Mixed Media Art – Creative Life Midwife

Introduction to “The Creative Path to Peace”

January 1, 2025 by jjscreativelifemidwife

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.

Day 5: 31 Days of (Self) Belonging

October 5, 2023 by jjscreativelifemidwife

I find belonging in my notebooks. Whatever notebook I happen to be writing in at that time.

I used to write morning pages a la Julia Cameron: 3 pages of longhand writing as close to first thing in the morning as possible.

I loved it for a long time until I didn’t. I did love free writing, always have – and I do like the container of 3 pages AND I needed to have structure with freedom.

After a long dry spell and serious resistance to doing them again, I started doing some modifications to the model that all included a free flow writing element. I created something I call the Roll Over and Write Journal: Where your words are always right.

I write for however long and however much I feel compelled to write close to when I go to sleep and close to when I wake up. Sometimes I write a lot, sometimes I write a little, sometimes I write my dreams so I can do some early- in- the-day analysis.

At night I may ask my highest self, I call her Julianne, questions. It allows me to dump problematic thoughts on the page and ask for wisdom and experience a bit of letting go as a result.

I give myself space to kvetch and complain as necessary and I do my best to keep things truthful more than toxically positive.

Maybe that is why I have often said my notebooks are one of my best friends. I don’t fake it in my notebooks. I don’t have to pretend to be a persona or be worried my notebooks will betray me. My notebooks know my shortcomings and don’t ask for favors or try to make weird quid pro quo arrangements with me.

My notebooks always listen, consistently inspire, and enjoy me even when I am annoying.

They offer me exactly what I look for in friends, except since they aren’t human or sentient I can’t take thim to events and expect a fun conversation later.

Notebooks have taught me a lot about myself and have helped me gain clarity when I found myself in dark spaces when I wondered if I would ever arrive safely to the other side.

In case you are wondering: Sometimes people prefer to call the type of writing I do in my notebooks to journaling and the books themselves as journals. I use the word “writing notebooks” more often than any other title. I don’t know why I choose that except ever since I started using notebooks to write my morning pages, that has fit me better than fancy journals – although I do use the fancy journals people gift me much better than I once did!

Do you keep a notebook? I would enjoy hearing about it in the comments.

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

Shopping Cart Haiku + Assemblage Art

July 6, 2023 by jjscreativelifemidwife

Haiku 346/377

ship wreck stuck in time

on a deserted island

where is the captain?

My first photo of a shopping cart was in 2013. Many people think this is a downright bizarre fascination. Abandoned shopping carts, photographed in “the wild”. My one rule is I cannot take photos in a grocery or big box store parking lot.

Each shopping cart photo tells a story. The one for this haiku was on a center island on Ming Avenue near New Stine in Bakersfield. I almost passed it by on the way to “something better” but after I saw a second abandoned shopping cart I knew I had to go back and honor the unheard storyteller who left his or her shopping-cart- home behind.

When I looked at the photos and realized none of them clearly illustrated how this cart was on a median, in the middle of a busy street, distinctively on an island…. this haiku fell onto the “page” here on my phone in an instant.

I’m reminded of the movie “The Dead Poet’s Society” when the boys climb on their desks and say, one by one “oh captain, my captain” as their beloved teacher Mr. Keating leaves the classroom. Administrators meant his dismissal to be in shame and for his students, it wasn’t shame they felt at all, it was honor and love and compassion and understanding.

Your task today if you choose to take it is when you come upon someone you haven’t taken the time to see lately, pause and see them, wholly and holy.

*This is an excerpt from Julie’s soon to be published book, Living the Haiku Life*

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 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 by clicking here.

At long last, Poems are Finding Their Way Home

November 13, 2018 by jjscreativelifemidwife

After a long period of poem-less time, art every day month brought about the invitation my poetry muse needed. It has been making a welcome reappearance.

This is, perhaps, one of the most delightful realities I’ve faced in the past two years. The last poem I considered worthy of posting was about an Aubergine Turtleneck sweater and was written in late October, 2015.

When I was driving for a ride share company I jotted poetry in notebooks while I waited. I have a collection in process to share those poems. It wasn’t the same, though, as the poems that rise up from my gut like these have, simply because they must.

