Monday, November 7, 2011

Creativity and TEDxCalgary Talk

My friend Joyce Wycoff at Peaceful Legacies is an amazingly heart-driven, lovingly conscious woman. Yesterday, she wrote about beginning a 21 Cay Creativity Cleanse. In her post she lists 3 things she learned at at Laura Hollic's website about creativity and the 21 day challenge she is leading:
  1.  Give yourself permission to fantasize, dream and imagine. Put yourself in the land of possibility about what your life could be like.
  2. Honor your ideas as much as you would money that came to you unexpectedly. Write them down and celebrate them.
  3. Do some action that moves you in the direction of making the idea real.
As I am working on my presentation for the TEDxCalgary event on November 18, I'm finding myself blocked, spinning wheels, crazily creative, -- going all sorts of places that enhance and detract from my creativity and my voice.

While meeting with a friend he said -- don't think about what you need to say to 'them', out there. Focus on what you need to say to you, inside.

I am filled with ideas on what to say, how to say it, what props to use -- and I keep changing my mind :) as to what to say, how to say it and what props to use.

And then, I listened to a video on building your business online and the speaker said -- to figure out what you want to say, ask yourself -- what am I most passionate about, and then, speak to that.

Ah, that's it. I am absolutely, completely passionate about awakening people to their magnificence. To opening their eyes to their beauty, their brilliance, their divine essence.

The story I have to tell is about losing my sense of wonder in who I was, and then finding myself lost on the road to hell. In finding myself there, I was given the gift of my life -- and that is what I am speaking about. How in uncovering the gift of my life, I have come to see the world through eyes of wonder. A place where every human being, even those with whom I have discord or disagreements, is a beautiful, brilliant being of light. My desire is to love the human condition, no matter how it presents itself in my life.

And I believe we can. I believe we must.

Love our human condition. Completely.

Thank you Joyce. In reading your post this morning, I have been inspired -- and in that inspiration lay the seeds of my story unfolding. In your spark of joy, I found myself opening up to what I want to share -- joy, love, and laughter. 

I want people to know -- they are not alone. That we all fall down. It isn't in the falling down that we die, it's in the never getting back up.

and we can 'get back up'. It takes, commitment. Determination. Focus and, most importantly, LOVE.

And that is the power of opening up and letting the muse flow through me.

When I 'Think', I get stuck in my head. My ego gets engaged in the process of creating, and whenever my ego is taking the lead in the creative process, what appears is formula driven, outcome centric and dull.

When I let myself sink into my heart, when I open up to the muse flowing through me, ideas form organically, thoughts cascade  into streams of light and I become the conduit, rather than 'the builder'.

I have a story to tell, and in its telling, possibility awakens for all of us to embrace the beauty, and the beast, within. In my story, the ending is just the beginning of life unfolding in all its rapturous wonder, in all its brilliant design.

We all have a story. It's not the story that makes the difference. It's what the story inspires us to let go of, let be, let become, that makes our world a radiant place.

10 comments:

Joyce Wycoff said...

OMG! TEDx! I am in awe and oh, how I wish I could be there to elbow the person next to me and whisper, "I know her. She's amazing. Listen closely, she's wise and wonderful!"

You are right on about telling the story ... remember Elie Wiesel said, "Whoever survives a test, whatever it may be, must tell the story."

MUST tell the story. You rock!

Maureen said...

Perhaps your title could be Beauty and the Beast.

I imagine this as a very inspiring talk. You'll do fine!

Alyssa Wright said...

Great advice for anyone, and I'm so thrilled you found it at such an important moment!

Anonymous said...

I am so lost and confused and I read your words and I wonder How do you reach that point in life. How do you get there from this place of fear?

S. Etole said...

What inspiration you give us.

Louise Gallagher said...

Thank you Joyce! I will carry you in my heart.... and inspiration!

And thank you for the Elie Weisel quote -- I had forgotten and it is so apropos.

Louise Gallagher said...

Ah yes, Alyssa. It is the best way to overcome 'writer's block' :)

Hugs! to Don too.

Louise Gallagher said...

Anonymous. You ask how -- it is one baby step at a time. It is an acknowledging 'what I want more of in my life' and then fearlessly letting go the voice that would have me believe -- I can't do it.

Sometimes, the letting go of 'what was' is so difficult because we fear, there is nothing after the 'what was'.

And there is. there always is.

You are welcome to email me directly and we can chat more if you wish.

in those beginning days I had to acknowledge -- I was abused. I didn't deserve to be abused. And I did not deserve to live in pain.

And so, I made a commitment to live in joy and LOVE. Always love.

Hugs

Louise Gallagher said...

Maureen my dear friend -- the very first piece I wrote about Conrad and that relationship was called.... Beauty and the Beast.

thank you for the inspiration to go back to my roots and dig into the truth, the beauty and the beastly darkness that would have had me believe -- I was unworthy. It was so untrue. It is so untrue. I am worth. We all are! :)

Louise Gallagher said...

thank you Susan. I really appreciate your words and support.