Journey Juju

Where's Cynthia?

 
First I have to thank Gwen Bell for her invitation to join the tribe recounting their best moments of 09. Reviewing my year in that way was fun and insightful and I'd do it again. In fact, I'm crafting my own best of series for the end of this year, especially designed for creatives.

The series was an apt way to end my stint at Journey Juju. I started the blog in early 2008 as a way to share my life as a creative nomad. Now that I'm slightly more stationary, I'm focused on other things.

Please join me at the Original Impulse blog, where I'm posting tips and guidance for developing a writing and creative practice you love.

You'll also find videos and exercises to engage your playful spirit and connect with your authenticity.

Life and creating are difficult enough without our own interference. I'm on a mission to help you get out of your own way so you can create and write more easily. And giggle a bit more this year.

You'll want to subscribe to the Original Impulse blog or hook up the RSS feed. Tweets will be posted at @originalimpulse so be sure to follow me there.

If you're a Facebook fan, you'll want to become a fan of the Original Impulse page. All my blog content will be channeled there, so you won't miss a thing if that's where you prefer to hang out.

I'll be traveling to Europe this summer and perhaps in the fall. In preparation for my Amsterdam excursion in June (June 13 - 19th), I'll be sharing tips and resources here for making any trip to Amsterdam more creative. Watch for that and stay tuned to Original Impulse blog for more inspiration and support for your best creative life.

#best09 - Best Advertisement

In Paris in February, I saw a poster ad for Ray Ban. Of course there was a hottie in shades, with the slogan:

Never Hide.

I like that. It jives with my efforts to live an authentic life and to share it with others. But I have a confession to make.

I use my sunglasses to hide. Living in sunny Colorado, I've gotten used to wearing sunglasses all the time. But there are overcast days in Paris and Amsterdam and elsewhere where one doesn't need sunglasses.

And I still wear them.

So I thought this would be a good time to thank my shades. I've been through five pair in the last two years. Here they are, and no, none of them are Ray Bans.

Lisbon May 08 > Berlin June 08 > Panama December 08 > Hvar, Croatia September 09 > Vernazza, Italy October 09

Thank you, shades!

P.S. Which are your favorites?

#best09 - Best Belly Laugh

I can't recall a particular laugh but I imagine I had my best laugh in the company of my friend, Carl.

 
I love Carl's irreverent and unexpected humor.

Okay, now I'm recalling what may be the best laugh.

I was telling Carl that my cat, Miss Honey, would get cat litter all over the house.

"Have you put a mat down in front of the litter box?" Carl asked.

I nodded.

"How about putting a sign up? 'No litter off the mat.'"

The thought of a sign for my cat to read and comply with still cracks me up. Thanks, Carl!

#best09 - Best Stationery

Florence is known for its beautiful paper. Marbelized, creamy paper adorns notebooks, makes notecards and incites one to abandon oneself to the art of the epistle.

But the paper products in most of the shops I saw in Florence were expensive.  I don't tend toward parsimony when it comes to my precious paper products (Moleskines aren't cheap but I don't care!). But there is a limit.

Wandering on a Sunday morning in Florence, I found an adorable shop. Perched on the angle of an intersection near the Arno, Arti & Mestieri is a magical stationery shop.

Arti & Mestieri means arts and crafts in Italian.

I love all kinds of cards, and this shop specialized in them. I fell in love with the mini tarot deck and regret not buying it. I did buy a handful of cards, including the one below. 

To reach papier arti & mesteieri:

Indirizzo: Piazza Di S. Maria Sopr'arno, 1
CAP: 50125
Comune: Firenze (FI)
Telefono: 055 2343670 

I'll just have to go back to get those tarot cards!

#best09 - Aha Moment

What do you need to be happy?

What makes you feel alive?

I was mashing potatoes at a friend's pre-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving dinner when I felt it.

I felt it, then I thought it, and I knew it was true.

I'm best when helping.

