Dreams Realized

“Whatever our wildest dreams may be, they only scratch the surface of what is possible”

from “Becoming Like God” pg. 29

This photo is from my pottery studio wall.  Having my own pottery studio in my home is one of the greatest dreams come true for me this last year.  It has opened up more possibility and joy in my life than I could have anticipated a couple of years ago when the dream first entered my consciousness.

I think that is true for many of our dreams…they are the gateway to even greater joys, dreams come true that we hadn’t dared to dream until the realization of the initial  dream.  Daring to dream, daring to believe our dreams can come true, sharing your dreams, supporting the dreams of others and sharing in each others journey as we do the rare and wild things required to realize our dreams….well, that is what living is all about. For me anyway

Here are some of the dreams that have come true for me in my life so far.  Some of these dreams were conscious, planned and worked for.  Others were dreams that came true along the way, products of an inspired life, a commitment to and relentless pursuit of joy and bliss and the fall-out from other dreams realized.

If all this can come true in 32 short years….I can only imagine what the future holds!

~Saw the Foo Fighters live then met and hugged Dave Grohl! One of the greatest nights of my life!

~Married the man of my dreams.  That WAS the greatest night of my life

~Swam with the dolphins

~Traveled the coast of California with my closest friends and family for my 30th birthday

~Graduated with highest honors from college

~Inducted into a national collegiate honor society

~Accepted into graduate school..twice

~Taught myself to knit

~bought my own home…twice

~Live on a large country estate with two bodies of water

~Have my own pottery studio

~Opened my own pottery store @ ETSY

~Sold my first piece of pottery to someone I didn’t know

~Had my pottery in a gallery show

~Learned to play the piano, flute, cello, violin and timpani

~Won a music scholarship to college

~Won an academic scholarship to college

~Started this blog

~Opened a spa business and grew it from 6 employees to 32.  Grew it from 0 clients to over 5000 in less than 4 years.

~Had a grand opening celebration for my spa and had the local news organization come and do a live report on the evening news.

~I have gone to every live concert I have ever wanted to, sat front row for Ani Difranco and Over The Rhine.

~Met my favorite author

~Was hired as the chief make-up artist for a major magazine shoot… twice.

~Ate @ Redd

~Ate @ Cut and met Wolfgang Puck

~Used my spa business to change lives for the better and donated thousands of dollars and many man hours to charities and individual people in need.

~Traveled all over the U.S. on business and pleasure

~Scored in the 97th percentile on the Psychology GRE

~Taken several vacations just by myself and discovered the joy of my own company and the thrill of adventuring in an unfamiliar place alone.

~Cried with joy more times than I can count.

~Faced some of my greatest fears and failures, lived through them with grace and thrived if not in spite of them but because of them. I know now how to re-frame failure and squeeze all the hidden blessings from it.

~Witnessed pure joy and unconditional love time and time again

~ Won honorable mention for a painting at my college art show.  I had never painted before I made that painting

~Saw the Steelers win the Super bowl on my birthday

~Jet skied in the Pacific Ocean

~Learned how to forgive others and most importantly how to forgive myself

~bought a brand new 2 seater convertible sports car and drove it all over the place with my hair blowing in the wind

~I have a group of friends that is my chosen family and we experience the world with enthusiasm, awe and wonder.  We experience and expect miracles.

~Was hired for my dream job out of 800+ applicants and over 13 hours of interviews.  Was promoted less than 2 years after that and had a successful and lucrative career with that company.

~Came to unconditionally love and accept myself.  I live with that reality today after dreaming of it for so many years.

