I Prefer an Interesting Vice...

There are many people in your life that will tell you not to do xyz.

They will only tell you this because they are afraid to do it themselves.

I've often found that when I am ready to take a new risk (I take a lot of them, often.) that there are always a few people that will give me their honest opinion.  I listen to everything that is said to me, but that doesn't mean I act on it.

I realized a long time ago that the people I find most interesting are the loners.  Not the person that is constantly in the limelight, the source of attention, or the "life of the party." 

I'm talking to the dude in the corner, sipping his drink slowly and viewing the scene.  He's usually so fascinating and witty.

Or the lady at the bar who is jotting stuff in a notebook, oblivious to the flurry of activity around her.  She's probably writing snippets of her next novel or penning a new tune.

The quote above says it all.  "I prefer an interesting vice..."  The people I watch the most are the ones moving and shaking life up, with no time to brag about it to anyone.

People who take chances inspire me to take more as well. Nobody ever got anywhere by standing still.

Somehow this loops into a positive blurb about Creatively Yours (ARC), but today I'll let you come to your own conclusions.  I'm going out to meet more interesting people who are taking risks and quietly changing the world with each one.  Peace.

~Creatively Yours

The Thing About Sushi

The Thing About Sushi

I fell in love with sushi around 1999.  Just about the same time I decided I was really a poet. They may seem unrelated, but bear with me for a moment.

In 1999, my friend/co-worker Julia took me to a now non-existent sushi restaurant and asked me, "do you trust me?"  I was almost brought to tears from the sincerity in her eyes.  I answered "yes".  She ordered several rolls and told me to just taste, eat the whole piece and tell her what I honestly thought.

I've never done crack, but if there was a food-equivalent to crack, for me, sushi would be it.

I remember my first piece of sushi like I remember my first kiss.  Intense, satisfying, different, good.  The roll was a "Tommy Roll" and to this day it is still one of my favorites.

Luckily I was able to follow the owner of that now defunct restaurant to his new location, Fujido at the corner of 17th and Paxton Sts in Harrisburg, PA.  Fujido is my Japanese "crack-house."  I give him my money and he gives me his best.  I love Tuan/Tommy for being as passionate about making those rolls as I am about eating them and creating my own literary "crack".

My goal is to write things that will be "emotional art" just as sushi has been labeled "edible art".  Sushi rolls can be complex, simple, multi-layered or simply rice and fish.  It is a delicacy that has no measure.  I want my words to impact people as sushi has impacted my palate.  I want to transform and be transformed.

Sushi makes me happy.  I noticed after the first couple times of dining out at Fujido that I left feeling elated and joyful.  The only other food that used to make me feel that way was sugar but we had to break up for health reasons.  

Introducing a few of my friends to sushi has been a delight as well.  Watching them try something new, fall in love with it then report back to me when they find new rolls or restaurants is something that we can share and enjoy.  It's amazing.

Emotional eating of edible art.  That is what sushi is to me.  Emotional writing and revealing all my emotions.  That is what writing and CY (ARC) mean to me.

My first collection of short stories "Themes and Dreams" is coming very soon.  Thank you for your continued support!

~Creatively Yours   

winter is almost over...

Winter is almost over.  What will your excuse be then?

Everyone talks about "once the weather breaks I am going to do xyz..."  From fishing to working out to starting the next chapter of the novel that lives within them we all make the EXCUSE of Winter holding us back.

I spent a lot of dark days "hibernating" every Winter for years.  I'm ashamed to actually tell the number of days I wasted.

Yet with the return of Spring and Summer I was rejuvenated, ready to re-animate and activate.  You couldn't find me because I was headed out on the next road trip, outdoor concert, expo or event.  I was living and it felt great!

Somewhere around 2005-ish we had a super mild winter.  No snow, hardly any cold weather at all and my life did a 180.  I no longer felt I had to hide away in my home, on my couch, on the computer communicating with the world daily, but not allowing myself to be involved with the "crush" of people in the outside world.  I truly believe I was 2 steps from being claustrophobic and agoraphobic at the same time.  It sucked.

So we had a mild winter.  I went outside in December, January, February AND March and my life was better!  Bingo!

I won't move to a year-round warmer climate for various reasons.  The changing of the seasons is a joy to me and although the Winter beats me in the face like a mean lover, I do kind of cherish the first snow, a crisp lungful of air and the colorful Fall leaves.  I am blessed to live somewhere that Nature is so radiantly displayed.