Lagos,Portugal

#best09 - Best Learning Experience

When my computer died in Paris in February, I still had five weeks left of my life as a creative nomad in Europe. I really wanted to crawl into a cave and hibernate but circumstances forced me to keep going. (As they often do.)

The only thing I felt I could change was my pace. I decided to slow down. Slow way the heck down.

I believe that it's hard to be in a state of grace if you're hurrying.

This lesson pretty much accompanies everything I do. In every moment I can slow down, be more present, more full of grace.

It's what I want most for myself and for all of you. Try it, today, a bit of a slower pace. 

slowing down in London in March, 2009

#best09 - Best Startup + Best Web Tool

I recently wrote about the need for all of us to get help.

Of course I wrote that article about needing support because I needed to remind myself to get help.

Of course, we do get what we want. In comes Ted Pearlman and his new Virtual Assistance company, WorkTango.

Who doesn't want to dance through the tedious tasks of work?

I can't believe how fun it is to delegate. I already have an assistant that helps with my marketing and planning but there is always so much more to do. Handing off these projects is easier than I thought. There's tons I can delegate. Yippee!

Ironically, the best web tool other than Work Tango invites a life lived less online and more on paper. todoodlist* was a gentle nudge to me that I was working on too many things at once.

I love todoodlist's invitation to return to paper and pencil to organize life. Step away from the computer.

I couldn't agree more. Much as I love and rely on the online world and its wondrous capabilities, I thrive when I have contact with notebooks and ink. 

*I am a fan and affiliate of todoodlist. Purchases you make from this link provide a ka-ching for me.

#best09 - Project I'm Proud Of

I'm proud of completing my novel in February, but I'm most proud of conceiving and completing and launching my e-book, The Graceful Return: Relish Your Journey After You've Come Home.

After I came back from my year-long trip, I found it hard to get a grip on my new reality. I sensed that others might go through the same thing.

People returning from the Peace Corps or other service abroad, those being returned home after a stint in the company's international office, students coming home from a year abroad...we all face that challenge of integrating what we just experienced with our new lives back home.

I'm also proud of the cover that I designed. It's been my challenge to bring a more visual element into my work, and this wasn't easy. I observed the creative process full-on:

• getting the idea that I could do the cover myself
• my insistence that it had to be artistic, in order to reflect the premise that art-making approaches can help process the journey
• realizing I had no clue how to do that
• trying a few things
• getting feedback that indicated I was striking out
• brainstorming with Elizabeth to get a better sense of what I wanted
• trusting it would work out
• bringing it all together
• executing it, photographing it
• getting positive feedback on the cover
• finally, celebrating.

I believe that living the creative process through making things is such a valuable experience. I want others to have the gift of their creativity as a path to self-understanding.

That's why I wrote this book.

#best09 - Best New Person

I like my friends smart, but Joseph Coplans of Ink Stain Inc. leads the pack in nimble and deep thinking.

Joseph isn't new to my life - I've known him for a couple of years now. But this year our friendship moved to new heights, and I consider Joseph to be one of my most valued personal and professional advisors.

Some days I think Joseph has saved me from going down a soulless path with my work.

Joseph is a whip-sharp writer. His true gift is helping entrepreneurs tap the deeper meaning of what they do. A conversation with Joseph helps you understand what you do, what you really do, and the true impact you have on the world. Armed with that understanding, you can more easily communicate your value to potential clients.

I love the work Joseph is doing - marrying mythology and business in a new way that helps what he calls 'emotive entrepreneurs' understand and describe their work more easily.

Joseph is a stellar example of the best kind of man - tons of heart + incredible smarts + real world savvy.

And he's a lot of fun to hang out with.

#best09 - Best Car Ride

Paris: February, with Heather of Secrets of Paris.

Hands down the best car ride of the year. I’m in the front seat of a Porsche down the Champs-Elysées after drinking champagne to toast the completion of my novel, Chasing Sylvia Beach.

The city is glittering, I've completed the last draft of my novel, and I'm feeling free, alive and slightly fancy.