On my 35th birthday, in the quiet of a beautiful Japanese garden he went down on one knee.
He asked me to marry him.
And I said YES!!! (And cried, and danced, and laughed…)
So so so happy. Best birthday present EVER.
I am engaged to the most precious wonderful man and I can’t quite believe it…
Today’s shared stories come from Cris Gladly and Veronica Funk.
“Once upon a time, not very long ago …
I was living a very different life.
It was a small life.
A lonely life.
I was a bird in a cage.
A million different stories begin like this.
Mine. Possibly yours.
So many great adventures seem to begin in dark places.”
————-
This is how the story of Doing What I Love begins.
Why?
Because I have been afraid my entire life.
All of the time.
Of just about everything.
Then, I woke up one morning (after 18 dark, disconnected years)
and decided: I’m tired of that!
So I kicked open the cage door of my old life,
and flew out on untried wings into a world entirely new.
And now my days are spent pushing past fear.
And doing this is “doing what I love”.
Not because it is easy or comfortable.
Oh my gosh, it is soooo NOT remotely either of those things.
But because it is honest.
And living an honest life is the only way to live that makes any sense to me.
So in this new world, I live into this honesty
by using my love affair with words to tell my story.
After years and years of calling myself “a writer” without actually writing,
I finally launched a blog, called Gladly Beyond,
where I share the story of this newly unfolding journey.
The ups and downs of it.
What is beautiful and difficult about it.
It’s a story about what is real, for me.
The world as I see it through these brand new eyes of mine.
The process of sharing my Self in this way
has been powerfully transformative for me.
There was something about fully and unapologetically stepping into
the truth of my Self
that prompted all of the bullsh*t in my world
to simply crumble and fall away …
Projects that did not nourish me creatively …
Connections that depleted my energy …
Relationships that did not honor me …
Just blew away on the wind.
No fighting. No fuss.
Just “bless you, but be gone.”
It’s scary some days.
It has been lonely.
But I am more authentically and loving tethered in my Self
then I have ever been before.
My happiness is honest.
My grief is honest.
And what I share of my Self with others is more deep and true.
I am my real Self now.
And this, I love!
Because when you give up trying to be your “best self”
and embrace being your “real self”
everything that is beautiful about you shines through.
There is an element of breathing room that manifests.
A breeze of possibility that blows in.
The sky itself expands for you.
And so now, what lies ahead, as my wings strengthen,
is even bolder and more playful exploration into that expanse.
As my business organically evolves and grows
I have taken on two new “fear” sub-projects under its wing.
The first is an unofficial research project exploring the attributes of true love,
called Solo Me. The second, which I am ridiculously excited + scared out of my mind about
is an exploration project about exploring the very world itself,
called The Terrified Traveler™.
And so the path ahead holds much the same as the path behind:
Pushing past fear.
Opening up and being honest.
And doing, as bravely as I am able, with heart wide-open, what I truly love.
[All images courtesy of Cris Gladly.]
Find out more about Cris on her website.
I’ve always felt ‘different’. During my school years this was a challenge. Academically I was doing just fine, physically (gym class) not so much. Though I got along well with others, I was skinny, small, shy and to top it all off, I received my first pair of glasses in sixth grade at a time when glasses were not fashionable at all.
But I was fortunate that, even though our northern school did not have an organized art program, the teachers incorporated art in as many ways as possible. They introduced us to a variety of professional artists with whom we had the pleasure of meeting – cartoonists, weavers, poets, photographers, and musicians.
In our language arts class, one area in which I actually excelled until I had to make a public presentation, we created maquettes of the theatres that were utilized during the time of Shakespeare, and we listened to the beauty of the words in the ballads of the Beatles and Bob Dylan. We were taught to stitch, bake and knit. And those of us who were interested in woodwork, leather and metal had the opportunity to learn to work with tools such as a lathe or an arc welder.
Our public library was also our school library with an attached community exhibition centre where we experienced art in all genres. It was in these spaces that I initially found my home.
Hours disappeared as I was exposed to a great variety of art and craft, and to the kindness of the artists and artisans who created them. Then, in eleventh grade, we moved across the country. It was a challenge to move at that age, but because I was in a larger school, I was able to study drafting, fashion design and ultimately fine art. I began the formal study of line, composition and colour, and was introduced to a great variety of media including clay, printmaking, ink, and paint. I was finally in my element.
As I grew up I was often told that I would not be able to make a living as an artist and as a ‘growing-up’ I have learned otherwise. Originally I followed the direction of others at a huge financial and spiritual cost to me but I have realized that each one of us needs to create our own path by doing those things we love.
