The Muse is IN Blog

20th Anniversary

 

Hi ,   2024 is the twentieth anniversary of Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching  Certification Training and the 21st anniversary of the publishing by Penguin-Putnam of my first book, The Nine Modern Day Muses (and a Bodyguard).   I've since bought the rights and in celebration of 20 years, I updated it, ( for the fourth time), which it badly needed because it was published before things like podcasts and social media . I've also shortened it for our 21st century compromised attention spans.   It has color illustrations. Same humor, mindfulness, prompts, and profound ways to get through creativity.   So Aha-phrodite, Albert, Bea Silly, Audacity, Lull, Spills, Muse Song, Shadow Muse, Marge, (and the Bodyguard) - which are powerful creative principles in the guise of Muses, are back. If you want to catch them in their 2024 form, order here.  Watch for Muse Group Facilitator Course coming up this Spring.   Here's an excerpt:    Every mortal has some way to be a creative beacon. Whether it be to make luscious variations of portobello spaghetti sauce, to write a ditty about falling stars for the girl at the wi-fi cafe, to invent a fugue in D, a duet in E, and a ballad in Biloxi, to dance wild new steps to silly old songs, to smile radiantly from the heart, or to create awe in the studio audience of the mind, of life, of the effervescent magic of the soul—every mortal has a creative light just waiting to shine brighter.   To be creative is, yes, to do art. It has also been identified as one of the top qualities of an effective manager and the edge a successful entrepreneur has on competitors. It is an inner beauty that radiates on the outside no matter what age you are. Creative expression is the beacon your soul mate will detect to find you. It is the key to relationships that flourish, and the means through which parenting becomes joyous. It is the tool that takes a mundane reality and makes it extraordinary. Creative problem solving is the answer to life’s most challenging dilemmas. If you choose to be creative, life is a fulfilling journey where wonder awaits every twist of thought and turn of attitude.   "First edition was life changing. So thanks for that! Brava and cheers!" ~Eber Lambert     Spills: the Muse of Practice, Process, and Imperfection will be making a guest appearance at the Let's Talk Creativity workshop this Saturday 9:30 pacific, 12:30 eastern will be about getting through the feeling of never being and never doing enough... Creativity's Evil Step Sister - Perfectionism. For newsletter subscribers there's a discount: $15 Includes recording     Join me on Substack

Confidence I've been back from Taos for a week now but I'm still spinning from the quality of time that happens in community with amazing women.    One of the new things this year was a songwriting workshop with singer and songwriter, Kate Mann. Kate is an award winning musician who has been singing her version of Americano with us for over 11 years, dazzling us each time.    We all put three words in a hat, mixed them up and picked three words. We had two experienced sing-songwriters in the group, but that night everyone was one. It blew me away the songs people came up with - and half of them sang them. It speaks to what can happen in a creative space, a safe community, and the unspoken confidence from the teacher that we can all write a song with just three words. The creativity at Mabel's is palpable.   I thought it was my last retreat there after 12 years, but with the heartfelt feedback I received and the new good friends I met, I'm inspired to do another year. (Feb 8-12 if you're interested. Links will go up soon). Here's an incomplete snippet of Kate's talent.

Workshops and Memberships     Let's Talk About Creativity Saturday, February 24 9:30 am pac,10:30mnt, 11:30 cent 12pm eastern   The Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching Training was recognized by Life Coaching Magazine as the best creativity coaching available. Now the tools and approaches that won it that honor are shared monthly, starting in January in a Zoom Session called Let's Talk About Creativity. I will share the most effective tools for getting through perfectionism and feelings of not being or doing enough plus you will have time to talk about your creativity. Free to members of The Underground.    Try it for $15 -Includes recording   Next KMCC Training begins June 17 - September 12   The training is customized for individuals interested in learning how to use intuitive, imaginative, mindfulness tools based on psychology that have empowered thousands  an authentic, joy-filled life   Just announced. Dates are yet up on the website. More info here         Art and Creativity Walk in Italy - Full  Full - Join the waiting list ; More international travel to come in the future                   Join the Underground Highway to Creative Results Includes one Wild Abandon Creativity Zoom Workshop AND Let's Talk Creativity group monthly plus prompts, support, and camaraderie.  More Information Here              CORRECTED LINK Parallel Universe Time: A Space to show up for yourself Free ..every Monday 8:30 am pacific/11:30 eastern More Here     Thank you  for being a subscriber, Write, let me know if there's a creative block you'd like me to address or a creative success you'd like to share with me. Love, Jill

Yours Truly Author/illustrator of three books on creativityand mindfulness Creator and Teacher of KMCC and A Muse's Daydream Certified Yoga/Mindfulness Instructor  Multi-media artist, performance poet, and playwright Award winning inspirational goof-ball and author. Dispenser of thousands of weird creativity prompts including on Facebook Corporate Dropout

Gelato Reasons to Do Art in a New Land

Check out a little Wild Abandon Art here: Blind Memory art demo of a teapot

I’m sitting in a little outdoor café (not really, but let’s pretend), sipping a cappuccino and painting a swatch of blue that, with a little intentional wildness, becomes the Ligurian sea. It’s an abstract version of the sea because that’s the way my paint brush rolls.  Perfectly steamed milk foam hangs out on my lips, and I don’t care.

Once the sea is dry, I paint in a guy with an Italian flag waving on the end of the boat he's rowing and I say, “Voila,” even though I’m on the Italian Riviera and not the French one.  I’m under the influence of Wild Abandon so borders, rules, and cannoli don’t limit my autonomy.

As I let the rowboat guy dry, my fellow travelers and I free associate words, and then let them effortlessly form poems, funny prose, or something that surprises us because it borders on the profound.  Or maybe it seems that way because the sea air is dizzying us to the enchantment of heightened inspiration.

The  bright colors of the hillside homes, coordinate with matching laundry hanging window to window like flags of life being lived simply.

Adding creative explorations to a walking tour in Italy is like topping tiramisu with whipped cream served with an authentic cappuccino.   Writing, sketching, and painting heighten an experience which is often treated like fast food when it should be a long lingering delicious banquet of beauty. They slow us down and connect us to a memory as its being made.

The Italian Riviera is more deserving of attention than the click of smartphone camera most travelers give it, eager to impress friends on social media. Impress yourself by making a trip to a beautiful land like a story inside a painting, savored by the eyes, ears and of course, the taste buds of an artist and the mind of a writer. (even if you don’t yet think you are one).

Italian Riviera…Rapallo, Portofino, Cinque Terre, Camogli and Chiavari: High on creativity and the occasional gelato.   October 14-20, 2024 
Creating some memories in the best possible way.

 Wild Abandon Cappuccino,

Jill