Creative Life Midwife

Inspiring Artistic Rebirth

On Sundays, We Plan the Week Ahead

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It is basic and also easy to overlook: life works better even with the most basic plan.

Planning Basics: Even with a Hectic, Unpredictable Schedule basic planning is grounding and illuminating.

As a creative who is also busily caretaking, it would be easy to toss away any idea of planning and just “go with the flow” or as it often devolves into “go with the chaos” or whatever is the best of the worst possibilities.

This is not inspiring in the least.

This is why it is better to at least have the minimum amount of a plan before your week begins.

Calendar + Appointments + Tasks “To Do” + Practices = Better

On Sunday afternoon, evening or early Monday morning, be sure to gather your calendar, a list of your projects, classes, and to-do’s you are aware of as your week kicks off.

Fill in your calendar with what you know for now. Include any family or friend activities you are expected to attend. If you are unsure what other people’s expectations are for you, now is the time to ask and set the boundaries that fit.

Once those times are filled in, it is time to do some intentional breathing and take time in free flow, meditative writing or journaling to see if there is anything deserving space that has not yet appeared in your plan.

Journal or Free Flow Write to Double Check” and Allow the Unspoken within You Speak

Here’s a reality we often deny or pretend away: within our busy minds racing to get things done, we ignore the wisest part of ourselves. The quiet whispers, the tugs on our intuition, the nudges that are encouraging you to go in a possible different direction.

As you consider the blocks of time filled with appointments, daily basic care activities (hygiene, meal prep, spiritual practice, exercise), tasks and to-do’s, take a moment to journal or free flow write using this question and the sentence starter to tune into those most important aspects of your plan you may have not paid any attention to (yet.)

Revise your plan: It is a leaping off point, not a concrete wall.

One of the ways people resist planning or decide not to plan is based in perfectionism or “all or nothing” thinking. Can you relate to either of those?

Starting Next Week: Suggestions, Coaching & Response to Your Questions

Do you have any questions about how to plan, best practices for planning, planning mindsets or advice around planning? I will incorporate these in upcoming blog posts.

Please comment below or send me an email at juliejordanscott at gmail.comVideo Exploring Trust (which may have kept you from planning in the past.)

Optional Video Exploration/Writing Exercise on TRUST

A blast from the past (2017) a prompt for you to write with – videos will be shared at the end of each blog and are optional for you to use (or not) as a means for you to be inspired to write more or differently or better. This particular theme of TRUST is essential to grow as a writers and leaders.

Julie JordanScott is a Creative Life Coach, an award-winning storyteller, actor and poet whose photos and mixed media art graces the walls of collectors across the United States. Her writing has appeared on the New York Times Best Sellers List, the Amazon best sellers list and on American Greetings Holiday cards (and other greeting cards). She currently lives in a manse in Sussex, NJ, where she is working on finishing her most recent book project, hugging trees daily and enjoys having random inspirational conversations with strangers.

Follow on Instagram to Watch IGTV exclusive videos, stories and posts about writing and the creative process.

Let our Words Flow Writing Community: the only one missing is you! Join us in the Private Writing Group by clicking here.

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Let’s Get Creative: Write, Journal, Doodle, Jot about Freedom

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This is the weekend we are celebrating freedom in the United States. To ignore our country’s current struggles on this holiday working feels unauthentic – so instead, I invite you to consider how you recognize freedom in your everyday life before making something inspired by freedom.

Use creativity to explore how you have or would like to experience freedom

Open a new document or get our your journal and begin with the sentence starters in the image. Write for at least five minutes freely, stream-of-consciousness style. You may want to get your juices flowing by beginning with a comment below before you leave.

  • Freedom feels like
  • Freedom is….
  • Freedom tastes like
  • Freedom looks like
  • I know freedom when….
  • I am grateful for freedom because…
  • I would describe freedom to an alien by saying….
  • Freedom sounds like
  • Freedom smells like

To further spark your writing and creativity

To further spark your writing, watch this video and use it as a prompt in addition or instead of the freedom prompt.

Please begin your response to the prompts that are offered here in the comments. I would love to hear from you!

Julie JordanScott is a Creative Life Coach, an award-winning storyteller, actor and poet whose photos and mixed media art graces the walls of collectors across the United States. Her writing has appeared on the New York Times Best Sellers List, the Amazon best sellers list and on American Greetings Holiday cards (and other greeting cards). She currently lives in a manse in Sussex, NJ, where she is working on finishing her most recent book project, hugging trees daily and enjoys having random inspirational conversations with strangers.