For me, it is in painting and exhibiting my work, in writing and sharing my words, and in encouraging and supporting other artists as a Curator in my local public library and as a Director on a Board that supports the growth of the arts in my community.
I have learned that others respond to the passion of my heart and support me in this journey as long as I remain authentic and true to the core of my being. I am still growing and learning to trust my voice in this journey. I am learning to surrender myself to stillness so that I can be open to opportunities that lie ahead and that excites me.
[Images courtesy of Veronica Funk.]
To find out more about Veronica visit her website.
***
Want to get closer to doing what you love? Why not join the transformational Do What You Love e-course, to identify your passion and make it a greater part of your everyday life? Class bustards soon. Find out more and register here.
Kyoko and Adachi in the jazz studio in their home – happy times!
When travelling in rural northern Japan we stayed a few days with some very old friends of mine. I still can’t quite believe how I met them. Let me explain…
Some 15 years ago, when I arrived in this remote snowy place, I had temporary accommodation for a couple of weeks but no place to stay after that. I had a job working as an interpreter for the local government, and the colleague who sat next to me turned out to be something of a fascinating enigma. Staid government worker by day, semi-pro jazz drummer by night (and racing driver in his early years!), he had invited me to one of his live gigs after work one day, but I declined, having already made plans to meet the person whose floor I was temporarily sleeping on.
After work I headed to the station to catch my train ‘home’ but missed it by a couple of minutes, and there was not another one for an hour. Hearing smooth jazz wafting over from a nearby café like steam off coffee on a cold day, I wandered over to wait it out in 1920s America. It was the cafe where my colleague was playing.
I was stood at the bar soaking up the atmosphere when the lead singer of the jazz band took a break and came over to get a drink. Her name was Kyoko, and she was a tiny ball of energy, with crazy curly hair like no Japanese woman I had ever seen, with kind eyes and an infectious smile. We got talking and within ten minutes she said “why don’t you come and live with me and my husband (Adachi, the bass player)?” Well, I thought, why not?
And so began an incredible adventure, living rent-free with this wonderful couple, in their house with a jazz studio and cocktail bar where we would host parties for all the foreigners within 50 miles, entertain jamming sessions twice a week and I would wake up on a Sunday to the sound of the grand piano. Some fifteen years later Kyoko and Adachi are still like family to me, they still play jazz, pass beers round and open their sliding doors to new friends with an openness which is quite astounding.
Two of the most generous souls I know. I wish you could meet them.
We are jumping up and down with excitement over here – Rachael Taylor and I have decided to take the plunge and invest a significant amount (many thousands of dollars) in providing our pattern students with free access to industry leading trend forecasting website Stylesight! As the industry leader, Stylesight offers “visionary content and compelling technology for style, fashion and design professionals”. We met the team at the Indigo trade show in Paris back in February, and were blown away by what the site offers.
All students on Module 3 of The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design will be offered free access to the site for a limited period of time.
This means that if you join us you will have full access to ALL the site’s incredible resources including:
Drag and drop images directly from your Stylesight Workspace, the image library or your own desktop to create shareable presentations and trend boards.
… the ‘Clip’ tool…
Click on any image, anywhere on the web, and it instantly uploads to your Stylesight Workspace. Combine Stylesight’s content, your content and web content to suit your creative needs.
And ‘Color play’…
You can watch a video overview of Stylesight’s offerings here.
This was a significant investment for us, but we truly believe in the possibilities this course offers our students, and know that this is going to give them a huge boost as they travel the path to becoming professional surface pattern designers.
There is no other online course in the world offering this alongside the in depth industry insight and design guidance and inspiration offered in The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design. This access alone is worth many times the course price. Join us!
Module 3 has just begun but we have extended M3 registration until midnight GMT on Saturday (April 21) for any latecomers to make sure as many of you as possible can take advantage of this amazing opportunity. You can squeeze in if you hurry and register here – take the leap and make this investment in your own design career!
[All images in this post courtesy of Stylesight]
Today’s shared stories come from Stephanie Guimond in Canada and Julia Dolowicz Harvey in England.
I’m an artist, a visionary and an avid left-brainer (read: I paint, dream big and I love spreadsheets). Doing what I love means:
a) creating meaningful work and revenue related to art and creative expression, learning and growth, space and community or business and productivity,
b) working with others to help them create their own meaningful work, and
c) making sure my chosen work is part of a bigger picture, supporting the life I want to create overall.
At least that’s what it means today.
