interview: marisa haedike of creative thursday

Good MORNING! A big hello to Monday, yes? It's going to be a good week! And I have quite the treat for you to start it out-- an interview with Marisa of Creative Thursday. SO, dig in and enjoy, because Marisa's answers to my questions are thoughtful, honest, and inspiring, and it makes me want to meet her in person!

1. Tell us a bit about yourself. (What's your favorite color? What can't you live without? What do you do all day? What's your favorite way to relax? Share whatever random bits you'd like!)

A bit about myself. How much room do you have here at your blog? As you may or may not know my ongoing commentary in regards to myself is "brevity is not always my strongpoint" I can be shy, and even a good listener some of the time, but once you get me started...I have a lot to say. Clearly one of the reasons I started podcasting and am now teaching and experimenting with video blogging. I do actually like to "say" it instead of write it if I have a choice which is one reason if you ask me to do a written interview like this it can take me a very long time to respond {thank you for your patience Jess!} So other fun facts per your prompting ~ favorite color: right now {as it changes quite frequently} a yellow gold ~ what can't I live without? many, many things ~ clearly being stranded on a desert island would not be a good thing for me although I will say that I've been inspired to simplify my life these days and de-cluttering has been a huge part of that...maybe there is actually quite a lot I thought I couldn't live without that I actually can. You see what I mean about the brevity...! My first answer to that question would be Sean ~ the man I live with ~ just love him ~ and then of course any materials I can create with, those are a must have. What do I do all day? Honestly right now, I try to get my work done and create more space in my life so I can get back to creating and making things. My favorite way to relax? Creating, Surfing, Yoga and lately watching Mad Men seasons 1 & 2 back to back for hours at a time.

2. What is abundance to you?

Abundance is believing there is enough for everyone ~ that because someone else has the great fortune of having something you want, does not mean that you can't have it too. It is instead an example of what IS possible.


3. What are 5 things you are grateful for right now, in this moment?

1. Sean {obviously since I can't live without him}
2. A fan & the ice cold glass of green tea I'm having {we're having a heat wave right now as I write this to you}
3. My creative girlfriends or as I call them the "creative girls" who are THE BEST ~ that's all I'll say otherwise I'm likely to gush on too long
4. the fact that I get to live this life I dreamed of for so long
5. the awareness I've grown into that allows me to finally show up as the person I really want to be more and more each day.


4. What is your favorite part of your day?

Dusk. I'm a dusk girl what can I say. Just as the sun goes down and the clouds turn pink


5. What is one huge, crazy-seeming goal that you dream about accomplishing?

Right now I'm thinking I might like to have my own TV show called "Creative Thursday" ~ or even better make a documentary along the same ideas I have for the show ~ oh and have I mentioned only a million times before, I'd like to explore living in Europe part time too, but that is seeming easier and easier to accomplish.


6. Do you have any irrational fears/worries that you'd love to let go of?

Yes, while my awareness is growing as I mentioned above, there are always things I'd like to let go of. I keep hoping I reach this plateau of being "done" but it seems like the plateau just keeps growing as I do ~ imagine that? Sometimes I'm so grateful for this life, I worry that it might all "go away" one day. When you've struggled to get to where you are, which I don't recommend the "struggling" part by the way, it can really take some time to get comfortable in the idea that the life you've grown into is for real and that it might actually just keep getting better.


7. Do you have any tricks for turning a bad mood into a good mood?

Yes, I'm happy to say I'm getting better at this one too. While I still sometimes get in bad moods they seem to move on a lot faster than they used to. Also I am just having less and less tolerance for a bad mood. As soon as I feel like the bad mood has come on, I try right away to be an observer as to what's causing it exactly, and that in itself softens the mood. And then I can begin to see clearer how to move out of it, or just give into it. Usually I realize there's nothing "bad" happening in that moment and I'm just deciding to interpret things as bad. When I recognize that fact, it's a lot easier for me to move on. If there is actually something making me uncomfortable in that moment, I just try to to take action to change the circumstance if I can and if I can't I'll just ride it out and not judge myself or the moment too harshly. You know that old saying, but it's true, "this too shall pass" and keeping that in mind is also good ~ and if all else fails! Take a NAP.


8. What daily practices do you follow, if any, to stay focused on positivity and abundance in your life? (Journaling, meditating, drawing, visualization, reading, etc.)

