Our Creativity Is the Source of Our Vitality

2013 ANNUAL REVIEW BY CYNTHIA MORRIS

VITALITYCREATIVITYI S T H E S O U R C E O F M Y

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Adopt & adapt

What we really need to be creative stars

Year of the spirit

Dropping a lifelong habit

The one thing tweak that changed everything

The foundation of happiness

First year in my own art school - how did I do?

Hitting refresh on my writing and failed experiments

How to let go in business

Art school year two

Nothing happens without support

Writing a new ending

Satisfied with 2013

Original Impulse offers for your 2014

Resources to fuel your creativity

ADOPT & ADAPT

CYNTHIA MORRIS - ORIGINAL IMPULSE - [email protected] - WWW.ORIGINALIMPULSE.COM 3

We watch movies, read stories, and listen to music partly as a way to reflect upon our own inner experience. Perhaps we uncon-sciously think, ‘what’s my version of that?’

I’m writing this annual report for you because I want to share some of what has happened behind the scenes this year with me and Original Impulse.

My hope is that this will inspire you and will give you some ideas and pointers toward your own best year next year. That my honesty and sharing will help you align with parts of yourself that have been tucked away and hidden for too long.

I’ve never written a document like this, and once the idea came to me, I got very excited about it. I was excited about writing something longer than a 300-word blog post. Mostly I was excited about sharing more of myself than I want to share on a blog post.

It’s a good idea for business owners to assess the year. To see what worked, what didn’t, and to strategize for next year.

Why not have best practices for individuals?

It’s helpful for me to do the same process. I’m on a growth path, and I want to have the best experience I can on this planet. That’s why I do what I do - help creative people enjoy their talents and their lives, their way.

Why share this with you? I don’t be-lieve in prescriptive advice. My way won’t be your way, so don’t read this and think you need to do things the way I have. Adopt and adapt your own processes, geared to your own vitality. Maybe the surprises I expe-rienced will surprise you, too. Maybe we have shared some experiences.

My hope is that my story inspires your creative vitality. In this annual report, you’ll hear about the one surprising

thing that changed everything. I’ll share resources that guided me toward my best self. Peek behind the scenes of my own creative process and see what I have in store for you in 2014.

Welcome to my world, and thanks for reading.

No matter how the same experience plays out for others -

we get to do it our way.

ADOPT & ADAPT

http://www.originalimpulse.com

WHAT WE REALLY NEED TO BE CREATIVE STARS


Your creativity is the source of your vitality. But without your vital energy, you cannot create.

It seems that the most creative and happy people are those who have a high level of overall health. Sure, we know the myth of the ‘wasted artist’ - the drunken, drug-addled genius who accesses his brilliance through extreme situations. But I believe that’s be-ing replaced with the notion that the more clear you are mentally, emotionally and physically, the better your output.

The challenges of the creative life - inability to focus, difficulty finishing projects, fear, lack of confidence, lack of skills - are all di-rectly influenced by the state of our mental, emotional and physi-cal health.

This is at the core of my coaching work. People often think I am a coach who gets into a client’s manuscript with her, editing and suggesting better ways to write.

No. My work with my clients goes much deeper than that. Writers are not just hands and brains connected by a pen. A writer - or any artist - is an amalgamation of all the influences in her life. Her relationships, her home, her other obligations and activities all ex-ert a direct and powerful influence on her ability to create.

It is my honor and pleasure to help people align with all the forces in their lives so they can do their most creative work.

It is my duty and my pleasure to do that work myself, to walk my talk. This report shares the challenges I’ve faced this year as I’ve sought my own alignment.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? The ‘What About You’ part of this review will offer my power tools - my coaching inquiries - for your use when considering your own life and practices.

• Haveyoudoneyourownannualreview,reflectingonthethingsyouweretryingtoachieveandhowyouwanttoliveyourlife?

• Yourannualreviewmayincludeanassessmentofgoalachievement,ofyourfocus,yourpractices.I’llshareresourceslaterfordifferentwaystodoanannualreview.• Youcanalsouseeachofmysectionsasareasinyourlifetoreview.

Only by honoring our physical, emotional and

social needs are we able to do our best work.

WHAT WE REALLY NEED TO BE CREATIVE STARS

YEAR OF THE SPIRIT


After the abundant madness that was 2012, I knew that 2013 would be entirely different. I just didn’t know how.

Why did I decide to devote this year to my own personal health and well-being? A friend asked me if I always do this much. I laughed. This is my life: to optimize my experience as much as I can so I can create the best work possible. Clearing away the ex-ternal a nd internal debris is part of the process.

When we set out to create our best life, there are two main areas of work: the external and the internal.

EXTERNAL: To write a book or make art, we get our subject matter and materials in order. We set up our schedule and space and get to work.

INTERNAL: Along the way we encounter our belief system, our values, our fears and our limitations.

Typically, we go for the external tweaks. If we can make order of our world, we can achieve success. But I’ve learned that the exter-nal is only as strong as the internal. In recent years, as I launched my novel, I was focused on the external, managing the internal as the need arose.

This year, I knew that to be the happy, healthy person I want to be, I had to spend more time on the internal. Ironically, we get to the

A big challenge we face: how to tend to our spirit alongside our other responsibilities.

YEAR OF THE SPIRIT

interior through the exterior.

Other things motivated me to feel better in my skin and in my days. My novel, Chasing Sylvia Beach had come out in 2012. This major project had taken a huge chunk of my life. Original Impulse was thriving and I was surrounded by people I love and who love me. But underneath, I wasn’t content.

So I dedicated 2013 to me - Cynthia. Not the coach, or the author, or the artist, but the person. This was the year to dig deep and respond to what my spirit wanted.

In my fantasy world, I’d bop off to Greece or Hawaii and spend 6-12 months zenning out with my navel gazing and getting the kind of clar-ity that comes from unin-terrupted silence.

Do you have these escape fantasies, where you imagine stepping off the wheel of life to gain space and clarity?

