Bloggy Love: Meet Craig of Bloomverse

Bloggy Love came from a desire to introduce & connect really cool, creative peeps to each other.  So grab your favorite beverage, settle in and get to know Craig.  He is a super-duper encourager & loves to help peeps with their ‘stumbly bits’.

Craig

Why don’t you introduce yourself:

I’m called Craig, my body is 30 years old, I’m married to the most awesome gal I’ve ever met, and we have 2 boys who give me the perfect excuse to act like I’m 5. We have a 3^rd on the way too! I’m a musician and songwriter, a wannabe filmmaker, I like playing basketball, I play air drums compulsively, I try to make people laugh as often as I can, and I’m a total geek that likes tearing things apart & putting them back together. Seriously, I’d rather read technical manuals than fiction any day of the week. I’m always building and making stuff. It’s like a disease, but a really cool one.

Tell me a bit about how you share your creative gifts with the world.

Right now, I’m quite involved with helping others incorporate the Sedona Method in their lives, both through the BloomVerse community and also through personal coaching. It really came about quite haphazardly—some might even say accidentally. But I created the community to provide a friendly, encouraging place for people to explore the Method. I also blog about applying the Sedona Method in practical life, taking experiences that I’ve personally had and sharing them via the written word. I’ve also got some interesting things planned for the near future that I think will be both creative and extremely helpful.

Summarize the Sedona Method.

The Sedona Method is a really simple, but really powerful way to master your life by letting go of your emotional limitations and tapping into the incredible potential at your core. It’s living with your heart wide open x 10.

How did it help you make changes to your life?

Well, to be honest, by completely debunking everything I thought I knew about my life. As info-mercially as that may sound, I really don’t know any other way to put it. After deciding to use the Sedona Method habitually, I saw that every limitation I perceived in my life was a limitation that I consciously put in place. I also learned that the reason why they never seemed to go away was because I was willfully holding them in place. I learned how to just drop all the excess baggage and actually live life. I learned to stop trying to “make it happen” and just let it happen. Once I made that shift, every aspect of my life was given the space to improve on its own. Happiness, money, health, opportunities, relationships, you name it.

But the coolest thing I experienced was the fact that our basic nature as human beings is happiness. When you let go of all the emotional content, what’s left is happiness—and it’s effortless happiness. I honestly never knew that! I never knew that I could be happy so much for no reason at all.

Pick 3 posts on your blog that are your faves.

Why you should let go of wanting to change your life; and how to do it

4 ways to quickly and easily get unstuck

Right now you don’t have any problems

Who are some bloggy peeps that inspire you (3 max)?

I love reading what Brian Clark writes (and I dig his taste in music as well) and I’m also really enjoying Jonathan Fields. Both help me immeasurably in the area of getting across what I want to say. I really enjoy David Ellzey too. He doesn’t blog often, but he is such a creative and interesting Sedona Method teacher.

What does your typical day look like?

I’m up somewhere between 5:30 and 6:00 in the morning, and I go wake my oldest son (6 years old) up. We eat breakfast together and talk about things like Super Mario Brothers and what makes people float in space. I fix my lunch for the day and before I leave, I get my 18 month old into his high chair and we spend a few minutes making nonsensical vocalizations at one another. My wife takes over from there. I grab a coffee and head to my full time job, spending the 45 minute drive rocking out in the car. I work an engineering support job called configuration management for the prime Space Shuttle contractor at Kennedy Space Center. Throughout the day I check in on the online world via my phone and also scrawl out random ideas that pop into my head on pieces of notebook paper (There are folded up pieces of paper with these ideas stashed all over my workspace at home).

I get home around 4:30, eat dinner with the family, take my oldest to soccer practice if he has it, and afterwards I play with the kids (major highlight of the day). Then we get the boys bathed and ready for bed. Occasionally I play the Wii with my oldest, he loves it. I also work part-time for Google (I telecommute), so I’ll put in an hour or two a night doing that. Spend some time with my wife and then it’s off to bed around 11:00. That’s the usual Monday thru Friday. I work on BloomVerse projects throughout the day every day. I also hold personal coaching sessions with clients as-needed.

How do you motivate yourself when you just don’t ‘feel’ like doing a task.