Follow on Instagram to Watch IGTV exclusive videos, stories and posts about writing and the creative process.

Let our Words Flow Writing Community: the only one missing is you! Join us in the Private Writing Group by clicking here.

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July: 2022 Begin Again”The Best is Yet to Be”

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I am a relentless optimist, usually. Today as we begin a new month, I am reclaiming my Optimistic Hat as will many of us in the community of bloggers in the Ultimate Blog Challenge.

Ultimate Blog Challenge banner for Fridays which will be recaps and refreshers. Today is all about goals: being and doing goals, intentions and writing goals.

Recap: The Year that Wasn’t

I had some ambitious yet also not too outrageous goals when 2022 started.

Unfortunately, my brother’s death with less than two weeks left to go in 2021 helped start everything off in a rather dark way. Two family deaths in a short time was nearly unbearable.

I didn’t factor in grief as well as the health failures of another family member in which were healing after I left California in February and came to a climax in March – when I returned for three weeks and then in May, when I returned for final stages of that healing only to find his health had slidden beyond the place where it had started getting bad.

It had become a crisis so I had to give up my sabbatical on the east coast for a time not just for standard caregiving but for crisis caregiving. 

Somehow the past me knew I would be best off by setting goals differently this year.

Refresh Intention: Goals of Being + Goals of Doing

CS Lewis Quote: There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind." Relax about the year so far and settle into what is next.

Goals of Being are more like the Miss Congeniality winner intentions and goals: engaging, kind but not threatening – more like the one who builds up others confidence rather than setting the bar too high for the average person.

Goals and intentions of doing focus on accomplishments, achievements, tangible, measurable tasks and the like.

I revisited my goals for the year and was thrilled when I realized my crowning glory was in the goals and intentions of being. Here are some examples:

I am consistently 

  • Enjoy the process, whatever the process becomes
  • Be present to what is rather than what was or what is to be in the future.
  • Create small, daily goals and move forward with love toward a desired result
  • Practice clear, soulful communication
  • Do a daily self-belonging check in as a part of my work-prep session (since I have been caregiving and not business building, my work is showing tender loving care to my family member and others providing health care and service to my family member.
  • Playful experimentation and practicing passionate detachment about the results: I continue to write and do writing and creative experiments even while not working on building my business. This is as close to “doing” as these goals are!

Looking into July, I will be returning to my original 2022 goals and updating them on my Friday weekly recap posts here. My hope is I encourage you as well to look at your own goals and intentions as I do – with authenticity, courage and hope.

Caregiving, Grieving and the Creative Life

My professional life work includes creative life coaching, facilitating personal growth programs, classes, courses and workshops. My caregiving life this year has included several members of my family. Health, Grief, Aging, Support.

It is very difficult to schedule classes, clients, speaking engagements and live streams or set goals and intentions around this while grieving or caring for loved ones. I can barely schedule one hour ahead, much less a few weeks or months ahead.

Since April 2021 I have both grieved and taken care of others, simultaneously.

During these months I have continued to be active creatively: I’ve written a short play (it was produced in May and I was able to see it while I was in Bakersfield), I have been in a play in a new community. I have written many blog posts, poetry, completed a 377 daily challenge and while in New Jersey my primary task was working on the completion of several book projects while rebuilding my business. I have participated in other blog challenges and I hope to complete this one.

Since mid-May until now, in early July, the caregiving has taken over all other activities except for writing and creative practices in the early morning moments and late night moments. Most of the time, that is.

I don’t know if I could even attempt the Ultimate Blog Challenge without this continued attention to creativity. I am so grateful for the people who will visit in July and comment, share my work and get to know me better or get reacquainted. 

I’m grateful to celebrate with you in all your best hopes, goals and intentions.

I have come to value friendships on an even higher plane since my father died and the many tumultuous chapters since then. You may have helped me and didn’t even know it. For this and other things, I am grateful you are here, reading.

Julie JordanScott is a Creative Life Coach, an award-winning storyteller, actor and poet whose photos and mixed media art graces the walls of collectors across the United States. Her writing has appeared on the New York Times Best Sellers List, the Amazon best sellers list and on American Greetings Holiday cards (and other greeting cards). She currently lives in a manse in Sussex, NJ, where she is working on finishing her most recent book project, hugging trees daily and enjoys having random inspirational conversations with strangers.

