Author: Admin01

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Summer House Season 10 Reunion Looks

Amanda Batula’s Brown Suede Pocket Front Jacket and Ripped Jeans

Amanda Batula’s Black and Polka Dot Maxi Dress at the In The City Premiere Party

Amanda Batula’s Light Blue Striped T Shirt

Liz McGraw’s Black and White Greek Key Printed Kimono

Lindsay Hubbard’s Army Green Cargo Pants

Kelsey Swanson’s White Varsity Sweater

Amanda Batula’s Navy Blue Lounge Cardigan and Pants

Georgina Ferzli’s Navy Blue Sheer Dress

Lindsay Hubbard’s Green Striped Maxi Dress

Liz McGraw’s Red Light Face Wand

Amanda Batula’s Red Long Sleeve Ruffle Dress

Originally posted at: Alicia Carmody’s Black Knit Gold Button Dress

Style Stealers

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Top Posts

Summer House Season 10 Reunion Looks

Amanda Batula’s Brown Suede Pocket Front Jacket and Ripped Jeans

Amanda Batula’s Black and Polka Dot Maxi Dress at the In The City Premiere Party

Amanda Batula’s Light Blue Striped T Shirt

Liz McGraw’s Black and White Greek Key Printed Kimono

Lindsay Hubbard’s Army Green Cargo Pants

Kelsey Swanson’s White Varsity Sweater

Amanda Batula’s Navy Blue Lounge Cardigan and Pants

Georgina Ferzli’s Navy Blue Sheer Dress

Lindsay Hubbard’s Green Striped Maxi Dress

Liz McGraw’s Red Light Face Wand

Amanda Batula’s Red Long Sleeve Ruffle Dress

Originally posted at: Liz McGraw’s Pink Floral Corset and Pants

How are you using creativity in your daily life? Each of us is continually creating our world. Creativity isn’t something that happens somewhere else; something that only certain people have. Every time you draw a breath, you interact with the whole Universe to make life happen.

You don’t have a set path in front of you with a lot of signposts to tell you which way goes to what destination. It’s more that you are like creating the path, and then stepping onto it, in every moment.

Where does the path lead? What possible destinations can you visualize as you consider what you have to work with today? And how can you make it more of the journey that you want it to be?

Creativity Starts with Observation

Creativity can begin anywhere, at any time, using whatever happens to be on hand. It starts with observation.

Take a look around you for about 20 seconds and notice any small details about your setting that you didn’t see earlier. How has your awareness changed?

Maybe there are sounds that had escaped your awareness since you weren’t thinking of them. Colors may be more vivid when you give them more of your attention. Are there a lot of people around? Did you hear anything unusual? What smells are in your environment at this moment?

Breath Fuels Creativity

What feelings do you notice as you observe your surroundings? Take a few deep breaths, and feel the change in the way your senses are giving you information.

Your senses are always working, but often escape direct acknowledgement in the press of events and the needs of the daily activities. Acknowledging the power of your senses makes them more accessible to you.

The most obvious things tend to disappear because they have become so familiar. And yet, they are your strongest allies in creating a day that is rewarding for you.

A bit of light through the window can make everything much easier, or a small sound can bring you into a series of thoughts and associations that change your feelings in an instant. The little things are actually the big things.

Each moment is an illustration of your entire state of being, of your life process. It contains deep messages about your whole life and relationship with it, and with those around you. Consider what a gesture is, how even a tiny movement of a person’s body or of their hands can hold so much meaning.

A careless gesture holds the power to undo good things, while a small gesture of kindness can change someone’s life forever. Creating the response within yourself is the key to the next moment.

Be Aware of Your Inner State

Being aware of your inner state allows you to make decisions about it, instead of being borne along by whatever is going on, without you noticing it.

What is the best thing about your situation right now? And how does thinking about that make you feel? How can you pass that feeling into another person’s day so that it can grow and return to you again, bringing fresh surprises with it?

Thoughts Become Reality

Your thoughts become your reality. Thinking about what is best opens up positive flows in your mind, and lets your body relax as you process the beneficial enzymes that happy emotions produce in your system. It opens the doors of possibility for you. What would it be like to feel more of that?

You may have a type of emotional pattern that makes you feel happier when you are active, or perhaps you are more of “relax and dream” kind of person. Either way, each time you make the conscious decision to step into a creative state, you gain a little more control.

Creativity is the greatest force in the universe, and it lives inside of you. Your inner state is the thing you can control, and when you do that, you bring more and more of the good things into your life and those of others.

Let’s Reflect:

How do you bring creativity into your everyday life? What creative things do you love to do? Please share them in the comments below.