After spending nearly 10 years coveting the possibility of multiple income streams and fulfilling work, in October 2011 I took the leap and left my government 9-5 job to pursue something more meaningful. (Full disclosure: when I told my boss I was leaving she generously suggested that I take a one-year leave which I did, so technically as I write this I’m on leave.)
I loved several aspects of my job and tried hard to make the 9-5 work, but the desire to do something different kept coming back every few years, each time more pronounced. I could no longer ignore it. Months leading up to last year’s decision to leave became fraught with hemming and hawing to the point where I just had to choose one way or another: branch out on my own or stay.
So here I am, smack dab in the middle of my journey in creating work as a solopreneur.
‘Blue Reflections’
I’m in the space between, working on foundational projects and products that fuel me day in and day out, but I’m not yet bringing in revenue. It’s a place of possibility and hope intermingled with fear and doubt, of satisfaction at seeing things come together and frustration at wanting them to come together faster.
It’s a place of opportunity.
Today my biggest obstacle is fear of never having a substantial income again, but I see possibility in others making a good living doing what they love and that pushes me to not give up. Through small actions I try to move through this fear as gracefully as I can, regularly calling on the Universe for healthy doses of faith, patience and confidence in my ability to make it work.
I am grateful for the opportunity to create work tailored to my soul and life goals. The journey started years ago, but I feel like it’s just beginning. Here’s to seeing where it will lead…
[Profile shot taken by Jag. Other images courtesy of Stephanie Guimond.]
Find out more about Stephanie on her website.
‘Doing what I love’ is about creating the life I want to live. It is related to my work but it’s also connected to my environment, my home, marriage, friendships, family, animals, community, the planet and even my spirituality. All of these are so important to me – I need to ‘do what I love’ in all of these areas. I need to be in tune with the very core of myself and honour what’s deep inside. There have been times when one area of my life is ok, the other fantastic and another abysmal; they all have a knock-on effect on each other. Happily I can now state that I am now doing ‘what I love’ because I am a Writer, Artist and Healer. This has led me to become an author, sell my art, teach workshops and offer reiki healing sessions.
In 2009 I was made redundant from my job at the University of Liverpool where I worked as a Career Development Manager – it was a good job that saw me travelling around the UK delivering workshops and presentations about how to create and develop your career, your life and your dreams.
I was gutted.
Having been at the university for 4 years, previously within the education team working with 16-19 year olds, I was always designing and delivering workshops and programmes. With a lecturing background, degree in Health, teaching certificate and counselling and NLP qualifications, it all worked beautifully.
It was only on being made redundant that I realised there was something missing. I was on auto pilot.
When I eventually finished work, synchronicity entered and family offered us a chance to move to France for a while. Two days after that phone call; an old colleague contacted me as she was moving back to Liverpool from Devon. Voila. We all house shifted.
Spending 5 months in France, we all went, me, my husband and Lucy, my adorable Jack Russell (she got her passport too). Here I immersed myself into my long-standing dream of becoming a writer and artist and I began to write my first book ‘Writing a UCAS personal statement in seven easy steps’. I started with subject matter of what I knew for sure, supported by my work history and background – writing expression statements to apply to university in the UK. I also reignited my passion for art and mixed media, buying a whole lot of art supplies from a lovely lady who was selling them to buy a motorbike. Once again, this sparked my sketching spirit, my love of colour, prisma pencils and paint. In my 5 lovely months, I practiced my French and living in the countryside. C’est moi!
Whilst in France, I began to create my cocoon art commissions for family and friends and I wrote, wrote, wrote, alongside developing my “ME mentoring” – where I support and mentor individuals who are suffering with M.E*/CFS* or Candidaisis, as well as career/lifestyle coaching. All of this I did over Skype.
*Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome
Back home to Liverpool having pitched my proposal to a publisher just as I left France, I received ‘the email’ four weeks later to say they wanted to publish it!
I then set about continuing ‘to create the life I wanted to love and live’ back in Liverpool. I began to build a portfolio of work and got a job as a careers coach at a local independent school and also worked in a health food shop – this was my bread and butter money, enabling me then to focus more on my writing and my art around it.
Currently, I work as an external marker for Liverpool John Moores University’s World of Work programme and am putting finishing touches to my second book ‘Creating your First Ever CV in 7 easy steps.’ In April, I will begin my 44 Wisdom Card Project, which will see me complete a set of 44 oracle cards, art work by me, with messages and wisdom inspired by others and written by me and I continue to create my commissions in my quirky cocoon style and have completed 12 in the last year.
There is no doubt our style of life has changed – more so relating to money and expenditure as we are no longer earning a full time salary. Both me and my husband work for ourselves. He used to work in Iraq as a close protection officer and he’s now a passionate earth warrior and keeper of the garden – he’s a gardener. However having become more money aware I feel better off – with my life, my health and my creativity.
