our contributors up close :: jennifer lee

*5 things we might not know about you that you'd like to share*

1. I can burp the entire alphabet.
2. I can put both of my legs behind my head at the same time.
3. I really suck at washing the dishes. My husband usually has to rewash them! (BTW, getting a dishwasher along with a remodeled kitchen are on several of my vision boards).
4. My mom and I have the same birthday (I’m the gift that keeps on giving – teehee!)
5. I’m a homebody who loves to take naps in the middle of the day.


*5 things going on in your creative world*

1. One of the best things that’s been going on in my creative world lately has been getting to meet so many of my online friends in-person through my travels. I even got to meet our fabulous Wish Studio hostess, Mindy, during my visit to Boston/our roadtrip to the Squam Art Fair – YAY!
2. I recently launched an affiliate program for my Right-Brain Business Plan e-Book. Plus check out the fun, new look of the website!
3. I’ll be holding a Right-Brain Business Plan workshop in Oakland, CA on November 15th.
4. I’m digging my year-long Expressive Arts Teacher Training with Chris Zydel and can’t wait for my second retreat in December. I’m learning tons from the intuitive painting process.
5. I’m developing a licensing program for my Unfolding Your Life Vision kits and workshop.


*5 things that really inspire you*

1. My latest obsession is this giant wall calendar from Paper Source. Having a beautiful, huge visual makes it super easy and fun to plan out a big project I have coming up.
2. I recently finished reading my friend Cami Walker’s inspiring new book 29 Gifts: How a Month of Giving Can Change Your Life. I participated in her 29-Day Giving Challenge when it first started in the spring of 2008. Now there are more than 5,000 givers worldwide – are you one of them?
3. I *heart* fellow Wish Studio columnist Kimberly Wilson’s TranquiliT eco clothing line. I’m always donning her skirt pants, hoodies and/or arm warmers. Sooo comfy!
4. I adore Aimee’s Artsyville prints that remind me to make time for my writing, yoga and art. I hang them up as beautiful visual mantras to remind me of my favorite creative practices.
5. I am a huge fan of Carla White’s Gratitude and Vision Board iPhone apps. They’re fun, simple and they help me focus on what’s most important in my life.

in a new light :: backyard adventures

by susan tuttle

Many creative types that I know have this wanderlust itch (including myself for sure:) -- this inner craving; heartfelt need for adventure, fresh experience and broadening of one's perspective. Of course it would be a dream to scratch the itch aboard a plane to Paris, but when that is not a current possibility, where can you turn? The answer is that you need not look any further than your very own backyard for the adventure of a lifetime.

The journey may lie in a book upon the shelf of your town's library -- it's got your name on it, trust me -- if you go in search of it, the book you are meant to read will find you:) This one found me.

Take a walk today. Look down to see what sparkles below. Look. Really look, and you will bear witness to miraculous details you never noticed before...



Make some art. You can enter a new world that you create with your very own heart, mind and hands. Surprises will come through when you trust and open yourself to possibility. Ever get the feeling that you are not alone when that kind of magic happens?:)

Be transported with a movie
and the poetry of a song.

sip exceptional wine for only a few dollars

Take a different road home...


...and when you get there try a delicious recipe from my favorite culinary blog -- Big Flavors From a Tiny Kitchen

...and while your dish is cooking, write a poem

or take a trip to a faraway land. A few of my favorite escapes include this portal, this, and this

"Life is either a great adventure or nothing." ~Hellen Keller

Be well.




*Susan Tuttle is a mixed-media and digital artist who resides in a small-town community in the state of Maine. Her first book, Exhibition 36: Mixed-Media Demonstrations + Explorations, was released by North Light Books in December 2008, and her second book, Digital Expressions: Creating Digital Art with Adobe® Photoshop® Elements, a technique-based publication on digital art, will be published by North Light Books in May 2010 and is currently available for pre-order on Amazon. Susan is a frequent contributor to Stampington & Company publications and other mixed-media books. You can visit her site at www.ilkasattic.com and her blog at www.ilkasattic.blogspot.com through which she is offering online digital art workshops on the subjects of photomanipulation, digital montage, and a variety of Photoshop techniques.

our contributors up close :: kimberly wilson

*5 things we might not know about you that you'd like to share*

1. I'm from Oklahoma and know my state song by heart.
2. I'm an introvert.
3. I'm getting a Master's in Social Work to grow my non-profit, Tranquil Space Foundation, and offer therapy to my repertoire.
4. I want a teacup pig.
5. I pick up earthworms on the sidewalk after a heavy rain.


*5 things going on in your creative world*

1. My second book, Tranquilista, hits shelves early 2010. sign up to become a fan!
2. I'm working on my spring collection for TranquiliT. Thinking neutrals and simplicity.
3. My fourth audio yoga CD, Tranquility to Go, hit the shelves late October.
4. I'm going to be featured on Self Love Studio along with SARK and Muriel Hemingway. Tune in to hear me on November 4.
5. I love leading retreats and have three coming up in the first half of 2010. Come play!


*5 things that really inspire you*
1. The book The Artist's Way
2. Like-minded creative femmes as found at Wish Studio
3. Mixed media
4. Reading memoirs and biographies - currently obsessed with Coco Chanel
5. People-watching from sidewalk cafes - particularly Paris and New York

blowing bubbles in a concrete jungle :: a joy rebel’s take on real creativity

by brandi reynolds




When I started blogging I was entranced by many of the bloggers I saw out there. Their lives seemed to be perfect: chock full of creative moments, deep friendships, sparking romance, beautiful clothing, magical days of sun streaming through hushed studio windows. I thought many of the bloggers I read had transcended the normal, boring details of life and that became my vision of being an artist.

And if I didn’t dress like they seemed to or if my life wasn’t as infused with seeming magic and stardust, then I wasn’t an artist.

Pffffttt.

Of course, now I know that the people I read and admire deal with the same crap that I do. That they pay the bills and deal with traffic and have fat days and zits and times when it seems their creativity has gone out the window in favor of the laundry.

What I have realized is that still answering the siren song that compels us to create, even amidst the laundry, is what truly makes an artist. NOT what clothes we wear or where we create.



I also know I am not alone in some of the assumptions made about what a creative life ‘must’ look like and that can lead to a lot of self judgment about our own lives. So I would like to take a moment in this space, where I have been so openly welcomed by the lovely Mindy to share to my voice, what my creative life is like.

Many of my meals require an interaction with someone through a drive through window. There are days when the only writing I do is rushing through 5 things in my gratitude journal. My clothes are mostly second hand or target and many of my jackets have been ‘distressed’ by my dog (lovingly of course). I watch biggest loser and big bang theory. Sometimes I forget to give my husband a good night kiss before stumbling to bed. My meditation practice is…inconsistent.



And I still smile when I look at my photos because they make me happy. Just jotting down those five things in my gratitude journal help me feel heard and connected. Any kisses I miss the night before with my husband can be made up the next morning



The point I would like to make is that being creative is all about what is within us to express and has nothing to do with what the outside details look like. YOU are creative if the only writing you do is in a journal, if you find beauty in fallen leaves, if you put love into creating your family’s meals and if you hear what the stillness tells you.

What does the stillness tell you?

our contributors up close :: jamie ridler

*5 things we might not know about you that you'd like to share*

1. My first impression of passionfruit was entirely wrong. Luckily I got past the appearance and discovered the delight!
2. I am passionate about helping people fall in love with themselves, their lives and the world.
3. I get nervous when my honey stands too close to the yellow line on the subway.
4. I once recited Edward Lear's "The Dong with the Luminous Nose" while peforming as Imogen Nation on stage.
5. Champagne, sequins, jewels, you name it: I love sparkle.


