Creative Life Midwife

Inspiring Artistic Rebirth

How Revisiting Your Old Blogs, Journals and Social Media Post Leads to a Happier Life

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Today’s a-ha roared toward me like a soft scratching on the front door from a long lost pet who found her way home.

I was re-reading a blog post from last January where I wrote:

Why do I have to go so deep with so many things? Why do I take a submarine dive into a simple prompt?

New version: What’s up with me choosing to go so deep with my new discoveries?

Another question I asked on the original blog post:

Why am I compelled to feel so deeply? Why aren’t toe dips in the shallow end enough for me?

What is the gift (are the gifts) in deep feelings? What is the benefit of not being like others, who are perfectly content in shallow feelings?

I have done a lot of personal development work as a part of not only my life work as a creative life coach and even so – I hit mindset roadblocks of limited beliefs on a regular basis.

Working on rewriting my narrative is a standard part of my life.

These questions from “before” – a year ago – illustrate how I was assessing my basic ways of being as somehow wrong. I have been known to call that “wrongifying myself.”

The new versions are aimed at recognizing the strength within me rather than the “what’s wrong”. This reminds me of the ee cummings quote, “It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.”

At my core, I am a deep thinking, intensely passionate person. Toe dips in shallow water don’t appeal to me. One way I have changed is this: I have gotten more patient or understanding (and at times I may say compassionate) with those who find their deepest satisfaction playing in the shallow water only.

Shallow water lovers are creating the life they are meant to live being their most real selves.

My most real self loves pushing myself into new adventures. My most real self is going to dive into these new questions and see what flows.

Question for integration: Review your blog posts, journals and social media pages to see what you were experiencing or creating a year ago.

How have you changed?

What are you inspired to create now as a response?

To see last year’s blog post, visit here:

END THE DOWNWARD SELF TALK SPIRAL: FROM LAMENT TO SELF LOVEhttp://creativelifemidwife.com/2019/01/

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I Gave it All Up Until…..

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Artists often give up at some point due to fear. The image inspires the rebirth to those who may be ready for what is better for them: art again.

I was in a theatre time capsule from the time I was eleven-years-old until I was forty-two-years-old. My children were involved in theatre. I happily played the role of “Theatre Mom” until I took an acting class by accident (I wanted a singing class) when all of a sudden my eleven-year-old self woke up and I found myself auditioning and being cast in my first community theater event ever.

At first I did shows constantly. I was cast in nearly everything I auditioned to be in. When I wasn’t on stage, I was on the tech grew, learning and growing constantly.

Life got busier and I didn’t do as much anymore even though I was still immersed in the local theater world. Over time I slowly – unnoticed- found myself feeling sadder and sadder and didn’t feel compelled to take the risk of auditioning anymore.

I got turned down one too many consecutive times. The time when I agreed to do a show I hit obstacles in my personal life and it wasn’t fun anymore. I gave it up, again.

Even though I am feeling better now than I have in years, insecurity rises when I think of auditioning. The familiar bully named FEAR joins the chorus. Once again I turn away from one of my great loves: the stage.

Birds don't question their abilities, but they sing anyway. This yellow bird shows us that. Why do we assume we aren't any good?

I have been reading Rachel Hollis’ book, “Girl, Stop Apologizing” before I go to sleep at night. In it, she talks about the power of “What if” questions. Now in my notebook there is an ongoing list of “What if” questions to use as prompts. Here are three I am working from as a result of my theatre conundrum:

What if I am not as good as I think I am?

What if I am better than I think I am?

What will I risk losing if I don’t try again?

These are not only for me. Use these writing prompts to guide you in the choices you make. Use them for meditation, for art, for contemplation as you exercise.

Share them with friends in your next conversation.

There are a lot of people out there who forget their gifts. Let’s reach out to them now, starting with yourself.

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Writing with Pen & Paper Vs Computer: Friend, Foe or Collaborators?

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The debate for writers: do we use computers or do we use paper and pen? Image of keyboard and hands notebook and phone to the side.

This is a question people ask me regularly: “Do you write with a pen (or pencil) and paper or do you write using your computer?”

My response: “Both”

The follow up question is often, “Do you do one sort of writing on the computer and another kind in your notebook?”

My response, “Not necessarily. And sometimes I write on my phone.”

This tends to frustrate people who want “the one pure secret to how to create a lot of content really fast”. If they were honest, they wouldl admit to the underlying desire being “because I want to make a lot of money and quit my day job.”

