The most inspired thing I’ve ever created
…and why I almost didn’t create it.
Let me say right off the top that I acknowledge the creation to which I am referring here is no Kadupul flower. What it is, however, is more important. It is a unique and authentic expression of me. Even more significant is that it was an exhilarating occasion of life-creating energy streaming through my being.
For as long as I can remember, the seed idea for this project had been within me, however, it was the convergence of conditions in the present that allowed it to come to life.
Its germination began with a thoughtful comment offered by a person who had just finished her journey in the Vision Program. When I asked her to share with me her experience of the program, she said, “It’s kind of like a ‘Choose your Own Adventure’ book. There are no right or wrong choices, only my choices.” To me, it was the highest compliment and spoke right to my heart. As a child, I adored that series of books and I confessed to her that I had always secretly harboured a desire to create such a book.
Around the same time as that conversation, I had made a personal commitment to rebirthing The New School. As we move into this new era of humanity, I feel great excitement to support those who wish to live into their inspired work. This desire to be in service invited me to evolve the way I communicate about my work. First, I went back to the basics and rebuilt my entire business website from the ground up. Then I committed to connecting regularly with my people (hi, you!).
The next stage was to create what’s known in the online industry as a “freebie”. The intent is to offer something of value to capture people’s interest and their email addresses so that you can continue to communicate with them. You’ve likely given your email address to someone in exchange for their “free recipe book” or their “top 3 meditation tips” or what have you. What’s important to me in this new evolution is to ensure that what I am offering is actually of value. I don’t want to communicate just to affect an outcome, I want to do it in a way that serves both me and you. Before deciding what I wanted to create, I did some research about what kinds of offerings are most useful.
What I found was that every person has their own methodology and reasoning as to what’s best. However, I also came across a post from an authentic marketing coach who recommended not to offer freebies at all. He feels there is something deceptive about the exchange and he considers it to be inauthentic. I was persuaded by his argument, so at first I decided against creating one.
But this idea of a “Choose your Own Adventure” book wouldn’t leave me alone. It made me wonder if I could create something and offer it in a way that felt authentic to me. I decided to give it a whirl.
When I sat down to write, I had no idea what the exact story line was going to be. I knew I wanted it to begin with the protagonist feeling disenchanted with their work, and depending on what choices they made, the book would take them to my different offerings. However, what came through made me laugh, cry, and shiver with goosebumps. The effortlessness with which it came forth surprised me. It felt inspired from start to finish.
I don’t mean to imply that all creation is meant to be effortless and always feels inspired. That certainly hasn’t been my previous experience. But in this situation, I credit my blissed out state to a few things:
Long gestation period
The first is that this project had a very long gestation period. I’m talking decades. It had been forming as an idea for so long that it was ripe and ready to come into the physical world.
No attachment to the outcome
Secondly, I had no attachment to the outcome. I was willing to throw away whatever I created if it didn’t serve.
Get the mind out of the way
Lastly, I trusted and got out of the way. I knew I didn’t have to mentally think this out of me. The energy of creation would do its thing and my only real work was to allow it to come forth.
I describe what emerged as a “true story thinly veiled by a fictional tale”. It’s based on real places and situations, a composite of almost every aspect of my personal and professional life. In addition to writing the book, I also designed and produced it. This drew upon many of my other life experiences as a graphic designer, a photographer, an outdoor enthusiast, and more. It blended many of my interests and talents into one cohesive expression.
While I was in its creation process, I felt suspended in a state beyond time. Actually, it felt more like I was in the presence of all time, as though my past and future experiences were happening in the now moment. As an example, when I chose the image used in the opening pages of the book, I could recall how I felt on that misty day having hiked up to one of my favourite lookouts. When I paused to photograph the clouds floating over the forest landscape, I remember sensing there was something significant about the moment. It was as if I knew then that the imagery would be used to set the mood for this book. This crossover of time and experience happened repeatedly throughout the process. I could sense my past knowing what the future held for me, which was now my present. It was a trip. This is why I subtitled the story as “a timeless tale”. In this case, the word ‘timeless’ holds a triple meaning. It refers to my experience of the merging of all time as I was creating the book. It also refers to the timeless human journey of the search for self. Lastly, it’s meant to hint to the reader that the story unfolds outside of the concept of linear time.
I also didn’t know I was going to be a main character in the story, which seems laughable now. It’s about the “realm of Inspired Work” – a land I have been exploring for over 12 years – of course I am a part of the story. In it, I offer myself as a guide to those who are new to the realm and want to go on the journey into the unknown to discover their inspired work.
Obviously, in real life, this is also what I do. The reality is that no one actually needs me as their guide because everyone already has their own inner guide – their own inspiration. However, for those who have forgotten how to access their own guidance, the journey of the Vision Program helps them remember.
Only when you do the deep inner work of remembering who you are can you create work that is the truest expression of you.
At my own urging, I chose to go ahead and create this book. It seems incredulous to me now that I might have chosen not to embark on this particular adventure. The moral of this tale is to always follow your inspiration. It knows. You know. Of course we can learn from the perspectives of others, but we must always make our own choices. As I mentioned, I’m not suggesting it’s a priceless piece of art, but the outcome is not the point. To create is to be in one of the most joyful experiences of life itself. For days on end, I lived immersed in an open state of receptivity bathed in the warm glow of pure creative energy. After that, whatever the outcome is truly does not matter.
What started long ago as a seed of an idea now exists in the world as a budding creation. I don’t know if this book will end up bearing fruit, only time will tell. Perhaps it already has. I think I can see my future now.
The end. Or is it just the beginning?
Your entry into the story of “The Journey to Inspired Work” is up to you.
