Purity

The absence of all color..and yet so full.

White.

It represents purity..innocence..sweet cleanliness and light.
....

note from kim
We are celebrating the loveliness of 'white' at the i-Studio this month.
We invite you to join in....and share your take on 'white' in the i-Studio Flickr pool.
We will be featuring your photos in the afternoon throughout the month.
xxo, kim

Questioning as 'Practice'

It's grey. It's November. I have a list that is much too long..awaiting my attention. I ate too much. I slept too little. My big toe aches. There isn't enough time in my busy day.

There are always so many very good reasons - all perfectly valid - why not to attend to whatever it is we practice. But - we practice anyway. Of - I do. By turning off our thinking minds..we get into what grounds and inspires us. We invite in what we need...and let go of what won't serve us on that particular day.

Those of us who are entrenched in a daily ritual and routine can't imagine how they might get through their day without it.

Lately - I've found myself questioning. Should I roll out my mat...should I not? Should I to out with my camera..or is this day too rainy..too cold..to un-inspiringly grey? Strangely and surprisingly - it is within those questions that I'm finding a whole new and different practice. This one - about trustint what I already know to be true. No matter what..no matter where or when. Sometimes it's better not to 'ask' too many questions..and simply to 'do'.

Within the familiarity and framework of that daily practice is where I'm found. My feet solid on the earth beneath me. My head - free and clear and reaching for the sky above. Ready to create..to find a spot of unexpected color in an otherwise monochrome and very ordinary day.

What is it that you do that inspires? That grounds? That defines and structures your day?

Practicing Humor

It’s been busy. Life has begged and asked and demanded. Opportunities have knocked..and I’ve run to answer the door. It’s been both energizing and exciting..and exhausting all at once and the same time. No question or doubt – it’s been good…and – as I already said – it’s been incredibly busy. There’s been no time for anything much else.

But then ..this morning. It’s November. It’s grey. It’s time passing. I asked myself – when was the last time I laughed? When was the last time I played?

So today – I’m practicing laughter and light. Today I’m practicing humor..for humor’s sake. Today – I am not going to take myself and all else quite so seriously. Today – when there is no visible sunshine..when the days are getting shorter..when life is only going to get busy-er before it won’t..I’m taking a moment to laugh…to joke…to play..to enjoy.

Why did the turkey cross the road?
To get to the other side.

There is nothing needed more than that. Won’t you join me today..in practicing playfulness and humor? Won’t you share a good laugh??

Simplify

So many things happening all at once..and at the same time. Good things. Exciting things. Growing and evolving things. Changing things.

It’s left me feeling breathless and out-of-control and that I am racing constantly just to keep up. With too many balls up in the air..I fear that if I let one drop..I may drop them all.

Stop…I remind myself. Breathe. Slow-it-all-down. Simplify. Focus on only one of the many..many things on the long list of ‘to do’. The forest will be there. Today – look only at that one tree with the singular branch and that one beautiful leaf. See it. Embrace it. This too shall pass. In another week – this leaf won’t be. In the week after that – all of this busy-ness will be behind me.

Today – I am practicing focusing one just one thing. One baby step. One long slow deep breath. One ‘thing’ on my list crossed off…done… accomplished.

In that – I invite you to join me. To focus only on one of the many things on your list…to savor and enjoy the moment – without any sort of judgement. Neither good..nor bad..but for what it simply is. To breathe.

Practicing Intention

We’ve already established that ‘practice’ in itself doesn’t make ‘perfect’..but it does make for proficient and strong and – yes - ‘practiced’.

There are many ways in which to start one’s day…many ways in which to find root and ground and begin again.

One very simple practice is that of setting intention. Decide what it is you want from the day…and practice that. <!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]-->

Set your intention..and the energy will follow.

If your intent is to be happy..then practice happiness.

If your intent is to be productive..then make a long list and get things done.

If your intent is to cultivate presence..then take a few moments to look and to see and to notice what it is that surrounds you. Accept and embrace it for what it is. Write it down. Color it in. Photograph it. Don’t let it pass you by.

If you begin each day with laughter and light and an internal belief that all is right with the world…it just may be that it is. Practice positivity.

If you begin each day believing that your cup is half empty…you’ll find that it’ll never be half full.

Practice the intention of positive thinking..of setting out to be just who you want to be on this day.

