"Creativity takes courage." ~Henri Matisse You won't see me skiing or sky-diving, or ... even skating. I've never wanted to do those things, (the one time I skied, I cried all the way down the bunny slope). Physical acts of adrenaline are not how I roll because rolling down hills is not how I ... roll. I prefer the adrenaline of getting up in front of audiences large and small, to peddle creative freedom, perform poetry, or share stories of my broken past, glued together with humor, irreverence, and redeeming perspective . I share the art I make. My poet... Continue reading

In the gaggle of Modern Day Muses (and a Bodyguard), there is a Muse that hails imperfection. Here’s one of the reasons why. I had a cellular shift around my art several years ago when I painted prolifically with my partner. We ventured out to the everywhere of landscapes, coffee shops, and unsuspecting people to sketch then paint in watercolor and outline in ink. We brought home copious amounts of half-done works, a lot of mistakes, and maybe an accidental masterpiece. I liked very few of the paintings we did. He liked them all. I would put my painting-mishaps in... Continue reading

Beginning again is the path of a resilient creative practice ... not to mention life in general. It’s the step by which we can surmount every disappointment, embarrassment, and indignity.. We are free to live this next moment as though it were new, because it is. However we failed or didn’t succeed or lost the plot, we can begin again in the next moment, or the next day rather than be dragged down into ruminations born of our negativity. Or we can just take a break and reboot and trust we will begin again refreshed, reinvigorated, or re-inspired once the... Continue reading

Dear Rebellious Readers, Writers, and Artists, Here’s what happens when someone tries to tell a poet what to write. And the four minute podcast with some music and sound effects is at this link. The Muse has large flowing green feather wings… and is fluttering dangerously close to the chandelier. She is holding a BIG red and black neon sign that says, “WRITE SOMETHING.” The poet sees the sign, …..sighs and writes nothing The Muse waves the sign dramatically, With teeth pressed together in a large, forced smile. The poet sighs and shrugs. Still nothing. The Muse kicks a few... Continue reading

“You can’t tell a creative person what to do.” < That’s the first thing Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching students learn in the KMCC training. When it comes to nurturing creativity, even well-intentioned, seemingly perfect advice can backfire. The moment you tell a creative person what to do, you risk stripping away the fun and sense of autonomy they derive from steering the creative process themselves. There may be initial compliance, but then resistance, resentment, and swear words are eminent. I know this from experience When I started writing my Nine Modern Day Muses book, I was procrastinating, resistant, and overwhelmed. I... Continue reading

Albert, the Modern Day Muse of Thinking Differently is back. He has something that may make a big difference in not just breaking through your resistance but which also aligns with one of the core principles of the Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching Training: Enjoying your creative journey. In his world of thinking differently, Albert reminds us of a tool called the Reframe. With it, we make revisions in what we say to ourselves to shift our motivation, stop resisting our next steps, and lower the pressure that paralyzes us when we want to engage creatively. Reframing is a creative act in... Continue reading

Last week you met Aha-phrodite, the Modern Day Muse of Paying Attention. The second Modern Day Muse was named after Albert Einstein. Read on this week to find out why. Albert Einstein said, “If at first the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it.” I think there is hope for the following encounter. Anais Nin, a French-born American diarist, essayist, novelist, and writer of short stories once said, “He does not need opium. He has the gift of reverie.” So I am smoking reverie with Anais Nin. Her full name is Angela Anaïs Juana Antolina Rosa... Continue reading

We wrap up this week with the Modern Day Muse, Aha-phrodite with a quote from Georgia O’Keeffe and the script and episode from A Muse’s Daydream. The World Inside of a Flower < the recording “Georgia O’Keefe said, “When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it’s your world for a moment.” So I took that to hear, I’m currently broadcasting from inside a flower, it’s a hibiscus, it’s my world for a moment … It’s Hibiscus. On the way in, I got pollen all over my new white dress, which is a nice change... Continue reading

“The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself” ― Henry Miller I hiked the Cotswold Way in England with my husband a few weeks ago. It was by far the most beautiful hike I’ve ever encountered in my life, nothing else is close. Each buttercup, old brick wall, and church steeple was “indescribably magnificent.” I was an artist and writer narrating to myself the art I saw before me with rapt attention. I found myself walking far in front than my fellow hikers because amidst... Continue reading

“Receiving unexpected ‪poetry means someone is paying attention.” ~April Mae Monterrosa Two finches are performing for an audience member that would like to eat them. The birds peck at sunflower seeds in a transparent acrylic bird-feeder suction-cupped to the other side of my window so the cats can watch (and no birds are harmed). Sunshine, the Siamese is motionless, preparing for another futile ambush. Her instinct makes her do it. Max, my other cat, lies in between my legs. He notices the finches, but unlike the Siamese he relaxes and purrs like a muffled outboard motor engine. Max’s breed has... Continue reading

