October 3, 2012

A Girl and Her Miraculous Tree Branches

A rabbi and her schach

A rabbi and her schach

Why am I dragging tree branches down the block? And why do I look so happy about it?

A little background: In the Jewish world, we’re celebrating Sukkot (aka The Feast of Booths) — a whole week of rejoicing in the harvest season and in all the ways that life is both abundant and perfused with impermanence. We build a sukkah (that would be the aforementioned booth) in our yards and eat and sing and sometimes even sleep there. The covering, called “schach,” can be made from any decent plant material and is often made from whatever’s available locally. In Israel and California: palm branches. In Louisiana: sugar cane. And here in the Northeast, lots of folks I know use cornstalks.

Once you’re done, there should be more shade than sun in your sukkah. But you still have to be able to see the stars and feel the wind and rain (though you are not obligated to stay out in the rain).

But this blogpost isn’t a primer on Jewish pilgrimage festivals. No, it’s about this funny thing that happened to me on Facebook. On Friday, along with the pic my mom snapped of me dragging tree branches down the block, here’s what I posted:

It’s a Sukkot miracle! Car’s in the shop and the farm stand where I usually get cornstalks is likely closed on Sunday. How was this rabbi going to get schach for covering her sukkah? Walking home from dropping off the car, I saw a whole crew of guys trimming trees in a nearby alley. I started dragging some leafy limbs home. Then, on my second trip, the head of the crew wanted to know what this was all about. I started with, “Well, I’m Jewish and we have this Festival of Booths, y’know, from the Bible…” and I ended with, “So, then I saw you guys and realized it was a miracle!” He took a puff of his cigarette, spat, looked around at his crew and said, “Well, that’s the only time in my life any woman is going to call me a miracle.”

And then? Then 84 people clicked the like button. I think the most people who have ever “liked” anything else I’ve said on Facebook is fifteen or so. What gives?

Sure, it could just be some quirk of Facebook’s mysterious algorithms. But I prefer to think that what drew people in is that I was just being fully my own self, sharing in what felt like one of life’s lovely “auspicious coincidences” and just hugely, playfully rejoicing in that.

So, here’s the sukkah we built:

Finished sukkah

Finished sukkah

And here’s my mom adding some final decorations:

Mom Bromberg in the sukkah

Mom Bromberg in the sukkah

I just love the idea that what people “Like” (and maybe even like) best is when we rejoice in life’s everyday miracles and invite others to share in our celebration. What are you celebrating today?

Filed Under: Plot Notes Tagged With: , , 1 Comment
April 6, 2012

cultivate your story

This is a guest post by Victoria Prozan McGlinn.

The warm breezes of spring are here to herald in new seasons of growth and possibility. Ahhh. As the brown remnants of winter become obscured by the fresh greens and pinks and yellows and whites, take time to consider how we can mirror this rebirth in our own lives.

We all have a story. We actually have many stories. The story of who we are. The story of what we do and what we want. The story of how we got to this moment in our lives. The story of what limits us. Humans communicate through storytelling. The well spun tale is one of the most powerful tools we people carry. It’s how we grow, learn, and explore. It’s crucial to our world.

What happens when those stories, our stories, hold us back instead of propel us forward? What happens when we get stuck in our story? The assumption we make is that these scripts are 100% correct each and every time we recite them, without fail.

Wait, what? They’re not? Sometimes, not.

I got stuck in my story of being a Designer and Maker.

Those capital letters on the titles were my trap. Let me explain.

As a lifelong crafter, raised by parents who also were makers, I decided to pursue making as my life’s ambition. To strengthen my skills, I completed a graphic design degree. I worked hard to earn that degree and after years of investing my time, energy, and money, I launched my business. I was officially a Designer! I screen printed my original designs on paper goods and textiles, mostly the latter. Tea towels, pillows, table runners, note cards and prints. I love making. I love designing. This was the path to the life I had always wanted. Or so I told myself.