I’m not calling this a bad thing, I appreciate the ambition for abundance. The problem is, writing well isn’t always an exact recipe. I know lots of copywriters will tell you different. Copywriters may have an exact recipe for sales letters and they may have products to teach you how to write blog posts without ever writing.

If you want to write and you would like to write well and you would like to know about different ways of getting to a positive end result, please continue reading.

Generally, I approach writing projects like this:

I prefer to keep an old fashioned spiral notebook or composition book for my daily writing practice, which I usually do in the early morning. Most recently I’ve written three pages in the morning with the first page being standard brain dumping, simple free flow writing. The second page is a 21 item list of “What I did yesterday” – an inverse to-do list, “This is what I actually did.” with no basis in good, bad or indifferent. Just the facts.

Depending on the size of your notebook, these 21 lines may take up almost a complete page.

I finish that page with commentary on the list or more free writing.

The third page is whatever I need it to be. Sometimes I pre-write quotes or questions at the top of the page. Sometimes I write my word of the year or theme of the month on the page. Sometimes I will write something that is bothering me at the top of the page so that I may work through it.

I always end with at least six lines of gratitude because this insures my end on an up note.

This way my morning writing serves me to learn about patterns in my life (What did I do? What did I do I may write about? What is troubling me? What is inspiring me? Who are the people I am investing time in and what are the projects I’m ignoring?

All of this is done the old fashioned way: pencil or pen to blue lined spiral notebook or composition book paper. Brene Brown reminds us “The way to move information from your head to your heart is through your hands.”

Yes, this may include tapping on your computer keyboard or into your phone, but the pace of the notebook is slower. It connects you to your history and to the history of others in your life.

If there is information in your notebook to use in future writing (including something like this) the words and understanding will be deepened by re-reading what you wrote by hand and adding it into a computer document.

I encourage you to try writing differently from time-to-time. Don’t get too stuck in the idea there is a right way and there is a wrong way.

Instead, playfully experiment with different ways.

There is no wrong way to do this – there is simply and purely writing – and the love for expressing yourself and perhaps for other audiences as well.

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Create a Remarkable Life: Celebrate Your “Small” Wins (because truly no win is small.)

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Building blocks make their way to success.

 It is mid-January: do you know where your goals are?

A bit over a week ago many of us boldly spoke proclamations about what we aimed to achieve in this momentous first year of a brand new decade!

You may be one of those people who rolled your eyes at others enthusiasm and lamented “What’s the point?”

It may be because I nearly died in October, but I took a different approach this year and it is working brilliantly. I created three goals for the New Year that aren’t grand and glorious, they aren’t outrageous or audacious. These goals and projects are tiny goals I approach daily as if they were brand new.

Let’s look at one of those goals and see how you may use it to craft a small, daily goal for yourself.

Daily Goal: Write a haiku in the morning to post on social media based on a morning photo I take.

Here’s how I have been creating this daily for the past twenty days.

  1. Be ready to take a photo daily, whether or not there is something inspiring or even pretty to take a photo. It may not be at all interesting.  Take a photo anyway.
  2. Throw words and syllables (I call them units of sound) together without worrying about whether or not they are any good – at this point this is more about creating a ‘word pool” to choose words from to sculpt your short poem. Play around with different variations to discover  what thoughts might make sense and also fit into the famous 5-7-5 haiku guidelines. By the way, haikus are very short poems. They are of Japanese origin and in English are commonly seen as three lined poems with the first and third lines having five syllables and the middle line having seven syllables.
  3. Become more comfortable thinking there is nothing to say.
  4. Some days you will take lots of photos to find one I find remotely good enough. Other days you will take only one.  A fringe benefit to the daily nature of this goal is it is naturally a great healer of perfectionism. It teaches you to say “Yes. This will do.” I have been pleasantly surprised by photos and poems that did nothing for me yet somehow magically spoke to someone who found it on my social media feed.
  5. Don’t worry if people “see” you out and about taking photos of unusual or not often photographed things. Today I bumped into a gentleman who was headed into a museum to do volunteer work. He asked if I was also a volunteer, because he didn’t seem to understand why I would be taking a photo of a wall. I asked about his volunteer gig. I like to think I brightened his day. He didn’t ask about my photo and I didn’t share, I focused on him. People love being seen and heard. Brightening other people’s days is a bonus from this goal on many levels.
  6. Offer myself grace if I don’t post my photos and poems in the morning.
  7. Do a happy dance when I write a haiku and/or take a photo I really like.
  8. Embrace revision as a part of the process. Note to self: Share that process! It gives others permission to “not get it right the first time.”
  9. Give yourself milestones along the way to bigger milestones. Celebrate EACH day for the success you have created that day.
  10. This is my recipe for small goal leading to remarkable life success. You may choose to follow it, modify it, ignore it or even laugh at it. As Louisa May Alcott said, “Let my name stand among those who are willing to bear ridicule and reproach for the truth’s sake, and so earn some right to rejoice when the victory is won.”
  11. Be prepared to be satisfied and surprised with what comes as a result. You’re allowed and encouraged to brag but as with everything else, there are no requirements – simply lots of love.