I wish I could say that I was good at keeping up with a practice, especially a daily one. I'm working on it. Because while that seems to be the "trend of choice" in spiritual circles it does help. Taking time each day to breathe and notice all the good that is around you. I do go to yoga weekly and while that's also a bit of a "trend" ~ I'm happy to say that it's a trend that has stuck for me over the last 9 years and if I don't go, let's just say I can tell. I find lately it also really helps if I read from a book that inspires me, even if it's just a few sentences. It is the quickest way for me to get back to feeling myself.


9. Do you have a favorite quote or author that help you remember to live and think abundantly?

I never have a favorite quote ~ too hard to narrow down ~ but I do have a lot of favorite books that contain many wonderful quotes I try to keep in mind and I'll share some of those authors with you.

Esther & Jerry Hicks
Elaine St. James
Eckhart Tolle
Catherine Ponder


10. Can you share some books or blogs with us that you think Pecannoot readers might love?

Books related to the authors above:
Money and the Law of Attraction
Simplify your Life
A New Earth
Dynamic Laws of Prosperity

Blogs that remind me to live and think abundantly:
maya made
christine mason miller
soule mama

***
For more inspiration from Marisa, make sure to visit her website, the Creative Thursday blog, etsy shop, and flickr page. Oh, and you can follow her on twitter, too!

*Thank you so much, Marisa!*

interview: aimee dolich

my dears, i have a delicious, wonderful, colorful treat for you this morning!
this is going to be my last post for a couple weeks, as my dear fiancé and i are leaving for california tomorrow morning to go get married-- eek! i can't believe it's almost here!

so, i wanted to leave you with a very special post before i go for a little while, and i can't think of a better lady tofit that bill than aimee dolich, of artsyville fame. aimee is one of my very favorite friends in the blog world, and it's a huge honor that she took the time to illustrate her answers to my interview questions, rather than the typical typed-out answers. she's so uber-creative, it just blows my mind.

so, without further chatter from me, here is aimee's wonderfully insightful (and colorful) interview-- i hope you enjoy it! and i will see you back here on august 12th, when i have wedding and honeymoon photographs to share. (and i'll officially have a new name! jessica swift- cool, huh?)

1. Tell us a bit about yourself. (What's your favorite color? What can't you live without? What do you do all day? What's your favorite way to relax? Share whatever random bits you'd like!)

2. What is abundance to you?

3. What are 5 things you are grateful for right now, in this moment?

4. Do you have any tricks for turning a bad mood into a good mood?

5. Do you have any irrational fears/worries that you'd love to let go of?

6. What is one huge, crazy-seeming goal that you dream about accomplishing?

7. What daily practices do you follow, if any, to stay focused on positivity and abundance in your life? (journaling, meditating, drawing, visualization, reading, etc.)

8. What is your favorite part of your day?

9. Do you have a favorite quote or author that help you remember to live and think abundantly?

10. Can you share some books or blogs with us that you think Pecannoot readers might love?

*thank YOU, aimee! you are a truly special part of Pecannoot.* :)

make sure you check out artsyville the blog and also the artsyville etsy shop!

interview: shelley kommers

Good morning, Pecannooters! I have a real treat for you this morning... an interview with fabulous artist Shelley Kommers! It's been a while since I've posted an interview, so hopefully you'll find it a welcomed change of pace. :) Read on to find out what abundance is to Shelley....

First of all, Jess, I want to thank you for inviting me, I'm honored to be here! Your questions really made me think. The topic of abundance is very present for me right now, so this was great timing.

1. Tell us a bit about yourself. (What's your favorite color? What can't you live without? What do you do all day? What's your favorite way to relax? Share whatever random bits you'd like!)

I'm an artist, wife and a mom... I live in a small cottage in the woods beneath oak trees and singing birds. I spend my days making art, running my etsy shops, singing silly songs with my three year old daughter, and doing a bit of freelance design.
My favorite colors are blue & yellow, and I love cilantro, cheese, champagne, roller coasters, dogs, and puttering in my garden. I adore silence. I could very easily be a hermit or a monk.


2. What is abundance to you?

For me, abundance has two parts.
The first part is being able to recognize the gifts and blessings that I have in my life; seeing the beauty all around me, and being joyful regardless of what's going on. The second part is expecting/accepting the things and qualities that I want-- knowing that they will come and that I deserve them.
I've got the first part of abundance nailed. I'm working on the second part.


