Hi Bret. Please tell us a bit about yourself, your business, and/or your passions.
I am an island. Was a shy, intelligent, athletic kid. When I was in grade school, I read a book about treasure hunters (adventurous nomads) and decided that’s what I wanted to be some day. I later had a friend whose father was an architect (combination of creativity and mathematical precision) and decided that’s what I wanted to be some day. When I was a freshman and sophomore in college, I learned that architects were required to take freestyle art type courses, so I decided to switch to mining engineering (adventurous, creative and engineering precision). When I took some geology courses, I realized it wasn’t for me. I read an article about computer programming (analytical precision and creativity), a new field of endeavor in the mid 1960s, and decided that’s what I wanted to be some day.
After BS (Business) and MS (Management Information Systems) degrees, I became a computer programmer, project leader, senior system analyst, general manager (computer software company) and independent contractor (hot-shot computer programmer for hire). I was very good at programming and climbing the managerial ladder.
In my late 30s, I had a series of life-changing events of a metaphysical nature. I became more introspective, quit the rat race, sold my possessions, and at age 42 drove away from the Big City to become a gold prospector (probably fulfilling my childhood dream of being a treasure hunter). Spent six years in the remote Arizona desert.
Due to some unforeseen circumstances (destiny?), I moved on to the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas where I rented a small modern cabin on 400 acres and wrote four novels. A couple years later, I found a publisher for all four novels. When I ran low on funds, I moved to Memphis and did a Y2K computer contract for 10 months. With the funds from that contract, I moved back to the Ozarks and paid cash for a house on 8 secluded acres. To make ends meet, I became a teacher (computer courses) at a local college and wrote a weekly column in a regional newspaper.
And that’s the short version.
Share three interesting/crazy things about yourself
1) I once owned a 42-foot yacht. Lived on it for about a year. It wasn’t one of my wisest decisions – a yacht is a hole in the ocean that sucks money.
2) I once hitchhiked from Minneapolis to Miami on a $20 bet with a friend that I could do it in less than 48 hours, from my front door to his front door. It took 48 hours and 45 minutes.
3) When I was in my teens and twenties, I practically lived in pool halls. By age 20, I was a world class player. Won the University of Minnesota billiard championship. When I was in the U.S. Army as a Vietnam Era draftee, I was the Third Army pocket billiard champion both years I served.
What is the most courageous thing you’ve ever done?
Probably my first date. I was in junior high school and someone set me up on a blind date with a girl from another school. I was terribly shy and had no clue what to do. It didn’t go well.
Name your top five books, movies, songs, musical groups, and/or websites. Are there any books or movies (genres) that you avoid?
I read mostly non-fiction – metaphysical phenomena, spirituality, ancient history, conspiracy theories, unusual facts, etc.
I like certain movies – adventure, drama, suspense, documentaries. Don’t care for horror or idiotic comedy.
I like lots of music, various genres. Don’t care for hip-hop, rap or polka.
Based upon the description of a cultural creative, do you feel you are one? If so, why?
Most definitely. It starts with imagination and observation and a spiritual view of a grain of sand and the vastness of the universe. Then there is the urge to express your joy and sorrow. If I had a gift for it, I would paint and sculpt. Instead, I’ve found writing. On rare occasions, I will compose a perfect sentence or paragraph and the joy is overwhelming. Naturally, I love to share it with others but it almost doesn’t matter if others don’t see the beauty in it too.
Does spirituality play an important role in the creative process for you? If so, how?
For me it does. As a writer, I realize once I have written it and send it off to the world to find its destiny, it’s out of my hands. That’s a huge responsibility, even with a small audience. My soul is exposed every time I write something, including humor (which is basically disguised truth). If my words touch just one person in a positive way, I have made a difference in this existence. That’s my reward.
What is your first memory of creating something you were proud of?
Early grade school. I remember making a color drawing of a tree (ground & sky). It was not Smithsonian worthy but I was proud of it.
What three words best describe the feeling you get when your creativity is flowing?
Fluid, natural, effortless
What sparks your creativity?
When I wrote screenplays and novels, it was to tell a story that had never been told before. In writing classes back then, I was shocked at how many writers were writing things that have been written a thousand times before.
When I write newspaper columns or blogs, multiple topics per week, it is often everyday events that create a spark. Unusual items, historical events that parallel today’s news, daily happenings (trip to the grocery store or planting my garden or squirrels playing in the yard or a wrong number phone call – several stories right there).
If you have enough imagination and courage, you can write a 1,000 words about a fly on the wall and make it interesting.
What was/is the biggest obstacle you’ve faced? How did you overcome it, and what did you learn from the experience?
The biggest obstacle anyone faces is being themselves. We all set out in life trying to please others and blend in and be accepted. Once you cross the line into being yourself and always doing the right thing regardless of the consequences, you have crossed the line into becoming a truly spiritual being.
For me, this was not a burning bush moment. It took a couple of years of contemplation. I had always been an independent loner. But to become a true iconoclast was a big step. It not only means to stop chasing the almighty dollar and to stop seeking approval from others, but it also involves discovering the meaning and destiny of your soul. You begin to realize you are eternal within infinity. You subsequently forsake your fragile ego as you accept your true self.
It’s easy to “believe” such things. The real truth hits home when you actually comprehend it.
Putting your vision into the world can be scary. Many of us wonder if we’re good enough. How do you respond to negative self-talk? What tools do you use to help work beyond your self-doubt?
This was never a problem for me. Even though I was shy in my early years, I also had a large ego and very high self-esteem. Initially, I assumed anything I wrote would be brilliant and eventually produced (I started with screenplays). It was more or less the same with the novels. I knew I had some interesting fresh ideas and didn’t have self-doubts about it.
Later, when I started doing weekly newspaper columns, I had occasional self-doubts because I was limited in space (about 850 words per column) and was often broaching sensitive topics for the reading audience. The paper had a circulation of over 30,000, plus a website, so I knew a fair amount of people would be reading it. My self-doubt would come when trying to present my point of view on a sensitive topic in a manner that would also appeal to the understanding of those opposing that point of view.
But I have never had any self-doubt about the actual writing. Person A loves a piece and Person B thinks it stinks. It proves nothing, except perhaps Person A is lying or Person B has rocks for brains.
If you get google alerts, what are some keywords/phrases you receive? Does this help your creativity?
I do not receive Google alerts. I have a large stack of material of potential subject matter and I’ve never had writer’s block. I’m too opinionated to ever run out of things to say.
Are there any archetypes (hero, warrior, goddess, messenger, trickster, fool, savior, wanderer, magician etc.) that you resonate with which you feel have helped guide you on your creative journey? Does someone or something sometimes act as your muse?
Not really. I tend to identify with independent people or underdogs.
When I was stuck in my house for 17 days without electricity or a way out of the area due to an ice storm earlier this year, I kept thinking about a mountain man from the early 1800s named Hugh Glass. He had been mauled badly by a bear (including broken legs) and all of his provisions, plus his clothing, had been carried off by his friends who assumed he was about to die. But he somehow crawled some 200 miles over many weeks to reach safety.
I thought about what he must have gone through as it took me 3 full days to saw, by hand, through a bunch of fallen trees blocking my path out to the road. When my electricity was finally restored, I wrote a blog about my experience and included the Hugh Glass story that kept me going.
Are there any recurring motifs in your sleeping dreams, and if so, what do you think they symbolize? Is there a bigger message for you? Do your nighttime dreams ever spark your creativity?
When I was going through my life-altering experience in my late 30s, I was also having many remarkable precognitive dreams. I would meet someone in my dreams, then meet them two days later in so-called real life. This led me to do a lot of dream studies. Dreams are supremely important in human activity.
