Found Art Friday, and Armchair Travels

Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime. ~Mark Twain

One of my biggest dreams is to travel the world. I want to see everything I possibly can, meet as many people as possible, see things I didn’t even know existed. I could easily become bitter at my lot in life right now, which does not include the time, money or freedom to travel. (Though one of my heroes, Chris Guillebeau and his Travel Ninja Guide is totally inspiring me right now!)

However, I've realized that one does not have to travel the world in order to practice seeing things and people, and even yourself in a brand new way. Lately, I’ve been doing lots of reading and thinking about ideas that are completely outside my own spiritual tradition, political culture, and daily grind. Deliberately seeking out new ways of thinking has been incredibly refreshing, and I highly recommend it! For me, this has been my way of getting out of my little corner of the earth. I can feel my heart opening, my compassion growing, my own narrow mindedness exposed for what it is.

Have you ever stared at yourself in the mirror long enough that your image begins to look strange, distorted, or even a bit grotesque? Like you can’t believe its really your own image staring back at you? I think if you keep staring at the things you always do, reading the books you always read, and thinking the thoughts you always think long enough, the walls can start to build up. This unfortunate turn of events can go a couple of different ways. One, you can become prideful, thinking you’ve got it all figured out, and you have everything you need thank you very much. You put a No Trespassing sign outside your gate, and only let others in if they look, dress, act and think like you. If they know the secret handshake that’s a bonus. Or you can go the other way. You get walled in by your limiting beliefs, they bring you down and keep you stuck. You may believe that all the good things are “out there”, that all the other people have it better than you, have more talent, more freedom, are smarter, prettier, yada, yada, yada. They’ve figured it all out and they aren’t letting you in on the secret. You are the princess in the tower, and your hair isn’t long enough (or good enough) for the prince to notice you anyway.

I would challenge you to this. How can you venture out of your own little corner of the world? Where are you limiting your own view of the world? Where do you feel either superior or inferior to others? Gently remember that neither is true. Just remember, EVERYONE has an interesting, compelling story. The person on the street that gets your dander up for one reason or another, the people in the news doing crazy or fantastic things. And you. Everyone is here for a reason, created for love and a purpose.

Can you dig into each moment as it comes, even if you believe you are failing? Watch and see what happens. Can you suspend your judgment for an instant and simply watch as an observer, just for a moment? Can you read a book that you wouldn’t normally reach for that would let you travel in another’s shoes just for a moment? Can you observe your worldview the way a traveler from a foreign land would see it?

Be compassionate. Be gentle. We’re all doing the best we can at any given moment. Strive for more kindness. Little else matters.

With that, I leave you with this week's Found Art Flyer. If you haven't heard yet, the mission is to spread love and kindness in creative, stealthy ways in your community.

Download, Print and Run! Thanks to the brave* and fabulous Stephanie, for this beautiful reminder. Pop on over to her place and say Hi.

*And folks, let me tell you this. Whatever you have or are thinking about creating and sharing here IS good enough. I'd really, really love to see what you've got. I promise I'm super nice! :)

Be Awesome

(originally posted here ) My friend Jenica posted this on her Facebook page, and I LOVE it.

Be Awesome Today.

Wherever you are, whatever you are doing,

Rock it.

(PS MANY of you have said you are thinking of sending something in. I'm so excited to get this all going, but I can't do it without you. Y'all are going to get really tired of me and my ramblings soon. I KNOW there is mad talent out there amongst my amazing early readers. Show us what you got!)

Excuse My Dust

So, I got to thinking, maybe I should Google around a little bit and get some tips on how to really get this thing off the ground, spiff up the blog design. You know, make it look like I really know what I'm doing. And oh dear. I really shouldn't have done that. Apparently, I'm doing it all wrong.

You see, I am a perfectionist. But not the kind of perfectionist that is super driven and never satisfied until every last jot and tittle has been polished and shined. (Did I just use the word "tittle" in a serious sentence? Sorry about that.) But anyway, no. That's not me. Not at all. Not. At. All. I'm the kind of perfectionist who completely takes this phrase to heart: "If you can't do something right, don't do it at all." And so usually, I don't. This is something I've been trying to work with for the past few years. Notice I didn't say, "trying to overcome" or "trying to fix", or any other word that smacks of permanent change. Those words just don't work for me. I feel defeated before I even try.

Now when I start something new, or intimidating, or anything that makes me want to hide under the covers until it passes, I say to myself, "I'm just practicing"." I'm not a Buddhist, but I find the zen idea of life as a practice so incredibly appealing. This is another one of those themes that kept coming at me from all sides, in big and small ways, as a message of grace to my soul.

