The Muse is IN Blog

The World Inside of a Hibiscus

When I began making podcasts, it was a few months into the pandemic and I figured this would be my contribution to sanity, that of anyone who wanted to listen and myself.

I wanted to do something different from an interview format because:

1. There's enough interview formats out there doing a phenomenal job
2. I love playing around with the creativity possible with sound effects, story, and humor.
3. I do things differently

I stopped for a few months thinking, that's all I have, and then I challenged myself to break through that perceived limitation. How can I teach principles of creativity and throw the towel during a lull? I love doing podcasts, I was just burnout. 

I wanted to prove to myself that I could come up with ideas even if it's not as easy as when the podcast had a novel beginning. I wanted to get through the "creative chaos" I teach about in the Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching Training. One of the ways to do that is after a break... flounder around.  That's what I did.

As the greats have always said, the way to an idea is not to wait for one, but to begin writing, painting, moving.. whatever and go where it takes me: flounder, edit edit edit and add sound effects, edit, release ...

When mindfulness and the imagination collided, a little mirth was added, Georgia o'Keeffe showed up, and a six minute story emerged that I hope will inspire you to pay more attention to the details of life that make you smile, like flowers or coffee drank from coffee cups drawn with eyes closed.

 I've included the script if you want to read along as you listen. 

Listen Here

 

The World Inside of a Flower

Georgia O’Keeffe said, “When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it’s your world for a moment.”

 

So I took that to hear,  I’m currently broadcasting from inside a flower, it’s a hibiscus, it’s my world for a moment … It’s Hibiscus. On the way in, I got pollen all over my new white dress, which is a nice change from cat hair and mustard. Pollen is everywhere . I snort a bit to see if it has any kind of mind-altering effects like seeing butterflies or hummingbirds.  (a snort and lots of sneezing here).

 

Sneezing can be cathartic. Ever sneeze and feel a little lighter because of it? Like you just got rid of some stress, anger, or something in your nose you didn’t know was there but now can breathe easier and feel relieved other people can’t see what’s in your nose? I feel very VERY light because of the sneezing and am actually floating upwards because of it

 

 I’m floating above the high-biscus… and am high. It’s a Creative high– the only side effects are poems, sketches of coffee cups drawn with eyes closed, and clutter on my dining room table. When I’m in the flow, time is gone, stress evaporates, the clutter on my dining room table doesn’t matter. I return to myself. I return to a love affair with art and writing.

A bee is headed right toward me due to this pollen situation so I have lowered back down into the flower again, and again it is my world for this moment.

 

Novelist, philosopher Iris Murdoch said, “People from a planet without flowers would think we must be mad with joy the whole time to have such things about us.” I can get mad-with-joy upon seeing the variety of flowers in my neighborhood, Indian paint brush, primrose, poppies, periwinkle, black eyed susans… I counted once and there were 963 varieties of flowers. (Okay, I didn’t count, that was an estimation.)

 

A trick I teach in my Uber Bliss class is to keep the mad-with-joy moments longer is to see a flower, what a nice flower..  add just 5 seconds to your enjoyment of it. Sometimes 15. Adding a small amount of time dislodge ourselves from the complacency around flowers. It can expand our enjoyment.  It’s is a nice break often from the real world. #mindfulness

I take a little look around this hibiscus and see Georgia O’Keeffe in here, she’s painting it from the inside out. Oh, that’s how she does it.

We take a moment to have coffee from coffee cups drawn with our eyes closed. We talk about New Mexico, sage, and painting clouds. Georgia admits, and I quote her for real, she said, “I hate flowers - I paint them because they're cheaper than models and they don't move.” <real quote.

We laughed which made us float above the hibiscus and into a song.

Have a daydream on me.

 

Take care and don’t text while driving.
Thanks for subscribing

 

Artwork above of two hibiscuses by Georgia O'Keeffe

One at the very top, by yours truly.

 

 

Opening Reception for The Electric Womb Exhibition: San Diego

"Please join us for our inaugural exhibition that features 10 womyn who create both artworks and poetry. We all come from the womb, these are our stories. Experience a world of poetry, colors, and creativity." 

5:15 pm - 6:00 pm

Featured Artists/Poets will share their spoken words.
Dancer, Patricia Maldonado will help to kick off the evening

6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Art Reception - enjoy nibbles and drinks with us while viewing artwork and poetry

Location: Writer’s Ink Inspiration Gallery 2730 Historic Decatur Rd #204, San Diego, CA 92106

2nd Floor Barracks 16 in the Arts District at Liberty Station

The exhibit will be up through September

I am honored to be a part of this. More information here

 
Workshop Sampler: June 27, 2023 11am pacific/ 2pm eastern: Zoom
Is the KMCC training for me?
What IS the Muse Facilitator training?
What happens at Wild Abandon Retreats like Omega, Italy, and Taos?
These questions and more, answered in this free workshop. It will be recorded if you can't make it but you need to register here.
 