With hindsight, I wish I would have taken the leap and gone on some creative retreats sooner. Especially when I was working full time. If I had attended workshops even when I wasn’t ‘doing what I loved’, I would have nourished my creative soul. I went to Portugal in May last year to do a ‘Flora Bowley, Bloom True’ workshop and I wish I had done it years before. It was so releasing.
I now realise that travel and removing yourself from your familiar environment really does get creative juices flowing.
Having my own mentor early on to focus my creative business would have been a good move, to help me plan things a little more. I didn’t have a marketing plan, and still need to develop this side of me.
My big dream is to have my third book published called Healing ME Healing You, all about how I healed myself from ME/CFS when I was in my 20s; have an exhibition of my 44 Wisdom Card Paintings at a wonderful venue in Liverpool; and to illustrate and publish my mum’s poetry. She’s 76 and a poet, now doing what she loves! Big dreams! But then you did ask.
[Images courtesy of Julia Dolowicz Harvey.]
To find out more about Julia visit her website]
Today’s shared story comes from Stacy Chizuk who has a background in social work and a passion for photography.
Doing what I love is like unplugging from time. When I step into my creative self, I am not bogged down by thoughts of “to do” lists or haunted by plaguing “what-ifs” or the self-destructive “shoulds”. When I do what I love, that ticking clock in my head stops and a joy emerges that I often forget dwells in my soul.
I picked up a camera when my first son was born six years ago and I never put it down. My Canon is always thrown around my neck, riding shot gun in my car or stuffed down inside my diaper bag. I started with a basic point and shoot and have gradually upgraded throughout the years. My grandfather was a photographer and on his deathbed five years ago he asked me to carry on the tradition of photographing the family. I agreed wholeheartedly. Growing up I never understood why he would take my sister’s and my photographs so often. We would groan and hide from his large Nikon lens, especially during those awkward pre-pubescent years (picture the 80’s hair coupled with heavy black eyeliner). Then after the birth of my first child I understood. I appreciated the desire to capture a moment of time. In capturing that moment I discovered the challenge to comprehend the magic and mathematics of the light, decipher the mechanics of the camera, and to gaze through the lens as if my own kaleidoscope into the world. I became addicted.
I left the field of social work after giving birth to my first child. However, I still wanted to give back in some way without feeling I was losing myself in the giving. I had always loved writing since I was a child and taking the quote from a random postcard I purchased in one of those funky incense-smelling shops, I decided to “take the leap and build my wings on the way down” and I started a photography blog. My intention was to only post photos but it unfolded into a forum for me to write. I write for myself. I write to set free the incessant, sometimes humorous, sometimes solemn thoughts that camp inside my head. When I began to hear my authentic self in my words and see that self in my photographs, I discovered a feeling best described as a liminal moment. A liminal moment as described by author Rebecca Wells in her book Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood, “Those moments apart from time, when you are gripped, taken, when you are so fully absorbed in what you are doing that time ceases to exist.” So I began Liminal Moments Photography.
Since starting my blog and a small photography business, I have been able to incorporate a piece of my social work self in photographing children in foster care that are looking for an adoptive family. Many of these children love the personal attention a photo shoot brings and they often are my favorite kids to capture!
Their ability to smile and shine despite traumatic childhoods is inspirational. When I see my photographs of these children displayed in public arenas, I feel both excited because the photograph truly captures their spirit, yet heartbroken because the reality is their pictures are there because they need a family to love them. My goal in taking their photo is to capture their essence, their spirit, their love. If I can do that, then hopefully I will have helped them in some small part along their journey.
Clarissa Pinkola Estes writes in her book Women Who Run With the Wolves, “a woman’s creative ability is her most valuable asset, for it gives outwardly and it feeds her inwardly at every level: psychic, spiritual, mental, emotive, and economic.” When I hold my camera in my hands or free my words through my blog out into cyberspace, I feel as though my soul is being fed. I hope it touches others and helps to ignite their creative spark.
[Images courtesy of Stacy Chizuk.]
To find out more about Stacy visit her website.
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Join us for The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design, – next class starts in April!
Today’s shared story comes from Britt Berg.
Every day I pinch myself, wondering: How did I get so lucky? Have I really been able to find a career that I am passionate about? I am so thankful that every day I get to do what I love.
What am I doing – what is this thing that I love so very much? Every day, I get paid to write about pregnancy, fertility, and women’s health. And I get to do it from home. I write health articles and blog posts about reproduction, babies, and birthing. I love this!
