A few lists for you list-lovers of 2024 personal favorites, epiphanies and more - in no particular order.
10 FAVORITE ALBUMS
Highway Prayers - Billy Strings
Small Changes - Michael Kiwanuka
And if I had to pick one song to sum it all up...
13 SPARKS OF INSPIRATION
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron (book)
The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin (audiobook)
The Wealthy Freelancer: 12 Secrets to a Great Income and an Enviable Lifestyle by Steve Slaunwhite, Pete Savage and Ed Gandia (book)
Rohit Bhargava and Non-Obvious Company (speaker/company)
The Mountain is You by Brianna Wiest (audiobook)
The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos (podcast)
Phish and Moment Factory at The Sphere (experience)
Phish Studies Conference (experience)
Poet and performer Kerry Joy (poetry/newsletter)
The RAIN method (concept)
Twin Lakes, Colorado (place)
Phil Lesh (always) (musician)
Happiness Archive (website)
10 LESSONS LEARNED
There are so many lessons to learn. Here are a few that made an imprint this year.
GET OUT OF MY OWN WAY - We are our own worst enemies. When I remembered that I was the only one who had control over my own happiness - that the blockers were me and my inner judge - the world opened up.
PAY ATTENTION TO SYNCHRONICITIES - Whether there’s a higher power or just coincidence isn’t the point here. The point is that when we are listening and paying attention to those synchronistic moments, there are lessons to be learned and a-ha’s to experience.
PAY ATTENTION TO MY BODY - If I have a visceral reaction to an idea - good or bad - my body is telling me something. Pay attention.
ASK FOR HELP - People want to help and see me succeed. They want to know how. I need to put my ego aside and ask.
UNDERSTAND MY CREATIVE BLOCKERS - The Artist’s Way taught me a lot about understanding the creative blockers in my life - external and self-inflicted. Once I started recognizing them and approaching them with curiosity instead of pure emotion, it’s been easier to push past them.
IT'S UP TO ME - No one is going to build the life I want for me. No one just magically hands it over. It’s up to me to visualize it, name it, and make it happen.
I HAVE AN INCREDIBLE SUPPORT SYSTEM - I am surrounded by love, depth of knowledge and inspiration. I don’t have to go it alone.
EVERYTHING I NEED TO CREATE THIS BEAUTIFUL LIFE IS WITHIN MY REACH - The things that I want are attainable: living a creative, flexible, fulfilling life that allows me to do good, do the things I love and be unapologetically, authentically me. As they recommend in The Wealthy Freelancer, once I stopped putting my goals on a pedestal and started making them actionable, my dreams felt real.
CREATIVITY ISN'T A THING TO DO, IT'S A WAY TO LIVE AND BE - For me, centering creativity in my life is about turning the spigot on full-blast to surround myself with people, things and experiences that inspire me and fuel “The Work” - professional, spiritual and creative.
QUIET THE MIND - When I’m stuck, when it feels like I’m trudging through mud, I get up and take a walk around the neighborhood. Almost every single time, the levee breaks, the ideas start flowing, I get to that solution. Acupuncture has also helped me get to a meditative state by calming the nervous system enough to clear my head and listen.
AN AFFIRMATION
“As I create and listen, I will be led.”*
*Sometimes I throw a "(den)" on there as a reminder that as I create and listen, I am moving toward my truest self.
A thousand thank yous to those who have shared their wisdom, support, time, humor, encouragement and love over the past year, one of the most pivotal of my life.
Let's get into some fun trouble in 2025, shall we?
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