I notice my body
slide through time.
It is odd and peculiar,
genius of no one,
a perfect clock
making clocks
look simple.
From Red with a Touch of Sulfer by Zubair Ahmed
“Will you do something special for your birthday this year?” she asked.
That was six years ago when I turned fifty. My mother and I, separated by miles and miles of highway and farmland, don’t celebrate birthdays together anymore. And the older I get, the less sentimental I am about things like cake and candle-blowing.
“No, I’m just going to keep it simple,” I sighed.
For a time, I’d send a card to my mom on MY birthday. I figured she remembered that day better than I did. And I personally consider giving birth more of an accomplishment than breathing in and out for however many years.
This year, I’ll call her in Florida, where she’s wintering with her caring husband. Her memory fading, she gets to live in the moment and not worry about birthdays anymore. And at some point, I may find myself telling HER the story of my birth, just the way she’s told it to me so many times before.
At 56, I find myself in another career transition. An inner voice reminds me how it’s exactly what I asked the Universe for when I was a naive little teenager. “Please don’t let me gather dust in some back office corporate job my whole life.” Ask and you shall receive a life of adventure, curiosity and exploration, foregoing that pesky benefits package with employer match.
The last few years have been, as you know, turning my big ship toward creativity, expression and deeper self-awareness. It’s a slow, but awesome evolution. And now, I have an opportunity to complete this turn and press on the gas.
I’ve decided to marry my nerdy penchant for technology with my innate design sensibilities to design and build visionary online spaces - Squarespace websites, landing pages, event registrations, email campaigns and a few other bits and bobs.
Whew! I said it.
Not sure why that was so hard. I’ve been cultivating this work for many years already. Maybe committing to it as my primary focus sort of closes the door on some things that have served me well in the past, things I’ll need to say ‘no’ to in order to be a full YES to this next adventure.
My deepest desire is to do more than manifest websites. I want to create online spaces that are rooted in a core brand essence, develop a collaborative process, and empower my clients to be able to own and nurture their spaces with freedom and joy after our project is launched.
I intend to create digital spaces that are embraced on the front end by a visionary brand and a sustainable marketing strategy on the back end. It feels significant. I feel aspirational and full of potential at the moment, which is punctuated by the usual imposter syndrome and self-doubt. All part of the package.
So this month, on my birthday, after I call my mother, you’ll find me simply rolling up my sleeves and getting to work in the studio. Creating with a different kind of substrate and medium. Activating a deeper mission and alchemy.
But as always, transforming complexity into simplicity.
Some questions for you...
How is “Keeping it Simple” showing up for you these days?
In your creative or professional life, what new substrates or materials are you interested in working with?
Hit reply and let me know! Or leave a comment.
This month
Let's borrow a line from Zubair’s poem to push off into our pages:
Isn’t it funny...
or
My age is a number…
Set a timer for 5 or 10 or 15 minutes, write with old-fashioned pen + paper, write quickly, keep going, don’t stop to think of better words, forget the commas, say yes to whatever is coming to the page. Repeat as you like over the weeks ahead to peel away the layers.
As you move through your days, let your camera (any kind you prefer) find some images that conjure this month’s photo theme.
SIMPLE
Your images can be literal, figurative, abstract, or something completely surprising. Lean in, breathe, see with new eyes. No need for staging or filters — just snap real life with all its imperfections, smudges and wrinkles.
Then, use one of your images to push off into another creative practice - painting, drawing, sewing, sculpting, collage, more writing…..just allow the image to show the way forward.
Final thought...
"That nothing is static or fixed, that all is fleeting and impermanent, is the first mark of existence. Everything is in process."
Pema Chodron
When change comes your way, you may find yourself cringing and bracing - especially if you didn’t see it coming.
But it’s always coming.
Every moment is new and holds an opportunity to open to what’s possible. But it requires release and letting go. And I find that I sometimes hang on much too long to what has become comfortable and predictable.
Everything is in the process of becoming something else. Even you.
xoxo
Cyn
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