But as a woman of the world with a business to run, and clients I care about deeply, it was a time to stay put.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

• Whatwouldhelpyoubethemostvibrant,happypersonyouwanttobe?

http://www.originalimpulse.com/blog/original-impulse-year-in-review-phew/

DROPPING A LIFELONG

HABIT


As a student in France, my host mother pegged me right away: You’re a gourmand, she told me. This launched a discussion about the difference between gourmand and gourmet. I don’t think I quite understood, but a gourmand is someone who loves to eat.

Zoom forward to last year. Standing in line for gelato in Paris with a French friend, I asked him what ‘gourmand’ meant. The women in front of us visibly recoiled, and he looked away in embarrass-ment. Later, I pressed him.

It’s, well, uh…a bit of a voracious type.. Yes, with food, I said. I love food!

Um, and well…sexually, too. It’s a word used to describe someone who would, er, eat her lover alive.

Ah, the joys of learning the nuances of another culture and its language. Well. I don’t know if I’d agree with that defi-nition, but I would admit that I love to eat and drink.

You may already know this: food and beverages are some of my greatest passions. Thinking about food. Planning to cook food. Making elaborate meals for friends. Eating, drinking and enjoying the life of the gourmand. Drawing and painting food, even.

You may not know this: I can veer toward the down side of the smiley face. I wouldn’t call myself depressed but I wouldn’t say happy either. I have battled with mood swings for a long time.

I’ve gone to therapy, worked with health care practitioners, read books, done yoga, recited affirmations.

The solutions I tried helped, but I still felt down on a regular basis. My intuition told me it was something I was eating. After ignor-ing that sense for a long time, this year I decided to make some changes to my gourmand lifestyle.

Alcohol was an obvious suspect. A known depressant, perhaps this reg-ular habit was the pendulum upon which my moods swung.

Where I grew up in Ohio, alcohol was just part of the equation. You drank, and you drank a lot. The more you drank, the better you were. The games we played in high school and college hinged on being able to con-sume copious amounts of alcohol.

It takes a new norm to replace the old norm. As a participant in the Good Life Project, I was surrounded by new friends who did not drink.

In Chicago in January, my niece and I were chatting one day. She doesn’t drink alcohol. I told her I was thinking of quitting. Leaving Chicago, I realized that I needed to commit to the change. Integ-rity is an important value for me, so I felt it was time to step up.

Strong emotions often accompany the creative person throughout her life. How to experience and express the depth and range of

feeling, and enjoy life too?

DROPPING A LIFELONG HABIT


So I took the plunge to change a life-long habit. I had my last drink(s) on February 13, 2013. Am I a better person for it? I don’t know. What’s shocking is how easy it has been.

Quitting drinking has been the easiest thing I have ever done. Sure, there are times when I want a drink - usually after an intense work experience like speaking or being with a group. Sure, I miss the culture of drinking. Knowing about wine and beer and whisky is fun. Certain drinks reflect a place - French wine, Scottish and Irish whisky, Colorado and Oregon beer are part of what make being in those places special.

But oddly, I don’t miss it. I don’t miss the extra calories and the ex-tra sugar in my body. I don’t feel left out when I am with my friends and they are drinking. Even at the 99U conference after party at MOMA in NYC, with a full and free bar, I wasn’t tempted.

I knew that alcohol was a way to cope with social anxiety. Alco-hol has helped me deal with being a sensitive person in loud and intimidating environments. But I don’t need alcohol to be okay in social settings, and I certainly don’t need it at home alone at night.

It’s an experiment, an awareness practice. The thing that helped me quit drinking was thinking of it as a self-care and self-love ex-periment instead of a restriction or a punishment.

I’m no stranger to the struggle we face when trying to change an entrenched habit. It’s not easy to shift. I tell you that this was easy and continues to be easy because it still shocks me. Sometimes when we face a change, we make the actual process of it more difficult by padding it with a lot of mental and emotional churn.

There are plenty of things that are difficult for me and it feels like a miracle that this one isn’t.

Who knows how long I’ll go without drinking. Maybe the rest of my life. Maybe the whole year. To me it matters less that I adhere to an alcohol-free life. What’s important is that I can, and that I am at choice for the first time ever.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

• Istherealifelonghabitthatyou’dliketochange?

• Whatwouldyouliketobeatchoiceabout?

• Whatifmakingamajorchangeweren’tasdifficultasyoumayhaveimagined?

What if it were easier than we think? What if we allowed our own

experience to unroll?

DROPPING A LIFELONG HABIT

THE ONE TWEAK THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING


I still had my mood swings, though, and I was still on a quest to feel better.

Regarding food, I always considered myself a healthy eater. I make most of my own meals and eat mostly vegetarian. Tons of veg-etables.

Back in 2007, my acupuncturist recommended that I stop consum-ing gluten and dairy. I thought this was just her schtick - in Boulder, everyone is told to go gluten-free. I brushed off this advice.

But this year, when she said that gluten was affecting my mood, I paid attention. If it was the culprit for being Debbie Downer, I was willing to experiment with it.

So gluten didn’t make any ap-pearances at home. When I ‘treated myself’ while out with friends - pizza or a veggie burger - the impact was immediately apparent.

The next day, I would wake feel-ing hung over. A nearly physical pull of sadness, down-ness over-took me. Even on days when I was excited about my plans, this downward tug colored everything.

That clinched it. ‘Treating myself’ to gluten was no treat. Since September, I’ve not had gluten.

Voila! Happy Cynthia! I feel SO much better, it’s incredible. I’m not perfect, and I don’t have everything I want in life. But I’m not down

about things. I don’t feel depressed for no reason.

Now, I feel happy for no reason. I’m so grateful.

I never wanted to be that gluten-free person in a restaurant. I never wanted to live with this kind of restriction. This puts a real crimp on my gourmand ways.

But I’d rather be that person living GF than that person living a wonderful life but feeling down all the time. I try not to convince everyone I know to try this experiment because I don’t want to be that person thinking she know’s what’s right for others. The changes have been so radical in my mood, it’s stunning.

If only I had listened to this advice earlier.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

• Whatfoodordrinkhaveyououtgrown?

• Whatdoesyourintuitiontellyouisnolongerservingyou?

