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from Jill Badonsky
Free Gas and Food. Well, yes, free.. but let me explain..... it's Laughing Gas and Food for Thought. But it IS free, It's just a spin, a creative spin on reality. It's the spin cycle. It is the nation-in-economic-flux-once-again cycle when spinning the truth with inner creative brilliance can leave us calmer, more content, and less cranky. Spinning reality doesn't mean it's not the truth, it means that turning the topic a bit to the right can illuminate where joy is possible even during a time when costs have sky-rocketed and caused us to compromise our routine because those things we took for granted, like driving and reasonable food costs, spun in a different direction. When the outside world gets mean and prickly, all the more reason to tune into the inner world where peace and riches reside perpetually. In fact, this is a good time to realize that the riches have always been and always will be in our nner world. They are there now.
Spin this way: You can either age yourself by getting sucked into the worry and economic stress of high gas and food prices or you can acknowledge the facts (yes, it is true), do what makes good common sense in your financial affairs, and THEN chose to see, feel and experience the spin-within.
The Spin-Within: During times like these, our inner life, namely creativity becomes even MORE important. Accessing our creative resourcefulness, engaging in the abundance of no-or low-cost creative expression that feed our souls, and choosing where we focus our attention will determine whether joy or anxiety is created in our lives. If this seems difficult to do, try it at 60% worth or just for 5 minutes. Creative thought is FREE.
Spin your dial. Our lives are full of abundance even during economic downturns, focusing on what's already there creates joy and joy magnetizes more joy and prosperity. It works! If you are frazzled right now, or just need the wisdom of a nurturing Muse, show up for the monthly free KMCC call which will talk more about spinning abundance. That's this Thursday, August 7th, 5pm pst, 6 mt, 7 cst, 8 est: sign up at www.kaizenmuse.com
Make lists of the blessings in every category: physical, spiritual, material, convenience, etc. Make a list of the things you're glad-you-did, the moments where you felt contentment and delight, the things that are working.
Go on a Retreat - it will heal you. Right now you are creating memories. This October create more. Invest in yourself and do not buy into fear by shutting off your flow of prosperity and denying youself the experience of deepening your creativity and learning to attract more abundance even during a recession. Come to the Agelessness retreat at Spiritfire in rural Massachusetts. Make it a gift to yourself, bring a friend. The tools you learn will last long past the retreat. There's still space for you. Tell your friends or social group that you will bring back some creative ideas to share in a group experience and have them each contribute $15, have a garage sale and get rid of the clutter, ask for it as a holiday gift. Click here for more information.
Spin: A mysterious DJ is sent to a busy city block to mend a series of tragic events that occur in our everyday lives. Winner of 35 film festival awards worldwide. It's worth the 8 minutes and 15 seconds. Click here.
Get a haircut!! Spin your reality by listening to this audio with headphones. If you don't have any, go get some! It's amazing! Click here.
Pop some bubblewrap to get rid of the stress from the economy. Click here.
As promised, Laughing Gas. Click here.
Bodies spinning to Summer in the City. Click here.
Thanks Ryan, Randy, Apara, and Dale for those links
The Muse is IN site..
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Me Again
Spin Your Brain.
One way to do this is to quickly fill in unfinished sentences over and over, until you hit oil.
Pick one: Poetry is...; Collage is..; Writing is...; Music is.. [You decide] is...
For me:
Poetry is breaking rules.
Poetry is freedom.
Poetry is a white rose juxapositioned with loud music.
Poetry transports me out of the mundane and into lavendar.
Poetry is a basketball game, a waterfall, a perfectly ripe papaya.
Poetry is sometimes bad.
Poetry is sometimes transforming.
Poetry is vinyl, neon, rhythm and greens.
Poetry is haiku, verse, sonnet, Gordon Lightfoot.
Poetry is the day you feel better.
Poetry is a good cook making several dishes at once.
Poetry is running away without leaving home.
Poetry soothes, heals, entertains, maddens, scoffs, and buckles.
Poetry breaks the rules.
JILL'S ART CARDS ON SALE CLICK HERE
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Fiona Robyn: Spinning Stones
What is your creative passion?
My passion is learning to pay better attention to whatever is around me - the natural world, people, ordinary things.
How did you cultivate it?
I think writing encourages us to pay better attention - 'how do I describe that hat? What exact colour is the sky?'. When I'm paying attention I feel more connected, calmer, happier.
What do you specialize in?
I would define myself as 'a writer', and that includes the writing I do at my blogs (www.asmallstone.com and http://plantingwords.blogspot.com) and the books I write - novels, poetry and miscellaneous. There are themes that run through my work - but these may change over time. Who knows? I write about what interests me.
Where did you receive your formal training?
I wrote poetry for a long time and went on many courses, received a lot of feedback from my peers and read a lot of books about writing. I'd say that this has all been important, but that even more important is READING a lot, WRITING a lot and LISTENING CAREFULLY (to paraphrase Natalie Goldberg).
Creative time of the day for you?
The morning! If I don't write in the morning, I tend not to write. Although I can bribe myself to write poetry if I go to a cafe and eat cake.
