Cloverdew Creative

Today, I was really inspired by the bravery of my friends, Amber Naslund and Melissa Case, who put themselves out there on the web, describing who they really are as people. Not putting their thoughts about work or culture or books online, but sharing intimate details of themselves with the world. I decided to take the plunge, as well. Here are a few details about me (in no particular order):

I love to write. From the time I was a small child, I have been writing stories. I spent many an angsty evening as an adolescent writing poetry. Since I was thirteen, I have been keeping a personal journal in some form. For the last six years, I have taken part in NaNoWriMo and, although I have yet to finish a novel in a month, I am currently working on a novel that I am very excited about and hope to finish this year.

I speak German. I lived in Germany for a year after I graduated high school and before I started college. I lived with a host family, went to German high school, learned about culture, politics, and history, struggled with the language until I started dreaming in German (which I still do periodically), made friends for life, and gained more knowledge about myself as a person than I could ever have imagined before I left.

I am a Unitarian Universalist. This has had a profound affect on my life in many ways and I am so grateful to my parents for raising me in a church that let me explore my own spiritual journey, ask questions, gain insight, and develop my own world view and belief system from the time I was a very young person. I have always had a strong sense of social justice, equality, and respect for the earth and all living things. I don’t preach and I don’t expect others to have the same world view as me, even within my own religion. Every person is entitled to his/her own journey and I respect that. As I hope you will respect mine.

I have a strong affinity for the Middle East. In college, I had many friends who were from the Middle East or had spent a lot of time there. With their influencing, I spent a semester in Amman, Jordan, where I learned a little bit of Arabic, a lot of culture, and of the wonderful, hospitable nature of the Arabic people. I ate delicious Mediterranean food, smoked a lot of hookah, and reveled in the dusty architecture that held so much history. I spent a week in Syria, visiting Damascus and Aleppo, learning about Syrian history, government, and people.

 I love spicy food. My dad has been eating hot peppers (and putting them in dishes for the family) since I was very young. I’ve always eaten lots of different ethnic foods and my favorites are Indian, Thai, and (though not particularly spicy) Italian.

 Art is my passion. I could spend hours in front of one painting or sculpture. I adore Mark Rothko, Vincent van Gogh, and Michelangelo. One of my favorite books is The Lost Painting. Both in Germany and Jordan, I studied art, and I couldn’t ask for a better way to break a language barrier.

I am a firm believer in positive psychology. I choose to focus on all the things I am grateful for in my life, from the mundane to the awesome. Mindfulness, gratitude, and a positive attitude can go a long way. The more we appreciate what we have, the more wonderful things come our way. I have been fortunate to be a part of the Adventures in Manifesting eCourse offered by Sarah Prout and Sean Patrick Simpson, who have also brought together those involved in a wonderful online community. This community is a great place to explore positive psychology and support one another through many life changes. It is truly a blessing to be a part of this group.

Cooking and baking are some of my greatest joys. I love to cook and I love to entertain. Cooking and baking for friends and family makes me about the happiest person alive. I am currently revising, editing, adding to, updating, and re-publishing my family cookbook, which my mother put together in the 1980s. This version will be digital, so friends and family can view it on a computer, e-reader, or print at their will.

So, what do you think? Will you tell me a little about yourself?

Fresh pumpkins. A bright evening sun on a summer’s day. Orange evokes brightness and happiness. Even the scent of oranges, the fruit the color is names after, is said to be energizing.

1. Orange flower, 2. orange vintage, 3. Orange Overload, 4. Orange Sunbrellas, 5. orange, 6. orange walls, 7. Orange on Orange, 8. Choco Orange Macarons, 9. Orange & Blue

Orange is the color of luck. It is the representative of the second chakra. It evokes the warmth of fire. Orange is full of energy. At its best, orange strengthens confidence and contributes to creativity. Orange stimulates. It increases activity, appetite, and socialization. It is a “love it or hate it” color, demanding action. It is a color of enthusiasm and joy, celebration and festivities!

In design, orange is used to create energy and is often used with and juxtaposed to blue and green.

As with red, a little goes a long way. Use sparingly for a little life or an abundance to give life to a project.

• For a little orange in interior design, check out this post from Cottage Home Decorating.
• If you’re looking for inspiration, try Color In Design: Orange.
• The Llewellyn Encyclopedia offers an article on the Seat Chakra, also known as Svadhisthana, which is associated with the color orange, emotion, sexuality, pleasure and polarity.
• About.com tells you How to Use Orange in Feng Shui.

