Mondo Beyondo Part 2

Rose black tea from Imperial Court Tea House, Canon Digital Rebel

A lot of people have asked about Mondo Beyondo this year, and honestly, in the midst of all my busyness (I have been on the overwhelmed side of life for several months now) I forgot how powerful an exercise it is. I took a moment to re-read the Mondo Beyondo post again and remembered how important it is for us to ritualize the New Year, how January is such a wonderful snow white blank slate upon which to dream.

Something I am learning this year is the importance of not simply dreaming and manifesting, but also "completing" (or finding peace with) what came before. To start the new year with a blank slate we also need to acknowledge everything we need to acknowledge about the previous year. What worked? What didn't? What were the upsets and failures? What were the successes and joys? What are you proud of and how did you grow? What really sucked?

Once you have said all there is to say about 2005, declare it complete! and move on to the magic of Mondo Beyondo. Then share some of your boldest dreams right here on this site. We want to be inspired by what you are out to create this year and beyond.
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I have also been asking my coaching clients to come up with a theme for 2006. The theme could be anything from "The year of Yes" to "The year of quiet", "The year of Adventure" or "The Year of Self-Care." The fabulous Swirly Girl started a project this year called 52 figments. It is a weekly creative assignment that you can download from her site. The first assignment is about exactly this...

What is your theme for 2006 and what does your Mondo Beyondo look like?

Photo Friday: Best of 2005

macchiato, Canon Digital Rebel

Photo Friday's theme this week is "Best of 2005." It was hard to choose which photo was my favorite this year. I was torn between this shot and the above image of the caterpillar. I chose this image because I had a more visceral response of wonder and delight to this beautiful little guy. He somehow gives me hope.

What are you most proud of from 2005?

Just say yes

birds, Canon Digital Rebel

Watch this ad and let it blow your mind. It is one of the most beautiful little films I have ever seen...and was filmed in/near my neighborhood. Pure superhero color. {via Jennifer Paddack-Hyde}

I heard an interview this week with the author Patricia Ryan Madson who wrote a book called Improv Wisdom: Don't Prepare, Just Show Up. She is an improv teacher at Stanford, but has translated the principles of improv acting into rules for life. From her website: "A book that teaches the principles of improvisation as guidance for a life of adventure and meaning."

One of the maxims of the book, "Just say yes" spoke volumes to me. Without even having to read the book, that phrase shifted my thinking yesterday. What if my default was yes? What if, whenever I was on the fence about something, hemming and hawing about whether to go or stay, buy it or not, say something or not, my default was to just say yes? How would my life shift? What kind of adventures would I have?

It's easy to stay safe. To do it the same way we always have, to stay inside instead of going out, to not say hello to the cute boy/girl when we could, to wait and wait and wait wondering if we should buy the ticket to Paris...

How would your life change if you spent 2006 just saying yes?

We heart the Weepies

Deb Talan and Steve Tannen, polaroid SX-70

The Weepies new album, Say I am You will be released March 7th with Nettwerk records {that's the fab Canadian label that Sarah McLachalan is on folks. Hooray for them!}

The good news is that you can download any of the 13 new tracks (or download the whole CD at once) today through most of the big internet download sites, including: ITunes, Real/Rhapsody, Napster, Virgin, eMusic, and Yahoo.

cake practice

frosting practice at the Culinary Academy, Canon Digital Rebel

Did you know that people in cooking school have to practice their loopy, chocolatey curves just like we did when we learned cursive?

Sometimes we see the end result (someone's web site, book, album, cake) and we don't see all of the blood, sweat and tears that went into it. We don't see them fail, try again, rip the paper to shreds, quit, start over, tell themself they suck, do it anyway. We don't see all the messiness of the process. We don't see their scales, their sketches, their first drafts, their cake practice.

If we did, we'd have a lot more compassion for ourselves, for our own messes and half-assed attempts at creating beauty.

cute overload

labyrinth at Land's End Olympus Epic

All I have to say is serious cute overload.

And for all of you who asked who the other four artists were that I sent jewelry to... They were Ben Harper (you all know how I crush out on that guy,) Drew Barrymore (ever since ET), and Lisa Kudrow (someone gave me her address and I think she's cool) I honestly can't remember who the last one was so I must have a fickle heart for them!