Well, a lot of times if I’m not feeling particularly motivated I’ll just allow it to be that way. I’ve never really had much luck trying to force myself to do things in the past. So if I have something I need to do but am not really feeling any motivation to do it, I’ll just let it be that way. I’ll go move on to something else and come back when I’m ready.

What advice would you give to people who are taking a “leap”, creatively or personally?

Challenge your concepts of limitation. Doubt their substance. Examine them and test them to see if they’re real or not.

I’ve always been a really creative person, but I also had a lot of conditioning growing up which led me to operate from a perspective of scarcity and caution. That’s really not a combination of traits that complement one another. J Later on I found out that they weren’t real. They were illusions that I allowed to control my decision making.

Concepts of limitation can unfortunately influence people to refrain from doing really awesome things—especially creative people that want to do creative things for a living. But they are only feelings. So my advice would be this:

Be completely honest with yourself. What’s your leap? When you think about doing it, what kind of feelings does it stir up inside? Pinpoint the ones that seem to be blocking you from the direction you want to go in. Don’t fight them, let them be. If you stop resisting feelings you don’t like, they’ll just dissolve. It’s really that easy.

When you let the emotional content drop away, there’s nothing left but clear reasoning and a bunch of opportunity. At that point, my only advice is to have fun!

What kind of music do you listen to in order to focus your energy?

Being a musician for the past 18 years, I actually like a pretty broad range of music. I have a near obsession with 90’s alternative rock. My iPod is filled with it. So most of the time you’ll find me listening to that. But I also like roots rock, jazz fusion, blues, and even symphonic music. My oldest son and I have been known to wreak havoc on air guitar and air drums to harder stuff like Killswitch Engage sometimes as well. It really just depends on what’s calling my name at the time.

What is your favorite snacky food.

Right now, it’s Kettle brand Sea Salt & Vinegar potato chips. My wife stopped buying them out of frustration because I can seriously eat the entire bag in one sitting.

Animal crackers are a close second.

What are your top 3 goals for the rest of this year?

1) Continue to help people change their lives.

2) Poise to move my family to North Carolina.

3) Finalize an online workshop that I’m working on.

Share about what you are currently venturing into:

I’m currently doing a lot of “behind the scenes” work on BloomVerse. It’s a very young community (under 3 months old) but it is growing rather quickly. I’m creating workshops and training curriculum because I’ve gotten a ton of feedback showing interest in that. So I’m in a process of addressing the interests of the community members by transposing what has worked so well for me into actionable solutions for them. When I’m done I’ll be rolling out some workshops that will be incredibly unique, but more importantly, incredibly effective.

Craig recently wrote a book about the Sedona Method called Uncover Life (click on the title to check it out!).

More Bloggy Love with Lisa Baldwin of “Divine Order”

Bloggy Love Day: Meet Darrah, she’s going to the coast, and she’s gonna get married ♫♫

Bloggy Love came from a desire to introduce & connect really cool, creative peeps to each other.  I met Darrah a few months ago & found that she is a very caring, supportive woman w/ a wicked sense of humor.  So go grab a snack and get to know her.  You will be charmed. Guaranteed!

Darrah, showing us a "Slice of Life"

Hey lovely.  Why don’t you introduce yourself

My name is Darrah. I live in Seattle with my sweet fiancé, Jason, my adorable kitty, Izzy, and lots of shoes. I’m not saying which one is my favorite. But my shoes are pretty cute.

Tell me a bit about how you share your creative gifts with the world.

When I’m not skipping through fields with fairy dust or decorating the streets of Seattle with elephant-themed graffiti art, I am taking photos, drawing and painting, and sharing my creative path over in my little corner of the blogosphere at artcetera and on my Flickr page. And on days when none of these things happen, I still see and encounter the world as an artist.

Pick 3 posts on your blog that speak to your inner artsy goddess & passion.

1.    and so it begins

This is the very first blog post I wrote and a good place to start. It’s about my frustrations with the “if only” and “shouldawouldacoulda” thoughts I was feeling and why it was time to claim that I was an artist and pursue my dreams.

2.    quieting my imposter monster

This post is about a feeling that many artists feel from time to time – a feeling of not being enough or not doing enough. I call it my Imposter Monster.

3.    amazing things happen when you leave the house

A fun-filled photo adventure and a reminder that the things that bring us the most joy should be done more often!

You do a series called Slice of Life, what inspired that idea?