Today’s Offering:

One of the few photos that include the now stolen chair.

Poem Prayer for a Thief

May whomever drove off with my red porch rocker find joy in it.
May they feel blessed and comforted and shielded from outside harm
May they know the pleasures of early morning, facing the sunrise
Day in and day out, bringing optimism with a touch of sacred holiness
May they erase guilt from their brow and heal pain left behind by whatever
happened in their lives that made them decide to take
it off my porch last night while I was sleeping.

Sometimes bliss comes from reading poetry and after this long drought, I am definitely feeling the bliss about writing poetry once again.

Poems don’t have to be lengthy to be satisfying, they simply seem to be – exactly as they were meant to be, like this one.

This is my third of the month – I will post others here in the next few days.

Julie Jordan Scott (the one who wrote this blog post) says: This is what I crave for you: soulful creativity, aliveness in your passionate productivity, and a deeper sense of knowing how you belong in the world so that together we will be able to create a context for the rest of your life via your next book or your next workshop or simply your next day, week, month or year.

The people who named me “Creative Life Midwife” found words and paint and laughter and flexed their courage muscles on the way to a deeper satisfaction in their daily lives via new blogs, books, webinars and friendships – just to name a few. Contact me now for your complimentary Transformational coaching conversation. Click here to complete the request form now.

How to Use Journaling to Magnify Your Intentions & Affirm Your Strengths

September 6, 2018 by jjscreativelifemidwife

I am a gutsy and glorious writer, I am a gutsy and glorious human. I enjoy the uncovering of reality and authenticity and steer my jeep clear of the bullshit jungle that is all pervasive in the mindless world today, the world that doesn’t ask questions and is so numb it doesn’t even recognize injustice or question glitches in the system.

Yesterday something dramatic happened in the American political sphere. I don’t normally talk politics here, but because this intersects with my life, it is gutsy and glorious for me to share.

Yesterday a writer (anonymous, not entirely gutsy and glorious) wrote an op-ed piece for the New York times that gave voice to what many people gossiped about, talked about over the water cooler and discussed behind closed doors.

The elephant in the room, the stuff we hide in the attic or edit out of photos was out in the open.

I watched numerous commentators talking about this last night and one optimistic man said, “People are finally openly talking about this. It is on the table, finally. “What everyone has been talking about behind closed doors is now out in the open,” this is a good thing!”

Earlier this year I felt ashamed for not being open and public with some things I knew and standing up and saying “This is wrong,” openly has caused me much grief, loss of friends and added to my already lengthy gig of self-imposed exile.

I knew it was gutsy and it didn’t feel at all glorious.

I doubted myself, I loathed the situation, in addition to losing sleep and friends and any sense of comfort or safety even at times in my own home, I continued.

I continued.

I have strengthened my boundaries and have returned to practices I used long ago. I have started weaving old faithful practices with new, enlightened practices.

I am a gutsy and glorious writer, I am a gutsy and glorious human.

In revisiting old notebooks and blog posts and poetry, I am reacquainting myself with who I once was and I am enjoying her company immensely. This affirmation, “I am gutsy and glorious” came from a blog post in 2003 where I shared the affirmation and a story about the then two-year-old Samuel waking up in tears at 4 a.m, and our loving moments that day, even amidst the reality of pre-dawn tears and Mommying that would rather happen in usual working hours.

I am a gutsy and glorious writer, I am a gutsy and glorious human.

In my art journal page I started to create this morning, I wrote, “I am a gutsy and glorious human” followed by a check list titled “evidenced by” – a brilliant marriage of past, present, and future me.

***Art journal, writing notebook and my altered book all in the transformational act***

What will you affirm about yourself today?

My unique trick is to journal the affirmation in the evening before sleeping and then re-journal upon awakening. The night time journaling allows your brain to bring it into your day even before your day starts.

Your affirmative statement. “I am….” is like the person at the starting line saying, “Gentle people, start your engines!” I am gutsy and glorious – in the smallest’ humblest ways and in the over-the-top, silly, and the strategic, business building and the world transforming encouragement I offer others (including you.)

Please comment below with your statements of affirmation for today and tomorrow.

Let’s do this!

