Category Archives: Creativity

Free The Monkey!

26 Monday Jun 2017

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I love signs. Both metaphorically and physically. I look for them everywhere. When the clock strikes 11:11 (which is crazy that I happen to notice it so often), I see it as a sign to set an intention. Years ago I made this little reminder sign and keep it on my shelf – Choice. It’s Yours. Use it.

sign

So it was a sign to me that on Saturday, Ken and I happened to take a road trip to Salida, a small creative town about 2.5 hours from Denver. We had never been and were looking for something different to do for our anniversary (after 28 of em, you have to keep coming up with new ideas, right?) It was a beautiful, vast blue sky, open plains kinda drive. Along the way, we played music and shared stories from the week.

I told him how I learned an awesome metaphorical story from one of my favorite people, and Kabbalah teacher, David. David and I had been talking about Letting Go. He told me about the study of monkeys in the jungle and their bananas. Seems traps were set by placing bananas in cages with small slits just big enough for the monkey to put his hand through and grab a banana. The kicker came as the monkey, while holding tight to the banana tried to pull his hand back out. No can do. The tighter the grip, the less space to pull, and thus, the monkey was stuck.

All the monkey had to do to be free was let go of the banana.

So imagine, my delight when strolling the Salida Art Walk a few hours later and Ken pointed out this sign!

monkey

The next day, at 11:11, I set an intention to Let Go and “drop” several bananas. Here’s to one free Monkey!

How do you MindFULLY Let Go ? Let us know!

Crack Me Up

19 Monday Jun 2017

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I’ve been on a roll this past week. After months of dormant creativity, I engaged in some serious work about what was blocking me. As soon as I got down and honest, it was amazing how my energy began to flow! I started looking at things that were bothering me, not so much as problems, but as chances to create what I wanted, instead of reacting to whatever was on the 2am list.

And so, when at dinner last week I splattered salmon butter on one of my favorite summer easy dresses, I rushed home to wash it. Despite my best efforts, the spot wouldn’t come out. Bummed, I let it go. And then in the shower, it hit me…tie dye it! Barely dry, I ran out back, made a concoction of bleachy water in a spray bottle, simply rubber banded around the spot and a few other places and sprayed away. Viola’! Now I like it even more!

Check out this lovely essay about Kintsukuroi and then take a look around your home and life. What’s broken that you aren’t willing to throw out and yet maybe struggle to live with? Perhaps there are some relationships that are pretty cracked, but valued. Or maybe there’s an object, like my Bobie’s  cracked vase that I waited years to own. I love it and use it as a planter. I found a vine that sits inside and drapes over the crack. I don’t even notice it when my heart delights at it’s place on my table.

http://www.camiimac.com/good-juju-today-blog/kintsukuroi-more-beautiful-for-having-been-broken

Sometimes it’s easy to see a spot, or a crack, or what is missing in our lives, and feel badly. But sometimes, if we just reframe it, tie-dye it or fill it with gold, we hold it differently and it can become a new and valued treasure.

What was cracked in your life that you were able to MindFULLY  Kintsukuroi?

Let us know!

 

 

 

 

 

Launching Creative Inspiration

10 Monday Apr 2017

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Joyful Pages-coverF[2] copyHave you ever had a really long flight and wanted something to do, or enjoyed sitting in a café watching the people go by and had an idea, or been somewhere that has inspired you and you wanted to capture the essence? One way I have found to bring MindFULL joy to such moments is via Art Journaling. And I’ve been lucky enough to learn from The Master. And now, you can, too.

My funny friend, and walking buddy, also happens to be one of the best art teachers I have ever had. Her name is Judith Cassel-Mamet. And below is an excerpt from our conversation about her new book, Joyful Pages: Adventures in Art Journaling.

For those of you in Denver, the book launch party will be at the Art Student League of Denver on April 15, 2-4pm.  It is open to the public and there will be some art materials to explore, as well as both the books and journal kits available for purchase. A portion of each sale will be donated to the Student Art League of Denver (Where I first met Judith). You can also get her book on Amazon or her web site: www.jcmamet.net

When I retired from teaching at both the high school and university levels I found a new passion  introducing adults to the magic of playing with colors and creative expression. Working in a journal is freeing compared with trying to create a perfect painting or drawing to hang on the wall. Turning the page  becomes the goal rather than creating a single object. With this in mind, I wrote the Joyful Pages book. It is jam-packed with step by step techniques for layering pages with color and textures. There are suggestions for using your own handwriting for recording thoughts and further anchoring moments both magical and mundane. 