I started Slice of Life Tuesday as a way to hold myself accountable for being creative at least once a week. I have a full-time job and have found that it’s easy to make excuses about not having enough time for creativity. A camera provides immediate satisfaction and doesn’t require you to sit down for hours to work on something. For me, just snapping a few photos in the middle of a busy day can center me and bring me joy. It is a simple way to do something for myself. So every Tuesday, I share a photo from the previous week and I invite others to share a photo they took.

Who are some bloggy peeps that inspire you (3 max)?

There are so many. I am inspired every day by the amazing bloggers out there. Obviously, you’re one of my favorite bloggy peeps, so I’m going to cheat and name three more:

Connie from Dirty Footprints Studio, Brandi from Joy Rebel, and Jamie from Jamie Ridler Studios. They are all lovely ladies with distinct, creative, and inspiring voices.

What does your typical day look like?

Every day starts with a quick check of email and a peek at Twitter-ville. Very soon, I will be making a point to not be on my computer until after I’ve done something self-nurturing to start the day (like reading a few pages from a book or doing yoga). But for now, this is how I start the day. I just started running a couple of months ago, so several days a week, I get my butt out of bed and into running shoes. Some days are easier than other days, but I am always amazed at how it kick-starts my day.

After a small breakfast, I head to work…where I, well, work. I make a point to do something small every day while I’m at work that makes me happy. Sometimes, it’s a walk with my camera, sometimes it’s a visit to a coffee shop, sometimes it’s calling my mom.

After work, I often come home to find a home-cooked meal. I know, lucky me! That fiancé of mine is a keeper! We then catch up on our what happened in our days and talk about what the next day will bring. I then upload photos if I took any that day, put in writing the blog post that I had been writing in my head all day (or all week as the case may be), watch some telly, and find my way to my pillow by 10:00 or 11:00. I have to go to bed early or I won’t be a fun person to be around the next day. I’ve learned this the hard way. J

How do you motivate yourself when you just don’t ‘feel’ like doing a task.

Oh, I wish I could tell you that I’m good at this, but to be completely honest, if I don’t feel like doing something, I often whine about it or anticipate having to do it. I’m starting to realize after learning the lesson over and over that the anticipation is usually worse than then actually event and the longer I put it off, the harder it is to do. So lately, I find myself acknowledging that I’m not motivated, acknowledging why I don’t want to do it, and then jumping in and doing it anyway.

What advice would you give to people taking a “leap”, creatively or professionally?

The first thing to know is that you are not alone. I took the “leap” earlier this year and have been humbled and amazed by the amount of support I’ve received from not only my friends and family, but also complete strangers. The second thing I’d tell people who are thinking of taking a “leap” is to consider viewing it as taking a step instead of a leap. A leap can feel scary and big. I don’t know about you, but the bigger something feels, the less likely I am to do it. So pick one or two things you’d like to do that would enhance your life and get you one step closer to your goals. My third piece of advice is that if you don’t know what your goals are (as is often the case with me), take a step anyway. Chances are the step you take will help guide you and answer some of the questions you have about what you want to do.

What kind of music do you listen to in order to focus your energy?

I love music that I can sing along to – usually loudly and usually with the wrong words. That’s part of my charm. But if I’m trying to focus, I like something light and without words playing in the background – jazz or classical.

What is your favorite snacky food.

Mmmm…snacks. Right now, I’m craving an ice cream drumstick. We bought mini ones (they’re adorable) and I’ve promised myself that I can have one when I’m done with this interview. But my favorite snacky food would have to be mac ‘n’ cheese, which I know isn’t technically a snack, but I would eat it any time of day.

What destinations are on your dream places to visit?

I’ve always said that I’d like to take a couple of months and rent a villa in Tuscany. I want to sit under a tree every day with a glass of wine and a book. I want to cook and take pretty photos and sleep and sleep and sleep some more. That’s not too much to ask for, is it?

What are your top 3 goals for the rest of this year?

1.    Keep moving towards my dreams with as much patience as I can muster.

2.    Carve out a little more time for me: for yoga, for creativity, for photography, for learning, for laughing.

3.    Connect with more creative folks on a similar path. My theory is that the more we connect with people who “get” us, the more we can support each other in reaching our goals. There is power in numbers.

4.    More mini ice cream drumsticks. (I cheated and added #4, but I ate the drumstick before I finished the interview and now I want another one).

