Dreamy San Miguel de Allende

Hi friends….and greetings from beautiful San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

I’m in the midst of fulfilling a dream I’ve had for awhile to live and paint in this magical mountain town, and I’m happy to say it’s finally happening!

This is not my first time here. For the past two years, I’ve taught workshops in San Miguel, each time craving more time to soak up the colors and vibrant culture here and to translate this inspiration into my own paintings. I’ll be teaching here again next week, but first…some me time.

Edge-pushing + the *re-creation* of my online course

One of the most challenging things I’ve ever done in my life was to step in front of a video camera to create my Bloom True online course. It pretty much brought up all my deepest fears:

The fear of being seen. The fear of being heard. And, the fear of being judged.

[yep, triple wammie…and one that I wrote about right HERE.]

Embracing awkward

Question: Is there something you have always wanted to do that lingers in the back of your mind…whispering? I actually have a bit of a choir going on up there, so much to do in this one short life. But I’m happy to say I just checked off one lil’ desire: TRAPEZE & AERIAL…

Give the Gift of Creative Freedom! 2 for 1 E-Course Special

Hi friends.! Just a quick note to make sure you know about the special offer I am running on my Bloom True E-Course right now. If you register for the course before Dec. 19th, 2013, (that would be this Thursday), we will send you a gift voucher for another spot in the course. You…

I Heart Bali.

I seriously cannot believe I have been home from Bali for almost a month already!

Woah….life….moves….fast.

However, between jet-lag recovery, a sick week in bed, a rare five-day visit from my best friend and a week of catching up on piles of life and work, I guess it all pencils out. In some ways, the trip feels like a distant exotic dream at this point, but every time I burn one of my treasured Balinese incense sticks, I am magically transported right back to my tiny beloved island on the other side of the world. Swoon.

Introducing Soul Shine Studio!

I’m happy to say I’ve been on a bit of a painting roll over the past few days. My inspiration has been striking late at night when it’s super quiet and cool and my intention has been to explore new territory, have fun and play. Aaaaaaaaand, guess what? Every time I approach my work with this attitude (ie: not making it MEAN more than simply playing with colors and marks), rad new things seem to transpire. (note to self).

Introducing: “Heart to Hand: A Love Letter Project”

I love this time of year for all the obvious reasons…the coziness, the boots and scarves, the deliciousness of gathering with friends around a fire, the steamy drinks. You know, all the usual suspects. However, the real magic of this time of year comes for me in the form of gratitude and time for deep soul reflection (i.e. getting my priorities straight). I’ve been doing quite a bit of both lately.

Introducing…Bloom True TRIBE!

I’m so excited to share a new idea with you!

(I think you’re gonna like it).

The inspiration for ‘Bloom True TRIBE’ comes directly from my students who often share the most beautiful tales of transformation with me.

Joying Up!

This post is part of my friend Hannah Marcotti’s The Joy Up Stories Series. The Joy Up begins August 1st (that’s tomorrow!) with hundreds of women who are ready to claim their joy and deepen love, ritual, trust and rhythm. Join in the joy by clicking here.

Late night inspiration + bloom true mini lessons

I’m happy to say I’ve been on a bit of a painting roll over the past few days. My inspiration has been striking late at night when it’s super quiet and cool and my intention has been to explore new territory, have fun and play. Aaaaaaaaand, guess what? Every time I approach my work with this attitude (ie: not making it MEAN more than simply playing with colors and marks), rad new things seem to transpire. (note to self).

Leaning In

We called it, “Bloom True Moves.” It was an experiment in collaboration. It was new territory. And it was deeply healing. From our opening circle it was obvious that this group of 18 women were ready to step into something new. The feeling in the room was palpable—the feeling was one of readiness.

Life Book 2014 Give Away Winner Announced

Hi all. Just a quick note to thank you for your wonderful comments about why you would like to participate in Life Book 2014. It was a pleasure to read them all and feel your excitement. I’m happy to announce that the winner of this year-long art making extravaganza is Maureen McCauley of lightofdaystories.com. Congrats Maureen! Hope you enjoy the journey that is Life Book…

My 30-Day Blog Love Affair:: Day #1. It’s on!

I was originally going to call this little experiment my, “30-Day Blog Challenge” but after some consideration, I quickly realized that calling this challenge a challenge would only make it feel, well, more challenging. So, I’m doing what any firm believer in the Law of Attraction would do, and calling it what I hope it will become a good ol’ fashioned love affair.

On *not* going to Burning Man

As I sit here in my neighborhood coffee shop in Portland, OR, there are 60,000 plus people gathered in the Nevada dessert celebrating creativity, community, art and radical self expression — yep, pretty much all my favorite things. I do not hesitate to say that these lucky people are attending the best party on Earth right now and that party is called Burning Man.

On Letting Go

One of the big changes I made to my current Bloom True E-Course was shifting the theme of Week Two from ‘Play’ to ‘Letting Go.’ The other week’s themes — Intuition, Your Inspiring Life, Being Brave and Blooming True — remain the same, but there was always something about ‘Play’ that never totally resonated with me.

And then it hit me. ‘Play” is simply one way of letting go.

Online Mini Painting Sale Tomorrow!

One of my favorite conversations to have with people is about what REALLY lights them up. It is one the most direct ways to understand a person’s heart and soul-calling and often leads to the kind of juicy conversations I love the most.

My “light up” moments usually happen when I’m painting and connecting with people I am truly inspired by. So, for the past year I’ve been combining these passions by exploring collaborative painting, and guess what? I love it.

Prettiest holiday cards EVER

OK. I’m admittedly not being very humble here, but seriously you guys, these new holiday cards designed by Papaya! are so GORGEOUS…so much so that I’m actually feeling inspired to send holiday cards for the first time in, like, fifteen years. Perhaps they will inspire you too? We are selling packs of five (of the same design) for $20, and packs of ten (one of each design) for only $30 (shipping within the US is included).
Get your holiday cheer on today!

Saying YES, feeling CLEAR, and making RAD stuff

As you likely know, I’m a big fan of collaboration, so when Matt Butler, the dynamic conductor of the amazing Everyone Orchestra, asked me if I’d be interested in painting a tuxedo jacket and matching hat for him, it was a very clear YES.

Let me start by saying that I totally dig the whole concept behind the Everyone Orchestra. Their positive high-energy shows blend a unique line-up of different (always uber-talented) musicians and there is no “Set List” … only improvisation, talent and trust.

Uniquity + the Declaration of YOU!

After a pretty major spin around the world (aka: my trip to Bali), I am now cozied back up in my Portland studio — favorite mug in hand, favorite tunes playing on my ipad and an epic amount of stories and thoughts to share…soon. As I allow my experiences in Bali to sink in a little more deeply, I want to take a minute to share with you a very special book.

The Declaration of You!, is written by two superstar ladies (and lovely friends of mine), Jessica Swift and Michelle Ward. I’m really proud of them for putting together such a beautiful and important book, because it dives right into the heart of a conversation I seem to be having so much lately. It’s that one about…

Vulnerability—the new “keeping it cool”

Hi ya’ll. Look at me…writing a post AFTER the 30-Day Love Affair is over! It’s true. I feel I have officially transformed my relationship with this lovely blog. Dreading my “blog homework” has now been replaced by thoughts like, “Write a blog? Sure. Totally. Why not? No big deal. Sounds fun.” So, that said, I’m officially popping in to say hello and to thank you for your ah-MAZE-ing comments in response to my last post about my name change. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend reading the comments—so moving and inspiring. Reading your comments reminded me why…