3. What are 5 things you are grateful for right now, in this moment?

1. My beautiful husband and daughter
2. That my friends and family are safe, healthy and happy
3. I am full of inspiration and creative ideas and my artistic life has meaning
4. That I'm sitting in front of a roaring fire at the end of a very long day with a nice glass of wine
5. I have peonies on my kitchen table.


4. What is your favorite part of your day?

Just before and just after the sun goes down. No matter what time of year, this is always a good time for me, full of energy and optimism.

5. What is one huge, crazy-seeming goal that you dream about accomplishing?

I have about six or seven children's books that I've written and illustrated that are partly-finished. I'd love to find the time to complete them all, get them published, and have my own little cubby in the children's book section with my name on it!


6. Do you have any irrational fears/worries that you'd love to let go of?

Oh yes. "I'm-not-good-enough-I-don't-know-enough-I-don't-have-enough-experience-I-can't-do-it-I'm-not-worthy."
Gross, I know. I'm getting pretty good at plugging through the swamp, though; it's been around so long that it's a bit boring.

7. Do you have any tricks for turning a bad mood into a good mood?

Yes! A very long walk, by myself, in nature, looking around at the sky and the trees and the flowers. If that doesn't work, taking a nap or going to bed works.


8. What daily practices do you follow, if any, to stay focused on positivity and abundance in your life? (Journaling, meditating, drawing, visualization, reading, etc.)

I've been working with affirmations lately. My latest one is "more than enough".


9. Do you have a favorite quote or author that help you remember to live and think abundantly?

There are two:
"Take your pleasure seriously" - Charles Eames

"The journey between what you once were and who you are now becoming is where the dance of life really takes place." - Barbara DeAngelis


10. Can you share some books or blogs with us that you think Pecannoot readers might love?

Inspiring Books:

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield (Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles)-- This is a wonderful, tough love, kick-in-the-butt book about being an artist and letting go of all the drama and fear we sometimes surround ourselves with as artists. This book changed my life.
Your Heart's Desire, Instructions for Creating the Life You Want, by Sonia Choquette, PH.D-- Another great read: soft, inspiring, and uplifting.

Online Magazine Inspiration:

Parasol Magazine-- a fantastic *free* downloadable magazine chock full of art and design
Blanket Magazine-- another great art and design magazine, only $2 for 146 pages, and you get a free typeface with every issue

Inspiring Blogs:

Print and Pattern-- serious eye candy for artists.
Notpaper-- a wonderful blog about collage.

***
Make sure you visit Shelley's website, blog, etsy shop, and second etsy shop to see more of her beautiful work!

*Thank you, Shelley!*

interview: rowena murillo

Good morning lovelies! Did you have a fantastic weekend? I hope so!

I'm excited about this interview with Rowena Murillo this morning-- Rowena's artwork is so lovely, and her answers are so thoughtful and honest-- read on to find out more about Rowena and what abundance means to her!

Flying Girl Remembers her Dreams, or Night Blooming, acrylic on paper, 7"x10"

1. Tell us a bit about yourself. (What's your favorite color? What can't you live without? What do you do all day? What's your favorite way to relax? Share whatever random bits you'd like!)

I am a half Puerto Rican Buddhist from an artistic family in the Bronx. I thought that always made me strange, but it's also what makes me who I am. Now I'm an ex waitress, ex HS teacher, unpublished novelist, emerging artist, beginning businesswoman, closet poet, creative blogger and stay at home mom of a 2 year old girl and 3.5year old boy.

I've always loved shadow colors-- blue, gray, purple,black... but I'm growing into the soft sun colors, too-- cream, warm pink, leaf green, faded turquoise. It's nice to grow up and open up to new things.

I can't live without carmex, coffee, and something with which to write/draw/paint. I used to carry a journal and pens around with me wherever I went. I still do, but now I do so much painting and writing on line that my journal is often neglected.

All day long I take care of my kids, stealing moments when I can to create especially during nap time, or after bedtime, when I sit in front of the tv and paint. If I can, I also read a book (before bed) or a magazine (while the kids are playing) or play guitar (while papa reads bedtime stories to the kids) to just relax without the demands of parenting or productivity. And I read tarot cards. I don't do it enough but I love the language of symbolism and imagery.

2. What is abundance to you?

Hope.

