October Power Word: SOAR!

If you’ve ever been at a very high elevation–skydiving, hang gliding, mountain climbing, skiing–you know that feeling of airy quiet where it seems the words you speak, or even your breaths, echo in your head; where the air is so thin that it takes all your stamina just to get enough oxygen (especially if you live as we do in the humid south).

Soaring to new heights requires a lot of energy and focus, and, understandably, it’s sometimes easier just to keep your feet on the ground. But the rewards are at the top, so even though it might be a tough climb, it’s worth it!

Share with us how you’re soaring this month!

New for 2013: Monthly power words to help you accomplish your goals

During a holiday get-together recently (because they can’t meet for a simple lunch without devising some sort of plan), my dear Chicks came up with the plan for 2013. Each month, they will share a power word with blog readers. The power word will be one that you can say (like a mantra) to push you through the month and maybe even the year.  These aren’t your average words of encouragement—they’re a bit more playful than that — designed to inspire you and keep you moving forward all year long.

And, what better word to start off the new year than zoom!

Use this month to focus your creative energy and zero in on those projects that have been gathering dust. Forget perfection, forget self-editing. ZOOM! Ignore that little voice in your head that says, “This could be better.” Instead, punch out that draft, sketch out your designs, zoom along to the finish line and let the self-editor off the hook until your first draft is complete. Let your heart lead you more than your head. Sometimes it’s the only way to finish that project or idea you’ve been sitting on.

How will you zoom! this month?

Happy New Year!

Father’s Day Special (part 1)

You’ve heard from the kids, so now, in honor of Father’s Day, hear from the men in the Chicks’ lives as they discuss their wives’ pursuit of the artist within themselves. The guys also spend time “muse-ing” over who this Muse is that their wives are chasing. Do they hit the proverbial nail on the head? You be the judge!

Of course, you can’t get this group of guys together without the occasional beer and tasteless jokes. Here’s a toast for those handy editing tools. Thanks, guys, for supporting the Chicks as they continue their pursuit of…who else? Me!

the Muse

This blog may be about 4 Chicks and their ongoing quest to lead fully creative lives, but I’m the star here.  Who am I?

I am the Muse.  I am inspiration.  Behind every creative journey through the ages, there I am.

The wheel?  My humble suggestion.  The Mona Lisa?  That’s my work, too.  Why do you think she’s smiling?  Romeo and Juliet?  Ah, yes.  A Muse by any other name would smell as sweet.

So now these 4 Chicks want to find me.  They’re desperate to find me, it seems. They each have creative seedlings they want to see bloom.  Well the truth is, Eva, Peggy, Tracey and Vivi have as good a chance at finding me as William, Leonardo, and dear what’s-her-name.  Come to mention it, so do you, my curious reader.

Do you want to find me?   Have you already looked for me?  Well, despite rumors to the contrary, mine is not a game of hide-and-seek, but rather one of seek-and-find, and I do so love being found.

How can you find me, you ask?  You can find me in: writing, storytelling, filming, painting, running, singing, cooking, dancing, sewing, skydiving, rhyming, acting, drawing, decorating, parenting, researching, editing, cleaning, speaking, playing, learning, listening, hoping, planning, working, laughing, risking, traveling, trying, crying, working, waiting, believing, sharing, changing, celebrating, struggling, trusting, working, persevering.  In other words–by truly living.

Wherever you are in your creative journey, I am ready to meet you there.  Meanwhile, the 4 Chicks will be meeting here.  They say they feel my presence most powerfully when they’re together, and they want to share that experience with others.  Maybe you’ll feel me more, too.  Because although no eye has ever seen me, I am always near.

I am the Muse.  I am the inspiration you seek.  Come find me.