Tell me - what is it that you are practicing today?

Carola's 'Practice'

Before returning next week with more about my practice, I am continuing on with those who have offered up theirs. Today I am honoring Carola and her 'practice'..as she's shared with me.

*********************************************************

Often I dream of having a daily practice. Something that would put me in my creative mood. Instantly.Like a light switch.
The reality, however, looks – well, different at best.
There are the daily necessary routines – dropping kids off at school, workout, doing basic household chores and preparing meals. But there is also the luxury of an empty house, quietness and calmness that I enjoy almost every day.
I’ve found, however, that there are certain little pleasures that keep me going, that I simply need and that eventually get my creative juices flowing. Without them, my day wouldn’t be as productive and I would hang around with a feeling of non-accomplishment which in the end would just block my creativity. As a result, I’d be unhappy and turn into a grumpy old woman. Not very desirable.
The first thing I need in the morning is coffee – with a good amount of soymilk creamer. Soymilk adds a tiny bit of sweetness to the coffee that is just right. I take my coffee and sit at the kitchen table, solving the Sudoku in the daily paper. A day doesn’t seem complete without my Sudoku.
However, the most important part of the morning is the walk through my garden. Seeing the richness of the colors that the first sunlight spills onto the flowers and getting inspired by it. Checking on the veggies and planning meals. Watching the birds and enjoying nature in my backyard. And usually, the camera is close by and used almost every morning – that keeps me going.
After that, the day takes off – I’m in the mood, whether it’s writing, painting or playing with photos.

*********************************************************

Would love to hear more from you and yours. If you have a 'practice' that you'd like to share..please email me with 'Daily Practice' as the subject title. I'll be posting them here to honor the light in me that honors the light in you.

Kate's 'Practice'

Today - I'd like to honor Kate's ' daily practice'..as she's shared with me.

.....

i try to give to others...

that is my daily practice.
i write letters, send pictures and pray for others.
that is what 'resets' me. it helps me stop thinking of myself.
it reminds me to be grateful for my blessings.

when I am feeling empty and need to recharge, They spur me on to find my stories and my moments
i love to read my friends blogs.
that is my biggest source of inspiration.
it's like flipping through a great magazine with a cup of coffee on a saturday morning.
The photos they take, the stories they tell…

They remind me to hug my children, to kiss my sweet husband, to breathe in deeply

when I am feeling down and need to be lifted up,

i listen to music.
My soul clings to the melodies and my ears listen intently for harmonies
i escape for a while and recall the first time
i heard the song…

these memories they bring with them bloom in my mind
lifting me up higher and higher

.....

Would love to hear more from you and yours. If you have a 'practice' that you'd like to share..please email me with 'Daily Practice' as the subject title. I'll be posting them here to honor the light in me that honors the light in you.

'Practice' makes 'Perfect'

Continuing on with this series on 'daily practice' - I will be writing weekly about this sometimes elusive process..and all things related. Because it is one that is ever-changing and constantly evolving..I have no idea where it is we might go. Everyday is a new one..and an opportunity to begin again fresh and new. Would love to hear your thoughts..and if there is anything you'd like to add or contribute.



And to that - I begin again today:

By definition - 'practice' is the act of rehearsing a behavior over and over, or engaging in and activity again and again for the purpose of improving or mastering it. It is a method of learning and acquiring experience. It derives from the Greek verb - 'prasso' - to achieve, bring about, effect, accomplish.

Practice makes perfect.

Practice and you will perfect whatever it is you are practicing.

Practice and you will 'be' perfect.

For so many of us..these words are mother tongue. They are burned permanently into our unconscious minds and psyche. We believe that in order to achieve..we must practice and practice and practice some more. There is a prize at the end of this pose.

But what if practice doesn't make perfect..or achieve ultimate mastery? What if the ultimate goal is the practice itself and nothing more or other than that?

Practice builds strength..skill..proficiency. It is about discipline and habit. And the elusive prize that we are seeking might just be right there in that pose.

Practice does not make perfect. Practice makes 'practiced'...and nothing other. I invite you all today..and everyday to join me in that.

A Challenge

By now - you’ve all heard from me. What challenges..what centers..what grounds and inspires me.