 Just after publishing the book I created a companion kit with all the art materials needed to play with the techniques in a decorative box. I found that students wanted to get their hands on the wonderful sprays, inks and crayons demonstrated in the full color illustrations. Having a sample of everything in one place saves time shopping and gathering materials, so the kit has been a delightful addition to the book effort. 

 In so many ways this book (and kit) project fulfills a long held dream to see the instruction that is often given in a workshop tucked into one package. I have been delighted with the feedback from students; one even sent a message saying she brought the book to southern Australia and was reading it on the beach. 

 I am reminded of a phrase about “my gratitude being greater than my expectations” and feel like it describes this cycle for me perfectly.

Wouldn’t you like to have MindFULL gratitude be greater than your expectations? Check out this link for a tutorial and some Joyful inspiration and let us know! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HE_wyusYNRk

MindFULL Upcycle

26 Monday Jan 2015

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drviewIt’s 64 degrees in Denver, which makes us forget it’s January and lulls us into thinking it’s March. With the sun shining in, I feel motivated and a bit utsy. Much to my husband’s chagrin, that means wanting to do a house project. There are a few more big things I’d like to do, but can’t right now. So I have to find small ones.

One of the things I have been keeping an eye out for is a plant stand for my dining room; I’ve been having trouble finding one. After watching too many episodes of Flea Market Flip, I decided to make one. Downstairs, buried under a tarp, was my Bobie’s old nightstand. “Hmmm” I thought.

bstand

The fun part of this project was that it cost less than $10!

At first I was going to wallpaper the piece, but wallpaper is not inexpensive and contact paper looked cheap. So, I went to a paper store and simply bought some beautiful paper ($5.99 a sheet). I also bought a small jar of ModgePodge and a sample size of dark brown paint. The nightstand had already been painted white years ago, so the hard part was behind me.

All I did was decoupage the paper onto the sides and wash with ModgePodge. On the top I crumbled up tissue paper and used the ModgePodge to make a textured top. When it dried, I painted it brown. Viola!

papermpodNow I have a surface to put a live plant in my dining room (good Feng Shui) and all I have to do is to remember to water it.

standWhat have you recently MindFULLY “ up-cycled”? Let us know!

Home

07 Monday Apr 2014

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It’s Spring! Finally. And for me that means I get to sweep off of the winter dust, fluff the pillows on the porch and see what the decorating magazines, Pinterest and Houzz are showing. Let me grab a vodka seltzer, extra lime, and kick back…

Woa! What’s with all the high prices?

Recently, I saw a pillow that I thought was cute. It was $125. Seriously? No way. I am gonna make it. At least that’s what I used to do. Lets see if I still have it in me:

  1. Went to Ikea and bought a pillow cover – $6 (they give their stuff away)
  2. Went to Michaels and bought iron on letters
  3. Cut out a heart from extra iron on border
  4. Ironed it all on!

photo[3] photo[4] photo[5]

OK, MindFULL readers? What do you think?

jinwoolee.ghost.io

Now that Spring has sprung, what MindFULLY creative ideas will you make?

Let us know!

LIghts, Camera, Action

07 Monday Oct 2013

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movie

They say that our darkest hours are our hardest. But, I say, it depends on the dark.

Every so often, I duck out of life and take myself to the movies. I love to sit in the dark, turn off the real world and enter the one on the screen.

“Don’t you feel guilty?” asked a friend who does more in a day then most people do in a week.

“Hell no.”

To me, it’s like dropping the oxygen mask on the airplane and breathing first so I can be alert and calm to do everything that requires my attention. When I feel like I have taken some time for me, I am more patient, creative, inspired and hopeful. In two hours, I can gain perspective, get great decorating and dressing ideas, see another point of view and let my mind settle down. It is an amazing use of my brain. And of my spirit.

Sometimes I see really intense movies and other times I see silly ones. The bottom line is that in this small way, I have control and can do what I WANT to do. I don’t have to talk, compromise or negotiate. And in a life filled with talking, compromising, negotiating, work, volunteering, mommy taxi, wife and friend, it’s worth the price of admission.

So, the next cold rainy day, why not give yourself a “time-out” and allow yourself two hours in the dark. Then, when the real darkness shows up, perhaps you will have some light within to see things and do things you might never have thought of!

How do you MindFULLY drop your oxygen mask? Let us know!

Birds Eye View

24 Monday Dec 2012

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It’s school break and that means lots of house time. Funny what I notice about my house after sitting in the same chair for hours.

Seeing things with a new perspective can help me think that I have created something new, without spending much money.

