Tag: Goals

Notebook & Supply Lineup – Analog Journaling System for Reflection, Memory, Planning & Creativity

Post author By Blythe Stephens
Post date 17. January 2026
Categories In Creative Living, Reflective Practice

The trending term the kids use online is a “Journal Ecosystem” this cute name peeves me just a bit since every system is does not work together symbiotically as a true ecosystem does.
Still, the concept of relying on analog tools, paper first, for planning, writing, organizing thoughts and projects is absolutely down my alley.
For years creators have used the term “Techo Kaigi” or planner meeting in Japanese, to describe this reflection on current notebooks in use.
Though my main squeeze is dance, if you’ve been around you know that writing, poetry, collage, photography, music and other creative media are very much at play and all current projects find a home in my system.

A November to Remember – 2025 Month 11 Reflection

The month of November in my life was about gratitude, harvest, bittersweet endings/transitions, dancing & prolific creativity! With the Beaver Moon, Transgender Day of Remembrance, American Thanksgiving and other memorable events, in this article I wrap up November 2025 in dancing & making, teaching & publishing.

Over a Decade of Dance Notebooks – A Teaching Artist’s Journals of Class, Rehearsal, Performance

Post author By Blythe Stephens
Post date 21. November 2025
Categories In Creative Living, Dance, Reflective Practice

Often espousing the benefits of handwritten note-taking, in this article and video I flip through over ten years of my own such Dance Notebooks for the curious to peek inside and for me to glean themes, learning, and growth through reflection over time.

October Oohs & Aahs – 2025 Month 10 Reflection

The month of October was action-packed & suspenseful, spooky & cozy, autumnal & full of dancing & prolific creativity!
October is LGBTQ+ History Month and many creatives I know celebrate “Art-tober” or Inktober or such challenges to spark their art, along with seeing the Hunter Moon, World Mental Health Day, National Coming Out Day, Pronouns Day, and Halloween.
In this article I wrap up the month of October of 2025 in my projects, life and events.

SeptEMBER was Fire – 2025 Month 9 & Quarter 3 Reflection

SeptEMBER brought the last gasp of Summer in Cologne and I basked in the warmth, as well as events such as the Harvest Moon, Autumn Equinox, back-to-school, Oktoberfest, and more! In this article I wrap up the month of September and Quarter 3 of 2025 in my projects & life.

Artful August – 2025 Month 8 Reflection

In August I continued my “Swashbuckling Summer” and “Splits this Season” series and kicked off a “Flights of Fancy” series and enjoyed late-summer harvest.

For me, it turned to be a pretty whirlwind season. Although we didn’t take any longer trips out-of-town, there were good warm times outdoors and outside the city as well as productive work on creative projects and a decent amount of teaching smaller summer holidays classes.

July was Sigh Worthy – 2025 Month 7 Reflection

July is about high summer, brought a heat wave and then cool rain to Cologne, and kicked off my “Swashbuckling Summer” and “Splits this Season” series with glowing energy and creativity.

Jaunty June – 2025 Month 6, Q2 & Midyear Reflection

A sweet spring in Cologne and in the US came to a close, June brought a heat wave, hay fever, relief that a couple critical medical procedures in the family seem to have been successful, end-of-schoolyear, start of the summer, and birthday fests.

In this article I’ll wrap up the month of June, Quarter 2, and the first 6 months of 2025 as a whole in my own projects, life and events.

May Replay – 2025 Month 5 Reflection

In May, we had one more week of work and play on the Big Island, several days of travel back to Cologne, then jumped jetlagged back into teaching, coaching, publishing and celebrating there! Felt at home in both Hawai’i and Germany, both happy and homesick in each location.

How (and Why) to Take Dance Notes – Class, Rehearsal, Performance Writing to Grow & Create

Post author By Blythe Stephens
Post date 27. June 2025
Categories In Creative Living, Dance, Reflective Practice

How and why take notes on dance classes & rehearsals?

Research supports the efficacy of notetaking in supporting learning and creativity, now how do we put that into practice and actually make time and space to jot a few ideas down afterwards?.