Express the Free Spirit in YOU

I asked the lovely Megan Monique to participate in this next Free Spirit Spotlight.  I virtually met Megan last year on Twitter (@meganmonique) and I had the privilege to meet her in person this summer when she stopped by my Kansas home as part of her Magical Eyes Tour.  She's bold, she's cool, she's funny and she's kind.  (Her photos say it all, don't you think?)  I know you will find her outlook on life to be quite honest, refreshing and super inspirational.

How did you come to a place where you embrace yourself as a creative being?

Truly, I have been creative my whole life.  However, for most of my life I never called myself an artist.  I was always comparing myself to other people.  The real shift came when I started to embrace my own creative instincts.  I noticed people would come to me for feedback on certain things.  It was then I began to notice my niche and then really finding ways to utilize it in my business and to others who needed the creative boost.  I believe what calls to me most now is doing what FEELS good.  If it feels good to my mind, body and soul - then I dive right in.

What's your favorite art medium for self-expression?

I have a few.  Lately I have enjoyed working with pastels (I love getting messy with art).  There is something about having my hands covered in color that makes my life feel complete.  Hehe.  Also, anytime there is a glue stick involved - I am a happy camper.

What is a free spirit to you?

To me, a free spirit is someone who listens to their Inner Goddess (mine is named Fiona)!  Our Inner Gods and Goddesses guide us through our path.  They are our intuition, passions and light.  When we can tap into that free spirit, that Inner Goddess - we can follow what we are most called to do in life - which essentially leads to peace and happiness.

Where do you get your inspiration?

What a great question!  I hadn't thought about this.  Color provides me with most of my inspiration. I love shiny things, especially glitter.  Another great fuel for my inspiration is fashion.  I love seeing people dress how they feel inside.  It's like wearing your soul on your skin.  Beautiful.  Honestly - inspiration pops up for me in many different forms throughout my day.  But my greatest creations come from looking inward.

How do you manage to find time and make space for your creative projects?

Unlike a lot of your readers, I don't have kids. (cheers to the moms!)  So it isn't as challenging for me to make time for creative play and since I work from home - it's even easier.  However, I do find myself seeping into a funk from time to time and when I do that I make sure to schedule time for creative play.  Whether that is with friends or by myself - I take an hour or so to explore my imagination and see what comes out.  Even though most of my creative projects are shared digitally, I still love venturing into the unknown of my imagination.

What would you say to those who want to live a creative life and find their artist within, but don't know where to begin?

I would suggest that you begin with your childhood.  Look at the things you loved to do when you were a kid and how they made you come alive.  Even if it seems ridiculous to do it as an adult - that is where you need to look - there in lies clues to your passions.  Although the activity may look a bit different as an adult there is something in the way it made you FEEL that will lead you to your passion in this time and space.  Another important thing to remember is there is no box for creativity.  It doesn't look any one way.  When we stop comparing our work to that of others, we are able to see that we are all creative geniuses.

Click HERE to see a recent video interview I did that talks about creativity.

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Thank you, Megan, you free spirit, you.  (To learn more about Megan, visit her blog.)

Also, Megan is giving away two spots to her upcoming e-course called Rooted.  Simply leave a comment here by Friday 10 a.m. C.S.T. for your chance to win! 

Your Personal Reflection:  How do you express the free spirit in YOU?

Enjoy a Creative Adventure this Summer!

I'm SO excited to open registration today for the third session of my e-course, 
Inside Out: A Creative Adventure of Self-Discovery. Hundreds of explorers have joined me 
from all over the world and I hope you will, too. (This is the last Inside Out I'll be offering in 
2010 as I'll be on maternity leave this autumn.)

Enrollment fills up quickly, so reserve your spot soon. I can't wait to share this amazing, 
magical, life changing experience with you. Course runs from June 21st - July 16th.

To learn more, click here. To read testimonials from past participants, click here. To 
register, click here. (Gift certificates are available....fabulous Mother's Day idea!)

Your Personal Reflection: Are you ready to start living for yourself, and create the life 
YOU love, from the inside out?

Growing from Fear

I found an old journal entry of mine that said, "Why is my fear so paralyzing?" We all know that feeling, right? That place where we are frozen by our own fear. We may not see it as fear at the time, but fear is usually the root of the disharmony in our lives. It's that hidden thing that keeps us from trying new things, that makes it easy to criticize others, that prevents us from stepping out of the box, or speaking our truth, and it doesn't allow us to fully experience life.