Yes, I suspect dreams play a significant role in creativity even though it may not be noticeable. I have written columns and blogs about certain recurring dreams that have haunted me a bit. For example, I was drafted during the Vietnam Era. For many years, I would have recurring dreams of being drafted again and trying to explain to someone in charge that they couldn’t do that to me a second time. I’m sure it affects my viewpoint about war and slavery (draftees are essentially slaves) and the audacity of governmental control over citizens, even though I spent my entire tour of duty in the States.
In what ways do you promote your work?
After my four novels were published, I did a few things to promote them, such as a couple of radio interviews and a couple of book signings. However, writing the novels was my objective. It was something I had to do to prove something to myself. By the time they were published, I had no more desire for wealth and no stomach for schmoozing or sales.
I believe in destiny. My marketing plan is in the hands of the lords of destiny. I have accomplished my goals. It’s now out of my hands.
I quit my newspaper column in September of 2007 after seven straight years of never missing a week and now do blogs instead. I gave up the compensation factor of the columns for the freedom of the blog.
Freedom is too precious to compromise or give away. My soul is not for sale.
If you use social networking sites, have any been particularly helpful in helping you spread the word about your work? If so, which one(s) and how?
I am on Myspace at www.myspace.com/bret1111. I post my blogs there, as well as 7 other sites, including three newspaper sites. I have formed a handful of quite meaningful relationships on Myspace. I believe this has helped spread the word a bit about me.
I wrote a blog about Leonard Peltier and soon thereafter over a dozen Native Americans requested to be my friend on Myspace. I wrote a blog about the excesses of the federal government and over a dozen freedom-warrior types requested to be my friend on Myspace. Every time I do a humor blog I often get a couple of friend requests (friends telling friends, I suppose).
So my readership is slowly growing. I get enormous satisfaction whenever someone sends me a note about a blog or posts a comment, even if they didn’t like it – I often try to stir things up a bit. I started doing 2 or 3 new blogs every week in June of 2008. One year later, I have 120 blogs archived on my various sites. That’s 10 blogs per month.
What’s your favorite Internet tool either for promotion or enhancing your creativity?
My favorite tool is word of mouth. That’s a positive sign that someone likes it and is sharing it with others. It may not be the most productive way of marketing a product, but it’s easiest way. Destiny is my marketing tool.
Cultural Creatives tend to want their work to impact society in a positive way. Is changing/improving society with your work part of your goal? If yes, please elaborate a bit on your vision.
I don’t see as changing society so much as changing individuals. To me it’s a bit pretentious to set out to change society. You can only change the world an inch at a time, and it starts within yourself. If I could go through a lifetime and have a positive life-altering impact on a dozen or so people that would be a tremendous accomplishment. Perhaps they would do the same and soon it would mushroom to others and permeate a society. An individual cannot change society without other individuals who are in the same vibration.
There are only two things in this existence – you and everything else. You only have control over you.
You change the world by being a living example of virtue and a shining light.
Have you been able to earn a living while pursuing your creative passions? Is there anything from a business perspective that stands out as a key or catalyst to your success that you’d like to share?
I have always been able to earn a living regardless of circumstances. To find a job, you knock on doors even if they’re not looking for workers. I’ve done that multiple times in college – construction jobs, survey crews, farm labor, warehouse worker, etc. I worked on the 2000 census. I got the newspaper column because the newspaper was looking for a paginator (someone who puts the paper together once it’s written). I had no paginating experiences but asked if I could write a column. They let me take a shot at it and I wrote a column for them for the next 400 weeks.
Writing requires courage and persistence. If you don’t think you can do it, you probably can’t. If you don’t keep at it regardless of rejection, you should give up before you start.
The same is true with earning a living. It requires courage and persistence. You have to step forward with courage to ask for a job or do an interview or start your own business. And you must persist until you succeed.
It’s called life
Thanks so much for your time and wonderful insights Bret.
Hi Megan. Thanks for being with us here today. Can you please tell us a bit about yourself, your business, and/or your passions.
Myself, my business and my passions are all related. I’m a medium, psychic, animal communicator and ordained minister. My website is www.meganmriley.com. I have the privilege of living in the Rocky Mountains at 9400 feet with my beloved, Harry and two dogs, Sean and Neela.
When I’m not giving readings or officiating weddings around the Rockies I’m cooking, reading, playing with the dogs, being with my family or exploring the great state of Colorado. I dream about moving up higher in altitude, even more remote than we are. That will have to wait as my 15 year old step daughter will be moving in with us in August and will need to get to school.
Share three interesting/crazy things about yourself.
One of my first memories was of seeing the deceased at the end of my bed. I resisted my gifts for a long time.
We make our own beer, bread, kombucha, yogurt, sauerkraut, mustard, grow hops, have a small worm farm, roast our coffee beans, and buy meat in bulk, as in the whole animal after processing. My next project is chickens.
I planned and hosted a Peace Rally at the Minnesota State Capital when I was 8.
What is the most courageous thing you’ve ever done?
Moved to Colorado. All we knew was that we were being called to Colorado. We resigned our corporate jobs, packed up a truck, two cars, two cats and a small worm farm and headed west. It was the most exhilarating time of my life.
*Name your top five books, movies, songs, musical groups, and/or websites**.* Are there any books or movies (genres) that you avoid?
Books: anything Abraham-Hicks, Conversations with God, James Beard
Songs/Music: BB King, Jonny Lang, Susan Tedeschi and Deva Premal
Websites: Facebook, Epicurious, igoogle, my own, mindmovies.com
Based upon the description of a cultural creative, do you feel you are one? If so, why?
I do. I resist dogma of any sort, especially religious/spiritual. I understand for an organization to grow some dogma is necessary though I still resist it. I know that we can accomplish much more by following our own heart, and not by following what someone else tell us to follow.
I remember reading The Rise of the Creative Class, thinking that everywhere I had lived had these sub-cultures. At the time i didn’t connect that if I lived there I might be a part of the Creative Class.
What made you first want to become an artist, writer, a creator?
I’ve always know I was different, There is a way I can communicate that others can hear in a new way. Many of the widely accepted beliefs about life after death I’m told are incorrect. I would love to share and teach these on a larger scale.
Does spirituality play an important role in the creative process for you? If so, how?
Spirituality is my creative process. I write, meditate, dance with the dogs, cook, knit and dream.
What is your first memory of creating something you were proud of?
I was 8 and wrote a poem about the school I was attending. It was a “fame” sort of school, with as much time devoted to creation as to book schooling. I read it at the graduation ceremonies and knew I had access something exciting.
What three words best describe the feeling you get when your creativity is flowing?
What was/is the biggest obstacle you’ve faced? How did you overcome it, and what did you learn from the experience?
Well, there are the obvious traumas that nearly everyone encounters, but the biggest was overcoming the fear of what others would think. I grew up in the mid-west and conditioned to be stoic, and always be more concerned with others than with myself. To step out without the perfect body, without having everything figured out, into a field where so many don’t believe that what I do is possible was huge for me. After the fact of “coming out” it wasn’t at all a big deal though I think I’m also attracting those to me that do believe. We get what we think about and I spent a lot of time hiding and afraid what others would say. That’s when I realized the enormous hold that fear had on my life.
Putting your vision into the world can be scary. Many of us wonder if we’re good enough. How do you respond to negative self-talk? What tools do you use to help work beyond your self-doubt?
Those of us who chose to come forward this lifetime being what one would define as a creative came forth for this experience. It is scary, and is part of our purpose. When I remember that, and remember the gratitude someone has for connecting with a loved one, or discovering something about themselves they never saw before, I know the fear and uncertainty is worth it.
If you get google alerts, what are some keywords/phrases you receive? Does this help your creativity?
psychic, medium, and my name. Sometimes they spark an idea, sometimes I just like to see what others are doing.
Are there any archetypes (hero, warrior, goddess, messenger, trickster, fool, savior, wanderer, magician etc.) that you resonate with which you feel have helped guide you on your creative journey? Does someone or something sometimes act as your muse?
