Creative Life Midwife

Inspiring Artistic Rebirth

Archives for January 2025

Trust in Creativity: Start with What’s Wrong

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Today’s blog post started as a free writing exercise and turned into an important discovery (or discoveries) I don’t think I am finished with this piece of writing. The final sentence is so potent I need to step away for a few hours.

Art and the creative process works this way sometimes.

Often the most significant “work” happens when we let go of the reins and allow what we hadn’t even begun to hope for winds its way through us.

I am not editing the free flow writing I wrote because I feel like there is someone who will read this who needs to follow the meandering.

I would appreciate you commenting about what resonates from this exercise and perhaps, how an exploration in trust may help you as well. Maybe I am the only creative person who has this issue, and somehow.. I doubt it. Also, if you aren’t comfortable commenting, you may always reach out to me directly.

Here we go: 

Trust: oh, how I have struggled with thee.

I need a good epigraph. I found the poem “Trust”. I will keep looking.

My brain is bouncing around today. 

Trust. Trust the bouncing. Don’t get freaked out by Andrea saying “Well, that’s full spectrum,” when I told her I had started my writing practice (as planned) and then got caught up in obsessing about Louisa May Alcott and all things “Little Women”.

I did sound rather pressured speech-like and was tired of the concoctions and weaving I do and I wonder if I can trust learning crochet to calm me. I don’t know.

I doubt it.

But it will be something I can learn.

I also want large knitting needles and thick yarn so I might knit some scarves and remember that. Talking about knitting to someone the other day made me think “I don’t want knitting to be lost to me and my daughters” so maybe I will add that to things I can trust myself to fail at.

One moment I am writing about trust and my lack of it and the next thing I know I am reaching for eucalyptus oil, trusting it will cure my ailing stuffy nose.

I was going to write: one thing I can trust is the sun will rise every day though sometimes the depth of the clouds keep her light from shining in as it ought to, I suppose. 

I stop for a moment and think about (or rather it skitters through my brain) I remember when I lost all semblance of trust it was through an April Fools joke when my mother and sister for whatever reason short sheeted my bed.

I remember climbing into bed and Mom and Sue watching and the panic of not being able to push my feet comfortably into the bed. I was confused and didn’t speak my fear aloud. I probably said nothing though the memory isn’t entirely clear. I remember Sue and Mom laughing and I think I fake laughed with them.

I should make this into a short story so that I might clear it.

I can’t remember all the circumstances, but I do remember not understanding and feeling, literally, like the earth shook when a totally normal thing to trust – not a person, not the environment, not a government, suddenly morphed into a mystery that would not let me in. 

I no longer belonged in my own bed.

I no longer could trust my mother, or my sister would be a safe place.

Mom was actively giggling at my discomfort, along with my sister – the only other girl-person in a house with five boy-men people. 

I thought this room – our room – was a safety zone of sorts.

I was wrong.

Meet Julie Jordan Scott, the Creative Life Midwife:

🌟 Creative Life Coach & Muse Cultivator, 🎨 | Award-Winning Writer/Actor/Storyteller🌱 | Empowering Your Second Act🎉| New Courses/Programs Coming soon!

🎁   Your presence here makes me feel grateful. 

✍🏻I am a writer first, writing & creativity coach, multi passionate creative next. Writing has always been my anchor art and to her I always return. Thankfully, with great love.

🎯 My aim is to create content here that inspires and instructs – if there is ever a topic you would like for me to explore, please reach out and tell me. My ultimate goal is to create posts, videos and more that speak to your desires as well as mine because where these two intersect, our collaborative, joyful energy ignites into a fire of love, light and passionate creativity.

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Self-Forgiveness: Often Forgotten, Always Worthwhile.

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Yesterday as we started our explorations with beliefs, you may have run into some bumps in the road. Today’s post is especially important in these circumstances AND it is priceless in all circumstances.

Today on our creative path we are going to examine self-forgiveness: what it is, how not forgiving ourself destructively impacts our lives and the lives of others and first steps to expressing yourself creatively as a means of healing.

One of the writing artists in history who get the concept of emotional intelligence was William Shakespeare. In “Winter’s Tale” he thoughtfully scribed these words: “Do as the heavens have done, forget your evil; With them forgive yourself.” 