*5 things going on in your creative world*

1. I am devoted to a particular datebook and couldn't find it this year, so I'm creating my own! So far, so fun!
2. I've recently launched a podcast called Creative Living with Jamie, where creative independent spirits share their stories and strategies for bringing creativity to life. I have already talked to some amazing creative bloggers like Jen Lee , BlissChick Christine Claire Reed and Connie Hozvicka. You can subscribe here, find it on iTunes here, or on my site every Tuesday.
3. I'm weeks away from launching my first downloadable workshop called Soul Reflections. I guide you through a fun and creative process of collage and journalling to find the messages that are tucked away in your heart, waiting to be heard. My goal is to help as many people as possible find their inner compass so that they can start building their dreams on what they truly want. You can find out more here with more details coming soon.
4. I recently worked with a wardrobe stylist to revision my entire clothing collection. It was tons of fun, wildly creative and totally helped me fully embrace my taste and my style. The cool thing is that Safina and I are now developing a workshop together that will combine authentic professionalism and authentic style.
5. I'm leading The Next Chapter book blogging group through Martha Beck's The Joy Diet. We've been through Nothing, Truth, Desire, Creativity and Risk and are on our way to Treats - yay! One special treat was that Martha herself stopped by and left us a message of encouragement. How exciting!
*Now, I know that's 5 but I just want to whisper about something that's in the works. It's too early to share any details but in January I'll be launching a brand new inspiring program! To be the first to hear about it, sign up for my newsletter here . I can't wait to share!

*5 things that really inspire you*

1. Life. I know that's corny but it's the truth. The more I get in there and experience it, embrace it, revel in it, taste it, love it up, the more inspired I am.
2. Dance. When I dance, I know who I am.
3. The new wave of creative, heart-centred entrepreneurs that are changing the way we do and perceive business. I've really learned from Alicia Forest, Laura Howard West, Molly Gordon and Mark Silver. And of course, the Wish Studio's very own Jennifer Lee is a part of that movement with her Right-Brain Business Plan.
4. Generosity. When people generously and honestly share who they are, when they share resources, when they reach out and uplift others while they are rising too, this moves me and inspires me to make a contribution wherever I can, whenever I can. Spread the love!
5. Ideas. Call me crazy but my favourite class in grad school was theory. I love exploring big questions. One of my favourite theatrical productions I ever created started with me asking, "What would happen if I translated an academic text into a movement piece?" I had no idea how it would turn out. I figured it would be cool or horrible. In fact, it was short, intense and glorious. I guess it's one of the joys of living to me, asking "What if...." and following where that question takes you.

wishmamas :: mother of sound

by stacy lewis



Om. It's said to be the mother of all sound, and the word that birthed the world. My mother created me and she gifted me many things, one of which was a small book in which she had written in her crafted hand, "Stacy's Journal." I decorated it with frog stickers and started in the middle because that felt more secret. It was a book with white, unlined pages and a fake black leather cover. It was my first journal, begun at the age of nine.

It was magical how my mom knew I needed a journal and placed it under the tree for me that Christmas. A month later, I wrote about the Iran hostages and Ronald Reagan's inauguration. I wrote about Mount St. Helen's blowing its top. But mostly I wrote about myself, creating story out of all that happened in my small life: being mistaken for a boy, again. Worrying about my Grandpa Ralph's drinking. Meeting friends at the ballpark.

I filled dozens of journals over the years, penned hundreds of poems, wrote many good stories. Stories from my still-child self, about squirrels and butterflies and fairies; and then later on, about war and love, friendship and independence. Stories that seemed to spring from my head fully formed, and stories that trickled from my life onto the page.

This is what I remember: There is a creek with a little bridge. She is on the bridge, watching the coins shining from the algae-covered rocks. She has a notebook and pen – did she write with a pen then? Maybe it's a pencil, I can't quite see. She writes words. She is intent, focused, and both seeking and receiving. She is writing, writing, writing. She is at fine arts camp, this 12-year-old girl who already thinks of herself as a writer, or wait, maybe this is the beginning of her conception of herself as a writer.

She probably wrote, then, about the coins. Whenever she got stuck, her teacher, David Romtvedt, told her, "Just write. Start with one word, and write."

Maybe she started with:

coins

And then:

shimmer

cool

bridge

free

suspended

wishes

gleaming

coming true

Maybe that's what she wrote. The words eventually forming themselves into complete thoughts, sentences, ricocheting into story.

Shhhh. Hush now.

The world becomes a wish, a wish becomes a word, a word becomes the world.

But that was all so long ago. Just a child, really, full of creativity and channeling the world's stories. Eventually, they stopped coming, and I stopped writing. The journals were the last hold-outs, but even those petered out in my late twenties, crushed by the overbearing minutiae of adulthood. The last one devolved into sporadic, incomplete notes about buying a house, and then months later, questions for our visits to the midwife.

I had felt the ebbing away of my creativity over the years, and watched with sadness as she made her final exit. I looked up quickly at the sound of the door closing: …who just left?

And then she rushed right back in. I held my newborn son in the sling and scribbled on scavenged scraps of paper as she swirled around me. I held my newborn baby in the sling and tried not to wake, rustle, or crush him as I wrote. I left my baby, with my husband, for the first time and went to the bookstore to buy a new journal. It was red, and I filled its pages with the delirium of new motherhood. I am a mother. And I am tired. I want to be good enough to give my baby the love he deserves. I want to sleep. I wrote about quitting my job. I wrote a poem.

I wrote in the car while the baby slept. I wrote on the bed in the dark. I wrote in the inside of my mind, repeating the words over and over, so I could transfer them, when given the chance, onto the page. Everything was shifting and shimmering all around me, and I sat perched on the bridge, mesmerized by the unexpected and ever-more persistent glimmers of creativity coming my way. Again, it started with journals, and free-writes, and then it kept coming. I felt thankful and I nurtured my budding craft with classes, writing groups, and eventually got up the nerve to send my writing out for submission. On doctor's forms, I wrote, under occupation, in my hurried script: Mother and Writer, and I did both, all day, every day.

It wasn't until I birthed a son, and then a renaissance of writing, that I could understand how the gift of creativity is simultaneously my own and not my own (and not just because taking care of a young child and writing often seemed diametrically opposed). As a child, it seemed as if I were transmitting the words as they came through me. As a mother, I felt as if I were transmuting the words that arose within.

When my son was two and half years old, I tattooed the symbol om on my lower back. When I say the word, I say it slowly, sounding it out a – u – m, and the sound arises from the deep waters of my belly, travels up my chest toward the light, and fills the cavern of my mouth, emanating into the world, where it eventually dissolves. The four syllables in this word-sound represent all that is and all that is yet to be: "A" is our waking state, "U" our dream state, "M" our deep sleep, and the fourth is the silence that follows, the void from which all life springs, and to which it returns.

When I was a child, the cycle moved so fast that I never even heard the silence, until then it was all I had.

I was born, I wrote.

I dreamed, I wrote.

I slept, I wrote.

I was silent.

I gave birth, and I wrote.


Shhhh. Hush now.

Start with one word.

Stacy Lewis lives in Seattle with her husband and their two young sons, who are now six and three years old. Her first child inspired her to find the connections between peace, community, creativity, and motherhood. Her second reminds her to just try and stay sane. She writes about her (bumpy) path to peaceful parenting at http://www.mama-om.com/.

our contributors up close :: christine mason miller

*5 things we might not know about you that you'd like to share*

1. I am taking piano lessons - my first venture into anything musical in my entire life.
2. I am a Brady Bunch fiend, and once made a bit of a fool of myself gushing over Florence Henderson.
3. I usually work in silence.
4. I was voted "Most Individual" in my high school class.
5. I can't stand cilantro.




