Journey Juju

#best09 - Best New Person

I like my friends smart, but Joseph Coplans of Ink Stain Inc. leads the pack in nimble and deep thinking.

Joseph isn't new to my life - I've known him for a couple of years now. But this year our friendship moved to new heights, and I consider Joseph to be one of my most valued personal and professional advisors.

Some days I think Joseph has saved me from going down a soulless path with my work.

Joseph is a whip-sharp writer. His true gift is helping entrepreneurs tap the deeper meaning of what they do. A conversation with Joseph helps you understand what you do, what you really do, and the true impact you have on the world. Armed with that understanding, you can more easily communicate your value to potential clients.

I love the work Joseph is doing - marrying mythology and business in a new way that helps what he calls 'emotive entrepreneurs' understand and describe their work more easily.

Joseph is a stellar example of the best kind of man - tons of heart + incredible smarts + real world savvy.

And he's a lot of fun to hang out with.

#best09 - Best Change to Living Situation

 

This year, I lived in Roquebrun, France, then became a creative nomad for five weeks. Then I moved to Denver after being in Europe for a year. So there’s been a lot of change on the home front.

Stopping being a nomad was the best change I made. I can’t tolerate a nomadic lifestyle for too long. As a nomad I spent a lot of time making travel arrangements. Much as I love movement and change, I came to loathe the act of packing and leaving.

And while I love the work of planning travel, I also have other things I want to create. I don’t want to spend a ton of extra energy finding the best way to get from Amsterdam to Carcasonne, and Carcasonne to Italy.

I love home: the rhythms of it, the way I can control my food, being near my friends, easier access to exercise and yoga. Home helps me create my art, writing and work.

I love how travel opens me creatively, for the way it works me and makes me grow. I now have a balance of home and travel. My favorite thing is to make a home in a new place, even for a week. For that I need a kitchen and room to work.

My Graceful Return

Words spilling out after my return

On the night I returned from my five-week trip to Europe, the family I live with was hosting a pumpkin carving party. By the time I arrived from Paris, they were done carving and were enjoying dinner. I sat down, gave headlines from the trip and ate a bowl of curried squash soup. It was a beautiful and autumnal return from a long and challenging trip. 

This may have been the most difficult trip I have ever taken. Honestly I am surprised I made it the entire five weeks. But that’s another story; it would be great if I could turn it into a screenplay. I see it as a movie starring Maggie Gyllenhaal and Tom Cruise. :) It was also a trip full of unexpected delights, abundant insights and deep learning.

For me, travel almost always presents opportunities to learn and grow beyond my perceived capacity. Think personal growth boot camp, made palatable by tons of beauty and many joyous moments and lots of good food and drink.

So, upon my return, what to do with the complex mix of impressions, thoughts and emotions from one crazy and intense journey?

I’m using the tools from my e-book The Graceful Return to process the insights and learning from my trip. While on the road, I spent a lot of time reflecting on my work and what I want to share with my clients and readers in coming years. Mr. B, a successful businessman, gave me a lot of feedback (some painful - think dry shave and you get it). I’m busy sorting through it all to develop my work. 

Recovering from a Mobile Lifestyle

From Part One of The Graceful Return, I’m using several of the self-care practices I recommend. I’m talking about my experiences with good friends, who are helping me unpack and understand what I experienced. I’m making sure to exercise and eat nourishing foods. Most importantly, I spend time each day reflecting on the lessons from my trip. My notebook is packed with wildly enthusiastic notes and sketches. I also know that this process takes time and I may still be gathering insights months and even years later.

 

The Original Impulse home office

Bad Bike Juju Turns Good

Photo by Shelly Perry on a rainy July Denver day

If you don’t know this already, let me tell you now: my biggest pleasure in life is riding my bike in Denver. My second biggest pleasure is hitting yard sales on Saturday mornings. Every week, caffeinated by a cappuccino, I head out at 8 am on my trusty bike and ride for two hours, scouring Denver’s neighborhoods for deals.