A friend in the fashion business in Los Angeles was the one who suggested I send jewels to famous folks in Hollywood. What I discovered was that it felt really good to share my work with the people I truly admired, but the names and addresses that she gave me just for publicity made me feel weird and inauthentic. In the end, the people I had a real affection for were the ones that responded to me. I remember my cell phone ringing at 2AM one night and I grumbled in my sleep, 'Who the hell is calling me at this hour?' When I listened to the voicemail in the morning I heard Ben Harper's voice thanking me for the necklace. I saved the message on my phone for months. If I could have bronzed it or encased it in glass I would have.

But something I recommend even more than this is to interview people you admire in business. When I started out, I interviewed Christine Miller from Swirly (who continues to be a great inspiration to me), Pixie who had a pajama company called Napcake, a friend who had had a successful clothing business and Emily Voth from Indigo Wild. {Of course my biggest mentors have been SARK and the incredible women I worked with at Camp SARK}

These conversations gave me the last bit of courage and inspiration I was looking for before I started my business, but they did something else that I didn’t expect. They provided a team of support that I drew upon for inspiration over the years. And because I looked to them as mentors and guides at the beginning, they were invested in my success in a wonderful way. I had created a team of allies simply by reaching out and asking for help.

Jonatha is my supershero

my supershero

So I got a little giddy tonight seeing this photo. My superhero Jonatha Brooke wearing one of my pieces, belting it out on tour with Joe Cocker all over Europe...

When I started my business five years ago, I sent superhero necklaces to five people I admired in the world. Jonatha was at the top of my list. She surprised me by emailing almost immediately and ordering more in every color. A girl gets a little fluttery just thinking about it.

If you've never heard Jonatha's music, get yer booty over to her site. She is a bad ass rock star.

brave with my camera

the sign factory, Olympus Epic

I was passing by a warehouse last week on Bryant and was taken in by all the street signs inside. A man noticed me peeking in, asked if I needed help, and I bravely requested a tour. It was so cool! {and it turns out he was very flattered to have been asked} Behind the scenes of the guys who make all the signage in San Francisco. An odd little adventure in my day...

Note on Feria Urbana: I will no longer be doing my show at Feria Urbana tomorrow afternoon December 17th! Sadly, I had to cancel...

my favorites

my favorite skirt, Canon Digital Rebel

And some other favorites of mine:
My favorite dish soap is Ylang Ylang Citrus Mint
although the pineapple nutmeg sounds delish.
My favorite shopping site is Mighty Goods
My favorite photoblog is Chromasia
My favorite candle is Mexican Cocoa
My favorite place to print photos is Ezprints
My favorite lotions are Himalayan Larch and Ginger Milk

More favorites to come...

water

surfer, Ocean Beach Olympus Epic

"Those of you who are scattered,
simplify your worrying lives. There is one
righteousness: Water the fruit trees,
and don't water the thorns." Rumi

I smiled when I read this passage this morning. I smiled because of its truth, I smiled knowing that I have been watering so many fears and worries and what-ifs and it'll-never-works and why-me's... and I smiled because there is a way out. There is a way out of the tangle of sadness, out of the habit of sadness, and at this moment, I see that I have a choice: Where am I going to put my attention? What thoughts will I water today? Will it be the fruit trees or the thorns?

I had a tarot reading last night at a trunk show. We looked at my barriers to pregnancy and one of the cards that came up was about exactly this. She told me, "We get what we put our attention on. We know what we've been thinking about when we look at our lives. Our lives are a manifestation of our thoughts."

I've been feeling very sorry for myself for a long time... And this morning, I can laugh at myself a bit. I can see that I am tired of telling the same old story over and over again (even to myself).

What story are you tired of telling?

This isn't about positive thinking. This isn't about denial or looking at the bright side. This is about creating and manifesting and causing magic in your life. This is choosing joy, choosing gratitude, choosing aliveness over fear and worry and cynicism.

It is simple but not easy. It is rigorous and it takes practice. It is a muscle to exercise. As it gets stronger it gets easier and more fun. It is a gift you give yourself.

It is being really present with the sadness or concern or anger or rage or joy. It is not resisting it, but embracing it. It is making a conscious choice.

I've been choosing the thorns for a while. I have felt their sharpness, I have seen how they protect, I have noticed how alongside the blooms, they can even be beautiful. But I am on a new journey, a new exploration.

"Mad with thirst, he can drink from the stream
running so close by his face. He's like a pearl
on the deep bottom, wondering, inside his shell,
Where's the ocean?" Rumi

I am that pearl. And I am laughing at the sight of water.

My 8 shooter takes photos of cute boys

Chris, Fort Funston Oktomat