365 Inspirations—348: Live Music: Pepper Proud & Whitney Monge on the Virginia V

"There's something about good live music. It enters your heart and then it starts to slowly spread out from there. It moves its way out from your chest, down your legs and arms and out through your finger tips, toes and top of your head. And from there it keeps spreading, just like love."—Katherine Jenkins

Seattle is a place where things happen. Coffee, music, books, airplanes, computers happen here. My students once asked me why so many successful businesses and artists come from Seattle.

My theory is that for much of the year it's dark and rainy, so people start creating. They create companies, songs, gadgets, books, you name it. This place is fertile for creation.

Tonight I got to see two up and coming musicians play AMAZING music aboard the Virginia V steamer ship that was decked out in holiday lights and docked down on Lake Union.

I saw Whitney Monge and Pepper Proud.

 Mark my words, these two musicians are going to make history and I'll later be able to say I saw them with an intimate audience aboard a steamer ship.

There's something about good live music. It enters your heart and then it starts to slowly spread out from there. It moves its way out from your chest, down your legs and arms and out through your finger tips, toes and top of your head. And from there it keeps spreading, just like love.

That's what I felt tonight. I felt a lot of love and creativity. I felt the stuff dreams are made of. The part that many of us have lost in our day to day lives. Music, good music, can carry you back. Good books can do that too.

I'm so happy I went to this concert out on Lake Union. It made my night.

Whitney Monge

Pepper Proud

Have you been to a small live concert lately? Did you feel moved by what you heard?

365 Inspirations—304: Halloween

Halloween brings back too many memories to count. I was born on Oct. 28th, but I was taken home from the hospital on Halloween. I was a Halloween baby. My father tells the story of how my parents brought be home on that day and how the kids in the neighborhood were being noisy and were told to be quiet because there was a new baby in the house.

I grew up with birthdays and costume parties rolled into one. Devils, skeletons, witches, goblins, fairies, princesses, ghosts, and angels all showed up at my doorstep for a party.

I loved trick or treating and have fond memories of freely roaming the neighborhood for candy with my friends and getting an entire pillowcase full of it by the end of the evening. Back in the day, kids had a lot more freedom than they do now.

I remember learning this 1969 tune in elementary school. I have a great memory for songs and often remember words to songs even after hearing something for the first time. This song's words have stuck with me since childhood.

Up until my 40th birthday, I held big Halloween parties in my house with a live band and the works. These days, I don't do it anymore and I wonder if I'm losing my zest for Halloween. This is my absolute favorite time of year. Today I hung up some decorations, bought some candy for the THREE kids we will probably have tonight and I still need to carve our pumpkin!

I had breakfast with my best friend this morning. She took me out for a belated birthday meal. She is tied into my many Halloween memories. She has to go to her kids' kindergarden today for a Halloween party and I helped her get stickers and other things for this evening. It was fun. She bought me an artist's portfolio for all the collages I've been making these days.

Tonight maybe my husband and I will watch a movie and eat popcorn. We want to be around for the kids tonight.

Do you have fond memories of Halloween? What are they?

365 Inspirations—236: A Wedding on Puget Sound

"But let there be spaces in your togetherness and let the winds of the heavens dance between you. Love one another but make not a bond of love: let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls."—Khalil Gibran

Today we went to a wedding on Puget Sound on Tulalip Indian Reservation. It was very nostalgic for me because I lived there when I was ten years old for about a year and hadn't been back since then!

I wanted to find my old house and show Yoon, but there wasn't time. I promised we'd come back and I'd show him.

Yoon was the officiator at the wedding and he was great! He chanted a few Buddhist chants from his monk days and even told a few great jokes. Everyone laughed.

The most wonderful part of the ceremony was the tide that was slowly coming in. The bride and groom's sandals were completely submerged in water, but it felt the merging of two worlds—the land and the sea and the worlds of these two people. Yoon was on a platform so his feet were not in the water, but after he finished the chanting, there was the slight dilemma of how he'd get from the platform to land. One of the groom's friends said, "Yoon, hop on Eric's back and let him bring you over to the shore." And without further adieu, Yoon hopped on the groom's back and was taken safely to land!

The day consumed with food, drinks, good conversation, acro-yoga, a fire in a fire pit and a burning sunset. Just gorgeous!