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Another April: To Become Whatever It Will Be

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This is me: March, 2022

It is April Eve and again, I am valiantly sitting at the keyboard to write. I pledge right now to do my best to publish a blog post daily in this, the most historically deadly month of my life. April.

I have spent the better part of the last half hour dissecting blog posts from April, 2007 here I captured early grief after my brother, John’s death on April 2 of that year.

I captured a poem my then nine-year-old daughter wrote, a phone call from my mother, an email from my father.

This is why I write, why I blog, why I share what feels painful and what feels joyful and even, on occasion, what is downright boring because all of it is the bold and valiant proclamation, “I am alive, still.”

It is April, another good month to be alive: quote on pen and paper, and a dyed book page.

I cannot say exactly what I will create this month, I will only say that I will create this month. Here is a snippet of the poem I wrote just now, a draft, a poem-in-the-making. Love letter of sorts to life, to grief, to experience. To continuing in April.

It is April Eve. My heart and I, we

are fluttering. We are flailing. We

are openly and willfully gripping the 

sides of the armchair, praying – begging –

to see this through to the end.

Whatever this this may be.

I so wanted this poem to have a happy ending.

I wrote this poem to feel less dead inside, to begin and not end.

No ending, no beginning. Wait.

Wait.

Who said that  only infinite thing?

Fellini, it was. And I hear myself exhale a quiet laugh not laughter

Maybe a lau – breath – gh- breath.

I cry into the palms of my hands and feel the chilled fingers

reach across my lined forehead.

What is a happier ending than to still being able

to put letters on a page, like a five-year-old-me 

scrawled cursive lower case e’s before I knew how language 

worked, I simply knew language was. It existed. I existed. Together.

We would create. This. And That. Something.

Badly, better, happier, boring, worst, best, eeeeeeeee

looping carefully in pencil across blue lines 

Eeeeeee as I sat, deeply focused in the country

squire before I was

Banished to the way back

I never knew

someday a much older version of me

would create a magic circle to honor

my brother and give a gift to my father and my 

mother no one else could give?

It is April Eve. My heart and I, we

are fluttering. We are looping through another

April. We are alive. We are still writing

things down. If I am still alive in fifteen 

years I can recall the things I will have 

Inevitably forgotten this.

===

I hope we will connect meaningfully this month.

Julie JordanScott is a Creative Life Coach, an award-winning storyteller, actor and poet whose photos and mixed media art graces the walls of collectors across the United States. Her writing has appeared on the New York Times Best Sellers List, the Amazon best sellers list and on American Greetings Holiday cards (and other greeting cards). She currently lives in a manse in Sussex, NJ, where she is working on finishing her most recent book project, hugging trees daily and enjoys having random inspirational conversations with strangers.

Follow on Instagram to Watch IGTV exclusive videos, stories and posts about writing and the creative process.

Let our Words Flow Writing Community: the only one missing is you! Join us in the Private Writing Group by clicking here.

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Inspirational Writing, Meditation & Poetry is Right Here & Out Beyond

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A Call to Love Yourself & Others

Sometimes it feels like “Self-Love” is overdone just like sometimes “Self-Care” often falls into a shallow trap of massages and manicures.

Beyond those limiting experiences, there is a depth of beauty you and I may not know yet.

This series “Out Beyond” will blend the richness of poetry, the mindfulness of meditation and the expression of writing and visual art to respond to the ever important call to love others… as yourself.

How often do we forget that this most important guidance not only calls us to love others, we also need to have a true respect and honoring for ourselves before we can understand and apply that same knowing of love for others.

Compassion: Beyond Others and Into Self

“Remember to give yourself grace,” I said yesterday to someone I am working with to have a more satisfying life experience while also living with a chronic illness.

I might as well have been holding up a mirror to my face.

How often do I offer myself undue favor, kindess and offer an outstretched hand of understanding before I leap into negative talk toward myself I would never say to others.

In “Out Beyond” we will explore compassion, too.

Forgiveness: Look Both Outward and Inward, to Self

It is not unusual for people to be great at forgiving others and not so good at forgiving themselves.

