Valentine’s Portrait Sale! ONLY $40 CAD per portrait Regular price ranges from $100-$300 ENDS MIDNIGHT PT Feb 8, 2015 Drawn in my signature street art style using Chinamarker approx 18×24 on newsprint The portrait will be mailed by Feb 11, 2015. FREE SHIPPING! NOTE: Drawings are folded and mailed in a large manila envelope. — Let me…
Category: Quote
Quote of the month/week/day… (multiple sources)
Connections and Creativity: The Inner Critic at the Centre for Peace Feb 23 #yvr
We had a fantastic session on January 26, 2015: CONNECTIONS & CREATIVITY USING VALUES, MINDMAPPING and AUTHENTIC NETWORKING Announcing our next Connections and Creativity session: THE INNER CRITIC Buy tickets at EVENTBRITE Laura Mack and Kat Thorsen invite you to experience a deeper connection to self, tap into your creativity and connect with others at a truly authentic level in their new series: Connections and…
Touch me life, not softly. #journalentry
How will you take on this week? Last week was truly full of too muchness, too fullness, too many extremes, but at the same time, I was grateful for the intensity. It helped me clarify what was truly important. There was output and connection, there was trauma and fear, there was despair and elation, and…
Delightful local Vancouver artist: Amy Tom
I am delighted to introduce an extraordinary Vancouver artist, Amy Tom. I was introduced to her through my friend Anne Banner, owner/curator of Vancouver curiosity shop and paradise: Salmagundi West. Amy’s whimsical and magical style inspires me to no end! Check out her ETSY shop! I create postcards, magnets and art prints reproduced from my…
A week of triggers and difficult conversations. And authenticity.
There were many triggers this week, both personally, professionally, and financially, that led to a multitude of emotions- most especially anxiety. Triggers that give rise to deep-rooted memories and default reactions. Anger directed at self. But I was delighted to find that I also defaulted to the “don’t know mind” technique and that I allowed…
Abundance means less. What? #selfleadership
I’ve been really committing to the mantra Abundance 2015. My mindset is more focused on creating abundance. But my realization is that I’ve been coming at it all wrong. Abundance to me does not mean more. Abundance means less. What? Doesn’t abundance mean more? Definition: The lesson for me, as I quickly approach 53, lies in taking a…
January 15, 1953. Stanley Park, Vancouver. #coldcase
Several developments since I last mentioned Molly. This work infuses my life in every way. I am currently editing the manuscript and working on releasing instalment 1 as a broadsheet. Animation test to commemorate January 15, 1953 created by students at Mountainside Secondary:
Can a dog live forever? In this case, yes.
They always love you. – Alexander McQueen on the joy of having dogs — After my mother passed away November 8, 2008, I inherited my parents’ dog and parrot. My father was already in residential care. I LOVE having the pets. The parrot, ASTERIX, speaks Swedish and belly laughs like my mom. There is great comfort…
Connections & Creativity: an interactive gathering with Laura Mack and Kat Thorsen
I AM DELIGHTED TO ANNOUNCE MY NEXT COLLABORATION WITH LAURA MACK! — We invite you to experience a deeper connection to self, tap into your creativity and connect with others at a truly authentic level. We will be sharing tools and practices with you, in an experiential format that will enrich your personal and professional lives. And, if you…
As I walked the labyrinth, I repeated the mantra: the question is…
Journal entry- at Xenia Retreat Centre inside the Sanctuary after walking the labyrinth on December 29, 2014 [unedited] @ Xenia with Laura. What a treat! Thank you! She picked me up at 7:10 –> Ferry –> breakfast at Snug Cafe. My hands now cold, limbs frozen, toes frozen, numb and painful. Reminds of being on the…
INNER CRITIC Series Part 4 of 6: CAUTERIZE #journalexercise
The inner critic is always worth a revisit. I have broken the series into 6 parts: 1. RANT 2. JUDGE 3. INVESTIGATE 4. CAUTERIZE 5. TEASE 6. EMBRACE Each exercise starts with a journal entry and/or mindmap. Then we look at the emotions that come up as we share openly. I encourage you to experiment by…
INNER CRITIC series Part 3 of 6: INVESTIGATE #journalexercise
The inner critic is always worth a revisit. I have broken the series into 6 parts: 1. RANT 2. JUDGE 3. INVESTIGATE 4. CAUTERIZE 5. TEASE 6. EMBRACE Each exercise starts with a journal entry and/or mindmap. Then we look at the emotions that come up as we share openly. I encourage you to experiment by…
Inner Critic Series Part 2: JUDGE #journalexercise #mindmap
INNER CRITIC SERIES PARTS 1-6: The inner critic is always worth a revisit. I have broken the series into 6 parts: 1. RANT 2. JUDGE 3. INVESTIGATE 4. CAUTERIZE 5. TEASE 6. EMBRACE Each exercise starts with ajournal entry and/or mindmap. Then we look at the emotions that come up as we share openly. I encourage…
INNER CRITIC series part 1 of 6: RANT! #journalexercise
I have visited and revisited the inner critic here on my blog again and again. The inner critic is a good friend of mine. And also a pain in the ass. Recall the journal exercises in “TAMING THE INNER CRITIC” JOURNAL EXERCISE REVISITED But the inner critic is always worth a revisit. I’ve been mulling over…
Notes from the kitchen table… #journalexercise
Journal exercise: Take time to listen. Sit with pen and paper and write down all you hear. ALL. BE PRESENT. I was sitting at my kitchen table the other evening, sewing. The apartment to myself except for sleeping pets. I suddenly became very aware of my surroundings. I had, what I can only call, a…
… everything that remains unsolved in your heart.