I identify with all the archetypes at one time or another. Right now most of all is the magician because I’m working/playing with two new ideas. The first is total immersion, or what some would call channeling. The second is physical mediumship, having things actually manifest from me to the client.
My muse is myself, in the future. I picture her, hear her, see her and then do what she would do.
Are there any recurring motifs in your sleeping dreams, and if so, what do you think they symbolize? Is there a bigger message for you? Do your nighttime dreams ever spark your creativity?
Nighttime dreams are often about a client. Sometimes the day before a reading I’ll dream about their loved one, sometimes messages from my loved ones. Before I moved to Colorado I had a recurring nightmare about my house falling down and having to move. After I left I recognized it as a red flag to leave. Since coming to the mountains I don’t really have nightmares anymore, I just know I’m working and training in my sleep time as well as awake time.
In what ways do you promote your work?
Radio shows, public access television in Denver, my website, fund raising events, and word of mouth. I’m looking for someone to help me with all of it. I would rather have someone whose passion it is to write press releases and do event planning. That way I can focus on what I love.
If you use social networking sites, have any been particularly helpful in helping you spread the word about your work? If so, which one(s) and how?
I use facebook and jasonsnetwork but don’t really generate a lot of business from there. I’m such an introvert it’s been hard to share myself. I also think that those of us who define our work with our spirituality sometimes don’t know what to share.
Cultural Creatives tend to want their work to impact society in a positive way. Is changing/improving society with your work part of your goal? If yes, please elaborate a bit on your vision.
Most definitely. I think of myself as the “happy medium”. I am finding that the information I get is different from what many have written or spoken about. Life after death is not bound by our space and time limitations. We can be in many places at once. We can move forward or backward in time. We do not come here to earth as punishment or karma, nor do we graduate from having to come here. We choose to come back, over and over. I would love for people to hear these things on a larger scale.
I also found in my search for information that there is not much available for sensitives experiencing an awakening, and especially for kids. So much information is based on fear and being scared. Hollywood and advertisers seem to perpetuate that. It is one of my goals to have a way for kids and adults to learn in a safe, non-threatening and non-scary way to find and honor their gifts.
Have you been able to earn a living while pursuing your creative passions? Is there anything from a business perspective that stands out as a key or catalyst to your success that you’d like to share?
This is my bliss and my truth. There have been months that have been a little scary, and yet I know this is what I should be, need to be doing. When I finally stopped saying I was a “spiritual coach” and being true to myself was when things picked up with both clients and television appearances.
A bit more about Megan.
Megan Riley is 35 years old, and lives in the Rocky Mountains west of Denver. She is a psychic, medium, animal communicator, ghost whisperer and ordained minister.
Megan says she only remembers having these gifts. She has clear seeing (clairvoyance), clear hearing (clair audience), clear feeling (clairsentience), clear tasting and clear smelling.
Megan teaches a weekly mediumship development class in the mountains, is a regular radio show guest, and has nearly 100 clients a month either on the phone or in person for medium or psychic readings. She also consults with a local ghosthunting group, again teaching that even ghosts do not have to be scary, and that they will and can cross to the other side. She has been a guest on local television show twice for hour long discussions, and looking forward to starting a mediumship school for those interested in communicating with the other side in a safe, non-threatening, non competitive environment.
A couple of highlights for Megan are, having homes sell for families that had their homes on the market for several months. Megan performed a clearing and the houses sold within 30 days. She also does ghostbusting work, restoring relationships and resolving the fear and fatigue that so often accompanies the earthbounds. She has connected with deceased loved ones and resolved questions surrounding the death or mysteries about the person. She has also healed various types of ailments; physical or spiritual in co-ordination with the client.
Many Saturdays Megan can be found somewhere in the mountains performing customized wedding ceremonies for couples. In Megan’s spare time she loves to cook, read, hike in the mountains, and spend time with her love monkey Harry and Golden Retriever Sean. She and Harry are planning to remodel their home to produce enough energy on its own and no longer rely on propane or electricity. Currently their scratch kitchen includes homebrew, kombucha, sourdough, mustard, pasta, pickles and kraut, and lots of pie!
This is the second part of my conversation with writer and dancer Michelle Cole
Hi Michelle. Welcome to the Cultural Creatives blog. Can you tell me a bit about yourself?
I am an Alternative Religion writer for the Examiner. I am a 41 year old woman who discovered in my early 20′s that all my beliefs about life/death and all things in-between fit the description of Pagan in a book by Starhawk called the Spiral Dance. This book had such an impact on me, I named my second horse, who was 4 months old and not yet named, Spiral Dancer (she’s 15 now).
Do you feel that you are a cultural creative?
Based upon what I read here, I would have to say I fit the bill. I never knew what I “was” until I read Heart of the Fire, about a woman’s past life account in 17th century Scotland, where she is eventually tortured as a Witch. It felt like “home” and I didn’t know why but I wanted more. I saw her credit to Starhawk and mention of the Spiral Dance, so I ordered it. Upon reading the Spiral Dance, I went “OH! I’m PAGAN!!” I was so excited, especially when she describes how common it is for pagan minded people to not ‘know’ what to call themselves for a chunk of their lives. That was me! However, I’ve never been comfortable referring to my spirituality as “Wiccan”, and I am more comfortable with Ritual by myself (although I’m working towards changing that).
I had a friend who called me a Natural Witch, she said I listen to my intuition and follow it, which can be rare. I feel this overwhelming frustration sometimes at the fear based ignorance that drives people to do the things they do to other humans, and with complete disregard to our environment and for our Animal brethren they live their life as if THEY are the only thing that really matters, next to their possessions. It is my personal theory that you know something is right when you don’t know what to call it until you find a group of like-minded people who have ‘named’ those feelings, and instead of being ‘converted’, you simply discover where you feel at home.
I started writing stories when I was young, mostly about talking horses and cats that would follow me home. I spent hours drawing my model horses, and I still can draw a decent “stray cat” logo. LOL In high school a friend and I started writing ‘stories’ to entertain ourselves during class. We also drew cartoons-these stories and cartoon strips were all about us and our lives with the Stray Cats. They showed up at school for a concert, took one look at us and went “Hey, you should come tour with us” and we did, and of course we ended up marrying Brian and Lee.
My mother taught me how to crochet, knit, macrame and sew as a youngster, and to this day I still enjoy knitting, sewing, and while I don’t remember the knot tying art of macrame, I can crochet if I put my mind to it! I am currently working on a king sized Quilt (double Irish chain design) as my first quilting project…I tend to go big. LOL I used to love making Xmas ornaments, and for a long time my parents and I were hooked on those plaster statues you could buy and paint yourself. Hook rugs, needlepoint and cross-stitch also were things I learned early. There’s something satisfying with starting with a blank piece of material and ending up with something you can say “I made this!”. I can’t honestly say what started my creative wheels rolling, but I’m pretty sure I’ve had it since birth!!! LOL
How does Spirituality play a role in your creative process?
Wow…I don’t know if this makes sense…but I believe it does. Simply because I’ve recently realized that the true key to finding your joy, your path if you will…is simply found by following your passions. My passions (creating) are my spirituality because they bring me joy and a sense of myself-the REAL me. Not the me I’ve presented to the world for over 40 years. It seems to me I’ve heard this all my life “Do what you love and things work out”…but I didn’t fully grasp what that meant. For something so beautifully simple, we tend to over-complicate and make excuses why we don’t have time for our passions. There’s always work to be done, no time for play. The act of doing something for NO REASON OTHER THAN YOUR PLEASURE is something that we need to MAKE time for!!! So, I don’t know if I’ve explained how or why I believe my creative process is directly tied to my spirituality…but I did my best!
