My Artist Date

§ March 2nd, 2010 § Filed under Videos, Work & Life § Tagged , § 3 Comments

When I worked a full-time day job I had lots of time alone.

I spent sixty to ninety minutes a day alone in my car commuting to and from work. Time alone to listen to audio books and my own thoughts.

I had an office, not a cubicle and I spent most of my day working alone. Hours on end. It really was blissful.

Lunch times breaks were often visits to the bookstore.

On the way home in the evening if traffic was really heavy I would get off the highway and have a nice, quiet dinner alone, just me, a book and my journal.

Sometimes I’d stop at the bookstore or art store, just to wander around.

Now that I work from home, all of that free time and alone, at least most of it, is gone.

After four months I was beginning to feel like I was going crazy. Plus, I felt stale. My brain was feeling very dull and uncreative. I felt dull and uncreative. I was moody, depressed and just felt discombobulated.

This weekend I decided I just had to do something about it. For my own sanity and well-being I needed time alone.

I realized that if I am going to be successful working from home, that taking some time for myself is equally important as actually working. I have to learn to set boundaries and claim time for myself. I have to make scheduling some time alone daily and weekly a priority.

Then I remembered Julie Cameron’s artist dates.

    “An Artist Date is a block of time, perhaps two hours weekly especially set aside and committed to nurturing your creative conscious, your inner artist. In its primary form, the artist date is an excursion, a play date that you preplan and defend against all interlopers. You do not take anyone on this artist date but you and your inner artist, a.k.a. your creative child.”

Right then and there I decided I was taking Monday all for myself.

And, I outlined a list of priorities and made a plan:

    Minimum of four hours of uninterrupted time alone.
    Travel time – at least 30 minutes or more in the car.
    Beverage availability and clean restroom facilities were a must.
    No laptop, internet, email, phone calls or text messaging.
    Lots of light and places to sit, read and write.
    And, it had to be peaceful, quiet.

Here is what I did…

I have to say, my artist date was an absolutely delightful day. I feel rejuvenated, re-energized and relaxed.

How do you spend your artist dates?

Bobby McFerrin Hacks Your Brain With Music

§ March 1st, 2010 § Filed under Music, Videos § No Comments

This short, three minute Ted.com video blew me away.

I’ve never seen anything like it.

I am in awe of the human capacity to create.

It moved me to tears.

(Why did I cry? Who knows. Music almost always make me cry. That’s why I don’t often listen to it, or I’d be walking around like a blubbering idiot all the time.)

Enjoy!

Free Book Giveaway

§ February 27th, 2010 § Filed under Updates, News & Links § Tagged , , , § 2 Comments

Do you like the Chicken Soup for the Soul books?

I have to admit, I don’t really.

There’s not enough story for me; not enough depth.

To me they are more like chicken broth for the soul, than chicken soup for the soul.

I like stories with a little more detail. I want names, places. I want to know why someone made a specific choice, a decision. I want more depth than the Chicken Soup series offers.

That’s why I love BJ Gallagher’s book “It’s Never Too Late to Be What You Might Have Been”

This book is filled with stories with lots of details. Most of the stories are interviews and reveal the stories within the stories.

The book is broken down into several sections with two-three stories/interviews in each.

    It’s Never Too Late to…

      Make Your Dreams Come True
      Start a New Career
      Go Back to School
      Express Your Creativity
      Gather Wealth
      Become Athletic
      Find True Love

I enjoyed this book immensely and want to pass it on. And, even though I’ve read it, it is in mint condition. I never (rarely) write in my books and I don’t break the binding or dog ear the pages.

If you’d like to read this book, I’d like to pass it on to you.

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The Dreaming Cafe’s weekly newsletter is designed to inspire, inform and empower you as you travel your own creative journey to self discovery.

I will select a random winner from all subscribers on Saturday, March 6, 2010 and the winner will be announced in the Dreaming Cafe’s Sunday, March 7, 2010 newsletter.

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What can I do in 20 minutes a day?

§ February 26th, 2010 § Filed under Ideas § Tagged , , , § 1 Comment

Michael Nobbs’ “Take the 20 Minutes a Day Challenge” post yesterday really got me thinking.

I posted a comment on his blog asking myself “Should I art journal, exercise, meditate, write, or something I’ve always wanted to do, but claim never to have the time for?”

I expanded that thinking to ask myself, “What would be fun? What have I always dreamed about, but was afraid of admitting or committing to? What have I never done before, but always wanted to? What things have I enjoyed in the past, but have not done lately?”

Make videos. Tell stories with pictures. Learn to draw. Make birdhouses. Paint birdhouses. Design a garden.

These are things I think about, but rarely have time for.

I realized I rarely have time, or make time, for fun, new things, or even fun, old things.

I read to relax. It is my favorite pastime. And, I write.

I started art journaling, but usually it is to help get stuff out of my head onto paper. It’s mostly therapeutic, but I do have fun. It is an activity I can get lost in.

