Creative Living with Jamie (2.0): Follow Your Stubborn Spirit

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Creative Living with Jamie 2.0 Follow Your Stubborn Spirit

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Creative Living with Jamie 2.0 (episode 271): Follow Your Stubborn Spirit

This tea-for-two me-and-you episode marks the start of a new chapter of Creative Living with Jamie. Today I share with you how I follow my stubborn spirit. I hope something in my story sparks something in yours.

The Winners of Janice MacLeod’s Paris letters are: Ilana, Alexis and PSwelter! Congratulations!

Shine a Light ~ Spread the Magic

Whether this is the first episode that you’ve listened to or we’ve been hanging out for years, I am so glad that you’re here.  I love knowing that we’re hanging out in your studio, folding your laundry or that we’re hanging out while you’re walking your dog or going to work. Wherever you are and however you listen, I want you to know, I cherish you. And if you cherish this show, if it has been a blessing to your creative life, please spread the magic! Take a moment to leave a positive rating or review on iTunes. Share the podcast with your friends! You really can make a difference by shining a light on the show so that it can be found by other creative hearts just like you.

Saying Goodbye to a Poet, an Artist, a Canadian Son

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“That Night in Toronto”

It’s hard to say what Gord Downie meant to so many in this country. It’s even harder to say what he means to me. Since news of his cancer and The Tragically Hip’s final concert last summer, I felt so moved and I expected to be called out.

“Did you have every album?”

“Do you know every word?”

No, but there are words etched in my heart, lyrics that make me cry – every time. There are songs that are a part of the fabric of my life and the life of a generation of Canadians.  And there is the way that somehow, with a magical force of presence and art,  this man, his work and his passing have brought us together.

I recently read Brené Brown’s Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone in which she exhorts us to “Hold hands. With strangers,” to join in moments of collective gathering.

“All of these examples of collective joy and pain are sacred experiences.” Brené Brown

In that spirit, Justin and I went to Nathan Philips Square last night and sang our hearts out along with a crowd galvanized by Choir! Choir! Choir! I cried my way through Bobcaygeon and belted out Courage. I was pulled into The Stranger and let loose in New Orleans is Sinking.  I did it alongside others wholeheartedly doing the same, each with their own soft spots and memories, each with their own Gord.  Every moment deepened my belief in the power and impact of sharing and art and the worthiness of making this your path.

The arts bring us together.

The arts send us home.

Sing Along… (Lyrics available here thanks to Choir! Choir! Choir!)

We get to feel small…But not out of place at all

It was in Bobcaygeon
I saw the constellations
Reveal themselves one star at time

Don’t tell me what the poets are doing… Don’t tell me that they’re talking tough.

It’s sad but true… I’m kinda dumb and so are you.

Sundown in the Paris of the prairies

Courage… it couldn’t come at a worse time.

Her son has gone alee… And that’s where he will stay

I’m moving fast.. On the path nobody knows

Learn more & Contribute – Downie/Wenjack Fund

I come from downtown… Born ready for you… Armed with will and determination… And grace, too.

No dress rehearsal … This is our life…

Picking out the highlights of the scenery… Saw a little cloud that looked a little like me

The event was livestreamed to Facebook. For a time you should be able to find the recording here.

Walking, Reading & Putting Creativity First

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On Tuesday & Friday mornings I invite you Behind the Scenes at my studio.

Today: At the recent studio forum about creative habits, the power of putting your creativity first became apparent! I’ve been adding walking & ebooks to my routine and it’s a joy! Plus – more bulletin board art!

Mentioned in Today’s Show:

Win a Paris Letter! Listen to Janice on the Creative Living with Jamie podcast for your chance to win a Paris Letter!

Wandering

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My First Wander

Last year I wanted to set myself the goal of getting outside each day, no matter what. I even bought a pair of snow pants so that I could keep up with it even on the coldest days. This never really moved from idea to project but the idea never left me.

Recently I listened to my first audio book, Brené Brown’s Braving the Wilderness and I loved it. (I mean loved it.) It occurred to me that as a book lover who never has time to read and a work-from-home entrepreneur that doesn’t get out enough, that these were the ingredients of a magical pairing!

What if I went out on daily walks and listened to books?

I thought I would try it out. I checked with my sister Shannon, expert in all things entertainment related, and asked about borrowing audio books from the library. She pointed me to the Overdrive app and I was on my way. As I went down the glorious rabbit hole of library audio books, I stumbled across one by Keri Smith. I love Keri so I decided that would be my first book for my first walk. You’re not going to believe what it was called…

The Wander Society

I didn’t even draw a correlation until I was out walking this morning, listening to Keri talking about “wandering”. As I listened, first my eyes tingled with tears and then they shone with recognition. I have unknowingly been a part of this society since I was a girl on a bike riding to the far reaches of her neighbourhood trying to get lost so she could find her way home.

There will be more to say about this book and its impact but for today, suffice it to say that the synchronicity suggests that the Universe likes my plan to go for walks and listen to myself and the writers, thinkers, artists, healers and poets who will accompany me.