One of my yoga teacher's favorite sayings is "yoga is a practice, not a perfect." The first time I heard her say that was like a 2 x 4 hitting me right between the eyes. But in a good way. In the best of ways. It was an epiphany moment. I realized in that moment that I had been trying to live my entire life as a perfect, and not as a practice. My creative work could barely get off the ground since I was constantly comparing myself to those I admired. My housekeeping was never enough since it was never officially "done". My parenting brought me loads of guilt as I failed to be the perfect mom, every single day. But, to think of these things as play, as practice, as something to work with as a beginner was completely life changing. I'm still practicing at putting it into practice.

So it is with this project. I know now to just dive in, and not to wait for everything to be perfect to start. So I'm already in headfirst, head over heels. Please excuse my dust as I work out the kinks, add to the design and content, as I find my voice and my courage. My writing will not be perfect, and some weeks I'll post more than others. According to the experts on Google, I'm going about this all wrong, but I'm ok with that. I'm just practicing.

Is there any place in your life where you are holding back because you're afraid of not doing it perfectly? Of starting and not finishing (again)? Of not measuring up? Me too! Let's all start at the beginning, and simply start practicing our art, practicing believing in ourselves, practicing being gentle with ourselves, our families, those we disagree with in the world. Be curious about all these little bits of life. Curiosity is a really wonderful thing. Let's change the phrase "Practice Makes Perfect" to something a little more gentle. How about "Practice Makes Peace"?

So, practice with me, with all of us. Show us what you're working on. Don't wait for the perfect moment to submit something. The time is right, right now. The world will be a brighter place because of you.

Congratulations to Jeanette, the winner of The Project's very first giveaway! Thanks to all who entered, I loved all the quotes that were shared. We'll definitely be having more giveaways soon, so stay tuned!

Empty your Cup, Fill Your Well

A Cup of Tea

Nan-in, a Japanese master, received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen.

Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitor's cup full, and then kept on pouring.

The professor watched the overflow until he no longer could restrain himself. "It is overfull. No more will go in!"

"Like this cup," Nan-in said, "you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?"

Ahh, yes. This teaching has come to me in many different forms this year, and I’m slowly learning to listen. Whenever I see themes coming up over and over in my daily routine, I know its time to slow down, and pay attention to that feeling. Over the past few years, I feel as though I’ve been going through a period of my life that could be called, "The Great Awakening of Emme", or "Emme: Becoming a Renaissance Woman", or "How Emme Got Her Swerve On", Or how about: " Emme: The Story of How One Woman Discovered She Was Stuck in a Box, and How She Got Out of It." I’ll be sharing more of this story over the next few weeks and months as this blog develops and I get brave in sharing just like I am encouraging all of you to do!

One thing I definitely wanted to share with all of you is this: I am absolutely passionate about encouraging each and every one of you to believe in yourself, your passions, and your dreams. Bottom line, I want you to know in the depths of your soul that you are enough, just as you are, right this minute. I want you to believe that your work as writers, photographers, artists, beginners, dabblers and dreamers can and WILL brighten someone’s day if you reach out to connect with those around you, online and in "real life". I know that so many of us in this online community are on the same interior journey, wanting so much to find a way to live our passions, our dreams, and to make a real difference in the world. The Found Art Project is all about providing a space for you to do that.

The story above is a little food for thought that I’ll leave you with this weekend. Is there anything in your life that is taking up too much room? Maybe just doesn’t fit right anymore? What can you let go of , in order to make room for something new to come in? Perhaps its an old thought pattern, old belief systems that are holding you back from standing in your own power. Perhaps its something more tangible, like too much clutter in your home that steals your happiness and zaps your energy everytime you look at it. (I'll be talking about this more in the future, with 4 kids under age 10 in a small house, I am personally very well acquainted with the clutter monster!) Too much TV? Dare I say, too much internet time? (Personal cringe of recognition here!)

These are things that fill your cup, but drain your well. Your well of creativity, your well of personal power, your well of believing in yourself.

This weekend, see if you can spend just 1 hour (or more!) doing something creative that you absolutely love that you’ve been putting off. Fill up your well this weekend with love, whimsy and lots of rest and play.

Don’t forget to leave a comment in Wednesday's Post in order to be entered for the drawing! So far, the odds are pretty good! :)

Today, I’m reposting Jodie’s painting, in new and improved format! For some reason, the file was acting wonky and we weren’t able to see ALL the loveliness! I love it even more now!Please consider sending something in of your own. It may be exactly the thing someone needs to see that day. I'd be honored to post your work!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Pure Beauty & the Project's First Giveaway!

