The Story Behind FLOW

Published on March 29, 2012

Let me share with you how I work.

Kind of demystify the whole online workshop process for you. Or, at least the online workshops that I create.

I love coming up with online workshop ideas–I love putting my ideas together–and forming a lesson plan to work off of–I love shooting the videos–and making the paintings. But there is one little thing I’m not the most fond of.

That’s editing.

Editing is ok.
Just ok.

Sometimes I can really get into it–but most of the time–a video that might have taken ten minutes to shoot can take hours and hours to edit.

And usually–it starts to bore the crapola out of me.

That’s why I put off all my editing stuff till the last minute. I procrastinate–and wait around until the very last second. Because I need that extra jolt of electricity from a deadline for me to really get into editing.

So, weeks ago I shot all this great video for my 21 SECRETS workshop: FLOW. Some of the videos are simply me sitting on the couch chatting–others are of me painting in my Art Journal.

Well, guess what? Last week when I finally got around to editing them—my video camera must have had a breakdown–because each of the audios on my video was completely messed up. It kept repeating the first five words I said over and over and over again.

There was no other answer but to try again. Shoot the video once more.

So I did.

And still–video camera breakdown.

Up went my white flag and off I went to get a new camera.

Now I’m back in business–but having to try for a third time–and now way past my deadline.

Ok. What is the name of my 21 SECRETS workshop? Yep, that’s right:

FLOW.

The whole purpose of my workshop is to embrace our mistakes as possible new directions. To be ok with what is. To be gentle with ourselves and keep moving forward even in adversity. To see what we can discover when we simply trust that our failures–our mistakes–our big forks in the roads are happening for our well being.

And so this is one of those cases where the teacher receives exactly the lesson she is out to teach.

So I made a point to practice what I preach. Even though my ego was yelling at me that since I am in charge of 21 SECRETS–I should be a good example–should be on time, punctual, really on the ball.

And yes, I should be all those things of course. But more than that–I should be kind to myself–compassionate to the creative process–and trusting that everything is happening–yes, for the better good of all involved.

And so you know what I did? I focused on my breathing. I didn’t let myself get too stressed about it. And I picked up again.

This time though, FLOW seemed to work better–it seemed to flow.

Finally, last night, I finished editing one of my last videos–and I was so proud. I really love that I had a video camera breakdown. It made FLOW so much more juicier–honest–and meaningful.

I’m so excited for 21 SECRETS to open this Sunday!! I’m excited to share all the amazing work the other 20 Artists have been cooking up–and I’m super excited to launch FLOW into the world as well. It’s my hope that other Artists will see that failures, mess ups, and big ol’ forks in the roads are just the Universe’s way of giving us a much needed do-over. Telling us that something just wasn’t right. That we can be better or we simply need to move in a new direction.

But most of all, we can’t let it stress us out–because, well, that wouldn’t be staying in the FLOW.

And life in the FLOW is where the juice is anyways.