~Learned how to weld

~Was offered every job I have ever interviewed for

~Went to Puerto Vallarta with my dearest friend

~Saw the Steelers play live 2 times and didn’t have to pay for either time

~Was featured on PBS, a regional business network programing show, newspapers, radio and promotional videos for organizations because of the success of my business

~Went to Celebrate your life 3 times and met some of the most amazing people I now call my friends

~Was selected to be a member of a singing group I dreamed of being a part of since I was very young

~Went on a country-wide summer tour with that group and have many cherished memories from that time in my life

~Won every title, scholarship, crown and competition I dreamed of as a young person

~Saw Billy Joel and Elton John in Vegas, center floor seats

~Have had many moments where I turned to a friend or loved one with tears in my eyes and said “There is nowhere else in the world I would rather be than here with you, doing this.” and felt my heart fill with such gratitude and happiness I thought I would explode. I’ll end with this cause what else is there in this life that could e more perfect? I can’t think of any dream more important to me than that!

Happy Hands and a Grateful Heart

This year in addition to doing the “Make it Happen in 2010 Creative Adventure over @ ABC Creativity, I’m also participating in the Creative Every Day Challenge over at Leah Piken Kolidas’s site. (She is a beautiful soul and amazing artist make sure you visit her site and check it out)

The theme for this month’s Creative Every Day Challenge is “body”.  The idea is to use the theme as a jumping off place or point of inspiration during the month to keep you in the creative process.

As a potter my immediate reaction to the word was to think of my hands and my heart…the two parts of my body most involved in my creative process.

Today I’m using my hands not at the wheel forming pots, but turned upward and extending through giving away some of my work.

This past Christmas I gave away many pieces of my pottery to friends and family.  It felt so good…but a couple of times it was hard to let go of them.  One time I actually cried as I packed these two pieces up and put them in a giant gift bag.  I don’t know why……it was really odd.  After reflecting a bit, I realized that I was giving away something very precious to me, something that had a lot of personal value and was the very best work I had ever done. I have always had a generous and giving heart, but this stretched me to a new point of generosity.  I remember thinking that of all the gifts I have ever given in my life, giving those pots away actually felt the most like a real gift, not because of the pots themselves, but because of what it activated in me….the spirit of unconditional love and abundance.  By letting go of the best I have to offer, I actively demonstrate that there is an unlimited supply of creative energy constantly flowing through me.   I don’t have to hold on to anything cause nothing really belongs to me anyway…it’s all part of the divine matrix constantly flowing to and through me.

So, I got up this morning, walked around my house and picked my favorite and best pots from their places of display.  I love living amongst my creations and over the last few months these pieces have given me such joy and satisfaction as they added beauty and charm to my home.  And as I started thinking of who I could give them to gratitude filled my heart.

One piece went to a woman who attended my first live pottery throwing demonstration and talk.  She loved the vase but couldn’t afford it at the time.

Another piece went to a former employee who went above and beyond his call of duty and helped teach me the ropes as his new manager in a manufacturing enviornment that was foreign and intimidating to me.  He didn’t have to give me the pointers, tips and advice.  I’m sure he had see his share of know it all managers come an go during his 20+ years on the job…but he extended a hand of kindess and made a world of difference for me.  He also enthusiastically supported my pottery and encouraged me to make it a priority in my life.

A beautiful bowl is on it’s way overseas to a loving soul who has touched many lives with her enthusiasm, joy and positive outlook on life.  She is dreaming wild dreams and making them happen while she makes the world a better place.  She is an entrepreneur with a heart and we need more of those people in this world.

The final piece is going to the first person to comment on this post……all I ask in return is that  you make the pledge to extend your hands and heart by giving away something precious and dear to you to a person or organization you are deeply grateful for in your life!

~With Happy Hands and a Grateful Heart~

100+Dreams for 2010

as inspired by Andrea @ ABC Creativity

Here I am in Big Sur, the most sacred and beautiful place on earth for me.  I remember the feeling standing there with the giant redwoods.  I felt grounded and as light as air all at the same time.  I felt deeply connected to the Source of all things and wide open to recieve all the goodness the Universe had for me.

That is how I stand before this new year….grounded, connected, open and willing.

Bring it on baby!

