JOY is a SUPERPOWER: The Love Your Life project

By Andrea Schroeder / May 22, 2014

My next class is the Love your Life Creative Journal Class.

I’m not going to teach you about joy in this class, I’m going to create a container where you can get exactly what you need to move forward with your unique relationship with joy, on your unique life path.? This could mean:

a healing
a new perspective on what joy is
an idea that totally changes your life
permission to be happier, right now
encouragement to transform the limiting belief that is keeping you from being happier, right now

I never, ever, dictate what you’re supposed to get out of the class or force you onto a specific path.

Because it’s too beautiful to instead offer the thing you didn’t even know you needed, but now that you have it, it’s like you feel more whole.

Sometimes people get frustrated about this.? They want more direction and clear instructions.? But as soon as they start to play with it they see – there is freedom and possibility and, magically enough, they always find exactly what they need.

This is because my “classes” are actually energy containers for healing & transformation.? This is why my students are always telling me that my classes help them feel more whole.

This is the thing I’m proudest about, about my work.? That I have learned how to create these containers of magic + possibility so effectively.

Also, it means instead of spending lots of time doing lots of traditional “class planning” I get to spend my time working with the energies of happiness, joy and love.? That’s pretty rad.

And as a result, I joined a choir, I go biking every day (!), I’m having adventures, I’m making art that lights me up.

Most remarkably: Suddenly I’ve got a steady stream of new members signing up for the Creative Dream Circle without feeling like I’m working at marketing.

Not only is being happy awesome, joy is actually a superpower.

Joy magnifies and magnetizes.? Joy is the gas pedal for your dream machine.

So the happier you are, the more stuff you end up having to be happy about because you become a SUPERHERO OF JOY.

Joy is more powerful than obstacles.? Just like water is more powerful than stone, joy will wear down obstacles, smooth out rough patches and flow you towards a whole ocean of delight.

I mean – gosh! Imagine letting joy wear down the rough patches for you, instead of trying to power through or move boulders or figure it all out in your head.

It’s revolutionary.? It’s amazing.? It’s actually what we’re wired for.

And even though all this stuff is changing in my outer world, it’s totally not about the outer stuff.

Setting out to make changes in your life so that you can feel happier is a total drag.

Forcing yourself to play? Not fun.

Shaming yourself into making time for the things you love? Gross.

The frustration of trying to do more happy-things but they somehow always feel out of reach? So painful.

The solution is, of course, to focus on the INSIDE.?

Gently shift things around.? Carefully carve out new spaces for joy to hang out.? Send out clear invitations for joy to come and visit and maybe even shack up with you.

This is my Love Your Life project.

Allowing the changes that happen in your outer life to come out of the inner changes… gracefully and EASEfully and at the exact perfect pace for you.

A funny thing about the universe is that it can bring you something that is much, much better than the thing you think you want/need.

Because you decide “I want/need this” from your HEAD.? Your HEAD, cut off from your heart, your creativity, your inner wisdom, your power, your purpose…. and your HEAD, as beautiful and wonderful as it is, doesn’t know the whole story.

This is why this kind of work makes you somehow feel more whole.? Because it’s bringing you into deeper alignment with your inner wholeness.

It’s brings you more than you asked for and helps you be happier than you think you can be.

It’s so beautiful.? I hope you join me on this journey.? Click here to read about the Love your Life Creative Journal class.

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Creative Dream TV: How to make the big decisions about how to bring your dream to life.

By Andrea Schroeder / May 20, 2014 / Vintage Creative Dream TV

You’re going to face about a gazillion different decisions in the process of bringing any dream to life.? And often you need to make decisions where you’re really not sure what is the “right” move!? This can be so frustrating, but each decision is a opportunity to move closer to your inner power, creativity and authenticity.

For Creative Dream Circle members: check out the Crazy Smart Wisdom Council in the Creative Genius Mojo Dojo for tools for how to make it easier to get in touch with you inner wisdom.

Creative Dream TV: How to make the big decisions about how to bring your dream to life. Read More »

Creative Journal Prompts For Staying On Track With Your Dreams

By Andrea Schroeder / May 16, 2014 / Journal Prompts

I know taking the time to do these creative dream updates EVERY WEEK is deeply, deeply helpful.