You can have nothing, but if you can still look around and see the possibilities, rather than the constraints, you are abundant. Abundance is saying yes. Yes to opportunity. Yes to the world. Yes to what is.

It's about choosing the life that you have-- even if there is lack. It's about facing the day and saying "This is living." "I am here." It's about remembering to breathe, and to feel the sun on your face, to listen to the laughter of your children, to taste the tang of strawberries, to see the leaves sway in the breeze, to smell the perfume of your day. It's about being secure enough in who you are to be able to stand in your own skin and head towards your dreams.

Right now, I am always in this dance between reaching for my dreams and being present in life as I am living it. Sometimes one is sacrificed in the pursuit of the other. I am thinking that's the way things are supposed to be. And that's okay. When I accept that, I feel much more abundant.

3. What are 5 things you are grateful for right now, in this moment?

The wonderful garden, my family, my kids, time to work on what is meaningful, the sky.

Triptych: "Gift" mixed media drawing on antique book page, mounted on Moleskine. 5"x8" "Kick Back" mixed media drawing on antique book page, mounted on Moleskine. 5"x8" FG Yearns for the Sea, or Defy Convention, acrylic on paper. 7"x10"

4. What is your favorite part of your day?

When the house is quiet and I can breathe, eat, shower, create, write, cook, clean and relax without interruption. Should it be when I'm playing with my kids? Maybe, but I spend so much time with other people now, that I really miss my alone time.

5. What is one huge, crazy-seeming goal that you dream about accomplishing?

Someday, I would like to buy an old farm (I like to think an orchard or berry farm) and renovate the outbuildings into living spaces and studios. My friends and family could come and live/stay there and all would have space to follow their creative passions. I would turn a big barn into a place to hold workshops and I could host retreats where people come to get away from daily life and reconnect with their creative selves. I'm an artist at heart... but also a teacher, and it just feels right to enable other people in their artistic and spiritual dreams.

6. Do you have any irrational fears/worries that you'd love to let go of?

I think my biggest fears are about money, and about not being worthy of money. Linked to that fear is being afraid that I am not good enough for the establishment. It ties together--- money is power, those in power decide where the money goes. I'm also afraid that people will see me as a hack. Why? I don't know, perhaps I've taken in some of that snobbery in the art and literature worlds. Maybe it's the critics I'm afraid of. Critics=power=money? I've gotten much better with these fears as I've worked on them, and art and writing have helped me with that... but I still have a little bit to go.

Flying Girl and the Moon Rabbit Take Off, or Fleeting, acrylic on paper, 7"x10"

7. Do you have any tricks for turning a bad mood into a good mood?

This can be very hard. And I don't know if I practice it enough, sometimes letting myself wallow. But sometimes a good wallow is restorative.

Sometimes, to switch a bad mood around, I turn on some good rocking music and dance and sing around the room. Or I write in my journal to let it all out, or write a poem. A nice hot shower can knock me out of a mild grump. Interacting with other people so that I'm not wrapped up in my own head can help. Sometimes when I want perspective, I use an oracle system, like the I Ching, tarot or medicine cards, and that helps me calm down and focus on what I can do, instead of how overwhelmed I am.

One new thing I tried recently was to lie in bed and just let myself feel sad-- I didn't try to analyze it or explain or understand it or transform it I didn't try to make anyone feel worse or even make myself feel better. I just existed inside of my sadness and let it be. I allowed it. That helped me turn something that I had been sad about for a long time into a breakthrough...I got no "answers" but the next day, I just started creating. Poof! Like that. I couldn't see where the connection was, but I believe it was directly related.

8. What daily practices do you follow, if any, to stay focused on positivity and abundance in your life? (Journaling, meditating, drawing, visualization, reading, etc.)

Again, I think I have problems with this sometimes. I have to consciously focus on being positive. Some times it's harder than other times.

I keep a To Do list in conjunction with a "Did Done" list, so that I not only remain productive, but also focus on what I actually DID, instead of the things I did not accomplish. Sometimes, I keep a list of three or more things everyday that make me happy. That helps me stay positive, even in a negative day, and soon looking for the positive becomes a habit that I can do without thinking.