*5 things going on in your creative world*

1. A new Ordinary Sparkling Inspiration Deck
2. Book Fairies from all over the world are helping with the 100 Books Project. Over the next few months, books will be left in Portugal, Spain, Denmark, Italy, Scotland, Ireland, Iceland, New Zealand, Australia, Canada and South Korea
3. My Demdaco Wall Art is back up on Etsy
4. The Core Show is coming up Saturday, November 7, 2009
5. I'm contributing a Creative Catalyst exercise to the Creative Therapy website next month


*5 things that really inspire you*

This is what has been on my radar recently:
1. India, and my friend's recent journey there in particular
2. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
3. Anahata Katkin
4. Charlotte Tarantola, my amazing fashion designer friend
5. My family


[photo by denise andrade]

eye candy...a special treat {your photos!}

click on images for photo credits...

here's to a boo-tiful season!

gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous {sigh}

thanks to all who shared...xo

filling the well {a monthly inspiration prompt} :: time to get creative

welcome to the first of the wishstudio's filling the well... a series of community inspiration posts designed to share little bits of your inspired life! as creative souls our search for inspiration is ongoing and unending, and often overflows into all the different areas of our lives. let's take some time to explore, exchange ideas, and recognize just how uniquely inspiring we all are. these little prompts will enable you to offer up some of your own juiciness, as well as serve as a deep well of inspiration to always draw from. i really encourage you to share. you'll be glad you did.

to begin, let's talk about getting messy and creative in general. since creativity is the cornerstone of most of our lives, how do you make time to create? do you have a space carved out for your creativity, or do you create wherever and whenever you can? share your thoughts and photos of your sacred creative time, and link your post here to share with our community... go!

my creative time is very unstructured. at the whim of two young children, i am constanly squeezing in creativity in between feedings, homework, and bedtime stories. often times my littlest one is cozied up in my studio watching me work and singing to the soft music.

most of my creative time goes to running things here in the wishstudio... connecting with you, dreaming up new ideas, keeping things moving behind the scenes. i do still try to find time to do my own crafty projects, blog on my personal site, and create a little art when i feel inspired. that is someting i want to devote more time to, and what i find the hardest time to carve out for myself. i am working on that one though, as i find i really do enjoy (and even need) the process of getting messy and creating just for fun.

for me, creativity lives in all the facets of my life, so if i am not in my studio making connections or art, i am still immersed in creative living all the time. it is the air i breath!

how about you?

the necklace project

i am so excited to announce this upcoming collaborative project that will launch in november! it is inspired by a handful of projects that embrace sisterhood, offer artful opportunities, create beautiful connections, as well as meaningful experiences.

the necklace project will be the creation of a collaborative art piece, as well as an ongoing journey of the inspiration and experiences of each wearer along the way. we will follow each link as it is created and watch as a unique story and community unfulrs in it's wake.

this is all about bringing people together, making something beautiful and meaningful, and having the opportunity to embrace a unique experience that might change your perspective in surprising ways.

this is about creating trancendance.

for the project (in a nutshell), each person will create a charm to add to one of the links on the necklace - i will be creating the first one. you do not have to be a fancy jewelery designer, just have the desire and creativity to add a little piece of You to the necklace, whatever that might be! once your link has been added, you will wear the necklace and then share your thoughts and photos in a post here in the wishstudio. the project will go on until the necklace is full of your stories and art!

if you think you might like to become a link in the necklace project, leave a comment here as well as sending me your contact information via email. before the project launches next month, i will get in touch with you and send you all the details in full.

spread the word in your creative circle! i hope you will join me on this journey...xo

musepreneur :: are you a scanner/slasher with many passions?

by jennifer lee

Are you a Scanner/Slasher/Musepreneur with Many Passions?

Being the creative person and/or a creative entrepreneur that you are, I bet you have a plethora of passions: perhaps art, writing, photography, knitting, and salsa dancing. Maybe you dream of running a yoga studio in Costa Rica and in the same breath you can see yourself opening up a vegan bakery or writing your first mystery novel or designing high-fashion shoes.

You like to dabble in loads of creative projects and love to constantly learn new things.

Recently one of my clients bemoaned, “Oh no, here I go again. The last several months I was really excited about focusing on my art and writing, but now I’ve signed up for guitar lessons. I’m enjoying that at the moment, but arggh, why can’t I just pick one thing?!”

Does the last part sound familiar? If you feel like you can never “just pick one thing,” not to worry. Just because your best friend knew since she was five that she wanted to be a vet or your mom says, “Now what are you doing?!” when you sign up for yoga teacher training, it doesn’t mean that there is anything wrong with you. In fact, look at the talented, wonderful women who grace the Wish Studio. Many have multiple passions that they’ve beautifully blended together into a business and/or enjoy relishing their creative spirit in.

Your love of variety is what Barbara Sher, author of Refuse to Choose, refers to that as being a “Scanner,” someone who “doesn’t want to specialize in any of the things she loves, because that means giving up all the rest.” Journalist/author/speaker Marci Alboher talks about a similar concept in her book One Person/Multiple Careers. She calls people with multiple careers “Slashers.” Musepreneurs tend to be Scanners/Slashers because they follow their heart, are inspired by lots of different things and often build their work around those many passions.
Here are a few ways to embrace your love of variety:

Spend less time worrying whether your latest interest is the “right” thing or merely a flash in the pan. Spend more time paying attention to whether it brings you JOY.

Be willing to let something go when it’s run its course. Ask yourself what did you gain from that experience. How did you grow? It may have nothing to do with the subject matter and all to do with your learning process.

Allow yourself to try new things and see what sticks. All to often people get caught up in the “deciding what to do” mode. They research and fantasize and wonder if they’ll like it or not when they could actually be out there experiencing it NOW. Pick one thing that you’re interested in and take action on that this week.

Use your right-brain to see the patterns or bigger picture that might tie all of your passions together. Write out of all your passions and interests on separate Post-It Notes. Group them together in ways that make sense to you. What threads do you notice? What “slashes” can you start to string together?

When I first left my corporate job, I struggled to define what I did. How could I “market” myself if I couldn’t succinctly describe my business? I longed for a simple label that would capture everything I was up to… coaching, workshops, yoga, art, etc. Now, rather than confining myself to one thing, I embrace all of the facets that make up my life and career and that feels much more ME!

What are the many hats that you wear? What happens when you allow yourself to play with all of them? I’d love to hear!

* Jennifer Lee is a coach/artist/writer/speaker/yogini/musepreneur/slasher/scanner. She is the founder of Artizen Coaching and the creator of the Right-Brain Business Plan. She loves yoga, painting, reading and hanging out with her husband and dog. She blogs at Life Unfolds.

october giveaway winners!

thank you to everyone for playing along this month. such wonderful inspirations! the winner of maddie's ecourse and photograph is alice in paris (yay!)... and not to worry, as all of you will have the chance to win this awesome prize package again next month - so keep checking back :)

and (drumroll, please...) congratulations to meagan for winning the ordinary sparkling moments book and postcard set!

please connect with me via email to claim your prizes.

also... there is still time to send in your fall/halloween photo for our eye candy post at the end of the month. thanks to all of you who have already sent me your gorgeous pictures! i'm really excited to share them all.

ordinary sparkling moments :: is it a passion or job?

by christine mason miller

Someone emailed a while back, lamenting feelings of losing the love she once felt for her work. One sentence in particular struck me, when she explained that what she was doing felt more like a job and than a passion. I did not have time to delve into all the thoughts that came swimming into my mind when I read it, so I scribbled a few words on a post-it note and ruminated on the ideas for a few weeks, thinking about all the ways expectations, fantasies, and ideas of what constitutes a passionate life shape the way I’ve viewed my own artistic path. Where is the line that separates a passion from a job or does one even exist?

