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From Jill Badonsky April 26, 2017
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Hi Creative Ones,
As soon as I was old enough to do a cartwheel, my mom stuck a tennis racket in my hand and signed me up for tennis lessons. Life became tennis. I lived in Miami, my mom was a tennis-pro, and my dad was on the court at every free moment. Eventually, my mom entered me in tournaments and sat on the sidelines grimacing every time I missed a shot; a LOT of pressure for a sensitive, creative soul. She meant well.
I ranked first in the Miami-wide school district when I was 14 years old but at some point the pressure to win turned into a huge tennis block. I choked and the ruthless forehand that won me so many matches now betrayed me and I hit everything out. It was painful. I had lost something that brought me a feeling of competence at a time when life was turbulent and awkward. The lack of experience and support in dealing with the pain and embarrassment led me to quitting.
high school
 Fast forward to my thirties, I found a Zen tennis instructor to help me work through the block because I wanted to return to tennis for fun. He used metaphors and creative exercises to invite less mental interference. He gave me permission to hit badly as a way to remove the pressure. (These tools may sound familiar to those in the KMCC sphere).
My favorite tool was his instruction to “fascinate on the ball" as it came toward me. The words “fascinate on the ball” created an entirely different experience of being present with this round, fuzzy thing being whacked at me. Not only did it move me from overthinking and pressure to getting lost in a relaxed zone of easy follow-through, it was freeing and made tennis more fun. Bingo!
Words evoke feelings and if we repeatedly use ones that entice us to consciously approach our creative passion with more color, over time the subconscious will relax its habitual delivery of pressure, judgment, and comparison and we can shift toward showing-up more effortlessly.
Our blocks will melt.
Instead of focusing on how much you can accomplish,
focus on how much you can absolutely love what you’re doing.
~Leo Babauta
On page 53 in The Muse is In: An Owner’s Manual to Your Creative, (turn there now, I'll wait...), I have a list of words called "Process Fuel" that can evoke a better feeling for showing-up for your work than the typical pressure and judgment. If you’ve had great success in a creative arena or are just starting, it’s not uncommon to have resistance. Often the best way to get through it is with novel strategies that shift the mind out of thinking too much
Scan this list and see if your intuition finds an enticing combining of words that may evoke follow-through in your own game of love. Do any of those work for you? Then just feel them... starting now. And remember what you LOVE about the creative process instead of the pressure.
playful anticipation
fascinated curiosity
loving simplicity
conspired joy
quiet trust
mischievous amusement
Irreverent freedom
other: invent one
From the Mind of a Muse:
Dear Muse: Help! Join me in a free creativity call on Tuesday, May 23 2017 2pm pacific/5pm eastern to discover some new ways to make creativity more of a passion and priority in your life. More here
P.S.
(c) 2016 Jill Badonsky All Rights Reserved
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 San Diego Writers: Free Writing Workshop at the Kensington Library
Free-Range Creative Writing Workshop with author, Jill Badonsky
6:15 – 7:30 No Charge
Please call 619-533-3974 to register.
May 17, 2017
June 21, 2017
July 19, 2017
Saturday, May 13, 2017
Romancing Your Creativity
Orange County Chapter of the Romance Writers Association
Jill Badonsky will share five ways to break through the common blocks to a hot romance with your writing and how to take your passion and brilliance deeper. For all writers.
For more information
Free Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching Call
Tuesday, May 23, 2017
2 pm pacific/3pm/4pm/5pm
Dear Muse: Help!
Calls fill - sign-up here
Feeling a little alone and frustrated about showing up to a creative life? You can't enjoy the bliss of creativity if you are stuck in a habit of resistance, procrastination, and feeling overwhelmed, and it can be reeeeeally frustrating. Reaching out is one of our most healthy coping strategies but not always easy for the creative person.
Often times its the habits of our self-talk of which we aren't even aware that make life more difficult. Awareness is power. Get a power infusion and learn a little bit more about how KMCC has freed hundreds of people to a life of heightened creativity. Includes a coaching session with a volunteer, writing and a guided relaxation. All you need is your phone, pen and paper.