And now that we’re doing these updates inside the Circle so everyone has a chance to participate, I’ve been thinking about the format of the updates and how to set it up so it’s easy enough to stay in the habit of doing it and also so that we’re doing it in the most helpful way.

The purposes of the updates:

so you don’t drop the many (many!) ideas and insights you find along the path
so you’re clear on WHICH ideas to act on RIGHT NOW
marking the path so you notice sooner if you’re just going in circles (more common than you’d think, on the Creative Dream Path)
acknowledging the many (many!) steps you’ve taken, which makes it much easier to contemplate how many steps are still in front of you
holding yourself accountable to your dream
reflecting on what’s happened as a way of learning from it and as a way of noticing things you didn’t notice while it was happening
documenting the process of bringing one dream to life show you all sorts of clues about how to work with other dreams
sweet sweet sweet delicious clarity about where you are and where you want to be and how you want to get there (this changes a lot more often than you’d think, holding onto clarity is difficult but important)

I’ve come up with these Creative Journal Prompts For Staying On Track With Your Dreams

It’s in two parts.

Part 1 is for when you’re setting out, so it’s your first update.?

But it’s also good to revisit it every week to see if it’s changing, because if it doesn’t fill you with delight to say what you want and why you want it – something has changed and you need to adjust.

Checking in with these three statements every week and making any necessary adjustments so that you remain filled with delight about this will keep your dream process calibrated in the right direction.

My dream is:

I want it because:

When I have it I will feel:

Part 2 is 4 questions to ask yourself every week, plus a mission statement.

What happened in the last week?

How do I feel about this?

What do I need now?

What does my dream need now?

Taking all of this into account, my next mission is:

Remember that moving forward is not always the answer.

In fact, there is no “forward” on the Creative Dream Path.? The path does not exist until you build it.? You build in the direction that feels right in the moment.

Most Creative Dream Paths go in spirals and if you’re not grounded and present in your process, you’ll think you’re going backwards.

So for my update this week I’m starting at the beginning.

My dream is: I can no longer say that my dream is to have 800 members in the Circle this year, because that doesn’t fill me with delight right now.? But it was the perfect starting point for this adventure in learning how to grow my capacity as a teacher.

What fills me with delight now: growing the Circle in a grounded and sustainable and DELIGHTFUL way.

To be more specific about what feels grounded and sustainable and delight to me right now: at least 30 new members each month, but not more than 50.? One or two per day is perfect.

I want it because: I’m so in love with everything I have learned about making dreams real and it really really makes me happy to share it.? I love the way people’s lives start to change once they join the Circle.? I love how it spreads HAPPINESS.? I am so happy I could burst at the thought that I am bringing this amazing thing to the world.

It feels like perfect alignment with purpose and heart and creativity and spirit.? It’s what I’m here to do.

Of course, the same could be said about my coaching practice.? But coaching takes a LOT of energy and running the Circle does not take as much.? So another thing I love about the Circle is that I can run the Circle without working full time.? This feels important not because I want to work part time (I love my work too much for that) but because I want the option to be able to do that if something happens and I need some time off.? I live alone and don’t have anyone to help with the bills (and am not interested in changing that), so building this kind of stability into my business feels important for the long term.

When I have it I will feel: This one is interesting, because right now I do have it.? 1-2 people join the Circle most days.? And right now I am super happy.? What I want is to sustain this over time and become more grounded in it.? Then I will feel more grounded and stable as the Guardian of Dreams.

And on to this week’s update:

What happened in the last week?

As I said in part 1, there are 1-2 new people joining the Circle most days and I really like this!? Before it was more larger clusters right before a new class started and I do much prefer have this small, steady stream.? It gives me a chance to get to know them a bit (if they choose to be chatty on the Circle website, lots of people prefer to stay quiet and that’s fine too!).

We started the Inspiration Cards class and it’s going even better than I’d hoped.? Members are having these delightfully healing experiences encountering the World of Inspiration and I am having so much fun hearing what they’re all up to.

I don’t think I can explain enough how much I love this group of people and their dreams.

