How do you get back to creating after you have been away, whether due to illness, vacation, busyness or distraction? Whether it has been a few days, weeks or years, the process is essentially the same. Knowing this process is a key skill for artists who want to live fulfilling creative lives. At the end […] Continue Reading
Creative Sparks
Real tools and firelight for artists and dreamers to create inspired lives
Create an Ode
Get your imagination sizzling with this creativity prompt to create an ode. In this post I walk you through Ellen Bass’ lovely poem Ode to the First Peach. I show you what makes the poem sing and how to create your own ode in any art form you choose. This prompt is not just for […] Continue Reading
Why It’s Important to Follow Your Dreams
What Are dreams? Why Do They Matter? Each of us, like a flower or tree, is encoded with who we are meant to be, what we are here to give, our unique beauty and gifts. Each of us is encoded with dreams, desires, longings and visions that are here to lead us to the life […] Continue Reading
Entering the Word Temple of Poetry
The Chinese character for poetry is made up of two parts, “word” and “temple.”* Let us enter the sacred word temple of poetry. Let us be housed by holy words. What makes a poem holy? The care it took to select each word like a stone, carve it to a perfect fit with other word-stones. […] Continue Reading
The One Thing You Need for a Prolific Creative Life
Is there one thing that makes the difference between a happy, prolific creative life and a frustrating one filled with fits and starts? In this post, I answer this and how it can change your whole life, not just your creativity. About a week ago, I went to a wonderful literary event in my town. […] Continue Reading
Celebrating the Spring Equinox
Today is the Spring Equinox or Vernal Equinox, the turning point to the season of Springtime in the Northern Hemisphere. The Spring equinox turns us to new beginnings, new shoots coming up out of the earth, new budding things. Life begins anew. It is a time of rebirth, balance, pause and planting seeds. Here where […] Continue Reading
Seeking Your Heart’s Guidance
A simple but powerful exercise to help you hear your heart’s guidance. Your heart is here to guide you to your best life. Not the easiest, but the best. The fullest expression of you. The richest, most beautiful, rewarding life. Your heart has answers your mind could never devise. Astonishing in their wisdom, rightness and […] Continue Reading
Happy Year of the Earth Dog!
This past week we had a new moon (and partial solar eclipse) that ushered in the Chinese new year. We have departed the year of the fire rooster (or phoenix) and entered the year of the earth dog. What does this mean for us? Justice, Truth and Integrity Astrologer Susan Levitt writes: “This new Moon […] Continue Reading
Instead of Big Goals, Try Small Experiments
If you tend to start big dreams, ambitious goals or new projects and resolutions and then peter out, here’s something to try that can be a whole lot more fun and fulfilling. I’m a big dreamer. I love working and playing towards grand visions and big dreams for my life. I’m a Sagittarian, so my […] Continue Reading
We Need the Voices of All the Artists
“We need the voices of all the poets,” Robert Duncan wrote. This has long been a credo of mine. Yet, I have to remind myself of it. Especially when I’m feeling “not good enough” as a poet. At times like those, I can start to feel “What’s the use? Who needs my poems anyway?” There […] Continue Reading
