Blowing the Lid Off of 2008

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While rain drizzled lightly outside, 11 vibrant women gathered for my Dream Box workshop at fellow Lady Launcher and coach/therapist Laura Parker’s Creative Action Center. We christened her lovely office space with positive energy and creativity as the women visioned their goals and collaged colorful dream boxes.

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I love witnessing everyone in their creative process.  In the beginning we discussed  how as successful women we’re so conditioned to have very specific and practical goals (often brought on by others outside ourselves). But by rolling up our sleeves and getting messy, we’re able to tap into our intuition and childlike creativity. Our imagination and right-brain helps us dream big!

One of my favorite parts of the workshop is the show and tell at the end. We get to hear about what each woman is creating in her life and what action she’s taking to continue moving forward. It’s always cool to see how unique everyone’s dreams are and also where there is synergy and opportunity to support one another on their journeys. I can’t wait to see these dreams of health, travel, meaningful connections and creative projects come true!

How are you blowing the lid off of 2008? What creative ways can you tap into your big dreams? And what support do you need to move forward?

Questers, Dreamers and Launchers

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The past 10 days have been a whirlwind of excitement, connection, fulfillment and fun! I visited Washington DC to be a Circle Coach for Quest, returned home to lead a dream box workshop at It’s Yoga and then flew out to Cleveland for our Ladies Who Launch leader training. I had a great time at all the different events. And this weary traveler is happy to be home (where it’s not snowing!).

Quest was amazing. What an honor to help shepherd our Questers on their journey of discovering their leadership essence and taking action on their inspiring Quests. I look forward to seeing how they each continue to make their unique impact on the world!

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The icing on the cake was meeting up with my friends John and Marie last Saturday night in DC. I hadn’t seen John in about three years and this was my first time meeting Marie in person. What a treat!

Had one day back home to make dream boxes with the yoga teacher trainers including students from Mexico, Israel, Japan and all across the US. I’m always so moved by what the participants dream of and create!

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Next up, Cleveland! On our first day there, Launy, Corinne and I ventured to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I’m no music buff, so much of the paraphernalia was beyond me. But I did get a kick out of seeing a letter that Madonna wrote to a friend while she was at the University of Michigan, Jim Morrison’s report cards from grade school and drawings that Jimi Hendrix did as a kid.

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California girls Launy, me, Corinne and Claire braving the snow. It was so much fun to be at the training with these smart, savvy gals. And we’re so excited to bring all our launching energy back to our fellow Bay Area launchers.

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Oh, and I just had to take a picture of the infamous chocolate cake that magically appeared after every meal. Good thing we had yoga class Friday morning to work off such decadence.

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And finally, a beautiful shot of all 14 leaders in training from across the US and Canada along with our awesome trainer Stella. What an amazing group of women!

In Print AND the Power of Intention

The third installment of the best-selling Girl’s Guide series comes out today AND I’m featured in the book!!! The Girl’s Guide to Kicking Your Career Into Gear by Caitlin Friedman and Kimberly Yorio offers practical advice for taking charge of your career – whether it’s getting to that next level, switching careers or deciding to work for yourself.

As the featured coach in Chapter Two: Getting where you want to go, I provide some creative exercises for envisioning what you want from your job and offer suggested actions to take. (Note, I’m listed under my former coaching brand Change Journey Coaching due to publishing lead time).

uylv-book-back-cover.jpgNot only am I thrilled to be in print, this opportunity exemplifies the power of intention… Last year around this time, I had just finished a great book about using collage to set dreams and goals. I thought to myself, “Hey, I really could write a book about my approach to art visioning!” I got inspired to do some art visioning of my own around the book idea and planned to create a mock book jacket for my future book. It was late at night, so to make sure I didn’t forget the next day, I wrote an e-mail to myself on 1/7/07 with the subject line “mock up a book cover/jacket w/ headshot, bio, advanced praise, etc.”