To wrap up, let us know just what you are adventuring into:

The most immediate adventure coming my way is marriage (and a honeymoon in Paris)! Beyond that, I am adventuring into the unknown. But I think we all are. And how comforting to know that we are not alone!

Huge thank you’s to Darrah for taking time out of her schedule: working, being artsy, AND planning her wedding (which is in just over 2 weeks!).  She is extremely generous & supportive & ridiculously funny. I wish her the best on the wedding day and in their marriage.  May it be filled with lots of love & joy.

Please leave a pre-wedding note for her & Jason!

Meet Brandi, “Queen” of the Joy Rebels

Most of us already know you, chickie, but how about introducing yourself.

I’m Brandilicious the magnificent and I wax poetic over at my blog. There you will find my take on joy, pets, chicken and dumplings, elvis, sunflowers and dr.pepper….among other things.

So tell me a bit about how you share your creative gifts with the world.

I’m busy leading a joy rebellion over here!  My hope is to always live in authenticity and love and inspire others to do the same through my blog.  I also celebrate and document of others through my photography, which you can find here.

You started this really cool movement called the Joy Rebellion.  What are 3 qualities that a true joy rebel has…

What are three qualities that you have?  Because being a joy rebel is about being fabulously yourself.  So the qualities of a joy rebel are the qualities in you (and you and you and you)

Pick 3 posts on your blog that most speak to your life vision.

I actually just wrote a statement of intent that explains my direction and goals in my life and expression.  In this post I talk about making my life as my prayer. And of course, fun is a huge focus in my life that I talk about more  here.

Who are some bloggy peeps that inspire you (3 max)?

Well darlin’, I’m loving what you are doing with this space in the world!  I also adore goddess leonie and Tabitha at  I choose bliss.  But truthfully, I gain something from every person I connect with in the blogsphere.  Sappy, but true.

What does your typical day look like?

Get up at ridiculous o’clock, walk the dogs, check various and sundry online presences (is that a word?) like facebook, email, blog, etc.  Head to work.  Convince my coworkers to sing journey songs with me. Mail orders from my etsy shop or CD’s from photo sessions or writing or blog updating or twittering or email answering I need to do for the joy rebellion during lunch and then back to the grind.  Come home, feed and walk the dogs AGAIN, then dinner with the hubs.  TV time or movie time or photo safari time or writing time or reading time or whatever else suits my fancy until it’s time to head up to the bedroom, take a shower, do a little yoga or resistance training and then read and go to sleep.

What does a day look like when you are doing a photo shoot?

It depends. If it’s a wedding, that’s a minimum of 7-8 hours of my day between shooting, traveling, etc.  I’m on my feet the entire day.  There is definitely a higher level of stress for me at wedding than any other shoot because it’s such a BIG IMPORTANT DAY.  If it’s a portrait session of some kind (engagements, family, kids, etc); those take up about 2 hours (traveling, shooting, etc).  Of course, none of this includes editing time, which is my favorite part of shooting because that’s when you get to see your creations.  Sessions (wedding, portrait or otherwise) are almost always on weekends so I make sure to eat a good breakfast, charge my camera and flash batteries, make sure I have all my lenses, memory cards, directions (if I haven’t shot at the location before), etc.  That way, when I show up for a gig, I can totally just focus on the art of photographing, not worry about the minutia.

How do you motivate yourself when you just don’t ‘feel’ like doing a task?

Most times, I just do something smaller, just take a little, bitty step towards the goal and let that be enough.  I find when doing that, most times the resistance then fades and I can keep taking steps forward.  However, for those times when the resistance stays, I don’t even try to fight it.  I think that’s my body’s way of saying it needs a break so I watch kids movies (shrek and surf’s up are faves!) and eat ice cream.

What advice would you give to people who are taking a “leap”, creatively or personally?

Here is the best advice I can give anyone: when you first start exploring creatively, there is a good chance your stuff is going to suck.  Okay? I don’t mean that as a dig on you personally. I just mean that we see what others are doing out there and we compare our first steps to their like 5000^th step.  Picasso sucked when he first started out, of this I am sure. He just didn’t live out the journey on you tube or twitter.  You aren’t supposed to be a Picasso (or a Herb Ritts) when you first start out and neither were any of the artist’s you admire when they did either.  So make it play. Learn the technique-don’t worry about the end product. As you get more comfortable with that, THEN your innate talents and unique expressions will start to appear and bloom magnificently.  And here’s a secret: that creative well spring in you?  It never runs dry.  Trust it.