It's March and the daffodils are starting to sprout, the daylight lasts a little longer and Spring will be here before we know it.  I am no longer waiting for Spring to do the things I want to do.  

I leave you with this lovely quote below.  

~Creatively Yours (ARC)

I Made a Mistake

I made a mistake.  Actually I made quite a few.  Learned from some.  Ran from some.  Got bailed out of some.  All in all I've made a lot of mistakes.  Personally, romantically, friend-wise, monetarily and professionally.

I'm still here.

My mistakes don't define me or my business.  Some have made me stronger.  Some have made me very afraid of certain people and situations.  Even more have made me totally shun certain opportunities and possible clients that have come my way.

There is no amount of money that will make me walk into a situation that my gut says "no" to.  No. Amount.

So what am I saying?  That I'm stubborn?  Yes.  That I'm blind when it comes to money?  No.  That I'm willing to roll the dice and see what else is out there?  Absolutely.

The best thing about Creatively Yours (ARC) is that it's mine.  I make the rules, accept clients and reject projects that aren't right for me.  I call the shots. Mistakes are bound to ensue in every situation.

A mistake usually is trying to do something and failing.  I'm totally with failure if it leads to greater success later on.  A mistake means YOU TRIED and so many people are afraid to try.

So I'm off to make many more mistakes in all areas of my life.  For every 1 mistake I plan on having 3 victories.  Watch me fall, then watch me get up and brush myself off. Watch me fall again.  But please don't stop watching me.  I'm entertainment.  I'm living.  I'm doing my best and living to tell the tale. Watch me.

Living, Learning, Growing...

~Creatively Yours

Patience

As children we are taught to be patient.  Patience is a virtue.  Wait and you will receive whatever you desire.

What if I can’t wait any longer?

I have never been a patient person.  Sometimes I felt as if I was waiting for things that would simply never come, and it drove me to do things impulsively that I never would have done otherwise.

Business cultivates patience.  You wait to get paid.  You wait for people to "move" on projects.  You wait for information.  You wait for approvals.  "Yes?" or "No?" become the questions that rule your business life.

I figured having my own business would mean my patience would no longer be questioned or tested because I would be calling the shots.

I quickly learned how wrong I was.

On the outside I seem very calm, cool and collected.  Inside my mind is racing with new ideas, new projects, how to build a better mousetrap and how to take over the world (shout-out to T. and B.)  I need to stay as calm and grounded as possible to continue to be successful.

So I wait.  I'm practicing patience.  And I'll win.

Staying fueled up.

~Creatively Yours

Dreaming Wide Awake

I dream in color.  Vivid colors, complex story lines, plots, recurring dreams.  Dreams that make me cry, laugh, smile and talk in my sleep.  Dreams that haunt me through my days and inspire me to be a better person.  Dreams that warn me, guide me, awaken desire and make me yearn for more.

My dreams have always made me look for more.  I study things intently, deeply, emotionally. My dreams help me process all of that.  I'm proud to be sensitive.  Proud to proclaim I am a dreamer.

Creatively Yours was born from a dream and continues to be my magically-inspired baby.  The right clients are approaching and we are building these businesses step by step.  It feels right, it feels "connected", it feels blessed.

Keep Dreaming Creative Ones! Then Do It!

~Creatively Yours

Insomnia

Insomnia.

The news guy just said that the sun isn't coming up til 6:52 am today.  I've been up since 3:20 am.

There are at least 2 weeks a month where I don't sleep well.  It used to upset me so much as I love sleep as much as I love pretty much anything else in my life.  Yet I have grown to love and appreciate this quiet time in the middle of the night.  Thoughts are crystal clear.  Weird stuff plays on the television.  I feel like I am 3 steps ahead of the rest of the world.

Embracing insomnia has changed my life.  Instead of being angry about the lack of sleep, I adjusted my thinking to accepting that there is something on my mind that needs to be set free and this time even my great dreams won't do.  So I wake up.  Sometimes I write, sometimes I just veg out.  Most times I fall back to sleep on the couch.

Is there something in your life that you are fighting against that could be turned into something useful instead?  

I accept that my body and mind operate on their own systems.  I am simply the vessel that holds them both.  I won't fight it anymore.

So I'll take the "mind-sunshine" in the middle of the night.   Continuing to make the best of an odd situation.  Ever creating when I "could" be sleeping.

Work when you must....
Rest when you can....
Love, Always...

~Creatively Yours