 But the best part of the evening was a dozen huge paper lanterns that were lit by the wedding guests and set free to soar up above Puget Sound,  the tree line and beyond. At one point I wasn't sure which were paper lanterns and which were stars.

It was a beautiful day with lots of love.

Have you ever been to a memorable or unique wedding?

365 Inspirations—197: Living Creatively

Collages created at our Yoga/Writing Retreat at the Yoga Lodge

"Don't think. Thinking is the enemy of creativity. It's self-conscious, and anything self-conscious is lousy. You can't try to do things. You simply must do things."—Ray Bradbury

I don't know if I could live without creativity. After all, we as humans are creations. Creativity is part of our nature.

I've been teaching classes about intuitive or direct writing at some of our writing/yoga retreats. Believe it or not, this is a class that came to me "inuitively" and I've gotten great feedback from it. Creativity can come in many forms. In fact, even if you don't think you are creative or live a creative life, you probably do.

Have you ever dreamed up something to cook for dinner with what you have on hand? You are being creative! Have you ever gone to a beach or park on a whim? Decided to rearrange your furniture? Bought new, colorful sheets? Took a different way home from work? All of these activities require creativity.

Anytime you deviate from what you normally do, you are being creative.

How much creativity you allow in your life depends on you.

In my writing retreats, I try to get people to free write without editing or censoring. The idea is to keep the pen moving across the page with whatever comes to mind. Later, when people go back and read these, they are often surprised by what they have written. It is often even more surprising if you put these spontaneous pieces of writing away for a few months before you read them again. Many things I've written or collaged about have actually come true for me in real life. It took the act of creatively writing or doing art for me to see what was probably already there.

We often are our own biggest obstacles to living a life we want, creatively or otherwise. It is the self talk we do that blocks us from our own potential.

Creating space for creativity is very important. Otherwise, how will you be able to hear yourself and what your heart is calling you to do when there is so much outside noise?

In the beginning, it may feel strange to have creative space to yourself. You may feel like you are wasting your time. Give yourself some time. Before you know it, you will be creating all kinds of things and you'll be living a creative life.

Are you living a creative life? In what ways are you in tune with your creativity?

365 Inspirations—196: Art Ambush Project: Bringing Free Art to the People

Art by Lisa Brandel

“The world is not interested in what we do for a living. What they are interested in is what we have to offer freely—hope, strength, love and the power to make a difference! ”—Sasha Azevedo


Long, long ago, when I first started blogging, I met Lisa Brandel, who was a blogger at The Widow Lady, but who has since stopped blogging there and instead maintains a Widow Lady Facebook Page.

Her page is full of inspiration and Lisa is always doing new and exciting things. I recently found out, through Facebook, that she started an organization called Art Ambush Project. Here she is to tell you about it:

Katherine asked me to tell you all a little about this project for her blog. It’s taken me some time to do it, but I think I’ve finally found the words to express what Art Ambush project.

We are a micro-movement of people, from all different backgrounds, faiths, paths, disciplines of art who have banded together to give the unsung heroes, the everyday people doing extraordinary things, a piece of beauty. No strings attached. Nothing but love and thank you for being you.

We began this grass roots movement a mere seven months ago with four artists, including the founders, and as of this date we have over 25 artists, several coming from across the sea, and have gifted over 350 people pieces of art and supplies for art. We’ve ambushed hospice houses, chemotherapy wards (nurses and patients), doctors, survivors, people who have been through loss, people making a difference for homeless and forgotten animals, people making a difference for homeless people, people fighting for equal rights, and the list grows all the time.

This is one of the pieces given to a burn victim made by Anna Gruszka of Heart to Art Jewelry Designz

We are being the change we want to see in the world. We want more love, so we give more love. Many of our artists, including myself, know loss in our lives so we reach out and give the hand up we have either gotten or would have liked to have gotten.

I’d like you to imagine something for me. You are coming home from work, living your life, going through a rough patch, and when you get to your door you find a box. You think, “I didn’t order anything.” You take it in, and as you open it you discover a beautiful piece of jewelry, or a blown glass globe, a painting, or some handmade item. You are confused, but then you see a card. It tells you that someone noticed that you are beautiful, helpful, that you are doing all you can, and they wanted to give you something because you are. They don’t want anything from you, they just want to say “Thank you.” 