Maybe this is where we get that famous quip, “Forgive and forget.”

We don’t often think about the forget YOUR self and FORGIVE yourself.

It is often like the verse in two books in the Bible – both Matthew and Mark – that quotes Jesus saying “Love your neighbor as yourself” and most of us never hear the “as yourself” component.

Last week I started doing a daily exercise of asking for forgiveness through journaling and jotting toward the end of the day. I write down the tiny “I forgive myself for forgetting to buy broccoli” to the worst “I forgive myself for talking so harshly to myself that I cried for thirty minutes and had to postpone my appointment,” which runs the risk of the need for more forgiveness in the future as well.

Latasha Morrison reminds us, “In order to move from awareness to acknowledgment, we must first be brave enough to accept the historical truths and modern realities.”

The subject of your self-forgiveness today most likely has been building for a much longer time.

I have found underneath the seeds of my simple self-forgiveness are bunches of negative self-belief standing nearby,  invisible in one ways but screaming out in other ways.

If you don’t try anything else in this month of blogging, please do this.

Jot a list of 1 – 5 things to forgive yourself for today.

Don’t think, just jot a phrase or two or all five.

If you are feeling energetic, read your list to a compassionate friend. You may also leave them here in the comments or send me an always private note.

I’ll start: I forgive myself for not writing the instructions for Coleen more clearly before I went to my appointment today.

I forgive myself for leaving my clothes on the bathroom floor.. Again.

I forgive myself for forgetting to make that telephone call again.

Next, it’s your turn. Start flexing your self-forgiveness muscles.

Julie Jordan Scott hugging a tree in High Point State Park in Sussex, NJ. Julie encourages thousands to over come their blocks and begin leading a more satisfying creative life.
Screenshot

Meet Julie Jordan Scott:

🌟 Creative Life Coach & Muse Cultivator

 🎨 | Award-Winning Writer/Actor/Storyteller

🌱 | Empowering Your Second Act

🎉| New Courses/Programs Coming soon!

🎁   Your presence here makes me feel grateful. 

✍🏻I am a writer first, writing & creativity coach, multi passionate creative next. Writing has always been my anchor art and to her I always return. Thankfully, with great love.

🎯 My aim is to create content here that inspires and instructs – if there is ever a topic you would like for me to explore, please reach out and tell me. My ultimate goal is to create posts, videos and more that speak to your desires as well as mine because where these two intersect, our collaborative, joyful energy ignites into a fire of love, light and passionate creativity.

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Your Beliefs: Foundations of Your Creative Path to Peace

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Is it time to revise your beliefs?

Sometimes we know what we want to write about long before we get to the page.

I was not sure when I worked on the outline for this series that “beliefs” would show up front and center. Perhaps because it has been so long since I have explored beliefs consciously. I couldn’t immediately come up with a definition of beliefs, so I needed to do a little bit of research.

Before I share my findings, I would like you to consider your personal definition of beliefs – 

In a classroom, it was said personal beliefs refer to the individual convictions and values that shape how a person views the world and interacts with society. They continued saying personal beliefs may be shaped by upbringing, schooling, spirituality and what life experiences a person may have had in their lives. 

I was surprised that the New Zealand government website addresses personal beliefs. Here is what I found on their website::

“A ‘Personal Belief’ refers to an individual’s conviction or perspective on certain matters, which can influence their actions and decisions. It is a subjective understanding that shapes one’s approach to various aspects of life, including society, technology, and problem-solving.”

A personal development website shared its concept of personal beliefs include strong feelings that shape one’s daily life. Beliefs are formed due to morals and values. 

In the more than two decades since I started working as a life coach, I have found people often have beliefs that gurgle under their consciousness and when they take the time to explore their beliefs, the discover a treasure chest of ideas, principals and concepts from different eras in their lives.

The best way to discern one’s belief is by writing (by hand is preferred but not necessary) over several days starting with the prompt “I believe.”

You may make a list or you may simply write in a stream of consciousness style, writing “I believe” and letting your thoughts go wild across the page. If you set a timer for five minutes, you ought to repeat “I believe” at the start of each new paragraph.

What you will find is your thoughts will go deeper and more awarenesses will have a chance to return, front and center.