As these thoughts and questions simmered throughout my week at Squam Art Workshops (SAW), I couldn’t help but think about a similar spark that caught my attention at the 2008 SAW gathering during a panel discussion with the teachers. An audience member asked everyone on stage what rituals they did each day to get themselves in a creative mood, and I found myself wanting to jump up and say, “YES!” to the answer Penelope Dullaghan gave. I am paraphrasing, but it was something like this: That sometimes she isn’t in the mood, no matter how many candles are lit or rituals are performed; sometimes she wakes up grouchy and tired but she has a deadline to meet and – wait for it – this is her job. Ritual or no, it is her job to create, so create she must do.

In those moments when I would love nothing more than to skip along the sidewalks all day, nap, see a movie, and read, I always have a choice. I am an independent artist and have the freedom to take on as much or as little as I want. It could easily be said that I take on too much, but I approach my work with a take no prisoners attitude because I consider every opportunity to do the work I do is a gift, a gift that is being offered to me because I have worked hard. I followed my passion and - I still can’t believe I get to say this - my job is to create, write, and share my work.

There are plenty of days when things feel out of whack, when I ask myself, “Is this what I really signed up for?” When I started my greeting card line Swirly in 1995 I certainly didn’t anticipate having to spend day after day packing orders of cards. Running that business was a job, let me tell you, but it was my passion for what I was sending in all of those boxes that kept me going. And that’s the deal – when a passion is pursued I need to release the idea that I’ll wake up with bluebirds tying ribbons in my hair and sunbeams streaming through my windows. Pursuing a passion is work. It is effort and time and being willing to take on more than is easy to handle. It is, in the simplest terms, a job.

When I stop feeling that the work I do supports my passions – when the river I’m traversing seems to be stuck in a swamp instead of feeding into wider channels of joy and possibility – then it will be time to shift my direction…and think about changing jobs. But whatever title I ever hold the work will always be part of the package, and only through those efforts will I find my way to the wide open sea, beautiful lands, and passion fulfilled.

“Most people don’t recognize opportunity when it comes, because it’s usually dressed in overalls and looks a lot like work.” ~Thomas Edison

october giveaways :)

here are two extra juicy giveaways for you this month!

first... madelyn mulvaney, photographer, writer and creator of persisting stars has offered to one very lucky winner a gift certificate to take one of her inspiring e-courses as well as one photograph from her shop (amazing, right?). click on over to her gorgeous site for more details about her class offerings! maddie is also working on her first book 'the art of living cheerfully' so stay tuned to all that is unfolding in her world.

starting next month, she will also be joining us as a regular contributor here in the wishstudio with a column inspired by her book.



and if that weren't enough... the fabulous christine mason miller has gifted a copy of her wonderfully soul stirring book, 'ordinary sparkling moments' in addition to a package of her inspirational art postcards. her words and artwork will remind you to embrace the simple joys of every day, and inspire you to live an authentic, wholehearted, and beautifully meaningful life! there are so many wonderfully profound yet simple truths shared in her story... i know you will love it as much as i did!


to win either of these prize packages this month, leave a comment on this post, 3 words or less, by the end of the day on monday oct. 19 about what inspires you. one entry per person please. two random winners will be chosen and posted on tuesday, oct. 20th - good luck everyone!

wishmamas :: balance

by christina rosalie

I don’t really know how to put into words the nature of this thing that consumes me—this act of balancing my wild heart and my creative writing life with mothering my two sons—because it has become the very air I breathe, ubiquitous, constant.

It is my lens, my window, my aquarium.

Trying for balance is the thing I do daily, again and again, the way the first people must have tried repeatedly for fire, striking dull things together, feeling their fingers bleed or become numb with the hope of something they couldn’t really fathom, even after they’d felt it once, twice, more times; the way the cave walls suddenly flashed with warmth and light, so much suddenly possible.

Being a writer and a mother means having a hundred things always suspended in a precarious state of maybe equilibrium. Balancing these two parts of my soul means living in a state of being continually at odds with itself. It is at once an act of movement and stillness, of breathing and holding breath, of restraint and strength. Some days I feel like it is possible. Other days every action is tied to the thread of the next, and all I do is rinse breakfast bowls, make peanut butter sandwiches, fold small shirts, nurse, wash dirty hands, and point out big rigs on the road as we drive to and from school, and when night comes I pull the this strange quilt of moments close and wonder if it will ever feel like enough.

The truth is, I always pictured that I would be mother. I even pictured having boys (ever the tomboy, they’ve always been my favorite.) But until I unexpectedly became pregnant with my firstborn, I was content to have children remain abstractions in my head—a part of Someday when I would really be Grown Up and had Accomplished Things. It was in that same Someday that I imagined I would become a writer. Meanwhile I spent hours in traffic, contributed to a retirement account, dropped off my dry cleaning, and was content to exist at the very center of my own small world.

Then my boys showed up. Both were unplanned, born four years and four days apart as though they were cahoots together from the start. I had just turned 27 when I had my first, 31 with my second, and before the birth of each I remember having conversations with other women who seemed hell-bent on giving me one very urgent message: your life is over when you have a baby. Say goodbye to your professional life; your dreams; your sense of identity, as it exists now, separate from the little person that will depend on you. I heard this even more with my second than with my first. With my second son it was clearly the end. I was a Mom. Childrearing could no longer pass as a pastime. It was my life.

It turns out there is nothing truer than what they were saying—and nothing farther from the truth. My life was over, as it had been. Things are more full, complicated, poignant, raw. I have new definitions for certain things. The word Leisure, for one, has been forever altered. Sleeping in means waking up at 6:30 instead of 5a.m. A good night of sleep means waking only twice instead of every hour. And there is a list of endless task-specific skills that motherhood requires, the least of which include: stain treating shirts and emptying pockets before throwing laundry into the machine; or bringing snacks and remembering tissues and wipes every time I leave the house, and the learning curve for these is steep and I decidedly suck most. But the thing I didn’t count on was that becoming a mother forced me to listen to my stirring, wanderlust heart in a way that I never had.

Before my sons, my life was full of busyness, and creativity was often pushed to the margins as my days became filled with commuting, commitments, consumption. I worried a lot about how things appeared, and about security and control. Living with two small boys has gradually worn away the edges of these illusions. I am learning that there is no such thing as control (the very fact that they are in my life at all proves this) or security for that matter. My sons teach me, with their buoyant little boy hearts, that only moment we have is now.

This is the only one.

I used to squander my time. I pushed my creative self to the side because there was always time to go back and pick up the dropped stitches, staying up until 3am to pursue an illusive story. If I worked long hours at my job and felt drained, I could refill on the weekends with slow-start mornings and evenings listening to jazz in cafes or people watching in town. Because I had so much time, I often missed the value of each moment. I easily spent entire nights watching crappy television shows because there would always be another night; but more often than not these distractions became habits, and writing happened much less than it happens now.

