What Are Your Highest Aspirations?
This past week I hosted one of my Bursts of Brilliance® Art Salons at our local museum of art. Our discussion topic for the evening centered around the fantasies that pull us into our art careers and keep us going when things get tough. I brought up this quote by Louisa May Alcott: “Far away...
There’s Nothing Wrong With You
I recently pointed out to my husband a problem we were having with a device and that the problem always appeared after he used it. As most people would, he insisted it couldn’t just be him. It must also happen when I used it. So, I tracked it for a few days and was able...
Art Comes From All That We Are
Last week, I attended a fine art show featuring a curated group of talented Black artists. One of the event’s speakers, Kevin John Goff, was the nephew of famed actress Hattie McDaniel, the first Black American to win an Oscar for her role as Mammy in Gone with the Wind. As a long-time student of...
I Choose To Feel It All
My friend apologized the other day for not stopping by my event that morning. “I meant to come,” she said, “But I woke up grumpy. I know that’s not an excuse because I don’t even know why.” “Do you need a reason?” I asked. “You woke up grumpy and you skipped something you weren’t obligated...
Cheers to All Us Daydreamer Kids
My friend, Franklin, and I were bonding over shared memories of getting in trouble for “daydreaming” or “not paying attention” in class. He mentioned he wasn’t really daydreaming, he was processing, and that struck a chord with me. I always felt like an imposter when someone accused me of daydreaming. The dictionary definition of daydreaming...
Practical Creativity for Everyday Life and Parenting
When our kids were growing up, we never used the word “allowance” in our house. I made that decision partly because the concept of an allowance sounded to me like entitlement, on the one hand, and loss of agency on the other. If you get an allowance simply for being someone’s offspring, that sends a...
Are You Growing Wiser Or Just Older?
I was chatting with some friends the other day, and someone said something about how people get wiser as they get older. “Not necessarily.” I said. “You have to choose to get wiser.” They asked me to elaborate, so here’s what I mean . . . Unlike knowledge, which can be accumulated deliberately and systematically,...
Matchup: Mind Vs. Heart (Revisited)
This post originally ran April 30, 2022 I raised my kids to follow their hearts; to trust their intuition. I truly believe our gut responses are often the best. So why is it so hard sometimes to just “go with the gut”? Why do our minds feel the need to try to override our intuition?...