What kind of music do you listen to in order to focus your energy?

When I really need to focus, I actually don’t listen to anything at all.  However, I love a variety of music and current fave songs are ‘faint’ by linkin park, ‘hiding under water’ by beth hart and ‘snow (hey oh)’ by red hot chili peppers.

What is your favorite snacky food?

Dr pepper and peanut butter cookies are a current fave!  (note to self, it may be best NOT to answer interview questions after getting hopped up on sugar and caffeine from said dr.pepper and cookies.)

What destinations are on your dream places to visit?

Ireland, Australia and Yellowstone national park…lol.

What are your top 3 goals for the rest of this year?

To book another wedding and three more portrait sessions, to build up to 10,000 hits per month on my blog and to show my photos in an exhibit (in the works and nailing down dates as we speak!) Bonus goal: to do a handstand.

To wrap up, let us know just what you are adventuring into:

Ahh…I am currently in the process of finalizing a photo exhibit showcasing the positive growth in west dallas-which is an area of town that has typically been plagued with crime, drugs and poverty.  While the area is not going to change overnight, there are strong, positive, REAL changes happening because of strong positive people who are getting in there and making the neighborhood safe.  And I am honored to document that and showcase it! As soon as I have all the details, I’ll be letting you guys know on my blog.  I have new prints in my etsy store, many of which were taken during my road trip to Tennessee recently. And of course, I’m staying open and receptive to growing my photography business and welcoming more and more clients that I can celebrate.

Thank you, m’dear, for allowing me a space to share.  I *heart* you big time.

I “met” Brandi sometime last year and her blog has been such a source of inspiration & joy.  I’ve seen her grow & move into the new space she has now.  It is a truly wonderful thing!  I thank her for sharing today & being a part of bloggy love- Brandi is a gal I admire immensely for her ability to relate to much of what others are feeling & desire to spread joy around!  Love ya chica.  PS Plus she is totally my slightly- fiesty dopplganger~  (*lol*)

A day for sharing & passing it on

There have been a few gals who shared some bloggy love with me.

(They are MAJOR rockstars! You can peek at their world: Darrah, Christine, Leah)

Can you believe it?!?!?  I’m stoked so here goes.

This Blog Meme award rules are:

1. Share seven tidbits about myself.

2. Share the award with seven blog friends!

Here are seven random things about me:

1. Been known to cry when good things happen to people- I’m just so damn happy!

2. I backpacked around England/Scotland-intended 8 weeks, it turned into over a year! (one of my best life adventures)

3. I tend to root for the underdog, I think it comes from the fact growing up I felt like one.

4. I have loner tendencies & I love peeps.

5. Cargo pants are my favorite item of clothing.

6. My favorite dish to cook is seafood stew.  Yum!

7. Every painting I have done has at least a bit of glitter on it!

Okay, and here are the seven bloggers I’ll share this with:

Sherri

Connie

Mccabe

Lance

Brandi

Ken

Suzie

Bloggy Love Day: Meet Ken of Mildly Creative

Introduce yourself

Hi.  My name is Ken Robert (sounds like row-bert).  I’m never sure what to call myself, but I’ve grown comfortable with the labels writer, poet, curious explorer, and creative companion.  I’m kind of a creative enthusiast, a fan of creative people in general, and I’m continually fascinated by the seemingly endless ways human beings come up with to express what it is to be human.  I currently live in Cape Girardeau, Missouri with my wife, my son, and, when she’s home from school, my daughter.  And I’m a very lucky man.

So tell me a bit about how you share your creative gifts with the world.

A couple of years ago I read “Is Your Genius at Work?” by Dick Richards and realized that my genius was sharing discoveries.  I love to share with others the good things I stumble upon.  I love to tell people about the cool things I’ve come across like great books, good music, and especially great ideas.  I love to introduce them to people who I find interesting and inspiring.  I love to share the lessons I’ve learned.   Becoming a blogger has allowed me to do this on a wider scale.

Your Mildly Creative website is such a fantastic place to be gently & quietly inspired.  (it’s one of my faves!)
Share your 3 most favorite posts.

