Spark is right for you if...

• You are willing to take 39 minutes of your life to KICKSTART YOUR CREATIVE SPIRIT (yes, it’s only one class, not an extended program)
  
  
• You are HUNGRY to feel your creative passion again but are overwhelmed about where to start
  
  
• You struggle with making time for your creativity (but you know that’s not the only reason…)
  
  
• You REALLY want the holiday season to be filled with JOY, CELEBRATION and YOUR PERSONAL MAGIC

I can absolutely relate, because I created SPARK after a years-long exploration of my own lost creativity. 

As a grown-up, I was feeling overworked. Like my soul was dry in life. There was a secret longing to play music again after many years away from it, but I was feeling embarrassed to do it and didn’t want anyone to know about it, or see.  It’s hard to explain. My artistic/musical world had become so small. My career path was fulfilling to a certain extent (coaching people is pretty much the best), but it also had me feeling strapped for creative energy and with zero outlets. I was also embarrassed to admit to anyone that I missed my art. And after ten years in my adult life of only singing alone in the shower or alone in the car (and many of those years spent in cities with no cars available for this opportunity, so… ONLY the shower?), how I felt was stuck. 

Creatively isolated. 😬

And I felt immense guilt about it because I was living in New York City, which is a place filled with creative people and creative opportunities and communities. But it all felt overwhelming! Not only was this having me worry about being good enough to be in spaces like that, but it was also requiring some intense reflection on my identity and how my creativity plays into identity, or not. Plus, I’m a coach, I coach people on their dreams, if I’m not living mine fully, what does that say about me?! IT JUST FELT LIKE A LOT. 

At some point, I decided it was time to flirt with creativity again and I read Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. Reading this book forced me to consider that my creations do not necessarily mean anything about me (in a positive or negative way) . . . I realized that my creativity and my identity are, for me, inextricably linked together. I didn’t realize how afraid I was of having my creative work be so judged by others (...and let’s be honest, by myself) that it felt painful to even try. 

I knew I had to start thinking differently about it if I was going to experience any fulfillment.

So I started thinking about two things: 

1: What if I am a person who actually makes things, instead of just talking about/thinking about them? What would that be like? What if I valued that? 

2: What if I got more invested in the experience of creating things instead of being concerned about how they are going to look or be received?

These questions got me going in what I can only describe as a period of private creativity. I knew on some level that I needed an intentionally feedback-free zone for a while; I had to become my own creative safe space. There was a muscle to build again… with myself. I played piano with headphones on. I listened to voice memo recordings of what I’d played on my subway rides, over and over. I read books by people like Sara Bareilles, people who have forged careers based on their values, passion and authentic voice - while listening for my own.

At some point, I made myself put my money where my mouth was and actually start playing music in front of people again! To be honest… I only ended up onstage to share my music (you can hear this on Spotify, it’s an album called Places I’ve Cried In New York - live recording) because I had been to an artist showcase and I had a bunch of judgments about one of the artists and the quality of what she was presenting. As I was judging her/her music, I thought, “Wow, this is really sh*tty of me. At least she is up there.” 

“AT LEAST SHE IS UP THERE.”  👀

From that moment on, being up there became more important than fearing the judgment of others. 

I finally claimed it. I realized that my creative expression is a vital part of my life force.

I need to dance with it in order to feel alive… to feel like myself. The PRACTICE of my creativity had to become more important than the PERFORMANCE of it. 

Suddenly, I felt like a vital part of me had come alive, had been restored. Now, I feel confident in multiple areas of my life -- I’m a better coach, partner, friend, business person because I know who I am. I have faith in myself again. I have claimed something so valuable, so essential to how I move across this earth, that I don’t doubt who I am or worry anymore. 

I continually create new things because my creativity “faucet” is ON. I’m not worried about my creations being perfect or being “good enough,” instead, I’m invested in enjoying them and enjoying them getting made. I have faith that they’ll be exactly what they’re supposed to be. 

The more I create, the more I CAN create because I worry less about them being perfect or not. There’s so many of them! Who cares?! 

Because, guess what. The second that I showed myself I could get back onstage and play my original music, the more I absolutely had to do more. The easier it became to produce the album . . . . to release new music . . . . to write my book . . . 

After addressing this believing-in-self issue, I feel very free and expressive. I find it wonderfully natural to get support, resources, direction and feedback from other people now to make my work even more impactful and resonant. Sometimes I need to cocoon again, but more often than not, now I want to play and collaborate and thrive in community!

I feel proud of myself and of my creations, like I don’t take a moment of this happiness for granted because of how hard I fought to get to be right here. 

I feel focused, confident, happy . . . and guess what? SHE’S UP THERE AGAIN. ONSTAGE. SHINING. SO HAPPY!

While my story isn’t everyone’s story . . . if you’ve read this far, you’re probably longing to be the one who is “up there” in some capacity. 

There is absolutely no reason why your adult life cannot be as vibrant, creative, passionate and ABSOLUTELY 100% YOU as it can possibly be! 🎉

GET INTO SPARK TODAY AND LET’S LIGHT UP YOUR PATH!