Creative Life Midwife

Inspiring Artistic Rebirth

Trying and Alone. Alone and Trying

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Even poorly planted

rice plants

slowly, slowly…. green 

Issa

English Version, David G Lanoue

Perhaps it is because I wasn’t present nor did I capture much of my life during the time between when I was told I had walking pneumonia and the time I was hospitalized that there are so many mysteries of what I was thinking, feeling, doing.

Maybe this space of unknowing may be what brought forward my desire to create daily. 

When I morph myself back into 2019, I remember thinking in the years prior it would be a time of incredible growth. Samuel would be out of the house.

I was going to finally be free to do what I most wanted: finish my book projects, become a nomad, explore all those interior rooms of my psyche and be the fabulous iteration of me that somehow didn’t feel comfortably expanding when I was always on red alert waiting for the next crisis to bubble up that would need me to rush in and run graceful, patient and peaceful intervention.

Naturally. 

Because yelling and fussing and drawing attention to myself is not something I ever did… except for on stage, where almost anything was allowed.

October 4, 2019 fell on a Friday. 

Most likely it was quiet. Most likely I sat in the recliner in the corner of the living room, resting, perhaps watching videos and chatting on my laptop computer which often sat atop my lap desk. I doubt I went anywhere substantial. I may have driven Emma around here and there.

I was quietly doing my best to heal.

It is only in this reflection that I realize how much I have improved in my daily-loving-of-myself.

I definitely treat myself now with much more tender loving care than in the past, when I forgot to be intentional, when I was struggling to get by, was researching loneliness because that was something I struggled with each and every day.

Today I am rarely lonely, probably because of mastering daily self-love as a practice.

Interesting because this week I have been balancing hospitality with my usual routines AND I think I accidentally bumped into a healthy equilibrium. 

What a gift from my past self to my present self.

What a gift to be able to share this with you.

I’m so grateful you are here, reading and look VERY forward to deepening our connection.

Woman at her desk, drinking coffee, preparing to blog.
Hi! It’s Me!

Julie JordanScott

 Creative Life Coach & Muse Cultivator | Award-Winning Writer/Actor/Storyteller / Empowering Your Second Act /|New Courses/Programs 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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Hello, Valley Fever – Goodbye “Before” Near Death

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Five years ago today marks the end of my “Before Valley Fever Era”, Near Death and Beyond. It feels eerie to realize how little documentation I have from those days—especially for someone like me, who usually captures everything.

Between September 23 and November 27, 2019, I didn’t upload a single photo to Flickr.

Woman playing with snapchat filters the day she was diagnosed with Walking Pneumonia and perhaps Valley Fever.

Today, the detective in me returns to the evidence left behind, scanning this big, empty gap in my timeline, wondering, “What was happening?”

On this day in 2019, I went to Kaiser – the HMO I belong to. My doctor diagnosed me with walking pneumonia and possibly Valley Fever (Coccidioidomycosis, a lung infection caused by inhaling fungal spores). I felt terrible, but it hadn’t even crossed my mind that it could be something as serious as Valley Fever.

In addition to getting the prescribed Valley Fever medication, I went to my favorite health food store and grabbed a super green smoothie and a shot of some healing tonic. I only know this because of photos on my phone that I never shared.

I also took a picture of Emma wearing her Shakespeare Festival t-shirt. Just days before, I attended a networking event. I was barely present but still valiantly showing up, trying to play along.

I had a headshot taken around that time—it looked fine, but even then, I knew it didn’t quite capture me. Now, I understand why. I recall bumping into my favorite floral entrepreneur, Amanda Klawitter of House of Flowers. I was barely coherent, apologizing for my demeanor, trying so hard to “be better,” whatever that meant to me back then.

Looking back, I realize I’ve always been someone who tries their hardest, who doesn’t want to let others down, who worries about appearing weak, all while carrying the weight of the world in my DNA.

The fact that I went to my doctor at Kaiser at all is remarkable. Historically, I was so focused on nurturing others that pausing to address my own breathing difficulties felt like an anomaly.

Five years ago today, Samuel was off at UNLV, and Emma was home in Bakersfield with me. We had no idea that a much larger event was just around the corner—one that would make lung diseases like mine a shared experience across the world.

What were you doing on October 3, 2019?

With Love,

Julie

Woman at her desk, drinking coffee, preparing to blog.
Julie Jordan Scott

Creative Life Coach & Muse Cultivator

  | Award-Winning Writer/Actor/Storyteller

 | Empowering Your Second Act

| New Courses/Programs 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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Renewal & Restoration: Begin Again

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It is another October – a time we wave goodbye to the beginning of the academic year and prepare to prepare to prepare for the rush of the end of the year.

My heart – my brain – and work as an artist of life nudged me to do the Ultimate Blog Challenge in a new way. A renewed way, a restorative beginning again way. A means of cultivating and curating my stories from the past five years. 

