colors of my day: 7.11.2012.

mindful moments: an exercise in listening to wisdom.

introducing a new practice of bringing my art+spirit work onto the blog.  mindful moments will invite you to a space of connecting with the sacred through a creative act or practice.  i invite you to connect with me, letting me know how you experience this practice.  these are a gift for each of us.

Grab a piece of paper & something to write with. Make it something large enough for you to write on. Can be anything. Paper from the recycling and a crayon works. Post it note & pen.

Still yourself from within by drawing in three deep breaths. Five if you need them. ((Count to 5 breathing in.  Count to 5 breathing out. Quiet yourself in each breath.))

Close your eyes and ask yourself what you most need to hear in this moment.  Allow your inner wisdom to speak. If you don't hear anything, do not become anxious.  Just breathe.

Now, breathe in those words, feelings, or thoughts. Take a moment to write, draw, name what wisdom your soul is speaking to you in this moment.

Place that scrap of wisdom in a space you'll see it. Tape it to your mirror or put it in the windowsill or on the fridge. Repeat this practice as needed.
... Be Gentle. Love. Be Loved. ...

Just be.  xo.

a handy list of resources ((to the left)): my amazon affiliate window.

on the left sidebar you'll notice a bunch of fun books & materials i recommend.  often when i lead retreats and workshops i'm creating lists for folks to take home and search for.  now i'll add those to this little amazon affiliates window so all of you can find them.  i hope that you enjoy visiting the list and selecting what will bring you creative delight!

in the studio: creativity circle 2012

For those in or near Richmond, VA, i gather groups in my studio to engage their creative spirit.  One of those offerings are my Creativity Cirlce gatherings. 

In a Creativity Circle we: gather and share a light snack, coffee & tea. we listen as i lead you in guided imagery and deep breathing.  we stop and sit, creating rest for our bodies, our minds, and our spirits.  we create together a selected project with abundant materials.  and we share time, energy, and presence with one another.  you're asked to be present to yourself and those gathered at the table with you, sharing as you feel led.  

Current 2012 Creativity Circle Calendar: 

EVENINGS: 

4th Tuesday evenings from 6:30 - 8 p.m.  ((next date: January 24th))

MORNINGS: 

4th Thursday mornings from 10 - 11:30 a.m.  ((next date: January 26th))

1st Monday mornings from 10 - 11:30 a.m.  ((next date: February 6th))

AFTERNOON: 

2nd Monday afternoons from 1 - 2:30 p.m.  ((next date: February 13th))

**Holidays may alter the dates, but you'll have plenty of notice.**

REGISTRATION: 

The first time you attend is my gift to you.  Once you have experienced the space of the studio with others around the table creating, you decide if the gathering is a gift to yourself.   I appreciate knowing when you're able to come.  If you are able to attend any of these dates, please let me know.  I'd love to have you! 

After you gift yourself with the time and space to create, each session is $35 which includes food & art materials.  If you sign up for 6 sessions ((to be used when you choose)) the cost is $165 (($27.50 a session, a slight decrease for 2012)).  If you sign up for 12 sessions, the cost is $300 (($25 a session)).  

the shift for 2012: You can gather as often as you'd like during the month.  You can gather twice a month or once a month or every other month.  It's all up to you when and how you gather and how many sessions you attend in a month.  

Payment Options: I accept cash, check, credit card, or paypal.  

IF there isn't a time listed that there's a current group that you can join, please email me when you can attend and we'll see what we can do to get a group together. 

Do come if you're in Richmond, VA.  Contact me for information and to register, which is so quick & easy.  If you know others in the area who would benefit from such gatherings, please share!  

colors of my day :: 12.19.2011

the day began with a bloom.  lovely.  

planted by my sweet boy two vacation bible schools ago.  

a print.  marking. creating. sharing.

creating our own adinkra cloths with symbols of our own with my creative clergy group.

 representing our sacred marking moments on this day. 

creative rhythms of my day.

i love finding a little tin box filled with treasures in the studio.  i take them and immediately place them in this configuration.  then i step back and admire, realizing a little instagram is in order.

i've been taking photos of the jewelry i've been making of late.  it's been something of a time of meditation as i create these.  it's the season of small work: creating these one of a kind treasures, cutting tiny pieces of vintage fabric for new pendants + earrings.  creating small drawings & getting ready to set type on the letterpress.

here are a few more of the necklaces from my vintage drop series.  you'll see buttons, brass & sterling silver pieces, semi precious stones including olive jade, moonstone, turquoise, rose quartz, peruvian opal, czech crystal, and seed beads from the maasai market in nairobi, kenya.  brass birdies & owls will say hello in a few of these as well.  i love creating these beauties as a way of caring for my own soul.  creating with these two hands brings balance to my days.  my mind is freed and i release the burdens i carry.  i release what worries i hold onto and i am centered again, standing in the light of my own truth, leaning into my own calling as i witness those around me.  yes. making these means that much.



 a buckle necklace that i love, love!

some of these have been shipped to Trohv, D.C. and others are in my studio available for purchase.  a few of the drop necklaces are uploaded on etsy! enjoy them and claim yours quickly as each one is it's own one of a kind wearable treasure sure to inspire.  i love that my work ends up in the hands of you around the globe.  i find that humbling and so, so meaningful.  thank you.

i love the arrangement that my friend erin put together as she played with my jar of jewelry making vintage fun one evening after a shared meal.  it's fun to get lost in the stories and memories these objects can pull from you.  so many fun treasures to behold.