1. Attend a Steelers Game @ Heinz Field

2. Attend an Agape service in person and meet Rev. Michael

3. Make a line of *~*JOY Jars*~*

4. Replace the floor in my pottery studio

5. Take a pottery class or attend a workshop

6. Have many successful Raku firings

7. Get a job that is 40 hours or less a week with optional overtime that frees me up for school, art and service.

8. Become a regular volunteer (once a week)

9. Take a sculpture class

10. Swim, jet ski and para-sail in the pacific ocean

11. Attend a Kelly Tobey workshop

12. Have a Dirty Girl booth in at least one art fair this summer or fall

13. Increase the online presence and traffic for Dirty Girl

14. Make a series of pottery videos

15. Create an inspirational talk and pottery throwing demonstration and be invited to present it in public

16. Have a piece of my pottery in an art show

17. Perform an intentional act of love and service to my partner J at least once a day

18. Sign a lease for another year @ our beautiful country home

19. Buy a high end camera

20. Take a photography class

21. Grow enough veggies to feed myself all summer and possible all year long

22. Grow a year round herb garden

23. Take a Nia class and become a certified Nia instructor

24. Run one race

25. Climb a mountain

26. Learn to rock climb

27. Re-decorate my dinning room, entry way and hallway

28. Buy furniture and re-decorate my guest room

29. Develop a consistent meditation practice

30. Take a summer vacation with J

31. Develop and sustain a daily affirmation practice

32. Design and plan for a new stand alone pottery studio and classroom space

33. Travel overseas

34. Decide if I want to go back to school and start

35. Connect with an art therapist and decide if it is for me

36. Pay off the last of my debts and fully live a cash only lifestyle

37. Write a book on pottery and spirituality

38. Start painting again

39. Begin mapping out my dream of a creative healing organization/business

40. Do something philanthropic with my pottery

41. Introduce raw cooking and eating into my lifestyle

42. Continue to live with and heal my Celiac Disease and HS Disease with 100% organic, whole and gluten free foods.

43. Be a significant part of social change

44. Make a real difference in the life of at least one person

45. Continue attending online services @ Agape but also find a local spiritual community and become and active member.

46. Make a weekly financial contribution to something I believe in

47. Read 20 books and keep a journal of my reflections on each one

48. Sell 100 of my pots this year

49. Take a film class

50. Make a documentary

51. Learn to play the guitar

52. Buy a baby grand piano

53. Jump out of a plane

54. Develop and launch a new website for Dirty Girl

55. See Diane at least 3 times this year

56. Attend Celebrate Your Life for the 5th time

57. Go to the Memphis in May BBQ festival

58. Go skiing, snowboarding or tobogganing at least once this winter

59. Go white water rafting

60. Have a midnight hot springs bath @ Esalen

61. Stay @ Deetjens again

62. Be an active part of my nieces and nephews lives and get to know them better.

63. Write a poem

64. Get regular facials and massages

65. Hang a painting or photograph of mine in my home

66. Get a new laptop

67. Learn photoshop

68. Re-join my local co-op

69.  Go on a shopping spree @ the Chico’s outlet in Grove City, PA

70.  Eat at the Tin Angel for our anniversary (It’s where Jason proposed

71.  Start or join a band

72. Go to Alaska

73. See the Northern Lights

74.  Re-start taking myself out on “artist dates” and dates in general

75. Go to one of those bars where there is glow in the dark paint that comes out of the drums when you hit them have a blast and take lots of pictures!

76. Spend a ton of time in nature

77. Ride a horse on the beach

78. Attend some free lectures and community events

79. Consciously skip more often

80. Walk a labyrinth

81. Buy a huge trampoline for my back yard and spend lots of time jumping on it

82. Bathe, shower, moisturize with and smell like LUSH year round with my never ending supply of fresh handmade products.

83. Switch all my household cleaning products to organic and natural

84. Ride a mechanical bull

85. Have creative play dates with my friends

86. Join a business networking group

87. Re-connect with old business associates and be a part of encouraging others to make their creative businesses come true.