As time passed, I could feel something wasn’t quite right. I enjoyed most aspects of what I was doing, but nothing ever felt in sync. I assumed it was because I wasn’t pushing myself enough. I just needed to get over the next hurdle (there is away a next hurdle) and then all would flow in harmony. No matter how I pushed or pulled or manipulated myself, that nagging feeling never waned. I’m a confident and capable designer, I was receiving lots of encouraging feedback, but there was always the wonder of what was missing. It just wasn’t adding up.

I began to unravel my ball of yarn. Many of the pieces and parts were right. Design? Love it, check. Making? Love it, check. Business? Love it, check. Motivation? Um, I’m not sure, I’ll have to get back to you on that.

I began to admit to myself my motivations were out of whack with my authentic self.

I was trying to be a Designer and a Maker (there’s those pesky capital letters again) when what I really wanted was to be a designer and maker.

What’s the difference? The means vs. the ends. My ego wanted my designs be my thing, but only if I got lots of external praise and appreciation. My inner vision wanted helping people to grow to be my thing, with no strings attached. My ambition to be a cool kid designer was not my authentic self. My internal “should” following this path was messing with my program, big time. I was more focused on what I was creating than why I was creating it.

When I was able to see that being a Designer was just a story I told myself over and over, I began to rewrite my story. My focus shifted from my business supporting my design and making to design and making supporting my business.

I pulled in more parts of me. I could see that my years of client relations experience was a valuable strength that I had discounted through yet another story I convinced myself to believe. All of me would be required to make my goals. I now use the entirety of my skills and talents in the pursuit of an even bigger passion of mine. To demonstrate that interconnectedness and empathy in our business and personal lives will create a kinder, more just world.

I dropped my tunnel vision by realizing my design skills and creative talents are the engine that will drive my authentic voice to where I am needed.

So I have a new story. One rooted in soul searching and authentic offerings.

Whatever story you write, read, and believe for yourself, challenge it to be sure it’s true.

And if you find your stories aren’t supporting you in the everyday and in the big picture, craft new ones.

Spring is a time for change. Use the energy of the season to weed out the discord and pain, then plant new seeds of hope, ambition, and kindness.

Plant with love.

- – -

victoria prozan mcglinnVictoria Prozan McGlinn knows imagination is your superpower. Through it, creativity and empathy are born. She works with businesses to elevate empathy as tool of unlimited change. Find more about her mission here. Say hi on Twitter or Facebook and then unleash your imagination!

Filed Under: guest posts, Plot Notes Tagged With: , , , , , , , 2 Comments
January 30, 2012

returning to self and life’s simple pleasures

January 2012 may be the longest month of my life. Cancer diagnosis at the beginning of the year, when one tends to be in starting over and setting intentions mode, is an odd parallel to live. Still, it has been in many ways quite wonderful. Cancer forces one to take stock of what is important and to pay attention to now.

I spent much of 2011 searching and absorbing information. Some I needed, most was just padding. I searched and searched as if there were a magic solution, a formula to tell me how best to live and prosper. I knew deep down there was not, but still I searched. I wanted it to be easy.

What I have learned as I faced my diagnosis is, it is easy. It is easy if you let it be.

Definition of EASE: the state of being comfortable: as a- freedom from pain or discomfort; b- freedom from care; c- freedom from labor or difficulty; d- freedom from embarrassment or constraint. Naturalness -”known for his charm and ease of manner.” An easy fit.

If we are doing our true work and living authentically, it will be with ease, naturalness. Not that challenges don’t arise, or mistakes get made, but an overall sense of ease will accompany a life lived from the heart. My cancer woke me up to that part of myself I had buried. It still shone through in my art, but in my life the spark had gone out. I found no joy in cooking, or in caring for my things. No depth in my daily interactions and tasks.

In the end the simple things are the deepest.

I have been having various side effects from pain medication and treatments that have forced me to slow down, thus I have taken up my knitting with a new appreciation. Rather than just a way to fill time and relax, I am noticing the texture and subtle color shifts in my work. What a simple and elegant thing, creating a piece of fabric with yarn and needles.

