Creative Emergence finished yesterday.

While it was on, I was sharing my pictures and thoughts each day on Instagram.? I wanted to compile them here, all together, so you can see the journey.? Some days were rough, some days were awesome – it’s kind of beautiful how they all string together to tell the story of one girl and her dream.

I decided to keep [my secret intention] for Creative Emergence a secret.? Normally I share ALL of the details about my dreams-in-process but this one wanted a quieter space to germinate in.

I can tell you that [my secret intention] felt kind of big and scary.? I had NO CLUE what to do to help it become a real live thing.? I felt small and it felt big.? I felt unsure and inadequate.

This is pretty much always how I feel at the start.

And then I look around at my life, and all the “impossible dreams” I live with every day. And I remember that I have infinite power within me.? Infinite creativity.? Infinite resources.

I remember that my dream is a lighthouse – it’s my soul calling me home, guiding me along the path of my potential.

My dream is no accident.? My dream is my purpose.

And that’s why I start anyway, even though I feel shaky and unsure.

(And, not to give away the big ending for you or anything, but I feel the opposite of that now… at the end of those post I’ll share more about what changed and where I’m at with my dream now)

So day one was filled with with lots of quiet contemplation and connection with my dream, including taking my journal and my dream to the beach.

I want [my secret intention] because: Delight! Freedom! Inspired by the magic of the beach I journaled about releasing all the things that stop me from receiving more of these qualities right now (as I realized that no, I am not totally ready to receive [my secret intention] just yet).

And so I swarm with the qualities of trust and flow and soaked up the qualities of radiance and love.

It felt like a bit of a shaky start, seeing all the places where I didn’t feel ready to actually receive my dream.

But I felt ready to start to change this, and I was looking forward to the journey.

Day 2: iced coffee + journaling for breakfast.? I have some big insights about how my people-pleasing and approval-seeking patterns make it hard for me to hold my intentions. And how holding my intention anyway transforms those patterns which helps me in other parts of my life too. Journaling as a daily practice is magic!

Day 3. Learning so much about where my patterns get in the way of my dreams.

Day 3 (later): I learned that I want to be BOLDER in how I work with my intention. I explored my ambivalence and looked at ways to transform it. So much good stuff happened on day 3! The main message I got was: allow your ambivalence to explode into delight.

Day 4: I’m not able to do today’s assignment yet because I’m cranky today, the cranky makes it so I don’t have clear space to meet my dream in. This is a part of the process! So I’m meeting myself where I am. Lots of cranky journaling today for me. Hope your journaling is going better!

Day 5: Not a lot of words today after yesterday’s flurry of cranky journaling. Mostly silently connecting with the heart and soul of my dream.

Day 6. Latte + journaling while my sweetie plays guitar. Beautiful Sunday morning in the dream loft. Really feeling the stronger foundation I am building for my dreams and feeling jazzed about new possibilities for changing my inner responses to external stresses.

Day 7: Sitting with today’s question I find I really do want to avoid the things I want to avoid! Exploring ways to be gentle about taking small steps… Kind of magic what happens as I open up to REALLY looking in the dark places. So much magic there!

Day 8: connecting to my dream is starting to feel more solid. Painting/doodling as I connect with the essence of my dream I start to notice how much I growing into it already. Day 1 my dream felt much bigger and hard to connect to. Day 8 I feel strong enough to hold it. It’s happening!

Day 9: This is so cool! The qualities of my dream are very different from what I thought they were. Learning so much about what my dream needs, and about what I need to grow it.

Day 10: Quality time with my dream. I’m learning how to build the foundation for it to grow. Feeling inspired + enthusiastic about doing the work.

Day 11: Today’s post about enthusiasm brought up a lot to explore about how I tend to approach dreams, and life, quite cautiously and how that does not always serve me.

(I did take a short break over the 30 days when I went canoeing for a weekend)

Epic weekend. Canoe trip was amazing and we even got to sleep in a screen tent under the dancing northern lights.

Day 14: After such a great weekend re-entry is going kind of slow. Spending some time catching up on my journaling this morning.

Day 14 (later): colouring + doodling + exploring. My dream wants me to play with it more.

Day 15: Oh my gosh so much has changed in only 15 days. My inner relationship with my dream has totally changed which changes what I see as possible in front of me. It’s like fireworks of inspiration exploding everywhere. So much inspiration that I need to go take a nap to process this.

Day 16: After yesterday’s burst of expansion and inspiration today I’ve got a lot of self-doubt and frustration with my dream. This is normal!

Day 17: re-organizing the Dream Loft. Because today’s journaling session showed me that this is the next step on my path. On yesterday’s call we talked about how to know when to do inner work versus when to do outer work. This is how it works.

Day 18: Really struggling with self doubt and hopelessness today. After some journaling I came to this: I am willing to wait for the deeper message here. Not comfortable but I want to give my feelings the space they need.

Day 18 (later): Cranky picnic lunch on a really gorgeous day. Taking the time to be with the uncomfortable feelings that come up while doing this kind of work is the hardest part. We want to push them away or solve them or change them and just figure out how to be happy again. But there is so much to discover in just being with your feelings. Also: the path that leads to where you want to be goes right through the thing you don’t want to face. The only way out is through.

Day 18 (later): Doing some mandala magic. Totally helping.

Day 19: What’s been bothering me lately is that through Creative Emergence I’ve become more clear on where I want things to change. Simple course correction. But I got caught up in the sadness of noticing that my dream is not yet here.

Day 20: Coffee+ journaling in the park before heading out of town to celebrate my mom’s birthday. Taking everything I’ve learned in facing some hard stuff over the past few days and using it to create a new plan. Feeling excited about what’s next.

Day 20: Hotel room journaling. Carving out just a few minutes from my family retreat (celebrating my mom’s 70th) to journal about what inspires me. Came up with a few brilliant ideas for how to integrate more of what inspires me into my daily routines, and how to replace some of my bad habits with inspiration-furling habits.