You’ve heard how I greet each morning by saluting the sun…and how that ‘practice’ has shaped and changed how I view my world and capture it through my camera’s lens.

You’ve heard how I meet the blank page…and fill it with whatever the moment has to offer.


Now – it’s your turn.

I’d love to hear about your ‘practices’ – whether they be daily…weekly..or monthly. I’d love to hear about what gets your engines going in the morning…what inspires…what helps you see and feel and ‘be’.


To that – I’d like to offer up a challenge. In 300 words..or less – tell me about yourself. You can use words..or images..or both. Tell me what you do that frames your day..that focuses you…that gets you going when nothing else will. I’d love to hear about your ‘practices’ – in your own creative way.


Over the next few weeks – we’ll be posting your offerings right here at the Inspiration Studio. It's an opportunity to see..and be seen..and be a part of this extraordinary group.


Leave a comment here. Let me know what you think...and if you'd like to be a part of this. And then – email me directly with your story. The one you'd like the world to see. In the subject line – be sure to write ‘Daily Practice’ so that I’ll know that it’s you.

Why It Works

So..I’ve been asking myself..and am asking you too. What is it about a daily ‘practice’ that works? How is it that doing the same thing day after day..can change your mind and your life? How is it that it helps you find peace and ground and center? And how is it that within that daily ritual and routine.. you find the strength to speak your true voice?

When not thinking straight..when thoughts and endless questions are swirling and twirling and dancing inside – I turn myself upside down. I breathe. I trust my body. The answers come as I return myself to earth. To what supports and carries me.

When questioning and second-guessing and believing that I have nothing to say..nothing to offer – I sit myself down at my computer. I let my fingers do the walking. I trust in their knowing something that I do not. That they will guide me.

And when the world is looking hopeless and dark and grey..and that today is the same day as the day that was yesterday – I pick up my camera. I let the lens do the seeing…believing that it will lead me…that it knows better than me where to look and find the extraordinary in that everyday ordinary.

Over and over – I return to my ‘practice’…to the space that is comforting and familiar…and where I can simply be. How or why it works – I don’t quite know. But that – if it works for me..it could work for you too??

Practice

by Marcie Scudder.

As an avid yoga practitioner, I study the power of presence, the strength of acceptance, and the grace of embracing what ‘is’.

This ‘practice’ of photographing the world as I see it has become no different than that of stepping on my mat, feeling the ground solidly beneath my feet, opening my heart and my eyes to the world as it unfolds around me. It is a union of body and mind and the click of the shutter’s lens.

Day after day, week after week and month after month after that, no matter what the forecasted weather I get up before the sun rise and walk my morning walk. With my camera over my shoulder and in my hand, I ‘practice’ recording the world as I see it. I never know in advance what it was I might find. The perfect scene, the perfect moment, the perfect light are inconsequential and often elusive. There is always something new to see and be seen; something to be captured from a different point-of-view and in a whole new way. The morning light, the weather, the mood, the seasons are ever changing and evolving along with my vision.

Looking thru my lens I often find myself totally immersed in the moment and what it has to offer. My ‘practice’ has become a daily reminder that there is hidden magic in the details if we actually stop and breathe and look and listen.

Curious to hear how it is you practice your craft? What it is that you do daily?

Ode to Daily Practice

I'm Marcie..and thrilled to be a part of this group of endless inspiration. I'll be sharing my thoughts and experiences around the power and possibility of daily practice, and thought I'd begin with a little 'manifesto'..of sorts.

It’s about feeling the earth beneath you. Solid and strong.

Just breathe.

It’s about meeting that white page with a few words..or sentences..or even paragraphs. But finding something.

Just write.

It’s about confronting that blank canvas and filling it with a few strokes of color. Your color. Whatever it might be today.

Just paint.

It’s about going out there with nothing other than a camera. Expecting nothing. Neither controlling nor contriving. Looking and seeing and recording it as it is.

Just click.

It’s about setting an intention to commit. Without any sort of attachment to outcome..finding the true prize in the process and in that pose.

Just move.

It’s about discipline and ritual and routine. In spite of the bad mood..the bad weather..the sleepless night that happened before.

Just do it.

It’s about simply getting up and meeting each day. Accepting and embracing..without judgement or question.
It’s about rising and beginning again and again and again..time after time after time after that.

It’s about practice...a one that is done daily.