I have also taken an interest in food and cooking that has been latent for some time. It turns out cancer is dramatically effected by diet, and I am committed to do all I can to beat it. Being winter, albeit a warm one, soups have been a real pleasure these past few weeks. Soup, chili, and shopping for fresh ingredients. When was the last time I enjoyed shopping for food, planning a meal?

The thing that has most dramatically changed is my attitude towards my “stuff.” For the past few years I have been complaining about the excess I’ve accumulated and not done much about making it go away. There is that expression about getting your affairs in order when facing death, but I have found even the possibility of death to be motivation. I realize it doesn’t matter so much if I make a couple bucks on eBay, or if every worthless trinket finds a perfect home before hitting the garbage. It is cluttering my life and it must go. I feel so much less attached to the outcome. Every day I tackle a drawer or a pile, a shoebox, or a closet. Just stuff. Let it go… When I do leave this life I want what remains to be easy.

I was visiting with a friend yesterday and explaining all this. I said to her, “You know, this is who I always was, I just lost my way.”

So I say to you, reader:

How many ways are you forcing a lifestyle that is not you?

Is your craft business or day job draining or feeding you? How about the dinner plans?

Finally, where my art business is concerned, I see there, too, I have been playing it falsely. Buying biz plans that don’t suit me and not using them. You know what I mean. Next time Let’s talk about aligning the dollar with living authentically!

From the Heart,

Filed Under: Conversation Starters Tagged With: , , , , , , , 22 Comments
January 26, 2012

Creating Congruence

Last week Tara Gentile shared a thoughtful post here on Scoutie Girl all about creating a lifestyle that is authentic to you.

It spoke to me, because I’m there. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about authenticity, harmony, congruence. About whether my values, desires, and what I want from life actually match up with my..yeah, life!

The one I’m living. Right now. Not the one I’m almost living, planning on living, or thinking about creating.

So, like Tara, I’m looking at the larger picture, the lifestyle picture. The location. The home. The jobs. The relationships. While there are so many foundational things perfectly in place, there are many things that just don’t fit.

That’s what happens when you start to take a close, close look at congruence.

What is incongruent inevitably rises to the surface. And floats there.

It’s been uncomfortable to sit with that knowledge.

If you’re like me, trying to wrap your head around how to bring congruence to the most massive aspects of your life might be overwhelming.

My head was spinning with all of it. And then I had an insight.

I can find congruence right now. It’s in each moment.

I’m not talking about making small, incremental changes toward your large goals. I’m not talking about saving up to buy the home that feels right in the right town, or methodically working toward your dream job. That’s another post for another time.

I’m talking about finding congruence, harmony, authenticity right this second, not only in what you’re doing, but in the how.

I may already be doing something that’s part of my life design, but am I going about it in a way that supports my values and desires?

It’s in the tiniest of daily choices (which apple should I buy? what book will I read?) and also in the attitudes, qualities, and awareness we bring to each interaction.

How I listen to my husband. How I speak to my children. How I brush my teeth.

How I practice yoga. How I prepare food. How I meet new people.

How I make art, or write. How I treat myself. How I clean my house.

I do these things every day. I get to choose how. I get to take a deep breath, and ask myself:

Am I doing this thing in a way that is congruent with how I want to create my life? If not, can I find a way to create alignment?

Am I bringing openness, patience, love, and expansiveness to these interactions? Or tension, hurriedness, aloofness, self-punishment?

The moment is right now, the moment is what is happening, the moment is something I can’t put off until the future. This moment is the time for me to be authentic. To find harmony. To create congruence.

Here’s to you finding congruence, right now, in this moment.

xoxo, Maeg

Filed Under: Creative Call to Action, Plot Notes Tagged With: , , , , , , , , 4 Comments
June 21, 2010

Creative Thinkers: Cat Ivins from Olive Bites

interchangeable locket by polarity


I had the privilege of interviewing one of Etsy’s most successful shop owners last week: Cat Ivins of Polarity and Uncorked. Cat shared some fantastic insights on how she ensures her creative process is authentic, why her blog’s mission is so outward focused, and what sharing her social awareness means to her.

recycled cork necklace by uncorked

Tara: You have 2 distinct & recognizable brands – Uncorked and Polarity. What does each brand represent about you as an individual?