We are proud to announce our New Women’s Circle is open for registrations. The link below will take you there.

https://creativelifemidwife.com/septpassionatewritingcircle/

How to Shift Those Deep Beliefs – Unworthy – Rewriting the Narrative

May 19, 2018 by jjscreativelifemidwife

Rewriting one’s narrative – sometimes called “inner tapes” or “self talk” or many other catch phrases is an important part of personal transformation for everyone.

Studies have proven this strategy works so therapists and life coaches and healers have prescribed a variety of processes for people seeking improved lives to shift from the old thinking to a renewed, much better life.

I have taken on a personal challenge to re-frame my less-than-constructive narrative thought processes here as a means to inspire and stay accountable because when I have done so in private, I tend to do the push-me-pull-you-oops-I-forgot-it-again-thing, which I try not to have as an ongoing project. My aim? To feel better than ever AND to inspire you in the process. Please, join me now, as I take it on 5 minutes at a time for the next 30 days. You may listen to me read aloud on my podcast as well by clicking here.

You might have noticed this buried in my last blog post:

It isn’t a sweet dissatisfaction I normally feel, but a deep tainted dye that spreads over me – based upon none other than that damn narrative that runs through my veins, “You don’t deserve to do well, you need to seek penance constantly for all your wrong doings.”

I chose today to write five minutes more – to continue to work with this not only deeply dyed but also deeply rooted belief, actively poisoning my possibilities.

This is an example of narrative I came face-to-face with – or fingers to the keyboard in stream-of-consciousness and then to my awareness…. that invited me to go deeper.

Old narrative: “I don’t deserve to do well, I need to seek penance constantly for all my wrong doings.”

This goes in direct opposition to the views I espouse in relationship to other people. “We are all human, we all make mistakes.” I say to others, a slight smile on my face, eyes looking into eyes with warmth and compassion.

“In my business, I value mistakes, I value the slightly awkward, I appreciate the path to better, progress is the new perfection,” and on-and-on-and-on-and-on. It is time to fully honor myself within the others – make it “myself and others” on the list of who and what I value.

The only penance I may have ever needed to pay (and I don’t believe I did, when conscious and aware) has been paid by the self-flagellation I’ve been doing by not using my gifts to the extent that I might. And that, beloveds, is worthy of forgiveness as I have shown and lived over and over and over again.

How to rid myself of the “deep tainted dye that spreads over me”?

I love to dye paper to make mixed media art. It is extremely therapeutic for me to create colored paper and watch the dye merge and spread and play in ways unexpected.

To lighten the color of the dye, I add water. I add more paper to dye. I add more water. I make more paper. Repeat, repeat, repeat.

Showing up at the page and writing, exploring, allowing myself to feel the emotions and poke about in what makes me uncomfortable in containers of time and energy – these are the tools I will use.

Writing, brain dump style in 5 minute chunks. Art making. Conscious, directed and focused transformational conversations. All of these will diminish the heaviness that comes with the deeply tainted dye as I live this life and share these gifts as I was meant to all along.

Now it is your turn to let your narrative loose, to free yourself, too.

I’m here, ready to listen and share.

Always, Julie

= = =

Julie Jordan Scott inspires people to experience artistic rebirth via #5for5BrainDump, livestream broadcasts, creativity playshops, books, performances and simply being herself out in the world. She is a writer, creative life coach, speaker, performance poet, Mommy-extraordinaire and mixed media artist whose Writing Camps and Writing Playgrounds permanently transform people’s creative lives. Watch for the announcement of new programs coming in soon!

To contact Julie to schedule a Writing or Creative Life Coaching Session or to request she speak at your next event, call or text her at 661.444.2735.

Now I Allow, Invite, Intend….

October 30, 2017 by jjscreativelifemidwife

Now I allow myself to feel my way into my response I keep blustering into forgetting. I need to start over because I forgot my timer. Embrace the restart. Prompt and Timer in place, go again.

I allow myself to be transparent again. Really, really truthful and clear because I find when I am transparent I am free. I have nothing to lose and as Janis Joplin reminds us (well in the Julie version) freedom stands or freedom means there’s nothing less to lose.

Things have not been easy this year.

Things have sucked much of the time.