I will raise my hand and say “ME!” here because it is something I have been actively working on for quite a while. I recognize how valuable and necessary self-forgiveness and other-forgiveness are during this time of explosive separation, let’s step peacefully into increased forgiveness starting with ourselves.

This experience will take place here, at the Creative Life Midwife, and will writing exercises, videos, inspirational quotes and two five-day writing explorations with prompts and the option to practice and apply what you’re learning through the poetry and meditations.

Rumi wrote, “Out beyond the field of wrongdoing and rightdoing there is a field. I will meet you there.” A field of love, compassion and forgiveness will welcome you to explore, discover and add to your creative life in ways you may not even fathom yet.

I look forward to seeing you “Out Beyond” beginning on February 15, 2022

Julie JordanScott is a Creative Life Coach, an award-winning storyteller, actor and poet whose photos and mixed media art graces the walls of collectors across the United States. Her writing has appeared on the New York Times Best Sellers List, the Amazon best sellers list and on American Greetings Holiday cards (and other greeting cards). She currently lives in a manse in Sussex, NJ, where she is working on finishing her most recent book project, hugging trees daily and enjoys having random inspirational conversations with strangers.

Follow on Instagram to Watch IGTV exclusive videos, stories and posts about writing and the creative process.

Let our Words Flow Writing Community: the only one missing is you! Join us in the Private Writing Group by clicking here.

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Lights, Camera, Create Live Content (and have fun doing it!)

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A video or film set: livestreaming isn't this fancy and it has the same energy. The text says Light, Camera. Create Content!

Yesterday I started a live-streaming challenge along with several of my friends from the PeriGirls – a group of women who were pioneers in livestreaming who started going live way back in 2015. When our favorite livestreaming app disappeared, many of us lost the vigor to continue.

One of our members decided she wanted to get her groove back and recognized how much more fun it is to do when there are others out there doing it, too so here I am, livestreaming every day in January.

Beyond the Plan there is…. Action (even if afraid)

I have a plan, I know where I am broadcasting when. I am experienced. I have nothing to be frightened of and yet.

I have to tap that darned red button and go live. Every day. Whether I feel like it or not.

What is good about a challenge like this?

  1. If you are doing it with friends, you are more likely to get it done.
  2. You feel less pain as you rip off the mask of perfectionism because some days you are guaranteed to suck. Or be less great than usual. Or at least I am, maybe some of my cohort are always fabulous. Live-streaming is a great way to cure perfectionism, especially if you stick with it after you’ve fallen flat a couple times.
  3. You remember how to do “old things” more than you know. In case you haven’t ridden a bicycle in a long time, your knees may hurt and you may wobble at first, but it does get easier.

In case you are curious, I am live-streaming about writing, blogging, books and poetry… and people who write and read and lead passionately creative lives.

I would love your support when I live-stream

On Wednesdays I plan to interview people on instagram live (if you’re interested in being interviewed let me know in the comments!) I will turn the lives into videos that will stay on Instagram and become evergreen content.

On Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays I will be going live in the Let Our Words Flow Creative Community and the Writing Camp with JJS Page on Facebook. These are streamed concurrently. Today I wasn’t so great. Tuesday will be fun as we are talking about activating our writing magical wands.

Meanwhile I almost didn’t get this blog post written because I was too busy cleaning, fussing and feeling sad. That’s another thing about this kind of challenge: it helps to keep you focused on what makes you feel good – and live-streaming always makes me feel good even if I don’t do all that well because I know I did something.

Taking a daily risk by going live also stretches the courage and vulnerability muscle.

Today I scooped up the lights, the camera and I am took action – just like I am doing with my blog here, today.

Have you ever live-streamed? What are your thoughts about live-streaming? Share in the comments – I love talking about it, too!

Julie JordanScott is a Creative Life Coach, an award-winning storyteller, actor and poet whose photos and mixed media art graces the walls of collectors across the United States. Her writing has appeared on the New York Times Best Sellers List, the Amazon best sellers list and on American Greetings Holiday cards (and other greeting cards). She currently lives in a manse in Sussex, NJ, where she is working on finishing her most recent book project, hugging trees daily and enjoys having random inspirational conversations with strangers.

Follow on Instagram to Watch IGTV exclusive videos, stories and posts about writing and the creative process.

Let our Words Flow Writing Community: the only one missing is you! Join us in the Private Writing Group by clicking here.