It’s a stranger. Someone you don’t know, or don’t know well. But, whoever it is took the time not only to think of you, but to send something of themselves to you.

That is the art ambush project.

No artist asks what color, age, religion, or other label the ambushee carries. They simply know it’s a soul. They take it and the story we are given and create something to give. We are the change we want to see. We are the love we want to receive, and in giving have received it.

Sometimes we receive a thank you on our facebook page, and many times the person tells us, “It arrived at the exact perfect time.” 

 
So, this writing for Katherine is my mini-ambush to you all. When you think the world is divided and has lost their collective heart remember. There is a movement, not about money, not about fame. It’s about giving people recognition, love, and a little beauty as a reminder life is good.

With love, Namaste,

Lisa Brandel, The Widow Lady and Art Ambush founder.

https://www.facebook.com/artambushproject

Have you ever made art and given it away for free?

365 Inspirations—37: Break Time

"Free time keeps me going. It's just something that has always been part of my life."—Gus Van Sant

This will be a short post because today is my heavy teaching day and I only have about an hour to write this post, lesson plan and drive myself back to school for the next half of my day which goes until 9:40pm!

No matter how busy I am, it is helpful for me to write these posts because it helps me to focus on the good in my day and to see that very simple things can be inspirational.

Today my break time at home before my next teaching stint has proven to be inspirational. I've had a bit of time to think about the direction I want to go in my life and to check up on e-mails. I haven't had a chance to talk to my mother in a while. She's a snowbird and just went down south for the rest of the winter and finally made it to her destination. I was glad we were able to chat via e-mail.

On my breaks, I gravitate towards writing and blogging, two of my favorite passions! If I have a longer break I get a walk in or practice yoga. I also love researching new and different things on the web and reading other people's blogs. 

No matter how busy I am, I find it crucial to have down time or break time. I try to carve this time out in my day. It's a time when nothing is really planned. It's a time to dream, ponder, read, write and take a walk in nature. Without this time, I would not be able to keep up with my busy schedule. I need this time.

I am grateful for my short, free time today and grateful for this break.

What do you like to do during a break or unplanned free time? What do you gravitate towards when you find you have a bit of free time?

365 Inspirations—16: Solitude

"It is only when we silent the blaring sounds of our daily existence that we can finally hear the whispers of truth that life reveals to us, as it stands knocking on the doorsteps of our hearts."—K.T. Jong

Solitude is my inspiration for day 16. Well, at least I found inspiration in my time alone. We all need time to ourselves to ponder, dream and scheme about life. I spend quite a deal of time with my husband because he's my best male friend and companion and we enjoy similar activities, but every now and then it's good to do something on my own.

I had a break between classes at the college where I teach. This morning, before my earlier class, I packed my car with gloves, a hat, a scarf and boots just in case I felt like going for a walk after class.

The sun was shining bright and I hopped on the freeway and drove directly to Greenlake. I slipped off my work shoes and put on my walking boots, hat, scarf and gloves and began walking the three-mile loop around the lake.

I tried to feel my feet in my shoes and the cold wind on my face. I stopped to take a picture of many ducks on a log sunning themselves.

I wanted to be aware of all the sights and sounds around me. I walked close to the edge of the lake and could hear the waves lapping against the shore. I saw a man writing in his journal on a bench, some people were running around the lake, others were speed walking and some were meandering like me. There were lots of moms and strollers and most people were walking in pairs or groups, but there were also a few people walking alone like me.

I stopped to take a picture of my shadow. It followed me half-way around the lake and it sort of felt like I was walking with a friend. When I took out my cell phone to take a photo, I noticed that my husband had called me. I decided to call him back.

"Where are you?" he asked.
"Well, I'm more than halfway around Greenlake," I replied.

He was on his way to Greenlake to do the very same thing I was doing. He decided to walk the opposite direction than he usually does and we ran into each other near the end of the walk.

It was the best of both worlds. We each got to experience solitude while walking around our favorite lake in Seattle and we also got to meet up at the end. We went to PCC (our local, organic supermarket) for a bit of dinner afterwards and I felt so refreshed.

Do you enjoy solitude? How do you spend your alone time?