My first memory of creating something I was proud of…
The earliest I can think of is my first “real” needlepoint project, one that wasn’t small and easy. It was a basset hound, and the colors of the needlework are 70′s awful: burnt orange, yellow, brown…not that there’s anything wrong with fall colors (I love fall!) but, it’s not something I’d want on my walls today-yet I remember finishing it and being so proud of how good I did. Now, if I split my life into the ‘before’ and ‘after’ my mid-life crisis and all the wonderful experiences I’ve had since then: I’d have to say seeing my first article ‘published’ on line was something I’ll never forget.
3 words to describe the feeling when creativity is flowing infinite (no sense of time) comfortable (for someone who’s never felt they ‘belonged’ ANYWHERE…this is really nice) Intuitive
What sparks your creativity?
Belly Dancing, Singing, Bubblebaths These are the times I consider my ‘meditation time’. These are times when I am able to shut down the normal buzzing in my mind and focus on the moment, the right now, and that’s when I get sudden ideas.
What’s been your biggest obstacle?
My biggest obstacle is one the my greatest gifts and even though I see it as such, I also am still ‘dealing’ with it. I was 24 before I opted to stop denying the fact I’d had “inappropriate sexual behavior” (I can’t call it abuse, I just don’t see myself as a victim anymore) with my half brother as a young girl. Because of my extreme distrust of any ‘real’ doctors, I have avoided any professional therapy, opting to figure it out on my own. When my brother was diagnosed with MS, I would be lying if I said there wasn’t a part of me that went “Ha…karma”. But, lucky for both of us, his journey through MS was not a super short one, and I say lucky because it allowed me to come full circle and realize that I am who I am because of everything I’ve experienced, whether you call it ‘bad’ or ‘good’. I didn’t seek forgiveness, I found it…and the surprising thing was it was forgiveness I had to give to myself.
Then I realized I had nothing but respect for my brother and the amazing grace he showed during his battle with MS. I wasn’t comfortable being there, and didn’t have the money to make a trip to California, but I over-nighted a letter to him when it became clear his time was measured in days. I didn’t mention what had happened, but I told him I forgave him all his brotherly mis-deeds. My mother said when he heard my letter read out loud by his wife, it was as if another piece of the puzzle had fallen into place, one less weight on his shoulders. I think he knew what I meant, and I think he knew I meant it.
Belly Dance has been a part of my healing, as I learn to enjoy and appreciate a body I spent most of my life hating. However, I still have not found the right way to talk to my Mom about this, but am certain it will be faced sooner rather than later. If I am to help others face their own guilt/shame over sexual abuses and misdeeds…I have to be willing to be open about it, and I don’t want mom to find out second hand.
How do you deal with self doubt, those annoying voices that tell you when you’re on the creative path that you aren’t very good?
So true, so true!!! I’ve come a long ways, but when I am amazed that an amazing woman such as Laura or Dolphina reach out to me, I know I still carry a little self doubt. Because I’m still a little surprised that people I can look up to can see something in me that they connect to-Who…ME???? I’ve had to try really hard to simply be AWARE of my thoughts and pay attention. When they get negative I try to redirect the thought into a positive.
Do you get google alerts, and if so, do they help your creativity?
I have never used a google alert…so I have to say I’m not sure.
Do you have a Muse or inspiration?
I do love Isis, Bast and many of the Egyptian Gods/Goddess’, which may have helped me be able to connect with what I consider my own Inner Goddess. I would have to say animals are more my creative inspiration over anything else though. I’ve always felt more comfortable with animals than humans! Are there any recurring motifs in your sleeping dreams? Do they spark your creativity?
Oh man do I have dreams. Weird dreams, strange dreams, realistic dreams…some I remember clearly, others not. I’ve had some recurring ones that are very surreal, like, being on a freeway that is far off the ground and twists and turns, rolling up and down and I never remember where the right exit is.
When my mind is over busy, I have dreams of frustration, trying to do something, figure something out and it’s on the edge of my mind, but I can’t grasp it. I have dreams that sometimes leave me fuzzy minded in the morning, feeling like I’m not sure I’ve really woken up. And, I’ve woken up two different boyfriends by dreams that woke me in gulping, sobbing screams.
Scenario: I’m riding Eli (my first horse who’s now 31) and we’re over in Europe somewhere and it’s in the far past. I’m stopped by official looking men on horseback who take me to a large tent/arena. Inside, it’s sand, but at one end sits a large throne and a man who asks me what my business is here. They had taken my horse upon entering the tent, and I am confused, not sure what I’ve done wrong. I am informed my crime is my name and that my family is not allowed there, and when I explain I wasn’t aware of this they tell me the original ‘crime’ that caused our banishment happened some 200-300 years ago. I’m angered that they would expect me to know this history, and demand to be given my horse back so I can leave. I certainly don’t want to stay there! A man brings a gusset sack and plops it at my feet and my stomach turns in anxiety…I don’t want to know what is in the burlap sack, because somehow I know. I open it, and there is Eli’s head.I woke up sobbing, screaming and I FELT it…it was real, and it took me 15 mintues to calm down from that. My dreams rarely bring creativity.
How do you promote your work?
So far I’ve only had my writing/work to promote, and I have purposefully avoided self-promotion beyond emailing all my family and friends. I truly want to know if this is my path, for I believe if it is, things will naturally progress on their own. I came to that decision upon reflection one morning when I realized that RIGHT now, if ‘this’ is as good as it gets (working part time at Starbucks, spending my free time belly dancing, singing, playing with my horses, writing, drawing, taking long bubble baths) then I’m completely ok with that. Being 100% satisfied with my life as it is removes any pressure to DO anything about my passions. I decided to simply follow my passions, enjoy them and see what the Universe would provide.
So far it’s provided me with what I hope to be a continuing friendship with Laura (who seems to have been seperated from me at birth with some of the common threads that run through our lives!) and an offer from Dolphina to be her Goddess of the Month. When I decided I was happy with my life if that was as good as it would get, I never dreamed I’d be featured on Dolphina’s website, and I hoped I would eventually meet like minded women through my Examiner page…but I didn’t expect it to be so soon!
Cultural creatives often want to change the world. Do you have a vision of impacting society in a positive way?
I want to use my passion for horses and Belly Dance to connect with women, especially young girls. I want to help empower them with self confidence and self esteem that comes when you work with horses-especially abused/neglected ones. I would love to make a difference in a horses’ life while impacting the life of a woman/girl at the same time. I would love to reach women before life weighs them down, to help spark their own creativity and strengthen their belief that they can ideed do anything that they are passionate about.
Are you earning a living while pursuing your passions?
I thank every Power that resides in the Universe everyday for bringing Doug into my life. For many different reasons, but as far as this question is concerned, he fully supports me and my pursuing my passions. It is because he makes a decent living doing something that comes easily to him (he fixes things…anything and everything…I sometimes joke that he’s even managed to help fix me!) that I can afford to make a low salary at Starbucks and work part time hours to have the time to pursue my passions. I do believe someday I’ll earn some money from my writing and belly dancing. Maybe someday I’ll be able to be paid for helping communicate with peoples’ pets, but more than that my true desire lays in helping.
If I can run a horse rescue and develop a program to pair women/girls with them, I don’t expect to make money at that…but the payment would be the joy and satisfaction of the work itself. I admit, it bothers me when you find people who’ve had amazing experiences and their way of sharing those experiences is by charging you thousands of dollars to come spend a few days with them. I don’t want to get rich through my passions, I just eventually want to quit Starbucks and write, play with my horses & bellydance for a living!
What is your favorite example of irony, as it pertains to your spirituality?
I find it ironic that my beliefs allow me to give others room to express their own spirituality in their own ways, and that I know no one person/group has the answer. Yet, if EVERYONE believed as I do, we wouldn’t spend so much time/money/effort on war and persecution of people for their beliefs being different than that which is generally accepted.
