An Introduction, Short n' Sweet!

Hello to old friends, and WELCOME to all of the newcomers! For those of you who do not know me, my name is Corin, and I am a creative visionary fairy out to bring inspiration and motivation to the masses. I am an avid traveler, writer, and lover of adventure. I adore meeting new people, and learning about peoples stories and creative processes. I am currently working on a film project (See post below for more details!) that will combine all of my passions and lead me on a leap of faith to find creative people all around the world who are living their dreams. I want to find out their secrets to success, and bring them to you, my wonderful viewers. I look forward to you joining me on this exciting journey :-D

The Path Less Traveled

I have three TRUE passions in my life: Travel, writing, and film production. Well, I guess you could even say there are five, as passion and creativity are, in and of themselves, passions of mine. I greatly enjoy exploring the creative realm, and learning where people find motivation to push forward and achieve their goals in life, even if the path is a scary one.

Last September, I was having a conversation with a close friend. We were discussing our own dissatisfactions with our lives. “Why on earth am I working so hard to do something I am not even interested in?” she asked me. For weeks, I could not get this question out of my head. I see people do this all of the time. It was oddly commonplace. I had reached that point myself, and the monotony was killing me. I could feel something creative and alive, deep inside of me, just waiting to escape. I was going crazy. If I wanted sanity, I had to do what seemed insane.

All I have ever wanted to do is travel, write, and maybe someday, have my own travel show. “Pipe dreams”, I always told myself. People don’t offer people like me book deals or TV spots. In that moment, I was correct. “People like me” were people who didn’t do anything about their dreams aside from suppressing them. The only way I could achieve my goals, was taking the path less traveled- the scary one. The path with absolutely no guarantee or safety net. So I quit school- and purchased a one way ticket to Hawaii.

In the months leading up to my departure, I scoured the internet for TV shows or documentaries about people who had taken leaps of faith like I was doing- hoping to find comfort in the idea that someone had succeeded before me. I found nothing. I wanted something that would give me inspiration, motivation, ideas- something that would give me hope and a push out of the door, into the unknown. I was groping in the darkness, and I needed even just a little bit of light, just a little bit of hope.

It became apparent that it was time to step out on to the edge of the unknown, spread my wings, and dive head first into my dreams.

From that ledge, I came up with an idea to combine ALL of my dreams and passions into ONE large creative project.

I can create a project that helps bring light, love, and motivation to people who are groping in the darkness for even just a flicker of hope. I can create a project that can help to wake people out of the monotony of their daily lives, and give them encouragement to explore their creative dreams.

This project will take me around the world, meeting and interviewing different people, from different cultures and backgrounds, all with the same achievement: they took a chance on themselves, and on their dreams. They took the path less traveled, braving self doubt, outside criticism, and an uncertain outcome. I want to share their stories to help inspire others to achieve their own dreams. I will do this through digital media and web-based episodes that will air bi-weekly, each showcasing a specific creative dreamer who took the leap and are currently living in the light of their own creative goals. Along the way, I will film and document my own journey, my own step into the unknown- showing my own hardships, as I write my book, travel the world, and find myself.

The project that I am sharing stands on it’s own, but it is my hope to come out of this in the end, with a book about my adventures, as well as the footage I need to produce a feature length documentary about my personal leap of faith, painted with encouragement from the many different inspiring people I meet around the world.

How you can help:

First of all, stay tuned to my blog, as I will be posting my project to Kickstarter.com in a few weeks to start raising money. It is my hope to have the project fully funded by the end of the summer, so that I may begin my journey in September/October, after I return from hiking the Long Trail.

Next: Have you, or anyone you know, taken a leap of faith and achieved a creative goal or dream? If so, please email me at writetocreate@hotmail.com and tell me about your story. If possible, please attach a photo of yourself in your creative element. If chosen, I will feature you in my show, and use your photo for the promotional spot for the Kickstarter site. Please be sure that you have the ability to permit my use of the photo you provide.

Lastly: if you have a moment, and would like to support me and my project/creative dream further, please post this to your social networking site or blog, and help me get the word out! Thank you! :-D

Thank you ALL so much for the wonderful support you have all shown me now, and in the past. I would not be where I am today if it were not for my friends, family, mentors, and magical acquaintances! You are all so wonderful :-D

Inspirational Song of the Week

Finding The Flow

ANOTHER PERFECT DAY!!! I found my creative flow! You know that feeling, when you get working, and time just seems to stand still? I spent the day in Gothenburg, floating around from Cafe to trendy Cafe, drinking coffee and smoothies, and reading, writing, and editing my day away. Along with a creative leap, I have found myself in a whole knew skin. I am starting to find my rhythm and flow. No longer am I struggling against the current of my own resistance. I have learned to honor and respect the parts of me that are crying for attention.