Outside of that (sometimes the focus on productivity can get exhausting) I try to schedule in some time every day to do nothing. That's tough too, because I am always trying to do two or three things at once. Even my night time habit of painting while watching tv can get exhausting... although I also find I hunger for that non verbal release. The colors, the tactile pleasures of paint and brush on paper, the subconscious release of meaning. It's not quite relaxation, because I set such high standards for myself, but it seems so necessary now that it's a habit.

I guess my daily habits depend on what state I am in. If I have spent too much time working and producing, I have to schedule in relaxing and just "be"ing. If I've been focusing on living, then I have to get back to my To Do lists and set the work schedule back up. In whatever way I can while I take care of my kids. This is the life of a mom and artist, and writer and beginning business woman. It isn't really regular, but it's really full.

Monkey and Bean Playing on the Stairs, 6"x6" acrylic on canvas

9. Do you have a favorite quote or author that help you remember to live and think abundantly?

I'm going with a whole poem by Mary Oliver, because every time I read it, it's as if I have taken a big clean breath for the first time in days. It's making it's circuit in blog land again, and has been a touch stone for me for a few years now.

Wild Geese
by Mary Oliver

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting --
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

10. Can you share some books or blogs with us that you think Pecannoot readers might love?

This is so hard, because I follow so many blogs and they all inspire me in one way or another, but keeping in line with creativity and abundance and positivity...

Jamie Ridler's new online book club for Wreck This Journal by Keri Smith. It starts on June 5th so there's time to join up.


Not quite a blog-- but a goal setting and listing site that helped me get out of my post partum funk, 43things.com (particularly this goal)

For handmade and simple and lovely things, maya*made

For writing prompts and thoughts about life and keeping the dialog going, What Kate Did Next

For creative community and prompts and inspiration, Leah has helped me continue my everyday creative project that I started under my own steam (creative everyday)

And talk about Hope!

As for books, one book that helped me take it all in when I first became a mom was Operating Instructions, by Anne Lamott (she of the Bird By Bird fame). Operating Instructions reminded me that I could still be me, still be an artist and a writer and a mother.

**
Rowena authors 2 fabulous blogs, Warrior Girl and Small and Heartfelt, and also has a wonderful Etsy shop, so if you'd like to continue your Rowena experience today, head on over to check them out!

**huge thanks to Rowena for being a part of the interview series!**

interview: liz kalloch

My dears, good morning!
You are in for a real treat on this fine Monday: an interview with Liz Kalloch of Athena Dreams. Liz has appeared on Pecannoot a couple times (here and here), and I'm *honored and excited* to share this interview with her. Her answers are wonderful (and one in particular is making me laugh and nod my head with understanding at the same time)! So, without further ado....

1. Tell us a bit about yourself. (What's your favorite color? What can't you live without? What do you do all day? What's your favorite way to relax? Share whatever random bits you'd like!)

I am an artist and graphic designer and live near San Francisco, on a hill looking out over the SF Bay with my musician husband. I am a freelance graphic designer for several gift industry and book publishers, and some of my designs and art are licensed by several gift industry publishers

My favourite colour has been purple for as long as I can remember, but I occasionally lean toward lime green as my favourite, I know, a curious dichotomy...

I spend my day doing any number of things: designing, prepping files for the printer, painting, packing and shipping, making notes about how I could better sell my work (trying to get my head around marketing ideas), making sketches for paintings, meeting with a client who wants a new business card or a book designed, and most days it's a little of everything.

Jess asked me what I do all day, and all this is, in a nutshell, what I do, but I also get to do things like: think about colour and it's symbolism and interplay, work in collaboration with other creatives (writers, artists, photographers), bring to life ideas that are swimming around in my head, and more times than not, I end my day feeling like I accomplished something that made me all happy inside, in terms of my art or design work. All in all, not a bad day, not a bad day at all.

I can't live without my morning cup of coffee, or my iTunes which keep me company all day.

And for relaxation, nothing does it better than a great movie and some knitting at the end of the day. I have been loving all the BBC/Masterpiece Theatre versions of the Jane Austen novels this winter, while working on various hats, a wrap and a cardigan. Perfect day-ender for me.