• Moreimportantly,howmuchlongercanyouaffordtoignorethis?

Timing is everything, and we change when we’re ready.

THE ONE TWEAK THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING

THE FOUNDATION OF HAPPINESS:

MY BEST PRACTICES


Businesses have ‘best practices’ - ritualized activities that lead to optimal performance. Why not have best practices for individu-als?

Several practices already serve me well, but this year I added more. My practices became less ‘shoulds’ and more a way to hon-or my spirit and fuel my creativity.

How you frame your actions is important as how you do them.

My practices have become the source of my happiness instead of big, exciting moments in life.

Recognizing the gifts in daily actions fuels bigger wins.

Back on the courts

As a girl child, playing tennis was total joy for me. My friend Margy and I would bike to the high school tennis courts after dinner and play game after game.

But as I grew up, tennis faded away. It’s difficult to find players. This summer, I determined that it would be different.

I joined a ‘ladder’, where you get a list of names and contact info for people who play at your level. I played in the summer and fall ladders, and had a blast.

The best thing about getting on the court was realizing how much

energy and verve I had. I attributed this to quitting drinking alcohol and instead, drink-ing green drinks. It was powerful to feel and see my sacrifices paying off.

In both cycles, I played more matches than anyone. Game scores were posted on the web site and this triggered my competitive nature. Luckily for me and my ego, I always won as many games as I lost.

True wins: Running around after a ballManaging the mental and emotional gameSeeing improvement over five months

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

• Isthereaphysicalactivityyou’dliketogetbackintoyourlife?

• Whatwouldbringyouthismuchjoy?

• Whatfirststepcanyoutaketogetthatgoingsoonerratherthanlater?

Doing things as an act of devotion and self-respect is

a more powerful frame than doing things because

they are ‘good for me’.

THE FOUNDATION OF HAPPINESS: MY BEST PRACTICES

Meeting new friendsBeing outsideFeeling my full physicality


Ommm…

It seems like everyone was recommending that I meditate, but it wasn’t until fellow GLP friend Kelly Newsome framed it as a ‘still-ness practice’ that I was able to take to the cushion in a commit-ted way.

Mediation began on November 6th, 2012. With guidance from Susan Piver, I began sitting for 10 minutes every morning. Then after a few months I upped it to 15 minutes.

The goal is to sit. Not to be all quiet and Buddha-like. Not to tame my thoughts. Just to sit.

Over the course of a year, my thought pattern became more ap-parent to me. There are a LOT of people in my space, my field, my energy, whatever you call it. When I notice this, I am able to drop thoughts of them and open to myself and to my guides.

Is this making me a calmer, better person?

I don’t know. I don’t need to know.

A regular practice builds self-trust and self-respect.

Whether it’s meditating or drawing or writing - to generate more self-love and confidence in your life, get a practice.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

• Isastillnesspracticecallingyou?

• Howcouldyoustartsmall?

Yoga practice endures…yawn

I am in my eighteenth year of practicing yoga. Every year I cele-brate February 22nd, the day I first picked up yoga in 1996. I know the date because I wrote about it in my journal.

My practice continues to hold me and challenge me. Fortunately, I have access to a studio where I can go to class 4-5 times a week with teachers I respect. Paying at the beginning of the month for unlimited yoga is like making one financial decision instead of a daily decision. Paying up front saves me money and helps hold me accountable for showing up.

It seems odd to mention this practice. There’s no change, no dra-ma, no big whoop. But reliable and trusted practices deserve a mention, too. Don’t fix what’s not broken.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

• Whatpracticecontinuestoserveyouandyourlife?


http://susanpiver.com/open-heart-project/

http://susanpiver.com/open-heart-project/


My begrudging gratitude practice

Gratitude is a good thing, and I regularly express thanks when it was due.

But the ‘gratitude practice’ of daily writing down all the things you’re grateful for - I resisted. Perhaps it was because Oprah encouraged it and anything Oprah r e c o m m e n d e d seemed too main-stream for me. Perhaps it was be-

cause everyone touted keeping a gratitude journal and I didn’t want to be like everyone else.

I have a rebellious streak in me, and for that I am grateful.

Last year, positive psychology training was part of the Good Life Project. We were taught to keep an eye on our mindset through various practices, including, yes, a gratitude practice.

Grumpily, I tried it. It worked, and for awhile, I did feel happier. Then I stopped, and my happiness slumped.

This summer, I resumed the gratitude practice.

But every practice has to actually fit into our lifestyle, or it won’t work. This ‘adopt and adapt’ approach is what I do with my clients - help them sort out the right combination for them.

I finally found something that worked for me - a special Jill Bliss journal by my bedside. Every night five things I am grateful for go on the list. It’s mysterious, but I this practice seems to make a dif-ference in my day-to-day well being.

I feel and express gratitude throughout the day, but writing things down somehow solidifies them. This is one practice I encourage everyone to do - write things down. Write down what you want, what you want to feel, what you want to do with your life.

Putting our dreams into ink is one big step toward making them real.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

• Haveyoutriedagratitudepractice?

• Whatresultshaveyouseen?

Shifting to a new start

My old way: Get up, get coffee, get to work.

New way: Get up, meditate, draw daily tarot and angel card. Make tea or coffee, journal. This approach allows me to calmly and

Our internal circumstances play a huge role in our quest

for happiness.



clearly start the day. Replacing urgency with calm impacts the en-tire day in a completely positive way.

The culmination of these morning rituals sets the way I want to be throughout the day.

I almost forgot to mention some of the results of all these prac-tices. Since February, I have lost 15 pounds. I feel great about my body for the first time in…maybe ever. As I accept the signs of aging, I also feel stronger and healthier than ever. For this, I am grateful.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

• Whatpracticeshavekeptyougoingalltheseyears?

• Whatnewpracticesmightyouadopttoserveyourspiritandyourcreativity?

• Howcanyouadoptandadaptthemforyourownneedsandstyle?


FIRST YEAR IN MY ART

SCHOOL

HOW DID I DO?