How does orange make you feel? How will you use it in your life? I’m enjoying bright orange sunsets and fresh oranges in Florida to bring more joy and energy into my life.

This morning, I met Jackie from Style Matters at her home in Sarasota for my first ever style consultation. From the time she greeted me in a perfect pair of jeans, sea foam green ruffled blouse, and navy blue tailored jacket, to the end of the hour we spent together, Jackie was a delight to work with. She asked me a few questions and before I knew it, we were talking clothes, shopping, accessories, color, and, of course, shoes.

In about an hour, she gave me a very thorough and defined baseline. She told me what length my sleeves and skirts should be, what necklines to complement my figure best, and how best to accessorize. Since I have nicely defined shoulders, she advised me never to wear shoulder pads, stiff sleeves or spaghetti straps, but instead to wear flowy fabrics or sleeveless tops. She did my colors and told me that I’m an Autumn, advising me to wear peacock blue, plum, orange, russet, brown, and other colors that fit into that color scheme. These colors should accentuate neutrals already in my wardrobe. Since I’m petite (5’2″), she advised me never to wear and ankle length pant, pants with cuffs, or prints on bottom, but rather to draw attention up with bright colors, accessories, and jewelry.

Jackie advised me to never tuck anything in, stay away from front-buttoned pockets or deep front pockets, and utilize shirts that end at the hip. Fabrics that are soft, drape, and have movement are good. Skirts that end at the knee and accentuate the smallest part of the leg are best. Fitted and skirts with flare are flattering. Scoop-neck and v-neck tops are perfect. I was even given advice on what kind of jewelry looks best with my figure and style. With all of this wonderful advice, I left feeling on top of the world.

I now have a lot to think about and more to do. My homework is to evaluate my wardrobe and figure out which of my clothes fit and look fabulous and which pieces in my collection should be tossed out. This is one set of homework I’m actually looking forward to!

Style Matters offers a variety of services including, but not limited to: Initial Consultation (optimum style assessment for goals of improved wardrobe, color analysis, and body/line and silhouette assessment for identifying cuts, patterns, fabrics, and combinations for personal use), Wardrobe Evaluation (an in-home four-hour session to assess your current wardrobe), and Personal Shopping (shopping for items together at retail stores), and styling for portraits, formal events, job interviews, and other important occasions. See Style Matters website for more information.

I’m in a bit of culture shock after moving from Northern Virginia/Washington, D.C. area to Bradenton, Florida. I am spending my days with wide eyes, gawking at the flat, wide, airy palm-ridden sun-soaked beach-filled area. Everything from the weather to the driving to the inhabitants of the area are alien. If people aren’t on vacation, they’re retired. The pace of life here is much slower. People aren’t rushing everywhere they go, honking horns and suffering from hypertension. People take time to stop and say hello when on their morning walks. It’s much more of a small-town type feeling.

I am enjoying my days when I’m not job-hunting by reading by the pool, swimming, creating craft projects, painting, and sketching. I have to be honest: I haven’t done much writing. I find that I need a certain atmosphere for that and I haven’t been able to create that yet. I’m still getting used to the hot, but not sticky (compared to DC) days, the cool nights, and the genuine Florida sun.

The entire health system in Florida seems to operate differently than in Virginia and the neighborhoods are confusing (all different classes houses neighboring one another) and I still don’t know my way around, so if I were without my trusty Tom-Tom, I’d be lost. I’m finding my way, little by little.

In a week, I will be making big shift in my life, packing up and moving from Northern Virginia and the Washington, DC area, where I’ve been living for the past 10 years, to Florida. I am grateful for all the new opportunities this will bring, but I am also leaving behind a whole lot of history and a lot of my present self. It took me a long time to build the kind of life I wanted here and it will be incredibly hard to leave behind a place that so intimately shaped my life for so long.

In some ways, I’m glad to be leaving it behind and moving forward with my life, finding a new place for myself and brushing off the dust of past experiences: ex-boyfriends and former jobs, the mistakes I’ve made and the lessons that were hard to learn, reminders of a time when I did not love and respect myself nearly as much as I do now. Leaving behind all the baggage and moving forward with only the things I want in my life is a choice I make every day. I am fortunate to have a chance to start over again.

And in some ways, I’m already missing everything about my life here: the good and the bad, every instance that shaped me, every tear and every smile. Leaving behind all the friends and moving forward is not an easy decision, but I am fortunate to be able to form each day in the shape I want it to be. I will not lose myself, but will become ever closer to the self that I aspire to be.