There was a time when I would at least attempt to resist the urge to sit around all day and rest, watch movies and snack. Eventually I would give in and "waste" my day away with "mind numbing" films that would cause Gene Siskel to roll over in his grave. My inner critics would take over, pestering me with judgments and suggestions about things I should be doing, and keeping perfect track of the time I was wasting. Finally, after grappling with depression for several days, and almost failing miserably, I put those critics to rest, telling myself that I needed to settle in, sleep off my jet lag, and get used to my new surroundings. I told myself "it" would just come to me, in some AHA! moment, whatever "it" was.

I'll be damned, it actually did. This of course, surprised even me, as I was convinced I was just telling myself that lie to feel OK about sitting around doing nothing. But damn! One morning I woke up, and wanted to write. My writing gave way to some work on my current project. Work on my current project turned into more writing, more idea generating, and more restful nights. (By the way, if you feel you are missing what this "project" is that I keep mentioning- do not worry- I have not yet released any details. Soon though, very soon!)

This has continued with only a few lulls here and there over the last two weeks. Lulls that I welcomed with open arms, and nourished back to health, rather than batter and criticize. And today, I finally found my flow. That blissful feeling where time stops around you. Voices disappear, and you are left completely alone with your own miraculous and creative thoughts and ideas. You are able to get much accomplished in a short period of time. By the time you realize it, several hours have passed by, and you hardly noticed.

I felt so inspired after this bout of creativity, that I finished more than half of the pre-production I have been meaning to get to for the last three weeks. I have made a HUGE creative leap in my project, finding substance for a piece that had originally felt bland and flat. This idea, is without a doubt, the ticket to the success of my project and my own personal creative dream. I would not have made it this far without belief and patience with my Self. What a wonderful feeling this is. I cannot wait to share this with you all.

Please feel free to leave comments below about your own creative processes and what inspires YOU! :-D

Pushing Through the Fog

Journal Entry

May 10, 2011

Nygård, Sweden

I met the world with great resistance today. After a night full of nightmares and great anxiety, I awoke to a bird slamming head first into my bedroom window. I got out of bed only because of my morbid curiosity of whether or not the gleaming window, now smudged and marked with the morning dew from the birds wings, had been the demise of this feathery creature. It was not. I mustered up just enough energy to make it to the toilet before I peed myself, my bladder full due to the nightmare induced fears, and inability to grab through the dark for a light switch.

Even through my morning mind fog, I still had a glimmer of hope that I might find some inspiration and forward movement to my day. I decided to take 20 minutes to meditate and listen to my Lamas Chants cd. This was a good start, I thought, noting that according my daily To Do list, this was number one. I somehow managed to pull my mind out of the negative space it inhabited somewhere between the dream about the cast of Parenthood dying in a terrorist attack, and the one about missing my flight for my big Around the World trip. My mind was now in the right place. My body, however, still wanted to be in bed.

I lazed around for several hours. In that time, I went through all levels of emotion: hope, fear, blame, worry, loneliness, regret. I began to wonder if I had made the right decision in coming all the way out here. I am 28 years old. I should be finishing Grad school, or even my PhD! I shouldn’t be traveling and living off of someone else’s dime, even if I AM in love with him. Am I crazy? What am I going to do in two months when my loans come due, and I have hardly worked in almost a year? And who am I kidding asking people for almost $20,000 so that I can go travel the world and make videos of my adventures. Do people really care about my dreams and my adventures anyway? Wouldn’t they rather put the money toward a worthy cause, or even their own dreams?

I decided that I was spending too much time alone with my demons and inner critics. What I really need to do, is get the hell out of this house, and into the city to explore and meet people. But how? Well- I can ride into town with Jens on the week days and explore the city, and I can... wait! CouchSurfing! OH YES! I had forgotten completely that I had signed up for this travelers website ages ago. I immediately went to the website, and spent, admittedly, way too long updating my profile and emailing a few people who seemed interesting. One women, a documentary film maker, seems incredibly interesting and promising. Another, a guy from Gothenburg, just got back from an ATW trip, and could hold many promising tips for travel. Both could help me immensely in my project. YAY! Progress, and I haven’t yet left my couch... all morning long.

The sun was warm on my back, and the breeze beckoned me. I still did not have enough energy to move. Finally I decided that if I couldn’t muster the energy to do the things I wanted to do, I could at least get started by getting some much needed cleaning done. I put on my Motivational Mix, and began to clean the cloths and junk from the floor that has been staring me down for the last two weeks. Already my energy began to flow a little more freely. Organizing felt good and productive. Eventually, my productivity gave way to inspiration, and as I went to put my computer away, I was struck with the desire to write. So here I sit, feeling a whole lot better about myself, and ready to stretch and dive back into my world of creativity, inspiration and adventure.