Do you have a mantra or motto?
Umm... I have a few favourite quotes... I do like 'If you engage in travel, you will arrive," by Ibn Arabi.
Key to your perseverance?
I've always seen 'being published' as a long term project. I think a lot of it is to do with luck. My approach has been to 'keep doing what I'm doing' in the knowledge that it might take 5 years to get published, or 10 or 15. I also get a great deal of pleasure/knowledge from the PROCESS of writing, so getting published hasn't been my only goal. Having blogs and publishing a couple of books myself has also helped me to be patient, as that gives my work an 'audience' without having to rely on a publisher.
Do you listen to music when you work?
I sometimes listen to music when writing novels, depending on what my main character likes - I listened to Johnny Cash when writing the second novel, as my character Leonard loved Johnny Cash. I'm listening to a lot of Sigur Ros as I'm writing my fourth novel.
Best advice received?
A lot of the things Anne Lammott says in 'Bird by Bird', a fantastic book. Over the years I've absorbed advice from various sources, and I'm still absorbing! Next big goal? To give my three novels the best chance of being read that I can. And to finish my next novel. And then there will probably be another one - we'll see!
Creative spark?
I don't know where it comes from. It just comes... Sometimes it doesn't, and that means it's time for me to have a break and nourish my muse (by reading, looking at art, being in nature, being still, talking with colleagues etc.)
I know I've made it when ...?
I've already made it. We all have. We are enough exactly as we are! And (as Suzuki Shunryu might say) I still need a LOT of practice!
Most favorite achievement?
My deal with Snowbooks!
How you get ideas ?
Ideas for novels appear as characters. They just appear - when I've finished a novel, a new character just pops up from nowhere, and I start getting to know them. Poems and small stones appear from nowhere too, but usually when I'm looking at something - a kind of'aha!'
Where can people see your work?
My main site is at www.fionarobyn.com, and this has links to the books I have for sale, my blogs and all the rest. I'd also encourage people to submit their own small stones to my new site at http://ahandfulofstones.blogspot.com.
Thank you for having me, Jill!
Thank you for gifting us with your words, Fiona.
Find Fiona here
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Calendar of Events
Thursday, August 7, 2008 at 5 p.m. pst (8 p.m. est)
Free Teleconference on a Kaizen-Muse Creativity Tool
This month: Compassion and it's Inspirational Potential
sign up at www.kaizenmuse.com
Thursday August 13, 2008 6 pst (9pm est)
How do weight loss/wellness and creativity work together for fabulous results?
Next free informational call on Body Blissmas (and a Happy New Rear): which is beginning again January 2009 with complimentary activities and week-long free samplers for the rest of the year. Visit www.2bodyblissmas.com or Sign up here
Thursday, August 20, 2008 7-9 p.m. (and EVERY THIRD THURSDAY)
Third Thursday Drop-in Writing Class
Flower Hill Mall, Del Mar at Book Works
Also check out Writing Classes at http://www.sandiegowriters.org/
Just show up.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
10 am - 1 pm Unearthing Ideas and Cultivating Their Magic
This will be a fun workshop filled with unorthodox ways to come up with ideas and then take them to the next level of obsession.
San Diego's Writer's Ink
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Julian Library Creativity Unleashed Workshop with Jill Badonsky
A cozy time to meander up to the land of apple pie, hot chocolate and mountain tops to partake in some creative inspiration and a sneak preview of The Awe-manac.
October 10- 12 2008
Agelessness and Creativity Retreat Re-ignited
We return to Spirit Fire for another Retreat! Massachusetts
Includes attracting abundant prosperity through creative thought as well as provides you with deep laughter, creative re-booting, and close friendships.
For information:click here or write here info@themuseisin.com
Wednesday, October 29, 2008 - February 18 2009
New Kaizen-Muse Creative Coaching Certification Training
For more information visit www.kaizenmuse.com
email info@themuseisin.com
Sunday, January 4 3 pmish
Writer's Ink Celebration of Jill Badonsky's next book The Awe-manac!!
3 pm.. live music, improv comedy, libations
December 8, 2008
THE AWE-MANAC: A Daily Dose of Wonder by Jill Badonsky debuts. Bring Jill to your neighborhood, community, church or organization for an Awe-full event... Hmm.. I'd better talk to the PR department about that one. How about an Awe-inspired Event?
For samples of The Awe-manac, click here. Great Christmas present! You can preorder for your friends at your local independent bookstore or on Amazon.com.
January 10
"Pink" and "Paisley" Magazine Conference and Workshops
Jill is speaking and presenting workshops on THE MUSES! - watch for more details but save the date. It's All Pink Magazine.
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Events are sometimes updated at www.themuseisin.com .
Creativity Crash Course
Two different poems, same word pool. A word pool is a group of randomly chosen words you begin with and add others to make prose or poetry or really whatever it wants to be. In the interest of poetic freedom: you don't have to use all of words and grammar, punctuation and even making sense is optional.