Now my time is compressed. I have a 7 month old and a four year old and every moment demands more of me than I feel capable of giving sometimes. I am no longer the center of my days, and I can see how easy it would be to loose sight of myself entirely in the midst of this. Caring for small children has a black hole capacity, for sure. But what it also does is force me to acknowledge that the only Someday I’ll ever have is right now (every cliché is true. They grow up so fast.) And forced to look at my life through the lens of this urgent present, my creative self has surfaced and writing is there, persistent and terrifying, and as indisputable as my need to breathe.

So I try for balance. I wake up and plunge into a choreography of push and pull between the needs of my own heart and the needs of my boys. I write because I cannot avoid it and still feel whole; and without feeling whole I become a shallow, snipping, impatient mother. Many day’s it’s less of a balance and more of a prolonged stumble, but it’s something, and in the process of this something, I am becoming.

***
Christina's short fiction and essays have appeared in the Sun and Mothering. Before recently turning her attention to writing full time she spent several years as a teacher. She writes the blog {my topography} and is working on her first novel.

in a new light :: letting go

by susan tuttle

There is a quiet in the floorboards that I am not used to. The complete stillness in this house is a stark contrast to the sounds and energies generated by my little ones, when they are here, just being themselves.

I can only write about where I'm at. No matter how much I might want to write about something else right now, like my garden's harvest, or the way the moon shone a bright orange last night, I can't -- not until I reckon with these feelings and then let go.

Ah, the concept of letting go! It is now my teacher. I got pretty good at learning to care for my little birds, and now one is leaving the nest, so to speak. My firstborn, my son, has just started Kindergarten. I know he hasn't really left the nest yet, not completely, but it feels that way when he's away from me five days a week for nearly eight hours at a time.

It is a bittersweet time for me and I am feeling such a mix of emotions. I am so happy because he is happy. He loves going on his "school adventures" as we call them, and tells story after story upon his return. My husband and I are excited for him as he begins this new, more independent phase of his life. But, I am honoring the fact that I am also in mourning for his babyhood and preschool years that I can't get back.

change.
A part of me welcomes it and jumps at the chance to rearrange my life, let in new experiences, put on a new pair of lenses, and allow myself to be gifted with the element of surprise.

change.
Then, there's that other part of me that doesn't do so well with it. It can be hard, messy, uncertain, uncomfortable -- even scary.

As my daughter has started more extensive hours at preschool, a breathing space has opened in my life. This freedom feels equally luxurious and devastating. I feel equally full and empty. As my tears begin to dry, I am seeing possibility within this new space; an opportunity to reinvent myself and unfurl the parts of me that are other than caregiver. I now have more time to be with me and really honor my needs and desires that I had tucked away for later. Part of this letting go is embracing this available space.

For one, I can work until 2 PM instead of 2 AM! -- my stamina for the late-night stints was at its burning end anyhow. I can now take time to just sit, completely alone with my body and my thoughts, sipping coffee, even allowing myself to doze if that is what I need. I've decided that sweatpants are for lounging and sleeping in only:) -- I'm sprucing up my wardrobe -- colorful scarves, sexy jeans and soft brown leather cowboy boots. I've made a list of places to go -- field trips into Portland, art museums, coffee shops.

There are definitely two distinct sides to this coin of letting go of my babies. I know it will become easier as time goes by, but for now I just need to be where I'm at. I will leave you with these two sentences that I composed just before school began: "And then there are moments when a sadness creeps up and in on me, my eyes flood with tears and there is a tightness in my throat and just over my heart as I think of letting my babies go. But inside I know that letting go is the only way for them to realize their own precious hearts' capacity for greatness and love." These words bring comfort -- they have become like a prayer for me. Writing this post has been surprisingly therapeutic -- I feel me loosening up a bit, letting go a little more... and a little bit more.


Susan Tuttle is a mixed-media and digital artist who resides in a small-town community in the Midcoast region of Maine. Her first book, Exhibition 36: Mixed-Media Demonstrations + Explorations, was released by North Light Books in December 2008, and her second book, Digital Expressions: Creating Digital Art with Adobe® Photoshop® Elements, a technique-based publication on digital art, will be published by North Light Books in April 2010. Susan is a frequent contributor to Stampington & Company publications and other mixed-media books. You can visit her site at www.ilkasattic.com and her blog at www.ilkasattic.blogspot.com through which she is offering online digital art workshops on the subjects of photomanipulation, digital montage, and a variety of Photoshop techniques.

art is

by aimee levalley harris

Defining myself as an artist has been a real journey, which seemed to become so much less clear as I aged.

As a child it was easy; defined for me, “What an artist you are!” As I moved through school it became that thing into which I poured my soul for safe-keeping. “I am an artist,” my whole being seemed to know, and yet when anyone made the assumption that I would be an artist when “I grew up,” I would be the first to correct them. Though I never had a passion for anything else, except perhaps speech & debate, from somewhere early on I had adopted the idea that Art is not a Job, in any form. Not one open to new seekers anyhow.

As adulthood came for me, without realizing, I had put it aside so completely that some years later, as a new mom, I hear myself utter the words, “I used to be an artist.” The words seemed to positively echo inside of my head… used to be…

I didn’t like them at all, and yet it suddenly seemed so definite, so irreversible. Years passed on and I threw myself into my children, arriving one by one, with their own needs. My art now comprised of childlike crayon drawings as I marveled at my young son’s ability to mimic them at only 2 years old.

“An Artist,” I thought to myself! I did not, however, utter this out loud. It seemed to me, in that moment, that somehow my art had been stolen by definition, and though I couldn’t yet explain how, I was determined to protect his from that fate.

I think what I was beginning to understand is that Art is not something you do, but rather something you are. As the years passed I watched my son begin to define art, begin to recognize others’ reactions to his. “I am a good artist,” he declared one day. I didn’t know what to do. Still so uncertain of what I was trying to protect him from I responded without knowing what I was going to say.

“Everyone is an artist,” I told him, “Everyone is an artist in some way, in some medium.”

Art is how we express ourselves and the final product is not created to be judged, if it is real art. If it is real art it was created because you couldn’t help yourself, because your should was speaking. If it was noticed it is not because your technique was grand but rather because someone else could recognize you and themselves in it. Because art, painting, writing, drawing, cooking, mothering, living, speaks of your heart and soul. And when you put your heart and soul into something it lights up with your inherent beauty.

This is good art.

Creating something of yourself is being an artist.

“Yes,” I said, “you are definitely an artist, and I love what you create!”

Though I haven’t yet begun my old medium of paint and pencil, I have allowed myself to pour creativity and passion into everything that I do. Once again I know that “I am an artist.” Sometimes in the kitchen, sometimes on paper, sometimes in the way that I live in each moment, but I am definitely an artist. And so are you.

Aimee LeVally Harris is a mother of three, forever in pursuit of greater balance of all things in life, embracing her deeper creative self, and building a homestead in the mountains of Taos, New Mexico. After donating all her family's belongings to charity, and traveling the country in an RV for a year, simplicity and a greater understanding of self seems more possible. It's been a wild ride, and most definitely, never boring. Following a lifelong assertion that there is a blessing in everything, Aimee expresses her thoughts on these topics on her blog Cage Free Family.

tranquilology :: bon vivant habits

by kimberly wilson

Enjoy indulging in the good life but struggling to stay within budget? As a girl-on-the-go in this economy, it is essential that you take time for yourself while making mindful decisions that affect your pocketbook. It’s easy to fall into the trap of removing small indulgences when tightening your budgeting belt. However, I’d like to share a few ways to indulge and have it all while balancing your budget, living green, and nourishing your spirit. Below are my favorite bon vivant habits:

Pack your lunch. Find yourself running out for an expensive, not-so-healthy snack mid-day? Pull your veggies, protein, bag of nuts, and fruit together the night before.

