#C4ward March Blogathon (Day 10): Risks leading to positive change

CHICAGO MARCH 10, 2014 (photo by Hallellujah Truth)

Hallelujah for #C4ward March Blogathon on day 10! Hallelujah for asking the big questions about taking risks. 

Today I am going to answer only one of the prompt questions (see the rest below at the end of this blog entry):

Are there risks you've taken that have led to positive change?

In the past academic year, I took the risk of leaving my job of teaching English as a second language (ESL) after more than two decades in order to pursue a new way to make a living. This leave taking from a known profession with distinct parameters to an undefined creative field was definitely a risk!

Has it led to positive change? Today, when I would have been heading back into the classroom for another 8-week session at Georgia Tech's Language Institute, I boarded a plane and flew from Atlanta to Chicago to spend four days with my husband who is on his spring break from Emory. That's fun! Yahoo!

Opportunities abound for me. Flexibility is a wild horse flaring its nostrils and snorting to go...almost anywhere. Like Raleigh two weeks ago. And Chicago now. Heaven only knows where I'm going next! Not to mention all the people I am meeting and opportunities I'm being given to grow deeper in the activities and way of being I love.

I feel magic percolating. I have been initiated and graduated. My super powers are aligning to serve the world, maybe even the universe. As I establish the foundations of what is next for me as a result of my risk taking (leaving my ESL profession to be an entrepreneur) here are a few photos from my first day in Chicago. Enjoy!

HARRIS TRUST BANK. I couldn't believe it when I saw this building was Harris Trust Bank! By chance, I had stumbled upon the building where my grandfather, William Milsted, had worked for 41 years. When I was in first grade, I had toured Harris Trust with my family and been given a lion bank--the bank's emblem--and one dollar.  (photo by Hallellujah Truth)

DOWN BY THE LAKE. We were so fortunate to have great weather on this 10th day of March 2014! We walked from our hotel all the way to the Art Institute of Chicago and to the banks of frozen Lake Michigan. (photo by Hallellujah Truth)

FROZEN LAKE MICHIGAN. I went swimming in this lake when I was child. Tonight, Tony and I were told by our dinner hosts that a number of people have died this winter by walking out on the frozen lake. Tragic. (photo by Hallellujah Truth)

TWO TALENTED MEN. How awesome to visit the Art Institute of Chicago and see so many works by highly esteemed artists. Here, of course, is Vincent Van Gogh's self-portrait. Tony Martin was kind enough to provide scale and in so doing, revealing his inner Van Gogh. (photo by Hallellujah Truth)

MILLENNIUM PARK. This fascinating sculpture reflects the city and its inhabitants. There was a constant flurry of activity surrounding it with people moving here and there to see how their reflections changed. (photo by Hallellujah Truth)

FAILING FORWARD FAST. While I'm counting on positive change and succeeding in making a career change, I know that failure is an option too. Trying new things. Guessing. Jumping from here to there in the unknown. Well that is risky and with risk comes failure. I'm learning to make friends with failure and how to increase the speed of progress from what I learn from these deviations from my success.

That's Coffee with Hallelujah! SOUL BLOG with me and cheer me on as I move forward taking risks.

C4ward March Blogathon Prompt (Day 10)
 QUESTIONS TO HELP YOU CONSIDER RISK TAKING AS AN ENTREPRENEURIAL CREATIVE: 

• What are some appropriate risks for you? 
• What risks can you take in your business? 
• Are there risks you've taken that have led to positive change? 
• Any that have not panned out they way you thought? 
• What are some of your greatest successes that have arisen out of risks you've taken? 
• If you are very risk averse, what is holding you back from making that leap? What support system(s) would you need to have in place in order to leap into that new creative or entrepreneurial space?

#C4ward March Blogathon (Day 9): Haiku Sunday expressing art love in brief

CREATIVITY IS OUR BIRTHRIGHT! (art by Hallelujah Truth)

Hallelujah for Haiku Sunday! Hallelujah for forms of expression that ask us to think in different ways and give us permission to play and discover! Today, Day #9 of the #C4ward March Blogathon, we were asked to craft a haiku relating to some aspect of our artmaking (see below for the complete prompt).

Here are two haikus expressing how I feel about creativity and artmaking!