In moving away from everything I know to a completely new and foreign land is nothing new to me. I’ve done it several times and each time I’ve discovered new and amazing parts of myself. In order to deal with a different place and a different culture, new and exciting parts of my own personality come out. Whenever I challenge myself, I find that I grow and change in unexpected ways. I am looking forward to the adventure of the next shift.

Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

The following links are meant to be inspiration for the creative mind. If you find any particularly useful or have others to share, please comment below!

• Why Passion Beats Perfection – If you’re a recovering perfectionist like myself, this is particularly useful.
• 5 Key Steps That Will Improve Your Decision Making – Dumb Little Man explains how best to make a decision.
• You Cannot Sing If You Cannot Cook – Insights into the creative mind via an Italian maestro-chef.
• Passion as the “Ultimate Productivity Tool” – Why the most important aspect of any project or business is not a plan, but passion.
• Passion with a Dose of Realism – The flip side: temper your passion with a plan.
• The Painter and His Window – What is the benefit of social interaction? What about focus? How do both of these play into your work?
• 5 Reasons Why the Most Important Thing You Can Create is Not the Art Itself – How to foster creative flow.
• 6 Tips to Generate Outstanding Ideas – This post outlines great ways to invite new ideas into your life and workflow.
• 6 Ways to Get Yourself Some “Me” Time to Boost Your Creativity – Just a few ideas on getting that creative mojo going.
• Conditions for Creativity – Challenging the norm and working towards creative solutions.

“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” – Roald Dahl

In pursuit of happiness, I have just joined a great eCourse called Adventures in Manifesting. It’s run by a long-time favorite Twitterer and blogger, Sarah Prout, and her sweetheart Sean Patrick Simpson. In the course, they outline great ways to manifest your deepest dreams and desires, as well as give you concrete rituals which make manifesting easier and more accessible. You can choose whether to pay for the course, or you can choose to take it for free in exchange for spreading the word about this awesome opportunity.

Benefits of the course include:

• The single most important thing you can do every morning to set the foundations for your day and life
• Powerful rituals applied by millionaires, billionaires, conscious celebrities and sages
• Simple strategies to getting clear about what you want to create
• How to create the mental and physical space for intentional manifesting
• Ways to create your environment for success
• Tactics for getting into the feeling place of manifesting your desires
• How to create visual inspiration for your intentions
• One of the most powerful 10 minute intention exercises I’ve discovered Adventures in Manifesting members have raved about
• The language patterns which proliferate negative energy within yourself and how to transform them into empowering statements and questions
• How to raise the bar of self-love within your life to create greater happiness.
• How to consciously turn your life from a ‘Dammit’ to a ‘Thank You’
• Powerful methods of meditation to begin creating a more balanced, centered, harmonious, and peaceful life.
• A vibrant community of conscious and inspired individuals to empower you, mastermind, manifest alongside, and spread the love with.
• Ways and practices to creating a better relationship with yourself and those around you.
• A crystal clear view of your future self having manifested your intentions
• How to change your life by changing the lives of others through simple ‘random acts of kindness.’
• Your new found community just one click away within your Facebook homepage.
• How to make your inner temple a place of peace, joy and happiness
• How to open your heart and mind to be able to receive gifts from the universe
• How to live a more joyful and happy life!

I am excited to start my journey with the other folks who are adventuring into manifesting with this course and have already started to get involved with the online community associated with the course. I can’t wait to delve in deep and shift my life in the most positive of ways. Will you join me?

I am in love with these ads for Mercedes-Benz.

Left brain: I am the left brain. I am a scientist. A mathematician. I love the familiar. I categorize. I am accurate. Linear. Analytical. Strategic. I am practical. Always in control. A master of words and language. Realistic. I calculate equations and play with numbers. I am order. I am logic. I know exactly who I am.

Right brain: I am the right brain. I am creativity. A free spirit. I am passion. Yearning. Sensuality. I am the sound of roaring laughter. I am taste. The feeling of sand beneath bare feat. I am movement. Vivid colors. I am the urge to paint on an empty canvas. I am boundless imagination. Art. Poetry. I sense. I feel. I am everything I wanted to be.

To see paint and two other versions, click here: music, passion.

Jack London said, “You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.”

If you can’t wait for inspiration, how do you go in search of it? What wellspring do you tap when you’re in need of great ideas? What begets creative thought? How do you best come up with answers to difficult problems? Here’s a three step guide.