The big thing that happened in the past week is my new customer service software.? I wrote here about boundaries and changes.? The past few months I’ve been increasingly overwhelmed with the amount of stuff coming at me.? Now I feel like I have room to breathe (and play! and create!) again.? It’s all sunshine and rainbows and setting things up in ways that support me in doing the work I am here to do.

How do I feel about this?

Everything feels on track and happy.? A part of me wants to hold onto the original dream I had for 800 members this year.? That part of me is small and young and thinks that it’s not ok to change her mind.

Wise me knew all along that I can set my intention and do my part but I do not control the timing.? Wise me knows that the work I did earlier this year of stretching into my goal was important inner work and will serve me well and that I am not giving up on anything, I’m moving in the direction my heart is sending me in.

Slow, steady growth is my style. I feel really comfortable and supported and happy.

What do I need now?

I’m feeling comfortable and supported and happy.? A lot of this is the new class I’m working on, the Love Your Life Creative Journal Class.? To create the container for the class, I start working with the energies of it ahead of time. Working directly with loving your life and being happy now is pretty amazing.

So all I need for next week is to keep doing what I’ve been doing.

What does my dream need now?

My dream is a sparkling stream running through a forest.? It’s happy and bubbling.? But it’s got this one boulder it would like to be removed.

Hmmm. What is the boulder?? (that part I’m just going to share in my update inside the Circle)

Removing the boulder won’t make the stream stream faster or anything it will just help it stream steadier.

Taking all of this into account, my next mission is:

Keep exploring the boulder and find out more about what it means and what I need to do to remove it.? Keep working/playing with the Love Your Life Creative Journal Class.

Wow, that feels light and do-able.

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New! Love Your Life Creative Journal Class.

By Andrea Schroeder / May 15, 2014

Hoo boy am I happy to share this one with you.

How happy can you be?

Let’s find out!? Clickity click for all the details.

New! Love Your Life Creative Journal Class. Read More »

The Cure For Writer’s Block

By Andrea Schroeder / May 14, 2014 / healing, Manifest Your Dream Life

I’ve been wanting to share some of the super-inspiring stories of amazing things that happen inside the Creative Dream Circle but I haven’t known how to do it. Working with dreams is working with heart – so vulnerable and delicate. It’s no small thing that people trust me with their dreams and I’m not going to betray that trust by trying to force anyone into the limelight.

But some of these stories keep tapping me on the shoulder, demanding to be shared.

So I’ve decided to share bits and pieces – without naming names or sharing photos or anything like that. So people’s privacy is protected, their dream remains sheltered from public view, while the essence of the story can come out and play.

The cure for writer’s block:

I received the following message from someone who was in my free Give Your Dream Wings course:

I know what my creative dream is and what the soul of it is, but I’m lacking the joy and flow to do it with ease and happiness. It’s still loaded with fear for me. I need to write and I want to do it but boy do I delay it every single time. That blank page is tough! Would your Creative Dream Circle help with that?

That question really hit me in the heart.? So many creatives know exactly what they want to be doing, but their dreams are, as this writer put it, LOADED with fear.

I hate knowing that there are people out there in this situation!? So much so that I’ve made it my life’s work to help people out of this situation.

Writer’s block, like all creative blocks, is an emotional block.

Facing the blank page is terrifying.? Going after your dream is terrifying. Starting is a terrifyingly vulnerable thing.

The secret?? Meeting your fear with creativity and love.

My response:

Yes! The Circle will definitely help with that. Fear is the biggest obstacle to dreaming, so I have a lot of material about it in the Circle. In the Creative Dream Incubator course (which you get in have circle) there is an in-depth module about how to work with fear effectively. Plus there is an “un-sticking station” to get quick help any time you get stuck. I use that almost every day.

It’s totally natural to be afraid, I find that learning how to work creatively with fear is one of the most important skills to learn to bring any dream to life.

She joined the Circle and one of the first things she did there was listen to my hour long audio class on How Meeting Fear With Creativity And Love Means You Never Have To Stay Stuck.

And then: she started writing!

She found the cure for writer’s block and she started writing!? This is from one of her first posts in the Circle:

Hello! I’m brand new here and decided this morning to get right into it by listening to the recording of “meeting fear with creativity and love”. I found it extremely helpful [removed for privacy]. I went on to write the piece I wanted to write…

She went on to write the piece she wanted to write.