I know that Spirituality is not a one size fits all, but at the same time know that if everyone understood that, we’d be a much happier civilization!!!!
Thanks so much for your very personal, and humorous insights Michelle. Best of luck on your journey as a writer. You go girl!
Hi Michelle. Welcome to the Cultural Creatives blog. Can you tell me a bit about yourself?
I am an Alternative Religion writer for the Examiner. I am a 41 year old woman who discovered in my early 20′s that all my beliefs about life/death and all things in-between fit the description of Pagan in a book by Starhawk called the Spiral Dance. This book had such an impact on me, I named my second horse, who was 4 months old and not yet named, Spiral Dancer (she’s 15 now).
I was the last child in a family of three kids, and the only girl. I lost my first brother when I was 11 to suicide, and it forever changed my view about age. I couldn’t figure out why he would kill himself when he could do anything he wanted, he was after all a big boy of 17. Sigh. When I turned 17 I went “Oh shit…he was just a baby.” Age has never been an issue for me.
But, hormones and stress from working jobs you don’t love were issues for me. My journey started days after my second brother died 2 years ago from MS, and I’m convinced he has had a small hand in pushing me into self confidence. I don’t have any self produced business at this point, but hope to within the next year. I plan on becoming certified to teach the Goddess Workout, which is simply learning to Belly Dance through conscious use of your muscles that create the moves, and doing so with passion and love for the Inner Goddess all women possess. I believe our soul is a spark of Divinity, that part of us that never dies, but continues to learn, grow and return to our Source. Our intuition, our passions, these are our Inner Goddess’ communicating with us, and when we listen we surely find our path!
I have many passions, so many that I sometimes become overwhelmed that I may not be able to accomplish them all! So, I’ve begun to focus on the ones that come easily: horses, Belly Dance, Drawing/Painting (I actually did tattooing for awhile, but hated the atmosphere in other people’s shops), Tarot, writing, singing (definitely more fun for me than Doug, my partner), and taking the first steps that will eventually lead me to the ability to play a set of Highland Bagpipes!
Please share three interesting/crazy things about yourself.
I paid $1,200 for a horse I could not ‘do’ anything with. He was so scared, it took 6 people three hours to load him into the trailer to bring him home. He would walk up to me if I stayed still and offered treats, but he was very clear petting and touching would be tolerated at his leisure. Another horse snorting would send him running, and he certainly wanted nothing to do with his halter.
Why did I buy him? Because I was in love, one look into his liquid brown eyes and I knew I couldn’t live with myself if I allowed him to be sold off to the “Buckers”…whether it was my thought or his, when I found out this was to be his next move if the trainer he was going to couldn’t help turn him around. I KNEW in my heart, it would break his heart, his is a gentle soul and I think he knew I would give him what he wanted and needed most: a loving, patient, and understanding owner. Riding a horse is a lot like the saying about life: it’s the journey that counts, not the destination. Horses offer us so much more than a ride, and allowing him to set the pace of his ‘training’ has allowed him to trust me. I could push him a little more…but I’m curious to see how long before he begins to WANT more challenges and interaction.
When I was 18, I got my first tattoo: Brian Setzer on my left forearm. I hid it from my parents for over a week, knowing they’d be telling me I’d regret it because I couldn’t hide it. I knew the time was right to tell them one late afternoon. They were having some wine, enjoying leisurely preparations for a get-together later at our home. They were in good moods, and I knew they couldn’t dwell on it if they were angry, because they had people coming over.
I actually sat them down, telling them I had something to tell them. I really thought they’d loose their minds…even if Dad had one, back in 1985/86 tattoo’s weren’t the taboo they’d been 20 years earlier, but they were not quite as prevalent as they are today. When I explained that me and Christine had done something in Frisco that I didn’t think they’d approve of, but that I wanted them to know I’d really thought it out and had planned for over a year before doing it…they became anxious. “What did you DO!?”. I was NOT prepared for my mothers’ first guess when I asked them to try and guess. “You were arrested for prostitution!”. My dad guessed right first try, then they wanted to see, and to my surprise, not only were they not angry at me, they showed it off to all their friends all night.
In all my 41 years of life, I’ve spent less than a year of that in a cat-less state of being. Cats, horses and books are the three main themes you will see when you look at family albums and me growing up. When I was in my early/mid 20′s, I adopted a stray cat, who was a Marmalade Tabby with extra toes on her front feet. I named her 7 toes, and while I felt bad for her, she showed up at my work begging for food in the parking lot every day-I didn’t want to ‘steal’ her if she already had a home. So, I spoke out loud to her and explained my dilemma, asking her that if she wanted to live with me, she would have to follow me on her own 4 legs to the car, I would not carry her. She did, talking in her sweet meow the whole way. Upon entering the car, she promptly jumped out the open passenger window and I thought “Well, that’s that.” But, she jumped in again on my lap, and drove the whole way home there, with her front paws on the wheel.
I had her almost 15 years and she was there for me through a whole lot of bad boyfriends, and she was here when I found Doug. She loved him, and while I held her those last hours of her life, I knew she wanted Doug to see her to the other side…and he cried when she died in his arms. I told her to please come back as a Manx kitty with extra toes…and within a week of losing my Boxer “Brenden”, I found an ad for a woman that breed Manx Mitten kittens. I have a sneaking suspision she has returned, we brought two brothers home, Bob and Tanka…who have eased the pain of loosing Toes girl.
What’s the most courageous thing you’ve done?
I packed up 2 horses (paid to have them transported, but you know), 2 cats, a Boxer puppy, myself, everything I owned and drove from Hollister, California to Denver, Colorado knowing one person here. I left everything I knew for not only the Unknown, but the COMPLETELY unknown. I am not a city girl…I love open space, wild flowers and horses and cattle grazing in green pastures under open skies. Hollister had grown too much for my taste, and I certainly couldn’t afford to live in Santa Cruz, much less ever hope to own land. I needed a major change, and something told me I would find “HIM” here…him turned out to be Doug.
It was a rocky start, with 3 residential changes and at least that many job changes before things began to settle down after I met Doug. When I came over the crest of I-70 around midnight that fateful night, I almost turned around. I grew up watching John Denver and Olivia Newton-John specials in Colorado…when I saw the lights of the whole Denver area, I thought “Oh shit, I moved to San Jose!!!!!”. It took more courage than I knew I had to keep my foot on the gas and NOT turn around!
What are five of your favorite books, movies, songs, groups, websites….
Here goes…
Books: Spiral Dance, Heart of the Fire, Predestined Love, Mists of Avalon, Winged Pharoah
Movies: Black Stallion, Braveheart, Thunderheart, Sid & Nancy, Dead Again
Songs: Hmmmm….I’m terrible with song names…so see next line
Groups: Stray Cats, Gene Vincent, Offspring, Wendy Rule, Bob Marley, the Smiths, Alicia Keys, Patsy Cline, Primus, Cramps, Misfits, Echo & the Bunnymen, Lorenna McKinnett, Pantera, AC/DC, Eagles, ….oh wait, that’s more than 5! LOL…there are so many, I love all kinds of music, bagpipes, harp, cello, fiddle-Celtic music and Egyptian music.
Websites: for obvious reasons, the Examiner website is one of my current favs! (I write for them).
Dolphina’s website (my belly dance hero) and here’s a couple that Doug has found that are a total kick in the pants: something awful (everything that’s bad, strange and just plain unimaginable on the internet…last week they had a link to a site that pays women to act out a damsel in distress on film for a select group of fettish folks…it was disturbingly funny) and “engrish”…a website dedicated to bad Japanese translations, from signs to ads and everything in between.
Things I avoid: not too big on the blood-n-guts movies, or hard-core rap (I like Desiny’s Child and I actually own a Jay-Z cd…but that’s about it).
