A peek inside my Grow Your Depth journal

By Andrea Schroeder / May 15, 2015

The “other video” I talk about is here, the first peek into my Grow Your Depth Journal.? I also did a video tour of my Nurture Your Brilliance journal, here.

The beauty and magic of this work comes from your commitment to do the work consistently over time.

So the whole point of Grow Your Depth, Nurture Your Brilliance (the class I’m teaching this year which you can still join today!) is to create a container than helps you hold your commitment to your creative personal growth practice.

For me, the main benefit of this work is in how I feel right now.? It makes me happier and more connected to myself.

Of course, when I’m happier and more connected to myself I’m more powerful and creative.

And when I’m more powerful and creative in my life good things happen.? Like:

I’m making more money and I’m having more fun doing it.
Really cool opportunities keep coming my way (like – I was offered an artists’ residency at the beach this summer!).
I’m now able to work on a project that I have dreamed about for 20 years.
After a long time of being single and thinking that maybe there’s just no one out there who is a really good match for me, I’ve started dating someone I’m pretty excited about.

Inner work does spark outer change.

If there is any change you want to see happen in your life, I promise you the path is INSIDE you.

A peek inside my Grow Your Depth journal Read More »

There is no way to “be safe”.

By Andrea Schroeder / May 7, 2015

In my journaling practice, I keep encountering this part of me who has been working very hard for a very long time to create safety for me.

It sees every potential pitfall in life and tries to guard against them.

So while I’m skipping towards the things I want, this part of me is trying to pull me back because it believes that avoiding pitfalls is more important than chasing dreams.

Meanwhile my wisest and most heart-connected self believes that I do need to be moving towards what feels true for me – pitfalls or not.? In a universe that is always expanding I can’t contract myself and my life for fear of getting hurt along the way.

Plus – getting hurt along the way is often a part of the process, and a place where I learn a lot.? So it’s really not something to be avoided.

This creates a tug-of-war in my inner world.

When I left my day job to be a full time dreamer, this part of me started working double overtime.

So I had to spend more time working with it, bringing in healing and love and calm to transform this part of me.? I didn’t want to obliterate it or pretend I didn’t have this huge knot in my stomach and slap a big “fake it till you make it” smile over it.

My aim was to love it and give it what it needed to settle down and be happy – to heal and transform it.? To take all the energy and power that the fear had and re-write it to do something more useful for me.

For me, dealing with this part of me was the hardest part of the change from employee to my own boss.? It mean facing my own worst fears and learning how to access more inner strength than I knew I had.

And now here I am again.

It’s definitely not as dramatic or intense right now, but as I have set new intentions for what I want to create in my life as I work through Grow Your Depth, Nurture Your Brilliance, this part of me has been re-activated.

So when this part of me popped up in my journaling recently I was not very happy.

I felt exhausted and overwhelmed at the thought of working with this part of me again.? I wrote in my journal:

Oh shit. This is going to be a Big Job.

But you know what?? It’s not.

In the journal classes I teach, I show how to work with symbols and essence and how doing this opens up new possibilities.? It’s a way of dropping the story and getting to the heart of what’s actually happening and then changing it – which then changes the story in the outer world.

I created symbols for the thing I want and for safety and then looked at how they play together.? This is where it got really interesting.

They didn’t play nice.

The thing I want actually CLOBBERED the symbol for safety.? It didn’t trust safety, which startled me.

And safety wasn’t too thrilled about having to hang out with the thing I wanted either.

And then the symbols showed me the truth: There’s nothing wrong with the quality of safety but trying to CREATE safety is what fucks me up.

Because I am inherently safe.

(And so are you)

Trying to create safety means giving weight to the belief that I am small and separate from life, that the universe doesn’t care about me and that there are pitfalls to be avoided.

Obviously, in the physical world there are pitfalls to be avoided – that’s not what this is about.

This is about living from a sense of internal trust.

Trusting my dreams.

Trusting my self.

Trusting the process.

Trusting in meaning and purpose.

Trusting that there are no pitfalls to avoid because I can handle whatever comes my way.

Trusting that as long as I am allowing my intuition to lead me I’m always in the right place.

Trusting the mystery.

Remembering that I am already safe.

Trusting that I am safe allows me to relax into the process.

Trying to create safety holds me out of the process because I’m too busy trying to control the universe, which strengthens the belief that I am small and alone and powerless.? Not a recipe for creative dream success.

Back when I first left my job and was just getting settled in my new life as a dreamer I did need to coddle and soothe these fears – they were too big and agitated for me to just say “Hey, dude, chill out and trust the process”and working with them brought me the insights I needed to do the healing work that needed to be done at that time.

And that brought me to where I am now.

And now that I am on more stable ground a different approach is needed.

By meeting with the heart/soul/essence of how you’re feeling and bringing in love and healing it’s so much easier to see what, exactly, you need to move towards what you want.? (For Creative Dream Circle members – the video in the Un-Sticking Station leads you through this process)

There is no way to “be safe”. Read More »

Hello 41

By Andrea Schroeder / May 4, 2015

I kind of don’t want to post this because it seems too cheesy and pollyanna-y but this is where I’m at.

It’s Sunday night.? I’ve got a belly full of my favourite pizza which I just ate in the park with my family for my birthday dinner.? I turn 41 on Monday.? (I’m thinking that having birthday pizza the day before my birthday may be a good tradition to start – so that I’ll have birthday pizza for breakfast.)

