conscious creating

Is Your Creative Life Worth Fighting For?

| Bonnie Kelso

Two Brains

How much time do you spend watching TV? This image appears on page 27 of my book Vitalize Your Creative Life. I stand by this graphic and the message it conveys. I also freely admit that I am a TV binger and lifelong TV addict. By the word “TV” I mean the effortless preoccupation of my brain by programmed sounds and videos on a screen (of any size) while the remainder of my body remains relatively inactive. In part I had no choice. I grew up with TV. I am the product of an early generation exposed to a now common type of addiction. Continue reading →

Detachment & Your Creativity

| Bonnie Kelso

Detachment

I taught a creativity class last week about “Detachment.” As creative beings, detachment can be difficult. We become very attached to things, possessions, people, memories from our past, our creations themselves…

What does it mean to detach? I used to feel that if I detached from something it meant that I didn’t care about it. Now I realize that when I detach, I allow the object of my attachment the freedom of independence.

Continue reading →

First Impressions

| Bonnie Kelso

Iam

The first time I saw you I knew you were the one. The one I was meant to meet. The one I was meant to spend the rest of my life with. I knew there was no turning back. It had happened. I saw you. You were clear and real, not a fuzzy vision from a dream. I had been working so hard at life, I had forgotten that I was here to find you. In that instant, the way you smiled, the way you carried yourself, the way you shimmered and sparkled like the stars in the deep moonless night, I knew Continue reading →

One Thing A Powerful Creator NEVER Does

| Bonnie Kelso

Ravens.jpg

Last week, seven ravens suddenly flew into my tree in the back yard. They squawked and prattled with each other and created a huge cacophony of sound. (I’ve always wanted to use the word cacophony, especially in relation to ravens, so thank you for this indulgence). I was just relaxing with my thoughts and my cat as the evening sun was growing low and golden when this raucous bunch totally caught me off-guard. My cat and I both just froze with amazement as they engaged in their noisy business. They had our full attention and my cat bravely tried to mimic their calls, but she was completely ignored. Apparently, she doesn’t speak Raven very well, and neither do I, because I’m still trying to completely decipher their message. After a few minutes, they finished their noisy chatter and flew off, one by one, in a line and out of sight.

Over the past week, I have meditated on the message of the Ravens. The number seven and the time of day also seemed significant, and I have been getting a lot of related messages about the sun and that golden yellow color. Just like me, as you learn to create your experience in life, you will begin to notice Continue reading →

Manage Your “To-Do” List Like A Superhero

| Bonnie Kelso

Superhero

Hello Creatives!!!

I’ve missed you! It’s been way too long since my last post. I have to confess, I have a dozen unfinished posts in my queue, but for one reason or another I was derailed from each one. The past few months have been like that. The ideas are flooding in, and I can hardly keep up with them. Thank you, God! But, this brings me to the topic I share with you today… How do you manage it all when your creative flow becomes a creative flood? How do you learn to prioritize your projects? How do you look at each new baby with discernment? How do you ever choose one over the other? Like a mother who has many children, how do you give each of them the attention they require, how do you avoid making any one of them feel less loved?

I am the mother of many creative projects right now. I am also the mother of small children. Not only that, I have parents, siblings, extended family, friends, clients, a co-parent, and a life partner. Yet, I am still only one person… capable, but still human. In today’s world, we are expected to be everything to everyone. Super-Mom Syndrome is alive and well. Why is this so strong an undercurrent? This does not just apply to women either. All of us, as we each move closer to true equality, we all feel it. Continue reading →

Happy Summer Solstice + Full MOON!

| Bonnie Kelso

SoulHouseGreetings from sunny Las Vegas on this fine Summer Solstice! Let’s face it. It’s summer here and it’s hot. It’s 115 degrees hot, and that feels like stepping into an oven when you walk outside today. So on this beautiful Summer Solstice, this longest day of the year, my family and I will be celebrating indoors in the air-conditioned comfort of our home, sweet home. The music is resonating, the paints are out, the play-doh is being kneaded, the legos are assembling into magnificent creations, there are snacks in the fridge, and the cat is tucked in a ball for her third or fourth nap for the day.