Day 22: A little journaling and a LOT of re-arranging my space to fit my new possibilities and ideas and dreams. Having been struggling with a lot of self-doubt recently, I’m now finding the gifts in it and feeling renewed purpose, clarity and enthusiasm for my intention for Creative Emergence. This is how the magic works!

Day 23: Exploring what supports me and what supports my dream. Experiencing a lot of resistance to looking at this. Leaving it at that for today, which is something I love about daily practice – teeny tiny steps are more than enough!

Day 23 (later): Just discovered why I was so stuck with my journaling today. It’s because I’m on the last page of this journal. I started this journal in January for Grow Your Depth, Nurture Your Brilliance (the year-long advanced journaling class I’m doing this year). This journal has held so much and brought me so much, I actually don’t want to say goodbye. Silly but true.

Day 24: So glad today is the Hello Day exercise! Using it do a Hello Journal page, exploring what qualities I want to fill this new journal with. My dreams are happy for new space to grow in.

Day 24: Still working on the first page of my new journal. Throwing a lot of paint around, covering up my journaling from earlier today. Feels like I’m filling this page with secret love letters to my journal.

Day 25: Doing a little collage in my journal, inspired by @thephoenixsoul ‘s Creative Emergence interview today. After a kind of tumultuous few weeks, my dream feels ready to be released into the world. This feels amazing. So in love with the Creative Emergence process

Day 26. (Day 26? Already?) Gorgeous meeting with my dream this morning. The energy is buzzing and alive, the path is clear, I’ve done so much invisible foundation-building this month. I am frustrated with how slow the visible actual-building is going, and my journal is reminding me to honour my natural rhythms. I’ll get there.

Day 27: Sitting with my journal, but nothing’s really coming to me today. Some days are like this.

Day 28: Oh man! Over the month my dream has changed from fuzzy + impossible to clear + real + ready. But now I feel fuzzy + impossible, overwhelmed + exhausted looking at the clear path in front of me. That part where the path is revealed can feel very intimidating. No more excuses – am I really ready? So I used the Un-Sticking Station in the Creative Dream Circle to relax and soften my resistance. Taking a break now, hope to come back to this later today.

Day 28. Taking the beautiful (overwhelmingly) big plan my dream gave me this month and breaking in down into do-able steps that fit into my schedule over the next few months. Dreams are not bound by time and space, so making dream-plans fit into calendar-time can be trickier than it seems like ti “should” be, but this is a part of how you ground your dreams in your life which helps them grow big and strong. Practical magic.

Day 29. Kind of amazing how it’s all coming together. My dream has grown from fuzzy impossible blob of unknowns to a clear and bright and walkable path. I have grown from unsure + not ready to overwhelmed + afraid to ready + inspired. My dream and I are ready to dance together. This has been an incredible adventure.

Day 30. Had a special morning planned, starting with journaling in the park for our last day of Creative Emergence. Instead a spoke in my bike tire snapped, the wheel jammed against the brake and my wheels would only go backwards, not forwards. Not the kind of symbolism I’m looking for! But 3 different people stopped to help, and got me mobile again, though I’ve got to go kind of slow until I can replace the tire. My dream whispers that the symbolism is perfect: it’s about upgrading. So I just stopped at the nearest coffee shop and here I am. Looking forward to our last live call for Creative Emergence later today.

Day 30 (later): Getting ready for our last #creativeemergence tele-class. So excited about sharing this one!

So, at the end of the 30 days, this is where I’m at now:

I’m writing this just after our last live call (you can still listen to it here, it was GORGEOUS).

I’m feeling so happy and proud of this.? So many beautiful and amazing things happened for so many beautiful and amazing people.

And, in this moment, I’m exhausted.

Letting go of of the energy circle of Creative Emergence, sitting here all alone but surrounded by the many gifts and treasures of this process, I’m exhausted, as I should be.? It was a beautiful and long journey and now it’s time to rest a bit.

In this moment, I am excited that I just found a can of hickory smoked vegetarian baked beans in my cupboard because that means I don’t have to go out and find something to eat.? So I’m going to eat beans and drink tea and rest and work on my papier-mache (I’m covering a 20′ x 20′ wall in my loft with these):

In other words: NOURISH, REST, PLAY.

My dream was all fuzzy and impossible when I started this.? Now I have a clear plan, a do-able plan, and enjoyable plan.? Now I believe in myself and I believe in this dream.? Now I feel inspired and ready to start taking it step by step.? In fact I have a plan worked out for the next few months of what I want to do and how I want to do it.

I feel clear and ready and like I just need to take one step and then another one.? All the fog and mystery and uncertainty are gone.? (Though, I’m sure they’ll be back at some point and I’m also sure I’ll work through them again)

That’s the magic of this process.

It’s not about waving a magic wand and having everything you want appear.? It’s about trusting yourself enough to be who you want to be and to create the life you want to be living.

That’s what I want for me, and that’s what I want for you.

So, for me the journey continues inside the Creative Dream Circle where I’m creating + planning new goodies and events for 2016.? If you enjoyed Creative Emergence you will ADORE being a part of the Circle.

Click here for everything you need to get started with the Creative Emergence free 30 day e-course.

REMEMBER: Our last live call is TODAY! I hope you can be there to help me end this thing in style 🙂 If you need some support with any of this – this is where to get it! I’ll answer questions, do coaching and talk about whatever you want to talk about.

(And make sure to come back here tomorrow – I?m going to share a post about what I learned and how my dream changed and grew through the last 30 days in Creative Emergence.)

What are you going to do with the momentum you’ve created over the past 30 days?

You’ve learned things about yourself and your dream.? You’ve taken some steps towards creating more of what you want in your life.

What are you going to do with this next?