I used to be paralyzed by the idea of stepping away from a consistent paycheck, towards my dream of being a self-employed, work-from-home artist, coach, and mother. This fear translated in my mind through thoughts like, "I'm not ready. I need more training. Who's going to hire me? There are enough coaches out there as it is. I'm not a real artist. We'll starve. I'll be a failure. How are we going to live? We'll lose our house." Ahhh...enough to make anyone go mad!

This fear soon developed into physical ailments. I started getting headaches. My shoulders, neck, and throat were tight ('Cause I wasn't speaking my truth and my thoughts were definitely putting the weight of worry on my shoulders!) The vibrancy of my being, that enthusiastic, excited-for-life energy was being drained and overtaken by negativity, worry, and self-doubt - all stemming from my fear.

It wasn't until I started observing and changing my reoccurring thoughts, trusting my intuition, and accepting the feelings that come from uncertainty, that I started seeing some deeper change in my life.

4 Ways to Face Your Fear (and grow from it, too!)

1)Accept It

2)Release It

3) Practice It

4) Go For It

Accept It

So many times I find myself resisting that fear is even present. This is when I'm not being really honest with myself. I start thinking that fear shouldn't be there. That somehow I'm being weak if I'm feeling scared. It's this resistance to fear that keeps me stuck! When I change a thought pattern from thinking fear shouldn't be there, or that I need to conquer it, I can ACCEPT that fear is a natural part of any uncertain situation. In fact, the flip-side of passion is fear, so taking steps towards living your passions will definitely bring up some fears. Accept that the fear will be there, and DO IT anyway.

Release it

It's easy to feel alone, like we're the only ones feeling insecure, worried, agitated, frustrated, depressed or scared. We ALL have these feelings from time-to-time. Rather than keep these fears bottled up, LET THEM OUT. There are many healthy ways to release our fears, and I know, from my own experience, that my mind, body and spirit feel so much freer when I give my fears a place to go.

Tips to Releasing Fears:

1) Write Them Down - Sometimes just taking pen to paper and free-form writing can be a wonderfully releasing exercise. Free-form writing is where you write without thinking about it. Just let the words come out. Write. Write. Write. Now you don't have to carry that fear and you've given it a place to go. (Having a favorite journal and pen is helpful.)

2) Create Sacred Space - Set up some space in your home that is YOUR own. A place where you can go and enjoy some quiet time. This might be a corner in your bedroom, a favorite chair or even the bathtub. Make it sacred by playing your favorite relaxing music, (Check out musician, Patrick Smith) lighting some candles, have your journal, pillow, inspirational readings or a yoga mat nearby. This is the place you return to where you can nurture yourself, especially when you are feeling scared. Just being alone and enjoying a few moments of stillness helps us reconnect to that strength and courage that is in us all. You may find that you're in need for some intense self-reflection time. Look up local retreat centers in your area. Many of them offer spiritual guidance that you may find very helpful.

3) Breathe - Nothing is more present than your own breath. Stop. Take a deep inhale. Feel your heart center expand. Smile slightly as you exhale. Usually when we are thinking about the past we are stuck in regret and doubt. When our thoughts are more future-based, we are stuck in worry. Present moment awareness helps us realize that there is no fear in the now. So focus on your breath, in this moment, and enjoy how good it feels to be alive.

4) Observe Your Thoughts - Nothing is more eye-opening than discovering the words and phrases you repeat to yourself throughout the day. When those fear-based statements arise (about every few seconds!), say this instead, "I do not need to think this thought." It's simple, and it works.

5) Affirmations - Once you start getting used to observing your thoughts, try focusing on the opposite. So your mind says, "I can't do that because I don't have any money." Kindly observe your mind thinking this, and without judgement, replace the thought with "Wealth comes quickly and effortless into my life." For examples of more affirmations, visit "Affirm Your Life".

6) Get Moving - I'm so grateful to have a toddler who wants his mommy to dance with him every morning! I'm not kidding...EVERY morning. Go to yoga, run, join a workout class, or try Zumba. Getting your blood flowing is a wonderful way to feel better and get your mind off your worry! And who can resist dancing to THIS? (DO IT NOW!)

7) Find Support - Find someone in your life who you feel safe with. Call this person when you are feeling caught up in self-doubt, frustration and worry. Sometimes just having the opportunity to talk it out helps you feel better and find clarity. You may find that hiring a life coach, or scheduling time with a counselor is a wonderful compliment to your work in facing fears. You don't have to do it alone! (Check out my new e-course to find a like-minded community. By the way, offering my e-course is definitely facing one of my fears!)

