Category Archives: inspiration

be brave enough to show up.

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As I breathe the life back into myself, after this long period of grief, I have been faced with challenging questions surrounding life and its meaning. Where do I find purpose? What brings joy into my life and how will I notice when something meaningful is staring me in the eyes.

Will I be brave enough to show up? Sometimes showing up is half the battle, and how I navigate day to day challenges can be the difference between whether or not I feel like I’m heading in the right direction. Bravery, the act of courageousness it takes to show up as you are and accept all the bumps and flaws in the road on the way, does not mean you have no fear, it’s feeling the fear and doing it anyway.

My fears have occasionally gotten the best of me, dulling the sparkling shining parts of myself that only emerge when I have the courage to be disliked, to acknowledge that not everyone will share my perspective or agree, or even understand the things I have to say. But what’s worse is the alternative, never revealing my authentic self, hiding the best parts away wondering why I feel unseen and unheard before realizing, “Oh. I’m supposed to let people in if I want them to get to know me?” Duh. But don’t beat yourself up if you’ve made similar mistakes.

Hiding away can seem like a shield, an act of protection, but the only thing you are guarding yourself from is true connection. And without connection what really is there? I don’t mean you need a significant other or a large friend group, but this connection can be with yourself, the hobbies you love, the great outdoors, or with something else, anything really.

So, my challenge for you, and myself as well, is to be brave enough to show up, as yourself. Though always evolving we are living right here, right now, each moment a powerful new opportunity to connect.

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are you who you want to be?

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The act of creation, the divine process, a form of alchemy, requires not only the contemplation of strategy and logic, but first an foremost requires action. Nothing will be created without it: the momentum of putting one foot ahead of another, sometimes stumbling, taking a step back or getting so clumsy you trip over your own feet. But getting back up, that is the most important lesson. It’s okay to fall. Just keep going.

I’ve asked myself many times, “are you who you want to be?” Self-acceptance is also necessary, it’s true, but moving forward and creating yourself as though molding a piece of clay, forever sculpting, designing the destiny you chose, well, that’s beautiful. Part of creating a life you want to live includes destruction. Destroying bad habits, old patterns, toxic cycles, shedding the comfort they wrap you up in like a snakeskin.

Are you who you want to be?

I feel like taking action is also a process, a habit that you practice, a muscle that gets stronger, that each time you learn how to get back up again and take those steps forward, becomes an easier task, less of a chore and more of an adventure. Action keeps you from waiting for something that will never arrive, it reminds you that the path you take is in your hands, should you choose to embrace your power.

So stop waiting, wishing, wanting, longing, and look at yourself in the mirror. You can do this. You can fucking do this babe, don’t doubt yourself for a second because the world needs people who have come alive, who are willing to fight for themselves and their dreams. Chase your passions, ignore the negativity that seeps in from both external and internal sources. That voice in your head that can be so cruel, echoing the words once so recklessly and carelessly uttered by those who perhaps never deserved your time or attention. Don’t give that voice power, not even a glace back over your shoulder or a second thought again. Don’t let it stop you from putting yourself first, from taking care of the amazing divine being that you already are.

And if the answer is “no” to that question, maybe it’s “not yet” and now is your chance, your time, to take action.


~ NYC Art Journal ~

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The following are excerpts from the art journal I kept while visiting New York for a week.

My temporary studio

The mediums I brought with were watercolors, oil pastels, and water-soluble wax pastels, as well as various pens and pencils. I also had a blank moleskin journal where my overall goal was to just fill up as many of the pages as possible and let myself experiment with different approaches. // I started with some background washes on a handful of pages, in case while wandering around the city I was struck with inspiration and wanted to add a drawing. // My process evolved into continually adding layers, sometimes going back to different pages to add something new. // Overall, it was a fun experiment and there were some concepts that emerged I would like to explore further, I hope you enjoy this glimpse into my process. ~L

“Lavender lattes”
poured over a soft fabric
reminding me of a warmer day
when not uncovered
in vulnerability, sometimes an
unwelcome visitor, who stays
for too long on your couch
leaving your cupboards bare
upon their exit

“Sparkling stars and the cityscape”
give me a journey
unlike the guilty rays of sunshine
soaked up by my skin
on a rooftop beach
my brick-and-mortar bones
raw and unfolding

The art of perseverance

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While exploring the city today I stopped at a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant for a bite to eat and to add a quick sketch to my travel journal. I wasn’t overly impressed with the results, but the process is what matters the most to me. There was a young boy who couldn’t have been older than 7 years old hanging out at the patio as well while his mom was working. He was drawing at the table across from me and I was endeared by the shared interest.

After a while, the boy suddenly shot up and crumpled his paper, grumbling to himself. He ripped it up aggressively and threw the remnants on the ground, stomping on them and his marker in a dramatic matter that made me wonder if I should tell him not to give up. After his initial drawing was thoroughly destroyed, he got up and for a moment I thought he was done with art indefinitely.

Until he returned with more paper. This kid drew and destroyed several more sketches, each time ripping them up to stomp on in the same exasperated fashion. Wow, I felt that. What struck me about this action wasn’t that he was destroying his art, it’s that he kept getting up for more paper to keep trying. It was a beautiful reminder, you can hate your art, destroy it if you want, but keep turning more pages to try again.