Take this drink stand I recently purchased. It just sat in the corner of my dining room, til Colette mentioned what a cool bird’s nest it could be when I wasn’t using it. All of a sudden, the shredded paper in the study had a purpose and everywhere we went, I started to notice all kinds of creative birds! I bought a few and am thinking I may be on to a new collection. I’m gonna work on this. nestbirds

Real Simple magazine has published  their New Uses for Old Things: Holiday Edition. http://www.realsimple.com/new-uses-for-old-things/new-uses-holidays . Perhaps there is something in it to inspire you? After all, you never know what “bird brain” ideas will present themselves when you simply look at things with a new eye.

What have you MindFULLY re-used? Let us know!

 

Thinking Inside The Box

17 Monday Dec 2012

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Ya know the old adage, “Hear it three times, pay attention?” Well, last week, three different encounters reminded me of an old ritual I learned years ago: If you have a worry to let go of, dream to manifest or intention to hold, simply write it on a piece of paper and place it in a container of your choosing.

My ritual was born one summer on Cape Cod, when I bought a bowl and took to using it to place all the little sheets of paper that held my worries, dreams and intentions.

prayer bowl

Then last week, I told my friend, Judith, about something that happened to my daughter. She suggested writing it down and keeping a “Mom Box” for all the little hurts I feel leveled at my child, as a way of acknowledging them, but letting them go. Great idea and reminder! Why not choose another box, I thought. So, I chose to use this box as my “Mom Box”,  given to me by my friend Susan, who happens to see the blessing in almost everything. (She also says that wearing a scarf every day pulls your outfit and spirit together – but I digress).

mombox

Then on Facebook or Pinterest (I apologize but I can’t remember who to credit), I saw another container idea. This one said, ” This January, why not start the year with an empty jar and fill it with notes about good things that happen. Then, on next New Years Eve, empty it and see what awesome stuff happened that year!”

Thankful Jar 1[5]

I love all of these ideas, for it takes what’s on your mind or in your heart and puts it out there. That’ s how we “Let Go and Let G-d” as Ellen likes to say.

So this season, no matter the container or theme you choose, may all your scraps of paper find their way to a MindFULL place.

What kind of MindFULL containers can you suggest? Let us know!

Life and Summer’s MindFULL Music

04 Monday Jun 2012

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If there was a song that summed up who you are, or reflected where you are at this point in time, what would it be?

The song for my life thus far would be Carol King’s Tapestry.

I was inspired to think about this after watching my daughter use music to reflect on her 10 years of learning in school thus far. Called a Portfolio Defense, the kids show their work and talk about what they’ve gained, academically and personally.

She set her Defense to a musical soundtrack, and the overarching song was Green Day’s Good Riddance – Time of Your Life (the title makes the song sound negative, but it isn’t. It’s actually very sweet). She chose a different song to reflect each year. Then, when she graduated, the teacher who spoke of her used the same theme and dug deeper into the lyrics from her Life Tracks. He talked of who she was, what she contributed and how music reflected her life and love. It was touching.

That’s what music does. It touches our memory, stirs our present and creates a backdrop of something greater than we are.

I try and make a cd of new music for every season. I look to friends, movies, magazine lists and iTune trials for inspiration. In the March issue of Vanity Fair (www.vanityfair.com)  they list several movies and songs from their soundtracks. I thought I’d share a few that sounded good to me:

New York New York   Carey Mulligan

My Week With Marilyn Soundtrack

Memories Are Made of This   Dean Martin

We Bought  A Zoo Soundtrack

The Help Soundtrack

Pusher Man   Curtis Mayfield

Check out the issue. There are so many more they list. Maybe you’ll find something that you speaks to you. Then turn up the volume on your life and Let The Good Times Roll!

What songs will you compile to set a MindFULL Summer playlist? Let us know!

MindFULL Memorial Day

28 Monday May 2012

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Today’s MindFULL Monday is also Memorial Day. I love Memorial Day. It’s a day to consciously remember people  – some have sacrificed for our country and others are simply wonderful people I have had the honor of meeting along the way.

Thoughts of these folks float across my mind, as this long weekend has us doing things around the house. Some house projects are actually meditative for me. Like spackling the patio and laying broken pieces of pottery and tile between the pavers to add color and whimsy to our back yard. All it takes it a little Quickrete and a lot of patience.

As my daughter moves toward a new chapter, I chose to take a plate she had made years ago and integrate it into the patio design. This way the chapter will always be present as we cross the patio to head out to new frontiers.

Our friends have a twist on this story. I love their kitchen chandelier – it has pieces of collected rocks, family jewelry and colorful stones woven into the fixture. Their memories literally hang over them all the time.

Some memories are like that. We take them and over years, re-set them.

To all in my memory today, I say, “Thank You.”  The pieces of knowing you set between my mental pavers have helped make for a colorful and textured landscape. And to those who are no longer with us, you are will always be set in stone.

 What MindFULL memories can you re-set on this special day? Let us know!