I guess my first favorite is 5 Reasons You Might as Well Be Authentic because I really opened up in a big way in that post and put my core beliefs out there for everyone to see. Before that, I had been a little worried what readers might think if they found out I was someone other than they’d expected.  I didn’t want to force my views and values on other people, but I didn’t want to hide them either.  I just wanted to be me.

My second favorite is actually the one I wrote about my daughter and I reading Goodnight Moon when she was little.  I liked the way it unfolded and for me it contains a lot of good memories and personal meaning.

My third favorite is one I wrote recently called Take a Break from Being Perfect and Become Something More.  I like the images that came to me while writing it, especially those of taking a break from skating perfect figure eights and laying down your wizard’s wand in order to pick up a hammer and build something.  And I also love how the idea for the post came to me.  I sat down to write in my journal, wrote a paragraph about something I thought I had mastered, and then jotted down the line, “OK, you can take a break from being excellent and learn something new.”  I went right to the computer and wrote the article.

Who are some bloggy peeps that inspire you (3 max)?

I have to confess that there’s no blog I read every day because I read pieces of so many, but right now I’m really enjoying Carl Nelson’s Slacker Reform (slackerreform.com) and Hugh McLeod’s Gaping Void (gapingvoid.com).  I may be mildly creative, but both of these blogs speak to the quiet rebel in me.  If you ask people who know me, they’ll tell you I’m a nice guy and I do try to be, but I’m also fiercely stubborn and independent and Nelson and McLeod support that kind of freedom in their writing.

The blog I read the most, however, is Barbara Winter’s Buon Viaggio at JoyfullyJobless.com.  Barbara is a friend of mine who has been unbelievably supportive.  She was almost a one woman PR machine for me when I began and I honestly don’t know how she finds the time to be so generous.  But if you don’t know her, I suggest you get to know her.  She’s an expert on self employment and self development and the author of the book Making a Living without a Job, which just came out in a new revised edition.  She’s an excellent writer and inspiring thinker.  I also subscribe to awesome snail mail newsletter, Winning Ways.  It’s inspiration in your actual mailbox, not your digital one.

What does your typical day look like?

I really don’t have a typical day.  In order to focus on building a life I want, I took a job waiting tables.  I enjoy it and I don’t have to think about it once I clock out,  but that also means working a combination of days and evenings and double shifts.  I squeeze everything else in the available slots.  My dream is to one day be self employed and actually have enough control over my schedule to develop more of a routine.  But I wouldn’t want things to be too routine.

For now, I have routine activities.  I run and take walks. I listen to music.  I read.  I write.  I draw.  I dabble with the guitar.  I spend time with people I love.  It’s a good life.

How do you motivate yourself when you just don’t ‘feel’ like doing a task.

I do something less.  For instance, if I feel I need to write a post for the blog but just don’t have the juice, I doodle or write whatever phrases come to mind in a notebook.  This usually breaks the resistance down.  Another example is simply putting on my running shoes and shorts when I’m resisting going for a run.

By doing something less than what I’m resisting, I sneak up on the thing.

What advice would you give to people who are taking a “leap”, creatively or personally?

My advice would be to figure out what’s the least you can do to get moving and then do that thing daily.  Doing the least you can do on a regular basis has a way of turning into doing the most you can do.

What kind of music do you listen to in order to focus your energy?

Music is huge and my iPod is the greatest Christmas gift I ever received.  I go through phases where I’ll listen to a particular song or a specific artist over and over for days on end.  My tastes are really eclectic though.  Lately I’ve been stuck on a tune by Kings of Leon called Closer because I love the spooky, groovy riff that runs throughout it and the phrase, “and it’s coming closer.”   However, when it comes to letting my mind wander, I like instrumentals best and the one artist who’s stayed on my iPod for almost a year now is Zoe Keating and her computer looped cello.  If art is war, her music is my battle hymn.

What is your favorite snacky food.

I’ve got this weird thing for apple sauce and cottage cheese mixed together.  I know it sounds awful, but to me it’s better than ice cream.

What destinations are on your dream places to visit?

I love cities and theatre, so I’d love to go to New York City and see a show on Broadway.  I’d also like to visit my friend Barbara Winter in Las Vegas and see Cirque du Soleil.  And I’d like to get back to the ocean.  We lived by the ocean for a year and plan to do so again once my son gets out of school.