Before I begin, I must confess that becoming a writer was never my lifelong dream. I always liked writing, but I wasn’t the girl in high school and college who was constantly dreaming of becoming a writer. So how in the world did I get here?
I guess you could say that I let my interests, not money or other people’s expectations, or any other conventions, guide my career. In college I threw practicality and convention to the wind. I studied what I loved, what fascinated me: issues of race, class, and gender, radical feminist theory, breastfeeding trends around the world, natural childbirth, meditation, and more. I took yoga and dance classes. I did what I loved. This combination of interests led me to go on to complete a Master’s degree in counseling psychology, with a focus on yoga and dance therapy as healing methods. Yoga therapy. Yup. Sigh.
And then it was time to get a real job.
Yoga therapy was awesome, but I wasn’t sure that I could really make a living as a yoga therapist. So I took my psychology expertise and started working at Emory University on psychological research studies. I worked with great people and started climbing the ladder into upper level research management positions. But I never felt fulfilled. I always wanted more. I wanted to love my job. I wanted to make more money with the time I had. I wanted to feel passionate about what I was doing. And I wanted to feel more connected to my home and family.
There was just one problem. My husband and I had two children, and he was in over his head in graduate school working on his PhD. I was supposed to carry this family of four financially until he was finished with school – several long years later.
Patience, however, was not my strong point. I was determined and I decided to go for it. In October 2008, at the beginning of his third year of graduate school, we sat down with spreadsheets and talked extensively, planning out how we could make my dream job a reality. We crunched numbers, drew up a very austere monthly budget and saved everything we could. Three months later, I cut my research job down to part-time and I tried to get as many freelance writing jobs as I could. I attended writing workshops, met other writers for coffee, and brainstormed ways to make this work. I networked and was very fortunate to have some very big “ins” into the world of health writing (you know who you are!)
I worked part-time for a year, slowly building my writing portfolio, writing for major online health websites. That year, I co-authored my first book – the second edition of Making a Baby – a book about pregnancy and infertility. Then, right after Christmas 2009, I was offered a two-month contract writing about pregnancy and infertility that paid really well. The money would allow me to save up enough money to leave my day job. I took the leap and quit my day job. I was a writer!
During those first few months, I became pregnant with our third child. So here we were: a graduate student, a brand new freelance writer, and three small children. Not exactly the most secure existence imaginable.
Thankfully, my career was blossoming. I was busy. I was full. As 2010 continued, I was making a surprisingly good hourly rate. I had to turn down multiple writing jobs because I was so busy. Recruiters would call and I couldn’t even consider those offers. Two years after taking this wonderful leap, I am still full – beyond full. I am making a very satisfying income doing what I love.
Doing what I love isn’t just about the writing or the women’s health focus, though, although I truly love my job and have a passion for these things. Doing what I love also means that I have a better work-life balance than I was able to have when I worked outside the home. As a mother of three, this is beyond valuable. While I miss the social contact of working outside of the home at times, I am so blessed and thankful that I can make a living working here at home.
World community, I believe that it is possible for you to go out and achieve your dream job. I am living proof that you CAN do it. Yes, you will have to make sacrifices. Yes, you may have to give up many things that you enjoy to make it happen. Yes, you will have to work your arse off. But as I continue on this path doing what I love, I am meeting more and more people that are finding creative and fulfilling ways to make a living doing what they love. Through telling my story here, I hope you will understand and believe that your dreams are within your reach.
Every day I pinch myself: Is this really true? Am I really so fortunate to be living my dream? Do I really get to wake up every day and do this job that I love? Thankfully, gratefully, miraculously, yes! YES! It is real, and it is so wonderful.
So think about what it is that you love, what it is that moves you, what it is that drives you…
…And do it.
[All images by John Berg.]
Find out more about Britt here and get your copy of Making a Baby here.
Today’s shared story comes from Wendy Brightbill.
To me, doing what I love means doing something that I am so passionate about that I just can’t help doing it. It’s what I would do every single day of my life even if I didn’t get paid a single dime. I feel so fortunate and grateful to have found what I really love doing, creating art and inspiring women to find beauty in the broken places.
The path that led me to becoming an artist is a tad bit unconventional and involved my life unraveling at the seams before I could piece them back together. But the devastation I experienced and the trials I endured allowed me to discover my true passion and made me who I am today, an artist.
Growing up, I was always consumed with creating. My sister and I would spend hours colouring and drawing and gluing and taping. I took a few art classes in high school and learned to draw. I was even pretty good at it. But I never saw myself as an artist, just that I was good at art. There is a difference.
