Union of Opposites. Laura Hollick with Ken MacDonnell. Photo by Stephanie Bell

With all the shifts and changes that are happening in the world it feels more important than ever to connect the inner creative world with the outer world. I believe this is the way to build a new paradigm where artists can thrive and creative spiritual people can live the lives they are born to live, and our environment can heal and prosper.

In order for the inner and outer worlds to connect we need to learn how to connect in new ways. We need to build new structures that support empowered connections.

Although I loved the sound of this, I personally struggled with this for some time.

I used to think that in order to connect with others I would have to put myself aside and just focus on what the other person wanted and when I became exhausted from that I would isolate myself so that I could feel nourished within and make sure nobody got near me.

The trouble with both of these scenarios is NO CONNECTION ever really happened!

As soon as I became aware that I was doing this, I set out to find some empowering ways to connect that not only support me but create joy for the other person as well.

Here are 5 things I’ve learned so far about connecting in powerful ways to build the new paradigm

1. Know yourself first

Take the time you need to understand who you are and what you like and what you don’t like. Take the time you need to understand your own desires and what inspires you.

2. Create healthy ways of sharing yourself

Once you have a sense of who you are on a deep level, practice sharing yourself authentically with others. The trick to this is not to demand that other people react or respond to you in any particular way. Put the focus on being authentic in your sharing. Practice with people that you feel safe with.

3. Risk being yourself

Once you’ve practiced being authentic with people you feel safe with, stretch yourself and find more places that you can express yourself. Find new people and new environments that you can be yourself in. Each time will feel like a risk, but you will strengthen your ability to connect in powerful ways and each connection will build a new network of possibility for you.

4. Set up healthy boundaries

As you decide to connect more and more you may discover that you need to have healthy boundaries in place to support you. You’ll know if you need healthy boundaries because you’ll experience situations that leave you feeling exhausted. When this happens, look at the situation and ask yourself, what do I need here to take care of myself? Do what you need to take care of yourself.

5. Be open to other people

Only when you feel solid in yourself are you ready to fully open to other people. If you open to soon, you may be swayed by things because you won’t know how to make your own decisions and form your own opinions. Once your own inner work is solid, reach out connect and be open to receive the beauty of other people.
The above photo is by photographer Stephanie Bell .She did an exquisite job of capturing a beautiful connection between myself and Ken MacDonnell.

'Red Bird' drawing by Laura Hollick

Whenever I feel like I don’t know what to do or what direction to take I listen inwardly and I ask my spirit to send me a clue or symbol that I’ll understand.

Through many deep spirit conversations the red bird has become a strong symbol for me to let me know I’m on track. Whenever I see one (mainly cardinals in this area) I feel a warm joyful feeling.

How does your spirit communicate with you?

One of the best ways to build your connection with your spirit is to listen and watch for symbols and clues. The way you know if your spirit is sending you a message is determined by how you feel. The feeling will be something like this: peaceful, joyful, uplifting, high vibration, calming, soothing, loving. In other words something that feels ‘good’ to you.

It doesn’t have to make sense to anyone else. In fact if you try to explain your symbols and clues to other people they can sound silly. Don’t worry about that, focus on how YOU FEEL.

If you don’t know how your spirit communicates with you then now is a great opportunity to ask your spirit to communicate with you.

Your Spirit Assignment

1. Ask your spirit to communicate with you.

2. Look for signs, symbols and clues that your spirit is communicating with you.

3. Notice how you feel.

4. Once you’ve spotted a sign, thank your spirit.

Laura Hollick dancing as white spirit. Photo by Kevin Thom. Hair, makeup and body painting by Sue Upton

Your spirit may reveal many faces outwardly according to the current trends and fashions, but the essence is always the same. When you try to figure out WHO your spirit is and WHAT your spirit looks like, it isn’t so much about the material appearance but the energy behind it.

If you want to know your spirit, connect with the traits that make you feel the most alive. These traits are your spirit essence.

For example: My spirit is old and young at the same time. When I’m living my spirit I feel wise and playful, innocent and mature, silly and sensual, creative and contemplative. When I create art, I express these traits and so my art becomes Soul Art~ the expression of my spirit essence.