Take one or both of those pleasures away from me and I’m a goner. I need these little pleasures in life. The freedom and the amazing deals I get make yard sale juju my favorite type of juju. My bike is my best friend. I go on long jaunts with my red Peugot. It’s my ride, my friend, my trusty steed. Listening to music, I zoom around the city’s parks, I soar down leafy streets, I work it work it work it up the occasional hill.

First bike film

Denver Sketch Crawl - Saturday, July 11th

The next Sketch Crawl is only days away! We're going to meet in downtown Denver, at Confluence Park. This is where the Platte River and Cherry Creek meet, across from REI. You may be able to park in the REI parking lot for a fee. Better yet, ride your bike!

Here's a map of Confluence Park:

View Larger Map

We'll meet here in a shady spot and make our way around REI, down Platte Street to Commons Park, ending at Ink for refreshments and conversation about our sketching experience.

Bring sunscreen, a hat, a sketching stool if you have one, something to sketch with, and prepare to relax and have fun! Meet from 2:00 - 5:00.

Denver Sketch Crawl - July 11th

The first Denver Sketch Crawl was a hit! We met at City Park and sat on a blanket while I went over the rules, which were minimal:

• A sketch is not a drawing, and is not meant to be perceived as a finished product. It’s a grab of something, a quick impression, a moment in time. Be loose.
• Frame your sketch – choose from an abundance of sights what you will focus on.
• Don’t look at the sketch, don’t show it to others, don’t judge.
• Don’t chat while sketching.

We slowly made our way through the park and to the Vine Street pub for nachos and beer afterward. I loved seeing my sketching tribe walking as if in a dream toward our destination. Sketching helps me slow down and relax. I do it because for me it’s meditative. It helps me focus my jumpy mind.

We all talked about the need to keep the critical voice in check. One sketcher decided that while he was sketching, he was God, and any mark he made was perfect. While we all face the same sketching challenges, each of us develops our own way to deal with them.

The next Denver Sketch Crawl will be on July 11th, from 2-5, location TBA. It’s World Wide Sketch Crawl day, so there will be sketch crawls happening around the world. If you don’t find one near you, organize one!

 

Denver Sketch Crawl This Saturday

Arapahoe Basin art studio, May 31st, 2009

It won't be snowing in Denver on June 6th, so all local Sketch Crawlers can draw with ease and joy. If you can believe it, I was at A-Basin last Sunday with a snowboarding friend. I was the only person on the scene who had her portable art studio. What a great day, hanging out on the top of a mountain with my play stuff.

I can't stop sketching! Join me and other sketchers this Saturday, June 6, at Denver's City Park (near the MLK statue) for a leisurely afternoon of sketching. Crawl takes place from 2 - 5 pm and will be followed by happy hour at St. Mark's on 17th for all who want to hang out.

Denver Sketch Crawl Flyer

Practicing scanning and posting...

Denver Sketch Crawl: June 6th

I continue the R&D for my projects blending art and travel. I’m going to act as if I’m still traveling and make art inspired by what’s around me in the moment.

Join me and other sketchers as we inch through the city. We’ll pause to sketch and gather our impressions in our notebooks. You can sketch with drawings or words. No experience required, just an open attitude.

I can hear you saying now "But I can't draw!" It's not about drawing, it's about seeing what’s around you and relishing life.

Denver Sketch Crawl

Saturday, June 6th, 2009

2 – 5 pm

Denver location TBA

Happy hour afterward - ice cream or drinks, depending on where we end up

Cost: absolutely free but no whiners. Bring friends and your kids!

Inspired by Enrico Casarosa and Danny Gregory.

I highly recommend looking at An Illustrated Life by Danny Gregory to stimulate the sketch urge.

More about sketch crawls worldwide.

Location and other details to follow.

Everything Got Better When I Found My Bling Box

I was unpacking and setting up my home. Drudging, lugging boxes, storing stuff in the Miss Honey Memorial Closet. And then I found my magic bling box. Everything got better after that. Voila my photo essay of my new home.

Original Impulse Inc. Home Office

Genius Studio

 

Goddess Sleep Nook

 

Everything will change

 

and there's Beauty here now.

Murals by John Higby in Capitol Hill, Denver, USA