You have the power to change your life.? You and only you.

The answers you need is inside of you.? The power you need is inside of you.? ALL of the resources you need live inside of you.

Your job is to work on accessing the infinite resources within, because the other things that live inside of you (ie: fear, self-doubt, inner critics, limiting beliefs) can make it hard to access your inner resources.

So your work is to work with these things, to shift them around, to create pathways for connecting with your inner genius.

Because when you’re connected to your inner genius – anything is possible.

It’s really that simple.? I mean – it’s complicated as shit to actually live this – but it’s a simple concept.

You’ve got the power, baby.? What are you going to do with it?

Obviously, you can join the Creative Dream Circle? to get a whole year of deep and nourishing support for doing effective and transformative inner work and bringing your wildest dreams to life.

Or you can maintain your daily journaling practice on your own.

Or… something else.? It’s your path, it’s your choice.

But please – make a choice.? Choose to do something with this.? Choose to have these 30 days be the start of something amazing, and not have them be the whole thing.

You honour the journey you’ve been on for the last 30 days by choosing to continue along this path.

You allow the miracle of your dream to unfold when you give it space in your daily life.

I hope you’ve seen, in the last 30 days, how holding your intention and giving it space in your daily life really does change things.? It gives you a new perspective on your dream.? It gives you clarity about what you really need to do to make this thing happen.

At the beginning of this I said:

The Creative Emergence e-Course seeks to provide you with a tangible experience of holding your intention over time ? soulfully and creatively of course ? so you can get a taste of what is really possible for you.

It?s one thing to have a dream and it?s another thing to really consciously hold an intention for who you want to be and how you want to live and what you want to create. ?Holding this over time can really change things for you even if you have no clue how to make your dream real.

I hope you have experienced this shift in perspective.

I hope you see now, that your possibilities are larger than you can imagine.? And that you are so much bigger than you ever thought.

That your magic is accessible when you make the time to be with it.

Today I want you to meet with your intention in your journal one last time for Creative Emergence.

You can use the technique I teach in my free class or anything you have learned in my classes inside the Creative Dream Circle and see what happens when you meet with the heart and soul of your intention.

Ask your intention: What does it need next?

Ask yourself: What do you need next?

How can you honour the journey you’ve been on and use it as a stepping stone to really change things for you?

Once you’re done – let us know how it went.

Share your daily journaling pics + thoughts on Instagram using the #creativeemergence hashtag, or post them here on Facebook. Circle members can share in our private Creative Emergence forum.

I’ll be sharing my pics and thoughts on my Instagram.

And/or leave a comment below. (Yes, you will need a Facebook account in order to comment. Apologies to those of you who don’t have Facebook.)

REMEMBER: Our last live call is TODAY!

I hope you can be there to help me end this thing in style 🙂 If you need some support with any of this – this is where to get it! I’ll answer questions, do coaching and talk about whatever you want to talk about.

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Because I loooove my Circle members, I’ll be posting links to resources inside the Circle in most of these posts so they can dive into the lessons a little deeper. If you’re not a Circle member you can just ignore this part – or join us!

• In the Treasure-Mapping class learn how to map out your steps? using creativity and intuition.
• Use the Creative Genius Planning Kit for planning your next steps with the help of deep intuitive wisdom.
• Participate in the weekly Sharing Circles for ongoing accountability and support on your path.
• And we’ve got a private forum inside the Circle for sharing your Creative Emergence photos and stories if you’d rather not do that publicly.

You’ll need to be logged into your Creative Dream Circle account for these links to work.

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REMEMBER: Our last live call is TODAY!

I hope you can be there to help me end this thing in style 🙂

If you need some support with any of this – this is where to get it! I’ll answer questions, do coaching and talk about whatever you want to talk about.

And tomorrow I’m going to share a post about what I learned and how my dream changed and grew through the last 30 days in Creative Emergence.

Click here for everything you need to get started with the Creative Emergence free 30 day e-course.

REMEMBER: Our next live call is TOMORROW! I hope you can be there.? If you need some support with any of this – this is where to get it!? I’ll answer questions, do coaching and talk about whatever you want to talk about.

Today I’m borrowing a lesson from my Free Art Journal Class where I was talking about the importance of grounding and integration in the process of transformation.

At this point of course you’ve learned new things about yourself and about your intention for what you wanted to create with this course.

But learning new things is only the first step – until you integrate what you learn you can’t really use the information to help you create something new in your life.

(My Mandala Tutorial is here.)

So that’s something to think about going forward – how are you going to let what you’ve learned change you?

Creating what you want in your life comes down to living the way YOU want to live.

This means doing that right here right now before your outer world changes.

For me, this meant finding ways to stay creatively engaged, optimistic and in love with my life BEFORE I was able to quit my job to be a full time dreamer.? Which is so much easier said than done.

I had to EMBODY my dreams before I could live them.

The transformation of your outer world demands your internal transformation.

Again today I want you to meet with your intention in your journal.

You can use the technique I teach in my free class or anything you have learned in my classes inside the Creative Dream Circle and see what happens when you meet with the heart and soul of your intention.

Ask your intention: What does it need today?

Ask yourself: How can you go more deeply into your own process of transformation?

And/or explore any thoughts that came up in response to today’s video.

Once you’re done – let us know how it went.

Share your daily journaling pics + thoughts on Instagram using the #creativeemergence hashtag, or post them here on Facebook. Circle members can share in our private Creative Emergence forum.

I’ll be sharing my pics and thoughts on my Instagram.

And/or leave a comment below. (Yes, you will need a Facebook account in order to comment. Apologies to those of you who don’t have Facebook.)

REMEMBER: Our next live call is TOMORROW! I hope you can be there.? If you need some support with any of this – this is where to get it!? I’ll answer questions, do coaching and talk about whatever you want to talk about.

