Be that person. December 16 2016, 1 Comment

Today I stumbled upon this video on Facebook and was deeply touched as well as incredibly inspired.

Loving and embracing my body has been a lifelong journey for me, from being too skinny as a child to having acne-prone skin during puberty. The curves of young adulthood, and now the midlife signs of "aging".

It's always so easy to see and appreciate the beauty in others, no matter the shape, size or age of their body, but somehow, it seems so challenging to give myself the same treatment. And it saddens me.

I've come a long way, but I find myself constantly working on this as there seems to always be new things to accept, embrace and love with this ever-changing physical body. 

This video, this woman, truly inspired me. So I had to share. While watching it I even had the thought "Perhaps I'll just allow my hair to go grey naturally..." (for the first time).

Perhaps someday I too will completely stop criticizing myself and simply celebrate every day I am given in this miraculous body. Changes and all.

One thing I know is that I will keep striving. #bethatperson

Thank you Rachel. Keep shining your bright light.

Letting my inner-child out to play January 05 2015, 0 Comments

A little over a year ago, before the holidays, my friend Jennifer shared with me that she had read a great article about New Year and its customs. Its author suggested choosing a theme for the next 12-month chapter over the traditional “resolutions” and explained the potential benefits. The main one being breaking the good ol’ cycle that more often than not ends in feelings of failure: intention – motivation – action – less action – de-motivation – guilt.

Jennifer’s theme for 2014 was to be “LISTEN”.

The idea immediately resonated with me and I decided to try it on for size. I sat with it for a few days and allowed my theme to be revealed. The word that kept coming up was “FLOW” and it became my theme for the year.

I shared the idea with my husband Nathan and he really liked it, so he decided to play along. His theme became “SHINE”. And on New Year’s Day he suggested we do something significant, some sort of ritual to really embrace and anchor our chosen themes. Why not paint it?

PAINT it???

Sounds like it should be fun, right? Not for me. I was terrified. I’ve actually always been terrified of anything I’m not immediately good at, and tend to stay away from those things because of the intense self-judgment they trigger. Painting is most definitely on that list.

My wonderful hubby gently and lovingly convinced me to give it a try. “Just have fun with it and go with the flow… It’s your theme, so why not get started on it right now?” He gave me a few tips on how to use the paint, some information about the brushes and told me it was impossible to do it “wrong”... And off we went.

It ended up being a very liberating and healing experience. And I was so excited about the result: I loved my painting! It represented my theme perfectly and made me smile every time I looked at it. It went on to inspire me all year, which to me was the whole purpose of the exercise. Here are FLOW and SHINE.

Now, as the end of the year was approaching, Nathan & I talked about repeating the experience, and perhaps even making it an annual tradition. My mind started spinning. And the old perfectionist part of me went into figuring-out-and-planning mode: How can I top last year’s painting? I can’t paint the same thing, so what am I going to paint? Can’t use the same colors, so which colors will I use? But I love last year’s colors!

And every time those thought came up, I thanked them for bringing up their concerns and gently reassured that fearful part of me. Everything was going to be just fine. It’s just painting. It’s fun. And it’s impossible to do it wrong.

My theme for this year is “BE STIL. ALLOW.” and the painting that came through is very interesting to me. One of my first comments was “It looks like a child painted it…” (and that was not a compliment). My husband looked at me and smiled, and told me that was a beautiful thing.

I’m not in love with my painting like I was last year (at least not yet), but it has already taught me a few things. And I have a feeling it will keep growing on me…

It doesn’t represent the initial idea I had for my theme, but it has already made me realize that perhaps this theme holds a lot more than I thought. The colors are not what I would normally be drawn to, but they soften my heart every time I look at them. And its child-like quality puts me in touch with the little girl in me and brings tears to my eyes.

My painting may not be what I wanted it to be, but I think it’s exactly what I needed it to be…

Happy New Year everyone!

And here's Nathan's gorgeous painting. His theme for 2015 is "EASE".

LATC Gala 2014 October 07 2014, 0 Comments

LATC (Los Angeles Theater Center) is a wonderful organization that works very hard to support the arts and artists. Their specific mission is to "provide a world-class arts center for those pursuing artistic excellence; a laboratory where both tradition and innovation are honored and honed; a place where the convergence of people, cultures and ideas contribute to the future."

A couple of months ago, while my husband & I were attending a friend's play, I was approached by a woman who complimented me on the necklace I was wearing. I mentioned that it was one of my creations and we talked for a few minutes. I gave her my card and we went our separate ways.

A couple of weeks later, I received an email from her inviting me to participate in the silent auction at their big annual fundraising gala alongside a few other established as well as up-and-coming artists. I immediately agreed, happy and honored to make a small contribution to this great organization.

I was ready to donate a few pieces of jewelry, as I often do for various charities, but was told that this event was different. The artists get compensated for their creations in a way that feels comfortable to them, and LATC also receives part of the proceeds; a win-win situation for everyone involved.

The gala was held last Saturday and was an all around success! My hat goes off to all the organizers who created an amazing, high class event. The crows was very generous, and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. My husband & I certainly had a fantastic time, and my jewelry did extremely well at the auction. 

Thank you so much LATC for doing this important work, and thank you Angela Scott for including me in this year's event. I am beyond grateful.

#lifeisgood 

Just HAD to strike a pose on the red carpet. Right?!

Setup finished. My display is ready to go. Let the games begin!

Brought my helper & biggest fan with me: my husband Nathan.

The stunning LATC building in downtown Los Angeles.           Enjoying every minute of the evening!

Lots of jewelry goodies ready to be picked up by some bidders with really good taste. ;-)

Changing the inner monologue September 26 2014, 0 Comments

This video truly touched my heart and I had to share.

As women we are conditioned from a very young age to dislike our bodies, and our relationship with the mirror quickly becomes a painful and challenging one. Not feeling enough. Not thin enough, not tall enough, not young enough, not pretty enough, not enough, not enough, not enough...  

But we suck it up, we get dressed, put on some make up and get on with our day. Things must get done...

We carry those feelings around and inadvertently infect the younger generations with the same "not-enough" plague, perpetuating the self loathing cycle.

How about we change this? One woman at a time. 

What those people did is so beautiful. You'll be glad you watched. 

Watch the powerful video: http://themetapicture.com/ladies-interactive-mirror/

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Dear human September 05 2014, 0 Comments

This is one of my all time favorites. Stumbled upon it this morning and just had to share. And I combined it with a magical Mexico sunset; the photo was taken on our last trip there in February of this year.

This poem softens me, fills me, opens me and empowers me. I hope it has a similar effect on you... 

Thank you Courtney Walsh for those magical words.