CREATIVITY

is wondrously our BIRTHRIGHT

Hallelujah TRUTH

 

TOUCHING THE TRUTH. Dear Readers, I am so deeply in love with the magic that arises in my SOUL, like a Sufi dancer spinning with infinity by staying grounded with the truth to be found living on this beautiful Earth, yet reaching another truth while being a dance partner with heaven. (art by Hallelujah Truth)

FULL gold moon dances
trailing TRUTH, toes touching stars
Breathing being art lived NOW

That's Coffee With Hallelujah! SOUL BLOG with me and share your haiku on my blog! That would be awesome!

C4ward March Blogathon (Day 9) Prompt: Haiku Sunday

When you are in the process of creating your work, how do you feel? What is your experience (mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally)? Write a Haiku to capture and express this often elusive process.

Tips on writing a Haiku:

• The most common form for Haiku is three short lines. The first line usually contains five (5) syllables, the second line seven (7) syllables, and the third line contains five (5) syllables.
• Haiku doesn't rhyme.
• Haiku is traditionally written in the present tense.
• A Haiku is generally visual and "paints" a mental image in the reader's mind.
• Good Haikus are metaphors. They elicit emotions and complex feelings through reference and allusion.

Example:

From time to time
The clouds give rest
To the moon-beholders.

- Bashō

The challenge of a Haiku is to express yourself  in ONLY 17 syllables over just three (3) lines of poetry. That said, you are welcome to use whatever variation of the Haiku you come up with. The key is to have FUN!

EXTRAS FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION:  Choose a different font that excites you and adds to the meaning of your Haiku. Increase the font size and change the color. Do you have an image that can accompany your poem or expand it?

#C4ward March Blogathon (Day 8): My "blue ocean" emerges from my "body wisdom"

THIS IS WHAT I KNOW. My body knowledge is expressed here. (Art by Hallelujah Truth)

Hallelujah for the Book of Truth (Ruth is in the Truth--Hallelujah Truth, a.k.a. Ruth Schowalter)! Today, I am exploring what my "blue ocean" is in the world marketplace through the #C4ward March Blogathon (see the entire prompt below). How is it what I "create" and "do" is unique to others? 

Let me venture to address this question, first of all, by addressing the issue of self and inner authority. After all, how does one discovery one's uniquity without a sense of inner authority?:

What do I know from my own inner authority; that is, who am I and what do I know from having my own experience in the world? Phil Porter, co-founder of InterPlay, calls this self-acquired information "body data." In fact, he and Cynthia Winton-Henry, the other co-founder of InterPlay, have developed the following flow chart for honoring what we "personally" know from our daily lives:

JOURNEYING. COLLECTING BODY DATA. (Art by Hallelujah Truth)

BODY DATA is moment to moment noticing information that your body is taking in...that flows to...

BODY KNOWLEDGE, which is acknowledging the patterns that emerge from the body data...and this knowledge flows into...

BODY WISDOM, which is when we structure our behavior and life making choices based on our body knowledge...thus benefiting ourselves and the world.

I am sure that it is from this place of BODY WISDOM that the blue ocean emerges! Phil Porter writes in Having It All:

"Paying attention to your own information increases inner authority, which is a crucial balance to external information and control. By paying attention you will be more able to make choices that will be good for you and others." 

What uniquities do I have to offer the world acquired from my BODY WISDOM? What is my BLUE OCEAN?

MIDWIFE TO THE AWAKENING. Midwifing other people's inner authority surrounding their creativity. I am a seasoned artist yet I am still navigating my own creative journey, gestating and delivering from my own body data, body knowledge, and body wisdom. 

What is unique here or the blue ocean is the birth of Hallelujah Truth's courageous existence. If I can create a heightened sense of myself to embody what I know and use her/me to express my inner authority, I can assist others in doing likewise using words, images, and meaningful play.

PARTY PLANNER FOR SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATORS. My love. My life. My husband, Tony Martin. The scientist. Who would have known that many scientists are yearning to have fun with the data they collect? That they crave connection with you and me and the community at large? They are wanting one big party around what they know. HOW TO MAKE THIS PARTY? These scientists need help expressing their ideas beyond academic circles. I know this because of living intimately with a scientist and having had the privilege of meeting many other delightful scientists over the years. 

My uniquity here? My BLUE OCEAN? Dancing with the Scientists! Playing with them and making one big celebration with what they know!

Oh! I have other BLUE OCEANS to explore. But I must go out on this beautiful Saturday to acquire more body data through Second Saturday InterPlay! That's Coffee with Hallelujah! SOUL BLOG with me and give me suggestions about what you might think my BLUE OCEAN is. What is yours?