Practice It

Our fears offer us opportunities to grow. Find the releasing tools that work best for you, and repeat, repeat, repeat! It is in the practice that we learn the most.

Go For It

Even though you feel scared, do it anyone. In fact, the best way to practice is to do something that scares you EVERY day. Take small steps at first. Each time we face a fear, we connect to that inner strength and build our courage to face even more.

Your Personal Reflection: Think about something you've wanted to do in your life, but haven't because you were scared. Are you ready to accept it, release it and GO FOR IT? Be kind to yourself, and enjoy growing with each small step.

An E-Course with Soul

Registration is now open for my e-course:

Inside Out™:

A Creative Adventure of Self-Discovery:

through personal art journaling (and more!)

This 4-week e-course is an opportunity that could change your life. You'll become a bold explorer of your dreams, and have fun creating a life you love - all in the comfort of your own home, at your own pace, while connecting to an inspiring community.

To learn more about the class, or to register click

Inside Out info. I am so excited to share this class with you. I know it will be a magical experience of connecting, sharing and growing, together. To learn more about why I created this class, click HERE.

Give yourself a gift this holiday season that will last a lifetime. (Gift certificates for your favorite people are available, too! Wouldn't that make the coolest gift?)

If you leave a comment on this post by midnight, December 6th, you will be entered into a drawing for your chance to win a free spot in the course!

Your Personal Reflection: What are you waiting for?

To Inspire

Free Spirit Knits has been nominated for the "Shine A Light" contest as an inspiring small business. I need your help! By the end of today I need to have at least 50 votes to be considered by the judges. Could you please take a few moments and cast your endorsement? Click HERE.
(You must register on the site first, then follow links to ENDORSE Free Spirit Knits.)

As I continue practicing dreaming BIG and believing in myself, I am excited at the possibilities that manifest and unfold. Being included in a mix of such amazingly compassionate organizations is a great honor. And winning such an award would be a welcome gift to help expand my business ideas on a bigger, bolder scale to so many more people.

This contest has offered me a great opportunity for self-reflection. I've had to ask myself, "What do I want Free Spirit Knits to represent?" "Where do I want it to go?" "How do I want it to grow?"

So I wanted to share with you why I started "Free Spirit Knits" and what it means to me to "inspire".

About 8 years ago a friend asked if I wanted to learn how to knit. My first reaction was, "Why? Sounds boring." (How limiting!) But I gave in and was hooked ever since. When I learn something new I want to share that enthusiasm with others. So naturally, the more my knitting obsession took hold, the more I wanted to bring others with me! And that's when I really started to see that even something like learning to knit, can bring out the destructive behaviors - fear, self-doubt, negativity - those nasty things that keep us from being our true selves.

Many women I met had the desire to learn something new, but had such a fear of breaking out of the box. If they made a mistake, they wanted to tear out the project, or made an excuse or decided to give up. I want to inspire knitters and non-knitters that being creative is something we ALL can do. It's something we MUST do. So the idea of Free Spirit Knits started as a place to show others how playing with yarn, and trying new things, and doing something that you love, can be a meditative, spiritual, creative experience. I started my first program "Knitting & Giving" because I saw women's joy that came from feeling creative, discovering new things about themselves and how much they loved giving back to those in need. Click HERE to learn more about this collaborative knitting circle.

Free Spirit Knits has grown way beyond knitting. I now see it as a place that "knits/links/joins/unites/connects" us to mindful awareness, self-discovery and inspiration to live a life of vibrant authenticity.

To be free, to live free, to FEEL free, is a gift we all can enjoy. My goal with Free Spirit Knits is to provide you (and myself) with opportunities to grow. Opportunities to expand. Opportunities to think a new thought. Try a new thing. And ultimately, to see what you already know. That your wisdom, your beauty, your strength, your peace, and your creative potential live within you ALL the time. You CAN live a happier life, everyday, doing the things that bring you bliss.

Through inspiring art, yoga, life coaching, connecting and my soon-to-be E-Course ("Inside Out: A Creative Adventure of Self-Discovery), I see what Free Spirit Knits is today, I see where and how I'd like it to grow, and I am OPEN to the endless possibilities that the future holds.

Your Personal Reflection: How can you be a source of inspiration to others?