Hi Linda. Can you tell us a bit about yourself, your business, and/or your passions.
I’m a professional freelance web writer who is trying to break into print magazines and who writes fiction also. I have one short story in Accentuate Service’s Anthology Competition (www.accentuateservices.com for more info) and a few I am waiting to hear back on. When I am not writing I am painting on canvas with acrylic’s and being a mom to my two little boys.
Share three interesting/crazy things about yourself.
I run a teen art group, am a mom to 2 boys, take self defense classes, freelance for five different websites, take the boys to karate, baseball and other activities and still make dinner almost everyday by 6pm. I think that’s a little crazy.
What is the most courageous thing you’ve ever done?
I held my mom’s dog while we put him to sleep and spoke to him about the other dogs he would meet on the other side to comfort him.
Name your top five books, movies, songs, musical groups, and/or websites. Are there any books or movies (genres) that you avoid?
Anything by Anne Rice, The Notebook (a brilliant movie), I love all kinds of music, currently my favorite bands are Shinedown and Tantric. I avoid most Stephen King books however I just read Four Seasons which was a fascinating compilation of short stories, the Library Policeman twisted my gut. I may read more of his work now.
Based upon the description of a cultural creative, do you feel you are one? If so, why?
Yes, because I am spiritual, earth friendly and still connected to the modern world.
What made you first want to become an artist, writer, a creator?
I have been painting since I could put my fingers on paper. I have always been an artist. Now I get to be an artist with words and get paid for it.
Does spirituality play an important role in the creative process for you? If so, how?
Yes, the best art comes from my spirituality and so does my faith in accomplishing some task no matter how big or small.
What is your first memory of creating something you were proud of?
I made a display for my mom in art class. It was two drawings. One was in color and the other was in black and white of a carousel horse. The drawings were cut into strips then laid on a display that had tilted spots. When you walked past it one way it was one drawing and then when you walked past it the other way it was a different drawing. It was pretty cool. My mom loved it.
What three words best describe the feeling you get when your creativity is flowing?
passion, energy, awe
What sparks your creativity?
Just about anything.
What was/is the biggest obstacle you’ve faced? How did you overcome it, and what did you learn from the experience?
Those who doubted me. It actually spurred me on to accomplish what I set out for myself. I learned that when they said “You can’t.” I said “Oh yeah, watch me.”
Putting your vision into the world can be scary. Many of us wonder if we’re good enough. How do you respond to negative self-talk? What tools do you use to help work beyond your self-doubt?
I meditate and try never to talk negatively about myself because it will just lead to more negativity. Positive affirmations help also.
If you get google alerts, what are some keywords/phrases you receive? Does this help your creativity?
I do get google alerts but they are for articles I have written. I do not use google alerts for personal keywords and phrases.
Are there any archetypes (hero, warrior, goddess, messenger, trickster, fool, savior, wanderer, magician etc.) that you resonate with which you feel have helped guide you on your creative journey? Does someone or something sometimes act as your muse?
Seshat, the Scribe is the Egyptian Goddess of writing, creativity and much more. She guides me on my creative journeys.
Are there any recurring motifs in your sleeping dreams, and if so, what do you think they symbolize? Is there a bigger message for you? Do your nighttime dreams ever spark your creativity?
My dreams are very vivid and sometimes turn into stories.
In what ways do you promote your work?
I talk to people, write a lot, hang out in some writer forums, use promotional social sites like Facebook, Twitter and MySpace to share work I like and my own work.
If you use social networking sites, have any been particularly helpful in helping you spread the word about your work? If so, which one(s) and how?
Both MySpace and Facebook have helped me get readers.
What’s your favorite Internet tool either for promotion or enhancing your creativity?
I don’t know if I have one.
Cultural Creatives tend to want their work to impact society in a positive way. Is changing/improving society with your work part of your goal? If yes, please elaborate a bit on your vision.
I want to make the world a more beautiful place and I want to educate in the process. I hope my positive writing does that as well as my paintings. Have you been able to earn a living while pursuing your creative passions? Is there anything from a business perspective that stands out as a key or catalyst to your success that you’d like to share?
Yes, I have started making money. Not quite earning a living yet but I am working on it and getting closer every day.
Don’t be shy. Success will not come to you unless you go out and get it!
Tara Joyce is a writer and web consultantwho is passionate about using business as a means to grow personally.
Hi Tara, please tell us a bit about yourself, your business, and/or your passions.
I am an innerpreneur, a writer and a web geek. I help independent, conscious business owners improve their online presence and strategy though my business, Elastic Mind. And I blog about innerpreneurship on my blog, Rise of the Innerpreneur. I am passionate about living a conscious and purposeful life.
Share three interesting/crazy things about yourself.
I am a die hard X-Phile (a super geeky term for fans of the X-Files) and can tell you the episode name and plot of almost any episode in its 9 year run.
My husband and I do not buy anything Made in China. A frustratingly hard resolution to follow at times.
I make up songs constantly, about almost anything (i.e., brushing my hair) and sing them out loud to myself. The tune doesn’t change much but the lyrics vary widely. I am renowned for having one of the best worst singing voices.
What is the most courageous thing you’ve ever done?
Deciding to leave the corporate world and start my own creative independent business at 26.
Name your top five books, movies, songs, musical groups, and/or websites. Are there any books or movies (genres) that you avoid?
Such a hard question…there is so much art that I love for so many different reasons…but if I am up for the challenge:
1. West Side Story (film)
2. Annie Hall (film)
3. Ben Folds (music artist)
4. Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein (book of children’s poems)
5. Roy Orbison (music)
Based upon the description of a cultural creative, do you feel you are one? If so, why?
Absolutely. When I took the CC quiz created by Paul Ray I agreed with every single statement. But more importantly, for a long time I have felt alienated and removed from mainstream culture, discovering the CC subculture made me feel not so alone. It gives me great hope to know there are many more out there who value sustainable and conscious living above all else.
What made you first want to become an artist, writer, a creator?
I think I always wanted to be one but I hadn’t admitted it to myself. I thought creativity was something I would express in my spare time not in my work. Over time, I became more aware of where my true passions and talents lay and the transition to writer/creator happened slowly, almost without me noticing.
Does spirituality play an important role in the creative process for you? If so, how?
Spirituality plays an important aspect in everything I do but I can’t honestly say that it has more emphasis in my creative work. I think my spirituality shapes everything I do and allows me to be more in touch with my inner self and thus my creativity.
What is your first memory of creating something you were proud of?
I was a lip-sync diva in public school. Every year for our annual school-wide lip-sync talent show I would find a group, pick a song, create costumes and choreograph a dance routine. It was the perfect avenue for me as I could express my love of music, dancing and showmanship without exposing the world to my heinous singing voice. Creating and performing those lip-syncs made me so proud and energized.
What three words best describe the feeling you get when your creativity is flowing?
Inspired energized other-worldly
What sparks your creativity?
Reading, surrounding myself in beauty, travel, challenging myself physically.
What was/is the biggest obstacle you’ve faced? How did you overcome it, and what did you learn from the experience?
I am my own biggest obstacle. My inner critic can be a real biatch. And I work every day to acknowledge her without letting her control or stifle me.
Putting your vision into the world can be scary. Many of us wonder if we’re good enough. How do you respond to negative self-talk? What tools do you use to help work beyond your self-doubt?
Oh man, this is so true. I am a perfectionist and I never think that anything I produce is good enough. To move beyond my unrealistic expectations I acknowledge the negative thoughts and use positive proof to identify their falsity. I also remind myself that I always try and do my best and that I can’t ask myself for anything more than that.
If you get google alerts, what are some keywords/phrases you receive? Does this help your creativity?
I’m a marketer at heart so I have google alerts for my business name, “Elastic Mind”; my name, “Tara Joyce”; my subculture, “Cultural Creatives” and the Cultural Creative tribe of business owners called “Innerpreneurs”, my target market and the topic of my blog, Rise of the Innerpreneur.