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Because I loooove my Circle members, I’ll be posting links to resources inside the Circle in most of these posts so they can dive into the lessons a little deeper. If you’re not a Circle member you can just ignore this part – or join us!

• In the Mandala Class I share how to use mandalas for healing and transformation.
• Participating in our weekly Sharing Circles really helps you stay in the process – so you’re not just “taking a break”, you are staying with it while slowing down to integrate.
• I wrote more about integration here.
• And we’ve got a private forum inside the Circle for sharing your Creative Emergence photos and stories if you’d rather not do that publicly.

You’ll need to be logged into your Creative Dream Circle account for these links to work.

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See you back here tomorrow for day 30 of Creative Emergence.

REMEMBER: Our next live call is TOMORROW! I hope you can be there.? If you need some support with any of this – this is where to get it!? I’ll answer questions, do coaching and talk about whatever you want to talk about.

Click here for everything you need to get started with the Creative Emergence free 30 day e-course.

REMEMBER: Our last live call is coming soon – September 30! I hope you can be there.? If you need some support with any of this – this is where to get it!? I’ll answer questions, do coaching and talk about whatever you want to talk about.

Today I’m borrowing a lesson from my Free Art Journal Class on journaling with/about money.

Money does come into play with most dreams – often you don’t have time for your dream because you’re busy making money or you just plain old don’t have enough money to nurture your dream.

Actively working on your inner relationship with money is a wildly transformative practice because you use money all the time.

Money is actually a highly creative tool when you are conscious and empowered in how you use it, so working on your relationship with money can help nurture and support all of your dreams.

Give it a try today – meet with the heart and soul of money in your journal, using the same technique you’ve been using in this course to meet with the heart and soul of your intention.

What does money have to say?? How would it like to help you with your intention?

Giving this a try is a great first step, successfully working with money usually takes more time, as we’ve all got limiting money beliefs/bullshit money stories to work through before we can really connect with the essence of money and build a nurturing and supportive relationship with it.

So if it doesn’t go well but this is something you want to work on – keep trying (or you can join the Circle where you get the Creative With Money kit to help show you EXACTLY how to do this with an in-depth money class).

Once you’re done – let us know how it went.

Share your daily journaling pics + thoughts on Instagram using the #creativeemergence hashtag, or post them here on Facebook. Circle members can share in our private Creative Emergence forum.

I’ll be sharing my pics and thoughts on my Instagram.

And/or leave a comment below. (Yes, you will need a Facebook account in order to comment. Apologies to those of you who don’t have Facebook.)

REMEMBER: Our last live call is coming soon – September 30! I hope you can be there.? If you need some support with any of this – this is where to get it!? I’ll answer questions, do coaching and talk about whatever you want to talk about.

___________________________________________

Because I loooove my Circle members, I’ll be posting links to resources inside the Circle in most of these posts so they can dive into the lessons a little deeper. If you’re not a Circle member you can just ignore this part – or join us!

• The Creative With Money kit!!
• For a quick shot of abundance and possibility there’s the Abundance Activator guided meditation
• It’s Easy To Receive visualization
• And we’ve got a private forum inside the Circle for sharing your Creative Emergence photos and stories if you’d rather not do that publicly.

You’ll need to be logged into your Creative Dream Circle account for these links to work – if you don’t remember your password just click “forgot password” and it will be sent to you, just make sure to use the email address you used when you joined the Circle.

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See you back here tomorrow for day 29 of Creative Emergence.

Click here for everything you need to get started with the Creative Emergence free 30 day e-course. REMEMBER: Our last live call is coming soon – September 30! I hope you can be there.? If you need some support with any of this – this is where to get it!? I’ll answer questions, do coaching and talk about whatever you want to talk about.

Today I picked a card for us (from my Journaling Cards for Magic + Insight)

Sometimes, when you have dreams and intentions and goals it can be easy to focus on what you want to CHANGE and to be very aware of what you DON’T already have.

The truth is, you already have bits and pieces of the life you want.

Focusing on nurturing these bits and pieces and growing them into more can be an organic and calm way of creating change in your life.

And it’s encouraging to look around and notice how much good stuff you’ve already got going on.

So, today I want you to give yourself lots of time and space to brainstorm in your journal about what you want MORE of in your life.

Using the technique I teach in my free class or anything you have learned in my classes inside the Creative Dream Circle, invite the heart and soul of your intention to help you explore.

Once you’re done – let us know how it went.

Share your daily journaling pics + thoughts on Instagram using the #creativeemergence hashtag, or post them here on Facebook.

I’ll be sharing my pics and thoughts on my Instagram.

And/or leave a comment below. (Yes, you will need a Facebook account in order to comment. Apologies to those of you who don’t have Facebook.)

REMEMBER: Our last live call is coming soon – September 30! I hope you can be there.? If you need some support with any of this – this is where to get it!? I’ll answer questions, do coaching and talk about whatever you want to talk about.

___________________________________________

Because I loooove my Circle members, I’ll be posting links to resources inside the Circle in most of these posts so they can dive into the lessons a little deeper. If you’re not a Circle member you can just ignore this part – or join us!

• The Love Your Life Creative Journal Class
• The?Abundance Activator meditation
• And we’ve got a private forum inside the Circle for sharing your Creative Emergence photos and stories if you’d rather not do that publicly.

You’ll need to be logged into your Creative Dream Circle account for these links to work.

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See you back here tomorrow for day 28 of Creative Emergence.

REMEMBER: Our last live call is coming soon – September 30! I hope you can be there.? If you need some support with any of this – this is where to get it!? I’ll answer questions, do coaching and talk about whatever you want to talk about.

Click here for everything you need to get started with the Creative Emergence free 30 day e-course. REMEMBER: Our last live call is coming soon – September 30! I hope you can be there. If you need some support with any of this – this is where to get it! I’ll answer questions, do coaching and talk about whatever you want to talk about.