I went on to teach Kindergarten, what I always thought I was meant to do. And there were aspects of teaching that I absolutely loved. I loved being creative and coming up with new curriculum. I loved the actual teaching and the fulfillment of watching my students learn. But there were so many parts of teaching that were very difficult, and just not me. I soon became weighed down by the amount of expectations placed on me. I grew very disillusioned with being a teacher and made a decision to quit in search of finding what I was really passionate about. I thought that meant going into business for myself but I really had no idea what was right around the corner.
The summer after I quit teaching, my life took a complete detour. A heart breaking, life-falling-apart detour. I was rear-ended in a car accident. The unraveling began with chronic pain and a brain injury. And slowly I watched as everything in my life came apart. We lost our home and experienced financial ruin. I was depressed and paralyzed by fear. My personality changed. I went from operating primarily from my left brain to being forced to use my right brain more. It has taken me years to fully recover and heal from this tragedy and I am still on this path of healing.
Art became a huge part of my healing process. At my lowest point, my mother gave me a copy of Kelly Rae Roberts book Taking Flight. My heart came alive as I was able to express my heart and my journey in ways that I never even thought possible. The messy free flowing nature of mixed media art truly spoke to my broken brain. I started making new connections in my brain and found that I could actually be more creative than I had ever been. What used to be difficult to my left brained self, flowed out of my paintbrush with ease and heart. I found the me who had always been there but could not come out until my brain injury. And I found a deep and lastly purpose in what I was doing.
I started my business A Girl and Her Brush where I create and sell art, blog, teach local art classes, teach an online class, write articles for national magazines and share my story with women all over the world. Last year I was published in four different Stampington magazines. And I started teaching again. I love that all the aspects I enjoyed about teaching I now get to do all the time without the parts that felt yucky.
I have big dreams for the future. I want to become licensed as an artist. I would love to write a book about my story. And one day I would love to open a studio where I would have big artists come from all over the world to teach classes and inspire women.
Looking back, I never expected that my brain injury would launch me into a life of doing what I love. I am so grateful that I was open to finding my passions and didn’t miss this creative calling.
[All images courtesy of Wendy Brightbill.]
Today’s shared story comes from talented photographer Nicola Taylor.
For me, doing what you love begins with consciousness. What do I mean by that? I mean that sometimes we just have so many options available to us that it’s hard to know what we’d love to do. We don’t know which is the right thing for us and we expect that, when we find it, we’ll hear angels singing the Hallelujah chorus and a beam of light will shine down from the heavens, illuminating that one thing that will make it all complete. I don’t know about you, but that hasn’t been my experience. I spent a long time doing something that wasn’t what I loved and it took me a good couple of years of hard work just to clear the decks and figure out what to do next.
To take you back to the beginning of my story, two years ago I was working as a stockbroker in the City of London. I knew it wasn’t what I wanted to be doing and, to be honest, I had no idea how I had got there. I think I had just stopped looking at the big picture and started focusing only on the choices in front of me. I did that job for seven years and I think I was happy for two of them. The rest were just wasted in stress and worry and fear that I couldn’t actually do anything else.
I think we all want the transitions to be smooth and easy but the truth is I couldn’t have known at that point that I wanted to be a photographer. I couldn’t see it from there. It’s kind of like being in a valley. You need to get to a higher vantage point in order to be able to see further afield. Sometimes, when all you can see are the mountains in your way, the first step is just trying to get to higher ground.
The moment of truth came for me on a January morning when I was meeting with my boss to allocate the many stressful and lonely business trips we had to take throughout the year. I remarked on how busy we were going to be and he turned to me and said “It’ll be November before you know it.” NOVEMBER. Almost 52 weeks gone… just like that. And the implications of that comment hit me between the eyes like a sledgehammer. As long as I was in that environment where a year went by in a blink of an eye, I would never have the space or the perspective to decide what I wanted to do next. I would never get a smooth transition. There was nothing else to be done. I would have to leave and face the discomfort.
I gave my notice a month later with no idea what I was going to do. I was fortunate in that my career had been very well paid and my unconscious had been protecting me by forcing me to be frugal for the past few years, so I had some savings and I decided to take a year off, a kind of sabbatical. I’m not the kind of person who can just wander aimlessly so I set myself things to do throughout the year, things that would keep me on track. A yoga teacher training in Bali, a writing retreat in the Scottish Highlands, an art retreat in New Hampshire and a nine month photography course at the London College of Communication.
