take a chance. Remember, the greatest failure is to not try. Once you find something you love to do, be the best at doing it."
The Fourth Agreement: Always Do Your Best
It does not matter if you fail; there is no failure, only feedback. And the only one who can say you failed is you. But what happens if you never even try?
Just for today, take a chance and do your best.


Leading Lady or Supporting Actor?

To lead is difficult when you're a follower of fear.” ~ T.A. Sachs

One of my favorite movies is The Holiday. It has some great lines, one of which says that while you are the leading lady in your life, you behave like the best friend – another words, you are living life like you are a supporting character in your own life.If this is your story, then it is time to start writing a new script. To be a leading lady means you lead with conviction and courage, not following fear and doubt. One way to tell if you are the supporting character in your life instead of the leading lady is to look at what is showing up in your life.

Are you getting vague, murky, and unclear messages, then STOP, TAKE A BREATH, and ASK:“What message am I sending out to the universe?”

Then, notice what you are saying and reacting to. Are your words filled with power and conviction, or are they weak and filled with fear?What you give is what you get back.

Week of April 5th

Feel Pure Joy!

If your dominant intent is to feel joy while you are doing the work, your triad of intentions — freedom, growth and joy — will come quickly and easily into alignment. See your "career" as one of creating a joyful life experience. You are not a creator of things or a regurgitator of what someone else has created or a gatherer of stuff. You are a creator, and the subject of your creation is your joyful life experience. That is your mission. That is your quest. That is why you are here.” ~ Abraham

I love this! Your life purpose is an experience, not simply to toil or accumulate stuff. When you are experiencing joy and freedom and passion, your “work” falls in alignment with those feelings. Then, it does not feel like work or toil, but joy and you don’t know where the time goes.
You were created to inspire, dream, empower, love, ignite, or you fill in the blank. You are a creator and you can create anything you desire. So why don’t you?

Fear. Simple as that.


So, just for today… dream BIG! What do you truly desire? Feel what it would be like to have. Continue that feeling for a solid 17 seconds. Then another… then another… then another. You have created 68 seconds of pure high vibrational thinking! That’s HUGE! Not negative thinking, or regurgitated thinking, but pure thinking!
While you are in this high vibrational space, be grateful and smile!

Friday's Purposeful Question-April 9th

Today's post from Coach Carolyn stated:

“Live your questions now, and perhaps even without knowing it, you will live along some distant day into your answers.” ~ Rainer Maria Rilke

"It is only possible to live happily ever after on a daily basis." ~ Margaret Bonanno

"The pleasure which we most rarely experience gives us greatest delight." ~ Epictetus

"I wake up every morning with a great desire to live joyfully." ~ Anna Howard Shaw


“Are you living a happy life?” Why or why not?
If you are not, all you need to do is make the decision that you want to live a happy life – then go live it!

I'm living a blessed life. The reason I would say I'm not leading a happy life is leading a happy life i think it means to live an authentic life. I'm just figuring out what that means to me so until I'm living authentically on a regular basis I'm not entirely happy.

Three Month Weigh-In

I stepped on the scale and have lost an additional 2 lbs which has brought my weight loss to 17 lbs (I'm glad yet sad because I'm 10 lbs shy of where I wanted to be at this point). I'm 197 instead of 187 lbs. Progress is Progress though and every step in the direction you want to go should be celebrated. So I need to re look at my program and see what changes I want to make. I know I definitely want to eat more protein. In fact eat it with every meal. Revisit my current exercise program. I'll come up with more concrete items in the next week or so.