Art has been bubbling up inside me for a long time. My illustrated journals have been a way to dip a toe into the world of line and color. My creativity workshops that I lead in France and elsewhere have been an inspiration for me and others.

But I wanted more for my art. Often we start with a de-sired outcome or goal. But my outcome for my art wasn’t clear.

So instead of a goal, I decided to have an area of focus. Build-

ing skills would be my first step, and the focus for my year. My overarching structure was to make and show my art on the Origi-nal Impulse blog every Friday.

Yet more structure was needed. As someone who loves school, I decided to design my own art school curriculum. The courses of study would include drawing, watercolor painting and hand letter-ing.

I wrote about my art school plans on the OI blog in January.

Even more structure seemed necessary, so I gave myself some challenges. In January, I went to Paris for my novel. Before I left, I pre-sold 17 paintings, Paris stories that I would experience and capture visually and in words.

In Paris, I rented an apartment in Montmartre. One day I was wan-dering the quiet back streets of this sweet neighborhood, loving every minute. Then I came upon an artist’s studio. Through the wide windows, I saw her inside, her brushes, her watercolors, her mug of tea. Staring for a long time, I was like a child full of desire.

I wanted that. I wanted to be in a studio in Montmartre painting. Walking away, I realized I had a studio in Montmartre. In my own apartment, I could paint all day if I wanted to.

So I indulged that desire. Back inside, I put the kettle on for tea. I tuned into a design podcast and set to work on my paintings.

Hours passed. At first, a twinge of guilt infiltrated my process. I was in PARIS and I should be out there exploring and soaking up the city. But the guilt didn’t last long. I was in PARIS and I was do-ing exactly what I wanted.

Friday saw me doing exactly the same thing. A rainy day was the perfect invitation to make art all day long.

Those two days stand out among my favorite moments of the year. The Paris painting project was one of the best things I did with my art. I worked hard, I had fun writing the stories, and I loved ship-ping the paintings out to buyers.

The practice of play in a journal can help

others feel more whole and more creatively

fresh.

FIRST YEAR IN MY ART SCHOOL - HOW DID I DO?

http://www.originalimpulse.com/blog/back-to-class-designing-my-art-school-curriculum/


Another art series challenge

Every summer, I sign up for a Community Supported Agriculture share with Pastures of Plenty farm, outside Boulder.

This is a weekly bounty of greens, vegetables and two bouquets of gorgeous flowers. The flowers are stunning and the abundance I feel from this farm share is a true pleasure.

The idea came to me to do a painting of each week’s share. Eighteen weeks of painting greens and flowers would be good practice, I thought.

It was great practice and it wasn’t always easy.

To see the weekly illustra-tions, visit my online art gallery.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

• Whatstructureandchallengeshaveyoucreatedaroundyourartorwriting?

• Howdiditgo?

Classes, buddies and mentors, oh my!

In the course of my first year of art school, I also took classes. On-line classes are a great way to build skills and meet like-minded people from all around the world.

• Creative Courage with Stephanie Levy• Jane LaFazio watercolor class• Seattle Urban sketching class• Online Skillshare classes: Map Making class Calligraphy class Hand Lettering Class

Every month I met with my friend and journaling buddy Marty Gregg to talk about art and to glean insights into design, color and form. We both love these energizing meetings.

This summer I began working with Marianne Mitchell, an abstract painter and colorist who mentors artists one-one. These sessions have been valuable to me to understand color mixing and compo-sition. I’m seeing art and my work in a whole new light.

I also befriended artists Jill Berry and Danny Gregory, both of whom I admire and who gave me insight into my art making.


The point of a challenge - it pushes you

beyond what you think you can do.

http://www.originalimpulse.com/art/

http://www.originalimpulse.com/art/


I feel like I accomplished what I set out to this year - to make a lot of art, to show it, and to learn in the process. In addition to the challenges, I also filled 10 notebooks with line and color and words. I’ve completed my freshman year of art school and am ready to move to sophomore year.

The grade I gave myself? B-.

I knew my gremlin would be the one giving the grade, so I went back to the beginning when I designed my curriculum. What would it take to earn an A?

Three things comprised an A: • consistent practice• consistent completion• visible progress.

Did I meet these criteria? Yes. So, while part of me will always see room for improvement, another part of me is very happy to have earned my A.

At the end of this report, I’ll share my plans for art school year two.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

• Whatdidyoudevotetoyourartorwritingthisyear?

• Howsatisfiedareyouwiththeresults?


HITTING ‘REFRESH’ ON MY WRITING & FAILED EXPERIMENTS


Confession: At the be-ginning of this year, I felt completely tapped out with writing. It felt like the end of a cycle. I’d spent the last 13 years entrenched in writing a historical novel about a real person.

I’d also spent the last 13 years writing authority-style how-to articles

for my blog and newsletter. I’d published six e-books and one book in the field of creativity. I also wrote a series sharing my perspectives on how to write a book.

What else was there to say about how to get your creative work done?

I’d begun to chafe against the authority blogging style: short, how-to articles that people could grab and gobble. This kind of fast food writing had started to feel disingenuous. I wanted to write more deeply.

So I tried to do something different with my blog - a visual blog. I did a couple of illustrated articles, trying to take the concepts I was writing about and present them in a visual form.

I was never very satisfied with these and they took a long time to do, and I pretty quickly reverted back to my ‘authority’ blogging.

Has this happened to you?

This also happened in the arena of graphic capture. At recent World Domination Summits, I had filled notebooks with colorful notes based on the presentations of the speakers. I loved doing these and showing these. I had the privilege of sitting in on a day of GLP TV interviews in Boulder with Jonathan where I captured the interviews in color and text blocks, and posted them on my site.

Again I was dissatisfied with the results. I knew they could be bet-ter. I investigated courses in graphic capture and quickly realized that I didn’t want to spend the time and energy required to im-prove in this arena.

I was relieved to tick these potential pathways off the list. Without that, I could focus on what I really love doing: watercolor illustra-tions of the things I love. Hand lettering.

Failed experiments free us and teach us.