And, although I didn’t know it at the time, everything was unfolding in just the right sequence. The yoga training was like a reset button for my life and gave me back my connection to my gut instinct. The writing retreat allowed me time for reflection on my life and the things I wanted. The art retreat gave me a tremendous sense of community and the bravery to try something with no idea whether I‘d be any good at it or not. And then, when it came to the photography course, I was ready. Everything that was inside of me was primed and ready to be expressed. And it was a little like the Hallelujah Chorus. But the angels could never have found me sitting on my butt in that cubicle. I had to take the first steps myself.
My big dream now is to continue exploring my own newly discovered creativity and, in time, to help others find theirs. I had written myself off as not being a creative person and that couldn’t have been further from the truth. In reality, I was paralysed by my own expectations of what an artist is and the judgments of my school art teachers. Not that they were wrong (I could show you a clay sculpture of a seal I made that would make you pee your pants laughing) but what they forgot is that creativity is so much more than technical artistic ability. We are all innately creative and we all have access to a medium that works for us, a medium that allows us to express ourselves with joy. I’m making it my mission in life is to convince people of the first and to help them find the second.
[All images courtesy of Nicola Taylor.]
Find more of her gorgeous photography here or connect on Facebook or Twitter.
Today’s fascinating shared stories come from former clown and master storyteller Arina Isaacson and body image expert Kimberly Riggins.
I am 10 years old. I am sitting in the beautiful old opera house in the classic western mountain mining town of Central City Colorado watching my, first ever, live theatre production. The Miracle Worker with Patty Duke and Ann Bancroft is the inspiring story of Helen Keller, born deaf and blind and how she first learned to express herself through non-verbal communication. My child heart is beating wildly and the hairs on my arm are standing in thunderous applause. Little did I know that the magic of this moment would define my life’s work, insisting that I follow my heart and do what I love.
Mimi-the-Clown
ACT I
In 1970 I received my Master’s degree in Communication and became a teacher of deaf children. At this time my best friend suggested that I take a mime class to enhance my teaching and my love of gestural language. I called my mother and I said, “Guess what? I’m going to become a clown.” There was dead silence on the other end of the phone. “You’re going to become a what? A clown? You just got a Master’s degree –Wherever did you get that idea?”
All I can tell you is that something very strong grabbed hold of my heart when I started doing mime, clown and improvisation work. I came alive and had to follow this tug wherever it was going to take me.
Buba-the-Magician
ACT II
I quit my job, sold all my belongings, packed my Chevy and moved to San Francisco to follow my heart’s calling and pursue creativity. For the next 20 years I immersed myself in theatrical clown work, sacred puppetry and visual art. I found ways to combine my creative work with my love of teaching and began to experience the power of visualizing my dreams and healing my deepest wounds. The sacred art pieces that I created held the energy of my dreams. My inner landscape helped form sacred artifacts—mythic performing dolls; fetishes, charms, amulets, and shadow boxes. Each piece represented a different intention or prayer.
The Devouring Tree Mother
You see, by the time I turned 35 years old, I had lost my parents and grandparents to cancer; endured a hysterectomy, dashing my hopes of ever becoming pregnant and, survived a brutal rape by a stranger breaking into my home. Early on, I realized that I could view these challenging moments as opportunities to become empowered rather than victimized. And so, adversity has been one of my greatest teachers. It has provided me with the chance to get to know myself. The constant theme in my life has been the path of the artist. By consciously experiencing, working with, and expressing my inner and outer obstacles, I have been able to find my authentic voice, to unleash my passion and use it to cultivate wholeness and creativity. Adversity has been my inspiration for following my heart and doing what I most love to do. My commitment to pursue the creative path guided me toward building confidence and authenticity.
I used my own suffering to heal and make other people laugh at the same time. This unique approach to creating personal clown characters enabled me to explore the place of vulnerability where the funniest and most touching clown persona reside. I developed a process of creating clown characters based on externalizing my inner world. Clowning gave me ways to express hopes, fears, heal my grief and hidden craziness by forming a clown character.
I created five characters over a period of 20 years, based on my natural inclinations of movement, voice, gestured habits, inner feelings, and stories. Each season of my life, a new character would emerge.
Baby Fatty
Boo-lu was my first character. She was a feisty single mother who traveled with five white baby dolls with red noses, all named Baby Kaka. Each vignette told a story about the love/hate relationship between the mother and her babies. Then came Mimi the Clown. Me! Me! She was based on my tendency to be a narcissist. Mimi made a lot of mistakes as a way to deal with my perfectionism. She would say, “Oh, you’re right, you’re right,” you’re right”, you’re right!” “How do you know? How do you know” How do you know?” Baby Fatty helped me come to terms with my body image and food issues.