88. Join a softball team/league

89. See as many concerts as possible including but not limited to Ani Difranco, Live, 30 Seconds to Mars, Foo Fighters, Indigo Girls, Over The Rhine, The Killers

90. Get a larger kiln

91. Experiment with throwing porcelain

92. Participate in a wood firing

93. Get new eye glasses

94. Get to my ideal weight without “trying”….through my normal lifestyle choices.  No dieting!

95. Lead a creative workshop or class

96. Hike as many trails as possible

97. Sit all day by a mountain stream

98. Get a pottery stool

99. Have a full line of items on my ETSY store including bowls, vases, mugs, tumblers, plates, bakeware, canisters, jars, teapots, tea cups, pitchers, pie plates and whatever else I can think of.

100. Keep joy at the center of everything I do and gratitude in my heart at all times.

101. Learn to blow glass

102….more to come I’m sure

Go Big or Go Home

Jodi: The more I’m afraid of something, the more I know I have to do it. I figured that out when I was a kid. I can lead a protected life, hiding away from the scary world. Or I can take on the things that scare me the most. The more it might hurt, the more I might die doing it. The more worth doing it must be. Bette: I don’t want to die right now. Jodi: Me neither. (pause) Do you want to try it?”

Ahhh…..There is nothing like a quote from the lovely ladies of “The L Word” to start off 2010!  (God I miss that show!)

I’ve decided that this is my year of Go Big or Go Home!

My friends have often used that phrase when referring to me and how I live my life, and we have sort of taken it on as our group anthem.   While in general if you look back over my life, my spirit, my absolute lust for adventure, joy, laughter and wild experiences, the phrase really does apply.  However over that last couple of years I would say that the “go home” aspect of that phrase has really appealed to me, and while I have never lost my appetite for adventure I have needed this time to regroup, refocus, clarify and settle into a peaceful rhythm of inner silence and spiritual practice.  I have discovered an inner peace, joy and contentment that had eluded me the entire previous decade…if not my entire life.

So here I am on the doorstep of and entire new decade!  Rested, full, content, energized and ready to do those things that I know I must do….those things that scare me and thrill me with equal measure.  Ready to say YES to all those tiny voices telling me that there is not a single thing I can dream that I can not do or be.  That if it has EVER been done by anyone….it can be done by everyone.

This year I’m setting the bars so high for my life that even if I fall I will fall forward.

My wonderful friend Andrea is leading a Divinely inspired march called “Make it Happen in 2010….Creative Dreams Come True”. I’ll be journey along beautiful souls from all over the world as we “create a year of abundance, possibility and healing”. Please check out the link above and join the joyful march with us!

The first assignment is to make a list of your dreams.  I’m choosing to list 100+ things I want to do be or have in 2010.  I’m spending today listing those dreams, daydreaming about how I will feel and experience each one, and writing them down.  I’ll be back tomorrow to share.

In the meantime………I reach out with love to each one of you reading this.  Reminding you that you are living in full participation with the infinite.  Reminding you that willingness is the only ingredient necessary and that through your willingness you allow all the good of God to come to you, flow through you and as a result vision, infinite potential and unlimited possibilities will be the fuel that drive your beautiful and unique life!

Gratefully I live these words of truth.

And so it is.

(adapted from the Sunday Service Affirmations @ Agape International Spiritual Center by Michael Bernard Beckwith)

Girlfriends Pottery Night

I’m so excited to be participating in and conducting a live pottery throwing demonstration a week from today back in my hometown of Van Wert Ohio.

Calvary Evangelical Church “Girlfriends Unlimited” Women’s Ministry is hosting a night of fun and fellowship and the theme for the night is you guessed it POTTERY!  Yea!  So I will be there with my potter’s wheel, showing the ladies the process of making pots and enjoying the opportunity to share my passion with everyone.

I feel so blessed to have been invited!

If you live in the are and want to participate I’d love to see you there!

Just call the church for details.

Why Dirty Girl???