Catherine: Hmm – well, the way I want to live my life is at the heart of both brands. My thinking is that branding is a process, a conversation with the audience, to a certain degree, and it needs to start with something authentic, something real – people crave authenticity – we latch onto things we can understand and appreciate. I know I do. I probably couldn’t have created these lines even 5 years ago because my life wasn’t as authentic then.

Before I created Uncorked, I had really done some clearing out of my life and I truly believe I made room for something amazing to come into my life and change it. I was ready for it. It couldn’t have developed any other way.

When your life gets authentic in other areas, your work comes along with it – it can’t NOT be authentic.

Everything truly awesome out there came from someone’s heart and both these brands truly came from my heart and what I believe in.

And of course, I have a niche and my stuff is not for everyone and doesn’t try to be.

Tara: I love that you’re not concerned with wanting to be everything to everyone.

Catherine: I think that just dilutes everything.

Tara: A lot of business owners really struggle with that, is that a realization you came to over time? Or something you’ve always believed?

Catherine: I think it was a process for me – it’s like trying to please people – you finally realize you can’t please everyone and you get real with yourself and then maybe real work can happen.

Tara: NICE.

Catherine: it’s ongoing though – ack!

Tara: For sure! How do you ensure your own authenticity in your creative process?

Catherine: well, I don’t really know – it’s kind of like I knew enough about who I was BEFORE I started making jewelry that there was a certain way I couldn’t do it – I had never worked with regular jewelry materials so it didn’t occur to me that I should, so when people say to me how did you think of using THAT? I just think well why wouldn’t I use that. Also, since I have been remaking things for so long that has to be part of it – leaving the lightest footprint.

Tara: I think it’s a really good lesson for anyone who is really conscious about doing something original – from their soul.

Catherine: right – your intention needs to be to make something of your own.

Tara: Speaking of doing things from your soul…. Your blog – and I think what really sets you apart online – has a very clear focus “outwards.” You’re supporting multiple causes. The badges practically BEG people to think more about the way they live in the world. How does this worldview and social awareness shape your creative process?

Catherine: Tara – you have made me see my blog in a whole new way! I always think I am all over the place with it!

You know when I started the blog it was to document the growth of my business and the growth of my puppy who came along at about the same time- but it kind of took on a life of its own.

I’ve always known my audience was mostly others makers and creative people so I definitely write with them in mind, but it has just kind of developed organically from what I have felt the need to say. Again it is just about being authentic – and people who read my blog know that I am nuts and they are kind enough not to always be expecting anything past nuts.

Tara: HA!

I think your blog is a really excellent example for other makers.

You provide really useful information while always “keepin’ it real” – ya know? You really get a sense of your personality. And what’s important to you.

Catherine: I am just kind of going where I am going and thinking maybe other people are, too

Tara: Well, I think that fact that you are keeping your audience in mind while you go “nuts” is what makes it work so well!

We think of blogs as all about us – which is opposite of reality.

Catherine: right – a few really amazing artists can blog about their work and their show, etc, etc and keep us along for the ride but I don’t have that kind of skill set! Most makers need to blog outside of ourselves to grow an audience or really even to say anything worth saying.

Tara: So have you always had a mind for social awareness & change?

Catherine: yes!

I have always thought that the possibility that things could be so much better keeps us all going

Tara: love it.

Do you ever fear that people could be turned off by your social statements?

Catherine: in the beginning I definitely did- and I still stay away from certain things that I would love to say- mostly political because I don’t have all the answers anyway, but I stay true to myself

Tara: I think when activism is, well, authentic and not just rants or silly slogans, it’s much more palatable

Much more convincing too.

Catherine: yes – giving people another way of looking at things – not saying one way has all the answers but just an opening into another way.

Thanks, Cat!

I’ll be sharing the rest of my conversation with Cat later in the week!

Filed Under: blog notable, creative thinkers, eco-friendly, jewelry Tagged With: , , , , , 14 Comments