February 6, 2013

Walking the Lonesome Valley

Tree in a Lonesome Valley“You’ve got to walk that lonesome valley by yourself,” I found myself singing as I walked alone in the snow the other day. Here’s a snippet.

And I was walking along, feeling so alive and so delighted be reminded of how important solitude is to my creative process. When I was a lonelier person (a fat, smart, Jewish girl in a small town high school…you do the math) my solitude came “naturally” and my art (mostly some very bad poetry and a few equally bad songs) was by my side when I felt like no one else was. Being able to spill my guts in words and in music was a vital refuge for my lonely girl soul, and that lonesome valley was, I have no doubt, an important training ground for the songwriter I became.

“Yes,” I thought to myself crunching through the snow, “I’ve got to walk this lonesome valley by myself.” And then I thought, “I can’t wait to share this insight about solitude in a Scoutie Girl post!” And then I laughed at myself.

And that movement from aloneness to sharing sums up what so much of the creative life is about for me. We want to connect, we want to share, we want our art (whatever form it takes) to reach all the way to the heart of the other.

And yet, in order to make the art that I can then offer up, I have to be willing to walk the lonesome valley by myself.

As Woody Guthrie’s version of the song goes:

Mamma and daddy loves you dearly,
Sister does and brother, too,
They may beg you to go with them,
But they cannot go for you.

I am grateful that solitude is now something I have to seek out when I want it. And I have also, more and more, been enjoying the work of songwriting itself as a community process.

But at their core, my songs are born in solitude; I lose my sense of connection with Source very quickly when I don’t make the time to simply be alone.

So whatever lonesome valley you walk — by choice or under duress — may it become a source of wonderful treasures that you can bring back and share with the rest of us.

Bonus: Here’s a version of Pete Seeger “lining out the hymn” as he likes to call it (teaching a song as he sings it, just like he taught me and lots of others how to do).

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January 24, 2013

Take Time to Remember

Sunny Side Up c. 1998 by Megan E. Evans / Butcher Paper, Newsprint, and Pastels

I’m in the process of moving. Yep, I’m packing up my life and putting it all in boxes. Dates and details are still up in the air as to where my husband and I will move, but we keep charging ahead with the preparation.

One unique and interesting gift about packing up, sorting through, reorganizing, and throwing out is that I keep running across memories.

Trinkets, papers, pictures — many old and recent memories. At first I thought it was just going to be overwhelming (and to be honest, it is at times). But it has also opened up a new aspect in my creative life that I haven’t addressed in a while: it has helped me remember.

I do not often take time to filter through memories of where I’ve been before. For example, I came across some drawings and collages I did in college when I was in architecture school (which I transitioned out of). I had forgotten about some of those projects, and I haven’t looked at them in over twelve years. It’s interesting to see how far I’ve come since then in my design and creation, but I could still see my design “aesthetic” peeking through, the beginnings of my creative self, and glimpses of who I am today. And remembering is helping me through my current transitions, giving me hope of what is ahead.

When was the last time you did this? Have you taken the time to “look back” recently? Does it give you energy to realize where you’ve been?

If you haven’t tried reflecting and remembering lately, I encourage the experience!

Take time to remember where you’ve come from; it could greatly inform where you are going.

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January 21, 2013

Move Through Your Fears With Curiosity and Action

Replace fear with possibility. Approach it with curiosity and action.

These past few weeks I’ve been reflecting on the year past and the many things that materialized for me in 2012. The list is long, ranging from piloted workshops, PDF booklets and new consultation services, to new artwork, new connections, and my contributions here.

Though I know there were many factors at play, in hindsight, I attribute much of my ability to make these things happen to my chosen theme for the year: moving through trepidation with curiosity and action.

This new-to-me approach worked so well, I intend to keep it in my back pocket as I move forward into 2013.

How it works: It’s simple, but not always easy.

When faced with an opportunity that scares you, what if you set out with the goal of replacing fear with possibility, of replacing…

“I could never do that, I’m not ready. It scares me.”
with
“What do I need to do to be ready? Is there a small action I can take and see where that leads?”

“I better not push my luck and do that extra <insert challenging task here>, I’m already pretty tired and I’m new to this.”
with
“How about I try and see how far I can get?”

“Who am I to do <insert idea/initiative/project here>? I’m going to fall flat on my face.”
with
“Just try it and see how it goes. If it flops, re-think it. If it doesn’t, do it again and make it better.”

When faced with uncertainty, instead of worrying about every possible way things could wrong, what if you tried asking yourself*…

“I wonder how this is going to pan out?”

