Happy New Year!  Well it is almost 1/1/2011 and many people will no doubt be taking some time to reflect on the year that has been and to make resolutions for the new year.  I hope you enjoyed my post a few days ago and have had some time to reflect on the brightly coloured gems that came in the form of inspiration and inspired others in your life in 2010

I've read a lot of articles from a wide range of people about how to make the most of the new year energy and really propel yourself into 2011 with the right sort of bang.  What struck me was the fact that they all refer to making a resolution and to making changes.  I rarely saw any reference to actually making a decision.  Sure a resolution in it's intention is fabulous and a great place to start but is it really enough?  I don't think so, otherwise I believe there would be more people who make their resolutions a reality and take real life changing action.  Why do we make resolutions in the first place?  it is usually because we are not happy with the way things have been.  The thing that I think is missing when most of us make resolutions is the actual decision - a decision to commit to yourself, to really make the changes you need to make, to ensure you have the support you need to take action, to reflect on why you want to make the change, to feel what the difference will be like when you do, to believe in yourself, to know (without a doubt) that you deserve to create what ever it is you desire in life!

I'll be back in a few days to share some more great reflective questions to help you get clear on what you want out of 2011 but for now I just wanted you to think about what sort of decision you are ready to make....

Happy New Year!
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What a year 2010 was!  I had an incredible year where so much in my life changed.  Most of it, I am happy to report, for the good, although there were certainly many ups and downs to get through along the path that bought me to today and nearly the end of the year

One of the greatest things I have put into place to ensure that I am really creating a life I love is the regular practice of reflection.  Reflection might take the form of meditation, review of my goals and vision book, discussing things that are important to me with loved ones and friends or simply quiet contemplation somewhere that I feel inspired and alive

Whatever method I use to reflect, one thing I keep the same every time is a focus on uncovering the brightly coloured gems in my world.  They are the treasures and magic in my life that keep me inspired, passionate, creative and doing what I do

To celebrate the end of 2010 I put together some of the questions I ask myself in reflection as a way to prepare to celebrate the year that has been and prepare for our new year of 2011 and I'm sharing them with you because I believe it's questions like these that will help you to uncover the brightly coloured gems in your life.  The questions I am sharing today are focused on the people in your life who have inspired you and the things you learnt through your interactions with them......
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Creative Goddess I wish you love and peace
I send you gratitude and compassion
Warmth, happiness and joy
You exist because the world needs you
To shine brightly, sharing your gifts far and wide

Creative Goddess I wish you acceptance
To be who you are; just you
Today, tomorrow and every day
Because creative Goddess, you are perfect
In each and every way

Creative Goddess I wish you bliss
Inspiring, beautiful, empowered
Wonderful, faithful, blissful bliss
Embrace the world around you
Then let her embrace you back; blissfully

Creative Goddess I wish you abundance
Welcome wealth and worth into your life
Trust it will be there to support you
Believe in yourself and know how loved you are
Creative Goddess let yourself receive

Creative Goddess I wish you creativity
A room full of colour and laughter
The space to explore what it is to be you
To express freely and delight in what it means
To be the creative Goddess you are


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Hi everyone and happy happy happy celebrations to you all!  As I am writing this I am certainly in a mood of celebration.  It is 21st December where I am so as well as Christmas coming up at the end of the week it is  summer solstice in the sothern hemisphere where I live and time for Yule celebrations in the northern hemisphere.  Whatever the occasion with Christmas and New Year around the corner it's certainly time for celebration

As I look back over the past year there has been so much to be grateful for.  I've certainly had my fair share of challenges but this year, unlike some times in the past I have responded to what has happened in my life in a very different way

With an expectation of happiness and a focus on abundance and success and celebrating these each and every day things in my world are looking pretty well.... happy!  So as we approach Christmas and celebrations with .....
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At this very busy time of the year I am reminded every day of the importance of creating time to be creative.  So often we let ourselves get caught up with the world as it rushes by and we use our creativity to create reasons not to be creative, not to look after ourselves, not to honour ourselves authentically, not to do a lot of things

It can seem challenging to fit everything in and meet the demands of each and every day no matter what time of year it is, but even more so at busy times like Christmas.  I know because I too have been guilty of creating reasons not to nurture my creative soul, even though as an Art Therapist I made a promise to myself to ensure I always put my creative self first.  Hey, I'm human just like you are and I have times when my creative expression in the way that's most nurturing for me is not top of my list of priorities

When this happens I tend to find that the rest of my life feels a mix of things like overwhelm, cluttered, disjointed and lacking that element of self care and nuture I know I need to be in the best place possible for me....
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I think there are some key ingredients that every woman needs to nurture her creative soul.  To give you some inspiration and hopefully get you to think about what your creative soul needs here is a list off all the ingredients that I try and feed my creative soul on a very regular basis (in fact at least 5 ingredients or more each and every day of this monster Goddess list);

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Ingredients
  • Sprinkles of nature
  • Lashings of beauty
  • A pinch or two of peace and quiet
  • Pretty flowers for decoration
  • An overflowing jug of water
  • Cups and cups of fresh air
  • Lots and lots of interaction with living things (things I love that love me back including my loved ones, my garden and of course Ollie my cat!)
  • As much colour as you can fit in the bowl
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Our personal wisdom is such a great gift that we can all access so it was an obvious topic for me to write about as I share this last blog post for November which has been a month of focus on life transitions and managing change

One of the greatest issues I hear about from many of my clients is their challenge with ageing.  Many of you are moving through different phases in life but all seem to be keenly aware that life is racing by at an incredible speed.  There are many things that seem to remind us daily that as life passes us by we are also changing and ageing physically, emotionally and spiritually

I am sure there are times when you don't feel wise at all but that doesn't mean that you can't access the wise part of yourself for the support and guidance you may be needing.  Today I am going to share an exercise with you to help you to connect with and live from your wisdom...
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Change can certainly be a scary thing for many of us.  I think this totally depends on what the change is and the outcome it is likely to lead to.  When I think of change I think of opportunity, excitement, possibility and the chance to use that creative side of myself to navigate the journey to the other side of whatver the transition or change is that I am experiencing

I've often been asked how I manage to look at change in such an optimistic way.  Well I'll be honest with you, it wasn't always this way.  In fact I have had times in my life when there has been so much change and I have felt very pessimistic about what was happening.  So how did I manage to view change in a different way, a way that sees me embrace it with gusto?....
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Tomorrow I am off to present to a group of motivated business woman at the Women in Business WA Coffee Club and the topic of my presentation is related to identity.  I'll be sharing with them some insights into the importance of knowing who they are on the journey to creating who they want to be

Have you recently had to answer the 'Who am I?" question?  It can be a daunting one if you are in the process of having a bit of an identity crisis but not something that you need to get worked up about

Here are a few things that you can do to help yourself to get clear on who you are;
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Hi there lovely creative Goddesses!

A couple of weeks ago I was vividly reminded of the importance of looking after ourselves as we transition through the everyday changes of life.  As well as being a coach and therapist I also lecture in the Art Therapy Diploma Program in WA for IKON Institute and had the delight of sharing a load of fabulous content on Life Transitions with my students in their intensive weekend

I believe that we are all constantly going through some sort of change. Wether we want to acknowledge this or not we live in an ever changing world and we are in a constant state of change. This doesn't have to mean more stress or have a negative impact on us. I personally see change as growth and opportunity for new things to come my way or be manifested

As I was covering all the ins and outs the students needed to know about the life cycle and life transitions there were a few things that really stood out for me that I feel help us to manage change and transition through life with greater flexibility and ease that I'd like to share with you all;
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