Hidden in Plain Sight

       Boundaries and Bridges: Your Interactions with Others

As we move into this new subtopic in our search for "Audacious Self-Care" this year, I want to explore our interactions with a rather ethereal other...the creative Muse.

O.K., I think I know what you're saying....

"'Sounds like fun...you go first, Susan!"

Well, it is a little unusual, so I'll excuse your sarcasm. :-)

And I will go first.

  Hidden in Plain Sight

I was five years old when I got my first glimpse of her. She was walking past the classroom, just as I’d finished making my first collage. At that age, I didn’t even know what a Muse was. But the thrill of making a piece of art that I loved was unmistakable.

As an adult, I tried my hand at writing children’s fiction. At first, my Muse and I were bubbling over with enthusiasm.

photo (c) iStockphoto.com/kemie

When the reality of being a writer settled in, I tried to offset this by striving. That was the absolute worst thing to do! My Muse wanted nothing to do with that writing environment, so I began seeing her less and less.

One day, my Muse stopped by with wise advice. She said, “Let writing go. If it’s meant to be part of your life, it will return.” I knew she was right; I had nearly ruined my health from the stress.

Later, my Muse and I developed a class on journal writing. We had found journal writing to be our easiest way to communicate with each other and strengthen our friendship, so the class was a natural for us to design.

Not long after that, I took training to become a Life Coach. Growing my practice in partnership with my Muse has been a delightful creative challenge!

The four photos below are the facets and moods of my Muse. 

photo (c) iStock/Alina Solovyova-Vincent

photo (c) iStockphoto.com/ChristopherBernard

                                                 photo (c) iStockphoto.com/kate_sept2004    

photo (c) iStockphoto.com/THEPALMER

My Muse may seem like a silent, invisible partner to anyone else. But for me, she has been an inspiring friend…a true catalyst for my creativity.

Now it's your turn!  Please click the "Comments" button below
and let us know about your relationship with your Muse.
Thanks,
        Susan

photo (c) iStockphoto.com/CGinspiration

Attention Local Folks ~ I hope to see you at these events!

"You Can Heal Yourself from Cancer" 

Saturday Morning, October 8, 2011

Presented by McCormick Chiropractic, Pottstown, PA

Come and hear some very down-to-earth speakers talking about prevention and cures!

For details, please see www.mcccormickchiropractic.com

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Boyertown Area School District Continuing Education

Two Personal Enrichment Classes by Yours Truly

Starting on October 17 and 20

For details, please see www.boyertownasd.org

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"Inner Light Spiritual Holistic Expo"

Weekend of November 12 and 13 in Pottstown, PA

Presented by Inner Light Holistic Center, Gilbertsville, PA

For details, please see www.INNERLIGHTHC.com

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**All of Susan's creative4life posts are (c) Susan Cleaver.** 

**Active Member of the TriCounty Community Network at

www.tcnetwork.org **

My 100-Hour Clutter-Zapping Report, Month One

As I promised in my June 10 post, here's an update on my first month of my 100-hour clearing and organizing challenge! I've worked 14 hours on it so far...not too bad considering I was gone for a week, but I will need to pick up the pace for the next two months.

Shortly after I got into the project, I realized that I needed to tweak the details slightly. It still adds up to 100 hours of work in three months, but it's a simpler, clearer, more practical way to state the goal. It's more motivating and flexible to say, "I'll do 100 hours in 3 months," rather than "2 hours per day on 50 days out of the next three months."

You'll probably find this to be true when you set a challenge for yourself, too, if you haven't already. Plans are great; they get us moving and motivated and offer structure. As you get into action, though, you may need to make some modifications.

Also in setting up the details on July 10, I mentioned that I need to develop an easy way to maintain the systems and level of order I'm creating. I think the easiest way for me is to figure in 6 hours a week of the same thing I'm doing now as a maintenance schedule that I'll start as soon as I'm done this challenge on October 10.

As with dieting, this maintenance schedule will have to be a permanent lifestyle change for me. I believe it'll be worth it! And by then it'll be a habit, and it will seem easy compared to doing 100 hours in three months!

When I hosted my last Dig-In Tele-Party on June 28, I cleaned out my office, and I'm happy to say that this 100-hour challenge has helped me keep it neat for 1 and 1/2 months now while I'm also working on other areas of my home. (See the P.S. below for info on the next Dig-In Tele-Party.)