Bike, walk, or take public transport to work. Spend a lot on your daily commute and parking? Explore additional options that will allow you to breathe deeply, read or listen to a book, and maybe even get some exercise along the way.

Visit your local library. Addicted to bookstore browsing? Not a problem unless it translates to lots of unread books on your shelves. Try browsing your local library instead.

Download a movie. Love a matinee and tub of popcorn? Savor a French flick or documentary in the comfort of your own home with family and four-legged friends nearby. Make your own light popcorn, sip tea or wine, and enjoy a movie on your own terms.

Carry a reusable water bottle. Find yourself parched while out and about? Forgo buying bottle water or sodas. Never leave home without your reusable water bottle that can easily be refilled at water fountains.

Take a staycation. Got the travel bug? Indulge in an exploration of your town. Check out parks and gardens, museums, sidewalk cafes, and yummy brunches – you’ll be sure to find a perfect fit in your own backyard.

Make your gifts. Have upcoming birthdays or special events that require a gift? Explore getting crafty. Bead a necklace. Knit a scarf. Write a poem. Photograph their beloved pet. Bake a pie.

Shop consignment. Stay stylish this fall while picking up a new scarf, sweater, hat, or tall boots from your local consignment shop. These stores are full of hidden gems and the search makes for a fun afternoon.

These small changes offer a chance to revamp your creativity, develop foresight, care for the environment, support your local economy, nurture your spirit, and slow your spending. Voilà, yes you can have it all!

OMwork (homework with a yogic twist): Reflect on a least one way to replace an old habit with a healthier, budget savvy habit. Note the savings and effect on your overall wellbeing. Ommmm for your body and your budget!

the gifts of true friendship

are there women in your life that you feel especially drawn to, that there is something about the quality of who they are that makes you always want to be a part of thier world? do you ever wonder what those qualities might be? here are some beautiful examples of the kind of women you want to have in your circle (and probably already do). it's the kind of woman we all srtive to be!

1. they always see your strengths ~ and they always make you proud to be yourself because they tell you why you are so special. they don't focus on your limitations and they are always one of your biggest cheerleaders!

2. they trust you completely ~ to be thier confidant, to hold thier secrets, to listen to thier dreams, to not judge them, and to always tell the (gentle) truth. in turn, you can completely trust them, and feel cared for and safe inside the nest of your friendship together.

3. they respect you ~ as well as your point of view and choices, even if they are different than thier own. they are always open to a different perspective and embrace learning a new way from you. in the same way they live by thier own rules, but don't expect you to follow them.

4. they are authentic and at peace with themselves ~ and don't have to prove anything to you, and they don't need to judge you. they appreciate and celebrate all the wondeful and unique quirks that make you, You!

5. they are good listeners and sincerely interested in you ~ they make you want to share yourself with them.

6. they inspire you to be your best self ~ and shine like bright stars in our lives.

7. they make us laugh!

what are some other wonderful can't-live-without qualities of the women you hold dear in your lives? go tell them today how much they mean to you!

blowing bubbles in a concrete jungle :: a joy rebel’s take on having credentials

by brandi reynolds



I have a confession to make. I have all these ideas in my head-e-courses to give, books to write, projects to undergo.

And I’ve stopped myself from creating them because I didn’t feel like I had the necessary credentials.

I thought I needed an artsy-fartsy degree, or a least a different one, more years doing this creative thing, different or more or better or more expensive equipment, expert knowledge on said equipment and more blog readers, among other things.

Then like a light bulb bursting from the heat, it hit me the other day. So and so couldn’t have had that many blog readers when they started out. And now that I think of it, she/he doesn’t have a degree that’s any more artsy-fartsy than mine is. Or probably a cooler day job either.

What these people have-these that I look up and have determined have the right credentials, is a masters degree in their own experience and a doctorate in authentic expression.

That’s what makes them legit in my eyes-they aren’t trying to be anyone other than themselves. In fact, when I buy their art or read their books, I never check to make sure they have a degree that means anything or certain letters after their name or any number of years of experience.

Their art or e-courses or books uplift and inspire and grow community because they come from a place of authenticity.

I have now been filled by a knowing that I can share anything with the world for no other reason that I want to and it comes from within.

And I would invite anyone reading to consider the same thing. We can all obtain doctorates in authentic expression.

What do you want to share with the world?


Brandi Reynolds is an artist, photographer and joy rebel, living in a suburb of dallas with her infinitely patient husband and two rescued furry souls that drive her nuts half the time. The intention of her creative expression, and her life, is to celebrate, inspire, enjoy and connect with joy and humor in all facets of life. You can discover the beauty she sees in the everyday in her etsy shop or join the joy rebellion on her website.

a little treat :: submit your photos!

as a special halloween treat i'd like to post your photos! send in your favorite halloween or fallish photograph to help us celebrate, inspire and share this season! please email me your photo and a link to your site if you choose (one submission per person please!), and at the end of the month i will post as many as blogger will allow me to. can't wait to peek into your little world...thanks in advance for sharing!

september giveaway winner...

thanks to everyone who shared thier sentiments of home. it was really fun and sweet to read them all! congrats to bookgirl for winning armani's beautiful retablo (please email me to claim your prize). and don't miss out on october's unbelievable giveaways from swirly and maddie... stay tuned for details.

have a beautiful weekend everyone!

wishmamas :: daydream believer

by madelyn mulvaney

'Life is so utterly unpredictable and curious
and beautiful and wondersome, and really,
someone should just write a book about it.’
~ david pohl ~

I love this beautiful world and all the more so since I became a mother to my children, Noah and Tess. Love makes your heart think and feel beyond all reason and I am continuously challenged to go somewhere I might never have gone to by myself. Being a mother has made the world so profoundly personal to me and now every child in this world is my child. And something else. Being a mother has given birth to my authentic self as my heart became aware of it's own aching wholeness.

In the early years of their lives, I responded with such wonder and amazement to these effervescent little souls as I enthusiastically threw myself into their worlds, creating a vibrant and engaging home for their emerging spirits. We built forts out of blankets in the yard, sandcastles decorated with shells and seaglass on the beach, threw 'just because' parties well, just because....and wandered off on little adventures in our vintage triple e trailer every summer. Pillow fights and pancakes were common sunday morning occurences. The house was (and still is) filled with a whimsical mix of clay and paint, music for afternoon dance parties, a hamster named Charlie, a bunny named Flopsy and a dog named Roxy. Oh !and a delightful parade of fish, caterpillars and fireflies. Happy days that made us dizzy and breathless pebbled with healthy doses of tears, growing pains, and endless trays of homemade cookies.

I loved being a mother and was committed to this remarkable path wearing my sunniest dress with lots of pockets for treasures found, and my brightest smile. And then. I began to experience twinges of my own growing pains. A curious and insistant longing for something I had left behind and was compelled to go back and unearth.

As a child I had always written in a growing pile of colorful diaries ~ at first those chunky little books with a tiny golden key and later in various notebooks with covers I decored with torn pages from magazines. Returning to myself, I began to express my deepest yearnings if only for an hour each morning before my children awoke by writing in fresh new journals. Devoting even this small part of each day to being alone with my writing and thoughts turned out to be such a catalyst for the re~emergence of ' Madelyn' apart from being a mother. A bolder, more passionate Madelyn that wanted to EXPRESS HERSELF!!