I also have alerts for “web consulting” and “small business website help”.
All of these alerts help my creativity as it helps to discover other people’s perspectives on these topics.
In what ways do you promote your work?
So far, online only via my website/blog, Twitter and a few other select social media platforms.
If you use social networking sites, have any been particularly helpful in helping you spread the word about your work? If so, which one(s) and how?
Twitter – driving traffic to my site/blog, increasing readership and word of mouth, meeting fellow innerpreneurs
BizNik- non-traditional business network where I found a large number of Cultural Creatives and Innerpreneurs belong.
StumbleUpon – tool to drive traffic to articles I have written
What’s your favorite Internet tool either for promotion or enhancing your creativity?
Blogging! A blog is like having your own obscure tv channel that only those who are truly like-minded will tune into. There is no better tool to connect with your niche market.
Cultural Creatives tend to want their work to impact society in a positive way. Is changing/improving society with your work part of your goal? If yes, please elaborate a bit on your vision.
Oh, yes, very much so. My vision is to use my blog to help Cultural Creative business owners (innerpreneurs) grow their business and their self. As well, my web consulting and web writing business helps innerpreneurs to build an effective online presence and strategy.
Though even if my business did not help others, I would still feel that I was impacting society in a positive way as I try and live a conscious, sustainable life.
Have you been able to earn a living while pursuing your creative passions? Is there anything from a business perspective that stands out as a key or catalyst to your success that you’d like to share?
So far? Not really. But it has only been 10 months and if there is one thing I learned in 4 years of business school it is that no new business owner should expect profits until at least year two.
My advice to any business owner is to be authentic. Nothing will take you farther.
Hi Darrell, thanks for being here. Can you please tell us a bit about yourself, your business, and/or your passions. I’m a marketing professional and have also been a music producer and professional musician for many years. My blog is Awaken to 1.
How did you get involved with answering questions for the cultural creative blog? I’ve always had a conscious connection with understanding the link between creativity and spirituality.
What is the most courageous thing you’ve ever done? Helped a lady who crashed her vehicle on a bridge after having a seizure.
Based upon the description of a cultural creative, do you feel you are one? If so, why? Yes, because I understand that creativity and existence go hand in hand. We are all endowed with the ability to manifest things in our lives, and the journey is to learn how to do so with the greatest proficiency and in accordance with spiritual balance (for the good of the whole)
What made you first want to become an artist, writer, a creator? An innate sensibility and drive to do so.
Does spirituality play an important role in the creative process for you? If so, how?
It is all important. I have long come to understand that I’m not doing the creating; I’m just a channel that allows it to flow through me. This takes the ego out of the equation and allows for an unlimited and infinite flow of creative energy to come forth. I will never run out of new ideas.
What is your first memory of creating something you were proud of? Pride might be a bit misleading. I was happy when I wrote my first musical composition, but after the process had completed and I listened back to the result, it was as if someone else had written it. I was impressed with the music not because I wrote it, but because it was good.
What three words best describe the feeling you get when your creativity is flowing? IN THE ZONE
What sparks your creativity? At this point in my creative process, I’m able to spark it at will. It begins with a surrender and dropping away of all tensions and burdens, and replacing these feelings with ones of love; love of God, love of spirit, unconditional love, and of course, gratitude. From there its just a matter of directing the focus to what I need to create.
What was/is the biggest obstacle you’ve faced? How did you overcome it, and what did you learn from the experience?
Getting out of my own way. I had to learn to leave my ego at the door, and identify the difference between creative flow and mental manipulation.
Putting your vision into the world can be scary. Many of us wonder if we’re good enough. How do you respond to negative self-talk? What tools do you use to help work beyond your self-doubt? How does my gut feel when I hear it. My gut is a very good barometer of whether or not it will resonate with others. If I am moved, others will be.
Are there any archetypes (hero, warrior, goddess, messenger, trickster, fool, savior, wanderer, magician etc.) that you resonate with which you feel have helped guide you on your creative journey? Does someone or something sometimes act as your muse?
Not really. I guess I’ve transcended archetypes and avatars.
Are there any recurring motifs in your sleeping dreams, and if so, what do you think they symbolize? Is there a bigger message for you? Do your nighttime dreams ever spark your creativity? All the time. I have to have a tape recorder or pen and pad by my bed always. Usually around 3am, I may get up with an astounding idea, or the answer to a problem I’ve been pondering. I go to the bathroom and record it so as not to wake my wife, then go back to sleep.
In what ways do you promote your work?
I’ve done some CD sales and other marketing. I also perform from time to time.
If you use social networking sites, have any been particularly helpful in helping you spread the word about your work? If so, which one(s) and how?
Still a work in progress. Developing my own website at the moment.
Cultural Creatives tend to want their work to impact society in a positive way. Is changing/improving society with your work part of your goal? If yes, please elaborate a bit on your vision.
Yes. I want people to get past the illusions of their physical presence and identity, and connect with one another soul-to-soul. In that way, the misguided notions of separateness will begin to drop and everyone will begin to understand that we are all connected to one another, therefore we treat each other with love and respect.
Have you been able to earn a living while pursuing your creative passions? Is there anything from a business perspective that stands out as a key or catalyst to your success that you’d like to share?
Yes. Love what you do.
Thanks so much for your time Darrell. You can read more about Darrell’s insights on his blog Awaken to One, http://awakento1.blogspot.com
Hi Stephanie. Please tell us a bit about yourself, your business, and/or your passions.
Professionally I am an author, developmental editor, and publishing consultant. I help audaciously creative people transform their ideas into highly marketable books and information products.
How did you get involved with putting together Audacious Creativity?
The idea for Audacious Creativity came to me one day in a meditation. I recognized the incredible well of knowledge and resources that were available in my professional network. I wanted to make that available to the public. As the compiler and editor of Audacious Creativity , I reached out to past clients and colleagues for contributions. Over the course of several months I branched out to new contacts through the social networks (especially Facebook) and as I moved through different communities in my daily life. I wanted to include pieces from a broad range of fields–authors, musicians, actors, coaches, psychologists–and ultimately I did. Some people were hard to chase down, others were ready, willing, and able to participate. There is a unique creative story behind each essay in the anthology. It took about a year to collect and edit all the pieces and a few more months to produce the finished product.
Share three interesting/crazy things about yourself.
I love to dance. I love animals. My life is motivated by my spirituality.
What is the most courageous thing you’ve ever done?
If we define courage as taking action when you’re afraid, I would say this happens a lot for me. Being audacious, however, is my being. That’s part of who I am.
Name your top five books, movies, songs, musical groups, and/or websites. Are there any books or movies (genres) that you avoid?
I love the movies Casablanca, The Last Samurai, The Bourne Identity series, and many foreign movies. I love the book The Life of Pi. I cannot watch horror movies. They freak me out.
Based upon the description of a cultural creative, do you feel you are one? If so, why?
Yes. Because I create with every breath.
What made you first want to become an artist, writer, a creator?
Being able to communicate what was inside of me and connect with people. As an extremely right-brained person and a kinesthetic-auditory person, what I feel in my body is not always easy to get out where it can be comprehended. Dance, language, symbolic expression is the means I use to make my contribution.
Does spirituality play an important role in the creati ve process for you? If so, how?
Being human is a spiritual activity. To allow oneself to be sensitive enough to create, to resonate with meaning where it can be read by others (as an actor would or a dancer) you have to learn how to accept yourself and open space for energy to run through you. That is a spiritual practice or past time.
What is your first memory of creating something you were proud of?
It would have been very early. Maybe a picture I made for my mother or a mud pie.
What three words best describe the feeling you get when your creativity is flowing?
Ecstatic, peaceful, engaged.
