Love Notes for Creativity

I had promised Sister to bring some of my pretty washi tape cards from Chicago for her to donate. But they are squirreled away under a mountain of clutter and I did not dig them out in time before flying to Colorado this trip. Then at Target today I saw cardstock and a paper cutter, and since I already have a generous stash of washi tape here in the mountains, I decided to spend tonight making cards. I haven’t done this in a couple years, maybe?

It all makes me think about creativity. We associate it with the arts, obviously. But creativity applies in every domain of life. All elegant problem solving requires creativity, no matter how technical or left-brained. And in order to access our creativity, we must be open. Openness can feel vulnerable. So we need courage.

Isn’t it wonderful how all of these things intersect to make us better? Let’s see how creative I can get with a dozen jar smiles, eh? 😀

  1. What fun new idea knocks around in your head? Who can you share it with and play around to develop it? How will you bring it forth?

2. Creative, resourceful, and whole. This is the fundamental assumption coaches make of clients. You have what you need to make your life.

3. I wish you a benign challenge that makes you invent solutions you may never have come to otherwise. May it give you confidence and agency!

4. Be brave with your ideas and make things with openness and joy! 😀 Ignore dismissal and celebrate praise! You’ got this!

5. UNconventional, hallelujah! Humanity evolves at an accelerating pace! Your creativity will serve you better and BETTER.

6. May you free your imagination and spark your creativity this day when you come upon anything requiring new and innovative thinking! You’ got this!

7. I bet you are much more creative than you give yourself credit for! Where will you try something new next? No fear!

8. Rest. Fuel. Watch. Listen. Breathe. You will see the novel solutions to the pressing challenges when you are settled, centered, and wholly YOU.

9. What if? Why not? What about…? Look around. See anew the things considered mundane. This is how we create!! Woohooo!

10. What are the foundations of creativity? I think they are calm, openness, vulnerability, courage, and FUN. And love. Because love is the foundation of everything.

11. What lies in our future that we have not nearly imagined? How will we create and invent it? May you have a hand in making your future bright!

12. Just try it! You never know how you will like it or be awesome at it if you don’t give it a shot! Have fun!

I realize that I enjoy writing these love notes a lot more when I have specific people in mind. So for the remaining week of this month, I will do this more consistently. Let’s see if they get better!

Love Notes for Finding Joy

Back in my happiest place this weekend, friends!
Wishing us all to find our joy every day.
Wishing us all to lower our threshold for feeling it, internalizing it, expressing, sharing, and spreading it.
We all need all the joy we can get these days… all days.

  1. When I see you joyous my heart sings in joy right there with you! To know you are happy, at least in that moment, eases my mind so much.

2. Nature Music Your children Your friends Whatever brings you the most joy, I wish it on you in oodles and loads! More, more more!

3. What’s on the agenda today? I hope there are multiple things you look forward to! You can tell by the smile they bring when you anticipate! 🙂

4. What do we need to live a joyful life? I think our relationships are key. So I wish you people who open up your mind and heart for joy joy joy!

5. Where do you feel joy in your body? May that part of you be always open and bright, a vessel and a conduit for as much joy as you can handle!

6. The places, the people, the activities, challenges, feelings, memories, and events that bring you joy–may you immerse regularly!

7. Sometimes in life joy escapes us. But let us never lose hope that it will return to us eventually. We can be patient and whistle for it! 🙂

8. Sometimes joy is small. It can be just being okay and appreciating what’s good. The more we can feel joy at the small stuff, the more joyous life is!

9. OH hey FOOD! that is one of the MOST JOYOUS things in life, no? May you eat, drink, and be merry merry every day!

10. May your joy find you from the inside every day. May it connect you with everything that amplifies itself — all of us are better for it! Peace, dear one

11. That smile that reaches and crinkles your eyes — oh my gosh it just lights up the room! May your life stimulate it often and well!

12. How do we describe joy? Can we really articulate it? Even if not, it’s okay – because we can relate. We know it, share it, amplify it together.

Happy Weekend, friends. More tomorrow. 🙂

Love Notes for Dancing

Shake it, friends! What rhythms find you today? How will you sway those hips and sashay those steps out on the street? I wish for us all to let loose a little more, offering our inner and outer music to one another more routinely, normalizing dancing through our activities of daily living. Standing desks are the best for this–what a great invention!

Dancey You. Full of joy. Cardio in work clothes. Let’s go.

  1. When words fail us, may music step up and connect us through rhythmic movement — We can dance rather than talk our way to our togetherness.

2. What’s the ideal rhythm for your gait? Once you find it, you can curate your street walking playlist. Every day is more fun after that!

3. May life bring you dance partners of all kinds, who will teach you new steps and broaden your world in the most musical ways!

4. What are your playlists? Who do you invite to share each? May you have dance partners stashed all over your life!

5. May songs from your formative years visit you when you least expect them, stirring you out of your torpor and moving your bottom deliciously!

6. Ever seen that lady who walks on the treadmill like it’s a fashion runway and her personal theme song plays in her ears? I wanna be her.

7. What is the next activity that you can convert happily into a dance? Who can you pull onto your makeshift dance floor?

8. Have you ever watched those dance improv contests? How can we incorporate dancing into our creative lives? Let’s mooove!

9. OH I just wish for the freest part of your spirit to fly ahead of your body and lead the latter in the funnest choreography!

10. When you feel that familiar fatigue of post-lunch workday lag, may a favorite song pop into your head and overtake your body!

11. May we all have multiple chances to dance freely, joyfully, and shamelessly to our favorite music every day!

12. This one is for Dancey Shane! Thank you for your kitchen boogy videos–they always make our days and inspire our own jams!

I like these lighthearted Love Note days. Sometimes we just need to shake it out and have fun. Happy weekend, friends– More tomorrow!