What are your top 3 goals for the rest of this year?

I’m glad you asked about 3.  I have lots of ideas, but I try to stay focused on three or otherwise I seem to come unraveled.

I’ve lost quite a bit of weight over the past couple of years but I’m about ten to fifteen pounds from what I consider ideal.  I’d like to know what it feels like to reach that ideal.  I wouldn’t say I’ve been stuck, but I’ve been hovering over my heart’s goal.  I’d like to go in for the landing, so I’m using my personal blog to focus on a daily exercise habit for the next 90 days.  We’ll see what happens.

For MildlyCreative.com, I want to keep my focus on building my readership and the number of people who subscribe to my newsletter, Quiet Inspiration.  I’m reaching about two hundred people a day right now, but I’ve only been doing it for a couple months.  I’d like to reach a thousand or more people a day by the end of a year.  I’m slowly mastering various pieces of the art of building traffic.  I intend to keep that focus.

The last thing I want to do is to create income streams that will enventually enable me to do what I love on a full time basis.  I have so many things I want to do with Mildly Creative but some of them require me being in greater control of my schedule.  So I have a dollar amount in mind and when I reach it I’ll be handing in my waiter’s apron.

To wrap up, let us know just what you are adventuring into:

Well, I’m altering the way I create content for my blog for a period in order to invest more time and energy into creating products.  I first intend to turn my Mildly Creative principles into a brief e-course that I’ll then turn into a series of seminars and possibly a full length book.  I also have a big project in mind about something I call 90 Day Blogs.  I’ll be writing more about it on the website in the upcoming weeks and months.   I have a few skills to acquire before I can go big with it, but I’m pretty excited about the idea and think it will be helpful to a lot of people.  If people are interested they can keep up to date by visiting the website and signing up for my free newsletter, Quiet Inspiration.

Thanks to Ken for stopping in and giving us a glimpse of the Mildly Creative Life.  One of the best things about him is that he leads quietly & gently.  I like that it isn’t always about doing things bigger and better but taking these small steps forward.  Going in the direction of your dreams with purpose & passion.

When I first found his site, I thought to myself…”Now this is a place you can get comfy in.  Kick off your shoes and learn about being  more YOU”. Stop on by MildlyCreative.com and get *quietly* inspired.

Bloggy Love Day! Meet Leah~ Web Goddess Extraordinaire

1) Introduce yourself:

My name is Leah-Dawn Shaver, but I go by Leah Creates online – and now that’s my DBA! I’m a web and graphic designer, web developer, photographer, and mixed-media artist. I like to wrap this all up in a neat little package and just say that I’m a “creative handygirl”, but I’ve also used such terms as artsy-granola-geek. I live in the beautiful seaside town of Portsmouth, New Hampshire with a bunch of creatures and my amazing boyfriend, Noah J.

2) So tell me a bit about your creative background.

I started making websites the day my family got the internet at home, when I was about fifteen. This was in 1999, and I have been creating websites ever since. (My 10th anniversary is in October!) It was around the same time that I started getting into photography and my own version of “scrapbooking” (which has since evolved into art journaling and mixed media art). I’ve really just continued with everything since then.  I was a self-taught web/graphic designer/developer until 2006 when I went back to college. I am constantly learning and evolving as a creative person, but it’s a skin I’ve really seen myself growing into this year.

Book Review Redux: Reclaim Your Dreams

So here you go. A review.  Jonathan threw out the challenge to twitterland that people who wanted to review his book could get a copy for FREE.  I never back down from a challenge!

Lucky for me I had already bought a copy (I always seem to have stuff like that happen, it is funny really) BUT I like this book so much I wanted to do the review anyway.

Little back story.  I enjoy giving you guys history before I launch into why something is fabulous.  It is my firm belief that relationship is key when taking on recommendations.  I came across Jonathan’s blog, ILLUMINATED MIND, about a year ago.  It was one of the first blogs I visited that bucked conventional living and had tons of useful content to inspire & live your ‘dream life’.

I saw that he was selling an e-book that was called “Reclaim Your Dreams” (at the time I needed a bit of a kick start) so I bought it.  When I opened the book, I was very excited because I am such a big fan of his site.  The book did not disappoint.  It had the flair and content of his blog but able to get detailed and break things down more specifically.  The book is interesting because there are 2 parts (he uses a good analogy in the preface about gardening):

PART 1: Jonathan takes you through stuff that could be blocking you.  I know for me this is a topic that I always need help with.  Just what keeps you from living your best life.  He shines a light on those scary hangups & “cloggy bits”.  There is also some discussion of just how to get past those things.