Final food for thought: New Years is not the only time to create new goals and vision for yourself. I actually start my own new year on my birthday. This year I am doing my weekly goal checks and planning on Wednesdays because Mondays tend to be hectic plus people complain about Mondays. When they talk about Wednesdays, they’re usually talking about happy activities.

What will your first or next small, do-able, fresh new goal be?

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Time Out for Yourself

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It isn’t even 8 pm this evening and the way I am feeling right now,  I could very happily climb under the covers and fall asleep for the night.

It has been a busy couple of days AND I feel like I ought to be focused on “important” things. “Just one more task,” I tell myself. “Just one more action…”

I came home a bit ago and put on sweats and an old comfy hoodie and started to do some of the “important” things when I realized, “I don’t have to do anymore. I have stretched myself and if I want to climb into bed and read a novel for an hour and go to sleep, it doesn’t make me any less of a person.”

If I lie down with a novel and read, I am one who honors what I’ve gotten accomplished and will trust myself to wake up more refreshed and ready to take on tomorrow.

While this doesn’t sound heroic, the precedent I am setting for myself is, I believe, a good one.

I just flashed on myself in the hospital bed in ICU three months ago.

Did I find fault with myself then?

There is no need to find fault with myself now.

May your evening (or morning or afternoon) be blessed. May you give yourself to rest when you feel the desire and need to rest.

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How Living Questions of Transformation Allows Your Life to Expand Positively

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Transformation questions bring personal growth to the forefront. Bringing light into your life creates a new way of seeing, connecting and acting.
Using daily questions through creative processes will shift your mindset and your actions.

Transformation questions are both life-changing in a heart sense as well as exceptionally productive.  The power inherent in living questions first arose when I was introduced to Rainer Rilke’s quote in “Letters to a Young Poet”:

“Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now.”

The questions I am posing in this series may be used in many ways to create a more satisfying, meaningful life. When you live these questions, you consciously turn the questions into a transformative process. For you, that may mean journaling – either written or art journaling. It may be asking the questions before exercise or meditation.

Spreading gratitude for the light you attract through living transformation questions brings light to others.
Gratitude: one of the highest forms of energy, will make your light shine even brighter. Connecting through writing, creativity and discussion helps, too.

Some people begin by using the questions to open a conversation, to reflect on one’s past, present and future as well as create new solutions in their families, work lives and passion projects.

These questions will allow you to reflect, connect and direct you into a course of passionate action.

Your first question:

What if I claimed my light, fresh and new, every day?

Follow up questions include:

What if I held my light, shared it, and spread glittery gratitude for it through my attitude and action?

What if I playfully experimented with this idea today and in the future?

What if I lived this question with passionate detachment and love?

I look forward to hearing your first responses in the comments as well as follow up – because when you live these questions, they will begin to live within you. They will transform your responses and shape the actions you take to be increasingly light-based.

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Listen: Books & Their Writers & Mystery May Be Calling You…

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Visual definition of synchronicity: bird, feathers, and ice

Have you ever had an experience where you heard about something new and all of sudden that “something new” was everywhere you looked? Maybe you had simply amplified your awareness or maybe there were other reasons, but nonetheless, let’s take a look at these happenings.

It happened to me this weekend.

I discovered a book on my dining room table, left there by me who knows when. The dining room has become something of an archeological site. We don’t use it much these days.

The book almost got tossed because it reminded me of books using pottery as a metaphor that was outdated in my experience. I almost donated it, but the title called to me.

“Centering” I thought. It felt simultaneously comforting and expansive.