I have kept a smile on my face most of the time and I have allowed myself to pull back and pull away.

I am allowing myself to use language differently – getting away from the should and needs and lack based language I fell into unconsciously. November is about recreating from love and abundance rather than fear and lack and neediness. “What if they leave me? What if they hate me? What if something bad happens and I need help and I’ve alienated everyone by being so full-on-flat-out myself?”

I can get intellectually it is distorted thinking that people will abandon me if I am fully myself but I can point to times when it has happened over and over again and that base fear of abandonment is a doozy!

I remember Katherine’s wedding nine days ago and I was dancing and singing like when I was a young girl. I had so much fun and I didn’t care what people thought. I remember one flash of a moment when I cared: I caught the eye of a member of Katherine’s new family – my new family – when I was singing and dancing in a way some might think unbecoming of the mother-of-the-bride and deep within me fear popped in, evil weasel like.

I smiled at it, winked, and kept dancing singing and laughing with my friends. Wasn’t wearing shoes, wasn’t at all dolled up beyond my normal self-face and I had the time of my life.

#MoreofThatPlease

Now I allow myself to continue to write into the #moreofthatplease. This week and beyond.

I am grateful for dear, life-long friends and family. I am grateful to the people who show up for me when I facilitate writing programs. I am grateful for coffee and actually drinking it without it going cold. I am grateful for my cell phone. I am grateful I asked for what I hoped for and I got it… even belated it was good still.

Secret Hint to Making The Most from Your Brain Dump Experience

August 28, 2017 by jjscreativelifemidwife

Two memorable conversations keep popping into my head as I begin to write:

Never go to bed angry.
Love means never having to say you’re sorry.

I don’t know that I whole heartedly agree (or disagree, actually) with either of them.

I agree, it is better for our overall feelings of positivity and gratitude if we fall asleep in a state of contented curiosity rather than angry lament, but sometimes the energy of anger clears out a lot of gunk – or is that just our habitual way of experiencing the world?

I could talk (write) myself into a corner with this one and perhaps that is part of the point my subconscious and writing practice is making here.

We make it a practice to complete our brain dumps and free flow writing with thirty seconds of gratitude and praise about anything: what you may have discovered and uncovered during writing or anything at all. The point is to finish the writing practice on an emotional upswing.

If we always ended our writing practice feeling like garbage most of us would give up our writing practice. It is natural to want to feel better.

We don’t want to feel like crap, we inherently want to feel well or at least better than when we sat down to write.

Maybe part of your gratitude IS saying you are sorry.

Love and forgiveness go hand-in-hand as do love and gratitude.

Admitting our weaknesses – is a pathway to wholeness and gratitude.

(And the timer tells me five minutes is up – so this concludes today’s entry about one of my favorite secrets to always ending on an upbeat note, thus preserving the practice that is such a grand, sustaining partner in my life.)

Julie Jordan Scott inspires people to experience artistic rebirth via her programs, playshops, books, performances and simply being herself out in the world. She is a writer, creative life coach, speaker, performance poet, Mommy-extraordinaire and mixed media artist whose Writing Camps and Writing Playgrounds permanently transform people’s creative lives. Watch for the announcement of new programs coming in soon!

To contact Julie to schedule a Writing or Creative Life Coaching Session, call or text her at 661.444.2735.

Follow her on a bunch of different social media channels, especially if you find the idea of a Word-Love Party bus particularly enticing.

Does it Matter What Causes Your Block or Simply Get Over It? #5for5BrainDump

August 25, 2017 by jjscreativelifemidwife

For months – or over a year, rather, my neighbors have gotten in the way of my writing on my porch. It is a favored space for me to sit and write in the morning or broadcast or drink coffee and find peace while rocking in the oversized red rocking chair. The new neighbors with their questionable “friends” and other “accessories” have kept me inside, until lately.

For months – since May, I haven’t slept in my Virginia Woolf room I started creating well over a year ago. When Emma came home, I gave it to her as a temporary space until we juggled bedrooms and I took up residence on the couch. Yesterday, I slept beside the window and walk up this morning in the grey light, happy to find myself under the breeze from the gentle ceiling fan and the carefully picked out art showing me Virginia’s room.

