Things I’m Excited About

CREATIVE EVERY DAY

This new year is going to be all about going back to the basics in two things that are very special and dear to my heart: Painting and Yoga. Or Yoga and Painting. (Depending on my mood!)

The thing that I LOVE about the internet and bloggyland is the opportunity to have support, inspiration, and accountability at your fingertips. I already signed up for this year’s Creative Every Day challenge, that the awesome, talented, beautiful, and lovely Leah hosts at her blog Creative Every Day.

For the month of January, her Creative Every Day theme is “The Body“, and during 2009, even though I was a part of this challenge, I very rarely relied on her monthly prompts. I am going to challenge myself to be more open to these suggestions, and see how they can help guide my journey as a Painter.

http://static.ning.com/socialnetworkmain/widgets/index/swf/badge.swf?v=200912171415

WORLD YOGA PRACTICE MONTH

I’m also very excited about WoYoPracMo!! What is WoYoPracMo? Answer: World Yoga Practice Month.
I’ll be honest…I’m not big on Ning sites, but I plan on checking out the forum and blog posts regularly in this community–and simply blogging about my own experience here on Dirty Footprints Studio.

(Keeping things simple will make more time for Yoga and Painting!!!) For the month of January I am committing to a daily home Yoga practice again, and attending classes at my beloved Yoga studio at LEAST three times a week. What and how my home Yoga practice will look and feel like will be what I define and document here on Dirty Footprints Studio for the month of January. For me, Yoga is not just what I do on a mat–but how I carry myself throughout my day, as well as how I eat, take care of myself, and treat others. I intend to heighten my awareness of my Yoga practice by sharing it here.

Would you like to join me?

CREATIVE JUICY LIFE PROJECT

If you go up to the nav-bar underneath the Dirty Footprints Studio header, you will see a tab titled “Creative Juicy Life”–scroll down to “the project”–this is something I am super-duper-wuper excited about!!

Taking part in Darlene Kreutzer’s December Views invitation this past month has been life changing. Seriously. Carrying my camera with me everywhere, and being mindful about the little things in my life and landscape made a huge impact on me creatively as well as spiritually. Through my simple, snap-&-shoot, digital photography I have been able to find poetry in my life again, and I am completely committed to exploring this further through my journey as a 34 year old!!

HERE is where I will post my daily photos. Please be aware that this is not only a creative endeavor I have begun, but also a very intimate, honest, and spiritual journey I feel I need to complete. Because of this, I purposely have omitted the opportunity for comments, but would be open to hearing your feedback anytime through an email HERE.

SIMPLE SIMPLE SIMPLE

Tons of fun and exciting things manifested for me and Dirty Footprints Studio this past 2009. I had the beautiful opportunity to connect with many Creative Juicy bloggers through my podcast: Creative Juicy Life, as well as the opportunity to be interviewed myself a few times!! In July Dirty Footprints Studio was relaunched with a huge face lift! I let go of my camera shyness and explored making videos this year HERE! Dirty Footprints Studio hosted the Creative Dig Workshop where I got to share creativity and self discovery with many inspiring bloggers. And, I was granted a scholarship to work with the amazing Jennifer Moore of Pink Heels in developing Dirty Footprints Studio into a small business! Plus, let’s not forget Art Journal LOVE which has been a regular part of Dirty Footprints Studio’s charm! All of this has been extremely satisfying, challenging, and exciting…but at the same time, 2009 has been one of the most stressful years of my life. There have been periods of great exhaustion, days where the black clouds wouldn’t leave, and recently a desperate need to reassess my priorities and values in this Creative Juicy Life.

So, there are going to be some major changes around Dirty Footprints Studio for the year of 2010. On a surface level—I am retiring the Dirty Footprints Studio newsletter as well as my podcast Creative Juicy Life. Both have been lots of fun and inspiring to work on, but have taken tons of time and energy to produce. I want more time to follow my heart’s mission to dive deeper into Yoga and Painting!

On a deeper level, I’ve changed my perspective on Dirty Footprints Studio. I want this to be a space that documents my journey into the core of who I am…the truth of this journey I am on. I want Dirty Footprints Studio to be a fusion of Yoga and Painting—of documenting my journey–and hopefully inspiring yours as well.

I’m simplifying my life in so many ways, and Dirty Footprints Studio will be a natural reflection of this. I hope we can share ways that all of us simplify our lives and how it makes things more Creative Juicy!

DEAR UNIVERSE

There are a few things I really have my heart set on for the new year, but are uncertain on the “how” they are gonna happen bit–so I’m taking this opportunity to voice these wishes to the Universe…..just so we’re both on the same page!!!

• I wish to take the Yoga Teacher Training at the Sivananda Yoga Center in northern California this summer.
• I wish to take an Expressive Arts workshop with the amazing Chris Zydel.
• I wish to fly in a hot air balloon over Sedona with my honey Hansel.
• I wish to go to the Grand Canyon with my honey Hansel.
• I wish to meet some of the cool bloggers that I adore and make Creative Juicy magic happen!
• I wish to launch my online workshop and bring great joy to many.
• I wish to find numerous ways each and every month to spread LOVE on a larger scale.
• I wish to go to Costa Rica and find the place where I will begin building Dirty Footprints Studio.

A PROMISE

Last, I LOVE the poem I Promise Myself by Christian D. Larson. It is something I have taped to my bathroom mirror and desk at work, written in my personal journal, and kept in my purse all the time. I made a promise in November that I would post this poem on Dirty Footprints Studio every month on the last Saturday, and I plan to keep that promise. But….even further, this year, I would like to take the poem deeper into a meditation–focusing on one line each month. I hope you will join me on this journey, and by the end of the year, we will have actually personified this poem and hopefully adopted it into our daily lives even stronger.

That’s it Lovelies!!! Thank you for all the LOVE & support throughout 2009! But enough talking….now onto making our intentions come alive!

I wish you a Creative Juicy New Year full of LOVE, happiness, creativity, and excellent health!

Peace & Love.