When I was nine years old, my imaginary friends convinced me I could herd cats in my backyard; it was a fulfilling but fabled endeavor. They also appointed me daughter of secret agent, Illia Kuryakin; I was successful in foiling evil villains from destroying the world on my Schwinn. And it was their idea for me to wear a towel on my head so I could have the long hair I … longed for. They saved me from a troubled childhood just as art and writing saves me from harsh realities now. When I was fortyish, I wrote a book... Continue reading

As instructed by my Muse, (who doubles as a flight attendant), I first had to secure my own oxygen before I could teach others how to survive the chaotic storms encountered when self-doubt clouds their creative intentions. One of the missions I choose to accept in this lifetime includes freeing people from their restrictive natures --the ones fostered by misguided notions that tell them art or writing or anything creative demands to be approached in a specific manner and when finished, needs to be a certain way for it to be “good.” These restrictive notions are perpetuated by our tyrannical... Continue reading

Creativity is place to save ourselves from the craziness of the world. It gives us control when we feel we've lost it, it gives us amusement when we've become too serious, and it often gives us souvenirs we savor or gift to someone or the world. Come be guided in this 90 minute Zoom workshop to that place inside of you rich with imagination, words, and images. Sometimes a little scaffolding is just what we need to make it easier to access the creative treasures amid the distractions of the world and our mind. This workshop will be influenced by... Continue reading

"We have art in order not to die of the truth." ~ Nietzsche A friend of mine asked me why I make so much art. Or maybe he asked how I make so much art. The answer to both questions is the same. I make art so I don’t die of reality. (A rather dramatic answer, but if “all the world’s a stage,” I am on theme). This isn’t the first time in history we’ve have been hit by hard times, but it’s the first time horrific news, often reported unreliably, is in our face as much as it is.... Continue reading

Dear, Subconscious Mind. I know you’re listening and believing everything I’m incessantly repeating, so in the interest of getting to my writing and art without the usual ruthless self-judgment, fear, and additional flotsam and jetsam I say over and over, listen closely. It’s normal for us to engage in an inner conversation inspired by fear responses installed in our psyches centuries ago. They’re still useful to alert us to oncoming Mack trucks, scammers, and edges of cliffs but they can wreak havoc with our creative process. But depending on the thoughts we choose, creativity will either be met with resistance,... Continue reading

I started the A Muse’s Daydream podcast during the pandemic for sanity reasons. I’m a rather stoic individual so I try to focus on what I can control and let go of the rest. Writing funny, mindfulness stories, recording, and engineering the episodes was what I could do from my quarantined pillow-fort to keep me from eating entire pizzas. I had no idea I’d be doing it for three and a half years. As part of the continued celebration of 20 years teaching Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching, I just finished the Creative Thought card deck. I illustrated it, added some quirkiness,... Continue reading

Hi , 2024 is the twentieth anniversary of Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching Certification Training and the 21st anniversary of the publishing by Penguin-Putnam of my first book, The Nine Modern Day Muses (and a Bodyguard). I've since bought the rights and in celebration of 20 years, I updated it, ( for the fourth time), which it badly needed because it was published before things like podcasts and social media . I've also shortened it for our 21st century compromised attention spans. It has color illustrations. Same humor, mindfulness, prompts, and profound ways to get through creativity. So Aha-phrodite, Albert, Bea Silly,... Continue reading

Check out a little Wild Abandon Art here: Blind Memory art demo of a teapot I’m sitting in a little outdoor café (not really, but let’s pretend), sipping a cappuccino and painting a swatch of blue that, with a little intentional wildness, becomes the Ligurian sea. It’s an abstract version of the sea because that’s the way my paint brush rolls. Perfectly steamed milk foam hangs out on my lips, and I don’t care. Once the sea is dry, I paint in a guy with an Italian flag waving on the end of the boat he's rowing and I say,... Continue reading

#Bison :D Back when Thor first drew a bison on the wall of his cave with torch soot, he was pretty impressed with himself. He pointed to it so Troshe, his woman, would notice and be proud, or … maybe turned on. He didn’t then go to Instagram to upload a snapshot of the sketch (#bison) and while scrolling, notice that across the savanna, Vilk had already drawn a bison and in fact, had rendered it larger and better than Thor’s, causing him to feel discouraged, envious, and maybe even so despondent he didn’t notice the saber tooth tiger ready... Continue reading

Hi, Happy New Year, Thank you to those who came Blessing of the New Year workshop. I wanted to share my blessing with you. The ingredients come from what I teach in Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching and what I've learned makes me happy: May you remember what works for you. May you appreciate who you are in this moment and acknowledge what you’ve accomplished realizing you are way cool a fair amount of the time and can relax the rest of the time May you trust that when you appreciate who you are in the moment you won’t become complacent, in... Continue reading