In my early 50’s, Ms. Lotta Bucks appeared to help me face my fears of growing older. She was an expert in cultivating “inner beauty” and counseled women about retirement. She taught them how to invest their “socks in the sock market and wash them grow!” And, finally, out popped Mrs. Milton, whose favorite advice is, “Just remember, dearie, it only matters what other people think!”
The treasured Clown School of San Francisco, which I founded, became home to people from all walks of life who wanted to explore and tell their unique life stories by creating personal clown characters. Computer programmers from Silicon Valley, priests and nuns from the theological seminaries, CEOs, business professionals, emergency room doctors, and criminal lawyers all converged at the Clown School to tell their stories, find their voice and experience their joie de vivre.
Moona-the-Wise-Owl-Woman
ACT III
Next, I came to understand that self-awareness and telling one’s compelling life stories, are the key to becoming an authentic and powerful person. I wanted to take the essence of the clown – the aliveness, the vitality of that unique voice further out into the marketplace. Joining with colleagues, in a theater-based communication training called ‘Active Communicating’ (www.corporatescenes.com) we focused on finding and expressing one’s authentic presence, voice and compelling leadership journey stories. For the past 20 years I have been traveling the world helping leaders learn the skill set to inspire, motivate, influence and connect with any audience.
The River of life
ACT IV
Over time I came to painting, spirit journals, and vision storyboards. The River of Life has become a central exercise in my story-telling curriculum. By creating a River of Life, one is able to clearly track the richness of his/her life experience and draw from those experiences to tell stories of courage, triumph, risk, struggle, values, adventure, mistakes made and lessons learned. My life stories provide the context for my experiences and through them, I am able to find the inspiration to make an impact on the world.
The ability to create and tell certain kinds of stories is not only a useful tool, but an essential prerequisite to finding my original voice. These stories have provided visual maps and images for conveying who I am, the authentic moments of where I came from and who has mentored and inspired me along the way.
My 40-year creative journey has been about the healing aspects of art, ritual and theater. The thread that has traveled through each act is creativity and communication. It is and has been my greatest joy to first find my authentic voice and then to inspire others to open to their full self expression. This process has helped wake me up to life! My art work is the deepest manifestation of my gratitude for the gift of living a meaningful life and doing what I love every step of the way. Thank you for allowing me to share my journey with you.
The Beloved
To find out more about Arina visit her website or her art site.
I truly believe we all have a choice how we show up in the world. How we wake up in the morning, how we go about our day, who we interact with, how we handle our emotions and where we put our energy. Regardless of our circumstances, we all have the ability to choose.
Doing what you love is also a choice. A conscious choice to do something that brings you joy, inspiration and fulfilment, regardless of what other people may think.
I most certainly do what I love.
But it wasn’t always that way. I used to think I needed to conform to societal standards of what is proper, how to speak, how to look, what to do with my life.
Standing at a crossroads in my own life, staring down the path of least resistance or the path of an unknown adventure, I chose the latter.
I must say, choosing adventure which includes being authentically myself has been the best decision I have ever made.
Today, I get to empower and inspire other women to stop conforming. To stand up for themselves. To live an authentic, beautiful, passionate life. I show them how they can fall head over heels in love with their own bodies, regardless of its shape or size. I teach them how to wrangle their negative thoughts that are just keeping them stuck and most importantly, I unveil a world that includes pleasure and lots of it!
I couldn’t ask for a better way to spend my time.
Believe me, my journey to get to this place was a bumpy one. I had to endure a lot of pain to get myself to this place. A rape, an eating disorder, depression, a crumbling relationship and a financial failure… all situations and circumstances that have the potential to break a person.
Rather than play the victim and let these issues consume me, I tried to find the lesson I was supposed to learn with each event. It wasn’t easy. There were a number of times I wanted to throw in the towel. Just give up!
But something deep inside me kept me going. It took years for me to realize that it was my innate strength that kept me afloat. That strength lives in all of us. Sometimes, it helps to have someone else help us pull it out.
Moving forward, my life is full of exciting things. My first book, “Love Your Naked Ass” will soon be published, I have an amazing new program coming out, I am rebuilding my relationship, and I am creating a new financial plan.
Looking back, if I had to do everything all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing. Because I love who I am today and without those life experiences, I wouldn’t be me!
[Images courtesy of Kimberly Riggins.]
Kimberly is Founder and Creator of The Art of Eating Chocolate Naked is a Body Image Expert, Self-Talk Warrior and Transformational Catalyst who inspires and empowers women to love and accept themselves just as they are. Find out more about her on her website.