Be adventurous. Before you read the following two poems, do your own word pool with these words: engulf, midnight, gesture, simmer, collect, morning, testify, electricity, actually, carry, argue, seven, handful, detective, size, hat, listen, scrawl, alley
Midnight Princess
by actor, writer, playwright, Randy Herman
Listen to Randy read it
Engulfed I am by a midnight princess. A child, a woman, a dazzle, this princess, trailing stars and tea kettles and seven purple moons and countless appellations, all brimming with fancy and chortle and knowing. More! She’s a gesture, she is. A wondrous and loving gesture shimmering wondrous words and electricity mornings that fairly spark of whim and prance and silly and carnival and bring to living little orphan alleys and scrawl replete with serendipity and rainbow miscellany that amuses and teases and provokes and loves. And loves. Engulfed I am, yes. By a princess, yes. Come home with me, princess. Take me to midnight . . . and then take me home.
The Morning and the New Day by Jill Badonsky
Listen to Randy read this one too.
Morning peers like a periscope into the midnight
watching for the electric flashes of the new day.
The morning observes the new day wearing a hat
made of seven sun rays.
All the rays are the size of Africa.
The morning blinks.
The morning sees the new day arguing with yesterday
because yesterday forgot to take the garbage out
and has left muddy footprints on Wednesday's white carpet.
As usual,
5 am brings the end of the argument
and then
yesterday and the new day make love.
Each argument results in the off-spring of an on-summer:
a periwinkle.
The new day is scrawled over the eastern horizon,
she collects small trumpet shells with long shadows,
and fading stars.
She listens to the stirring of the wind,
the flight of the great blue heron,
and then gestures to the morning to begin its handful of routines.
Morning is alive now with the new day
and simmers with contentment in the miracle of this perpetual return.
The morning delicately delivers the new day to noon.
But noon,
once again,
is out to lunch.
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TAKE 40% off Your Next Unrealistic Expectation!!!!
ANOTHER CHANCE TO:
Demand less of yourself and lower your expectations by 40% in your next creative endeavor* and notice how much easier it is to get started. Once you've started, practice and progress ensues and excellence just starts happening.
If you are a perfectionist you may not be starting at all because you're expecting too much.
Get over it. Do SOMETHING.. even if it's flawed, imperfect or downright disgusting ..It is better than a perfect nothing. When you have something, it can be improved on. When you have nothing... it creates a vacuum for regret. (Don't make me get my flow charts out).
Lower the pressure, add compassion, and begin. Persevere.
* ( in addition to art, writing and music includes creating changes like weight loss, wellness, being less cranky, clearing clutter, and standing with good posture).
Void where prohibited by law. Offer perspires. Mileage may vary. All work guaranteed. It lasts a lifetime. Spin, spin, spin, there is a season to every purpose under heaven.
Bumper Car Girl is a painting by Jill Badonsky.
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Creating Planet Consciousness
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Tree of Compassion
Creative people have all sorts of power to express needs other. Poetry, art , dance, creative problem solving.
The earth is the ultimate creation of beauty. As we talk about abundance just look at the abundance evident in the color green, the abundance of breath-taking majesty, the splendid sensuality of fruit, the health-promoting properties of vegetables.
The earth is worth a moment of reflection.
What are some . . . ways in your personal or professional life you can challenge yourself or your company to take it to the next step in terms of living green?
One way you can make a difference is by voting with your dollar. Beam yourself here
for a list of companies that are actively makeing a green difference.
Feed an Anirmal at a Shelter for Free EVERYDAY
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do something nice for yourself
August Creative People Birthdays
Belated August 2: Isabelle Allende
"I like people who stand on the edge and therefore are not sheltered. And that is when you have to bring out all the strength that you have inside and if you live sheltered you never use it, because you don't need it." and "You are the storyteller of your own life and you can create your own legend or not."
August 7: Garrison Keillor
“God writes a lot of comedy... the trouble is, he's stuck with so many bad actors who don't know how to play funny.” ~Garrison Keillor
August 13: Marney Madridakis
“There are few things more sacred than the moment you come to peace with your pieces.” ~Marney Makridakis
August 27: Confucius
“It is better to light one small candle than to curse the darkness.”
August Acronyms
from Vicki Nathan Kramer:
Audacious
Union of
Gorgeous
Uplifted
Swell
Tootsies
from Dale Bowen
A ctions
U surping
G rips
U nuseful
S eeking
T ruth
August Acrostic from Edith-Marie.Paradiso
A hot burst of humid air sends us all
Under the one crooked tree with any leaves on the beach.
Great curly foaming waves call us back out to body surf
Until our swimsuits fall down and fill up with
Sand and tiny shells that scratch and tickle and remind us
That summer is short so wiggle our toes and dive back in!
Writing Prompts:
Write an acronym or acrostic for SEPTEMBER
Write an acronym or acrostic for THINKING GREEN
How many associations to you have to the word "spin" ? List them and then weave them together into a tapesty of writing.
Do a collage on the concept or inspiration of spin.
Just spin in your living to your favorite music.
August is a good month to spot shooting stars spinning through the heavens.
Spin a web.
Spin your cat a few times in a revolving chair (but then spin it the other way a few times).
Holly Aloha Jaynes website: for art and fun.
Visit The Muse is In
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