Today I’m borrowing a lesson from my Free Art Journal Class on my Creative Genius Planning Sessions journaling practice.

This is yet another way of using your journaling practice to ground yourself in your intentions for how you want to live.

I did another video a week later sharing what I was doing with my Creative Genius Planning the following week, and talking about Creative Capacity which is something you do have to explore when working with any kind of creative planning.

Today your homework is Choose-Your-Own-Adventure style.

Experiment with Creative Genius Planning to see how you might like this journaling practice. Use it to explore what you could be doing to help bring your dream to life.

Or meet with the heart and soul of your intention in your journal, using the same technique you’ve been using in this course all along, and find out what it needs today.

Once you’re done – let us know how it went.

Share your daily journaling pics + thoughts on Instagram using the #creativeemergence hashtag, or post them here on Facebook. Circle members can share in our private Creative Emergence forum.

I’ll be sharing my pics and thoughts on my Instagram.

And/or leave a comment below. (Yes, you will need a Facebook account in order to comment. Apologies to those of you who don’t have Facebook.)

REMEMBER: Our last live call is coming soon – September 30! I hope you can be there. If you need some support with any of this – this is where to get it! I’ll answer questions, do coaching and talk about whatever you want to talk about.

___________________________________________

Because I loooove my Circle members, I’ll be posting links to resources inside the Circle in most of these posts so they can dive into the lessons a little deeper. If you’re not a Circle member you can just ignore this part – or join us!

• The Creative Genius Planning Sessions kit gives you everything you need to do this – meditation video + worksheets.
• The whole Creative Genius Mojo-Dojo is full of tools to help you connect more fully with your creative genius.
• And we’ve got a private forum inside the Circle for sharing your Creative Emergence photos and stories if you’d rather not do that publicly.

You’ll need to be logged into your Creative Dream Circle account for these links to work – if you don’t remember your password just click “forgot password” and it will be sent to you, just make sure to use the email address you used when you joined the Circle.

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See you back here tomorrow for day 27 of Creative Emergence.

REMEMBER: Our last live call is coming soon – September 30! I hope you can be there. If you need some support with any of this – this is where to get it! I’ll answer questions, do coaching and talk about whatever you want to talk about.

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Click here for everything you need to get started with the Creative Emergence free 30 day e-course. Remember our last call is coming up on September 30, details are here.

I wanted to include a few interviews with journalers I admire as a part of Creative Emergence to give you some different perspective and ideas about journaling.

Today’s interview is with Amanda Fall from The Phoenix Soul.

Amanda Fall swoons over vibrant color, ragged edges, and glorious imperfection. She is wildly blessed to create and curate The Phoenix Soul, a digital magazine and community dedicated to our tender truths.

I’ve known Amanda online for years, she has this great sweetly-gentle-wildly-creative vibe and I am so happy to share her thoughts and ideas about journaling with you!

Why do you journal?

I journal to find peace, clarity, comfort, inspiration, guidance. I journal to court the muse, to ponder deep questions, to play with color and pattern. My thoughts are often running a million miles a minute, but when I sit down with my journal, time stops: everything moves in slow motion, and I am at peace. When I finish, I feel both emptied and filled, stirred up and settled, all at once. In this safe space, I can be fully myself, with no judgment. Only love.

How did you get started?

In my childhood, I often scribbled my hopes and fears in little locked diaries–pages and pages of words, words, words. This kind of written journaling served me for a time, but after a while it felt like rumination, merely an echo of all the jumbled mess in my head. I needed a new method for clarity and inspiration.

I don?t remember where we got this idea, but in 2002, my mom and I began creating simple collages on kraft paper (often an actual paper bag, torn open). We ripped out words and images that sparked something within us. I continued this hobby off and on, but didn?t develop a real practice (or even call it art journaling) until I discovered Connie Solera. Her ?Art Journal Love Letters? introduced me to a whole new world, and I began exploring what art journaling meant to others, and what it could mean to me. I also found deep inspiration in The Art Journaler, an online community run by Teresa Robinson and Mandy Steward (now closed).

My own art journaling is ever evolving and expanding as a practice, and with each unfolding season of my life, this creative expression means more to me than ever.

What?s your favourite thing to do in your journal?

You know, it?s funny, but I think my answer is an odd one: my favorite thing to do is to be. In my work as a creative solopreneur, my thoughts are always churning, and I am always striving for the next invention/reinvention. In the pages of my art journal, though, I can relax. I can tune back into my personal truth. I remember that I am more than good enough, exactly as I am. Scribbling swirls and arrows and symbols of exploration feels like prayer to me; smearing bold swaths of yellow, orange, teal feels like coming home. In my practice, what I do doesn?t matter as much as the process itself, re-aligning with a deep stillness.

Do you have a specific brand/type of journal that you use (if yes – please include a link so we can check it out)?

I?m not picky! I do love a good Moleskine, but I?ve also enjoyed working in something as simple as a marbled composition notebook or even creating my own, stapling or stitching a sheaf of papers. I?m always keeping an eye out for blank books that call to me, gathering a supply whenever I spot something promising in the clearance bin. I also love altering printed books, such as unusual vintage children?s readers or encyclopedias.

Do you get creative with art supplies in your journal? If so, which ones?

I gravitate toward anything that offers quick, bold, vibrant color. I especially adore juicy oil pastels (ooh, they smear so deliciously!) and my beloved PaperMate flair pens in hot pink, orange, aqua, and lime green.

When I have more time, I get wild and messy with my GelliArts printing plate (oh my gosh, if you haven?t tried this yet, don?t wait! So easy and fun), either directly in my journal?s pages if I?m using a thicker book (where the pages can withstand moisture), or creating backgrounds to rip and use as collage elements.

I?m also passionate about nontraditional ?art supplies?: one of my favorite methods of journaling is intuitive collage, ripping out and layering brave words and bold images from junk mail and magazines.