I have some ideas about things to share with my readers in 2014, both new con-tent and new ways to share it. More experi-ments on the horizon, always with the inten-tion of helping cre-ative people do their best work.

You set out to try something and

you realize pretty quickly that you’re on the wrong path.

Failed experiments free us and teach us.


http://www.chasingsylviabeach.com/

http://www.originalimpulse.com/blog/category/the-writing-life/

http://www.originalimpulse.com/blog/category/the-writing-life/

http://www.amazon.com/Create-Your-Writers-Life-Writing/dp/0975922408

http://www.amazon.com/Create-Your-Writers-Life-Writing/dp/0975922408

http://www.originalimpulse.com/blog/category/claim-your-authority/

http://www.originalimpulse.com/blog/category/creativity/illustrated-creativity/

http://www.originalimpulse.com/blog/friday-art-capturing-an-interview-with-an-earth-protector-sakyong-mipham-rinpoche-on-glp-tv/




WHAT ABOUT YOU?

• Whatexperimentshaveyoutried?

• Whathelpedyourealizeyoudidn’twanttocontinuedownthosepaths?

Personal writing as a healing path

I’ve been in the writing world for 20 years, and I’ve always known how writing can be a method of transformation, healing and

growth. Taking a mem-oir class in Denver al-lowed me to feel this again for myself.

My blog about my year as a nomad, Jour-ney Juju, was popular and I have more to

tell about my life in Portugal and my adventures around Europe.

The class was only four weeks long, but during that time I gained a lot of insight and compassion for myself. Ways of thinking about story helped me to reconcile with the choices I made and the person I was in 2008:

• looking for the emotional story under the facts of the story• seeing myself as a character• looking at how pivotal moments lead to one another.

I have much more understanding and compassion for myself as a result of this class. I don’t know whether I will continue on writing those stories. It was important that I was doing it for me and not for readers.

I can use what I learned in the class to write other things and to strengthen my writing overall.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

• Haveyouusedartorwritingasapracticeforpersonalgrowthorempowermentthisyear?

• Whatdidyoulearnaboutyourself?

How’s the novel going? Well, er...

At the beginning of the year I traveled to Paris, Chicago and Mil-waukee to speak about my novel. Originally I had wanted to do a lot of speaking and touring around the book. But my then-mentor Jonathan helped me see that I had finite bandwidth, or energy.

He knew that I wanted to turn my creative energy toward art mak-ing and toward Capture the Wow. It took a lot for me to let the novel go.

Know who you’re doing it for and why.


http://www.chasingsylviabeach.com/

http://capturethewow.net/


This was hard, hard, hard to let go of. The book was a success - I finished it, published it, people read it and love it. But it wasn’t a raging success, the kind of suc-cess that changes your life total-ly. No phone call from Oprah. No movie deal or second book in the series deal. Like every creative person that puts something out into the world, I had to deal with the reality of the project.

To help, I worked with my coach. I got therapy and did journaling to help feel complete with the book. Finally, I felt ready to let go. I had put my other creative projects on the back burner for this book for 12 years, and it was time to move the project to the back burner.

I made this decision in February, but it wasn’t until September that I fully realized that I could devote myself to any creative proj-ect I wanted.


The book is part of me and always will be. When I think about the story, I smile inside. Now separated from the work it took to bring

it to life, I can say that I like the story. I think it’s good. I get a lot of good feedback about it from readers and that makes me hap-py.

When people ask “How’s the book?” I don’t really have an an-swer. Every month I get royalty checks from Amazon and Light-ning Source. I recently sold cop-ies I had on hand and enjoyed signing, wrapping and shipping the books.

People ask if there’s a sequel, because frankly, I wrote it to have that impact - to leave the reader wanting to stay with the

character on her next adventure. But I don’t have any plans to write a sequel at this time.

People ask where to buy the book: here and here.

Letting go of old projects to focus on new ones is a skill to

cultivate.

We’re so invested in ‘sunk costs’ that we fail to see that

our vital creative energy is sinking.

http://bit.ly/19kwQS9

http://amzn.to/IRTPt4

HOW TO LET GO IN BUSINESS


People like me - creative entrepreneurs - are always seeking to improve and seeking to change. In early 2012, I applied for and was accepted in the Good Life Project Immersion - investing more than three times the amount I was comfortable with - to make positive changes in my business.

During one of our GLP base camps, I showed a map I’d drawn of my business operatives. It included all the things on it that I do for money, with what I call a income heat map of where the most income was.

If you are in business, you consider do-ing an income heat map. Map your in-come streams on a blank piece of paper.

There will be more $$ (or £, €, ¥, ) where you make the most money.

When she saw my map, amazing coach Karen Wright asked me what my three favorite things were. It was easy to answer: one-one coaching, group facilitating, and speaking.

She told me to drop everything but those three things. It wasn’t easy, but I went home and made plans to stop selling my e-books. I leaned into my client work, did a major tune-up of my web site, integrated new systems and clarified my ideal client.

It took time, but it worked. A year later, I see clearly the posi-tive impact of focusing my energies. It was hard to let go of some things, but now the work I do best takes the bulk of my time and makes me the most income. Slowly but surely, I am moving into my Genius Zone.

Earlier this year, Jonathan hired three coaches to help him with the 2013 GLP immersion program. I was thrilled and honored to be one of those coaches.

Being a GLP coach served me in many ways. In a snap, I had new clients, filling my coaching practice. Being part of the program as a faculty member felt great. I continued to glean learning about how to live my own good life.

Capture the Wow

I launched Capture the Wow this sum-mer, with a fun online scavenger hunt. We made a new web site and re-named my creativity excursions.

Big plans for building out this brand were in the works. But when I worked with my mastermind partner Lisa Sonora Beam, I realized I needed to focus.

I’m placing my emphasis on other things for 2014, and while we’ll still do Capture the Wow excursions and scavenger hunts, I won’t be putting as much time into other elements as I thought.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

• What’s taking space in your work life?

• What will help let it go?

Building something always means letting something go.

