yes.

pike place market singer . june, 2009

Every day we slaughter our finest impulses. That is why we get a heartache when we read those lines written by the hand of a master and recognize them as our own, as the tender shoots which we stifled because we lacked the faith to believe in our own powers, our own criterion of truth and beauty. Every man, when he gets quiet, when he gets desperately honest with himself, is capable of uttering profound truths. We all derive from the same source. There is no mystery about the origin of things. We are all part of creation, all kings, all poets, all musicians; we have only to open up to discover what is already there.

Henry Miller

take a moment. remember.

we watched "sunday morning" this morning.

the opinion piece by martha gillis is something we all should watch...even though it is hard to sit in the quiet and listen to this woman's words, i believe, this is something we all need to see. something we all need to remember.

the words are found here.
you can scroll down and click on the video in the left column of that page (or click here).

blessings and peace,
liz

senses. a ballard beach afternoon.

{taste}



{hear}



{smell}



{touch}



{see}



{and know}

this day.

this morning, i almost forgot me for a bit

life is full in this moment....which can be oh so very beautiful...

but also an invitation for overwhelm

and a current project had me in a full-on stop. start. stop. what is going on? start. stop.

so i took myself outside

and found yellow + wishes

and remembered

simple things (on this day)

a pause at metropolitan market . july 8, 2009

christina has invited another day of "the simple things." i am bit late to the party, but i do so want to play along...especially because this was a day when i needed the reminder to gather the simple things close to me, to breathe them in, and to know that this is the good stuff that makes up this life.

we must remind ourselves of the simple goodness that makes up this journey.

my list...

happy skirts . tiny turner sings "better be good to me" into my ear and i dance in my seat at the cafe . the opportunity to make someone smile . the leaf atop my vanilla soy latte . momentum, when it chooses to visit . my husband's one day growth of beard . the visit to the dentist today that resulted in the words i have never heard before "you have no cavities" (took 33 years) . a friend who nods in understanding . a friend who holds the space for me . striped socks . owning that this is me . possibility that is each day . when someone says "yes" . that quilt, yes, that one . when the planted seed begins to stretch . the rhythm of each breath .

(thank you christina. this has really been the perfect bookend to this day.)

(and you reading this, you should go check out the links to all souls playing along today. go on...take a few minutes and read a few...then make your own list.)

an earth mermaid {in moving pictures}

*****

there is actually so much i want to say about this video...about the experience of making it, about the joy that is iMovie and the other tools we used to make it, about how collaborating with jon is really bringing some play and fun into our lives...

but right now, in this moment of a full day, i really just so want to share the movie with you. so, i will come back to this topic of what this movie means to me in another post later this week...

oh and i also want to let you know that the words and the subject are directly inspired by this post, a response to self-portrait challenge, that i wrote just about two years ago...

emerge. (yes.)

The only way I have ever understood, broken free, emerged, healed, forgiven, flourished, and grown powerful is by asking the hardest questions and then living into the answers through opening up to my own terror and transmuting it into creativity. I have gotten nowhere by retreating into hand-me-down sureties or resisting the tensions that truth ignited.

Sue Monk Kid

nine {with goddess leonie}

Nine is an interview series with creative folks that began in the Spring of 2009; the interviewees are asked to respond to the interview questions in photographs (or video). You can scroll through all the interviews here.

Today's interview is with the marvelous Goddess Leonie. It was through a post Leonie made on Sark's Message Board that I found myself in blog world several years ago. Since then, her energy and positive force of goodness have been apparent to me as I peek in on her blog and her art and connect with her across the earth in this incredible world that is the Internet. I imagine that her kind spirit and welcoming, open-hearted nature have probably sheparded many a woman into the magical world of blogging. And I think that anyone who comes across her path will find herself wanting to pursue the dreams of her heart...

Enjoy this insight into pieces of Leonie's world through her answers....


*****

Question 1: Who are you?

Question 2: What do you love about where you live?