Well, I woke up the next morning to find in my inbox an e-mail with the subject line, “book interview.” I had to do a double-take. Was this what I called the note to myself about my book? I was beside myself when I realized it was one of the Girl’s Guide authors asking if I wanted to be interviewed for their next book! I was amazed that in less than 24-hours, a wonderful opportunity presented itself that was a great first step toward writing my own book!!

By the way, the authors will be holding a book-signing/workshop in San Francisco on Wednesday, January 30th from 7:30-9:30PM at Books Inc. on 2251 Chestnut Street. Maybe I’ll see you there?!

Right-Brain Business Plan Blog

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In November of 2007, I participated in Leah Piken’s Art Every Day Month. The final two days of the challenge serendipitously culminated in a new creative idea that I call the Right-Brain Business Plan. Well, in the last several weeks, my Right-Brain Business Plan has generated quite a bit of interest – comments on my blog, others posting about my plan on their site, and those who’ve seen it in-person wanting to create one for themselves. I even recently worked with a client and her business partner to develop their own Right-Brain Business Plans. So, given the great response, I figured, hey, why not officially start a movement!

I’ve created a new blog called “The Right-Brain Business Plan Blog.” Please check it out! Stay tuned for more creative ideas for your business and opportunities for connection and community with fellow right-brainers!

This is NOT business as usual!

The Year it all Came Together

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In December, I like to have my coaching clients reflect on what they’ve accomplished throughout the year. It’s such a gift to set aside some time during the frenetic holiday season to actually honor everything you’ve manifested in the last 12 months.

After spending a few hours last Saturday journaling about my own learnings, discoveries, milestones and achievements in 2007, I was amazed at how so many different pieces of my life have flowed together in such meaningful ways. I looked back at some notes I had when I started working with my last coach after leaving my job and one of the things I wanted was more integration. I was tired of living a separate work life apart from the rest of my life.

I’m happy to say that I gave 2007 the title, “My Year of Integration: When it all came together!”

So many big things happened this year. Revamped my coaching brand, celebrated my one year of freedom, got interviewed for a book, started leading Incubators, led my second year of the CDB leadership program, got selected as a CTI Circle Coach, became certified as an Ashtanga yoga instructor and led dream box workshops at the studio, got my MBTI qualification, participated in Art Every Day Month, traveled with friends, started a creative playground to explore Expressive Arts Coaching. And so much more!

Given all the insights I gained from doing art every day last month, I picked up my watercolors and painted a mandala to represent all that has unfolded this year. I love having a visual reminder of this wonderful feeling of integration and of what has blossomed in 2007.

Right-Brain Business Plan Part II – AEDM Day 30

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With scissors, pens and glue stick in hand, I worked on detailing out the different sections of my Artizen Coaching Right-Brain Business Plan on the flip side. Sure beats sitting in front of a computer for hours!

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I revised my company description with the look of my ink and water colors visual journal. The paint really brought the key words to life and made it feel more like me.

I wanted my plan to be interactive and evolving, so I created different ways to incorporate information that I could take out, update and put back in. The next page to the left has a pocket that holds cards describing my different services and products. I like that I can pull them out and add to it easily.

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Next, I created a mini bound calendar to list out my major events and milestones. It actually slips out of the little holder so that I can thumb through it (see picture below).

I also created a section for describing who I’m partnering with and for what. In addition, I thought through what my role would be versus what I have already outsourced or need to outsource in the future.

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I really love that this format is expandable and adaptable – just like my business! Plus, it’s portable and fun to look at!

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Finally, I created spaces for holding my financial and overall business goals plus my marketing strategies and approaches. Since these are also in an envelope type form, I can easily slip cards in and out. Plus there’s a little more privacy.

I’m super-excited to have a tangible, interactive vision for where I want to take my business in the next year and beyond. I’m also thrilled that I’ve developed another creative approach to use with clients in crafting the personal and professional goals.

