BE THE MANTIS

Hi everyone! Welcome to our first blog of the year! And we are almost through February already! Say What! Today I thought I would share my experience of the year so far. I would like to say it’s been inspired and motivated, but actually it’s been quite the contrary and frankly, pretty cray cray!

Recently I have been experiencing this thing both professionally and personally, where I am overloaded with so much new and unexpected information that it gets mega overwhelming because you don’t know what to do with it. Or, what it all means for you.  And the more you try to figure it out, the more you seem to be sacrificing your spirit to the flayling headless chicken! Until you finally scream and give up! Then the next day, somehow, you are calm, know exactly what to do and are baffled by why it wasn’t this obvious before!

Kind of like when you sit down at your computer determined and ready to smash through that project or design or writing like a boss. Instead, just end up constantly moving things around just ever so slightly and not get anywhere. Until you finally step away from it and come back with a fresh eye and perspective, knowing exactly what to do and so it takes care of itself quickly.

This experience made me realize a pattern and reacquaint myself with a few things. One being this thing.

Over-thinking: The art of creating problems that don’t exist.

Secondly, that sometimes action is important but sometimes taking time out is just as important. That stepping away from the problem isn’t weakness but instead can set up wisdom.  So I can return to the problem with a higher and better perspective, which always leads to better solutions and also without compromising self care. It allowed me to be more receptive than reactive with both myself and my work.

Also, I have been seeing praying mantis everywhere! They have been officially appointed as my spirit animal! Turns out, that the praying mantis is a symbol of stillness and patience. Duh! Kung Fu Panda! I should have known this!

So if anyone else is in the same boat, where the goals, projects, life are feeling just too hard. Maybe just be the Mantis. Be still for a while and enjoy it. 

With Love and a massive splash of joy

Akriti
Your Creative Curiosity Advocate. 

LESS WORDS AND MORE FEELS

Hi Everyone! 2016 is coming to a wrap and soon we will be in our New Years Resolution mode! If we aren’t there already! This year has been a frikin rollercoaster. Sometimes in a good way and sometimes in a constant state of hangry and overwhelm kinda way.

I contemplated how I wanted my 2017 to shape up for me. So I started making that good ol list of goals. Because that’s what you are meant to do right? Make a list? But sometimes it feels like you are making a list for the sake of making a list.. My list was getting pretty long and triggering anxiety really quickly.

So as you do sometimes to escape your feelings.. You go on Facebook.. And there I saw a good friend put this question up on her status. “What is your one positive word for 2017 that starts with the third letter of your name?” I love these sort of questions cause I am a chronic over thinker and ruminator. These word limitations and in this case letter limitation, really help me cut to the chase to a word that deeply resonates with how I want my New Year to FEEL.

REWARDING. That’s how I want it to feel. That is my positive intention for the New Year.

I use it to remind myself that this can be a perspective or feeling I choose. That no matter what I am working on or how things end up, it will all be rewarding in many ways than I can anticipate. I still have a list but my list now feels a lot more exciting, authentic and connected to me alongside my big word.

So if you find yourself being drawn to one word solutions like me. Here are some questions to start with, from clear ones to ones that are a bit more obscure.

• What is one word that sums up your Intention or desire for the New Year?
• What is your one positive word for 2017 that starts with the third letter of your name?
• If you aspired to be a verb what verb would you be?

Happy Holidays everyone. Hope it brings many positive feels for you.

With Love and a massive splash of joy

Akriti
Your Creative Curiosity Advocate. 

Ps. If you like the idea of setting goals with few words and a lot more feels. Definitely check out Danielle Laporte’s The Desire Map – A guide to creating goals with soul. It is the best! And has worksheets and everything!

"THE VITALITY OF LIFE IS IN STAYING A VERB"

Hi Everyone! Here goes blog #4. I am loving counting these blogs. Especially, as until now I have never blogged anything in my life! So with every blog I get out, it’s a “Yay! I made it through another one!” This feeling of counting and making it through another piece of work has carried over in a project I have been working on for the last 80 days! The 100 days project. It’s a project where you consistently participate in and document a creative activity for 100 days. Its open to anyone for all kinds of projects! And I have made it to day 80 now!! Woop Woop!!

It is something I have wanted to do for many years but lets face it, the idea of creating something everyday for 100 days is pretty frikin daunting. I think this time it actually manifested because the idea was simple and easily manageable. So what was the idea? If you have been following my blog posts so far, you might be aware that I am an Elizabeth Gilbert fan girl! She does these amazing podcast series called magic lessons. These are the bomb! I highly recommend them for everybody! In one of the episodes she features an incredibly eloquent poet Mark Nepo. Something he says in this episode just blew my mind and stuck to me like sweet sugary goodness! He said:

“ We often get told be a noun, but the vitality of life is in staying a verb”

MMMMMHHHMMMM. PREACH! We are so conditioned to identify our self in labels, when really, life is about staying in action. I wonder what our thoughts, actions, conversations with ourselves and others would look like if instead of aspiring to become for eg. a designer. We aspired to express, to create, to heal, to inspire. The possibilities from this would be so much more exciting! So I started asking different people this question. “If you aspired to be a verb, what verb would that be?” Then I would document and present those verbs as beautifully as possible everyday for 100 days. You can check them out at www.100daysproject.co.nz/projects/100-days-2016/curiously-creative-953

Now I must admit this still wasn’t as simple as I thought it would be initially. Collecting 100 verbs from 100 actual people is a mission in itself. We are so not used to thinking of ourselves in verbs that it took most of us aaages to think of one or two or 3. So while 80% of the verbs so far are based on real people answers, some are just randomly picked verbs that I liked. Oh well, whatever! They are still verbs right!? If I treated it like an exact science I wouldn’t have made it to day 80. This is where having to just get on with whatever I had and not being a perfectionist about it was the biggest creative lesson for me. Like our girl Elizabeth Gilbert puts it “Done is better then good”

If you don’t think you will get the chance to listen to the magic lesson episode with Elizabeth gilbert and Mark Nepo. I will leave you with these beautiful words of his.

“Keep doing what brings you alive. The best we can do is cast seeds. You wont know which ones are going to sprout, which ones will have rain come on them, sun come on them, but just to get back to work. The work is staying in conversation with the sanctity of life. Immerse yourself wholeheartedly. Not from a space from doing excellent work. Be devoted to keep growing. It hears not to be heard and not to be seen and more deadly to not to hear and see."

With Love and a massive splash of joy

Akriti
Your Creative Curiosity Advocate. 

Ps. We do still have 20 days left! So if there are any verbs you would like to see for your own pinboard, that aren’t already up. Just post a comment under the facebook post and I will try my best to include them. Heres is the link for them. www.100daysproject.co.nz/projects/100-days-2016/curiously-creative-953

Pps. Below is that inspiring podcast I mentioned above. 
- Magic Lessons Ep. 204: "Who Gets To Decide Whether You're A Legitimate Artist?" featuring Mark Nepo
www.elizabethgilbert.com/magic-lessons/