HOW TO LET GO IN BUSINESS

http://www.goodlifeproject.com/immersion/

http://capturethewow.net/

http://capturethewow.net/winter-scavenger-hunt/

http://capturethewow.net/excursions/

ART SCHOOL

YEAR TWO


Art school year one, done. Year two, here I come! We’ve got much of the same subject matter, but I see going to the next level.

Cynthia’s Art School, Year Two Course of Study

Drawing 202: PeoplePractice: contour drawing people sketching on metro - book Denver sketches with Marty Play with spot illustrations

Drawing 203: PatternPractice: architectural drawing, thumbnail sketches, detail, tracing Sketch crawls

Drawing 300: Visual NarrativePractice: pair words and images to tell a story

Digital Sketching 100: using Paper app with Pencil stylus

Digital : Photoshop 100

Color 300: Color Theory and PracticePractice: Study with Marianne Interaction of Color app Pantone color cards

Hand lettering 200: Skill building (composition, spacing, borders, digitizing)Practice: Sean Wes lettering course

It’s really fun to design my own curriculum, taking into ac-count what I want to learn and what I need to learn to advance as an artist.

HOW ABOUT YOU?

• What are you studying in 2014 and how can you put some structure around it?

ART SCHOOL YEAR TWO

NOTHING HAPPENS WITHOUT SUPPORT


My team/allies/mastermind partners

Without my team, I’d be nowhere. From mastermind partners to my web mistress to my assistant and my graphic designer, Original Im-pulse is much more than just me.

A huge bow of thanks and respect to the following luminaries who light my path:

My mastermind partners: Jennifer Boykin, Karen Wright, Kristoffer Carter, Alyson Stanfield, Mary Ellen Merrigan, Lisa Sonora Beam, Marianne Mitchell and Marty Gregg.

Coach extraordinaire Kathy Loh, web mistress and newsletter goddess Patricia Velte, stellar assistant Ulli Lagler Peck, super designer Kate Glover, super smart accountant Gretchen Reeves, amazing yoga teacher De West.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

• Whoisonyourteam?

• Wholovesandchallengesyoutoyourgreatestexpression?

NOTHING HAPPENS WITHOUT SUPPORT

WRITING A NEW

ENDING


Until just a few days ago, this story had a different ending.

I had written the story of how I was leaving the comfort zone and moving to Europe.

After all the effort to bring my inner state to health and h a p p i n e s s , suddenly this new opportu-nity dominated my world. Ev-ery object in

my home was up for scrutiny - keep, shed, or take?

I’d decided to take this plunge because, well, why not? There were a million things to consider, but because I could do something like that, I should.

But the stress of moving soon become unbearable. I won’t go into details, but it finally dawned on me that I wasn’t experiencing nor-mal anxiety in the face of major change. I simply wasn’t happy about the change.

The effort required to change wasn’t equal or less than the perceived benefits of making the change.

I did not share everyone else’s enthusiasm for me and my venture.

Yet I couldn’t pull myself away from the decision I’d made. No other alternative presented itself in my imagination.

Making decisions can be excruciatingly difficult for creative peo-ple.

This decision was impossible for me to make. I turned to my Face-book friends, letting them know I was indecisive and asking not what they would do, but how they make decisions.

The support was powerful. So many friends chimed in on how they make decisions, from the über practical to the über out there. I loved them all, and there were a handful that together coalesced to help me drop my decision swirl.

Walking to meet a friend, I realized that my happiness had slipped away. My equanimity was gone. Not that we can always achieve that state, but the things we consume, the activities we engage in and the people we surround ourselves by all contribute to our well being. This situation felt like it was pulling me away from that.

Tucking myself into bed that night, I tried two things:

• I released all the people in my life and what I perceived to be their opinions about me.

• I dropped my awareness into my belly to see how it felt when I released the plan to move to France.

The result was immediate - total calm and peace. Total freedom from thinking that I do not have to pack up my life in the middle of winter and displace myself to another land.

It is good to welcome opportunities that cause us to question our truth.

WRITING A NEW ENDING


The decision I’d agonized over was made in an instant, and it was a true one. I also knew that it wasn’t either Denver or Paris, that in 2014 I was going to do something entirely different. I also felt it was important to not rush and tell everyone about my new plan.

That is the big lesson I am taking from this whole cavalcade of whimsy - how to really attune myself to my truth and to operate from the most authen-tic place possible. I saw how much I weigh the opinions of others, often with more emphasis than my own hap-piness.

The emotional wave didn’t hit me until about 24 hours after the decision. This is usually true for me; I have a delayed emotional reaction to most things.

I began crying and couldn’t stop. I lay on the couch sobbing. But this time I’d didn’t question myself or wonder what, exactly, I was moaning about. I let it come. Finally, I got up, cleaned myself up, got dressed and went out to a holiday party.

I returned home and sobbed some more. I wrote my name in beautiful letters and stuck it on the mail box downstairs. I woke up the next day and sobbed some more.

In my novel, my character Lily yearns to live a big life. She’s forced

to decide between two things that to her mean she’s opting for big or small. As I questioned my own choice, wondering if I were playing small, I dropped that whole line of thinking. I didn’t need to make up something about myself based on this decision. I only needed to release judgment and be open in this phase of not

knowing.

Who knows what mystery is playing out in my life right now? I’m one of the most self-aware people I know. Some would say too much! It’s my job as a writer and coach to extrapolate meaning and strive to be the best me I can be.

But I know that no matter how much we think and plan and try to construct our ideal life, there’s this mysterious force that seems to be operating, the invisible field of magic and wonder. We access this by paying attention to the small voices not in our heads but in our body and in our awareness.

As I write this new ending, a new be-ginning is being formed. New, exciting

possibilities flit in to override the painful emotions. This time, I hold them off.

For now, my life as a creative adventure doesn’t mean leaping off the edge of the year to life in another country. It means sitting still to listen.

How do we live our most authentic truth while being in

deep relationship with the world around us?

Creative adventure means to dare to honor what is truly true for me, and to live in the most authentic way possible.

WRITING A NEW ENDING

SATISFIED WITH 2013


One year, one program, one book represents only a piece of the whole. Growth is an ongoing process of seeking clarity and taking action.