If you want to see more from Amanda, I encourage you to visit her at The Phoenix Soul.

Again today I want you to meet with your intention in your journal.

Using the technique I teach in my free class or anything you have learned in my classes inside the Creative Dream Circle, see what happens when you meet with the heart and soul of your intention today.

Ask your intention: What does it need today?

Inspired by Amanda, you may want to try collaging about the heart and soul of your intention.

Once you’re done – let us know how it went.

Share your daily journaling pics + thoughts on Instagram using the #creativeemergence hashtag, or post them here on Facebook. Circle members can share in our private Creative Emergence forum.

I’ll be sharing my pics and thoughts on my Instagram.

And/or leave a comment below. (Yes, you will need a Facebook account in order to comment. Apologies to those of you who don’t have Facebook.)

Remember our last call is coming up on September 30, details are here.

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Because I loooove my Circle members, I’ll be posting links to resources inside the Circle in most of these posts so they can dive into the lessons a little deeper. If you’re not a Circle member you can just ignore this part – or join us!

• For more new ideas and perspectives, we’ve got the following amazing interviews and audio classes with inspiring people in the Advanced Creative Badassery Resource Library:

Being an Artist with a Chronic Illness With Samie Harding, Change with Shannon Wilkinson, Coming Out as your Authentic Self with Liv Lane, Creative Projects and Creative Practice with Jamie Ridler, Divine Guidance with Laurel Bleadon-Maffei, Poetry is a Lifeline with Liz Lamoreux, Sharing Your Story with Susannah Conway, Trailblazing with Chris Zydel, WordPress/Putting Yourself Out There Online with Angel Sullivan

• We’ve also got a private forum inside the Circle for sharing your Creative Emergence photos and stories if you’d rather not do that publicly.

You’ll need to be logged into your Creative Dream Circle account for these links to work.

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See you back here tomorrow for day 26 of Creative Emergence.

Remember our last call is coming up on September 30, details are here.

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Click here for everything you need to get started with the Creative Emergence free 30 day e-course.

Today I’m borrowing a lesson from my Free Art Journal Class on my “hello day” journaling practice.

(I mention the Creative Genius Planning Sessions in this video – I’ll be sharing more on that in a few days)

This is another way of using your journaling practice to ground yourself in your intentions for how you want to live.

What I really love about looking back on these old videos is how I was setting things up then to be as easy/do-able as possible for my most afraid self… and how that has helped me be less afraid.

So these days I don’t think about that so much in how I set up my practice.

Having a few more years of a daily intentional creative journaling practice under my belt, my foundation is stronger now and keeps getting stronger still.

So these days I build my practices to support me in shining as bright as possible – which is the intention behind Grow Your Depth, Nurture Your Brilliance, the advanced journaling program we’re doing this year in the Creative Dream Circle.

Some ideas for how to create your Hello Day practice:

This can be as simple as asking one question every day or as complicated as you want it to be.? Some ideas for prompts:

Today I need:

Today I am activating the Creative Superpower of:

List the qualities that are important for the day.

Write out a Creative Dream Mantra for the day.

Use the Journaling Cards for Magic + Insight.

Today your homework is Choose-Your-Own-Adventure style.

Experiment with “Hello Day” to see how you might like this journaling practice.? Or meet with the heart and soul of your intention in your journal, using the same technique you’ve been using in this course all along, and find out what it needs today.

Once you’re done – let us know how it went.

Share your daily journaling pics + thoughts on Instagram using the #creativeemergence hashtag, or post them here on Facebook. Circle members can share in our private Creative Emergence forum.

I’ll be sharing my pics and thoughts on my Instagram.

And/or leave a comment below. (Yes, you will need a Facebook account in order to comment. Apologies to those of you who don’t have Facebook.)

REMEMBER: Our last live call is coming soon – September 30! I hope you can be there. If you need some support with any of this – this is where to get it! I’ll answer questions, do coaching and talk about whatever you want to talk about.

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Because I loooove my Circle members, I’ll be posting links to resources inside the Circle in most of these posts so they can dive into the lessons a little deeper. If you’re not a Circle member you can just ignore this part – or join us!

• The Creative Genius Planning Sessions kit gives you a meditation and worksheets for planning your day/week
• The Inspiration Cards Class can help you figure out which cards/prompts will be the most helpful for YOU to create for your kit.
• And we’ve got a private forum inside the Circle for sharing your Creative Emergence photos and stories if you’d rather not do that publicly.

You’ll need to be logged into your Creative Dream Circle account for these links to work – if you don’t remember your password just click “forgot password” and it will be sent to you, just make sure to use the email address you used when you joined the Circle.

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See you back here tomorrow for day 25 of Creative Emergence.

Click here for everything you need to get started with the Creative Emergence free 30 day e-course.

Today I picked a card for us (from my Journaling Cards for Magic + Insight)

At first, it can feel like your dream is a castle in the sky.

But of course you want a dream you can live in.? One that is study and grounded and safe and easily accessible.

Support is a funny thing.

You can have a lot of support, but not feel supported, and so you don’t notice all the support you already have.

You can be supported in ways that work for you and in ways that don’t work for you.

If you’re reading this page – you are supported already.? You have supports in your life that allow you to go online and gather information and resources.? So you probably also have supports in your life that provide you with running water, electricity, a roof over your head and food in your belly.

Noticing and being grateful for all of the ways that you are already supported helps strengthen your inner relationship with the quality of support which, of course, helps you figure out how to have more/better support for growing your dream.

You don’t always need the kind of support you think you need.

Sometimes your inner critics are the ones saying that you need so-and-so to support your dream before you can go after it, and that’s far from true.

When I made the decision to leave my office job to be a full time dreamer – my family wished I wouldn’t because they wanted me to be safe.? Some of my co-workers actually laughed at me.? A lot of people were sure I would fail.