YOUR SPIRIT ASSIGNMENT

1. Make a list of 10 traits that describe how you feel when you feel the most alive.  These traits describe your spirit essence.

2. Notice which one excites you the most and circle that one.

3. Ask yourself this question: How can I express this trait today?

4. Gift your spirit by expressing that trait today

Laura Hollick with her Ancient Creature sculpture. Photo by Kevin Thom. Hair and makeup by Sue Upton.

“To realize one’s destiny is a person’s only obligation.” -Paul Coelho, ‘The Alchemist

There is nothing more important in your life than taking the journey of realizing your unique soul’s purpose. When you do this, your life becomes a work of art and every step you take becomes a brushstroke in your masterpiece.

When you connect with your spirit purpose it can feel like a revolution sparks within you, because suddenly your whole being aligns and you feel clear about what direction to take. This doesn’t mean you know exactly what will happen, but it means you know the direction and are willing to go.

YOUR SPIRIT ASSIGNMENT

Listen to your spirit

1.What direction is your spirit calling you to take now?

2. What is one courageous act you could take today to show you are listening to your spirit?

'Pearl Shower' Laura Hollick. Photo by Kevin Thom

DAYDREAMING  opens your inner eyes.

DAYDREAMING sheds light on your true desires.

DAYDREAMING awakens your soul’s purpose.

DAYDREAMING is a creative workout.

DAYDREAMING stretches your imagination.

DAYDREAMING is where ideas are born.

DAYDREAMING calms the system and invigorates the soul.

DAYDREAMING solves problems in innovative ways.

DAYDREAMING is like a big dress up game where you can be anyone you want to be.

DAYDREAMING is an opportunity for your spirit to dance with you.

There are no rules in daydreaming.

Anything is possible in daydreams.

Daydreaming wakes YOU up!

YOUR SPIRIT ASSIGNMENT

Here are some questions to daydream about….

1. If you could do whatever you wanted what would you do?

2. If you had all the money you needed, how would you spend your time?

3. What is the most amazing experience you can imagine for yourself?

Being creative is an athletic pursuit in the sense that you have to exercise your creativity to get it in shape. If you want to expand your creative potential you need to strengthen your creativity muscles.

Here are 4 things that can tone you up. Watch out, if you do these 4 things you will become a creative powerhouse!

'Unleash your creative spirit' Laura Hollick dancing. Photo by Kevin Thom

4 Things to EXPAND YOUR CREATIVE POTENTIAL

1. Figure out what is the most fun for you.

2. Do that as much as possible. Don’t bargain with this, discover what is fun for you and make that the bulk of your day.

3. Make your spirit and your relationship with your spirit a priority. You know the saying, “You take yourself with you wherever you go.” Well it is true. If you want to experience a rich, fulfilling, creative life you have to develop a loving relationship with yourself.

4. Gift yourself with the time to imagine. This can mean spending days doing NOTHING! When you are imagining, daydreaming and fantasizing it can look like you are doing nothing, don’t let this outward appearance fool you. This is probably the most productive time for any creative person. I personally spend at least 2-4 hours a day doing NOTHING!

YOUR SPIRIT ASSIGNMENT

Ask yourself this question…

What is the most fun for you?

Whatever the answer to that question is, do that today~ either in your imagination or in physical reality.

Making your dreams real is a journey. It is the process of transforming the invisible force of your soul into physical reality.

Laura Hollick. Photo by Kevin Thom

Here are the 5 steps for making your dreams real…

1.  DISCOVER~ Connect with the heart of your soul and discover what your dream is.

2. FANTASIZE ~ Imagine what it would be like to experience your dream.

3. DECIDE ~ Make an internal decision to make your dream real.

4. ALIGN ~ Align every aspect of yourself to match your dream.

5. SURRENDER ~ Let your dream unfold in its own perfect way. You have to surrender to it.

Take the journey and make your dreams real ~ it is the recipe for  living a creative, passionate and meaningful life.

YOUR SPIRIT ASSIGNMENT

As you read through the 5 steps, notice which step you are on now.  Do 3 things today that support where you are now in the process of making your dreams real. For example: if you are on the ‘Surrender’ step, ask yourself “What could I do to surrender to my dream now?” Do that!