I was at the grocery store the other day purchasing food for a youth grad event, about an hour before I needed to be there and I STOPPED. I couldn’t go forward; I couldn’t go back. I had no idea what to buy. I was dizzy. I couldn’t see or think clearly. I knew in my heart,…
Starving artist 48-hour portrait sale! Original hand-drawn portraits $40 CAD Nov 19 – Nov 21
Starving Artist Portrait Sale! Yes, I’m hustling! Proceeds go towards bills, groceries, haircut… life! $40 CAD per portrait Regular price ranges from $100-$300 ENDS MIDNIGHT PT Nov 21, 2014 18×24 on newsprint The portrait will be completed Nov 30, 2014. FREE SHIPPING! Drawings are folded and mailed in a large manila envelope. — Let me know…
Emma. A portrait.
There are no words that sufficiently describe the enormous, deep-hearted love I feel for my beautiful niece, Emma Varley. Yes, gush, gush, gush, but it’s SO TRUE. Emma– an extraordinary woman and mother of 4. Emma– a brilliant medical anthropologist and humanitarian. I love witnessing her life unfold- sadly mainly from afar, but always, always, close…
Inside Out Project: Own Your Journey, Mountainside Pilot Project Week 5 of 5
Recall: LINK: MOUNTAINSIDE SECONDARY: Inside Out Project: Own Your Journey Youth-run initiative using the vehicle of portrait photography and street art to learn life and transferable skills while developing self-empowerment, peer to peer interaction and community connections. THEMES: Connection and Empowerment CO-FACILITATORS: IAN POWELL, KAT THORSEN Pilot Project: September 30, 2014- October 30, 2014 INSPIRED BY OUR…
My retreat journal part 6 of 6: The Closing Circle
I experienced a life-changing weekend as I co-facilitated Creativity and Connection Retreat October 17-19, 2014 on Bowen Island with Laura Mack at Xenia Retreat. Here are some journal excerpts so you can get a small glimpse as to how powerful the experience was for me. Recall: PART 1 October 17, 2014 FRIDAY INTO SILENCE PART 2 October…
My retreat journal Part 5 of 6: The Dance
I experienced a life-changing weekend as I co-facilitated Creativity and Connection Retreat October 17-19, 2014 on Bowen Island with Laura Mack at Xenia Retreat. Here are some journal excerpts so you can get a small glimpse as to how powerful the experience was for me. Recall: PART 1 October 17, 2014 FRIDAY INTO SILENCE PART 2 October…
My Retreat Journal Part 4 of 6: The Symbols Way
I experienced a life-changing weekend as I co-facilitated Creativity and Connection Retreat October 17-19, 2014 on Bowen Island with Laura Mack at Xenia Retreat. Here are some journal excerpts so you can get a small glimpse as to how powerful the experience was for me. Recall: PART 1 October 17, 2014 FRIDAY INTO SILENCE PART 2 October…
My retreat journal Part 3 of 6: The Cyclops Goddess
I experienced a life-changing weekend as I co-facilitated Creativity and Connection Retreat October 17-19, 2014 on Bowen Island with Laura Mack at Xenia Retreat. Here are some journal excerpts so you can get a small glimpse as to how powerful the experience was for me. Recall: PART 1 October 17, 2014 FRIDAY INTO SILENCE PART 2 October…
My retreat journal Part 2 of 6: Into the labyrinth
I experienced a life-changing weekend as I co-facilitated Creativity and Connection Retreat October 17-19, 2014 on Bowen Island with Laura Mack at Xenia Retreat. Here are some journal excerpts so you can get a small glimpse as to how powerful the experience was for me. Recall: PART 1 October 17, 2014 FRIDAY INTO SILENCE — Part 2 October…
My retreat journal Part 1 of 6: INTO SILENCE
I experienced a life-changing weekend as I co-facilitated Creativity and Connection Retreat October 17-19, 2014 on Bowen Island with Laura Mack at Xenia Retreat. A HUGE THANK YOU TO LAURA FOR PROVIDING THIS OPPORTUNITY FOR ME. SPECIAL THANK YOU Saria, and to Angelyn, Loretta, Fran and Lorena — Here are some journal excerpts so you…
Boundary- a new comic by Emily Cowan
I am so excited that Vancouver artist, Emily Cowan, has now launched her extraordinary comic BOUNDARY online! BOUNDARY is a long-form comic about being stuck, difficult families, changing friendships and the different kinds of boundaries in our lives. Mostly though, it’s about adolescent frustration and the unbearable tragedy that is being fifteen. The worst part of…
“I am wandering awed… gnawed trees breathe a delicate air.” Creativity & Connection Retreat Oct 17-19, 2014
CREATIVITY AND CONNECTION RETREAT WITH LAURA AND KAT Retreat Flyer We will provide you with tools for gaining insight and shifting perspective using inspiring themes such as archetype symbology and shadow-work. Self-reflection activities will take you deeper into your own journey while group experiences expand your mindset. Laura will share authentic leadership exercises to assist…
Michele’s Happiness and Joy Lessons for Parents and Teachers
I first met Michele Lilyanna in 1996 at Roberts Creek Community Elementary School. Through luck and serendipity, Michele taught both my kids. She and I quickly bonded over a mutual and voracious love of the creative process. We eventually taught art classes together to all ages. I learned so much from co-facilitating with Michele- how…
Sacred Contracts Journal Exercise Part 6 of 8: PULL BACK TO THE PAST
SACRED CONTRACTS JOURNALING EXERCISE SERIES PART 6 OF 8 PULL BACK TO THE PAST We are tapping into our calling, our purpose, our joy in this SACRED CONTRACTS journal series. It is inspired by Caroline Myss. The journal series is an experiment on my part, and I welcome you to join along. Recall Part 1: Future and Present where…