Today, in my email was Maria Popova’s “Brainpickings.” This is one of my favorite ezines, filled with writers whose work I enjoy and every time I read it, I gain new insights into life. Oftentimes I find new work from familiar voices. Today, I heard synchronicity, which Carl Jung named as a concept developed by psychologist Carl Jung to describe a perceived meaningful coincidence. Some might sneer at there being any meaning in such coincidence, but I think differently.

Here’s what I read:

“Centering is a verb. It is an ongoing process.” Words from Mary Catherine Richardson, the author of the book I almost threw out. Synchronicity. Another way of the divine remaining anonymous with an insistent knock.

close up of women's face, with art in front of it, illustrates the mystical tone of centering.

“Centering, a verb – like healing – an ongoing process,” I thought.

Richardson continued: “Centering is not a model, but a way of balancing, a spiritual resource in times of conflict, an imagination. It seems in certain lights to be an alchemical vessel, a retort, which bears an integration of purposes, an integration of levels of consciousness. It can be called to, like a divine ear.”

I lifted my eyes, I had read enough. I don’t need to know more now. That time will be here before I know it. “I don’t need to overfill my mind immediately,” I thought, “I need to honor my learning process and take time to weave it together.”

Yesterday at book club one of the members mentioned the book by Rachel Hollis, “Girl, Stop Apologizing.” I almost poo-pooed it the book right away, except I knew Hollis was successful and even though I am much older than her, I still aim for similar success.I even have the audacity to be optimistic: I may reach much higher levels of success than I now experience.

Stacks of books on a curved shelf from the library

Today when I checked my Libby library app hoping my short term “Dare to Lead” audio book by Brene Brown was still there. It wasn’t. Who do you think was smiling at me from the face of my Libby library app?

There she was, Rachel Hollis, on the cover of her best selling book “Girl, Stop Apologizing” which was available in ebook form.

Synchronicity, again: I checked it out. When I first started reading I thought, “Oh, this writing style is grating and I am clearly not her target audience I don’t know how….” and then a phrase leaped out at me.

A basket with the 1962 publication "Centering" and an ebook of "Girl, Stop Apologizing" together.

And another. And I thought, “What if I read “Girl, Stop Apologizing” and “Centering” side by side? they both have optimistic, forward thinking, empowering messages – they are simply told by writers decades apart. I am right in the middle of that spread so why not try it? What if it made both experiences better?”

What will it hurt to try? What if I enjoy it and gain more than I imagined that I may pass on to my readers?

“Centering” and “Girl, Stop Apologizing”: a side-by-side, mindful exploration of what the content is speaking at the core of two women writing to the core of one woman reading.

I’m doing it.

What book(s) are you reading or thinking of reading? Do you have a reading goal this year?

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How to Ignite Your Journaling or Daily Writing Easily to End Journal Burnout

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Are you interested in revitalizing your journaling or daily writing practice?

Three months ago I made a change in my writing practice routine and it has made a huge difference for me. Considering I literally lost one of the last three months because I almost died from sepsis, this is even more remarkable.

As the new year begins, I am even more excited to bring the message of reawakening, restoring and being fully alive into the world.

Ready to try it? Watch this simple 4 minute video  and read below to see some of the nitty gritty “how to” in the “What I did yesterday” sequence.

What did I do yesterday?

  1. Tried to go to Open Mic at Dagny’s
  2. Took a shopping cart photo  and wrote my morning haiku
  3. Enjoyed breakfast at Denny’s with Parker.
  4. Drank coffee
  5. Made Samuel his favorite meal
  6. Listened to “Dare to Lead” by Brene Brown as I drove around
  7. Wrote a blog post
  8. Went on an adventure at the river bread (delivered sheer joy and a bunch of content.)
  9. Decided not to do laundry

This is about when I start to lose steam, so I continue my numbering and go back and fill in as things pop into my head. Things can be simple – ridiculously simple like “Wore my black thrifted sweater I love so much.” Or “responded to an email”.

Even if you can’t come up with twenty “things I did” yesterday, simply starting this practice will help you to notice more as you experience life that you may take into your journaling as well as into other types of writing.

You may even make it into a game to think how much fun you are able to create in one day!

Tomorrow I will share 21 easy ways to make your day more “write-about-able”.

Come back to explore with me further as you not only revitalize your journaling, you may find yourself revitalizing your entire life!