I’ve got my laptop in bed and the windows are open.? (Normally on my birthday it’s a bit too chilly for picnics and open windows at night and I am super grateful for this.)

My life feels fuller than I am used to which is sometimes overwhelming but mostly my heart is happy.? Life just feels like a great big celebration and I am so grateful to be here.

When I think about turning 41 all I can think of is wanting to go back in time and hug past-mes and let them know that it’s all going to be OK.?? That my creative work will one day be happily received by the world and I’ll be able to make a living doing things that make my soul sing.? That I’ll figure out how to live at peace with myself.? That I’ll learn how to really trust myself and take care of myself.? That all the love I need is right here.

And I want to hug all the past mes for doing the work that got me to this place.

And then I want to marvel about what could come next.

Life is so short, but so deep and I am grateful for another year.

I’m also grateful for YOU, reading this.? Thank you for being here.

Hello 41 Read More »

How to know when it’s time to throw in the towel on a creative project.

By Andrea Schroeder / April 21, 2015 / creative entrepreneur

I’ve been working on The Magic Journal Cards project for months now.? I LOVE these cards and want to give them my best and have really enjoyed working hard on them.

Last week I got completely stuck with this project.? Again.

To make a long story short: I have a pretty big, heavy stack of artwork that I thought were the completed deck of Magic Journal Cards and it turns out this is just another draft.? (And I had already done quite a few drafts before I started this one!)

Which means I have to scrap this work and start over.

Which is exciting because these cards are pretty cool so the next set is going to be even better.? I am getting closer to the essence of what these cards want to be.

And it’s frustrating because it feels like three months of work going down the drain.

And it’s overwhelming because how/where will I find the time to re-do all of this work?

And it’s sad because I thought I was almost done and I’m actually really far from done.

So how do I know that it’s time to throw in the towel?

I took this question to my art journal.

First, I wrote long and hard and HONESTLY about where I’m at with the project and how I feel about everything.

(This included writing about all these small irritations that I had been trying to avoid.)

Then, I connected with the energetic essence (AKA the heart and soul) of the project.? We had a good, long talk.

I have a lot of attachments to the work I’ve done so far.

But I have a even bigger attachment to doing the best work I can for this.

And this is what it came down to: I couldn’t feel good about putting them out into the world the way they were.

It wasn’t a “You’re not good enough” inner critic voice – though that was there too.? I took my inner critic into the Un-Sticking Station in the Creative Dream Circle and worked through it and transformed that fear and got to the truth underneath it: the work just wasn’t right for the project.

I really thought it was the right thing when I started.? It really felt like the right thing while I was working on it.? (And it was right, in a way, at the time – it was the thing that led me to know more about what the project needed.)

You don’t start out already knowing everything.? Knowing comes further along the path.

See – all those small things that were irritating me were signs pointing me in a new direction.? But I didn’t want to listen because I was so attached to the work I’d done and so sure that I was going in the right direction already.

I assumed they were just tiny inner critics and wanted to not let them slow me down.

But if I had carried on avoiding them their energy would have become prickly little bugs in the energy of the project.? It would have made the whole thing wonky – not just the creation of the cards, but the marketing and sales parts too.

This really is the path!

Doing the work, being present with what’s happening beneath the surface, exploring your relationship with the project, learning more about what the project needs, transforming the ick that comes up in the process, re-doing the work.

Otherwise, all of your un-processed stuff does wind up in the final work, giving it a wonky energy that will keep it from completing it’s mission – to serve the people that you are creating it to serve.

For me, what it comes down to is that I am deeply committed to the project’s mission.? So I want to do whatever I can to support it in getting there.? And in the process I do wind up all tangled up in my own stuff sometimes.

Each time I work through this process with a project I come out more connected to my intuition and creativity and I trust myself more.

This is how you grow into your potential.

So I started over.

The cards have a new look – less art and less colour and more space.? The cards wanted to be quieter, which they think will help you use them to sink deeper into your own experience while journaling.

The old deck was a combination of prompt cards and inspiration cards.? The new deck is questions.? (The inspiration cards will be done as a separate deck – which might have more colour and artwork in them.)

While working on them, I feel free and clear.

While working on the first deck, I felt delighted a lot of the time.? And sometimes I felt frustrated and unsure.? Sometimes I felt exhausted.

Now, I just feel free and clear.? The process of making these cards is quite simple and fun – a sign that I’ve worked through the stuff I needed to work through.?? And I am delighted by how it’s coming together.

This is the ultimate aim of what I wanted to do with Grow Your Depth, Nurture Your Brilliance this year.? To be more present in my inner world, to meet my resistance and fears more effectively, to transform my inner patterns more quickly… to create more space for more of my creative brilliance to shine out into the world.

While the path does get frustrating sometimes, I’m pretty happy to be here.

How to know when it’s time to throw in the towel on a creative project. Read More »

How To Make An Altar For Your Dreams

By Andrea Schroeder / April 15, 2015

Having an altar for your dreams is a way to give tangible form to your intangible dream while you’re working on bringing it to life.? It helps you focus your energy and attention to energize your intention.

Altars don’t have to be complicated or weird or anything.? You can be super creative and have fun with them.

You don’t even necessarily need a lot of space to create a powerful and effective altar.? The simplest altar I have in my home is a set of three magnets I keep on the back of my front door.