I did not feel supported in the ways I wanted to be supported by others.

I didn’t let that stop me.? And I’ve been successfully self-employed as a creative dreamer for 5 years now.

On the other hand, feeling supported is a magical feeling.? It bolsters your self-confidence.

So, today I want you to give yourself lots of time and space to brainstorm in your journal about what supports you.

Using the technique I teach in my free class or anything you have learned in my classes inside the Creative Dream Circle, invite the heart and soul of your intention to help you explore support.

Where are you supported?? Where are you not supported and does that really matter?? Where can you create supports for your dreams?

Once you’re done – let us know how it went.

Share your daily journaling pics + thoughts on Instagram using the #creativeemergence hashtag, or post them here on Facebook.

I’ll be sharing my pics and thoughts on my Instagram.

And/or leave a comment below. (Yes, you will need a Facebook account in order to comment. Apologies to those of you who don’t have Facebook.)

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Because I loooove my Circle members, I’ll be posting links to resources inside the Circle in most of these posts so they can dive into the lessons a little deeper. If you’re not a Circle member you can just ignore this part – or join us!

• I wrote this post about how each of the tools/classes in the Circle support your journaling practice
• The Magic Journal Class wanted to go here… I guess it wants to remind you that the more magic you feel, you more support you can (magically!) create for yourself.
• Module 1 of the Creative Dream Incubator e-course has a lesson, meditation and journaling problems to help you build more supportive belief system for yourself.
• And we’ve got a private forum inside the Circle for sharing your Creative Emergence photos and stories if you’d rather not do that publicly.

You’ll need to be logged into your Creative Dream Circle account for these links to work.

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See you back here tomorrow for day 24 of Creative Emergence.

Click here for everything you need to get started with the Creative Emergence free 30 day e-course.

Today I’m taking a lesson from my free art journal class on journaling through doubt:

I hope you’re not doubting yourself today, but as I talk about in the video: how you handle your fears + doubts is the #1 determining factor of whether or not you’re going to make your dream real.

So this is an important thing to be working with as an ongoing part of your journaling practice.

Today I want you to meet with the heart and soul of your intention again.

Using the technique I teach in my free class or anything you have learned in my classes inside the Creative Dream Circle, connect with the heart and soul of your intention and find out what it needs today.

And/or journal your thoughts in response to today’s video.

Once you’re done – let us know how it went:

Share your daily journaling pics + thoughts on Instagram using the #creativeemergence hashtag, or post them here on Facebook.

I’ll be sharing my pics and thoughts on my Instagram.

And/or leave a comment below. (Yes, you will need a Facebook account in order to comment. Apologies to those of you who don’t have Facebook.)

___________________________________________

Because I loooove my Circle members, I’ll be posting links to resources inside the Circle in most of these posts so they can dive into the lessons a little deeper. If you’re not a Circle member you can just ignore this part – or join us!

• I made a more in-depth video sharing my personal experiences on Journaling With Doubt
• You Got This Guided Journal + Colouring Book For Dissolving Doubt
• And as always the Un-Sticking Station can help you transform doubt into something more helpful
• And we’ve got a private forum inside the Circle for sharing your Creative Emergence photos and stories if you’d rather not do that publicly.

You’ll need to be logged into your Creative Dream Circle account for these links to work.

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See you back here tomorrow for day 23 of Creative Emergence.

Click here for everything you need to get started with the Creative Emergence free 30 day e-course.

Today I picked a card for us (from my Journaling Cards for Magic + Insight)

I wrote a blog post about WHY JOURNALING IS AMAZING + MAGIC where I talked about how the best ideas come to you if you keep coming back to them in your journal.? When you sit with the questions and brainstorm ideas and give your thoughts some space on the page – inevitably your most genius thoughts and ideas will come to the surface.

It’s about giving yourself space to access your genius.

You can’t sit around waiting for inspiration to strike! You want to understand about how inspiration works for you so that you can tap into that any time you choose.

So, today I want you to give yourself lots of time and space to brainstorm in your journal about what inspires you.

Using the technique I teach in my free class or anything you have learned in my classes inside the Creative Dream Circle, invite the heart and soul of your intention to help you explore inspiration.

Once you’re done – let us know how it went.

Share your daily journaling pics + thoughts on Instagram using the #creativeemergence hashtag, or post them here on Facebook.

I’ll be sharing my pics and thoughts on my Instagram.

And/or leave a comment below. (Yes, you will need a Facebook account in order to comment. Apologies to those of you who don’t have Facebook.)

___________________________________________

Because I loooove my Circle members, I’ll be posting links to resources inside the Circle in most of these posts so they can dive into the lessons a little deeper. If you’re not a Circle member you can just ignore this part – or join us!

• The Inspiration Cards Class leads you on a journey deep deep into the heart of inspiration
• The Love Your Life Creative Journal Class helps you learn more about what fills you up and makes you happy
• And we’ve got a private forum inside the Circle for sharing your Creative Emergence photos and stories if you’d rather not do that publicly.

You’ll need to be logged into your Creative Dream Circle account for these links to work.

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See you back here tomorrow for day 22 of Creative Emergence.

Click here for everything you need to get started with the Creative Emergence free 30 day e-course.

I wanted to include a few interviews with journalers I admire as a part of Creative Emergence to give you some different perspective and ideas about journaling.

Jamie Ridler is a creative force! From her popular Creative Living with Jamie podcast to her inspirational Behind the Scenes vlogs, from innovative workshops to inspirational blogging, Jamie has helped thousands of women around the world find the courage and confidence to bring their creativity to life, whether that means re-discovering their artistic self or bringing their creative heart to their work.

Get to know Jamie at Jamie Ridler Studios.

I’ve known Jamie online for years and have even had the privilege of being able to hang out with her in real life, she is a true creative kindred and I’m happy to share her thoughts and ideas about journaling with you.