Finding Inspiration with Jill Badonsky- Through the Athenaeum on Zoom
July 19 11am - 1pm pacific time/ 2pm - 4 pm eastern

• Find ways to find inspiration for drawing and simple watercolor painting
• Play with techniques for turning an idea into reality
• Get ideas from the work of others but making it your own
• Know where to begin or which idea to choose

Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching Certification Training: Zoom
 August 21, 2023 — December 11, 2023 17-weeks of learning tools and approaches through a rich online community, two live-inactive Zoom classes a week, discussion, reading, and experiences based on science, mindfulness, intuition, and permission to be free from the fear, habits, pressures, and messages we get that stop our creative joy. KMCC here
 
The Modern Day Muse Group Facilitation Training: Zoom
September 12 - December 5 (no class Thanksgiving week)
Two Muses: Albert (Terry Way) and Bea Silly (Rozy Walker) will be teaching you how to run your own creativity groups based on the book The Nine Modern Day Muses (and a Bodyguard). Or take it to return to, unleash or deepen your own creativity.
Save the date - registration will be coming up in upcoming newsletters. 
 
An additional training with Jamie Gutierrez will be scheduled early 2024  TBA
 
Wild Abandon at Omega Institute of Holistic Sciences: New York
October 1-6, 2023. A week of immersing ourselves in Wild Abandon writing, art, photography, and good times in a forest in the Hudson Valley.   Register here
 
The Muse in Winter: Writing and Art Retreat in Taos New Mexico:
FULL - Contact me for the waiting list
Feb 10-14, 2023
This year the workshops, art, improv, even the entertainment will be all geared toward writing. We will explore and celebrate creative writing and make art for writers in enchanting Taos.  Payment plans available. Taos link is here.  
 
Art Walk and Creativity on the Italian Riviera 
October 14-20, 2024 Plenty of time to save up for gelato! 
I'll be providing the creative part of a tour to the Italian Riviera. Here's the link to sign-up      For all levels from beginners to travel-hungry pros.
 
The Underground Highway to Creative Results: Zoom and FB
For regular Fun Creative Prompts and a spectacular group of supportive creatives, join me in the Underground . 

Monthly Zoom Creativity Workshop and Wild Abandon art and writing prompts weekly  and a secret FB page (optional)  for only $23 ..  .  Check that here.
 

Framing Lessons for Life, Creativity, and Flabby Arms

The backs of my upper arms are flabby.

I wouldn’t be that concerned if I wasn’t getting married in July, although I am not without vanity.

I’ll be wearing short sleeves to my outdoors wedding. My inner critic is spitting venom and shouting out orders to DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!   

I stopped lifting weights in 2019 when an MRI revealed an aortic aneurysm ... blah blah blah. It’s okay. I’ve since found out it’s a pretty sturdy anomaly that relatives on my mom’s side have had all their lives without incident. I don’t really need to take the precautions I used when I stopped working out.

Therefore, I am back at the YMCA… lifting weights. Lifting weights is repetitive and can be boring so to persevere with this regimen until aforementioned flab in the upper arm region diminishes, I’ll need to take out my creative stash of psychologically enhanced mindfulness tricks and change the frame as an example of how you can do this with a plethora of other things as well.  

“Putting a Rembrandt in one sort of frame it will make it look hideous,
but in another it will look sublime.”
~William B. Irvine

 Same with our reality.

We can’t change what happens to us, but we can change how we see them, and it doesn’t have to always be through rose-colored frames  to be liberating.  

We can frame, or “reframe”, as I call it in the Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching Training, to reduce the number of negative emotions we experience. They sap our creative energy so this device is one we need if we can’t channel those emotions into art or writing.  

A stoic will tell you, it’s not the activity itself that is boring, it’s my response to it that labels it as such. This applies to everything we do in life. I know many of you know this. 

 

 

Here are some reframes for the flabby arm and lifting weights dilemma.    

Frame #1: The “THIS IS BORING WHEN WILL IT BE OVER?” default frame.
When I’m not being mindful I might find myself in this vortex.
Result: Tedium, impatience, a pretty good chance I’m not going to look forward to doing this again which often leads to procrastination, resistance, and Oreo Cookies (GF).

Frame #2: The IMAGINARY SPORTS ANNOUNCER FRAME
Sports announcers are commenting on the finesse in which I lift weights.  I am in the Over-60-Finals-for-Tall-Women-with-Flabby-Arms-Who-Are-Getting- Married-in-July and am winning! The crowd is gasping in awe. This is a winning frame.
Result: Co-oping my childlike playfulness makes showing-up easier,  time goes by faster, appeals to me because I like attention from things like imaginary sports announcers  and awestruck audiences (Leo here). Fun brings me back again: what will those sports announcers say next?!