What sparks your creativity?
Life. Everything about it.
In what ways do you promote your work?
Books, online newsletters and articles, seminars, webinars, lectures/public appearances.
If you use social networking sites, have any been particularly helpful in helping you spread the word about your work? If so, which one(s) and how?
From time to time I attract clients that way, mainly from LinkedIn, and I have found employees that way also.
What’s your favorite Internet tool either for promotion or enhancing your creativity?
The search feature for research. For promotion I like Audio Acrobat and xiosoft.
Cultural Creatives tend to want their work to impact society in a positive way. Is changing/improving society with your work part of your goal? If yes, please elaborate a bit on your vision.
My clients are enlightened entrepreneurs whose work makes a positive contribution to the world at large. We are part of a groundswell of raising consciousness.
Have you been able to earn a living while pursuing your creative passions? Is there anything from a business perspective that stands out as a key or catalyst to your success that you’d like to share?
Being committed to excellence and professional standards has been a huge adjunct to my business. Being authentic and compassionate is also something that is a key to my success. Caring about what I do enough to do it well.
Thank you so much for your time and insights Stephanie. Discover more about Stephanie’s work and creative endeavors at www.stephaniegunning.com
Hi Carol. Please tell us a bit about yourself, your business, and/or your passions. I am a fulltime freelance writer and publishing consultant and a multi-award winning author of “Without Grace” and “The Author’s Guide to Planning Book Events.” My Web site iswww.carolhoenig.com.
How did you get involved with writing an essay for Audacious Creativity? Stephanie Gunning invited me to submit an essay.
Share three interesting/crazy things about yourself. A. I grew up on a farm in Upstate NY and despised it.
B. I asked for a sidewalk for my 8th birthday. (Didn’t get it.)
C. I bought back the house my ex and I sold due to divorce several years later and writing a memoir based on the journey with a working title of “Getting Back Home.”
What is the most courageous thing you’ve ever done? Divorcing my husband, which in turn meant risking losing financial stability.
Name your top five books, movies, songs, musical groups, and/or
websites.
A. “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee
B. “Possession” by A.S. Byatt
C. “Moondance” by Van Morrison
D. “Imitation of Life”
E. “Wizard of Oz”
What made you first want to become an artist, writer, a creator?
The desperate need to express myself.
Does spirituality play an important role in the creative process for you? Not really.
What is your first memory of creating something you were proud of? When I was in first grade and wrote a poem, which earned praise from my
teacher.
What three words best describe the feeling you get when your creativity is flowing? Energized, Excited, Encouraged
What sparks your creativity?
Inspiration
What was/is the biggest obstacle you’ve faced? How did you overcome it, and what did you learn from the experience? Finding a traditional publisher-I then agreed to let iUniverse publish my novel gratis and it was the best choice I’d made.
Putting your vision into the world can be scary. Many of us wonder if we’re good enough. How do you respond to negative self-talk? What tools do you use to help work beyond your self-doubt?
I challenge myself. If there is negative self-talk, it may mean that I need to do a rewrite, but it certainly doesn’t mean I am to give up. Giving up is not an option.
In what ways do you promote your work? Various ways” Interviews, events, book discussions, accepting invitations to speak at writer’s conferences, etc. I also blog for the Huffington Post, which drives a lot of traffic to my website.
If you use social networking sites, have any been particularly helpful in helping you spread the word about your work? I’m just starting to use Facebook and that seems to work.
What’s your favorite Internet tool either for promotion or enhancing your creativity? Blogging
Cultural Creatives tend to want their work to impact society in a positive way. Is changing /improving society with your work part of your goal? If yes, please elaborate a bit on your vision. Absolutely. I tend to use fiction to show certain wrongs or contradictions that mirror real life.
Have you been able to earn a living while pursuing your creative passions? Is there anything from a business perspective that stands out as a key or catalyst to your success that you’d like to share? I have been able to earn a living and I am grateful everyday for this gift.
I’m Laura Faeth, author of I Found All the Parts: Healing the Soul through Rock ‘n’ Roll. In 2002, a spiritual awakening with rock music launched me on a totally unexpected journey of self-discovery. I tapped into an unknown pool of intuition, inspiration, and more than anything else, an insatiable desire to write. I wanted to relay the concepts and discoveries I was making with words and share my insights with the world.
In 2005, I came across a book titled The Cultural Creatives: How 50 Million People Are Changing the World(Harmony Books, NY), by sociologist Paul H. Ray. It described my spiritual connection and creative impulse to a tee. Ray claims to have found that 50 million adult Americans (slightly over one quarter of the adult population in 2000) can be identified as belonging to this group.
So who are these Cultural Creatives? According to the Wisdom University website,
“Cultural Creatives are people who are deeply spiritual without being dogmatically religious, and who enjoy technology and economic prosperity but not at the cost of the environment or community. They understand the world holistically and are deeply committed to non-ideological politics that emphasize practical solutions.”
Cultural Creatives tend to embrace change, feel a deep connection to the earth and environment, and want their work to have meaning and contribute to the upliftment of society. The creators of the ground-breaking movie What the Bleep Do We Know? used the Cultural Creatives for their business model. The movie helped me realize that this group can become powerful agents of change if we realize our untapped potential and unite together for a common cause. Many Cultural Creatives’ views are very different from mainstream society, which generates feelings of not fitting in, their voices not heard. Well, let’s change that!
Audacious Creativity
I recently contributed to an anthology entitled Audacious Creativity. Editor and author Stephanie Gunning asked people from a wide variety of backgrounds to write about the creative process. As I read through the other essays, I could see a part of myself reflected in the teachings and examples. Whether the topic was creating wealth or raising children, each author examined creativity from a spiritual perspective. These are the kind of people I resonate with. These are the Cultural Creatives. I found myself wanting to email each contributor and pick their brain about what they’ve learned on their creative journey.
I’ve been brainstorming ideas on how to create a blog featuring artists, musicians, writers, alternative healers…anyone who feels a need to express themselves or approach their work from a cultural creative perspective. This blog is what I’ve been inspired to create.
I’m sending a list of 20 questions to all of the contributors to Audacious Creativity which prompts them to share insights about the creative process, and how they sense their work impacts society. In the upcoming weeks and months, I’ll post their responses and begin to assemble a real-life profile of cultural creatives and their visions.
Hopefully many of the Audacious Creativity authors will respond to the questionnaire, but after posting their answers, I’d like to open the questions up to anyone who feels they are a cultural creative. If you resonate with the cultural creative description, check out the “20 Questions” on the Cultural Creatives Questions page, and email me at laura@soundofyoursoul.com for more info about how to contribute to the blog.
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Hi Bret. Please tell us a bit about yourself, your business, and/or your passions.
What sparks your creativity?
and very high self-esteem. Initially, I assumed anything I wrote would be brilliant and eventually produced (I started with screenplays). It was more or less the same with the novels. I knew I had some interesting fresh ideas and didn’t have self-doubts about it.
Hi Megan. Thanks for being with us here today. Can you please tell us a bit about yourself, your business, and/or your passions.
I am an Alternative Religion writer for the 
parents for over a week, knowing they’d be telling me I’d regret it because I couldn’t hide it. I knew the time was right to tell them one late afternoon. They were having some wine, enjoying leisurely preparations for a get-together later at our home. They were in good moods, and I knew they couldn’t dwell on it if they were angry, because they had people coming over.
I’m a professional freelance web writer who is trying to break into print magazines and who writes fiction also. I have one short story in Accentuate Service’s Anthology Competition (
Tara Joyce is a 
Hi Darrell, thanks for being here. Can you please tell us a bit about yourself, your business, and/or your passions.
Hi Stephanie. Please tell us a bit about yourself, your business, and/or your passions.
Hi Carol. Please tell us a bit about yourself, your business, and/or your passions.