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Platitudes May Be Poison: 3 Reasons Platitudes Aren’t Helpful and What You Can Do to Avoid Them

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A wooden floor reaches into a not very clear, cloudy yet colorful sky. The text reads: Platitudes are poison. Choose to be mindful to restore relationships.

Humans who love one another, on the whole, want to be helpful. They want to do their best. One of my oft-used phrases my children have been known to repeat is “No one wakes up plotting ways to make other people mad.”

Granted, some people do, but the majority of people do not wake up as sinister characters in mediocre books and movies.

What are platitudes?

Platitudes are throw-away phrases that are used because people are more comfortable saying something than not saying something, especially when they are in a conversation where people are being vulnerable.

Platitudes are not always wrong to use. Think of it like nutrition: we won’t expect to stay healthy and strong if our diet is 100% donuts. Sure, they may make us feel better for a short burst of time – and donuts can also become harmful when consumed too often and replace more healthy choices.

Here are some examples:

“Everything happens for a reason.”

”Good things come to those who wait.”

“Whatever will be, will be.”

Platitudes are not always bad: especially when not overused

Sometimes we say platitudes to ourselves and they serve as a bridge from feeling horrible to feeling more able to get to our next task or next conversation. This is a positive use of platitudes (and remember choosing between chocolate raised or a cruller six times a day will not make you a healthier person.

The reasons we ought to be mindful of using platitudes are many,  and it is especially important when we have loved ones who are grieving, hurt or recovering from illness or trauma.

Questions to consider before speaking in a cliched “tried and true” statement to a hurting person

  1. If I say this phrase, do I run the risk of shutting down the conversation with my loved one? Will this help or harm the healing process?
  2. Am I saying this to make myself feel better or am I saying this because I am uncomfortable being silent?
  3. Your mother may have given the admonishment mine did: “Think before you speak.” which may be considered a platitude, also. In fact, I heard my sister get lectured about this so many times I started thinking too much about thinking so my voice and thoughts most often went unspoken and lead to many years of therapy and healing work.

This platitude did lead to an acronym to consider before you blurt another phrase:

Easy check in to discern whether to speak or wait or say somethign different:

  • Is this true? Think factual rather than a big T truth.
  • Is this helpful? Can any action be taken from what you say? Will the person feel better or worse having heard what you say?
  • Is this inspiring? Will it build the person up or tear them down.
  • Is this necessary to say? Or is it empty fluffy “donut talk”
  • Is this kind? Is it compassionate and offered with love? Will the result of speaking this make your loved one feel more loved or will they feel defensive and dishonored or someplace in between?

When people are struggling, the last thing they want is to feel judged, shamed or surrounded by people who don’t want to listen and don’t seem to care about them.

Instead of platitudes, speak with your heart

Using platitudes may cause irreparable harm. Share from your heart, authentically, instead. with your heard. Being more and meaningfully may cause irreparable harm to your most important relationships. You may be well-meaning when you use platitudes, but unfortunately, this may not land well.

Options to use in uncomfortable conversations instead of platitudes:

I am not sure what to say right now.. I want to help you feel better because I care about you. I am afraid to say something stupid that I may regret saying.

Would you like some advice or would you like me to listen more?

I’m here for you: keep saying whatever you need to say. I am listening. 

This must be difficult for you to talk about – because I love you so much my knee jerk response is to rush in and make it all better. I am doing my best to not do that anymore. I apologize in advance if and when I do that.

The less you rely on platitudes, the better communicator you will become, the more comfortable you will be with uncomfortable conversations and the more meaningful your relationships will be.

Below: a 5 minute video on this topic that may be helpful to watch and share with people:

Julie JordanScott is a multipassionate creative who delights in inviting others into their own fullhearted. artistic experience via her creativity coaching individually or in groups, courses and workshops. To receive inspiring content and videos weekly and find out more about Coaching, Courses, Challenges and what’s going on in the Creative Life Midwife world? Subscribe here:

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Bloggers & Writers: Have fun Creating Content with Writing Experiments

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Blogger cartoon character is being reminded blogging can be fun! I can do it! Writing experiments are playful! I am stronger than my blocks! I am allowed to take a break.

Writing experiments are an easy way to become a better writer through curiosity and playfulness as a channel to writing improvement. Writing experiments focus on results being what they will be, thus ruling out the unfortunate sense of failure that overcomes many writers.