PART 2: Here is where he will take you through how to live those dreams. Manifestation.  Really practical and achievable.  If you feel like you lack some of the tools to make your dreams happen, he will give you some suggestions & tips to support you with that.

This e-book is a quick read but it packs a punch.  He fills it to the gills with great insights plus additional ‘assignments’.  Each chapter has an ‘exercise’ and ‘points to meditate on’; these are great because it’s not just about having the dream but acting on it. Action is needed.

Having these aides really pointed me in the right direction- breaking it down into bite-sized pieces I could handle without getting bogged down.  Very nice indeed. There is nothing harder than trying to take on a new ‘program’ and it overwhelms you with “stuff”, Reclaims Your Dreams does none of that.  Simple & Powerful, like the writer. Very no-nonsense.

This book is wonderful and will be a great support & reference for when you need help moving from your ‘life in a box’ to ‘living free’.

If you want to check it out, get a free chapter to sample.  He offers the book for sale here (you can also get MORE book info & hiring him as a ‘kick-your-butt-into- gear’ life coach on this page).

One thing I HAVE to mention is that Jonathan has a beautiful and talented wife named Ev’Yan who also has her own creative pursuits.  You can check it out at Apricot Tea. She is a supremely talented jewelry maker and fashionista.

Bio: Jonathan Mead is interested in creating a social movement of liberation, based on people living on their own terms. In his spare time he studies Jeet Kune Do and other ass-kicking strategies. He’s currently researching how to get paid to exist.

Spin time & A surprise

Aren’t we super lucky?!?! They made an adorably cute box that you can put these in (if you choose).

I wanted to put my own spin on it.  So here I go:

1) print the affirmations

2) gather the printed affirmations (aren't they pretty!)

3) cut out each affirmation, lovely little circles of joy!

4) take time to get 'clear' about your project

5) The next step is a secret project I am working on & will reveal next Tuesday!

Stay tuned….

New stuff: A great course for you DIY-ers

Wednesdays are fun! I look forward to them because it is me sharing with you about people that I have ‘met’ or stuff that is cool.  I give you this guarantee, I will not post an item or recommendation I haven’t tried or feel would bring really good things to your life.

I am posting this a day early so you all can check out his course before it starts on Wednesday July 15th!

I got a good vibe from this guy right off the bat. There is something about a bloke who cusses and marches to the beat of his own drum.  He strips away the formalities.  What you see is what you get and I dig that about him.

(I almost forgot to mention this:  He created a little thing called GOYA, “Get off Your Ass”.  I was really hedging stepping into a new area.  He just guided me through the process & made it a little less scary.  At the end of the day, it was all about taking that leap)

Johnny B Truant (or JT as I like to call him because the other name is too darn long, *lol* ) recently started this great little blog called ‘Learn to be your own V.A.‘ which is basically a place for you to find the tools to DIY your own blogs &/or websites. He also offers tutorials that are so easy that even I could follow them (and that is saying a lot since my mind tends to be resistant to all things ‘techie’. Thank god for the techies!)

A few weeks ago, I signed up for his blog transfer service which meant that he would move my iWeb blog over to WordPress. I am very glad that HE did it because then I was free to do the more fun stuff like trying to pick widgets and ‘prettifying my site’.  Not that it is all about the ‘fluffy’ stuff but I want it to be pretty and have good posts for you to read.  :)

Anyways, back to what I was saying, JT has created another course which knowing him is all sorts of fabulous.  While I haven’t taken the “Make the Internet your B*tch” course, I do know this guy delivers.  He answers every email ( I know this because I would email him some pretty ridiculous questions) & takes you through so slowly it probably pains him but he does it anyway!  :) He wants to make sure it is done right and works until it is.

So if you have been wanting to start a more business-ey blog, look into the course and see if it a good fit.  Click the link on the right sidebar to take you to some pretty hilarious videos about the course (they explain it in only the way JT can) *The badge is a small version of the one above

PS He just let me know that if you want ‘IN’ to try to sign up by August 1st.  The price goes up after that!

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