Question 3: What might your perfect afternoon look like?

Question 4: If you had an hour alone in your studio/creative space, what would you do?

Question 5: Right now, what are some of your favorite things?

Question 6: What foods nourish your soul?

Question 7: When you need to simply take a breath and reground yourself, what do you do?

Question 8: How do you nurture your creative dreams?

Question 9: Does your heart have a secret wish you want to share?




Goddess Leonie helps women discover the creative, joyful, and spiritual Goddess inside them through e-courses and coaching. Check out her website and blog at www.goddessguidebook.com and see her latest e-course at www.decluttergoddesses.com.

(all photos copyright Goddess Leonie)

scenes from an impromptu eve of the fourth picnic.

brave. know. love.

breathing in . alki beach self-portrait

i am the tumbled dusty pink scallop shell

i am the whispering knee-high indiana fields

know, a new soul mantra in the shop

i am the tucked inside your pocket talisman

i am the moment she said yes

i am the sunset-streaked wave

this is me . alki beach . photo by jon

i am resting inside truth

i am walking through laughter

i am twirling inside what my heart knows

i am . brave, a new soul mantra in the shop

i am brave

i am hope

i am love

love, a new soul mantra in the shop

*****

these phrases are whispering, no, singing inside my heart on this day.

i am hope. i am brave. i am twirling inside what i know. i am love. i am...

in this moment...who are you?

i'd love to know...

good things.

pike place market peonies . june 2009

The more man meditates upon good thoughts, the better will be his world and the world at large.

Confucius

nine {with jen goff}

Nine is an interview series with creative folks that began in the Spring of 2009; the interviewees are asked to respond to the interview questions in photographs (or video). You can scroll through all the interviews here.

Today's interview is with the beautiful spirit Jen Goff. I met Jen last fall and then was lucky enough to spend a week at the Oregon coast with her (and some other soulfull ladies) earlier this year. Jen teaches me about living my life with an open heart and to listen to the whispers of my intuition. And, I am so excited to be teaching an evening class, Recipes for Self Care, at Art and Soul with her in October.

Enjoy getting to know Jen through these glimpses into her world...

*****

Question 1: Who are you?

Question 2: What do you love about where you live?

Question 3: What might your perfect afternoon look like?

Question 4: If you had an hour alone in your studio/creative space, what would you do?

Question 5: Right now, what are some of your favorite things?

Question 6: What foods nourish your soul?

Question 7: When you need to simply take a breath and reground yourself, what do you do?

Question 8: How do you nurture your creative dreams?

Question 9: Does your heart have a secret wish you want to share?

Jen Goff is a jewelry designer and mixed media artist living in Portland, Oregon. She finds her inspiration in old worn fibers, dream-like photographs, and things collected on walks in the woods. Currently, she is working on a body of work that includes a lichen coat and a seed pod dress. Her hope is that this entire collection will be shown in an open field with live cello music and birds flying overhead. You can see more of what Jen is up to at her blog, Unravel, and view her jewelry at her website, Paper Wings.

(All photos + video copyright Jen Goff)

notes...winners...a sale

found heart, alki beach . june 25, 2009

the blue sky is smiling down on us here in the south part of puget sound. summer is in the air as we grilled burgers for lunch and wished for a picnic or an evening with twinkle lights and buckets of beer and laughter of friends far away.

today, i am probably going to head to a favorite cafe for a bit. i am working on a few inspiring projects lately and that is a really good thing. my brain seems to find a sort of flow when drinking a vanilla soy latte surrounded by other people lost in their books, laptops, conversation, one another. oh and i am falling in love with squarespace and creating my own little corner of the web (along with a new, improved corner for the be present retreats...both sites coming soon).