There’s a dragon (POWER!) who guards the threshold of my home, making sure that only things that are easy and sweet can enter.

You don’t need to learn a bunch of stuff about how to make an altar for your dreams, you just play with what inspires and delights you.

Here’s a small altar I keep in my office, this is my altar for staying connected to my self: my joy and light and inspiration.

This altar sits on top of a long bookshelf.? I uses a tray to set the boundary of the altar, to contain the energy of it in this space.? (People often use cloths for this)? The doll that represents me sits behind it, like she is sitting at the altar.

This altar keeps one of my favourite decks of cards, Deepak Chopra’s Success Cards, some favourite crystals and a reminder from one of my own inspiration cards.

I switch this stuff up whenever/however I feel inspired to.

This is an altar to internal radiance that I keep in my bedroom.

There’s a Buddha statue surrounded by candles, with an egg I painted and collaged that glows golden and reminds me to connect with my internal radiance.

This is on my dresser, where I see it as I’m getting dressed every morning. Sometimes in the evenings if I’m reading in bed I’ll light the candles as an offering to the quality of radiance and a reminder to re-connected with the radiance within.

This is an altar on my bookshelf, reminding me of what I want in my home.

This one is super simple, just an inspiration card I made when I moved into the Dream Loft and an ornament that feels like the qualities that I wanted to invoke.

This reminds me of the magic of how it felt when I moved in and was so excited to have this space and to create what I needed within it.

It reminds me of how grateful I am to live in a space that suits my needs perfectly, which is something I don’t always consciously remember so it feels so good to have this altar remind me of that.

My largest and most interesting altar is more of a meditation altar – or sometimes I think of it as an “activity altar” because there are a bunch of things I do at it.

This altar is reserved for my BIGGEST dream, the one that is getting the most attention from me at any given moment.

A meditation altar is an altar that you sit at to meditate.? It often has meditation tools: candles, incense, images of things you want to meditate on, meditation pillows, etc.

Mine tends to get pretty playful.

I keep a crystal mandala with something that represents the essence of my intention in the center – how I do this is always changing.? I use the crystals that I feel called to work with and arrange them how I feel inspired to arrange them.

My intuition sends me messages about what to get for these mandalas.? A few weeks ago I had a strong message to go to this specific shop on the way home to get some new crystals, and they had just gotten these amazing hematite arrowheads in, which were exactly what my crystal mandala needed.

The crystal mandala is the heart of the altar – it holds the essence of my dream.

Beside that is where I keep my singing bowl.

When I wake up in the morning, plus every time I come home after being anywhere plus any other time I feel like it, I stand at the altar and play the bowl while focusing on my intention.? I visualize the vibration from the bowl clearing out any energies that block me from my dream, then bringing me into energetic alignment with my dream.? I keep doing this until it feels complete.

I keep a deck of cards at this altar – different tarot or inspiration or divination cards depending on what I’m working with at the time – and choose a new card every morning and leave it face up for the day to remind me of it’s message.?? This is also a way to make sure I engage with my dream first thing in the morning, even on days when I’m not doing much with it.

If I’m going to be home for a while and it feels right to “activate” the altar that’s when I light the tea lights in the lanterns.

The important thing to know about how to make an altar for your dreams is to pay attention.

Focus on the energy and how it’s shifting as your relationship with your growing dream is shifting, by paying attention to how the altar feels to you.

If it doesn’t bring you joy or re-align you with your dream or do something positive for you in some way then something needs to change.

When you are first learning how to make an altar for your dreams you may just be guessing about what’s going to work.? This is good!? Experiment and explore – this is how you will learn what works for you and your dream.

Start by using whatever comes to mind and putting it together however it seems right.

Then notice what happens – how do you feel when you see it?

Over time, you start to connect with your altar more and more (which is really the inner process of connecting more deeply with the qualities of your dream) and then you start to “just know” how it should be.? But you don’t necessarily start out just knowing, getting there is a journey.

There are no rules about how to make an altar – just play with it!

The more you enjoy creating and working with your altar the more it can help you connect with your dream.

Every time I see my altars they remind me to re-align with my dreams, that’s why I have so many tiny altars for so many different things – so that I am continually reminded of my intentions.

And working with them – moving things around and bringing new things in – is always fun.

I’ve noticed that whenever I start to feel overwhelmed in life, my loft starts to get cluttered.? So I take some time to tidy up, including re-arranging any of the altars that feel like they need some new energy.

This clearing and re-arranging always shifts me out of overwhelm and brings me back to center.

Some supplies you can use to make your altar:

Candles
Statues
Toys
Books
Inspiration/Divination cards
Artwork
Musical Instruments
Crystals and stones
Incense
Flowers
Jewellery
Ornaments

Get creative with it!? You can use literally ANYTHING that helps you call in the qualities of your dream.

Another thing to remember about how to make an altar for your dreams is you’re always in the process of working on your altar.

You’ll be out somewhere and something may jump out at you and demand to be taken home and added to your altar.? A rock or a feather you find in the park, a crystal in a shop, a candle or sculpture or tool or anything that just feels like it brings the right energy to your altar.

Working with your altar is a great way to ground the changes you’re making as you’re doing the inner work of bringing your dreams to life.

