What Letting Go REALLY Looks Like
Here is my short list of FEEL GOOD ideas I hope will inspire you!
1. I’m Out of the Ditch and I’ve Discovered Cheese Sauce: I mentioned a few weeks back that the ditch is only a few feet from the ROAD (whether its you eating or your creative work where you’ve gotten in the mud!). I have been back on the ROAD for 28 days with my eating (which ALSO supports my creative work) and I’m feeling wonderful.
Part of what helped me get there was just granting myself permission to be human and a single IFS parts work session. Since then, I’ve been taking the time to tend myself lovingly (and my family who is around) to home cooked meals. One revelation is THIS CHEESE SAUCE over a big pile of steamed veggies (14 oz for me but who’s counting!). Her whole cookbook is HERE
2. The Robots Might Save Your Bacon! I just used Artificial Intelligence (the free CHAT GPT app) to help me generate a rough draft for the marketing copy for back cover of my book…
I love writing books, but I don’t love writing the marketing copy.
Here’s the prompt I used: If I wrote a book about sarah Seidelmann’s 100 day boundary project “my summer of no” with illustrations and titled it “boundaries preserve love” what would the marketing copy be?
(My project was public and AI could search for my posts and images about it)
AI provided me a surprisingly awesome first draft and I tweaked it for ten minutes…here’s a short excerpt:
Embark on a transformative (and irreverent) journey of self-discovery and love in “Boundaries Make Love Possible”. Inspired by Sarah Bamford Seidelmann’s groundbreaking 100-day project, “My Summer of No,” this captivating book is fully illustrated to bring personal boundaries to life. Dive into an intimate curriculum that helps you assess, self-reflect, and polish up your own boundary practice. Each lesson is accompanied by powerful prompts and prayers for divine guidance.
Follow Sarah as she unravels the complexities of relationships and discovers the essence of love during a summer of self-reflection. Through setting healthy boundaries, she navigates the delicate balance of self-care and nurturing connections. Witness her growth as you learn valuable lessons in authentic communication, asserting boundaries, and building lasting love. hate to write this sort of marketing copy- my brain doesn’t like it! But you need it for readers to understand why they should buy or read a book!
How are YOU using AI to improve your creative process, life or business? I’m curious to discover other good applications. Look for my new book at the end of the Summer!
3. What Dropping Resistance REALLY Looks Like. This post got many likes and shares this week. It’s a poem I wrote in 2016 in response to another poem I read by Safire Rose…I still long to be this woman (except without the bread and jam:):):) and I frequently am!
(me painting at Chester Creek near my home)
She dropped all resistance.
It was all quiet in the house when she decided.
She did it with everything she had.
She rose early so she could watch the sun rise.
She began saying “yes” more often … trusting she’d be given the how to’s.
She joined the club (her Mother had been asking her for years) and recognized it was a sacred sisterhood.
She turned a blind eye to the dog hair and called her sister instead.
She dropped all resistance.
She bought the tickets to Peru and put a dream into motion
She noticed how beautiful the sun was when it lit the trees from behind.
She baked bread from an old recipe and served it with raspberry jam she made from bushes in the yard.
She learned a few songs by heart that made her feel like she was home and sang them to friends.
She dropped all resistance.
She read books slowly over lunch…tasting every word.
She listened carefully to the flowers, birds, animals, mushrooms and bees.
She looked into her children’s eyes and could see that they were really ok.
She cried at the drop of a hat for joy and for deep sadness and sometimes because she remembered something very sweet.
She traded her 1.3 carat diamond for a gold band and a BIG adventure.
She swapped wine for a fully alive Kombucha sweetened by bees.
She offered tobacco each time she harvested something from the earth
She stopped reacting to the mercurial moods of others and honored them with peace.
She emptied the dishwasher with quiet purposefulness and joy.
She saw light workers EVERYWHERE
She looked into the eyes of the convenience store clerk and smiled at him.
She felt a strong kinship with trees and took time, especially with the oldest ones to converse and learn a bit each day.
She whispered THANK YOU each time she drew water from the tap.
She envisioned feathered comfort surrounding all those who were suffering.
She caught her own eyes in the mirror and saw the light in them and smiled.
She shared everything she had with those around her because it felt like dancing.
She blocked off time to write.
She fell into a luxurious cadence with the earth.
~me
What might dropping resistance look like in your own life?
4. Quote I’m Considering:
With the objective of simply doing great work, a ripple effect occurs. A bar is set for everything you do, which may not only lift your work to new heights, but raise the vibration of your entire life. It may even inspire others to do their best work. Greatness begets greatness. It’s infectious.
Rick Rubin, The Creative Act: A Way of Being
I’m not sure about GREAT work- but doing my VERY BEST work feels empowering to me! Have you read the book yet?
5: 15 ideas for an 84 day Project: These awesome ideas come from a past + current participant, Diva Savesoil….A friend of mine LOVED #4..Oooooo!!
1. 100 days taking pictures of windows (around city)
2. 100 days of metaphors
3. 100 days of spontaneity
4. 100 days of things I am afraid to say out loud
5. 100 days of 100 project ideas
6. 100 days of 100 prompts / powerful questions
7. 100 days of courageous acts
8. 100 days of doodling life equations
9. 100 days of drumming
10. 100 days of painting the sky
11. 100 things I learnt that really lit me up- made into art !
12. 100 days of daily gratitude – made into art !
13. 100 days of what it means to play – take a picture with your words, a camera or any other way
14. 100 days of books I wish existed
15. 100 days of reading 1 book a day + sharing thoughts
16. 100 ways to say No (or how to draw boundaries playfully)
17. 100 days of self-reflection about <insert topic >
18. 100 days of talking to strangers
19. 100 ways of not having to be perfect
20. 100 days of learning to create a garden
21. 100 days of mistakes and messes / Collecting 100 rejection slips
22. 100 days of watching Ted Talks and sharing learnings
23. 100 days of journaling free write
24. 100 days of making pretty salads / pretty food
25. 100 days of decluttering and/or releasing
What do you yearn for more of? That’s a clue to a great project for you! JOIN US.
6. Save the Date! I will be inviting You in first to preview it before I share with the public!
We begin CREATIVE SOUL RETRIEVAL on May 31 to create each day for 15 minutes! This is life changing work, no hyperbole:) You can learn more and join us. My one hour class to help you design your project is already posted and there are other resources too! Learn more and join us!
Have a FANTASTIC long weekend (if you’re in the U.S.)!
You can book vibe-raising divinations, life- coaching, and shamanic healing/mentoring into June HERE.
with love,
Sarah
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Have you been putting off a creative practice because life is moving too fast?
One way to fit songwriting, uke playing, drawing, painting, writing or comedy (or whatever sort of “making” you’d like to get better at) into your life is to do a #100dayproject!
Four years ago, with three kids still at home, a book I was writing + a busy teaching and healing practice- I was having trouble fitting what mattered to me (creativity!) into my days…This method made it possible!
A whole bunch of us are going to do it together beginning June 1!
I’ll be sharing best practices and lots of other inspo! Learn more + Join us HERE.