Why do you journal?

To engage with my life and to remember who I am. I?ve found that having a safe place for processing and expressing keeps me balanced and in tune with my heart. Though I would always tell you that journaling is one of my core practices, and a core practice for most creatives I know, only recently did I realize that I use journaling for just about everything I do, from planning my week to gathering my day, from creative exercise to business development. Journaling is woven deeply into the fabric of my life.

How did you get started?

I?m not sure I remember! It seems I?ve always taken pen to paper. I think I came to journaling earnestly and continuously since I discovered the Artist?s Way in university. Julia Cameron?s practice of writing three pages daily changed the direction of my life. Since then I?ve been journaling most days in many ways.

What?s your favourite thing to do in your journal?

Dump my whole heart in!! Whether that emerges in words, doodles, lists or collage, it?s all wonderful to me. I have a sometimes overwhelming amount of ideas and energy but I know that I?m never too much for my journal!

Do you have a specific brand/type of journal that you use?

A million of them, LOL! Over the past few years I have been trying to really settle into what works for me so that I could keep things simple.

For morning pages, I use inexpensive school exercise books, the kind that say ?Canada? and have a map on the cover – totally accessible and unintimidating.

For my daily journaling, I use a Moleskin classic notebook, large and lined. (It?s not really large; that?s just what they call it)

For gathering ideas, I carry a Moleskine cahier.

For my daily planning, I use a composition book.

For art journaling I love Strathmore mixed media journals. I also have sketchbooks, a negative space journal, a 365 Collage Journal, an Everything Journal? um? did I say simple?!

Do you get creative with art supplies in your journal?? If so, which ones?

Sometimes. I have a general rule to not let anything stop me from journaling, so I never wait until I have something special or specific on hand. As long as I have paper and pen, I am good to go! But I do love collaging images into my journal and also gathering mementoes. I have been doing that since I was a teenager.

Recently I?ve started drawing in my journal, which is a big stretch for me! And I definitely try to make time each week to do some art journaling, for which I love to use collage, watercolour paints, coloured pencils and Posca paint pens.

If you want to see more from Jamie, I encourage you to visit her at Jamie Ridler Studios – there is so much nourishment there for your creative soul.

Again today I want you to meet with your intention in your journal.

Using the technique I teach in my free class or anything you have learned in my classes inside the Creative Dream Circle, see what happens when you meet with the heart and soul of your intention today. Remember that each time you do this, you are clearing the channels of communication between you and your dream.

Inspired by Jamie and how she’s been creatively stretching herself by drawing in her journal – is there something that you’d like to do that you’ve been afraid to try?? Can you take a creative stretch in your journal today?

Once you’re done – let us know how it went.

Did your dream have anything new to show you today?

Share your daily journaling pics on Instagram using the #creativeemergence hashtag, or post them here on Facebook. (I’ll be sharing my pics and thoughts on my Instagram.)

And/or leave a comment below. (Yes, you will need a Facebook account in order to comment. Apologies to those of you who don’t have Facebook.)

___________________________________________

Because I loooove my Circle members, I’ll be posting links to resources inside the Circle in most of these posts so they can dive into the lessons a little deeper. If you’re not a Circle member you can just ignore this part – or join us!

• For more new ideas and perspectives, we’ve got the following amazing interviews and audio classes with inspiring people in the Advanced Creative Badassery Resource Library:

Being an Artist with a Chronic Illness With Samie Harding, Change with Shannon Wilkinson, Coming Out as your Authentic Self with Liv Lane, Creative Projects and Creative Practice with Jamie Ridler, Divine Guidance with Laurel Bleadon-Maffei, Poetry is a Lifeline with Liz Lamoreux, Sharing Your Story with Susannah Conway, Trailblazing with Chris Zydel, WordPress/Putting Yourself Out There Online with Angel Sullivan

• We’ve also got a private forum inside the Circle for sharing your Creative Emergence photos and stories if you’d rather not do that publicly.

You’ll need to be logged into your Creative Dream Circle account for these links to work.

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See you back here tomorrow for day 21 of Creative Emergence.

Click here for everything you need to get started with the Creative Emergence free 30 day e-course.

Today I’m borrowing a lesson from my Free Art Journal Class on the danger of relentless positivity and the magic of disappointment.

Meeting with your intention EVERY DAY means being more present in the process of bringing it to life which means being more present with your feelings about it.? Including the inevitable disappointments you’ll encounter along the way.

I hope you’re not feeling disappointed today, this is just something to keep in mind for the next time disappointment strikes.

Again today I want you to meet with your intention in your journal.

You can use the technique I teach in my free class or anything you have learned in my classes inside the Creative Dream Circle and see what happens when you meet with the heart and soul of your intention.

Ask your intention: What does it need today?

And/or explore any thoughts that came up in response to today’s video.

Once you’re done – let us know how it went.

Share your daily journaling pics + thoughts on Instagram using the #creativeemergence hashtag, or post them here on Facebook. Circle members can share in our private Creative Emergence forum.

I’ll be sharing my pics and thoughts on my Instagram.

And/or leave a comment below. (Yes, you will need a Facebook account in order to comment. Apologies to those of you who don’t have Facebook.)

___________________________________________

Because I loooove my Circle members, I’ll be posting links to resources inside the Circle in most of these posts so they can dive into the lessons a little deeper. If you’re not a Circle member you can just ignore this part – or join us!

• You Got This Guided Journal And Colouring Book (!) For Dissolving Doubt
• The Un-Sticking Station shows you how to heal and transform disappointment (I know I suggest this almost every day – it’s that important!)
• And we’ve got a private forum inside the Circle for sharing your Creative Emergence photos and stories if you’d rather not do that publicly.

You’ll need to be logged into your Creative Dream Circle account for these links to work.

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See you back here tomorrow for day 20 of Creative Emergence.