I am so grateful to the Art Every Day and NaBloPoMo challenges (I’m overlooking those days when I was sooo overwhelmed and stressed!). This month’s art making and blogging has culminated into a new way for me do business planning, has helped me to develop new approaches and product ideas and has widened my community of creative souls. This process reminds me that the more I try new things, connect with others, tap into my creativity… then the more quickly my vision and ideas can evolve and manifest. Doing art every day has definitely accelerated my life big time in ways I wouldn’t have even imagined 29 days ago and am still processing. Amazing!

[tags]National Blog Posting Month, NaBloPoMo, Art Every Day Month, business planning, right-brain business plan, art visioning, expressive arts coaching, business coaching, entrepreneurship, collage, book arts, accordion book[/tags]

Right-Brain Business Plan – AEDM Day 29

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How many of you cringe when you hear the words business plan? Or maybe even worse… budget, cash flow or P&L statement? If you’re like me, those terms (especially the financial ones), make your skin crawl. Yet, as an entrepreneur it’s vital to know where you’re going and what it’s going to take to get there.

So, how about approaching business planning (and life planning) from a visual, creative and fun perspective instead?

The idea of doing a more right-brain approach to my business plan came to me while brainstorming materials with my colleagues Starla Sireno and Tara Russell at The Fearless Entrepreneur. As we refine resources and exercises to use with our business coaching clients, it’s also important that we walk our talk, too. So, I revisited my business plan (originally in a boring, static Word document) and decided to update it for 2008 and beyond using my art visioning techniques.

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Above are the front and back covers of my Artizen Coaching business plan accordion book. I started off decorating the front with a really cool art studio image from a magazine. Then I thought it would be clever to have the back be more of the “zen” in the Artizen.

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Here are some detail shots of the interior.

Typically a business plan has sections such as: an executive summary, company description, industry analysis, target market, financials, marketing and sales plan, etc.

In the first couple of pages I wanted to just set the tone of my business and also list out the different products and services I’m offering or working on.

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Next, I got clear on my strategic alliances and affiliations – who I’m working with and what organizations I belong to for networking and support. It’s a relief to know I don’t have to go it alone!

For the finances, I really wanted to concentrate on abundance and chose images/words around that. I have my P&L statement folded up in the little manila envelope so I can pull it out and look at it when I need to.

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These last pages are about marketing and getting myself out there. Part of what triggered doing this project now was that today I received galley copies of the book that I’m featured in: The Girl’s Guide to Kicking Your Career in Gear and I got excited about next year! I also want to write a book, so there’s a little 3D book attached to one of the pages.

Tomorrow, I’m going to write out more details on the back of each page. Now that I have visuals and the emotional connection to what I’m wanting to create, I can articulate it more clearly in words. I’ll probably write out my strategy and tactics in a creative way, too, and have some images as well.

How do you plan out your business and personal goals? What if the process was more fun and engaging? What else would be possible for you if you let your creativity and intuition run wild?

[tags]National Blog Posting Month, NaBloPoMo, Art Every Day Month, business planning, right-brain business plan, art visioning, expressive arts coaching, business coaching, entrepreneurship, collage, book arts, accordion book[/tags]

Clarity Collage – AEDM Day 17/18

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Well, I must admit that I’ve really been challenged these last couple of days keeping up with the Art Every Day. A symptom of having too much on my plate this week. Ever have one of those weeks where you have something going on every single night? For a gal who typically maxes out at one social activity a week, it’s been exhausting. I’ve enjoyed catching up with friends, connecting with colleagues and leading meetings. And, I know I really need to carve out time for just me this week.

I actually created this collage yesterday at our second Creative Playground meeting. We gathered at Pamela’s lovely treehouse-like home for an afternoon of collaging and connection. We each found a few hours of refuge from our hectic schedules and relished in our collective creative flow.

The last several collage pieces I’ve done have been on smaller, portable surfaces (like on my dream box and my Unfolding Your Life Vision book), so I appreciated the freedom of working on a larger surface. I was drawn to spacious images and a mix of solitude, playfulness and community. When I shared my finished piece, my friends commented that the images had such clarity and, even though there was a lot going on, it had boundaries. That related very much to what is showing up in my life right now. So even as I seek out community, this visual reminds me to consciously protect my personal time to make sure I recharge and rejuvenate. I’m looking forward to a lighter, more spacious week!

