Monday, May 31, 2010
Kind Kindred : Tara : Wise Living
Tara Sophia Mohr is a writer & life coach, her blog Wise Living is such a safe, positive affirming place, I love stopping by & seeing what she's written. I have to tell you, when I read her Kind Kindred post, I was blown away, it was so spot-on about everything & really resonated with me, with the things that had been going on recently. Tara's such a sweet soul, we are so happy to have her share this space with us. Peace to you, always. - Jenn
little pieces, originally uploaded by Philipp Hilpert.
Okay, it's time to talk about something really important. A subject very dear to my heart.
Growing from difficulty.
Here's my proposal: Let's chuck the idea. Let's throw the whole thing out.
Of course, we will all grow from difficulty at various times in our lives. Life brings that to us, whether or not we choose it.
I'm speaking about something else, the romanticization of choosing paths we know will be hard on our souls, of our habit of choosing environments (jobs and grad schools in particular) because they will "help us grow."
I'm talking about the willingness of creative people to dive into something they sense will not nurture their creativity because they believe that, if they survive the bootcamp, slogging suck-it-up experience, they'll have somehow proved or improved themselves.
After sitting on the couch debating job and school decisions with so many of the gorgeous souls in my life, here's what I have to say about it:
Life is short. You have a particular creative brilliance. You have your dreams. You have a unique contribution to make.
What will unleash your brilliance more--an environment that challenges you or one that embraces you?
One that stretches you from yourself or centers you more deeply in your self?
Perhaps what it comes down to is this: Instead of asking ourselves, "what will help me grow?" maybe we should be asking, "what will help me blossom?"
Creatives aren't plants. We're flowers.
You can go do the suffering thing – be part of a workplace or school that you know will not be a place in which you will blossom. You'll learn some stuff. You'll make some connections. You'll get a good line on your resume.
But compare what you will gain from that to what you could accomplish spending a few years in an environment--a job, a school, a community—that nurtured and celebrated you, one that felt like your amazingly juicy right place.
What I've seen again and again is this: Creative, brilliant people with something to contribute now, something to say now, convincing themselves that they need to fix or polish some part of themselves, balance this skill with that one, by being in environments that aren't friendly to who they are.
They convince themselves of this when the truth is that really they could leap now. They could start creating more visibly now. They could own what they have to offer now.
Of course, a part of us likes the idea that we need to go get those other skills or learn this or that first, because that keeps us safe in the box of preparation. It doesn't call us to leap into action.
I write this because I believe in your unique brilliance. I write it because I've seen to many people lose their brilliance by being in a place that put a veil over it.
It's not so easy to recover it. Some find it again, some don't.
I write it because I've chosen to spend years in environments that sent my creativity running for escape, and I've lost years, not only years of producing work, but years of being the joyful, open me that I am when I am creating.
Ask yourself: what is really the shortest distance between my current reality and my doing exactly what I want to do with my life, what I feel I'm meant to do?
How much will I gain from spending time an environment that I know in my gut is not really me, not really nurturing to me? What will I lose in doing this?
What would I gain if I spent the same amount of time in an environment (workplace, school, community) that celebrates and nurtures me? A place that feels like my right place? Who would I be on the other end of that?
What is my right place?
What will be surrounding me when I blossom?
You know the answer. Ask your wisdom. Ask your heart.
Love,
Tara
 | Tara Mohr is a writer, coach & personal growth teacher who helps people connect with their own inner wisdom. Visit her blog Wise Living, or click here to receive her free, unconventional Goals Guide, "Turning Your Goals Upside Down and Inside Out to Get What You Really Want." You can follow her on Twitter at @tarasophia. |
it's in these quiet moments
It's in these quiet moments, originally uploaded by They.Call.Me.Doodlebug..
Friday, May 28, 2010
Friday's Lovelies!
How to Be Kinder: 11 Fine Tips - short, sweet & severe. Printable Alphabet Bunting - I think I'm in LOVE! Been lovin' on this Chaps Dress for years. Spice up a pair of Plain Jane Flip Flops with this funky tutorial! You must check out Pioneer Woman's Happiness Photo Submissions (group 4) - check out all the groups while you're there, they all make me smile so huge! Make a NO-Sew Flower Bouquet for you or someone you love! This tutorial is absolutely amazing, I LOVE IT! I hope you didn't miss out on Danielle LaPorte's Birthday Bash - if so, please go read both the post & the comments, you won't be sorry! OVERWHELMING GENEROSITY! Follow @wisebread & @eatbetter on Twitter. Slow Down & Enjoy Your Relationships.