I may not be going at the pace I would like, but I am going. I am moving forward, I am accomplishing my dreams~ Like never before.

Noting the Distractions

Journal Entry

May 9, 2011

Nygård, Sweden

Observation: My creativity, motivation, and inspiration wane when I go on the internet.

I spent my entire morning filled with inspiration. I read a few sections of the book This Time I Dance by Tama Kieves before I went to bed. I dreamt that I was full of inspiration and the motivation I gained from it catapulted me into a future of dreams come true and exciting adventures. I awoke to sunshine, birds chirping and the incredible, rich smell of spring time. Before I even got out of bed, I picked the book back up and continued to read, ingesting each tiny morsel to satiate my desire for positive reinforcement and the knowledge that someone had taken the same leap as I am, and that they succeeded. I am so worried about not succeeding that I have forgotten to enjoy the process of creating, and I think that this is where many people lose themselves and their ability to move forward with their dreams. I know that I am not going to quit on my dream, because that is all I have energy for. I do not have the drive to do things that do not serve my creative and adventurous side, at least not for very long. I think this is the reason I have come to “earn” the role of “quitter” in my dad’s eyes. It’s not that I do not finish the things that I love, it’s that I do not stick with the things I hate. When I am unhappy with something, or bored, or have figured out that it does not serve me in some way, I drop it like the bad habit that most people keep.

Back to my original observation: Every single time I pick up my computer, my instinct and my desire is to check my Facebook, my email, and any other pointless link I can come across. Stumbleupon has become less of an inspiration, and more of a channel surfing-type waste of time. I use it more as a distraction in the name of inspiration, than an actual tool to find inspiration. Often times, I will come across something that could help me in achieving my goals, or give me inspiration or a prompt, but then I just use that inspiration to find more inspiration and it becomes a spiral into a motivational-less void where absolutely nothing gets done.

What I need to start doing is setting an hour where I check my email, Facebook, and maybe even give myself three stumbles a day, Monday through Friday. Weekends need to be free of this large waste of time, and weekdays need to be regulated. After living in Hawaii, where I generally kept busy, I never really used these avenues of distraction all that much. (even in the middle of typing this, I felt, and followed, a great urge to check my facebook.)

Remembering My Magic

Journal Entry

Written May 4, 2011

Nygård, Sweden

It is amazing to me the things I have accomplished. Deep down, I have this sense of knowing that I have done many incredible things, but it isn’t until I look at photos, or speak with my mentors and friends that the memories and sense of accomplishment come to the surface.

I have jumped out of planes, traveled half a world away on a whim, tattooed half my body, met, worked for, and became friends with my favorite author and mentor, Sark. I have learned to dance with, eat, and breathe fire. I have jumped into social situations, knowing that I may not be accepted, hoping that I would find my peers among them. I have overcome many emotional obstacles, and have become an incredibly strong and resilient person. When ever I have put my mind to it, I have overcome any obstacle in front of me. Anything I have decided to do, and put my heart to, I have accomplished.

What a great feeling this holds when I remember. That “Dad voice” in the back of my mind seems to stubbornly shut up and sulks back to his corner, muttering under his breath. He knows there is nothing he can say to change my mind, once I remember that I have beat him before, and that I can, and will do again.

Looking at photos, I see myself participating in amazing life altering experiences that many would be afraid to try or even think about trying. I have the ability to push past my fear, and I am aware of it. It is because of this that I am able to do such amazing things. I find that often times, I have to push past the fear just to prove to myself that there is nothing to be afraid of. It is like my higher self is the parent comforting my inner child. Higher self forces my shaking inner child to look under the bed to see that there are no monsters waiting to harm it. I tuck that part in bed with a night light on every time something fearful comes up, and then I go to investigate it, to assure her there is nothing to be afraid of. That child is growing fearless- and soon there is nothing that will keep me from lunging forward at any opportunity I have to do something exciting and equally scary.

I have officially started work on my travel show project. While researching on Kickstarter, I came across a similar project to mine. The girl has far more experience than me, both in film & TV, and in travel. She is asking for only half of what I am estimating I will need, and it is not looking like she will be making her goal (although I do hope that she will!) At first, I became a bit worried, thinking “If she doesn’t make it, how on earth will I!?” Then, as if my higher self stepped in, I began to assure myself that I have everything I could ever need to make this possible. I have MANY people who want to see me succeed, and many of my supporters are successful people who will be able and willing to help me fund my project. And besides: people LOVE to give me money :-D Not to mention that the premise to my travel show is incredibly unique and will be insanely fun to watch AND produce!

There will be kinks- but I will work them out. There will be unexpected occurrences while on the road- but I will turn them into tiny adventures, and find the magic in each one. I will have my less than stellar days, but I will never let them bring me down. I will keep working hard and diligently to achieve my goal of having my own travel show. I KNOW I can do this.