I will be sharing stories/insights/lessons learned from these last five years that have been so incredibly life changing to who I am as a human.

In October 2019 I had a near death experience and while I survived it, there is still unprocessed gunk, some lingering joy and lots of growth edges I have held very close instead of letting them out into the world.

I am honoring the call to let go, to stop holding on so tightly, and allow these stories and episodes and learnings their due.

The Ultimate Blog Challenge allows me the opportunity to focus on my blog and its readers while I reconnect with blogging friends and meet new ones, too.

I’m so grateful you are here, reading and look VERY forward to deepening our connection.

Woman at her desk, drinking coffee, preparing to blog.
Screenshot

🌟 Creative Life Coach & Muse Cultivator

 🎨 | Award-Winning Writer/Actor/Storyteller

🌱 | Empowering Your Second Act

🎉| New Courses/Programs 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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How Morning Writing Practice Helps Calm the Nervous System & Lead a More Effective Life

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Many of us yearn for a sense of calm and centeredness, especially those of us who may be grappling with mental health challenges. A simple yet powerful tool that can transform your mornings and your mindset is a daily writing practice. Often referred to as journaling, this practice offers a sanctuary for your thoughts and emotions, providing clarity and peace amidst the chaos.

Is your curiosity piqued? Is any resistance rising up? Please continue to read – and at least consider how starting a morning writing practice – a journaling practice – may help you to create a more joyful daily experience.

Benefit one: Unlocking Creativity

Morning writing allows you to tap into your creative side without the constraints of daily obligations clouding your mind. Here’s a three-step method to cultivate creativity through writing:

  1. Free Write: Start with a free-writing session for 5-10 minutes. Let your thoughts flow without worrying about grammar or structure.
  2. Prompt Exploration: Use creative prompts to spark ideas. Write about a dream, a memory, or a what-if scenario.
  3. Reflect and Expand: Choose one interesting idea from your free write or prompt exploration and spend another 5 minutes expanding on it.

Benefit two: Building Courage

For those facing mental health challenges, courage can sometimes feel elusive. Writing each morning helps build this courage incrementally. Follow these steps to foster bravery through your practice:

  1. Face Your Fears: Write about a fear or challenge you are facing. Acknowledge it on paper.
  2. Affirmation Writing: Create affirmations that counteract those fears. Write them down and repeat them daily.
  3. Action Plan: Write a small, actionable step you can take to confront your fear today. Reflect on your progress regularly.

Benefit three: Achieving Consistent Completion

Consistency can be particularly challenging for individuals with mental health issues. A morning writing routine offers a tangible way to experience the satisfaction of completion. Try this three-step method:

  1. Set a Timer: Commit to writing for just 5 minutes each morning. Gradually increase the time as it becomes a habit.
  2. Daily Log: Keep a simple log of your writing sessions. Note the date, time, and a brief summary of what you wrote about.
  3. Weekly Reflection: At the end of each week, read through your entries. Celebrate your consistency and note any patterns or progress.

Simple method to use: The Power of Experimentation

Understandably, the idea of adding another task to your morning routine might feel overwhelming. However, consider approaching it as an experiment. Follow these steps to ease into the practice:

  1. Start Small: Begin with just 5 minutes of writing. Focus on the process, not the outcome.
  2. Be Flexible: Allow yourself to write about anything—thoughts, feelings, dreams, or even lists. There are no rules.
  3. Review and Adjust: After a week or two, review how you feel about the practice. Adjust the timing, duration, or focus as needed to fit your needs.

Creating a Calmer, Centered Life

Incorporating a morning writing practice into your routine helps create a foundation of calm and centeredness. It provides a safe space to process your thoughts, reducing mental clutter and stress. This ritual may become a grounding force, allowing you to approach each day with greater clarity and intention.

Final Thoughts

If you’re navigating mental health challenges, embracing a morning writing practice might seem like “too much.” Yet, by being open to this experiment, you may discover a powerful tool for fostering creativity, courage, and consistent completion in your life. Start small, stay patient with yourself, and watch how this simple practice transforms your mornings and beyond.

Take the first step today and see how morning writing can become a cherished part of your journey towards a more calm and centered life.

What are you saying YES to in your life today?

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 has recently finished her most recent book project, hugging trees daily and enjoys having random inspirational conversations with strangers.

Follow on Instagram to Watch exclusive reels, 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 our re-energizing private writing and creative life facebook group.

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Today I am Declaring Independence From….

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I, Julie Jordan Scott, declare independence from my inner mean girl and in fact, I declare independence from and will no longer tolerate the behavior of outer mean girls as well.

Women encouraging, supporting, enriching one another has been my normal experience. I will NOT accept self-loathing, deprecation and meanness wreck my life anymore.