Frame #3 I LOVE MUSIC REFRAME:
Listening to music through my earbuds gives me a beat to move to and makes time go by faster. I love dance choreography, rhythm, and music, so this has added love to the activity.
Result: Enjoyment, love of music helps turn it into a habit which makes showing up more effortless.

Frame #4 STORYTELLING REFRAME:
This is one of the reframes I’m using now. The realization of being in a boring, repetitive scenario and my desire to do something about it becomes something to write about so I can share the experience and possible solutions with you. It’s something that motivates me, sharing stories to help or entertain others is part of who I am.
Result: Curiosity, exploration, acceptance, writing, art, creativity, discovery < all things I value that make it easier to come back.

Frame #5 EQUANIMITY REFRAME:  
The undeniable reality is there are dull things in life we need to do. If everything was a carnival, there would be no contrast and the pleasurable parts of life would blend in with our complacency. 
Result: A feeling of relief and accomplishment when this is over and I’ll enjoy that. I am taking care of myself in a wise and efficient way, I’m building the confidence that I can endure most things even if they are unexciting. Sometimes weight lifting IS  boring, but the way of the mindful stoic is to do it anyway, that’s part of life. It’s another opportunity to respect that I take care of myself even when it’s uninteresting.   

Or the other option is to stop thinking and just experience all the sensations of lifting weights without judgment, more practice for mindfulness.

Frame #6 ICING ON THE CAKE: MY ARMS ARE FLABBY

Here’s a reply to my inner critic I just learned from a meditation teacher named Devon: “I wish things were different, but they’re not and that’s okay.” Or similarly from my Modern-Day Muse, Bea Silly: “So what?” From Paul McCartney: “Let it be.” Or from Dolly Parton, my imaginary inner counselor, “It’s a first world problem, girl, just go do it and be happy." 
Result: Alchemizing self-judgment into a less significant part of being alive and feeling a bit of freedom from it. (Even if it’s 5% more freedom than a minute ago).

 

The truth is I'm so happy about getting married to
this man that this little drop of dissatisfaction
gets lost in the ocean of my gratitude.
Gratitude is a powerful reframe all on its own.

Note: Cake icing is not in my diet until August.

This is creative mindfulness in action. All of these are choices. I can easily default to the first one if I’m not paying attention.  I can mix and match, shuffle, and pull out reframes according to my needs or desires.

You can invent reframes for everything in life that needs one. It's part of being creative and as you practice in an area as insignificant as flabby arms, your prowess in reframing, spills over to more important areas:  Relationships that are tough, work, the hard part of creative tasks, cleaning the house, taxes, loss, transition, and other forms of the things life throws at us.

Make them a game, a party, and the thing you GET to do instead of "have to" or "should."

Any time you've said, "On the other hand... " or "Look at it this way ..." you've reframed. 

Any time you've said, "On the other hand... " or "Look at it this way ..." you've reframed. 

Life is like that. We can look at it one way and be scared or angry or worried.
We can look at it another and find an exciting challenge.
We can choose to look at something as an obstacle or an opportunity.
We can see chaos if we look up close, or order if we look from afar.
-Ryan Holiday

Framing you as appreciated,

Jill

Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching Certification Training 

 

I'm taking applications for the August KMCC training.
You can read more  about it here.

If you'd like to join us, email me and tell me a little about yourself
and why KMCC is a good fit for you.
 

"I have been pondering the whole idea of the "self improvement" movement. History suggests it started in 1952 with Norman Vincent Peals' book, The Power of Positive Thinking. Now the self help industry is worth 13 billion dollars a year. That is 13 billion dollars basically telling us that we are not good enough "as is". Wow. I realize that "back round music" has been playing in my ears my whole life. No wonder I like the KMCC approach so much, it basically says the creative life is a bit chaotic. No problem. Maybe you just need an ally, a Muse or a coach to help you along. That is NORMAL!!!! That is a long way around to say; I am so glad I found KMCC. Thanks Jill.”

~Terry Way, Certified Kaizen Muse Creativity Coach,Workshop leader, Unleashing Creativity with the Modern Day Muse ® ,Instructor, Mark Making for Humans, QAV  

 

I’ve struggled for years to live a more creative life. Jill's Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching program opened my eyes to a whole new way of being in the world.

The tools are powerful, effective, and research based. The learning environment is fun, inspiring, challenging, and interactive. Not only is the KMCC program unique in its philosophy and teachings, but Jill offers support and community post-training through a variety of offerings.

I highly recommend this program if you want to dig deep into the creative process, if you desire to support creatives and/or yourself by overcoming blocks with life-changing tools in an empowering way—low pressure, compassionate, intuitive.

This program went far beyond my expectations. Simply priceless.

~Selina Bjorlie, O.D., MFA in Creative Writing, Certified Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coach