Generally I've been working on the challenge in 30-minute segments so I don't feel overwhelmed. This has helped me in other ways, too. It's easier to set aside time for a 30-minute sweep, so when I see a messy area, it doesn't drag me down so much. I know I'll probably have a chance to work on it soon, probably that same day, for at least a little while.

I set a timer for these 30-minute clutter-zapping sessions, and that helps me reframe the task. Instead of seeing clutter, turning my head, and saying "Ugh!", I'm actually looking for areas to tackle, and it becomes more like a game and provides focus!

What does all of this have to do with our creativity? More than you might think! We clean up for other visitors, so why not for our Muses...and ourselves?

If you like the idea of improving the Feng Shui in your home, office, and/or studio, clutter-zapping is a great place to start! Clutter causes stagnant energy that zaps your energy and tends to keep your Muse away.

What about you? Have you committed to a plan that will move you forward in some area of your life? Please leave a comment about your progress so we can cheer you on!

Thanks,
Susan

P.S. I have two tele-parties slated! The first one is the "Do What You Love" Tele-Party on August 15. See my August 4 post for details or contact me at scleaver@dejazzd.com.

The second tele-party is the "Fall Sweep Dig-In Tele-Party" for zapping clutter or other tasks that you want to get off your plate. It's on the first day of fall, September 22, from 7:00 to 9:00 Eastern. Contact me at scleaver@dejazzd.com by September 19, and I'll make sure you get the phone number and the access code.

For both tele-parties, your only expense is your long-distances charges for the brief check-in calls. My hosting of the tele-parties is complimentary!

***All of Susan's creative4life posts are copyright of Susan Cleaver.***

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A Sign of Creativity That's Often Overlooked

Did you have imaginary friends as a child? If so, chances are you've grown into an intelligent, creative adult! Imaginary friends are not a prerequisite for high IQ and creativity, but they are one way that children express these traits.

We use imaginary friends to help us navigate our unfamiliar worlds: the one inside our heads and the one around us. As we get older, the friends sometimes show up as entities such as "Kitty", to whom Anne Frank wrote her journal.

I often use journaling as a way to dialogue with my subpersonalities, or "masks." It's amazingly effective! In Gestalt therapy, a similar technique is employed orally, with the client changing seats each time the speaker changes. It gets to information that we can't can't access while thinking in our everyday patterns, which is why we go into therapy in the first place!

Also as adults, we tend to pick role models that we haven't even met, and ask ourselves, "What would Oprah do?" or "What would Bill Gates do?" Writers of fiction know they've hit the mark in character development when the characters start to take on what seems like lives and minds of their own. My guess is that this is made possible by our subpersonalities, too.

The ability to imagine others and/or others' responses in given situations should be celebrated! It's a wonderful gift from the muse and from our inner healer that can serve us well throughout life!

Be well,

Susan

P.S. Whether you live around the globe or around the corner, you can email me at scleaver@dejazzd.com for a complimentary trial tele-coaching session!

***All of Susan's creative4life posts are copyright of Susan Cleaver.***

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Tune Into Your Muse

Have you ever felt that you and your muse are on different wavelengths, resulting in a frustrating creative block? From a metaphysical perspective, that's exactly what happens.

The conditions in and around us during a creative breakthrough are those that foster a higher vibration that closely matches what we call the muse...that special blend of creativity and intuition that we've been wanting to tap into. So here are some ways to raise your vibration and that of your environment to reduce the mind static between you and your muse.

• Apply basic Feng Shui principles to your work area and to the area between your ears. Clear out physical, mental, and emotional clutter. If you can do this on your own, great! Go for it. If not, get a friend, coach, or personal organizer to help you with the physical clutter. For the mental clutter (long to-do lists, too much debt, etc.), set aside time to attend to each item, ditch it, or delegate it, as appropriate. If the issue or item looms large, you may need to put a system in place for step-by-step progress. For emotional clutter, try journaling or writing an imagined dialog between you and the issue. If you need help, do yourself a huge favor and find a good therapist to help you sort things out.
• Hug a tree! Communing with nature raises our vibration gently and pleasantly.
• Listen to energizing music. If your energy is really down, start with music that is slightly livelier, then move to progressively more energizing pieces.
• Clear out internal energy bottlenecks with Reiki and/or massage.
• Eat light meals consisting of fresh foods that haven't had the life force energy processed out of them. Bless the meal and express gratitude for it.

If you'd like to explore this idea of rising to meet the muse's frequency further, email me at scleaver@dejazzd.com to set up a complimentary trial coaching tele-session.

As you experiment with these ideas, please post your experiences in the comments section!

Thanks,

Susan