#C4ward March Blogathon (Day 8)) Prompt:

Take a few moments and meditate on the phrase, “Red Ocean.”  What images, thoughts or ideas does this phrase bring up for you? Is this a positive or a negative phrase in your mind?
 

After thinking about the idea of a Red Ocean,  reflect on the phrase, “Blue Ocean.”  What images, thoughts or ideas does this phrase bring up for you? Do you find that this phrase bring up more of positive thoughts for you? How are you feeling when you picture a Blue Ocean?

The Blue Ocean Strategy is the idea that creative individuals can find a unique place in the market that reflects their individual voice.  It’s a metaphor to get you thinking and imagining untapped or unexplored possibilities to sell your creative offerings.  The Red Ocean represents the market today – rife with competition and rules.  The Blue Ocean represents the future, the potential, the undiscovered market for you.

The key to thinking of Blue Ocean Strategy is thinking big, and of the big picture.  What need can your creative offering fill, that no one else has done before? What problem are you solving for the people who experience your art? What void do you fill?  What innovations do you offer to your creative field through your own practice?

Today, think about your Blue Ocean. What can you envision for yourself? How can you create your art such that you don’t even have to think about competition; it becomes irrelevant in this beautiful blue ocean?

#C4ward March Blogathon (Day 7): My studio space exalts my inner vision

Hallelujah for CREATIVE SPACES! Hallelujah for BEING in the physical space that exalts your inner vision!

I know MYSELF and the needs I have to support my art making.  Respecting this inner authority, I have structured my creative life like this: 

AT HOME. I make my art at the dining room table in our Decatur, Georgia home. My work gets moved to eat any of our meals unless we choose to eat picnic style on the living room floor with big pillows. (photo by Tony Martin)

CONCENTRATING WITH CAT COMPANIONSHIP.  I thrive at home with my feline companions. Here, Tao helps me concentrate on what is important--love, purring, fur sensation. Some people want me to "prove" I'm artist by showing them my studio. Really? Making art in the center of my home comforts and exalts my life. I feel more present to me. (photo by Tony Martin)

SAPELO PRESENCE.  Cat companionship fulfills a visceral need I have to be centered. Sapelo likes to sit behind me on a bench when I am drawing. And, as you can see, my table is more than satisfactory for drawing daily. (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

ANY TIME OF THE DAY.  Beer-thirty, the other side of the day, from when I rise to make my art, I return to my art making table to blog. Playing my music, burning my incense, sipping craft beer in the presence of my kitties and boon companion, Chiboogamoo, who took this picture and poured my beer. (photo by Tony Martin)

HOUSEHOLD HUMAN COMPANIONSHIP.  I consider myself one lucky art maker! I searched the world for a boon art making companion until I finally found him--Chiboogamoo (a.k.a. Tony Martin) in my early 40's. My goal seeking mission? To find another human being to co-create with--SEPARATELY. The plan? To honor each other's creative needs, co-schedule when we make art and write and do it at the same time in separate but nearby spaces. My arrangement with Chiboogamoo? We rise early in the morning to the sound of an alarm clock. One of us makes hot beverages and sees to our felines' needs. My Honey works upstairs. I work downstairs.  For approximately two hours. We share the cat attention. Then we eat breakfast. Divine satisfaction for us both. (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

That's Coffee with Hallelujah! SOUL BLOG with me. Tell me your thoughts about my studio and what you know about the space you need to create!

 

Photo Friday: Your Creative Space

C4ward March Blogathon: Day 7 Prompt

Today and next Friday are PHOTO FRIDAYS with a theme. PHOTO FRIDAY is day where you can write nothing or something. It is up to you! Part of blogging every day is finding ways to make it sustainable. Having one day out of every week that requires only photos can provide a much needed break from using words. Today’s theme for your photos is to show us your creative environment in 5 to 7 photographs (fewer or more if you want).

Interpret “your creative environment” in any way that fires you up and embodies your artistic self. What do you want to show your viewers about the space your imagination inhabits and works in?

Literal spaces: studios, classrooms, theatres, offices, streets, stages, clubs

Figurative spaces: your mind, body, the cosmos, the source

Tools of your trade: canvases, brushes, keyboards, puppets, microphones, costumes, computers, inks, paints, fiber, sewing machines, cameras

Creative outcomes:  Various images of your work, perhaps in different stages of development or format

Companions: You or others pictured in your creative environment, including animal companions

Anything else?