Returning over a period of days will give your subconscious mind the change to mine your life experiences and history for what is authentic and true and perhaps jostling about to get the attention it needs to “speak” in your writing.

What comes up for you when you consider doing this exercise?

I look forward to hearing from you right now and then later, after you have done the exercise.

Julie Jordan Scott, writer, creativity coach, award winning actor walking in the woods
Julie Jordan Scott, walking in the woods

🌟 Creative Life Coach & Muse Cultivator

 🎨 | Award-Winning Writer/Actor/Storyteller

🌱 | Empowering Your Second Act

🎉| New Courses/Programs Coming soon!

🎁   Your presence here makes me feel grateful. 

✍🏻I am a writer first, writing & creativity coach, multi passionate creative next. Writing has always been my anchor art and to her I always return. Thankfully, with great love.

🎯 My aim is to create content here that inspires and instructs – if there is ever a topic you would like for me to explore, please reach out and tell me. My ultimate goal is to create posts, videos and more that speak to your desires as well as mine because where these two intersect, our collaborative, joyful energy ignites into a fire of love, light and passionate creativity.

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Introduction to “The Creative Path to Peace”

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You’re here!

I’m thrilled to know you have arrived. Today and for the month of January, we will be partnering to overcome your blocks to creativity by building bridges through the power of artful processes – mostly writing across different genre, using theater techniques and mixed media art.

Who am I and why am I blogging this now? I am grateful to be spending January with you as we explore this unique creative path to peace. What do you think when you hear blocks described: writer’s block, procrastination, lack of motivation – whatever form block takes for you – how does it feel in your body?

How effective have you been at eliminating it or crossing over and through it when it arrives, uninvited?

I believe creativity is a practice and a process which sometimes turns into something amazing – some sort of tangible, “Hey world, look what I made!”. Much of the time, the point of the process is found in the art of activity, the joy of making simply because our heart is calling us to healing or presence or better.

This is something productivity driven people often forget. We have been taught there is only value when we make something: to receive money (hopefully in large amounts) in exchange for it.

Yes, it is lovely when financial abundance is returned to us in floods of wealth and sometimes – the process of healing and feeling better or simply having a joyful moment (or many moments) is infinitely more valuable than “crushing it” in bank deposits from our art.

This is the beginning of my why – and now, for my who: My name is Julie Jordan-Scott. I have been a life purpose and creative life coach since 1999. I took a few years away when I had some extreme crises and sequential losses and yes, even a near death experience in 2019. 

My heart was always tuned into the personal development world and my “holding on” was often done using creative and art practices whether that meant theater or singing karaoke or writing poetry or taking photos or making collage books, I survived and I kept surviving and like a weasel I just didn’t give up.

I wish I had someone had spoken to me about what I will be speaking to you through this blog series.

You may be surprised by what we get into here – a lot of this includes healing in unique ways and the “bridge” metaphor is one I have used for years because… it works. 

I would love more than anything to hear from you.

Two questions: What is your strongest memory or experience of “making something”?

What beliefs do you have around creativity? These may show up as “I am not creative,” or “I can’t draw” or “Creativity is not my thing.” It may be “I used to love drawing when I was a kid!” or “Before I had to work for a living, I did community theater.”

First rule of “Julie-land” is whatever you say in the comments is perfect and exactly right.

The second rule of Julie-land is if you aren’t comfortable answering in the comments, you may instead send me a message or email me directly and we can communicate privately.

Thrilled and grateful to be on this Creative Path to Peace adventure with you!

Julie Jordan Scott is a 🌟 Creative Life Coach & Muse Cultivator

 🎨 | Award-Winning Writer/Actor/Storyteller

🌱 | Empowering Your Second Act

🎉| New Courses/Programs Coming soon!

🎁   Your presence here makes me feel grateful. 

✍🏻I am a writer first, writing & creativity coach, multi passionate creative next. Writing has always been my anchor art and to her I always return. Thankfully, with great love.

🎯 My aim is to create content here that inspires and instructs – if there is ever a topic you would like for me to explore, please reach out and tell me. My ultimate goal is to create posts, videos and more that speak to your desires as well as mine because where these two intersect, our collaborative, joyful energy ignites into a fire of love, light and passionate creativity.

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