Words of Enlightenment.

During #the100dayproject, I became used to sipping on GT's kombucha while painting. I noticed each bottle had a special "Words of Enlightenment" section that included quotes ranging from Henry David Thoreau to everyday citizens who were inspired to share their thoughts. I stared at the bottle and imagined my quote on the bottle. What would it look like? What would it say?

As a result of #the100dayproject, I became used to sharing my innermost thoughts with the world. Phrases pulled straight from my journal entries were paired with a watercolor, and I shared each one consistently for 100 days. 

I'm so thrilled that my quote will appear on the Raspberry Chia flavor hitting the shelves very soon! This quote was part of a longer journal entry that was written when I felt particularly stuck and frantic being newly self-employed. It was a reminder that opportunity and new ideas are always there, just like the sunrise. We just need to see and notice things and make sure that we're always looking in the right direction. 

 

 

The Peace of Wild Things.

“When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my
children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water,
and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief.
I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.”
— Wendell Berry

Doin' Good.

This past weekend I attended Yellow Conference 2017, where I gathered with 500 other entrepreneurial-minded creatives to learn and discuss how we can roll up our sleeves, step out in courage, and use our creativity for social good. For social justice. With the belief that together, we can use our unique talents and gifts to spread goodness and bloom. We can make an impact on the world for something bigger than ourselves.  

You don't have to quit your day job to contribute to the social good. You can start with your dollars. You can be a conscious consumer and support clothing companies like The Shine Project and Krochet Kids International, a non-profit social capitalism brand that provides jobs, education, and mentorship  for women in Uganda and Peru. Or on a larger level, you can build a conscious business that works to solve problems related to human rights, the environment, or other global social issues. 

Whether you're a web designer, a writer, a jewelry maker, a musician, an intern or a CEO, you have the opportunity daily to be doin' good for the world in big ways. Ways that benefit those who don't have a voice and aren't seen in society. If we're not adding, we're subtracting. Now, more than ever, it's imperative that we come together and use our voices, our resources, and our dollars to do work that uplifts and supports the kind of world we all desire to live in. A world where everyone is seen and heard and valued, regardless of age, sex, gender, or race.

Breaking Bread.

Testing Trader Joe's cauliflower crust pizza with Nima Sensor.

Grateful for the recent feature sharing my story and how technology like Nima Sensor is reshaping the landscape of food. This portable gluten sensor is changing the dining out experience of those with gluten sensitivities and allergies. It allows them to experience vacations, weddings, and meals out with more enjoyment and less anxiety- all because they can securely know if the food they're being served contains gluten or not. 

Read the full article HERE.

Cultivating Deliberate Space.

Sunrise meditation.

“Always find time for the things that make you feel happy to be alive.”
— Lao Tzu

It's 6am. The sun is beginning to peek over the mountain as we walk. The world is waking up.

"Can we meditate together?"

"Yes."

I lead us slowly down the stairs from the trail to the end of the dock and we both take a seat overlooking the lake. Birds fly overhead. We close our eyes, inhaling and exhaling the fresh, crisp morning air. We practice present-moment awareness in each breath.

It is both a reminder and a practice. Long after the meditation ends, we will be confronted again and again with opportunities and choices. In each moment, we have the choice to react or respond. As Victor Frankl said, "Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom."

How I Go To the Woods.

“Ordinarily, I go to the woods alone, with not a single
friend, for they are all smilers and talkers and therefore unsuitable.

I don’t really want to be witnessed talking to the catbirds or hugging the old black oak tree. I have my way of praying, as you no doubt have yours. 

Besides, when I am alone I can become invisible. I can sit on the top of a dune as motionless as an uprise of weeds, until the foxes run by unconcerned. I can hear the almost unhearable sound of the roses singing.

If you have ever gone to the woods with me, I must love you very much.”
— Mary Oliver, Swan: Poems and Prose Poems

Revitalize Dinner: Summer Edition!

The most delightful part of hosting our plant-based dinners is witnessing the magic that occurs around the table. We spend countless hours planning, recipe testing, designing and personalizing the details, and it all comes together when strangers gather to share a meal. We listen to their stories and laughter and how common interests overlap between our guests. We have different skin colors and religious backgrounds, yet we realize we are more alike than we are different. This is our absolute joy and our mission- to introduce people to delicious plant-based food. To build community. To share love through food. 

See all the pictures from the evening HERE.

Pronoia.

Do you ever wish there was a word to describe something that you've known to be true?  My favorite new word is "pronoia." It's the attitude or belief that the Universe is conspiring to help and assist you on your path. It's the opposite of paranoia.

When inquiring friends ask how I've been these past five months since branching out full-time on my own, I can only say that these months have been filled with 'synchronistic encounters.' There's no other way I could properly describe the deep connections that have transpired from talking to people in the coffee shop, thanking a speaker for sharing his story at Creative Mornings, and making small-talk with a stranger at a networking event. They have all turned out to be exceptional humans beings who have become close friends, encouraging me further down the path(s) I've wanted to go. My life has in fact, reflected 'pronoia' in the most beautiful way.

Brunchin' with the best! "Women in Art: Inaugural Business Brunch"

Remember that life is happening for us, not to us.

I hope you experience pronoia in the most profound, delightful, and surprising ways this week, and every week.

 

 

The Greatest Thing We Can Do With Our Lives.

“Must is who we are, what we believe, and what we do when we are alone with our truest, most authentic self. It’s that which calls to us most deeply. It’s our convictions, our passions, our deepest held urges and desires- unavoidable, undeniable, and inexplicable. Unlike Should, Must doesn’t accept compromise.

Must is when we stop conforming to other people’s ideals and start connecting to our own- and this allows us to cultivate our full potential as individuals. To choose Must is to say yes to hard work and constant effort, to say yes to a journey without a road map or guarantees, and in so doing, to say yes to what Joseph Campbell called “the experience of being alive, so that our life experiences on the purely physical plane will have resonance within our innermost being and reality, so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive.”

Choosing Must is the greatest thing we can do with our lives.”
— Elle Luna, The Crossroads of Should and Must

Celebrating five months of stepping fully into my "Must" and knowing wholeheartedly that this was one of the best decisions of my life.