Bu-bye Inner Mean Girl. Consider yourself banished.

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What don’t you see? What experiences are you missing because you don’t look again?

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It is only the third of July and it feels so much later in the month than that, probably because two days ago my right knee had another flare up and that caused me to face plant emotionally. 

The good news is I learned so much in these last two days that would have been buried in my lack of awareness and busy, busy, unrelenting busy schedule and sometimes superhuman expectations I have for myself. 

Today my knee is sore, my hip is slightly sore, and I had the best sleep I have had in ages.

When I arrived at my desk this morning, I was without an agenda except for “to settle into” my day and here I sit, gloriously grounded even if the last week iteration of me would have been frustrated with the pace, the ever-expansive me is taking that last week me and holding her close saying something like “husssshhhhh, husssshhhhhhh, you have plenty of time to do all the things you feel like you must get done…”

Normally during the last week of the preceding month I set up the documents for the next month with my regular spiritual practices and my creative entrepreneurial plans.

It is July 3 and I didn’t set up one of my favorite, grounding, off-the-charts-effective “Mining for Storytelling Gold” daily writing practice.

I looked across the screen to my focus mate partner and said, “In this session, I am going to settle in…” having no idea what that really meant and I wrote “Good Morning, Love,” (my daily message to my facebook followers) and then realized I wasn’t ready to start “Mining for Story Gold” because I hadn’t taken the time to set the document up yet.

I then took the one step that changed everything: I decided to start the August document now.

I scanned last year’s August photo album and found the perfect photo.

What I had never noticed in that photo was glaringly obvious now.

What do you see in this photo?

What have you missed seeing in your everyday life lately?

Please let me know in the comments – 

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Welcome, July – Optimistic, Warm-Hearted, Let’s Celebrate Completion Friend

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Happy New Month! Happy Monday!

It may seem odd the simple joy I get from layered white canvas. Monday is a week’s new canvas, the 1st of a month is a chance to do my best, again – though my best differs from time-to-time.

I am participating in the Ultimate Blog Challenge once again. My blog and my website and my business have fallen by the wayside more often than not since… well, for a long time. My biggest July intention includes changing that – I have a plan, I have a method, I have collaborators.

This delights me.

Completion, skating along the infinite loop do loop towards endings and beginnings is a place the blog will document throughout the month. I look forward to meeting new people and spending time with old friends.

There is only one July 2024 and one of my greatest desires is to be able to look back at it and say, “Wow, that was an incredible month of peace, joy, fulfillment and more than I expected.

My biggest completion is I am finishing “Haiku Saved My Life: How the Healing Properties of Courage, Creativity & Consistency Changed Everything.”

I refuse to say “finally” because the entire process was important. 

So much of my life over these last years has been about falling down and getting up that the pace of this project is not setting a pattern for books that take forever – after all, this one took half the time of the last one which I ended up shelving so this is actually progress!

“Haiku Saved My Life” is a braided memoir sharing the tales of 377 haiku writing from the end of 2019 into the beginning of 2021. The reader will be taken on an adventure which opened the door to creating several inspiring bodies of work one small step at a time.

It has elements of inspiration, instruction, poetry and themes of mortality are woven in as well.

By mid-month the plan is to send the final draft off the the book designer – and go from there.

Here’s to a festive, celebratory, project completion extravaganza in July!

Julie Jordan Scott is a writer, creativity coach and creative entrepreneur. She enjoys drinking coffee at her desk as she expands her entrepreneurial circle.

Julie Jordan Scott is a Writer, Creative Life Coach and Creative Entrepreneur who looks forward to a July that expands her work as a writer, speaker, teacher, facilitator and traveler.

She is grateful to be spending parts of July with her.

Watch her reels and images on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/juliejordanscott/

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Gut Kicks & Delayed Returning Day 31/31 of (Self) Belonging:

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I have been wading around the shallow waters of (self) belonging for the last few days due to – not surprisingly – due to what felt like a piercing of my shield (maybe better seen as a cushion, safe space, another word) of my sacred internal safe space.

I don’t feel the need to write the specifics here, but I was thrown by what happened and had the privilege of expressing my emotions with depth and had support to restore myself.

Another metaphor, from the poem “Wild Geese” by Mary Oliver, “the soft animal of my body” needed to go back into my cave and gently, quietly lick my wounds in a familiar, anonymous setting.

A bit of a setback and a bigger space of deeper healing because I allowed myself to feel what needed to be felt, to speak what needed to be spoken and perhaps most important, I allowed myself to receive the gift of belonging from my sister – even when the message I was pushing back on and stumbling along the way was translated through past experiences and the tapes that have played in my mind for years that rang out  “you are wrong, you ruined everything, you are unworthy, you are a problem, you don’t belong” which historically brought me to my dank, dungeon exile, empty of the nurturing tools of love and reassurance.