1. Turn it off, tune it out.
2. Tap into your subconscious.
3. Let the ideas flow.

1. TURN IT OFF, TUNE IT OUT.
Ever find that you have more original ideas when you’re not overwhelmed with everyone else’s? While some others’ thoughts can inspire us, the best way to be original is to be the origin. Sounds simple enough, but you have to remember to turn it off and tune it out. That means Twitter, blogs, television, radio, newspapers. Take a half hour to yourself. Allow yourself the quiet and the time and inspiration will come.

2. TAP INTO YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS.
In other words, don’t overthink it. Sometimes the simple answer is best. Give yourself time and space to think. Grab a cup of coffee or tea and concentrate on that while your brain does the work for you. Drink your coffee and let the aroma fill your nostrils, really taste it as you drain your cup. When you are done, go back to your desk and get to work.

3. LET THE IDEAS FLOW.
What is literally the first thing that comes to your mind? Write it down. Don’t dwell on it. Allow your brain to work with the idea while you move on to something else. No idea is a bad idea, but some are better than others. Write them all down. Keep writing until you are completely tapped out. When you’re finished, draw on the what you have; you’re already further along than you think.

Inspiration: you have it.

Blogdash is a new tool for bloggers and public relations professionals, which aids public relations professionals in pitching to bloggers. It allows bloggers to set preferences for hearing from PR pros and PR pros to target those bloggers most interested. It’s free for bloggers and guarantees no spam. By placing a badge on your site, anyone looking to send you a pitch can check out your profile on Blogdash first to see your preferences.

Agencies and businesses can search a database of thousands upon thousands of bloggers to find the best matches for their products, services, and stories. Blogdash also provides specific, relevant information including bios, publications, social networks, and blog and Twitter stats. Sounds like a win-win to me!

Lately, I’ve been overwhelmed by the number of posts coming from some particular blogs and email lists. The oversaturation in media isn’t helping my creativity blossom, rather it’s hindering me from hearing my own thoughts. It’s not because I’m subscribed to too many feeds or because I’m taking in things from too many channels, but because I am getting so much from particular sources. The sources are ones I used to feel gave me wisdom, but now I have the distinct feeling of wading through muck.

Recently, I read a great post on Quora from Lucretia M. Pruitt entitled Welcome to Quora. Do Yourself a Favor and Slow Down. A post from Lauren Vargas at the Root Report soon followed, where she stated that There Is No Such Thing as the Status Quo. In her blog post, Lauren says, “Instead of thinking of how many social channels can I participate in, think about how should you be participating in those communities…if you should be there at all. Take this much needed breather to assess how you respond and why.”

What a perfect response! I urge you all to take that into consideration when creating your own communities, blogs, and Twitter accounts. How many do you really need? How many do you want? Is more always better? I think not.

This is not a new discussion. It’s been had over and over and over again and, with regard to information, there is such a thing as pushing too much on your followers and friends. If you have something important to say, by all means, SAY IT. But think long and hard about the push of information over this web space and ask yourself if your post is necessary; if it is not necessary, is it helpful, wanted, craved? Because, if it’s just chatter, why not benefit your audience better by giving them something they really want.

I’m stepping back myself. I’m thinking, processing, dreaming, and creating. And when there’s something really good to share, I’ll share it. Until then, my friends, may the muses bless you with important, compelling blog posts.

It seems that lately, I’ve fallen into a morning ritual. It wasn’t expected or planned, but it is a great way to wake up. Instead of getting right out of bed and into the shower, ready for the day, I lay about a little, reflect on where I want to be, and then I pick up supplies and work on my scrapbook journal. This little ritual of creating has taken place of my morning cup of coffee and blog-reading.

It’s the golden hour of dawn (or, in my case with insomnia at the moment, the wee hours before dawn), it is quiet and the world seems peaceful. I can spend the time drawing in the qi, the life force energy, and channel that into how I want my day to go and how I want my future to unfold. With bits of scrap paper or magazine cut-outs, I focus on nature, art, and my own inner comfort and joy. When I have picked and chosen the pieces I want to give myself, I find a way to put them on paper.

It’s powerful to put thoughts on paper, whether to write them out or visualize them. Regardless of if I write or paint or piece together a collage, my mindset is thoroughly influenced by this practice. With the help of the quiet earth’s turning, harnessing my qi, I piece together at least one page a day. This joy is something that stays with me all day. I’ve done something positive, creative, and, if nothing else, I have put my hopes and dreams onto a page. This, in and of itself, is an act of fearlessness and I hope I can keep it up throughout the year.

It is something that both expresses and brings me joy and can help to heal pain. It’s much better than a cup of coffee, don’t you think?

What’s your morning ritual? Are you creative, do you take a long time in the shower, what wakes you up with joy?