It was through my morning writing that I began to know myself in a different light as I gave myself this time to expore my most intimate wishes and dreams with greater sensitivity. I adored my children but I found myself asking 'what is mine and mine alone?' and 'what do I need to reach for in order to be true to myself?' There was such a sense of 'possbility' in the surge of writing my dreams down onto paper that I could not ignore. And then something quite surprising began to happen. Things I secretly longed for and scribbled into notebooks...came true.

As I wrote I fell all the more in love with my life and began to look oh so closesly at the abundance of small happinesses in my life and somehow everything seemed so possible with a simple leap of 'yes!'

Yes to going to India with my ten year old son, yes to taking photography classes at Emily Carr part time, yes to submitting my articles for publication in various magazine, yes to re evaluating the definition of nourishing relationships in my life, yes to exploring the limitless expanse of my human heart, yes to being a 'daydream believer.' Yes, oh yes!



One of those most lovely parts of the re-emergence of 'Maddie' is how my children have responded. They are so delighted with my writing and photography. My daughter loves to spend an afternoon helping me with my photography and has become an evocative photographer herself. My son is constantly pointing out subject matter for me to capture...like the tumbling leaves in the playground on a windswept fall day or a marine blue sky. Now that I have given birth to my true artisan spirit, I find myself filling up with even more love and energy to share with my friends and family.

This morning as I sit here in my studio with my soya latte listening to early Beatles records, I feel extraordinarily thankful beyond measure. There are piles of books all around me, a stack of photo's I need to scan (when i buy a new scanner), a wonderful list of students who have signed up for my photography/writing e~courses, and a zillion projects and ideas I have just bursting to come to life. And they certainly will - after I make a batch of homemade chocolate chip cookes that is:)


Madelyn Mulvaney is a writer and photographer living in her ’sea to sky’ city of Vancouver, British Columbia. Her curiosity leads her to everyday magic and she enjoys taking her camera out to capture the quirks, beauty and wonder in the world. She loves morning coffee, film, poetry, vinyl records, dancing, reading books curled up on the front porch, scribbling in notebooks, long drives without a map and saying yes! Pop by and visit her at her online journal here

falling

i love the change of the seasons, especially the turn of summer to fall. it always feels like the beginning of a new year and fills me with energy and life. it makes me want to create, gather, cook, wander among the colorbursting trees, sit and read, and sip hot drinks. there is a coziness that is distinctly autumn. it's in the snuggle of warmer clothes, but also somehow in the cooler air as well. it's a feeling of pulling in; that last burst of everything before the dormancy of winter sets in. it is my favorite time of year.

here are a few suggestions to help keep you inspired this season:

* make a fall suncatcher (with kids or not): collect beautiful colored leaves, sprinkle with crayon shavings, and iron them between waxed paper.

* take the fall mondo beyondo ecourse. registration has been reopened for a few more participants!

* listen to some new music. my current fav is creating my own station at pandora radio. if you don't already know about this, go check it out! it's amazing.

* get outside! pick apples. go on a hayride. visit a local vinyard. go letterboxing. wander the now quiet beaches. photograph nature. have a picnic.

* start holiday projects now. it's not too early to start planning your holiday cards and gift giving ideas, especially if they will be handmade.

* wear color. this season begs for full-on hues...wear jewel tones and rich earthy brights to compliment your basic black and brown.

* make alicia paulson's chili lobo. it's one of my favorite go-to dishes and i loved that is inspired by her beloved dad.

*spend time reading. turn off the t.v. at night (you can always tivo your favorites) and get into a really great book. find a local book club to join, or start one of your own!

* try something new... now that your kiddos are back in school, it's a great time to you to do some learning yourself!

* reflect, and also look ahead. you've come so far in this past year. celebrate all that you have experienced and accomplished, then embrace these last few months to give life to a few more of your dreams!

have a beautifully creative and live-out-loud season!

september sponsor giveaway

o.k. girls... this one is so sweet! one very lucky winner will be sent this beautiful, original mixed media retablo created by the very lovely and talented armani. this little treasure, with its special handwritten messege on the back, will forever grace your home and warm your heart. it is painted on wood and measures approx. 3x7.

please leave a comment on this post with a sentiment about "home" by thursday night, and one random winner will be chosen and announced on friday. if you have a chance, stop by too and say hello to armani in her shop or on her blog... her beautiful words and art will surely inspire you!

letting go

by lara blair


I always thought of myself as a “Free Spirit”, an artsy-farsty person…a dreamer.
Yet, it appears that I might be…..

A control freak.

Yikes.

Believe me, the mere thought of this label makes me want to toss all my worldly possessions and dance off into the sunset with a drum circle (the truth of the matter is, I’d be much too busy working on the marketing plan for the portrait studio on my own, without help to actually do it.)

The first time I heard someone I love teasingly call me this horrible name, I felt pure embarrassment and shame. Was I really?

“Oh, that’s such an unnatural way for an artist to be,” I thought to myself.

Artists are fly-by-the-seat-of-their-creative-pants people. They have many hues of paint on these pants, dishes in the sink and dance wildly with their children when they should be cleaning their toilets. Okay, this is a bit of a paint-soaked view of the creative spirit, but it is clear that I’m not even close to this image I’ve created in my head…and for some reason, it worries me.

Maybe the reason I’m not giving myself the creative time my new creative endeavors need is simply because I’m scared. Scared that a piece of art will turn out less than how I envisioned it. Scared that I might love creating collages in my messy space more than I love taking pictures, which is supposed to be my “real job”. Scared that I may shirk wife/mother duties for more time in a “Room of My Own” complete with glue under my fingernails.

Letting go is something that brings anxiety into my world. To me, it always leads to vulnerability, which of course, leads to unknown waters. I like having a compass—pointing it out “to sea” several times a day---adjusting that darn ship wheel to the point of muscle strains in fear that the slightest deviation in course will “make waves”. Making waves is an enemy to keeping everyone happy and I am conscious of repeating patterns I watched in my youth in my own tense household. I do believe that asking for what you want can (as if by magic) clear the way for a necessary change in course. The survival of authenticity relies on voicing concerns, communicating our anxiety, and revealing the deepest fears that lie within us. I think that being honest and true to yourself about what you really desire is essential to sharing it with those you love. As in: “I need alone time in the studio” or “We’re eating later tonight because there’s a project I need to finish” or “Working on the is book is something I need to do even though it may never be published” or “I’m tired because I had a fabulous time blogging until 2 am”.

Saying these kinds of words out loud is so difficult for me. Yet, I know I need to gain strength to say them if these ideas have any hope of becoming tangible creations, be them portrait collages, books or blog entries. They all require time to explore—yet my family also deserves my best. It’s a delicate balance and I take it hard when either side of the see-saw hits the dirt…sometimes with a deafening thud.

I do believe that it can be done, and though I’ve never professed to be a woman who “wants to have it all”, I do believe that creative types can have a bit of desire for control (translate: balance) in their life with art and family. I need to believe it’s possible so that when I do sit in my creative space, I’m clear-headed enough to let ‘er rip with wild abandon…maybe even with a little paint on my pants.



Lara Blair owns her own portrait studio, Lara Blair Images, and has many artistic ambitions. These include, but are not limited to, a jaunt to the mixed media/book writing/blogging worlds. She often finds that living a creative life can be complicated, but it is always very rewarding.

capturing light :: find your muse

by susannah conway



While sorting through several boxes of Polaroids the other day I began to pull out shots of my sister and gather them together on the table. Most of my family snaps from the last few years are on my computer, so it was a pleasure to be able to delve into a pile of actual physical photographs. My sister has always been my muse. Back in art school I’d dream up photo shoots we could do together, taking her out into the woods for a fairytale fashion shoot, or applying elaborate makeup for a black & white portrait - I was lucky to have a sister who’d so willingly indulge my creative whims. In more recent years she’s become the person I want to photograph most, recording where we are and what we’re doing, both physically and emotionally.