Style Stealers

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Top Posts

Summer House Season 10 Reunion Looks

Amanda Batula’s Brown Suede Pocket Front Jacket and Ripped Jeans

Amanda Batula’s Black and Polka Dot Maxi Dress at the In The City Premiere Party

Amanda Batula’s Light Blue Striped T Shirt

Liz McGraw’s Black and White Greek Key Printed Kimono

Lindsay Hubbard’s Army Green Cargo Pants

Kelsey Swanson’s White Varsity Sweater

Amanda Batula’s Navy Blue Lounge Cardigan and Pants

Georgina Ferzli’s Navy Blue Sheer Dress

Lindsay Hubbard’s Green Striped Maxi Dress

Liz McGraw’s Red Light Face Wand

Amanda Batula’s Red Long Sleeve Ruffle Dress

Originally posted at: Ashley Iaconetti’s White Cross Front Halter Top

Last night, I attended a showcase by one of my current female voice students (HN), age 29. I took one of my successful male voice students along, whom I taught from age 10 – 14, the same age as the gal on stage. Also seated on my other side was another female student, age 63, just beginning her musical journey. A wise choice for a healthier brain, body, and spirit.

All of us had different tastes in music while enjoying one commonality: music and community. The beauty of music is that when one learns and pursues it, at any level, whether for a career or a healthy hobby, it opens us up to appreciating the experiences and benefits of something different in our lives. Every time we participate in music, as a listener and especially as performer, it keeps us living creatively and with vitality, forming new neural pathways in the brain.

The Eldest in the Room

I was the eldest in the room, sporting my long silver-grey hair. (I’m blaming Covid for that one.) I felt proud and blessed to be entertained and accompanied by people younger than me. I found fulfillment and belonging. Seeing and hearing my influence in their lives as their music teacher gave me great joy. Once again, I felt myself moving into a different phase of my life, trying to accept it with grace and purpose.

Despite my age, I couldn’t help but reminisce about my many times on stage and in the studio. I desired to return to those times, while simultaneously I was fully aware that that’s never going to happen the same way as it used to. To assuage my longings, I tried to add up how many notes I’ve sung in my life, an impossible task. Perhaps mathematician Ronald Graham could. I’ve put a lot of miles on these vocal cords and am still racking them up, albeit with less intensity. It has kept me young at heart and up-tempo in brain. My lungs are happy too.

My Knowledge and Experience Give Me Purpose

While talking to HN after the show, her young male videographer said to us, with kind intentions, “Oh, you must be her mother.” Flabbergasted at the first time I’ve ever heard anyone say that to me, I quickly recovered, took a step back, and said, “No, not her mother, but thanks.” Now the one with the flabbergasted face, he apologized for making what he thought was a faux pas, as he wandered off, hopping on one foot because the other was stuck in his mouth. I took it as a compliment, though, because I’m old enough to be her grandmother.

Accepting I’m at that vintage age, I’m now adding a new prowess to my purse of purposes, that of Fairy Godmother, as HN has deemed me. Using all my knowledge and experience, I provide guidance and employ the transformative powers of music to enable the young or old, heroes of the tale, to find their happy endings. It gives me some comfort to feel that even in a small way, I’m contributing to making the world a better place.

Shrinking Was Inevitable, But I Refuse to Give Up

I’m still performing as if I were 40 years younger. I refuse to let that go. I just do it differently. I still think I can sing those crazy high notes, but I can’t. It’s bad enough that my six-octave range has shrunk to four, but my once 5’10.5” frame has lost an inch. That was a sad few days when the doctor gave me that news. I was wondering why the bathroom sink kept getting closer.

I’ll keep reinventing myself till the day I die because that’s what keeps me young. Sure, it would be easier to kick back in the TV lounge chair, but I have a new show to put together with my memoir and new album coming out soon. It’s exciting.

I’ll Keep Trying

Yes, it takes me longer to get ready for these things, even though the process is the same. When asked to do a Zoom interview, I now inquire, “Is this on-camera or just audio, because I have to add two whole hours into my schedule to prep my appearance?” What little hair I have left is uncooperative, there are fewer eyelashes to curl, and futzing with those magnetic ones is frustrating.

I have more choices now: light brown eyebrow powder or silver grey. My skin sucks up three layers of creams faster than the most powerful vacuum cleaners, and my brightening powder catches the light just right, as I fear looking like a quasar when viewing my mug in the mirror. Then there’s my unforeseen career as face farmer to the ever-broadening field of white hair (and a few dark stragglers) now growing under my chin. Hand me the Japanese Weeding Sickle, or better yet, pass me the Flame Weeder, please. Whew, now back to doing music – so much more fun.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

What is your story of not giving up, regardless of life transitions? What have you had to come to terms with as you’ve aged?