I can still hear my sister’s light laughter when I recognized she reached out to protect me, to be with me in what had become my danger zone.

I’m not accustomed to being protected. I am grateful she did as it helped me stay in the cave longer and use tools that before would vaporize after an attack rather than become completely numb and unable to access my self-nurturing tools at all.

I realize as I continue to process – my acceptance of protection and taking my time before jumping back into the public sharing is also an example of (self) belonging.

During these last 61 days of 2023, I am getting closer to understanding how to express and live from a space of (self) belonging. What a heart felt victory!

How do you connect with the concepts I’m sharing here in this rough, raw draft?

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 has recently finished her most recent book project, hugging trees daily and enjoys having random inspirational conversations with strangers.

Follow on Instagram to Watch exclusive reels, 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

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Belonging in the Classroom of Life: Day 25/31 of (Self) Belonging

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With 67 more days in 2023, I feel a strong call to be more intentional with the time I have both introspectively and in action as I integrate what I have learned and discovered this year in this wildly wonderful classroom of life.

Yesterday I did some early research about belonging in the classroom as a part of my 100 Days of Belonging project. Since I currently work in a school and spend 21 hours a week in classrooms and have a deep caring for the students I serve, this feels exceptionally important.

Unlike many of my peers at the school, I don’t have the pre-Covid/post-Covid experience to longingly look back towards.

Instead, my focus and my independently operated “course of study” and assignment from Harvey Milk – even though he has been gone from the planet for years – is to work from the inside to discover as much as I can about belonging from my experiences with these students.

It’s kind of like yesterday, when I had a huge a-ha about my body and belonging in my body and realizing the significance of shoes in my overall life experience.

More than one of the students I work with show up at school declaring they want to be at home. “I want to go home,” they say. “They want to go home?” says my curiosity.

Instead of what some of my peers do – marginalize the student’s spoken desire – I do some research to see what it means most often when students make such proclamations. 

When students say they want to go “home” it is evidence of being overwhelmed, perhaps a bit of languishing – maybe not being engaged…here we are stepping even more clearly into belonging territory.

As I continue to focus on my self-belonging, I am challenging myself to see where my exploration of self-belonging will help me reach out to students differently. 

On Monday at the end of day, I linked arms with a student who was going through a rough time emotionally mostly because she felt alone and unheard in the classroom. I created a space for us to be together and for her to be heard, to know she was safe saying whatever she needed to say with an adult who would listen, consciously, to what she felt was missing that lead to her upset.

I went home feeling grateful for that connection and looking forward to returning to the workplace as more than just a place to do my seven hours and get back to my “real work” as a creative entrepreneur.

This week has been rich with a-ha’s. I look forward to seeing what’s next.

What has been your biggest a-ha this week?

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 has recently finished her most recent book project, hugging trees daily and enjoys having random inspirational conversations with strangers.

Follow on Instagram to Watch exclusive reels, 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

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Belonging In The Body, Part 2: Day 24/31 of (Self) Belonging

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With a week to go in October, I am starting my monthly ritual of preparing my documents for November.

I like having physical journals and checklists and files, but I also do a lot of my work here at the keyboard. I always begin with the beginning of the previous month, copy and paste.

On October 1, I was recounting a trip to Middletown, New York to look for new shoes. 

New shoes have been a big deal since childhood AND believe it or not, the experience has been primarily unpleasant since around 2019.

A-ha just now – as that coincides with when I first had Valley Fever and Sepsis and spent 13 days in the hospital recovering from my body shutting itself off.  I haven’t been comfortable wearing heels since then. I haven’t worn “cute shoes” since 2019 and have mostly lived in a succession of nearly identical wide width running shoes – wide to make room for the tailor bunions on my left foot – 

On October 1, I purchased three pairs of shoes. Two bootie style, one with a heel (!) and a pair of Mary Janes – perfect for casual dresses. 

On Sunday, I wore the Mary Janes all day – and I was on my feet a lot, and my body did not hurt afterwards.

My body did not hurt.

MY BODY DID NOT HURT!

This morning I woke up and noticed my knees weren’t complaining.

On one of my walks from the kitchen to my desk, I did a exercise I have been trying to incorporate into my routine. It looks easier on the Instagram Reels than it is for me – and once again noticed the stability in my feet and although tired, my body simply felt good. Grounded. Like I belonged within it, like my body and I are joyful companions, not two disparate beings with conflicting agendas.

Huge.

And it all began with belonging.

Allow that to sink in. 

My body simply felt good. Grounded. Like I belonged within it, like my body and I are joyful companions, not two disparate beings with conflicting agendas.

It all began with belonging.

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 has recently finished her most recent book project, hugging trees daily and enjoys having random inspirational conversations with strangers.

Follow on Instagram to Watch exclusive reels, 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

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