My heart wants to burst open

There is more
there is more

The Artist's Creed

Michael, by Susan Seddon Boulet

I believe I am worth the time it takes to create
whatever I feel called to create.

I believe that my work is worthy of its own space,
which is worthy of the name Sacred.

I believe that, when I enter this space, I have the right
to work in silence, uninterrupted, for as long as I choose.

I believe that the moment I open myself to the gifts of the Muse,
I open myself to the Source of All Creation
and become One with the Mother of Life Itself.

I believe that my work is joyful, useful, and constantly changing,
flowing through me like a river with no beginning and no end.

I believe that what it is I am called to do
will make itself known when I have made myself ready.

I believe that the time I spend creating my art
is as precious as the time I spend giving to others.

I believe that what truly matters in the making of art is
not what the final piece looks like or sounds like,
not what it is worth or not worth, but what newness gets added
to the universe in the process of the piece itself becoming.

I believe that I am not alone in my attempts to create,
and that once I begin the work, settle into the strangeness,
the words will take shape, the form find life, and the spirit take flight.

I believe that as the Muse gives to me,
so does she deserve from me:
faith, mindfulness, and enduring commitment.

Jan Phillips
Marry Your Muse

Silent solitude

"In silent solitude
I float out
flowing
in slowest
motion
serene daughter
of my
deepest self"

From the book The Creative Journal by Lucia Capacchione

Things that have meant something to me today

~Even though things feel meaningless right now, there's a part of me that knows it's only temporary, and part of a bigger picture.

~Cancelling the session with my client today so I can have time and space to look after myself,

~THEN, receiving a caring email from her with a quote that is so spot on.

~Visiting a college friend at work just to let her know where I'm at, and having her treat me to a dandelion tea and hot chocolate.

~Instead of wallowing with junk food, I came home and made myself a salad wrap and chai.

~Thinking of the pretty white feather I found the other day.

~Receiving a little message from an old work friend, just to say hi and check that I'm doing ok.

"Let your mind start a journey through a strange new world. Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before. Let yourself take you where you long to be... Close your eyes, let your spirit soar and you will live as you've never lived before."

This is a scary place to be. I don't know how to do things a new way. But I know I don't want to do it the old way anymore. Hence the emptiness.

Sweet Darkness

When your eyes are tired
the world is tired also.

When your vision has gone
no part of the world can find you.

Time to go into the dark
where the night has eyes
to recognize its own.

there you can be sure
you are not beyond love.

The dark will be your womb
tonight.

The night will give you a horizon
further than you can see.

You must learn one thing.
The world was meant to be free in.

Give up all the other worlds
except the one to which you belong.

Sometimes it takes darkness and the sweet
confinement of your aloneness
to learn

anything or anyone
that does not bring you alive

is too small for you.

-David Whyte

The Four Agreements

The Four Agreements, by Don Miguel Ruiz

"To be Toltec is a way of life. A Toltec becomes wise, becomes wild, and becomes free again."

Be impeccable with your word.
Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.

Don't take anything personally.
Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won't be the victim of needless suffering.

Don't make assumptions.
Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness, and drama.

Always do your best.
Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgement, self-abuse, and regret.

Best Things Today

- The smell of rain out my car window driving home from the Blue Mountains

- This photo of a friend:

CAUTION! Breakdancers.