My Mom called the other day to get the address to my etsy store so some of her friends could look at my pottery.  I asked her if she had a pen and then proceeded to give her the address.  There was a long pause and then she said in an embarassed and a little uncomfortable tone “Why on earth did you pick THAT name???” You know that tone that our mother’s tend to use when they disapprove and yearn for something a bit more wholesome….lol!

And it reminded me of so much of why I did pick that name…..why it was really the perfect and most natural fit for who I am, what I do, how I live my life, embrace my creativity and the open spaces I have in my mind and heart for just a little bit of irreverence and a whole lot of fun!

I’m here, I believe we are all here, to live out loud, to move through the world in our own uniqe way.  I’m not afraid of getting dirty along the way.  Well, I used to be.  But then I lived a little and learned that life in general and especially life guided by inspiration and passion don’t stay nice and neat, clean and inside the lines.  It’s a messy world out there and if you don’t want to get your hands dirty you probably aren’t going to be doing much, well, anything of much consequence anyway…..

Why not just color inside the lines, follow the rules, listen to the “experts”, plan, plan, save, worry, invest in other people’s opinions of us (good or bad;), move through life in a little bubble, have a narrow focus, take care of you and your’s?  Cause we aren’t here to survive….we are here to THRIVE.  To make a difference, to change the world, to be the light, to realize and help other’s realize their God quality, to know that this encarnation was purposeful, that we moved the human race forward in our evolution…..transformation is the name of this game, and it’s a messy and beautiful one my friends!

Art imitates life.

Pottery and all my creative endevors have shone a light on, made visceral and given me a metaphore for the process of living, of healing, of transforming my own life and having the courageous and audacious notion that my life’s purpouse is to walk beside, get dirty with, and love othe’rs through the transformation and healing of their own lives.

So, that is why I named my pottery business “Dirty Girl” and that is why it is much more that making pots, selling them on etsy and having a hobby I enjoy and that fills me up.  Pottery and creativity in general have been the gateway to inspiration in my life, and inspiration is the very breath of God breathing through you.  It’s not a frilly thing..IT’S WHY WE ARE HERE…to be taken over with awe, to raise our vibrations, to come into alingment with source and to transform the world through our inspired action.

What inspires you?  What inside of you is dying to come out a play…the kingdom of heaven is inside you…you aren’t fallen, it isn’t something to wait for…you are emergent, the time is now  Let it out!  The world is waiting.

Some New Pots

It’s my favorite kind of day.  I woke up with the sun shining in my window, looked out to see the trees in all of their fall glory, had a cup of coffee and opened my kiln.  I’m still learning about glazes and trying out new mixtures so everytime I open the lid after a firing I’m so excited and delighted to see what new surprises are waiting for me.

Today I fell in love with three new pots and I wanted to share them with you.  Enjoy!

The Perfect Fall Weekend

Fall is my very favorite season!  There is nothing like the cool crisp air, the landscape coming alive with vibrant shades of yellow, orange and red leaves, the smell of a bonfire and roasting marshmellows over the open flames, apple cider, roast pork, fall veggies, friends and family together, the reminder of harvest and the bounty of the land and how it provides for us….it’s all just so very magical!

I just spent the weekend surrounded by all of that and a road trip with my dear friend, Amy, to Brown County where we shopped, ate some amazing fried chicken, drove around the countryside,  and took pictures of the fall leaves, covered bridges and animals we met along the way.

We also took part in the “Back Roads of Brown County 8th Annual Driving Tour of Artists’ and Craftsman’s Studios” This was one of the highlights of the weekend for me as I was able to meet and talk with three amazing potters, see their studio’s and purchase some beautiful pottery!

The drive was beautiful

We visited 3 potteries.  Oak Grove Pottery, Schatz Studio and Gallery and my favorite of all Spears Gallery.   I fell head over heels in love with Larry’s pots!  The textures and colors he creates through the glaze spoke to me and I was in seventh heaven as he talked about his pots, showed me some of his techniques and gave me some pointers on how to achieve similar results.  In our discussion we discovered we ordered clay from the same company and he shared with me the name and number of a distributer who would could help me save money and cut my shipping costs on clay in half! I bought a tumbler from him and would have loved to purchase even more!