I’m not ‘done’ and I haven’t figured it all out. But I do have more internal and external resources from my efforts this year, and this is what I want for others.

It’s been a wonderful, if challenging year, and I feel satisfied.

My hope is that annual review has inspired something powerful and positive in you. If you’ve been moved, feel free to leave a comment on the Original Impulse blog letting me know.

We grow by sharing with others. If you’ve been inspired by this report, please consider sharing the download link with your creative friends.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

• Howdoyouknowyou’resatisfiedwithyouryear?

• Whatmetricsdoyouusetogaugeyoursatisfaction?

SATISFIED WITH 2013

ORIGINAL IMPULSE OFFERSFOR YOUR 2014


Always looking to have the biggest impact for the people I serve, I keep focusing my business on what works for my clients, students and me. Being more in my ‘genius zone’ helps my clients and stu-dents more. I have more of the best of me to offer them, and they go further because of my focus.

In 2014, there will be three main areas of focus:

one-one coachingteachingspeaking

One-One Coaching: human alchemy

This has been a great year for my clients. Several finished drafts of their books. Others restructured their personal and professional lives to make room for what’s important to them. Others used my help to structure a writing practice that served them both on the page and in life. (I love when that happens!)

Some of the comments my clients made after our work together:

“CynthiaisBYFARthemostgiftedcoachIhaveeverworkedwith.Notonlydoessheknowherstuffaboutbookwriting,shehasanuncannyabilitytoseethroughsurfaceproblemstotheunderlyingknotsthatcausethem.”

“Cynthia’scoachinggavemeconfidencetocontinueworkingonmybook.She savedmesomuch timeandenergybyad-dressingmanyconcernsthatIhadasabeginningauthor.”

“Thegifts I received fromCynthiawere to believe inmyself,staytruetomyvalues,andtobegintoseemyselfasawriterandeverythingaroundmeasastorywaitingtobetold.Irec-ommendcoachingwithCynthiaforanyonewhohaseverfeltthattheymighthaveabiggerlife,juicierlifehidingjustaroundthecorneryetneedaroadmapofhowtogetthere.”

“Cynthia’sgift:seeingthroughyourdoubts,fears,orutterlazi-nessandnurturingyourgenius...magnifyingyourburiedgreat-nesssotherestoftheworldcanexperienceit.”

“Afterourworktogether,Ihadsuchafabulousyear!Isoldthreecommissions,oneprintandoneoriginal.Iwasinvitedtobeafeaturedartistatagreatwine/arttastingeventwhereatleast100peopleshowedupandI’vegotanArtWalkeventcomingup.”

More of this, please! 2014 marks my fifteenth year working as a coach for creative people. I am trained and certified by The Coaches Training Institute, globally recognized as the top training organization for coaches.

I have devoted considerable resources into being the best coach, author and business person I can be. I never ask my clients to do anything I am not willing to do myself.

The creative process - understanding what it takes to do our best creative work - is my great passion. My gift: helping people under-stand themselves and helping clients sort out their best practices so they can get their best work done.

ORIGINAL IMPULSE OFFERS FOR YOUR 2013

http://www.thecoaches.com/



Many of my 2013 clients are continuing in 2014, but I do have sev-eral spots open for new clients. Best results come from a 6-12 month commitment. If you’re ready to get support for your big leap and you feel we’d be a fit, visit my life coaching page or writers’ coaching page.

Teaching: transformation with others

Ever since I was a girl child playing ‘school’ with my friends, I have loved teaching. The process of developing a curriculum, sharing it with others, seeing transformation happen - pure joy.

My passion is for human alchemy - for the transformation of ideas, things and people from one thing into another. Teaching and coaching allow me to see these transformations on a daily basis.

The Free Write Fling is one of my favorite classes. In this online writing course, people from all around the world gather to write every day for an entire month.

No critique, no feedback, just a safe and encouraging environment where we can test the waters with our pens and gain courage and confidence to write what’s truly important to us.

We’ll run the Free Write Fling four times in 2014. The cost is $85.00 for new students and $50 for repeaters. Mark these months on your calendar if you’re ready to make writing a regular part of your life.

February, May, August, October

You can register now for February’s FWF.

I always write alongside the Flingers. If you want to write in 2014, no matter what your level, genre or subject, this is a sweet way to do it. You can register now for February’s FWF.

NEW! Write Your Paris Stories

Online writing class March 12th - April 16th, 2014

Is there anyplace more embed-ded in the heart of romantic creatives worldwide than Paris?

Almost everyone has a Paris story — a rant, a romance, a fan-tasy… I didn’t realize this until I published my novel. People wrote to me to tell me their Par-is story. Hearing these stories, I could tell how powerful it was for people to share them.

What Paris story do you want to tell, even if you’ve never been or don’t want to go?

Write Your Paris Stories will be a multi-sensory learning adven-ture. This online class will help you have a bit of Paris spring no matter where you are.

http://www.originalimpulse.com/find-your-juju-change-your-life/

http://www.originalimpulse.com/writers-life-coaching/

http://www.originalimpulse.com/free-write-fling/



http://www.originalimpulse.com/write-your-paris-stories/



My intention for this class: to have fun, Paris-style, helping you bring your hidden Paris stories to life.

Registration for the online Paris Stories class will open soon. Im-pulses subscribers will be the first to hear about it, so subscribe to my free newsletter here if you aren’t already in the loop.

Capture the Wow Excursions

My creativity excursions are back in 2014! Experience the world in full color, with your artist leading the way. After a Cap-ture the Wow Excursion, people are more in tune with their own nature, with their own truth, and with their own creative exuberance. This knowledge helps them make better decisions, complete creative projects and enjoy life more.

Join us in 2014 in one of these two cities:

Boulder, Colorado June 27th - 29th

Paris, France, August 28th - September 2nd

Speaking

What does it mean to ‘go big’ in my work? For some reason, I’ve been unable to answer that question. While I want to have a big impact, what would that look like?

When I asked my trusted mastermind partner Alyson what she thought when she considered me going big, she knew right away.

“I see you speaking more,” she said. “I see you on a bigger stage, doing what you do so well, interacting and inspir-ing the audience.”