Sign-up here
Become a Certified Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coach: Since 2004
Now accepting applications
Ready to create a new stream of income and joy? Discover the tools based on the powerful approach called kaizen in collaboration with 10 powerful principles I call Muses, which have freed hundreds to living with more authenticity, joy, and creativity. Creativity is the process of being alive - this is how can you deepen your own.
For those passionate about the creative process. Presented with mindfulness, intuition, imagination, and compassion. Tools to experience more creativity and break through resistance, procrastination, feelings of overwhelm, fear, and focus-challenges.
It feels so freeing! I am so in the right place. ~ Stacey Huffman, OT and KMCC coach
Most coaching models use the big challenge or blast model of change which appeals to a certain type of person who thrives on going big. Often this is not sustainable.
The Kaizen-Muse model creates change by taking baby steps - and change sneaks up on the client. Creativity is such a treat with KMCC - the process becomes it's own reward. ~Samantha Sinclair, Certified KMCC Coach
As a psychotherapist, creativity coach and facilitator of writing groups, I have followed and taught Jill’s work for years. But it wasn’t until I actually took her KMCC training, that I got to dive into the deep essence of her philosophy and truly experience the Beauty of her work—both soulful and practical in its application. Each and every tool that she offers provides direction that empowers our creative expression. Through her compassionate and skillful guidance, I learned how to navigate the challenges that can stall and block us, to mine our rich, intuitive inner Muse-inspired resources, and to use viable structure to make the creative process productive, fun and enjoyable.
Through Jill’s gifted vision and the exciting community that she has formed around creativity, I am now armed with incredible material to empower my clients. I feel filled with fresh enthusiasm for my own creative process. She has forged a path for the creative spirit in all of us—and one I had been waiting for all my life. Thank you, Jill! ~Cyncie Winter, MH, MA, LPC
Taos Creativity Retreats:
Free your writing, art, photography and improv at the Mabel Dodge Luhan house in enchanting New Mexico, where creative greats from Georgia O-Keefe to Dennis Hopper came to get inspired. Kindred connections here have lasted many years. The food is beyond DELICIOUS and I want to meet you. Enrollment limited, retreats fill.
The Muse in Winter February 14-18, 2018
Camp Creative Thunder July 17- 21, 2018
Ask about a payment plan now to make it easier since there are a whole bunch of months before the event.
Parallel Universe Time
Mondays 8am/pacific/11am/eastern
A complimentary hour (that means it's free) where creative souls wanting some structure to show-up for their passions or their project-put-offs, hold the space for each other to work on those things. Been going on for 5 years now. No obligations or propaganda.
Bring things to work on. Mondays with Jill at 8 am pacific/ 11 am eastern. Sign-up here
The Muse is In Writing Club
Two original Jill Badonsky writing prompts and inspiration a week to provide simple, fun structure to practice and share writing with a tribe of like-mined writers. No pressure - you can post or keep it to yourself.
CLICK Here One month free to try it at no cost.
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Many wonderful entries arrived from the last issue's request for poetry. Thank you to all who sent their precious verses, i loved reading them. I randomly picked one for a free copy of The Awe-manac: A Daily Dose of Wonder
From Gary Winters
bemused
one day I braced my fickle muse
called her a hallucination
just an imaginary thing
a cute colorful hologram
created by my rhythmic mind
who do you think you are I said
coming around when you feel like it
lone wandering schizophrenic
dependent on wave impulses
emanating from my own brain
I watched her smile and shake her head
nice try big boy is what she said
who do you think is the boss here
all you’ve ever done is play games
plucking at life like a cheap uke
so stop asking such dumb questions
sit down now and get back to work
don’t try to pull namby-pamby
I’ll spot it lickety-split quick
why are you stone-still standing there
Gary: send me your address or that of someone you want to gift
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Yours Truly, Jill Badonsky
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Thanks for reading the fine print. You look lovely today. Don't be afraid to do that thing your soul has been asking you to do. Just take a tiny step.
 Jill Badonsky, M.Ed. is founder of the Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching Certification Training, multimedia artist, inspirational humorist, yoga teacher, and author of three books on creativity.
Look up right now. What around you could consider art?
Savor it, it's your life. #ArtIsEverywhere
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