*****

as my path meanders here and there and takes me into new adventures, i have decided to do a few different things with my etsy shop. these changes will probably be implemented over the next few months...and are just a few new things rolling around in this brain of mine.

the first change is that starting next month, about four soul mantra necklaces will be available per month. this will include (about) two new designs and two "old favorites." those will probably be the only necklaces available at any given time. i want to see how this new idea works for a bit...i will still be adding "all dressed up" necklaces from time to time.

so, this means that all the current "old favorite" soul mantras (except a "to be determined" two) will not be available in the shop starting july 1...

so...

i have decided to have a SALE!

this means all soul mantra necklaces in the shop (like the four above and others) are $18!

so if you have your eye on one, get it now before it takes a break from the shop!

also, just for fun, all current "all dressed up" necklaces are 20% off.

(the prices do not reflect the savings. the easiest way i have found with etsy when having a sale is to refund the difference in the sale price after purchase. this will be done promptly after a purchase is made.)

oh and i did add a few summery bags to the shop (simple selma totes, a few library pocket totes, and two maude bags). i plan to take my yellow library tote literally to the library later this week...makes me smile.

*****

the winners of the CD giveaway from the bubbleville post are:

Vanessa (comment #15)

and

Anna-Marie Still (comment #4)

congratulations! please send me an email at waywardtulip(@)gmail(dot)com with your address and i will send them off to you!!

and thank you all for your kind comments about our video. jon and i plan to make a few more. we actually spent an afternoon at the mandolin cafe dreaming up new ideas. so. much. fun.

*****

tune in tomorrow afternoon for the next nine interview.

and i hope wherever you are in the world you are feeling the sun shine upon you...

.in this moment.

photo by jon

in this moment
find your breath

find the rhythm
inhale
notice how your body moves
exhale
notice how your mind settles

inhale

exhale

seek the space around your heart

inhale

exhale

inhale

exhale

inhale
begin to allow peace to fill this space

exhale
let this peace settle over you

inhale

exhale

inhale
breathe in this peace

exhale
begin to send peace
to someone
who needs this peace
in this moment

inhale

exhale

inhale

exhale

inhale
breathe this peace in

exhale
let it settle over you

inhale
feel this space around your heart

exhale
rest inside this peace within you

namaste

senses view: an afternoon pause (a new series)

Since very early on here at be present, be here, I have been inspired by the senses as a creative prompt for both writing and photography. Earlier this month, I invited Jon to join me on a senses photography artist date; we each then created a series of photos that represented the senses (including a sixth sense of "know" that I include in my own exercises). I have written about this experience over at the Wish Studio; you can check out the essay "Through Their Lens" here (I hope you will...Mindy's site is a wonderful source of inspiration and full of goodness from so many delightful contributors).

When Mindy asked me to be her guest, I decided to write about perspective. As I thought about this topic, I began to focus on the idea of bringing in another person's perspective into our creative world. I also thought about how we might be able to see a similar experience through the photos taken by someone else, which prompted me to invite Jon to join me.

Last week, I was telling Kristen about all this and in the way that so often happens when two friends get excited about something, a new creative idea was born. I mentioned something like, "I think I might like to do exercises like this, with someone else's perspective on the senses in photographs...maybe more with Jon...maybe my friends when I get together with them..." Then we started brainstorming and suddenly it became very clear that not only could I invite people along on senses artist dates in person, but I could, of course, invite someone along in a long-distance sort of way. Which is, for me, a very good thing as I have just a handful of folks near me who might want to join me on such an adventure.

Oh how thankful I am for brainstorming sessions like this one (thank you my dear friend).

Kristen agreed to take part in the first "senses view" diptych collaboration. With each long-distance collaboration, there will be a theme that will serve as a prompt for each of us. In-person collaborations (like the one Jon and I did, see those photos here), will more than likely simply have the surrounding environment as the prompt. Also, we chose our photos without discussing, so they are paired according to each sense the photographer assigned.

This series theme is "afternoon pause." We hope you enjoy...

*******

{hear}

{see}

{smell}

{touch}

{taste}

{and know}

(Kristen on the left, Liz on the right)