In some ways Abby has become my alter-ego in these photos, representing my own moods and feelings. Self-portraiture is a very particular type of photography, requiring increasingly creative ways to capture your own likeness, but with a muse I can project what I want to say onto her image. Of course, this never happens consciously – it’s only when I look back at the shots that I see me in the picture. Every shot is not only filtered through my eyes but also my thoughts, life experiences and hopes for the future. It’s all there in the picture.


The photography I find myself most drawn to always carries the stamp of the photographer’s heart. You’d recognise a photograph by Dorothea Lange or Martin Parr because they had/have such a unique and personal way of seeing the world. We see the things their eye was drawn to, and what moved them to click the shutter. We learn more about a person when we look at their creation, whether it’s a photograph or painting, an apple pie or freshly painted yellow wall. We respond to creations that have integrity and personality, whether we understand what we’re looking at or not.

When first venturing out with a shiny new camera in our hands, the world is filled with so much to shoot the choice can be overwhelming. How to develop your own way of seeing, and create with this imbued sense of integrity? Start looking for your muse.


Look for something you can photograph over and over again - maybe a particular place, or something portable you can shoot in different locations. Become the expert in capturing coffee cups, flowers, vintage teaspoons or your dog. I like to photograph my feet wherever I find myself and can always remember how I was feeling on any given day just by looking back at these shots.

In the last years of his life André Kertész overcame his grief at losing his wife by exploring his immediate world with a newly-launched Polaroid SX-70 camera. The great master was seduced by the glossy squares of instant film and found his creativity reinvigorated when he found a small glass bust in a store in his neighbourhood. He shot hundreds of Polaroids of the bust in different settings around his apartment. By experimenting with the light and his new camera, Kertész found his muse – and purpose – again.

Who or what could be your muse?


Susannah Conway is a photographer, writer and the creator of the Unravelling e-courses (www.susanahconway.com). She lives in Bath in south-west England and is obsessed with her collection of Polaroid cameras. She blogs about life at http://www.inkonmyfingers.typepad.com/.

editors note :: creative connections

creative play workshop hosted by leah piken kolidas and jennifer lee

it is such an increadible experience to to be surrounded by the creative energy of like-minded souls... the inspiration, the playfulness, the shared passion for living a unique, juicy, fullfilling life. our creativity can often be very solitary (which honestly, in many ways i love), but the flip-side of that is a strong desire for community. whether it is here in the wishstudio or out in the world chasing our creative dreams, forging kindred connections is so important. it supports us, validates us, inspires us and makes anything seem possible.

i had the wonderful opportunity to meet up with many artful lovelies over the past weekend. an afternoon spent collaging with leah and jenn's fabulous workshop group (hello everyone!), and then an evening at squam where i soaked in all the deliciousness of my creative tribe. i can't even begin to tell you what a magical experience that was!

many of you i was meeting for the first time face to face. and even though i've been following your blogs or art for years or have collaborated with you virtually, it was like we've known each other all along, and i love that. in denise's lovely words to me, "it's seamless..." and dreamy. kindred indeed.

i'm looking forward over the coming months to continue growing this community and getting to know You. it really makes my heart soar to see all of you gathering here and sharing your inspiration with one another. i have some exciting wishstudio projects in the works that will offer you new and fun ways to stay connected, collaborate creatively, and fill your well with yummy goodness.

so get comfy and stay a while, and i would love to hear from you since it's You who makes the wishstudio such an inspiring place... what are your creatvie dreams? how are you connecting to community? what else would you like to see in the wishstudio? do you have something to share (i bet you do)?

tell me... and we can sip some tea, laugh, and wish and dream together!

*followers* giveaway winner

thanks to all of you for inspiring me so very much
(i wish i had a prize for each and every one of you)!

stop by and say hello to one another if you have a chance...

the winner of the wishstudio *followers* giveaway is

tiffany (hooray!)

congratulations on winning lewa's designs lovely laptop decal
email me with your color choice and mailing address

looking forward to continuing to connect with all of you in the future...

keep following along for lots more inspiration,

new upcoming creative community projects,

and more fabulous creative goodies to give away.

tranquilology :: savoir faire* a celebration of yoga

by kimberly wilson

September is National Yoga Month so it felt apropos to muse on the benefits and ways to embrace yoga – along with providing a brief how-to for the sensational sun salutation. Yoga translates to “union” and offers a way to live life with mindful flair. The physical poses and breath work associated with yoga in the West are catalysts, but not the end all be all of this ancient practice. Yoga is a way of being. My favorite mantra lokah samasta sukino bhavantu translates to “May all beings everywhere be happy and free. May the thoughts, words and actions of my own life contribute in some way to that happiness and to that freedom for all.” That is yoga!

You are always in motion – browsing a bookstore, sipping tea at a café, volunteering at a local shelter – and you can find balance by staying connected to your yoga practice off the yoga mat. For example, while waiting for a late subway train, instead of growing impatient, shift your weight onto your right leg and place your left foot on your right ankle to practice the tranquility-invoking tree pose or practice taking long, full breaths. You can find peace within the pandemonium by spontaneously practicing the principles of yoga (summarized in the mantra featured above) in your everyday.

Yoga can transform your life on so many levels. A few of the main benefits include: increased confidence; attention to the impact of situations, people, and food on your body; the chance to slow down and take a break from life while on the mat; meet a community of like-minded people; deep breathing to ground you in sticky situations; improved sleep patterns; a connection to your inner voice; toned body; relief from pain, headaches, and stress. Oh, and the list goes on and on and varies among yoginis. Needless to say, yoga can have profound effects on your joie de vivre!

To get started, I recommend a weekly practice to slowly immerse your body and spirit into yoga. When you start to get more serious, a daily practice is ideal, even if only for a few minutes. I try to carve out time each day for at least a forward fold, especially when traveling or on deadline. You may find that your body begins to crave the practice and your muscles actually ache for it when you take a hiatus. Yoga is different from other forms of exercise because most femmes find they love to practice rather than adding another “should” to their already-packed life.

To get started or to deepen your personal practice, begin to explore sun salutations. This series is sure to bring pep to your step and awaken your spirit. I recommend at least five of these to start and end your day...

Ground yourself in mountain pose at the top of the mat. Bring your hands to prayer position in front of your heart.

Inhale, extend your arms up over your head.
Exhale, reach your arms out to the side as you fold forward.
Inhale, step back with your right leg to a lunge.
Exhale, step back with your left leg to down dog.
Inhale, float your body forward to plank pose.
Exhale, drop your knees, bend your arms, and lower into half-chaturanga.
Inhale, drop your belly, slide up to cobra.
Exhale, curl your toes under, lift your hips up to down dog.
Inhale, step forward with your right foot into a lunge.
Exhale, step your left foot in between both hands to a forward fold.
Inhale, extend your arms out to the sides and up.
Exhale your hands to prayer in mountain pose.

Let this month provide the push you need to jumpstart a yoga practice. Whether it is the practice of poses, deep breaths, or embracing the mantra presented above, you ARE a yogini. Let yoga ooze from your spirit as easily as you draft a memo, nurture your family, walk your dog, or do anything that comes second nature. Yoga is about living life in a way that contributes to others and if you achieve headstand along the way, so be it. Bask in being you – mindfully and authentically you. Namaste.