How To Make An Altar For Your Dreams Read More »

How I Talk To My Creative Projects

By Andrea Schroeder / April 9, 2015 / creative entrepreneur

A few weeks ago I stopped posting my weekly updates here on my blog – they’ve gone into some pretty personal stuff that I don’t want to share here, so for now I’m just posting them in our weekly sharing circles inside the Creative Dream Circle.

Instead, this week, I wanted to share an update on where I am with my Magic Journaling Cards.

This is a meeting I had with the heart and soul of the cards:

It’s a little (?) weird but this is how I stay consistently productive and get at my best creative ideas.

The heart and soul of my project shows up as disks of delight that want to fly out into the world.

I start by trying to look at what’s happening with the energy between me and it – what is our internal relationship like right now – but I can’t see anything.

A tiny sparkling fairy flies out of the disks and whispers “You’re so close to the finish line your logical self is trying to take over to handle all the details – it’s distorting the energy flow, the way logic tends to do.”

My logical self appears, wearing a suit and carrying a briefcase.? “We have a lot of details to attend to here.? I need to take over and handle this.”

“Oh no” my heart interjects “Surely even you can feel how special this project is.? The energies need to be aligned – heart to heart to heart. My heart, the project’s heart, the hearts of the people who will use the cards.? All decisions have to come out of that alignment.”

My logical self has lost this particular argument so many times that she just throws up her hands and says “Fine then.? Just get it done.”

Heart takes over.? “We’ll start by invoking the qualities of the cards.”

Insight.

Expansion.

Wisdom.

Delight.

Growth.

Creativity.

Magic.

Glee.

Discovery.

The qualities fill the space, ground our conversation and gently start to weave everything into alignment.? And I see it now.? Me.? The Cards.? The people who are going to use the cards. Perfect alignment.

It’s a clear, focused energy between me and the cards.? Concentrated.

Well yeah – years and years of exploration and study concentrated into the deck.? That’s what a good deck should be!? Concentrated.

Then the energy explodes from the cards out to the people.? Each person receives it in a different way, depending on what they want/need.? Just what a good deck should be!

OK, so this is all great.? But what’s stuck?

The fairy giggles.? “Why, you, of course!”

“Ha ha.? Of course.? A little help please?!”

The fairy takes me hand and flies me over to the cards.? “Let them grow.? Listen to them.? Let them tell you how they want to be.”

That’s when I realise that I’ve been trying to control this one part (the part I was stuck about!) and actually the cards want to be different from how I wanted them to be.? The cards show me what they want, and it’s kind of perfect.

This one part – the way that I was seeing the cards for myself as I was creating them – has to go completely.? The cards are showing me that it was a ladder, it got me to where I needed to be and I don’t need it anymore.

Kind of mind-blowing.? I thought that’s what the cards WERE but it was just a ladder.? Kind of amazing how much work I put into building a ladder that I was just going to discard, but if that’s what it takes, that’s what it takes.

Once I see it this way, everything is clear and I can get back to work giving the cards what they need.

How I Talk To My Creative Projects Read More »

How To Draw AMAZING + ENLIGHTENING Mandalas.

By Andrea Schroeder / April 7, 2015

Imagine opening up your journal to find it filled with colours and patterns that make your heart sing and whisper helpful messages from the universe.

In my Mandala Class you’ll learn how to create inspiring and enlightening Mandalas you’ll Fall In LOVE with.

You’ll get a series of 21 videos where I share EVERYTHING I know about creating a wildly fulfilling mandala practice.

You’ll skip through all the hard parts of learning how to draw mandalas and discover the secrets of how to receive (and understand!) the message behind your mandala and how it can help bring you whatever it is you need right now: healing, comfort, insights or brilliant flashes of inspiration.

You know how amazing it is when you get just the right message at just the right time and the feeling is so electric the little hairs on your arms stand up?

I get that feeling ALL THE TIME from drawing mandalas and that’s exactly what I want to share with you in this class.

?Get it right here (with a FREE uber-helpful tutorial).

How To Draw AMAZING + ENLIGHTENING Mandalas. Read More »

When you don’t know HOW to put your creative work “out there”.

By Andrea Schroeder / April 1, 2015 / creative entrepreneur

I’m sitting here with a new thing that wants to go out into the world and WAY more questions than answers about how to put it out there.? Since I have a lot of clients who come to me with this very problem, I thought I’d write out my process here.

In this case it’s my Mandala Class, re-packaged as a 21 day self-guided e-course (currently you can only get this class inside the Creative Dream Circle).? The heart and soul of my business has been whispering to me for weeks to do this so I’m doing it.

It was easy enough to set it up as a 21 day course delivered via email, since I already had all of the class material done.

But now comes the hard part: putting it out there.

I don’t know how I want to price it. (Actually that’s a lie, but more on that later)
I don’t know how to market it. (Not quite a lie.? But not the whole story either.)

I start by connecting with the heart and soul of the thing.?? I set out a picnic blanket for us to settle in for what I am assuming is going to be a long conversation.

The heart and soul of the Mandala Class shows up as a mandala.? All star-like and sparkling and happy.

“So,” I say, “I actually do have this price in mind but it feels really confusing. I think I’m being too rigid or something.? Like my ego wants this price but it’s not the real price.? Or it is the real price but my inner critic thinks it’s too high.”

I sigh.? I really do hate this part sometimes.