#C4ward March Blogathon (Day 6): The perfect year of artmaking for me is finding MY COUNTRY

FINDING MY COUNTRY. The indigenous Australians when asked what they are painting often answered me, "My Country." End of discussion. I would stand or sit and watch them paint in one of the many studios I visited in Australia across the country, the three different visits I made there. And I would ask myself, "How would I paint MY COUNTRY?" I still ask that question, and it is one of the reasons I am drawing and painting animals along the Georgia coast. I can claim no particular geographical place my home because I am not connected to a region by family or my life experience. Georgia wins! I've lived here the longest! (Art by Australian Artist in the Melbourne, Victoria, Photo by Tony Martin (2010), see this post for more)

Hallelujah for thinking inventively! Hallelujah for the journeying life of an artist! What would a perfect year of artmaking be for me (asked by C4ward March Blogathon, see the complete prompt below)? 

FINDING MY COUNTRY and PAINTING IT. REPEATEDLY.

HOW COULD I PAINT SOME OF MY COUNTRY THIS YEAR?
1. Practice abstract painting MY COUNTRY (find a mentor)
2. Venture into a larger and different format to capture MY COUNTRY
3. Deepen my understanding of body wisdom and create MY COUNTRY from there

SAPELO ISLAND, GEORGIA, 2011. Here I am on my beloved Georgia coast, where I have spent oodles of time with my husband, Tony Martin, as he crafted his book, Life Traces of the Georgia Coast. I learned many years ago to "inhabit" the environment I am visiting. Pausing to look, inhale the presence of natural life, and draw or paint it helps me connect with this precious Earth. "What is MY COUNTRY"? I explore repeatedly. Not yet satisfied. (photo by Tony Martin 2011)

When my mind begins to explore future possibilities for my "perfect" year painting or drawing MY COUNTRY, I considered these two categories:

DREAM TEAM ASSISTANCE
1. In order to "embody" MY COUNTRY in art, I employ a body trainer, a masseuse, a nutritionist/chef, and InterPlayers and Dancing Flowers to play with
2. I have two advisers, one for the soul and one practiced in creative exploration to support the realization of MY COUNTRY
3. Then I need to be among other creatives of varying disciplines sharing MY COUNTRY, seeing their work and listening to their stories about manifesting their ideas

DREAM LOCALES
My perfect year is divided into quarters, during which I spend 3 months each in Mexico, Australia, Africa, and India, living in community with indigenous artists studying and learning their skills and the ways of accessing the spirit that is reflected in their work. They mentor me in accessing MY COUNTRY and expressing it vividly in my art work.

BROOME, AUSTRALIA. This painting, shown by the artist, depicts an Indigenous Australian folktale of two lovers who got too close to the river and were eaten by crocodiles and become part of the cosmos. Tony and I bought this painting and another, popped them in the mail, but the mailing tube arrived to our U.S. home empty. Yes, we were devastated. No paintings. I had forgotten that we had taken a photo of this particular until now. I appreciate the way the artist had incorporated local stories and imagery into her own unique folk style. HER COUNTRY? How do I depict MY COUNTRY? (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

That's Coffee With Hallelujah! SOUL BLOG with me and tell me what you think of my perfect year! And, yes, I want to know what yours would be and how you can do some of that now! The complete C4ward March Blogathon prompt is below for your consideration: 

 

Your Perfect Year of Making Art

C4ward March Blogathon: Day 6 Prompt

Imagine one perfect year of art making. Be bold and allow yourself to envision what the ideal situation would be like to you. Tell us about it! Draw or paint it! Sing it! Dance it! Write a poem!

Some aspects to consider (but not necessary):

• Where are you geographically?
• What does your dream work environment look and feel like?
• How is your studio equipped?
• Who are you creating or collaborating with?
• Who supports your daily life as you make your creative work?
• How many hours do you spend creating?
• How many hours do you spend selling your work or managing the business end?
• What do you do for recreation?
• What do you do for inspiration?
• Do you have any specific goals for this year?

EXTRAS FOR CONSIDERATION: Why aren’t you doing this now? What is preventing you from having your perfect year of making art? What action(s) could you take to have some of this perfection in your life now?

C4ward March Blogathon (Day 5): Ecstasy in the studio--having it all from easy focus!

