Nothing creatively beats what happens when you dive in completely.

I had the privledge to shoot photos with my friend & acclaimed photographer Laura Grier , and let me tell you, there is nothing quite like completely immersing yourself into a process to watch wild things happen very fast.

We had less than 3 hours for the whole shoot, before sunset hit. The above is a little snapshot out-take after a wave crashed on us.

And you know what? With every wave crashing, destroying whatever was left of hair or makeup, the light and color got better and better. It all became more fun. We only had 15 minutes for the beach sunlight  and instead of waiting and thinking and wondering and being rational, we ran right in.

Today’s very expansive design ideas for life have everything to do with capturing this ” Let’s just go for it!” attitude to make art happen in bigger ways.  It’s an introduction to the 5-C-words that have taken my life from grey and disconnected to an artistic paradise…and these five big words seem to do it for everyone I know! 

Confidence, Courage , Collaboration, Creativity, Calm,  5 C-words in my life when it comes to making biggest, bolder, more powerful art happen. Confidence and Courage seem to invite people who want to Collaborate.  Creativity always seems to bring me more of a sense of Calm.

The 5 “C-words” of the day can be captured more and more in very basic ways in your home and life to create a more artistic life!

Confidence: Start with the idea that your life on the outside is a mirror of your life on the inside.  If you start to change your life on the outside by adding more stuff to your home, your office, even your wardrobe that looks nd feels uniquely like you, this action will take your confidence through the roof!

All of life is a mirror.  Finding this bathroom at the Viceroy was a stroke of good fortune as it is so much a mirror of my aesthetic, and Laura’s aesthetic, that it all clicked into place…

Courage: ….until we got busted in the Viceroy bathroom.   Which is what was happening when this last photo was snapped and a bunch of people rolled into our stealth, impromptu photo-shooting.

There was a whole lot of courage involved in finding random, inspired places to take photos.  There was some stealth photo snapping.

Risks taken with courage are the onces that create electric. That electric makes art come to life.  I actually think that this electricity is what brings street art and grafitti to life in such vibrant ways… its got an urgency and presence to it as each stroke is an opportunity to get busted, possibly arrested for vandalism…  All the photos we snapped in places we were not scheduled to be were the ones that were the coolest  ones… and the most alive.

Creativity:  Do you have a vision for yourself?  Do you have a vision of the art you want to create?  

Most of what I make these days in home design and writing and imagery is all started on private Pinterest boards.  If you have Pinterest, you might want to indulge in a few private boards to make things more clear for yourself in a cloud of visual imagery.

Of course, there is an entire section of this blog– and an enormous immersion experience in creativity for the New Year coming soon— all dedicated to creativity.  Creative forces comprise all of life.

The most important facet of creativity that science and holistic life seem to agree on: it is life-changing and healing to make more art!!!

Calm:  Do you know how to create calm for yourself? 

Haha, this is me throughout the average day, but this time in the ocean (the best place to stretch!) and caught on camera!

A little stretch, a breathing exercise, a 10 or 15 minute walk… all create more calm without becoming a big ordeal that interrupts the day.  Its nearly impossible to be stressed out, thinking hard and creating art at the same time!  These are brain/body conflicts.  Its very hard to tap into your genius while feeling spun out & stuck!

I have found soooooo many great exercises in Donna Eden’s book, Energy Medicine, that create calm.  HERE is one exercise I made a quick video for… as its an exercise I do throughout the day.  Laura was doing it with me at one point, too!

Collaboration:  This is a big deal.  Who do you work with? Who do you let read your writing, visit your art studio or help you with design? Do you collaborate well with others?

I need to collaborate with people who have very little practical consideration.  They’ll get their feet wet, take stealth photos, create stuff on impossible deadlines and feel their best when in this space of YES, YES, YES.

I have seen my friends lose great writing projects to partners who just can’t keep it together to truly collaborate. Their needs hijack projects, their fears hold things back, their considerations block opportunities.

Collaboration is extremely powerful.  Make sure your collaborations – including your personal relationships- have lots of openness and YES built into them.  The more resistance that is built into a collaboration, the less it really fuses together.

Rooting out unproductive partnerships is a powerful way to create more space for the right collaborations.  Don’t be afraid to give up what isn’t working no matter how hard you try to make it work. What does work is waiting for you!!!

Let more art into your life.  It is the best thing ever for absolutely everyone! xoxo Dana

 

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And, if you want to dive in to your own personalized feng shui in a modern, practical way, Say hello to Feng Shui 101.  Its the guide I made for you to create your own personalized feng shui at home, in the office, wherever you may be… in 8 weeks.  It’s not filled with strict rules or what you “must” do.  Its filled with information, questions, exercises and even videos and classes to help you confidently create amazing spaces with killer feng shui and live with more flow.   Learn more about the 8-week feng shui adventure & grab your copy to get started right HERE…   And, as always, please let me know what happens!