I love to meet other artists….to hear their stories…to be inspired by and encourage by their work and their success.  Everyone I met was so very friendly and open and I’m so very very grateful to have had the opportunity to peek into their creative spaces and hear about their process.

With all this inspiration I’m headed off to the wheel to get my hands dirty!  I have pots ready to be glazed, some ready for firing and a whole lot of ideas for new pots!

Sending you love and laughter from my little corner of the world!

Happy Mistakes

Last week I was glazing a kiln full of pots and I was using a new glaze.  I had the idea that this glaze was going to be just fantastic, so I picked my favorite piece to put it on. As I was painting on the usual 3 coats that this particular manufacturer had recommended I noticed that it was starting to crack and flake.  As it dried the cracks got larger and larger and my heart sank cause I just knew the glaze would flake off and leave ugly uneven spots on the pot.  I was so disappointed  because not only did I use the entire sample but my pretty bowl was going to turn out ugly.  UGH!

Fast forward to the next day when I opened my kiln and to my surprise that bowl was the prettiest piece to come out of the kiln. (In my opinion anyway;)  The glaze had indeed flaked off in the firing and left this organic and natural resist pattern that I found so very pleasing.  Jason came home and insisted that I not put in on my etsy store to sell…HE wanted it for himself!

It now sits in out kitchen on display.  It’s my favorite bowl.  What a happy mistake!  And it got me thinking about all the ways I try to do it right, make it perfect, have it all figured out ahead of time.  Mistakes, apparent failures, things that go wrong along the way….can so many times turn out to be more beautiful than originally intended.  That piece is unique and one of a kind, something that even if I tried I could not duplicate.

That’s what I love so much about the creative process.  It puts me in touch with the rhythm of creation, with the source of all that is, with that divine energy that is so mysterious yet so perfect and that flows through each and every one of us.  We never know what will come, we just follow our bliss and allow the unfolding.  We live and actively show up for the ride that is our life.  Along the way there are cracks and flakes, wrong turns and apparent mistakes…things that we like to label as failure.  But maybe…just maybe there is a priceless piece of treasured art being created that after the fire will be revealed as such.  Get your hands dirty…..do it wrong…..I DARE YOU!

*~*Here is to happy mistakes and letting go of the fear of failure!*~*

Today I Stood at the Top of a Mountain and Cried

I did.  It’s true.

Jason and I were driving this little dirt road in the Rocky Mountain National Park that took us to a peak at 11,796 ft high.  There was another road we could have taken, the Trail Ridge Road…however we opted for the slightly more exciting dirt road that is only open from July 4th to mid September.

It was a harrowing drive at points, narrow, sometimes loose gravel, hairpin turns, steep drop offs on both sides of the road and no guardrails of course.  There were gorgeous views of mountains, a waterfall and rock formations that took my breath away.  So many times I stood there in awe with my mouth wide open I’m sure…just staring at it all.

And then we turned around a bend and there it was.  The most beautiful sight I have ever seen in my entire life.  I couldn’t describe it even if I tried.  It was one of those things that is truly ineffable.  I sat down on a boulder and just cried.  I cried those silent hot tears of awe, wonder, joy, humility, sacredness and connection with source. (I’m crying typing this the memory is so powerful)  It was one of those spots on earth where the veil between the worlds is thin, where I could feel the presence of god, the connection with the cosmos and every living thing…where I ceased to exist and became the mountain…became the melting snow that formed the very first drops cascading down the high summit that would eventually form a roaring stream.  I WAS the stream.

And then I prayed.  The prayer of a joyful radiant  goddess standing on the top of a mountain with her hair blowing in the breeze, her feet planted on rocks millions of years old, her soul at perfect peace.  I prayed the prayer of thanksgiving, of transformation, of the change and seasons….I prayed peace.  I prayed love.  I prayed joy and delight.

It was an amazing day!