finding inspiration in images + words.  for some time i've felt that i've needed to preserve my own writing without reading too much of others while i'm working on the book proposal.  yet, i've found that in reading what others are saying and doing in the world is very validating.  i have something fresh to add that moves within what others are finding true in their life story.  my voice is essential and that is good and enough.  i'm loving the straightforward simplicity of amanda's newest book, they rhythm of family.  i love the way she's woven what many of us do: cook, play, walk, create, sew, love, and care for our families as a way of living and breathing in the world.

i love this life, folks.  love it!  

i love the way that words bridge and connect us to one another.
i love the way silence and knowing glances can connect us to one another.

there's so much goodness and abundance.

i am so very grateful.

creative rhythms of my day.

i love finding a little tin box filled with treasures in the studio.  i take them and immediately place them in this configuration.  then i step back and admire, realizing a little instagram is in order.

i've been taking photos of the jewelry i've been making of late.  it's been something of a time of meditation as i create these.  it's the season of small work: creating these one of a kind treasures, cutting tiny pieces of vintage fabric for new pendants + earrings.  creating small drawings & getting ready to set type on the letterpress.

here are a few more of the necklaces from my vintage drop series.  you'll see buttons, brass & sterling silver pieces, semi precious stones including olive jade, moonstone, turquoise, rose quartz, peruvian opal, czech crystal, and seed beads from the maasai market in nairobi, kenya.  brass birdies & owls will say hello in a few of these as well.  i love creating these beauties as a way of caring for my own soul.  creating with these two hands brings balance to my days.  my mind is freed and i release the burdens i carry.  i release what worries i hold onto and i am centered again, standing in the light of my own truth, leaning into my own calling as i witness those around me.  yes. making these means that much.

some of these have been shipped to Trohv, D.C. and others are in my studio available for purchase.  i'll work on uploading some to etsy & will share more once that's done.  i love that my work ends up in the hands of you around the globe.  i find that humbling and so, so meaningful.  thank you.

i love the arrangement that my friend erin put together as she played with my jar of jewelry making vintage fun one evening after a shared meal.  it's fun to get lost in the stories and memories these objects can pull from you.  so many fun treasures to behold.

finding inspiration in images + words.  for some time i've felt that i've needed to preserve my own writing without reading too much of others while i'm working on the book proposal.  yet, i've found that in reading what others are saying and doing in the world is very validating.  i have something fresh to add that moves within what others are finding true in their life story.  my voice is essential and that is good and enough.  i'm loving the straightforward simplicity of amanda's newest book, they rhythm of family.  i love the way she's woven what many of us do: cook, play, walk, create, sew, love, and care for our families as a way of living and breathing in the world.

i love this life, folks.  love it!  

i love the way that words bridge and connect us to one another.
i love the way silence and knowing glances can connect us to one another.

there's so much goodness and abundance.

i am so very grateful.

in the garden: more spring blooms.

calafornia poppy.

great columbine.

coral bells.

lungwort.

clematis.

i love these mornings walking into the garden after morning exercise.  i love witnessing the blooms in various stages of opening.  it's a beautiful gift, the gift of witnessing.  these days i witness blooms in the form of flowers in the garden, budding relationships, connections with kindred spirits & friends, the creative blossoming that comes from the work of our hands, a creative birthing that is taking shape within me, and the beauty of so many stories of others.  there are sacred tasks along life's marking moments.  the ability to witness your own journey with awareness and mindfulness is a gift.  the ability and gift of witnessing the journey, the life story of others is a sacred task.  

while some of the introspective writing has been stilled in many ways on this space, i've been digging deep, listening to my heart.  a clergy friend asked recently what i was most passionate about these days, what lit a fire in my heart.  i was called to attend to that question, and have almost avoided it at times.  i am passionate about so much (according to another dear soul).  i don't want my passions to be so diffused that they are no longer those spaces that really light a fire in my heart.  i want my path to be lined with blooms and goodness.  what i've realized is: it is.  i continue to step into the spaces that i am in love with.  i admit, these spaces will change.  that's why i name what this moment is like.  that's why i'm spending the time recording these marking moments in life.  these sacred spaces where art + spirit + creativity meet.  the spaces where my soul is centered and whole.  where i am fully myself and am embraced as suzanne.  i'm creating that suzanne-sized space that i prayed for so long ago.  now to move closer to some other hopes, which aren't so glamorous, but hold meaning and significance.  

that's one reaon i love the dirt. it's dirt.  it's the space that these blooms thrive within.  the worms underneath are caring for the soil.  they're doing their best under the spaces we tred.  in bereavement work, i'm like the earthworm.  i'm there working in the spaces of the soil of souls where hearts are heavy, stories and memories flow like living water, and the need to move within those sacred spaces is present.  the need to be present, to bring vitamins and nourishment is evident.  in small ways i see the space where the blooms will return, but mostly i witness the dirt.  i see the love and care many put into creating a space for love to continue to grow and for healing to take root.  it's a sacred space.  when i'm tending these spaces, like i did in seven weeks of the last 3 months, i find myself more and more introspective.  i find myself carrying the stories, stitching quietly, practicing yoga, loving my loves, and cooking. i find myself living well in the way i try all days, but also encountering spaces of life in careful, quiet ways.  

today i will move freely, practice sharing, and love deeply.  i'll witness life as birds sing, bringing my awareness into the present moment. i will live into my call, even as i research air conditioning for the studio. i will be. BE. me. 

creative clergy + photo play

using iphoto, i'm delighted to discover a few functions i had not previously discovered. here are more photos from the february creative clergy group and a quote from a member.