The mandala says “You want the price that you want.? You’re also very concerned with offering high value for your people.? That’s cool.”? The mandala doesn’t seem to see that this is a problem.

“I feel like you are more connected to the people that this class will serve than I am.? What can you tell me about what the perfect price for them is?” I ask.

The mandala un-zips it’s smile (?) reaches in and pulls out a heart.? When the mandala hands me the heart, it explodes into thousands of tiny sparkling hearts.? I can’t hold them all.

I sit there, with one tiny sparkling heart in my hand.

And, surprisingly enough, this does tell me about the price that the people want.? The price that the people want worries me because it feels wrong to me, it feels like much, much less than the value of what the class has to offer.

Which is interesting, because I know that the price of the Creative Dream Circle is much, much less than what the Circle has to offer and that price feels good and sturdy and, well, perfect.

But now I am sitting here with two prices, feeling more confused than ever.

And then I realise that this other idea is bouncing around in my head and this could be complicating the value of the class.? I’m thinking I want to include one live phone call, so people can call in and ask me their questions, and do some mandala drawing in a group which is always magical.

And so the value of the class without the call would be different from the value of the class with the call so of course it feels wonky to try to figure this out without deciding for sure if I’m doing the call or not. Ha!

The heart and soul of my business interjects “Actually we really want to offer something simpler and smaller, something for the people who don’t want the class interaction stuff (there’s always lots of that in the Creative Dream Circle for people who want that) can we please keep this smaller and simpler?”

Oh, right.

So then I look at the number that is right between the two numbers.? Perfect compromise.

But it feels somehow less magical to me – like the two numbers each have something magical about them and this number just feels kind of plain.

I don’t want to offer something that feels plain to me.? I want to feel sparking and right about what I’m putting out into the world, and how I’m putting it out there.? So is there a number closer to this number that feels more magical?

Both the mandala and the heart and soul of my business perk up, as if to say “Finally! She’s getting it!”

“OK, it feels like you guys know what the number is, can’t you just tell me?” I ask, exasperated.

“We’d like to, but your doubts and confusion are clogging our communication channel.? But don’t worry, you’ll know it when you get there.”

Ugh, I do not like going around in circles like this.

I call in the heart and soul of clarity to join the picnic.? It shows up as a light in my heart that moves up to my third eye.

And a totally new number appears.? A larger number than the first number I? liked.? So I start re-watching the videos in the class and remember how amazing it is.

I want to pick the smaller number because I think more people will want it at a lower price.? Beneath that is a fear that no one will want it at the higher price.

I want to pick the larger number because I want to feel like the price is congruent with the value – this class has been just ridiculously helpful for so many people already!? Beneath that is the fear that people will think I charged too much.

Oh crap.? Both numbers are coming from fear.

What number doesn’t come from fear?? The new number, the one that clarity brought me.? The one that is higher than the one that already felt too high.? Ha.? No. I don’t feel good about this.

At this point I decide to put this down.? I pack up the picnic blanket, and schedule a meeting with the mandala and the heart and soul of my business for tomorrow.

I invite clarity to stay with me until then and help me melt through the doubt, fear and confusion.

I say a little prayer that once I find the price, figuring out how to put it out there will be a much simpler process.

A few minutes later, the price pops into my head.? It’s a totally new number and it feels totally right.

I put the blanket back out, and call the mandala and the heart and soul of my business to come back.? “OK then, let’s move on to step two: how do I want to put this out there?”

The heart and soul of my business says “It’s important that you do this in a way that feels good to you and is congruent with the core qualities of your business: trust, spirit, authenticity, creativity.? But what you do, like specifically, doesn’t matter.? Just having this be a part of your business is what matters, you don’t need some ideal launch plan or anything like that.”

The mandala says “I am just so happy to go out into the world!? Don’t forget that your mandala tutorial is the most visited page of your website.? Just put me there!? I mean tell your people about it too, but mostly just put me there! I want to be there!? And as you put your new journaling cards out there, more people are going to be interested in exploring Mandalas.? Put me there too.”

My inner Planny McPlanster pops up, clipboard in hand to say that I really should have a plan, like a detailed and elaborate plan – nothing guarantees success like a well thought out plan.? I give Planny a hug and a cookie and send him on his way.

Nothing guarantees success anyway.? But having my outer actions be in alignment with my inner self does guarantee that I’ll feel good about what I’m doing, which is all I really want.

So how do I do this in a way that feels good?

Well, I want to share this journaling – I think people will find it helpful to see this part, and not just see the part where I put it out there, all polished and done.? I’m not sure that really promotes the class much but it’s what I want to do.

I do want to re-design the mandala tutorial page with links to this class.
I want to re-write the Mandala Class page.
I want to let people know about it – via email and blog.
Find a place to add it to the main page of my website and on my blog.

So all that is what I want to do right now.? What else could I do?

I could:

Mandala blog hop
Some kind of “contest thing” to win the class
Post more of my mandalas on Instagram with a link to the class

Actually it feels like there are a lot of ways I could promote it that would be fun and creative but I don’t want to do any of that right now.? I want to keep my energy focused on the Magic Journaling Cards I’ve been working on.

It feels really good to just have it be out there without making a huge deal about it.

So I can keep brainstorming this and do it another time – if/when I feel inspired to.

…. Coming back to this later.

I started working with this list:

I do want to re-design the mandala tutorial page with links to this class.
I want to re-write the Mandala Class page.
I want to let people know about it – via email and blog.
Find a place to add it to the main page of my website and on my blog.