It felt so good until my mind started scattering marbles all over the floor and I lost the deep peace – for a moment or twelve.

“One step at a time, one thing at a time, one solution at a time” are some of my favorite watch words lately to bring me back into presence.

They are soothing, another word which has become a frequent visitor in my lexicon.

The applause says time is up, which I’ll accept.

I did also want to honor my age old tradition of writing haiku on Friday. I sat on my porch this morning and wrote, even with my less than optimal neighbors bent over cars and having folks in and out before 7 am.

Haiku writing is healing: a simple poetry form, a sacred prayer form as well, here is a song suite from this morning that was born when I invited myself to say what needed and wanted to be written.

We heal one haiku at a time

What I want to say

Yogurt calms rumbles

Ativan calms inner howls

Wait: tide will go out….

fake it til you make it

Sunrise through elm tree

Red rocking chair and coffee

Alta Vista peace

Worst strategy:

Please don’t nag at me

Each contact leaves a blister

Longer time to heal –

Best strategy

I’m thinking of you –

Let’s create this together

Your work helps the world

Prompt: Haiku is simply a seventeen syllable poem, a short work of art.

Some say it is like an inhalation and an exhalation.

I often start my haiku with what is in front of me, which can be seen in “fake it til you make it” above.

The worst strategy and best strategy are microcosm statements of what works well – and doesn’t work well – in communication with me. I realize it is helpful to be able to express these thoughts to people, especially when I am experiencing depression.

So start with something in front of you and write it in this micropoem container.

______/ ________ / ________/ ______/______

______/ ________ / ________/ ______/______/_____/______

______/ ________ / ________/ ______/______

Next, if you are an entrepreneur, see how you might fit your business story in a tiny haiku. For the artful entrepreneur, combining headline writing and copywriting with haiku adds another layer of creative play.

Set your timer for five minutes – and write as many haiku as you’re able!

Julie Jordan Scott inspires people to experience artistic rebirth via her programs, playshops, books, performances and simply being herself out in the world. She is a writer, creative life coach, speaker, performance poet, Mommy-extraordinaire and mixed-media artist whose Writing Camps and Writing Playgrounds permanently transform people’s creative lives. Watch for the announcement of new programs coming in soon!

To contact Julie to schedule a Writing or Creative Life Coaching Session, call or text her at 661.444.2735.

Check out the links below to follow her on a bunch of different social media channels, especially if you find the idea of a Word-Love Party bus particularly enticing.

Mixed Media to the Rescue: How the Absence of Language Moves Language Forward

May 26, 2015 by jjscreativelifemidwife

It seems like an unlikely conundrum for a lover of words. When I am working for a long time with language on a specific problem, I find myself most able to gain insights when I step away from language and work from a non-language approach.

I have been working on re-branding my creative life coach and soul growth business and I bumped into a language barrier. I moved to mixed media and the layers – and images – and vintage book pages – and layers – and images – and colors – started to do their magic and speak to me differently than if I had just sat at my desk and attempted to “figure it all out”.

Mixed media works differently.

Mistakes lead to the choice to add more colors or layers of paint or paper or ink.

Found language lifts words which speak to the language blocks differently. It isn’t a collision of words or ideas, it is a periscope or a tunnel into a breakthrough that wasn’t previously there.

This helped me immeasurably. I have moved forward in ways I never could have without taking the time away from the written word and language and into the beyond language space.

Have you tried mixed media?

If you haven’t, why not try something new?

This June and July I will be participating in the Daisy Yellow Index Card a day art challenge. I encourage you to consider it.

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Julie Jordan Scott inspires people to experience artistic rebirth via her programs, playshops, books, performances and simply being herself out in the world. She is a writer, creative life coach, speaker, performance poet, Mommy-extraordinaire and mixed-media artist whose Writing Camps and Writing Playgrounds permanently transform people’s creative lives. Watch for the announcement of new programs coming in Spring, 2015 and beyond.

To contact Julie to schedule a Writing or Creative Life Coaching Session, call or text her at 661.444.2735.

Check out the links below to follow her on a bunch of different social media channels, especially if you find the idea of a Word-Love Party bus particularly enticing.

Please stay in touch: Follow me on Twitter: @JulieJordanScot

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