Tears pooled in my eyes. She’d nailed it. I LOVE speaking and while I’ve done my share of it in my career, I want to do more. In part, the health practices I’ve initiated this year were designed to help me have more access to my speaking voice and to bring more of myself to the stage.

So in 2014 I’ll be sharing with audiences my perspective on what it takes to be fully creatively empowered.

http://www.originalimpulse.com/write-your-paris-stories/

http://www.originalimpulse.com/blog/services/

http://www.originalimpulse.com/blog/services/

http://www.originalimpulse.com/join-us-for-a-creative-adventure-in-boulder/

http://www.originalimpulse.com/join-us-for-a-creative-adventure-in-paris/

RESOURCES TO FUELYOUR CREATIVITY


I just love gobbling up books and articles and podcasts and ideas, and I love sharing them with you. This is how I participate in the creative conversation that’s swirling through space and time.

Best books I read in 2013

Because this was such an internally-focused year, I had lots of time to read. A lot. I’ve read 100 books this year. I don’t know how it happened, but early in the year I pledged on Goodreads to read 80 books this year. (The most I’ve read in one year is 72.)

You can see all the books I’ve read on Goodreads (and friend me there!)

Here’s the short list of books that changed my life and that I rec-ommend to you.

Startup Life by Brad Feld and Amy Batchelor I loved this book, how consciously the authors design their life and their relation-ship. This is my idea of a good life.

Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed Such sweet and wise writing.

Things I Learned in My Life So Far by Stefan Sagmeister This edgy designer is so inspiring to me. Check out his TED talks. Reading this book gave me courage to be more edgy and innova-tive.

Ignore Everybody by Hugh Macleod Ditto from above: Read-

ing this book gave me courage to be more edgy and innovative.

Elegantissima by Louise Fili Gorgeous design; inspiring life story. A great read for designers and artists and lovers of Italian design.

Crazy Sexy Diet by Kris Carr I am already pretty close to eat-ing this way. But I thought, why wait until I get really sick to get really healthy? And thus the changes ensued.

A Kiss Before You Go by Danny Gregory I’ve been a fan of Danny’s for a long time and this book really opened up my heart and mind to possibilities.

Data: A Love Story by Amy Webb I’d been trying online dat-ing to no avail. In fact, not only was it not good for me, it was bad for me. Reading this book helped me see what was wrong with my approach.

Various Illuminations by Maira Kalman I’m a big fan of Mai-ra’s art and illustrations, and am incredibly honored when some-one compares my work to hers. This book helped me think about her work in different ways, and taught me a lot about why I love her art.

Creative Lettering by Jenny Doh Very inspiring book of hand lettering by a handful (pun intended) of lettering artists.

Point Your Face at This by Demetri Martin I was in Elliot

RESOURCES TO FUEL YOUR CREATIVITY

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3350660.Cynthia_Morris

http://www.ted.com/speakers/stefan_sagmeister.html


Bay bookstore in Seattle when I saw this book. Familiar with the comedian, I picked it up. Next thing you know, I’m having a Meg Ryan Sleepless in Seattle moment. I’m laughing uncontrollably at the pictures and soon realize that a bunch of people have gath-ered around, wondering, what’s she reading? A quirky look at life and guaranteed to make you laugh.

The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks I don’t know why this resonat-ed so much with me. When I tell people about the concepts in the book, I realize I already know them. I teach them, for god’s sake. But sometimes the way things are said strike a chord in us. The Genius Zone and Upper Limit approach is very helpful. This book was recommended by my friend Alyson Stanfield and it changed my life.

Open by Andre Agassi This was a well-written memoir, and it was fun to read about such a high-achieving person to see what his life was really like.

Resources from Original Impulse

In case you missed it, I shared several free resources at Original Impulse.

Capture Your Creative Brilliance - free when you subscribe to Impulses

Secrets of Empowered Creativity video course - free when you get to the end of the aforementioned course

Adventure Resume exercise - free on my ‘About’ page

Original Impulse blog offers weekly, free inspiration to live your best creative life.

Podcasts

I love listening to interviews with creative people. In the studio, in the kitchen, in the car, these conversations inspire me. I get a lot of book recommendations, resources and ideas from listening to how creative people thrive.

Last year Jonathan began a web-based interview show called GLP TV.

Every week, he interviews an entrepreneur who has been suc-cessful but also who is personally happy.

Some say the episodes are too long - 40 minutes or so - but I love them. They are the perfect accompaniment to me in the kitchen while I cook, while I get ready to go out or while I fold my laundry.

I can honestly say some of these interviews have changed my life. My favorites include:

Lissa RankinAnn ReaSamantha HahnKris CarrSeth Godin

RESOURCES TO FUEL YOUR CREATIVITY

Helene GodinSusan PiverScott Belsky

http://www.originalimpulse.com/

http://www.originalimpulse.com/about/

http://originalimpulse.com/blog/

http://www.goodlifeproject.com/


Other podcasts in my mix include:

Design Matters by Debbie Millman

SeanWes podcast - a hand lettering artist and entrepreneur

Resources to write an annual review

You may wish to do your own annual review process. You can use mine as a basis for your own, or try one of these resources I rec-ommend. Or just wing it, your own way!

Chris Guillebeau of the Art of Non-Conformity shares his sim-ple annual review process.

Susannah Conway shares a process to both look back and look ahead.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

• What resources made a difference in your creative year?

ADOPT & ADAPT

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/design-matters-debbie-millman/id328074695

http://seanwes.com/podcast/

http://chrisguillebeau.com/3x5/2013-annual-review/

http://www.susannahconway.com/2013/12/lets-make-some-magic-in-2014/

THANK YOU


My hope is that this has inspired something powerful and positive in you. If you’ve been moved, feel free to leave a comment on the Original Impulse blog letting me know.

We grow by sharing with others. If you’ve been inspired by this report, please consider sharing the download link with your creative friends.

THANK YOU

http://www.originalimpulse.com/blog/?p=6771



Education

Our Creativity Is the Source of Our Vitality