And it just got more confusing and overwhelming so I put it away for a few days.

Yesterday I had a meeting with the heart and soul of the Mandala Class in my journal and asked for guidance and clarity.? Then I held those qualities in my energy field and went about my day.

By yesterday afternoon I felt ready to do it.

I sat down with my laptop and everything magically came together – which always happens after multiple meetings with the heart and soul of the thing I’m working with.

The Mandala tutorial page and the Mandala Class page were merged into one new page – with the tutorial and class information.? I love the new page.

I added “Draw Mandalas!” as a menu at the top of my website, which links to that page.

It feels welcoming and warm and bright and clear.

It feels in alignment with how I want to be.

It feels simple.

It feels right.

When you don’t know HOW to put your creative work “out there”. Read More »

When your inner critic just won’t let you move forward.

By Andrea Schroeder / March 31, 2015 / healing

I care about my Magic Journaling Cards very much.

So much that while I’m working on them it’s really hard for me to feel like I’m good enough to do them justice.

Even though I know that done is better than perfect.

Even though I know that these cards, with all of their glorious imperfections, are going to help people to enjoy journaling more and get more of the juicy benefits of journaling (like emotional healing and transformation and dream manifestation).

Even though I know that I have more than enough experience teaching this stuff to be able to design the cards in such a way that they are magically helpful.

None of that matters to my inner critic.

The more I care about something, the harder it is for me to create it.

The stakes feel too high.

I have so much love for the thing, and expect so much from it, it’s like I just can’t be happy with how it’s turning out, no matter how good a job I do.

When I feel this way it’s a sign that I have handed the steering wheel over to my inner critic.

And that in these moments my job is NOT to try harder, or get better or take a break.

My job is to take back the steering wheel.

So that’s what I’ve been doing for the past few days.

If I were to keep working on the cards, I’d be putting this weird fighting-the-inner-critic-trying-to-prove-my-worth energy into this project.? (And trust me – people CAN feel it when you’re creating from that place and it WILL impact the success of your project.)

So instead I’m meeting with my inner critic and with the heart and soul of the cards project.

I’m transforming the fear and doubt and filling up on the qualities of my project, so that they can light the path to fruition.

People are always asking me how to get around the inner critic.

They want to know how to out-run it – which is impossible.

But you can heal it.? And then you can transform it.? And then you can do your great work and bring your creative dreams to life.

And then you start again with the next thing.

In my opinion, getting good at the inner work is the only path to success.? That’s why it’s the thing that I teach – because I want all of us to succeed.

(So if you’re struggling with your inner critic – come and learn how to transform it!)

And today – I’m back.

The steering wheel is firmly in my grip.

My inner critic has been transformed into an ally – he’s busy creating an energy atmosphere of flow, delight and ease for me to work in.

So – I’m working.

In fact I’ve got over 33 of the cards done (I’m not sure how big the deck is going to be – I don’t want to pick an arbitrary number, I just want to make sure it includes everything that it needs to be a magically helpful deck).

And today I want to get a bunch more done…

When your inner critic just won’t let you move forward. Read More »

How To Practice Self-Love/Self-Care In Those Times When You Need It The Most

By Andrea Schroeder / March 25, 2015 / Vintage Creative Dream TV

I made this video for Susannah Conway’s APRIL LOVE challenge: A FREE 30 day photo challenge plus 30 days of emails with stories + inspiration for self-love/self-care.

(It starts April 1 – you can sign up for it right here)

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How To Practice Self-Love/Self-Care In Those Times When You Need It The Most Read More »

Despair

By Andrea Schroeder / March 23, 2015

My main project for this year is Grow Your Depth, Nurture Your Brilliance – to do this work and see where it takes me.

The only way that depth work is predictable is that you can be sure it’s going to lead you right into the thing you want to explore the least.? This weekend, it led me to DESPAIR.

Despair often comes up in response to setting a clear intention to move forward.? Not because it’s an asshole and wants you to be miserable, but because your clear intention is asking you to deal with the despair that lives within you.

For me, this weekend, I noticed that one of the things that really bothers me about despair is how familiar the energy of it feels.? Like yes it’s always there, beneath everything else, waiting for it’s change to spring up and devour me.

And because I find the energy of it so uncomfortable, I avoid actually working with it.? Instead I focus on finding ways to feel better – which doesn’t change it or move it at all.? It keeps it right where it is in my inner world – it feels like kind of an underground river, only made of something much heavier than water.

So, I did what I am always telling my Circle members to do – I took it into the Un-Sticking Station.? This is what happened:

Oh, hello despair.? Wow, you ARE an underground river.? A very sad underground river.? That’s interesting – I didn’t realise you would be sad, I thought you were just mean and wanted me to be sad, but you’re the one who is sad.

(the river just kind of sighs and frowns)

Well, I’m sorry I have avoided you so much, you scare me.? But I didn’t mean to leave you here, all sad and alone.

I spread out my pink blanket on the grass and sit down beside the river.

“So, what do you want?” I ask.

At first, the river just looks sad.? I can’t tell if it knows what it wants but is shy about saying it, or if it doesn’t even know what it wants.? Then it shows me:

Light.

This was meant to be a river of light.? Flowing, underground, through the depths of my inner world.