But, “What else is there? What am I missing?”

I rarely do anything just for fun, with no purpose other than to play.

I scares me a little that I’ve forgotten how to play, to just have fun. It scares me to think I’ve allowed so little time to play in my life.

Then yesterday I got a glimpse of what having fun can be like again. I was working on a special project, and I did have a purpose, but in the midst of it all I got lost and had a great time.

I told a story. I played with words. I made myself laugh. For hours I was wrapped up in an imaginary world and I had a blast.

I haven’t done that kind of writing in a very long time.

I like to have a purpose. It helps me focus. But, I also need to remember to have some fun and to play.

Break it down. Take baby steps. This has worked in the past, why not now?

That’s where Michael Nobbs’ “Take the 20 Minutes a Day Challenge” comes in. He has the same philosophy. Twenty minutes a day? I can do that.

My challenge…I am going to write for fun. I am going to start writing stories again. I am going to engage my imagination and just let the words and stories spill out of me.

I’ll follow Michael’s guidelines…

    Dedicated time: between 11am and 12pm or 7pm and 8pm.

    Supplies: I only need a notebook and a pen.

    No distractions: No Twitter, Hulu, phones calls, etc. (okay, I can do this.)

    Public commitment: This blog post says it for me.

    Time limit: 20-minutes a day, no more, no less.

    Rewards: When the twenty minutes is up, I’ll take a break, relax an have a cup of tea.

    Then, tomorrow I’ll do it again. And, the next day and the next.

Although this project is about having fun and playing it helps me to have a purpose. So I think I’ll make Fridays, “Fun Day” and share some of my 20-minute challenge results.

How about you? Will you take the 20-minute challenge?

Eight Rules for Working From a Home Office

§ February 25th, 2010 § Filed under Work & Life § Tagged , , , § 2 Comments

1. Dress for work.

    Causal is okay, but no sweats or pj’s. You are a professional and this is a professional work environment.

2. Connect with others.

    Take time everyday to engage with people on social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook. Read and comment on other people’s blogs. Send and answer a few personal emails. Skype a friend. Arrange a lunch date. Yes, connecting with others takes time, time out of your day and time away from your work, but if you shared an office with other people how much time would you spend connecting? It’s just as important when you work out of your home office.

3. Work with a project or editorial calendar and a to-do list.

    Knowing ahead of time what needs to be done on any given day provides structure. It helps you to dive right in and get started. It also can help signify the end of the work day. When today’s to-do list is complete, or all the “A” items are done you know the work day is over. You then have a choice, continue to work or call it a day.

4. No eating in the home office.

    A cup of tea or coffee is fine, but no snacks. A home office is for working, not eating.

5. Take a break.

    Have a snack or a meal while sitting down at the dining room or kitchen table. If the weather is pleasant, eat outside on the deck or picnic table. Use real silverware, plates and napkins. Treat yourself well. You deserve it.

6. Celebrate.

    If you just finished a big project or received some good news reward yourself and celebrate. Take your spouse, kids or a friend to lunch. Send an email to all your friends. Tweet your celebration and invite others to celebrate with you.

7. Remember who’s the boss.

    No one can tell you what to do or when to do it. That means you have to be the boss. You have to make the decisions and keep your commitments.

8. Working from a home office is about working.

    Remind yourself, your family and friends, that when you are in your home office you are working. You are a professional. You have work to do. No one is going to do it for you. Even if your ‘office’ is a corner of a room, or the kitchen table for a few hours, respect the space and what it represents.

Saying Goodbye

§ February 24th, 2010 § Filed under Learning & Personal Growth § No Comments

If you are a subscriber and received my newsletter this past Sunday you know that I made a big decision last week that involved turning away from an old way of life and turning into a new way of life.

Following that turning point I realized that if I am going to make this new life work it needs ALL of my time, attention and energy.

And, I am ready to give it everything I’ve got.

But, before I can do that I have some old business to attend to. I have to say goodbye and close down New Route Logistics, my consulting company.

I have to say, that I was quite proud of this website and its content and of my business’ overall vision and purpose.

New Route Logistics was a BIG step for me. I started it at the end of 2008. It was originally conceived as a partnership, but that fell apart and I decided to move forward on my own. It was exciting and I learned a lot, even though in the truest sense of the word, it was a dismal failure.

It never captured my imagination or my heart for any length of time and never received my full attention. Spending forty hours or more working on a project bid that 99.9% of the time was never committed to was more like my day job than a dream job.

It was never a monetary success, but it provided me with many priceless gifts.

    It proved to me that I could take action despite not knowing how to start.

    It proved to me that I could take action despite my fears and self doubt.

    It showed me the power of taking one small step at a time.

    It gave me courage to keep trying.

    It fed my desire to start something of my own.

    And, it opened the doors to new possibilities.

Today I am in the process of taking down the website for New Route Logistics and saying goodbye.

I took a few screenshots for my memory book and thought I share them here.

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