“I wonder how I’ll choose to handle this?”

“Is there anything I can do to increase my chances of making this work?”

(* Thank you Susan Jeffers for this line of wisdom.)

Fear has its place and raison d’être, but often it doesn’t serve us at all.

This way of approaching it encourages gentle risk-taking and releases expectations. At worst it amounts to a lesson learned; at best, it may lead to something better than we ever could have imagined.

Why don’t you try it and see how it all pans out?

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January 17, 2013

Cobblestone Travels: Embracing Freedom

I’ve been home from my whirlwind of an adventure for a little over a week, and I’m still walking around intoxicated by what surrounds me and trying to be sure to take it all in. I needed that trip more than I had known, and it has reeled me back in to the true version of myself — the happy content girl that lives within me, that I hadn’t seen in quite some time. But she’s back, and plans to take 2013 by storm!

So where in the world did I go? I started in Amsterdam, wandered over to Brussels, spent Christmas in Lille, went to Luxembourg, got to my last stop in Cologne, where plans changed and I ended up also going to Frankfurt and Heidelberg, before making it back to Amsterdam to fly home.

It was a quick sixteen days, but it’s not so much about the places I went, but the people and interactions I had while there.

In Brussels, I spent the end of the world with an Australian girl who had been traveling for 20 months. When she got low on money she worked at a pub in London, took care of dogs in Austria, gardened in Ireland, or worked at a hostel in Spain. She was full of stories and spirit, and I feel so very fortunate that our paths crossed and I got to wander around Brussels with her for a day.

When I arrived at my hostel in Cologne, I met a group of people that I spent the evening with and who were continuing on to Frankfurt and Heidelberg. They had originally had eight people in their group, but one had dropped out last minute, so they suggested I tag along. Now, typically I’m a planner, but sometimes I like to just wing it. So I decided to fly by the seat of my pants, and hopped trains with these strangers, and had this three day whirlwind romance with a boy I’m probably not going to forget any time soon.

I had decided before I left for this trip that I needed a word for 2013, something to serve as a reminder throughout the year. So as I traveled I kept this in mind, trying to think of a word that seemed to fit. And one day as I was walking down the street, looking down at the cobblestone beneath my feet, I realized cobblestone was my word. I have always loved cobblestone streets, how they’re uneven and imperfect in various places and how that makes them all the more perfect.

This whole trip reminded me of how happy the little things make me, reminded me of what really matters, and how I need to embrace what makes me happy.

Cobblestone. It will remind me to be open to opportunity, and let my path lead me where it may.

It will remind me that things are what I make them, so even though I’m home and back to day to day life, it will remind me that I can create adventure at home as well.

If  you have ever thought about doing solo travel, or if it has never even crossed your mind, I urge you to just consider it. Sure, it’s not for everyone, but the opportunity for growth and discovery that it allows is incredible. Some days are quieter than others, some days you’ve made friends you spend the day with, but you get to shape each day and it makes you just feel so free.

Tell me, what makes you feel free?

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January 8, 2013

My Birthday Wish: Allowing Internal to Influence External

“Birthday cake” by Dan Taylor – click for info

I never understood people who don’t celebrate or remember their own birthdays.

I deem my birthday, January 6, as a national holiday. A celebration of life.

True story: 28 years ago, I was born 3 months premature.

My mom was at a local hospital ready to deliver me and they told her that if I was born at that particular facility, I would, in fact, die because they didn’t have the technology available to keep such a premature baby alive. She had to be rushed to a more advanced hospital an hour away.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always appreciated, acknowledged, and honored my birthday with reflection, gratitude, and hopeful expectation for the future.

In the spirit of my birthday, I always write up my goals for my New Year. I’ve been doing this for as long as I can remember.

A couple of years ago I started my “#x#” lists. My “#x#” list is a list of things I want to complete by my next birthday. This year, my 29X29 list includes personal, business, and spiritual goals I want to complete by January 6, 2014.

I can honestly say, my most rewarding accomplishments for my 27th year were all spiritual.

Hands down, internal challenges and work are infinitely harder and more rewarding that anything external.

Resolutions, whenever you make them, shouldn’t always be about changing your existence, but about valuing and honoring your current existence.

For 2013, for my 28th year, I challenge myself to continue to grow spiritually, emotionally, and creatively. To do the internal work that will ultimately influence my external existence.

I challenge you to do the same.

What internal shifts and growth will you nurture this year in order to positively influence your external path, goals, and accomplishments?

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