Possibility and hope and love and light and all things sparkling and magical.

But every time I hoped for something and didn’t get it and my heart was crushed, some of that crush fell down and the river got a little muddy.? And I’ve been here for forty years so I have been crushed a few times and here it all is, clogging up the river with despair.

I just sit with that for a while.

The river starts to lighten up.

And I start to see how it was never really a river of despair.? It remains a river of light and the despair is just silt.? Really, anyone with a despair-magnet could just pull the despair out of the river and clean it right out.

And tiny little chunks of despair start to lift up out of the river and as the dust lands on the river banks and I notice something really interesting… the despair/silt can actually be used to build the river banks.? To hold and shape the river.? To direct the light.

I can use the crushing experiences to direct the river of possibility that flows through my inner world.

Will keep working with this in my Grow Your Depth journal…

(For Circle members: I’m going to post this in the Un-Sticking Station and update it there to hare how I work with it and what else I learn about it.)

Despair Read More »

An ode to the shitty days.

By Andrea Schroeder / March 19, 2015

As I shared in my post about how my 20 year old dream is coming true,? I wanted to share stories and photos of my process as I make my deck of Magic Journaling Cards.

Today I was going to start writing about that and here I am – having a shitty day.

So I guess this is where I’m starting with the telling of my stories.

I have everything going for me on this project.? I have the time and energy and resources to get this done.? I have a fantastic plan that feels really comfortable and spacious and inspiring.? I have people emailing me letting me know they are “first in line” to buy the cards when they come out.

After many (many!) years of struggling and building – I have the IDEAL conditions in my life to bring this project to life.? But that doesn’t make it easy to do the work.

Some days it’s easy and fun and inspiring and amazing and everything just comes together.

Some days, like today, it’s so hard it feels impossible.

I feel terrified of failing.

I feel kind of hopeless about it, like even if I don’t totally fail I won’t be happy either.

I feel confused about those feelings because I have been so happy, inspired and trusting lately.

I feel annoyed that this isn’t easier by now.

I feel lost and unsure about what it is I actually want.

So is it any wonder that when I sit down to draw, I don’t like what comes out?? And when I look at the artwork I’ve already finished (artwork that I was in love with yesterday) I think it all kind of stinks?

Secretly, the shitty days are the best part.? They are the fuel that will bring your dream to life.

Some days, all the fear and doubt and pain and uncertainty piles up and you just can’t hide from it anymore.? This is a good thing.

When you’re hiding from it, it gets to take up space in your energy field, dulling your sparkle in a mostly unconscious kind of way.

(Often we’re not aware of how much we actually sparkle, we’re so used to the dimmed down versions we’ve been living.)

Shitty days shake that up.? They are gifts from the universe to help you see what you’re actually doing, beneath the surface.

This is when you notice how you’re still letting your fear of success shut the door on your greatest possibilities.

This is where you notice all the ways that you’re still avoiding your real feelings.

This is where you notice that a part of you is still sitting around waiting to be rescued.

This is where you notice how angry you really are about that thing that happened so long ago that you thought you were over it.

This is where you notice how much more power you’d have if only you would stop worrying about what other people think.

This is where you notice how much you’ve been holding back, afraid of being “too much”.

This is where you notice how frustrated you are about settling for less than what you really want.

The noticing is hard.? Feeling this stuff is shitty.

But it’s not as shitty as just leaving it there, taking up space in your energy field, where it impacts you every day in ways that you don’t even notice because it’s all so familiar.

Each shitty day knocks some of it loose, bringing it to consciousness where you have the choice to change it.

So that’s where I’m at right now with my new project.? Spending the day in the Un-Sticking Station in the Creative Dream Circle, transforming the fears and inner critics into allies and energy for bringing this project to life.

It’s not fun, but there are moments when I can feel a new lightness in my heart, when I can feel things starting to shift.? And I’ve been here often enough to know that I’m really going to like what I find on the other side of it.

An ode to the shitty days. Read More »

Why Journal?

By Andrea Schroeder / March 18, 2015

I was out with a friend, eating delicious cake and chatting and laughing when she asked me “So, why journal anyway? What’s so special about it?”

I was so surprised, I nearly spit out my cake! Why journal? How could anyone not see the magic of journaling?

But as I tried to answer I realised I didn’t really have an answer. I mean, it’s not easy to explain with words – it’s a feeling. It’s about diving into the magic in your heart.

I told her I’d think about it and come up with a better answer so here I am.

Why journal?

Well, there is a different reason for every person asking the question.

Barack Obama, President of the United States of America:

In my life, writing has been an important exercise to clarify what I believe, what I see, what I care about, what my deepest values are. The process of converting a jumble of thoughts into coherent sentences makes you ask tougher questions.

In my friend’s case, she had a lot of questions about how she really wants to be living her life. But, in the whirlwind of daily life she feels like she has no time to step out of her day-to-day routine and take a look at what’s going on and what needs to change.

This is where a journal can totally help! By spending just 5-10 minutes a day with that question:

What do I want it to be like?

She can start to discover the answer. If she keeps coming back to it, for just 5-10 minutes every day, looking over what she has written and adding new ideas, she goes deeper into the question each day.

The depth of clarity you can find using this process is startling.

(And you can do this with ANY question you face in life.)

Why journal? Because your journal can help you go from having no clue about how to do something to mapping out a clear path to it, in only 5-10 minutes a day.