RECEIVING THE LIGHT. At Rose M. Barron's 2013 exhibit, "Multitude of Madonnas," at Whitespace Gallery, Atlanta, Georgia, I was surprised and pleased to be receive a blessing from a "live" Madonna at sunset. Part of the ecstasy of being an artist for me is finding the "blessings" every where I go and in everyone I meet. Part play, part sincerity, part prayer culminates into "easy focus," a term coined by Phil Porter and Cynthia Winton Henry, that I will explain later in this post. (photo by Tony Martin)

Hallelujah for being an ECSTATIC! Hallelujah for having ecstasy in the artist's studio! Hallelujah for blogging in community with C4 Atlanta (and The Daily Creative Practice) and for guest prompt writer artist entrepreneur Gina Thompson:

I have been journaling from a book called "Mapping the Intelligence of Artistic Work" and this is one of the topics I recently wrote about. I found it really helpful for me. Bring to life the dynamics of your studio. What gives you satisfaction in the studio? What are you currently exploring there? Create a "wish list" for your work. What studio goals would allow for ecstasy?

EASY FOCUS (Art by Hallelujah Truth)

Let me jump right in with this statement:

I make my art while inhabiting the studio of self--or bodyspirit (integrated mind, body, heart, and spirit)! The image you see to the left represents "easy focus." 

Easy focus is a form of "having it all," which described by Phil Porter is "is taking in a whole experience, realizing that many things are going on in our bodyspirits at one time, and enjoying or savoring that experience."

My studio of ecstasy in no physical architectural environment. Rather, I create from an enlivened self, often having danced before drawing, burned incense, reflected, sipped coffee, petted a cat, and perhaps been inspired by dreams, song lyrics or written words. I can create art almost anywhere and do!

ECSTASY OF EASY FOCUS (Art by Hallelujah Truth)

Understanding EASY FOCUS takes time. Instead of critiquing, you are invited to enjoy. Instead of trolling for the negative, you celebrate the discovered positive. Try listing the those things that you enjoy and not the ones that disappointed. Phil Porter explains that by using easy focus, we end up "having" more. Sure hard focus and critique have their functions, but when I am in my studio I practice the route to easy focus for the ecstasy I am seeking in having it all!

Ecstasy for me as an artist is the fluidity stemming from embodied confidence of my own authority that the marks I make are those I need and want to make.

 

SOFTENING YOUR GAZE MAY RESULT IN PLEASURE. For me, making art is seriously fun and meaningful. How about you? (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

That's Coffee with Hallelujah. SOUL BLOG with me and tell me about your sense of ecstasy in your art making. What is your environment?

 

 

#C4ward March Blogathon (Day 4): Having it all in thirty years!

HAVING IT ALL. That is me, Hallelujah Truth, front and center with arms outreached! This photo was taken at the Little Five Points Community Center at the Mask Theater on the first Second Saturday of InterPlay lead by Jennifer Denning. The phrase, "Having it All," comes from InterPlay co-founder Phil Porter and the book bearing the same name. In the next thirty years, my plan is to HAVE IT ALL--the integration of body, mind, spirit, and heart. ALL. (photo by Callahan Pope McDonough)

Hallelujah to HAVING IT ALL in the next thirty years! Hallelujah to writing and envisioning my future artmaking, dancing, and being in community with all of you on this vast majestic Earth (prompt for C4ward March Blogathon posted in entirety at the bottom)!

What does HAVING IT ALL mean? Glad you asked! My answer may not be one you expect! HAVING IT ALL means integrating the body, mind, spirit, and heart into one big enchilada! Making decisions--including goals--by being attentive to all the information my existence is providing me, including my body. This is BODY WISDOM!

"Body wisdom is the use of our body knowledge to structure our lives in ways that are beneficial: to us, to others, to the earth, or to all of creation."

--Phil Porter, Having It All

STRUCTURING MY LIFE 30 YEARS FROM NOW "HAVING IT ALL"

1. DANCER (body listener)

2. VISIONARY (artist, blogger, graphic novelist)

3. ILLUSTRATOR/BLOGGER (science outreach, conservation, feminism, ichnology)

4. INTERPLAY LEADER (spiritualist, activist, performer)

5. CREATIVITY CONSULTANT (supporter of the individual's creative needs)

6. COMMUNITY BUILDER/SPEAKER (The Daily Creative Practice, WCAGA, blogathons, local arts movement, speaker 12 times a year)

STRUCTURING MY LIFE 5 YEARS FROM NOW "HAVING IT ALL"