{cards available in liz's etsy shop}

2. What is abundance to you?

To me, abundance encompasses a few things:
*Friends (and family) that you can share your inner most happiness, your inner most fears and your brightest and darkest moments with
*Good health
*Feeling like I have enough. Enough love, enough connection, enough joy, enough of the things that make me happy, content and "safe" from the top of my head, warmed by the sun in a blue sky, right down to my toes curling into the sweet, soft grass
*Getting to a place in my work life where I am able to support myself solely on what I create - both art and design wise - I don't even have the words to express how full that makes me feel...
*An endless stream of books to read that feed my soul and my heart and my curious mind
*Waking each morning and wondering to myself, "what new creative idea/happening/collaboration/contact that I am not expecting might happen today"


3. What are 5 things you are grateful for right now, in this moment?

*My group of artist girlfriends who listen to my stories and worries about real and potential face plants (in life and in art) as well as my moments of feeling spectacular and full of life, with equal interest, compassion and love.
*The chorus of birds singing just outside my window
*Everything, the good stuff and the bad stuff, that has led me on the sometimes winding and often curious route to where I am now
*My morning coffee (yes!)
*My husband, a musician, who always encourages me to step up and grab the present moment out of the air, and run with it as hard and long as is needed, and then know when to put it down, and grab the next one that has come along.



4. What is your favorite part of your day?

The morning. Waking up, staring out the window, (and yes, drinking my coffee) making my lists for the day, thinking about what I need to get done, what deadlines I have, and also what I might make time for that is not on any To Do list.

5. What is one huge, crazy-seeming goal that you dream about accomplishing?

Oh, I have a lot of those, so, hmmm, to pick one... One of the things that is really interesting me these days is collaboration. Collaboration between artists of different genres, between artists of different regional areas, and even different countries, and the idea of how a group of artists could work together to create something, all the while supporting each other and themselves. I would love to have an art center where I could invite all various and different groups of artists to come and work on an installation, have a big opening party and spend a few weeks looking at what was created, and then start all over again.


6. Do you have any irrational fears/worries that you'd love to let go of?

I have this fear that one day I will wake up with no more ideas, my mind just a blank echoing corridor, with nothing in it, it's kind of more like a nightmare, and I would like to banish it!
The fear that I won't have enough money to pay for even the most basic essentials, and that we will end up homeless. This one sucks a lot of my energy, and I really need to let go of it.
Oh and the fear that maybe I suck, as an artist, as a designer, and I will be revealed as this giant fraud, who should have always been a janitor, yeah, that's another lovely one that needs to go.


7. Do you have any tricks for turning a bad mood into a good mood?

Two things that work pretty consistently: dancing or walking. There are those days where things aren't lining up, where I feel like I am fighting with my computer or my paint brush, miscommunications with others are happening left and right, the presentation I worked so hard on putting together is received with an "eh", those days when everything gathers to make for a sour, crap-ass of a day, one bad mood op-out is dancing in my studio. I have a couple of playlists in my iTunes for just that mood turning purpose, and I turn the volume way up and go for it. My other option is to get outside and walk. Something about my feet on the ground, feeling my body moving thru the air, swinging my arms, it never fails. Never underestimate the power of the body to get you out of your head...


{this journal will soon be available from brush dance }

8. What daily practices do you follow, if any, to stay focused on positivity and abundance in your life? (journaling, meditating, drawing, visualization, reading, etc.)

I am a list maker and a doodler. Lists keep me focused, they keep me grounded, they remind me of my dreams, my hopes, and they help to keep my mind clear of distracting and negative thoughts. Doodling keeps my mind moving and calms my inner gremlins too. I have never been a consistent journaler, or meditator, I start with all good intentions, and then fall out of the habit pretty quickly, but the lists and the doodles, they have always kept me on a positive track, and those moments when I lose my place, bring me back to the moment at hand.


9. Do you have a favorite quote or author that help you remember to live and think abundantly?

I have many quotes that I keep around me - on the fridge, on my bulletin board, taped to the dashboard of my car, but one quote from mary anne radmacher has been my mantra for a few months now: intentional change is the most ferocious response to fear. I look at that every day when walking in to my studio and every night walking out, and remind myself over and over again, it is all about where I put my intention, and purposefully moving my intention away from fear and "less than" thoughts is when I move into an abundant state of mind.

Two other faves:

We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us. - J. Campbell

Time is not measured by the passing of years but by what one does, what one feels and what one achieves. -Nehru

10. Can you share some books or blogs with us that you think Pecannoot readers might love?

In the last 6-9 months I have been going back again and again to a couple of books:

*Lean Forward into Your Life by Maryanne Radmacher
*Life is a Verb by Patty Digh
*Ordinary Sparkling Moments by Christine Mason Miller

I find new and wonderfully abundant words in new places each time I re-open these books.