This is a way of accessing your creative genius.

Why journal?? Because daily journaling, over time, can help you:

Get to know yourself better
Process, heal and transform difficult situations in your life
Uncover your creative gifts
Feel more confident about yourself
Get clear on what you really want
Find your intuitive voice (and the courage to listen to it)
Make positive life changes

Just through the simple act of taking your thoughts, ideas and feelings out of your head and putting them down on paper.

My students continually report being STUNNED by how much magic they find in their journals.

Why journal? Because it makes you get clear.

Keeping your thoughts, ideas and feelings swirling around in your head keeps them vague. The act of writing in a journal turns confusion and uncertainty into clarity and vision.? It brings you back to your center, your power and your inner magic.

Of course, it won’t all be glitter and rainbows.? The act of getting clear includes getting clear on what needs to change.? It means facing your fears.? It means working through some really hard stuff, which is why I recommend taking quality journaling classes that can lead you through the hard parts (like mine!).

?Why Journal?? Because it brings you back to yourself.

Writing in your journal is quality time with yourself, you real self.? Not the roles you play or the patterns you? live in, but the real you.? It’s a spiritual and creative practice that will transform your whole life.

Want some help getting started?

Check out my free class on how to grow your dream – which comes with a printable guided journal to get you started – Your Dream Is Waiting For You To Come True?.

Or my free ART journal class about how to get more creative in your journal – Dreamtastic Creative Journals.

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Why Journal? Read More »

Live Creative Dream Coaching Circle

By Andrea Schroeder / March 17, 2015

I’m hosting a live Creative Dream Coaching Circle on March 24 at 5:00pm (Central, North America).

Bring your journal, a cup of tea and any questions you’ve got.

You can get in-depth coaching and support for healing fear and doubt, transforming obstacles and creating more of what you really want in your life.

But the best part is being able to listen in on other people’s process – I get The Most Inspiring People, Ever on these calls and there is this really beautiful magic feeling that comes out of exploring all of this stuff together.

This call is free for all Creative Dream Circle members.? (If you’re not a member yet, click here to join us today!)

If you’ve been thinking about joining – now is the perfect time, since you can use this call to ask me any questions you’ve got as you settle in.

Live Creative Dream Coaching Circle Read More »

My 20 year old dream is about to come true.

By Andrea Schroeder / March 11, 2015

I have had a creative dream for the past twenty years: to make decks of oracle cards. A kind of combination of Transformation Game and the tarot – but as a thing that you do by yourself, with your journal. A dream-growing consciousness-altering game of healing + transformation.

I do make custom-made original art inspiration cards for myself and my clients. And I do have a super fun class on making your own inspiration cards in the Creative Dream Circle.

But this is different.

Twenty years ago, I was wildly inspired by Amy Zerner’s Enchanted Tarot.? At that time, I was in university getting my degree in fashion design, and kind of crazy about all things textile art.? Amy had created SEVENTY EIGHT stunning works of textile art for the deck – a project that combined spirituality and creativity in exactly the way that I wanted to do. I was ridiculously inspired.

But. SEVENTY EIGHT stunning works of art? That is a lot of art to make before you can even begin to put the project together before you can even begin to think about getting paid for it. In my years after university as a starving artist I never had that kind of spaciousness in my schedule or finances.

Plus I didn’t want to make a tarot deck, my dream was develop my own thing and developing my own thing felt like just as big a job as making all that art.

The whole thing felt too big. And I didn’t feel ready. And the truth was – I wasn’t ready back then.

All dreams are connected through creativity and purpose.

It always makes sense to work on the dream that is right in front of you right now. This doesn’t mean that you are choosing one dream over another – working on one dream can nourish all dreams because they are all connected.

This is why I offer the Creative Dream Incubator e-course for all Creative Dream Circle members – it shows you how to approach to making your dream real in such a way that it will nourish and energize ALL of your other dreams – and grow you into a person who is ready to have more dreams come true in her life.? Because a lot of ways of making things happen (like working your ass off, sacrificing your joy and wellbeing today for future joy and wellbeing, waiting for “the right time”, etc) really just deplete you and leave you exhausted, stressed out and wary of facing your next dream.

So, I’ve been working with other creative dreams for the past twenty years – while growing my possibilities and growing my self.

And now here I am.? Ready for this dream that has been “too big” for so long.

This is a pretty awesome place to be.

And it’s so amazing to be actively working on this, after holding it for twenty years.

I’ve been working on it for five weeks now.

There aren’t even any words to explain how happy I am to be doing the work. To sit at my table, every day, and let it pour out, page by page.

I hung up strings across the Dream Loft to hang up my artwork so I can see everything together while I tried to figure out how, exactly, this was going to work.

I experiment and explored. (This includes what people thing of as making bad art and taking wrong turns – but is just a part of the process of experimentation.)

I felt creatively alive in a new way. I also felt frustrated and unsure of myself.

And, slowly, it started to come together.

I’ve still got months of work ahead of me, this is still a REALLY BIG PROJECT, but progress is smooth and steady.

And now that I’m seeing it all come together, I feel all lit up.

I want to share more about it – the pictures and stories of bringing it to life.? But right now all I an say is that having a dream is great.? But being right there in it, and DOING YOUR CREATIVE WORK EVERY DAY, that’s where the magic is.

My 20 year old dream is about to come true. Read More »