Writers are often curious, passionate and driven by learning how to improve and unfortunately may get discouraged when this leads to something other than the outcome we wanted. With writing experiments, we have freedom to see if something new works without being attached to what is right and what is wrong.

Your English Writing Teacher is NOT in your blogging room.

There are no “red pencil flashbacks” with writing experiments!

Today I actually failed with my ongoing #rolloverandwrite writing experiment. My response? Hey, for 40 days this worked beautifully. Now, how may I tweak it and start over? No beating myself up or deciding to never try again! Instead, a joyful experiment with a tiny change and back at it!

Watch this short video to learn about my most recent writing experiment.

Examples of writing experiments may include writing X for #number of days. I wrote at leasy one haiku poem for 377 consecutive days, for example. NaNoWriMo is a form of writing experiment. Some AuthorTubers borrow writing routines of favorite authors to see how it works in their lives and then share on YouTube.

Writing experiments are not about failing what you are trying, they reinforce any feedback being constructive feedback. Not Bad Writer/Good Writer. Not “I’m no good” instead, “Its all good!”

A New Way to Define Success as a Writer and Blogger

If you are putting words on the page, you are a success. Maybe my next writing experiment will be to try a week of writing badly or writing ridiculously or writing melodramatically. Normally, that would be horrifying! With writing experiments it is fun and may lead to learning something I wouldn’t have learned otherwise.

And now it’s your turn –

What writing experiment would you like to try? Remember, passion not perfection. Curiosity and playfulness will help all your results feel good. Ask questions in the comments or send me an email.

Let’s have fun with our next writing experiments!

Julie JordanScott is a multipassionate creative who delights in inviting others into their own fullhearted. artistic experience via her creativity coaching individually or in groups, courses and workshops. To receive inspiring content and videos weekly and find out more about Coaching, Courses, Challenges and what’s going on in the Creative Life Midwife world? Subscribe here:

Follow on Instagram to Watch IGTV exclusive videos, stories and posts about writing and the creative process.

Let our Words Flow Writing Community: the only one missing is you! Join us in the Private Writing Group by clicking here.

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Top 7 Writing Micro-Goals for Creative Entrepreneurs

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I’ve seen this happen with more of my coaching, healing arts and creative entrepreneur clients than I can count – and I have even done it myself. We plunk down at our desks at our designated writing times and absolutely nothing happens.

Here’s the thing: creating a small, micro-goal specifically aimed to help you with consistent content creation is deceptively simple. Try one of these on for a week. If it doesn’t appeal, try a different one for seven days. Repeat as necessary.

My secret success is from having one solid “writing not for content but for exercising the writing muscle” practice, for me it is a daily stream of conscious journaling in the morning, and then have a second micro goal I mix up and serve differently, like a writing buffet.

Watch the video here and read below for more details for each tip.

  1. My newest accidental micro-goal is a daily #RollOverandWrite. That’s it. Wake up, roll over and pick up the notebook you placed at your bedside before you went to sleep and write a few sentences.
  1. Write an affirmative intention daily in the morning. “I am capable of writing effective blog posts.” “People enjoy what I write.” “My sales letter is both effective and engaging.”
  1. Exercise for 20 minutes and write immediately after. Set up your writing space before you go for your walk, job or attend your zumba class. If you work out someplace besides your home, bring a notebook with you and write in your car or at the gym or at a picnic table in the park. Your subconscious is watching to see how important your writing is to you by the consistent time you give it.
  1. Journal/free write for a set amount of time or set number of words/pages each day. You may write as few as 250 words (approximately one page) or for three minutes. The amount of writing matters less than simply flowing with your writing rather than attempting to mold it or edit as you go along. That comes later – and believe me, if you can get the words on the page to begin with, editing will come easily.
  1. To practice writing concisely and with the most writing “bang for your buck” write a daily haiku, six word story or American Sentence poem. Any of this “very micro writing” will help you be use your best words. It will help you write compelling copy and/or characters with a more curated conversational style than you may usually write. It will teach you to cut out unnecessary words that often bog down our readers.
  1. Write a 5 item gratitude list before you go to sleep. You may also make a list of “What went well today” or “5 Good Things that happened today” list. Thesetrain your brain to focus on what is constructive and helpful in your life. A bonus is the subject of each item on the list may easily become a blog post, a social media post or a chapter in a book or poem.
  1. Use a timer to write 5 minutes a day for 5 consecutive days, #5for5BrainDump style. You may try unprompted or prompted writing. In the Let Our Words Flow Creative Community we have prompts and videos to guide you as you practice this – plus it is free to join the group which also has a thriving community, lots of tips, video teachings and daily discussion for creative entrepreneurs.

