So very springy! In Cologne, Germany where I am located, there were early-spring flowers all around, with changeable, moody weather. What can be very energetic and productive and also very challenging time of change for many.
Celebrating International Women’s Day with two festive events kicked off my month, which continued with planning upcoming travel adventures including a weekend getaway we reveled in at the end of the month and US visit this spring.
Having already published a general reflection on 2023 to the blog, A Beautiful Year of Slow Creation and Growth, here I’m recording impressions from my year in books, films, series, songs, and a variety of media inputs. Of course not all were stellar, but it can be fun to look back at the influence my viewing, listening, and reading has in my creative and personal life!
It’s just incredible the access we have to endless information in this day and age, to endless information. I try not to get overwhelmed by all the options, but focus on a mix of what I enjoy and expanding my exposure and perspective.
As a teaching artist, media such as music and video are key to my practice, and I also appreciate how cultural knowledge connects us socially in society.
In February things tend to get rolling for the year and 2024 was no different, as I taught and coached online, regular classes in schools and studios as well as additionally substitute teaching for colleagues on vacation.
Working on exercises and technique for a ballet exam coming up, as well as foundational work for centre, turns, and jumps with my adult students. Choreography sketches for Alphabet Superset continued to be a creative focus, and we took part in a lot of socializing for Karneval and other events.
The first week in January being school & studio holidays and furthermore part of the 12 Days of Christmas, we continued to take time off from regular teaching and work duties, recovering from the holidays and completing our celebration of the years past and freshly arrived.
Early 2024 in Cologne, the mood was very winter wonderland, with more snow than I’ve seen in the years I’ve lived in Germany so far! It was a study in contrasts, with cozy cuddles indoors, deep inner work, sparkling fun, and jumping right out of my comfort zone and into my vision for the year!
In December I participated in Judith Peters’ aka Sympatexter’s blogging challenge called “Jahresrückblog,” in support of writing and sharing annual retrospective and reflection blog article. Love a bit of structured reflection and sharing insights that may be interesting or helpful to others!
As I’ve noted in previous years, it takes me a while to complete such a reflection process, so I didn’t click “publish” on the deadline of the challenge, but was well-served by the social media prompts, live and recorded support and community that the challenge provided.
Here I am now to share my thoughts on 2023, at least as I experienced it, and inspired to share more regular personal reflections of this nature in the form of monthly-ish blogs, in order to continue to connect with folks with similar values and interests for whom my work and being in the world resonates.
Creative challenges like Camp NaNoWriMo can provide structure to launch your prolific writing or artistic career.
Daily artistic explorations can help build a habit of joyful creative expression, and each activity can help grow your ability to feel inspired and produce abundant work.
These bite-sized artistic practices were originally presented as my “Ignite the Spark of Your Creativity” Challenge on Instagram in celebration of International Coaching Week.
You may use these six prompts and responses to ignite your creative spark and be amazed by the cumulative and far-reaching impacts such regular practices can have in your life.
Perhaps you already enjoy my offerings in-studio or online and would like to know in what ways we might further collaborate, or you are interested in supporting me in expanding what I can provide for your befit and that of others.
Whether your interests lie in mindful movement, dance, coaching, education, or personal growth, I’ve got something for you, and you’ve also got oodles of potential ways to support me in return 🙂
I am studying, reading, and practicing a variety of “subjects” or “courses,” which overlap and could be grouped in different ways, which are related to my goals for the year. Topics encompass dance and movement, spiritual practice, creativity, business and finance (including sales and marketing), languages, travel and adventure, love, connection, and relationship.
While writing about the evolution of my morning ritual, I realized that the sacred time I spend preparing for my day is as much about what I avoid doing as the actions that I choose to take. That is, in order for me to focus and get into the head space I require, there are platforms and activities that I save for when my ritual is complete, later in the day, or that I skip altogether.