Julie JordanScott, the Creative Life Midwife, has found herself revitalized after a near-death experience in October. She is more than ready and able now to take you to a richer, deeper, more passionately alive life experience. Join her free facebook group for writers – the Word Love Writing Community – now to become a better, more consistent writer.

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She didn’t simply come back to life, she came back to being fully alive.

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While texting is convenient and as much a part of our lives these days as breathing, lately I have found myself “forgetting” my phone at home when I go out.

This wasn’t the case when I was texting my friend Parker the other day. He was bordering on lecturing me via text, at least that is how it appeared to me from my screen. He thought I was roaming about in unsafe zones near my home where unsavory people might venture in the early morning.

 I declared this in my text response “I refuse to be afraid. I’ve been afraid for too long when I stopped doing what I love to do most. If I die, I die. Not a big deal. We’ve had the dress rehearsal already. I won’t live by being afraid, I would be dead-while-alive. I won’t have it anymore.”

He thinks I am having some sort of post-near-death experience break down but actually, I am having a post-near-death experience breakthrough, one day at a time.

Alongside the Kern River as it runs through Bakersfield, new trees have sprouted in the last few years.

This morning I was walking alongside the Kern River in the same space where I went when I lost my brother. I went there before to howl with – and befriend coyotes with my friend Coryn. It was the place I found the courage to love the darkness. Today it was barely light as I took photos in newly minted day. No one else was around.

It is much less quiet these days: a new freeway buzzes over it to the east and from the last couple rainy years new, spindly trees have remarkably taken root. I am not sure if there are as many kit foxes and coyotes as there once were.

I didn’t spend much time there this morning, but each moment was precious. The top of my lungs felt tender and achy as they do when I overextend myself. That’s simply a component of healing and one I am more comfortable with – and can’t solve until my next pulmonology appointment.

This park is part of the Kern River Parkway - a lovely bike path experience stretches wide across the town - and makes getting from CSUB to Oildale and Bakersfield remarkably quick!

I laughed to myself because there was no one else there to hear. How marvelous to be this alone in such rich, poignant solitude.

Mary Oliver sprang to mind. She would know this feeling. Her words whisper-shout

“I want to think again of dangerous and noble things.
I want to be light and frolicsome.
I want to be improbable, beautiful and afraid of nothing,
as though I had wings.”

She has been ever present in my mind as we are coming up on the anniversary of her death. What an honor to hold onto her words.

I looked into the sun, rising up above the trees and imagined wings sprouting from my back.

This is what it feels like to be alive in the early morning.

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See Light & Love and Self Compassion Now (plus bonus writing prompts)

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“If the house of the world is dark, love will find a way to create windows.”

Rumi

This afternoon I found myself with some free time so I decided to visit a local bookstore. I was listening to Brene Brown’s “Dare to Lead” in audiobook form and decided I wanted to read certain sections in addition to the audio. Her books have so much deep material so close together, I was concerned I might get overwhelmed with material unless I paused to take notes.

I decided I wanted to visit the poetry section of the bookstore. My heart wanted me to thumb through a poetry book as well because I knew “Dare to Lead” was intense. Poetry might give me space to integrate what Brene Brown had to teach amidst all the note taking and all the new-to-me-thoughts and lingo.

I saw a Coleman Barks translation of Rumi, the mystical sufi poet I have long loved, and I said. “Oh, a new Rumi compilation?”

I was shocked to see the publication was 2014. Six years ago.

“I have not sought after Rumi in six years?” I stood in the bookstore shaking my head, scoffing at myself for this gap in time. “Where has my heart been?”

My theme for January is “Window” (primarily the metaphor) and the first quote/prompt I am exploring is from Rumi – which is certainly not an accident. Windows invite light into the room. Windows allow us to see outside our space of “protection”. Windows allow us to plan and hold a vision and see possibilities we couldn’t see without them.

Throughout January, I will be exploring a variety of themes about “windows”. For the next few days, the prompts I will be use include:

How do I (and/or will I) create windows in my life, community and family? 

What am I willing to do to keep windows wide open to my goals, vision and opportunities as we start this new year?

I am devoted to be compassionate towards myself – and trust this will open windows of love and more opportunities to read Rumi throughout the days to come. The key is to remember what you love – and don’t let circumstances or other people come between you. Ever.

My next quotes and prompts will include wisdom from Edith Wharton, Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, Christina Rosetti and Marcus Aurelius. I hope you will gain value from the discoveries you make here.

How will you bring light and love into your vision and goals this year?

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