Julie JordanScott is a multipassionate creative who delights in inviting others into their own fullhearted. artistic experience via her creativity coaching individually or in groups, courses and workshops. To receive inspiring content and videos weekly and find out more about Coaching, Courses, Challenges and what’s going on in the Creative Life Midwife world? Subscribe here:

Follow on Instagram to Watch IGTV exclusive videos, stories and posts about writing and the creative process.

Let our Words Flow Writing Community: the only one missing is you! Join us in the Private Writing Group by clicking here.

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Would you like more delight, more personal growth and better storytelling?

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Challenging myself to new methods of cataloguing and enjoying my life and growing as I do so. I have collected quotes, gratitudes and good things. I took 365 Self Portraits before Selfies were “invented” and I did so by pointing my camera lens backwards and took photos blindly.

In other words, this sort of “I love trying new things!” challenges have been going on for a long time.

This month I started a new self-challenge at the last minute so I didn’t have a chance to blog it or share it officially on any of my usual platforms. 

The better news is I have continued not perfectly – but steadily – so this month’s results are much better than my August 2021 Fail-a-thon.

That’s another thing about me: when I don’t do what I set out to do, I give myself grace and offer forgiveness readily because I learned long ago the only positive notion to beating myself up is initiating a faster fall back into feeling depressed more consistently and that is definitely not something I want to do.

Here is how I am adding more satisfaction in September in addition to my 377 Tree Hugs – which are continuing very well after I got over a bit of a struggle between 150 and 250 tree hugs.

To have more Daily Delights, set your intention plus document daily

I am tracking 3 Daily Delights every day in September 2021.

Every day, I stay open to finding 3 things that fill me with the giddy feeling of delight. It really is delicious and makes me smile a lot. So far I have had unique things like seeing a bird sitting on a fire hydrant singing to purchasing a gatorade and shopping with a young man I had never met before. You get to decide what delights you. You may note it or not – again, you are the rule maker for all of these challenges.

To experience personal growth, pay attention to what opportunities are catching your attention and keep track of them.

Every day, I take note of up to three growth possibilities that show up on my horizon. This week, for example, I am journaling about messages “from the universe” and last week I journaled about “what my future self would like for me to learn.”

There are multiple reasons this works well. First, it teaches me to collect my ideas for self improvement. It also helps me to be detached from results and curate what possibilities I want to move forward. If I have the same growth possibility it will get to the point if I don’t accept that mission from the universe, I may be in for a lot of discomfort along the way.

To become a better storyteller, create stories beyond words.

Have you heard the expression, “a picture is worth 1,000 words”? I was introduced to visual narrative several years ago and have found it to be tremendously helpful in stretching myself as a storyteller and writer and visual artist. By the way, I never would have thought I would ever be a visual artist so be prepared to fall in love with visual storytelling.

There are two different ways I approaching visual storytelling: one is to create visual stories with props (for me these are items I find along the way – and the photos are like mini three dimensional art journals that usually only exist in my documentation. I have found these are great for intuitive growth and insight. 

The second method is more of a photojournalism approach which I have been using primarily. As I am out and about living my life, I am aware of images/scenes that call out to me.  Lately I have taken a lot of images that are seedy or “less than” beautiful by conventional standards AND if I challenge myself I know I can find a different subcategory. 

In fact, I may do that for the rest of the week we are in because it will help my creativity from seeming one dimensional as well as help me to “see” more.

 If any of these subcategories appeal to you, feel free to jump on board and try them out and follow along with me on my Writing Camp with Julie JordanScott Facebook Page. It is the simplest way for me to share largely no matter where I am from day-to-day.  If you would also appreciate “behind the scenes” I also have a free private facebook group called “Let Our Words Flow Creative Community” where many creative people participate in conversations along these themes daily.

Julie JordanScott is a multipassionate creative who delights in inviting others into their own fullhearted. artistic experience via her creativity coaching individually or in groups, courses and workshops. To receive inspiring content and videos weekly and find out more about Coaching, Courses, Challenges and what’s going on in the Creative Life Midwife world? Subscribe here:

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