Today is the two-year anniversary of moving into our home. I call it the Soul House. On the Summer Solstice two years ago I sat here alone in the living room with absolutely no furniture, not even a single box brought in yet, and I communed with this house. It went something like this… Continue reading →

Creatively Reconnecting With Your Purpose

| Bonnie Kelso

theEYEToday I want to share with you a Creating Exercise designed to help you gain confidence in your inner wisdom. This is an especially helpful exercise if you feel like your life is not moving in the direction you would like or had envisioned it would. Perhaps, it feels as if you are experiencing a spell of unfortunate luck. Things you have hoped for are not panning out, or projects you have been spending a lot of time and effort on are not having the effect you were hoping for. When these feelings of uncertainty begin to preoccupy your thoughts, you can begin to feel less grounded in the world. It’s as if you are floating through life, unsure of your place in it. You can feel that your purpose is unclear or slipping away from you, and you begin to question if you are truly on the right path or not.

How have I just perfectly described what you are going through? Well, because, I am going through it as well. I have been posting on my blog for a year now. It has not been generating the results I was hoping for. Even, as I post this, I can hear the faint din of crickets… Thoughts begin to creep in beneath my seemingly impenetrable shield of creative confidence. Thoughts come in the form of questions such as:

Will anyone read this?

Does anyone care about what I have to share?

Is this a valuable way to spend my time?

What is the point of self-published writing anyway?

I would like to share with you where these valid questions have led me today. A time such as this, as uncomfortable as it can feel, can actually provide you with an important opportunity for growth… as long as you take advantage of it and resist shying away from the feelings you are experiencing. Continue reading →

Your Creativity & The Moon Cycles (Part 8: The Balsamic Moon)

| Bonnie Kelso

MoonCan you believe it has been less than a month since we started this Moon Cycle? It’s been quite a journey! This is what Conscious Creating is all about.

  • Checking in with your intentions every few days.
  • Staying open to opportunities that will help to manifest them.
  • Acting in alignment with your heart, mind, and soul.

It’s a powerful practice and one that can be used in so many areas of your life. Your increasing mindfulness bringing life and vitality to your creations and your day to day experiences. Ahhhhhhh!

So where are we now in the process? We are at the Balsamic Moon and the last phase of the Moon Cycle before we begin again with the next New Moon.

Just as balsamic vinegar is a potent and flavorful liquid produced through a reduction process, so is the Balsamic Moon phase a time for Continue reading →

Your Creativity & The Moon Cycles (Part 7: Last Quarter Moon)

| Bonnie Kelso

MoonWelcome to the Last Quarter Moon phase. How did your “share” go? Who did you talk to about your reveal? More importantly, how did you inspire them? Through sharing, you are given the opportunity to sort through important details. When you told your story, which part of the story did you get really excited about? What part did you rush through because it was too boring? Yadda, yadda, yadda… What part made you take a moment to pause and reflect? And at what part did you see your listener’s jaw drop open?

Sharing your story and your creative process helps you to identify the “magic” bits and pieces. Important cues are being delivered to you through the energetic exchange of conversation. It is your job to pay attention, record, and contemplate this valuable feedback. Keep in mind that feedback is not limited to how the other person responds. How you provide yourself with feedback through your feelings as you experience the sharing process is just as valuable.

… and so goes the Waning Moon phase. The Waning phase from the Full Moon through to the next New Moon is all about clarification. This is the time to edit, to refine, to tie up any loose ends. It’s time to do what needs to be done in order to put a project to rest. Especially at the Last Quarter, the energetic nature is about change, possible conflict, and ultimately a significant shift of some kind. Continue reading →