In how many ways are you creative every single day of your life?

In today's post I would like to acknowledge one of my favorite ways for creative expression: playing dress up.
Every day I have a small version of this when I get ready to go into the world and choose an ensemble that mirrors my mood. 


But this is a little beyond that... What follows is a visual narrative of my physical transformation as I got ready to attend Day of the Dead Portland @ Tabor Space and finish the night at the Vagabond Opera's Dia de los Muertos Ball downtown!

Be Present Retreat's Maven, Liz Lamoreux, offered a free 10-day online adventure to help us practice saying Yes to THIS Moment. Some of the days seamlessly fit with what was happening in my life... Others brought forth just what I needed. Here's a recap of my pics and notes for the week++ In December she will be offering an e-course to help us stay grounded and nurtured during this doozy of a month! Here's a link: http://www.lizlamoreux.com/water-your-soul-december/

Day 1: I love to breath. I mean CONSCIOUS breath... I still remember one of my first yoga classes when breathing blew my mind. Today got close...!!

Day 2: My garden is starting to fall asleep. Lots of leaves are turning yellow. Fruit left on the vine frozen in time:unripened. A beautiful morning glory that volunteered next to the pumpkin is withering. The dahlias, rushing to give one more bloom, collapse on the path under their own weighty heads... so many moments of beauty in just a corner of the yard!

Day 3: The studio is where I look for my center... sometimes I find it...

Day 4: There are really no coincidences... Today's prompt is to have an adventure of the senses... I had Lasik surgery yesterday, and today I am delighted by the smallest of things... I awoke a little groggy from the meds, looked over to the side and SAW the time clearly without reaching for my glasses!!! I am thrilled to start my senses adventure in such a powerfully simple way!!

Day 5: Going back into my heart I wanted to know what I most deeply want... to my surprise, instead of an epic answer, I heard an encouraging whisper that suggested I continue to explore this in one powerful way: Play More!


Day 6: Sunday's frequently such a busy day... clean & cook, reply to e-mails, connect with friends, try to get things organized for next week, catch up with phone calls, and definitely call home! -- And then I open the message for today and the prompt is to REST. Wow. I needed that!

Day 7: Joy Seeking is a practice that my friend Kristen Maus (beautiful soul, friend, artist & coach) has been talking about for ages. Whenever this comes up in conversation these days, I can totally see what it has done for her to cultivate this simple thing... What will I focus on today?

Day 8: Connect ~ I have a dear friend who lives in LA... She doesn't feel at home that, and now that she is recovering from a health-thing, she is particularly aware of how far she feels from 'home.' Today, in the spirit of connecting, I send this dear friend some Joy Mail (art in an envelope). It feels so good to imagine her smiling when the letter arrives... Why am I not more connected again??

Day 9: A list of YES - The biggest and most resounding YES I hear at this moment is to meeting myself exactly where I am in my life, in my career, in my relationships, in my art. Yes to the fear, yes to the ambivalence, yes to the joy, yes to endings and new beginnings, yes to small things that mean the mos. yes. YES!!

Day 10: Recap and Gratitude. What a generous thing to offer. What a lovely thing to accept!!