Tara Gentile wrote an amazing manifesto on living a creative life -- totally a must-read! I found The Artist's Creed through Jamie Ridler. "You are here to co-create the world, this is the gift you have for the world." I love & adore & am swooning over this. So. beautiful. The Gratitude Girls are talking about how to bring play back into your day. Carolyn Rubenstein shares with us some tips on how to turn around your negative thoughts. 30 days of yoga is an online program designed to support you to begin or restart a regular practice of yoga in the comfort of your own home. The next 30 days of yoga starts June 12!!
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Giveaway Thursday : Mae Chevrette
Ok, everyone, I hope you're ready for this week's giveaway! This week we're featuring Mae Chevrette!! TWO of you lucky people will have a chance to win either an 11X14 of her To Be Brave print OR an 11x14 print of your choice from her shop!
Connect
:: Etsy :: Blog :: Flickr :: Twitter ::
How to Enter:
Leave a comment saying the bravest thing you've done, if you'd like the To Be Brave Print or a different one from her shop & your e-mail address!
To make this a little easier for everyone you can copy, paste & fill-in-the-blanks:
Bravest thing you've done:
To Be Brave or other print:
Your e-mail address:
Contest ends Wednesday June 2 at 8pm EST -- the winner will be chosen randomly & announced on Thursday, June 3.
Bonus Entries:
If you do any of the following let us know by leaving a separate comment for each one you do. If you do any of the following already, let us know in an extra comment. Please make a separate comment for each of the bonus things that you do or your comment won't count. The separate comments help us to stay organized & makes choosing a winner so much easier...& it also ups your chances of winning! If you have any questions please e-mail us!
1. Follow our blog.
2. Follow Kind Over Matter on Twitter & Tweet about this giveaway.
3. Join our Flickr Pool.
4. Become our fan on Facebook.
5. Subscribe to our updates in your favorite reader or by e-mail with feedburner there on the right & you get ONE extra comment.
6. Share a photo of a card drop that you've done & make TWO extra comments.
7. Buy something from Mae's Etsy shop & get THREE extra comments!
Peace to you, in all you do. ♥
Wooot! WE HAVE A WINNER!!!
Congrats to Jenny Rebecca!!! These so-very-cute slippers are all yours, hooray!
Super huge thanks to Brandy & to all of the lovelies that entered last week!!
We never heard back from our winner for the Kinie's Giveaway --- so we picked a new winner!
Congrats Marla!!
Peace to you!
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Question : What are your secrets to happiness?
the secret of happiness is freedom. the secret of freedom is courage. ~128~365 ~ ♥explored♥, originally uploaded by Little L*tje.
Sharing Our Stories : Words for Wednesday : For the Birds, May All Beings Be Well
Zenin & I, August 17th 2008
for the birds, may all beings be well | Amanda Oaks
every year, just before spring,
my skinny legs would wobble
a kitchen chair in the middle
of my grandmother’s backyard,
the scissor-scissor of the spray
bottle mixing with the sun to border
my body in rainbows, comb-comb
cut, comb-comb cut, march’s wind
carrying with it what fell
she would tell me the birds
needed it more than i did
the bendable beauty of
my auburn hair winking
in the spring sun, weaved in
mud, twigs, bits of newspaper
& string, whatever she could find
to build a home
i think of her heart, four
hundred beats per minute
warming & waiting for
the sharp squawks
that follow
the constant give
& take that a
mother’s love
brings
-
First published online @ Outside Writers Collective & Press
© amanda oaks
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We Love Our Sponsors : Experimental Art e-course
London Town, by Amelia Critchlow
Do you want to find the natural artist in you?
Here's a chance to experiment and play using art methods in a completely experimental way, whilst having fun and connecting with a like-minded group online.
Amelia Critchlow is a practicing artist and qualified tutor in the UK who is now running online art courses (the experimental art e-courses) for those who want to take first steps in to their creativity, those who are already dabbling, as well and practicing artists who need fresh inspiration.
This is a six-week course designed to be done at times in the day that suit you, all from the comfort of home, and it's packed full of visual inspiration, book, web and pdf art resources. There is private online space for us to discuss, share and chat about work and ideas, as well as personalised and individual feedback from me -- with limited spaces to make sure everyone gets feedback!
See what people have been saying about the first course here.
The next course starts on Monday June 14 and costs £60 UK and $90 USA (based on current exchange rates) for the six weeks. Enrollment is now live, so sign up and grab your spot straight away here.