1. DANCER--Experienced in creative movement of all varieties

2. VISIONARY--Published 1 graphic novel about Hallelujah Truth, learned basic animation skills

3. ILLUSTRATOR/BLOGGER--Illustrated and published 5 books on local Georgia conservation issues in collaboration with scientists; published a book of Paleontologist Barbie Interviews from my blog; and along with my husband, made the word "ichnology" a household name

PALEONTOLOGIST BARBIE IN THE JAWS OF A FOSSIL WHALE.  My husband, Tony Martin, channels Paleontologist Barbie after he had drunk a second beer. Our interviews are usually conducted at a local pub, The Marlay, in our Decatur, Georgia, neighborhood. We do these interviews with several goals in mind: 1) fun quality time 2) collaboration and communication enhancement for our marriage 3) science outreach 4) encouraging and supporting girls' interests in science. Visit this link for more about Paleontologist Barbie interviews. (photo by Tony Martin)

4. INTERPLAY LEADER--As a seasoned InterPlay leader, I conduct regular InterPlay sessions in Atlanta and co-create local InterPlay performances to support positive change in my community

5. CREATIVITY CONSULTANT--Sustained financially through my work in supporting creative desires in others

6. COMMUNITY BUILDER/SPEAKER--Build and sustain the momentum I have created now.

STRUCTURING MY LIFE 1 YEAR FROM NOW "HAVING IT ALL"

1. DANCER--Dance at every opportunity understanding how to integrate body, mind, heart, and spirit

2. VISIONARY--Plan outline for Hallelujah Truth graphic novel, find mentor, take an animation class

HALLELUJAH TRUTH (Art by Hallelujah Truth)

3. ILLUSTRATOR--Complete the illustrations for the American oystercatcher book and find a publisher, catch up on interviews with Paleontologist Barbie, find a way to collaborate with Tony Martin on the topic of ichnology

4. INTERPLAY LEADER--Finish up Life Practice Program and enroll in Leadership training; plan, develop, and participate in the Atlanta InterPlay Performance group

5. CREATIVITY CONSULTANT--Develop website content, launch business, get clients

6. COMMUNITY BUILDER--Continue The Daily Creative Practice on Facebook, play an active role in WCAGA, develop two other blogathons, and gather local artists 3 times to develop work explicitly about our community, region, state

THE DAILY CREATIVE PRACTICE. Join me and others celebrating and sharing the outcomes of our daily creative practice on this Facebook group: THE DAILY CREATIVE PRACTICE. I started this group a year ago March and it is a loving warm community of supportive creatives. You are invited! (Art by Hallelujah Truth)

Right now, I am not certain how I am going to HAVE IT ALL as I go about living my life inhabiting these structures. I know that framing my life in context of integrating body, mind, heart, and spirit is a good thing.

"Don't waste your body knowledge--use it. It is good to know what patterns are, but it is great when we can use this information to create better lives." 

--Phil Porter, Having It All

That's Coffee with Hallelujah! SOUL BLOG with me and tell me what you might be doing in the next 30 years! Will you be HAVING IT ALL?

#C4ward March Blogathon (Day 4) Prompt: 

Today, on the fourth day of the C4ward March Blogathon, go easy on yourself. Lean back, prop your feet up and dream big making lists of your future artistic goals. It’s up to you how much you write, but remember a list is short!  You can include personal as well as professional or creative goals in this exercise.  We can't stress this enough: Write each list (take 2-5 minutes) before reading the next prompt for the best results!

3 LISTS OF FUTURE GOALS (Personal as well as Artistic and/or Professional):

1) List FIVE GOALS you would like to achieve in the NEXT 30 YEARS (or 10, or 20 years… think long term). Take 2-5 minutes to write these down, then move on to the next question...

2) Now, thinking of the above far-reaching goals, list FIVE GOALS you need to accomplish in the NEXT FIVE YEARS to move towards achieving them. (Some of these might be the same as your goals above.  That’s okay!). Take 2-5 minutes to write these down, then move on to the next question...

3) Finally, list FIVE GOALS to be accomplished in the NEXT 12 MONTHS... as if it were the last year of your life! What will you have accomplished by March 4th , 2015?

EXTRAS FOR CONSIDERATION: What experience did you have just now writing these lists of your future goals? Did you make any discoveries? Did stripping away the surety of time to accomplish what you most wish to do change your priorities? How can you incorporate those revealed priorities into your daily creative practice? What visual image can you post with this blog entry that would embody the spirit of your future goals?