***
What a terrific interview, wouldn't you say? To see more of Liz's work, please please please visit her blog (Athena Dreams), her website, and her etsy shop.

Thank you so so much, Liz!

interview: leah piken kolidas

Good Monday morning, my dears! I hope your weekend was as perfect as it could be.
I am beyond excited to bring you our very first interview on Pecannoot this morning, with the extremely talented and lovely Leah Piken Kolidas, of Creative Everyday fame. Her answers to my questions are so thoughtful, so read on for a big jolt of inspiration and abundance!


1. Tell us a bit about yourself. (What's your favorite color? What can't you live without? What do you do all day? What's your favorite way to relax? Share whatever random bits you'd like!)

I'm a 32 year old artist living with my four fuzzy cats and my husband near Boston, Massachusetts.

My favorite color is blue. I can remember in kindergarten announcing that blue was my favorite color when all the other little girls seemed to like pink best. I didn't want anyone to assume that my favorite color was pink just because I was a girl!

My favorite way to relax is to snuggle up with a good book, a cup of cocoa, and a purring cat. Listening to Jim Dale reading the Harry Potter series is also wonderfully relaxing. And I like to doodle. It eases my mind. Oh, and bubble baths, they're wonderful for relaxing too. I live in an older home with a small tub that's not big enough for me to stretch out in (which is sad, considering I'm only 5' 1/2" tall), but someday I'd like to own a big bath tub. In the meantime, just being near water relaxes me. There's a river that I like to walk to and sit by when the weather is nice.

2. What is abundance to you?

Abundance to me is feeling grateful for all that I have and just loving it up. When I look at my life, I feel incredibly abundant. It's not just about money or things, it's about attitude.


3. What are 5 things you are grateful for right now, in this moment?

In this moment, I'm feeling grateful for iced tea with lemon and an orange straw, my kitty Emma in a tight kitty ball sleeping in my studio, being asked to do this interview, the hubster quietly napping in the other room, and the super cute momma goose I saw sitting on a nest while walking today.

4. What is your favorite part of your day?

My favorite part of the day is whenever I'm laughing loudly.


5. What is one huge, crazy-seeming goal that you dream about accomplishing?

Well, I'd like to write a book about being creative every day! But that's not so incredibly crazy. One huge-crazy-seeming goal I have is owning a creativity center where I get to play with like-minded souls, have a gorgeous studio space, lead workshops, and have a hot tub where we conduct meetings.

6. Do you have any irrational fears/worries that you'd love to let go of?

I'd love to let go of the irrational fear that I'm somehow not good enough. It's a pesky gremlin-based fear.


7. Do you have any tricks for turning a bad mood into a good mood?

If it's just a lightly bad mood, I find a walk is helpful, watching or reading something funny can help, laughing with friends, or doing some dancing around the room usually helps me. If it's a really bad mood, sometimes I just need to give it some space, make some art that reflects where I'm at, vent in my journal, or just go to bed!

8. What daily practices do you follow, if any, to stay focused on positivity and abundance in your life? (Journaling, meditating, drawing, visualization, reading, etc.)

I draw everyday in some way, sometimes it's just doodles, and it seems to help release any negativity I'm holding onto. I also keep track of the things I'm grateful for. I just started using a new iphone app that helps you keep track of the things you're grateful for which is a fun way to do it.


9. Do you have a favorite quote or author that help you remember to live and think abundantly?

Here's a great quote from author SARK, from her book Living Juicy:
"Invent your world; surround yourself with people, color, sounds and work that nourish you."

SARK's books definitely help me to live abundantly.

10. Can you share some books or blogs with us that you think Pecannoot readers might love?

Oh there are so many great things to check out. Here are a few to start:

- Patti Digh, author of the 37 days blog and the book Life is a Verb
- Pema Chodron
- Mary Oliver's poetry
- Andrea Scher's Superhero Journal (and her necklaces too!)
- Jamie Ridler is leading a book group through Keri Smith's Wreck this Journal in June!! So fun! - The lovely Goddess Leonie,
- Jennifer Lee's super cool Right-Brain Business Plan
- And all the wonderful people participating in the Creative Every Day Challenge (listed in my sidebar!)

*huge thanks to leah for gracing us with her inspiring way of being!*