Connect:
:: Blog :: Twitter ::
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
We Love Our Sponsors : Soul Blessings
My name is Bev and I am a mixed media artist. Creativity has always been part of my life, whether it be scrapbooking, sewing, quilting, embroidery, card making or photography. Painting and collage on canvas have added a new dimension.
Opening my Etsy shop has been a huge leap of faith for me. This idea started as a quiet whisper, then encouraged by family and friends, it is now a reality.
My art comes straight from my heart, and reflects my faith and spirituality. My hope is that those who see it will be enlightened, inspired, comforted & encouraged.
Connect:
:: Etsy : Soul Blessings :: Blog
Freebie Printable Alert : Kind Over Matter Lolli-Flowers!
download:
Kind Over Matter Printable Lolli-Flowers
(Please check out our other FREEBIES here!)
Sooooo excited about this printable!! Oh the possibilities! Leave them around town, on door steps, you or your children can pass them out to your neighbors, give them to your grocery store or post office clerks, teachers - & the list goes on!
Just print, cut, insert your favorite lollipop -- & give!
Enjoy!
Please remember that Kind Over Matter's Freebies are for personal non-commercial use only. Print them for yourself, give them as a gift but please don't sell or redistribute them in any other way! If you'd like to share any of our projects on your blog you are more than welcome to, we just ask that you link directly to the post & not the PDFs, thanks for understanding!
when you believe that you can, every single thing is possible
, originally uploaded by mindazonaltal.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Five Kind Etsy Finds : I Heart Candy!
:: 1. Rainbow Sprinkle Dot Earrings by SincerelyApril :: 2. Sprinkle Glass Frames by MySillyBear :: 3. Rainbow Sprinkles Resin Bangle Bracelet by stuffbyxtine :: 4. treat yourself print by 315thomas :: 5. Sprinkles resin heart ring by pennydogaccessories ::
Kind Kindred : Tina : String-Ring
Tina Mansfield is the latest addition to our Kind Kindred! She's the creator of the String-Ring, a cue to remind yourself, and those who notice it, to be kind to one another. Tina's been a longtime supporter of Amanda & I, & we just think the world of her. We hope you do, too. Peace to you, always. -- Jenn
Living a Kinder Lifestyle
The buzzword best characterizing modern society is multitasking: The performance of multiple tasks at one time. You see it as a skill requirement on just about every job posting. Working moms have this technique down to an art. I, too, was once a proponent of this mindset, believing that the maximization of your skills defined you -- measured your value. I treated life as a business you invested into, and hoped that a payoff would occur later in time. The more you do, the bigger the payoff... eventually.
Well, for me, multitasking turned out to be a myth. The fact was keeping a packed itinerary with no space to breathe led to me to a dead end, not a payoff. At thirty-something, I had to admit something was wrong. My soul knew it. After accomplishing the imperative Life's To-Do list (college, career, marriage, baby) I was left disillusioned. Associating self-worth with "doing" and over-scheduling kept me on a perpetual circuit overload. Life had lost its simplicity and kindness.
Multitasking is what a computer does, not a person. It even sounds a little ADD to me and seems to promote insensibility. Often, our contemporary way of life, always working towards a goal in pursuit of success, is not healthy or kind. We neglect our humanity for attainment, taxing the earth and body and never questioning exactly what it is we are striving for?
Quitting a full-time job to freelance part-time was my solution. The decision was difficult, and I felt like a failure. But I soon realized the trade was an upgrade in quality of life. The reduction in income made us a one-car family with nothing to spend after the necessities. Yet, we enjoy more laughter and ease in our home than ever before. And we're cutting down on carbon emissions to boot!
It is said, "The fruits of life are found, not made." My experience has been that if you spend all your time trying to "make" your life, you'll miss it entirely. I'm not exactly living a Zen lifestyle, but I've learned my limitations. I still struggle with the guilt for not having the career I earned a college degree to pursue; old habits are hard to break. But I'm happier and more mindful of the world around me. I believe I'm a kinder person.
Now, multitasking may work for some, and that is great. But if you are overwhelmed with no end in sight, I recommend getting off the merry-go-round and back to the basics of unitasking. You just might discover a beauty and ease to life when you grant all your attention to that one person or task -- an effortless kindness you didn't experience before.
My wish for the Kind Kindred readers is a life set at your own pace in a manner that is most kind to all.
Namaste,
Tina
 | Tina Mansfield is a graphic designer, wife & mother. Her concerns about an increasingly violent and mean school climate led her to create String-Ring, The Kindness Reminder Ring. She manages a blog on the String-Ring website called Kindness Community where she encourages kind acts and shares stories that revolve around a theme of kindness. |