Thank you all so much for being here! I'm truly thrilled to see the community growing so quickly! I was so excited when Jodi from Joyful Girls contacted me to partner up for this awesome giveaway! Joyful Girls is donating one copy of the fantabulous book The Guerilla Art Book by Keri Smith (how awesome and perfect is that?!) to one lucky winner here AND one lucky winner on the Joyful Girls Facebook page. That's right! 2 chances to win! To win here, all you have to do is send in a piece (writing, painting, photograph, etc) to be published as the Found Art Flyer, OR leave a comment telling us your favorite inspirational quote (actually, even if you just say Hi, we will love you and enter you in the drawing!)
Joyful Girls is making it really easy for me to say a big ole THANK YOU for being

on board so early! Here's a l'il picture of it:

Fun, yes?!

So, c'mon, don't be shy! Send me something to post, or simply tell us your favorite inspirational quote in the comments section, and you could be our lucky winner! Pop on over to Joyful Girls to find out how to win there! Comments for the giveaway on this site will close at 6:00pm PDT, on Sunday, June 6th, and the winner will be announced shortly thereafter! Yay!

Well, speaking of fun, the marvelous Jodie has offered this to us and the world for our viewing pleasure! Pop on over to her blog, you'll definitely want to "meet" her.

Is this not completely gorgeous?

And don't forget to go meet Jolie and Sandy, our other artists (so far) this week!

All righty then, you know what to do, peeps! Print and run! And let's be careful out there!

Please join our Facebook page if you haven't already found us and

find me here, and friend me up. I'd honestly love to meet every single one of you personally, but this will have to do.

And please, share, tweet, tell your friends! We want all the cool kids here!

Go Forth and Spread the Love!

Your mission, should you choose to accept it:

Make between 5 and one million copies, think of as many creative places as you can to post Sandy's lovely painting. Leave it on the bus, on a pew at church, tucked into a book at the bookstore, hand it out on a street corner where people will think you're selling something or trying to get them to come to happy hour, but really, you're just giving them art and a smile.

If you have an idea for a creative place to leave a Found Art Project flyer, leave a comment! Also, please do what you can to spread the word!

Have fun!

Sowing Seeds of Kindness Will Change the World.

So excited to see the response to this! I think this speaks volumes of the deep need we all feel for beauty, love and kindness in the world. Its easy to think the world has lost these things, if the only thing we listen to is the talking heads on TV, watch the headlines, or scroll through the comment section on any given mass marketed website. We may begin think of life only in terms of red vs. blue, right vs. left, us vs. them. I have to admit, I used to feel like I needed to add my voice to the chorus, to try to get people to see my point, how my way of life would save them. But then I realized this just made me feel yucky inside. Plus its just downright ridiculous to think that I have all the answers. Or any answers, really. I realized that I was not adding more love and peace to the world trying to convince anyone of anything. I realized I wasn't even being kind to MYSELF. I was trying to live up to my own crazy standards, and then feeling like I was failing every. single. day. Everyday, I'd have a whole list of do's and don'ts that I actually felt would somehow make me a more worthy person if I accomplished it all. Then I'd be wracked with guilt if I "failed", if I was impatient with my kids (aka yelling at them), or if I didn't fold that basket of laundry AGAIN, I didn't write that day AGAIN, and on and on. And one day, I just stopped. I decided to simply live in each moment as it came, and try to be kind to myself, and everyone around me, even if they (or I) was acting like a real "buns-hole" that day. (did you just giggle? I did. ) Oh, and even if I wasn't kind in every moment, I decided to forgive myself. I decided to be curious about, instead of irritated by, that person on TV, (or the angry commenter on a website) spewing out their own worldview as though it actually would save the world if only everyone would agree with them. How did they get that way? Why are they acting like that? OH...they want to feel safe in the world. They want people to approve of them. Maybe they are a little afraid of what they are seeing in the world. OH. Just like me.

I decided to stop spewing anything at the world, and try my hardest to only give out love, because THAT is the one thing I'm sure of that is required of me as a human being. I don't have to convince anyone of anything, except perhaps that they are loved too. EVERYONE wants to feel loved, encouraged, like maybe they are ok as they are after all.

Let's let people know they are loved with our own words, images, artwork, poems we write or poems we love. Let someone's day be brightened with a little surprise love note (your creation!) in their daily routine. Please, please don't be shy to send me something. Don't even think about feeling that whatever you're thinking about sending in might not be good enough. This is a collaborative effort, and I'm so excited to get this community going. Please join the mission. Save the world with kindness and beauty. Please?