[tags]National Blog Posting Month, NaBloPoMo, Art Every Day Month, collage[/tags]

The Creative Connection – AEDM Day 15

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In the half hour before leading a call today about Expressive Arts Coaching, a wave of anxiety came over me. Gremlins were hard at work grilling me… “What makes you think you can talk about this or that anyone would be interested in what you have to say? Do you even know what you’re going to say?!” and on and on.

Instead of getting sucked into the fear, I allowed myself to express it on paper in the form of colors and lines – a way to be with it, honor it and release it and, in fact, practice an exercise I was about to take the participants through on the call. I scribbled the nervousness and doubt and then did some movement around it. I then wrote the words “angst, confusion, scared/pit of stomach” on the back of the drawing.

Flipping the paper over again and looking at it anew I saw, instead of inner turmoil, a glowing fire with sparks flying. I laughed to myself realizing that we titled the call Firing up Coaching with Expressive Arts.

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My perspective shifted to see my fear as passion and excitement as I stepped into something new and invited others to play with me. The image evolved more into a celebration and I found new words to describe my experience of it, “release, passion/fire, disseminating, firing it up, sparks, flow, dynamic.”

My friend Jamie and I had been exchanging e-mails this week about Natalie Roger’s book “The Creative Connection” and her concept of using the interplay of creative modalities like visual art, dance and poetry to deepen our experience and self-exploration. How each medium builds on the other and gives us new perspectives. This was so helpful for getting me in the right space to lead the call. And when we did the exercise together as a group, it was fun and enlivening for all. I’m excited about the community that’s gathering around this idea of consciously weaving expressive arts into coaching to move ourselves and our clients forward.

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Also had my last session of the felted baskets class tonight. I still need to finish decreasing and then of course, try my hand at felting. I can’t wait to see what the end product looks like!

[tags]National Blog Posting Month, NaBloPoMo, Art Every Day Month, expressive arts coaching, art visioning, coaching, knitting[/tags]

Road Block and Release – AEDM Day 14

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Man, it’s getting hard for me to keep up with the Art Every Day. I notice that I’ve been waiting to the very last minute to squeeze something in before the night is up. Which makes me realize how easy it is for me, under normal circumstances, to let it slide… Oh, I’ll just do something creative later on today, or maybe tomorrow, or when I’m inspired, or… and then I don’t make anything for long periods of time. Even though I’m feeling overwhelmed and challenged during this commitment to art making every day this month, I have really appreciated being more aware of my creative process and allowing myself to simply experience.

Driving into the city tonight was a nightmare. The sea of red brake lights snaked on for miles. I felt trapped, stuck and frustrated. I worried about not being prepared enough for a call I’m leading tomorrow, I got mad at myself for not leaving my house earlier, I was tired, drained, overwhelmed and was sucked into the feeling of “road block.” Hence the bleak, angry image above.

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Fortunately, when I finally arrived at my destination (albeit an hour late!) I was so relieved to have made it to the SF Coaches meeting. The group was halfway through introductions which included sharing something you’re grateful for in honor of Thanksgiving. As each person shared all the wonderful gifts in their life, emotion swelled within me. I was touched by all the things people were opening up to and manifesting in their life and it got me to reflect on how blessed I am with all that I have in my life. Those earlier feelings of frustration, stuckness and gloom melted away. And in its place, joy and fulfillment resonated. It’s amazing how by being surrounded by people living on purpose and by naming what I’m grateful for I quickly tapped back into my higher self.

What road blocks easily trigger you and how do you get past them? How do you connect back with your higher self?

[tags]National Blog Posting Month, NaBloPoMo, Art Every Day Month, SF Coaches, expressive arts coaching, art visioning[/tags]