Being un-blocked and in the flow really is that accessible.

Does this mean our heroine is never going to suffer from writer’s block, ever again?

Of course not.

She’ll have to keep meeting fear with creativity and love and learning new techniques for transforming fear and doubt and all the things that hold her back.

This is the secret to bringing any dream to life: to stay in the process of transforming the blocks.? To meet them there on the blank page – every day or every week.? To keep showing up no matter how hard your inner critics start to fight back.

I can promise that if you stay with it, it does get easier.

When I first left my day-job to be a full time Creative Dream Incubator, I had a major fear freak-out at least once a week.? But now?? In my fourth year of doing this full time?? I’ve had ONE fear freak-out all year. And it wasn’t even major.

You can transform your inner landscape.? You can make more space for freedom and glee and creativity and delight and trust and dreams come true.? You do not have to let fear stomp all over your dream garden.

This is what we do inside the Creative Dream Circle.

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Creative Dream TV: Creating A Self-Care Kit For When You’re In Crisis

By Andrea Schroeder / May 13, 2014 / healing, Manifest Your Dream Life, Vintage Creative Dream TV

How to make a self care kit

You need a self care kit because times when you really NEED self-care tools are exactly the times when it's the hardest to find them!

I'm doing something new - recording videos straight to YouTube instead of editing. With anything new, there's a bit of a learning curve, I lost the first 20 seconds and it's a little weird/wavy - not like my usual videos.

The best time to make a self-care kit for yourself is when you're NOT in crisis.

Because when things are rough it's harder to know how to take care of yourself.

But... I am editing this post in 2020 during a global crisis... if things are already rough for you - just do your best. Every bit of self care you do helps you get to a bit of a better place where you can do a bit of a better job of taking care of yourself... and so on and so on.

You can do this.

Your self care kit should be with you and accessible at all times.

I keep mine in my bag with my wallet. Those days when I don't take my bag with me, when I grab my wallet I also grab my self care kit.

It's in a handwoven zipper case, the same size as a pencil case. It's easy to have on me.

As I've gotten older, my self care kit has gotten more boring, lol!

This is for two reasons:

my body needs more attention to feel good
I know myself better so I can do better than aromatherapy, affirmation cards and little chocolate treats, which is what my self care kit used to be full of when I was in my 30s.

An ongoing commitment to self care over time WILL teach you what YOU need in your self care kit.

A question to ask while you're building your self care kit: What would be helpful, now?

Asking it at different times of day, in different places, in different situations, gives you different answers which give you different ideas for what to keep in your self care kit.

For example, in peri-menopause I can't always predict my menstrual cycle like I used to, so keeping Advil in my self care kit is helpful.

I have allergies to pollen and to some dogs. Having allergy meds in my kit is a must.

Some of the items in your self care kit should be boring! Just basic "how to take good care of my body" stuff that can help stop anxiety or overwhelm from spiralling.

Here's what's in my self-care kit right now:

ear plugs (I am super sensitive to noise)
Advil
allergy meds
a few packs of Emergen-C (a dose of vitamin C and electrolytes that feels good when I am overwhelmed)
ear buds (I usually have headphones with me, but for those days when I forget them, having the earbuds saves the day)
multiple playlists of brainwave music for different moods, like calm + focus (technically not in my kit, but I keep them on my phone)
favourite aromatherapy blends in small bottles (also convenient for days if I forget deodorant can use some EO instead and not feel self conscious - this is a small thing, but every uncomfortable feeling you've got going on adds a new layer of discomfort, so the more of them you can take care of, the better)
Kleenex in a tiny pack
Journal with paint pens and a huge assortment of ultra thin markers (also not in my self care zipper pouch, but I keep it in a separate zipper pouch, also always with me)

Other ideas for your self care kit:

chocolate
inspiration card or helpful affirmation/mantra written on a piece of paper
a meditation or visualization that works well for you, written down on a sheet of paper (it's easy to forget to use tools we know about, so this is a way to include them in the kit)
lip balm
moisturizer, bonus points if it smells like something that makes you feel happy
water bottle

This will help you create your self care kit:

The Self Care for the Pandemic e-course is free, you can get the whole thing right here.

It's five days of videos and journaling sheets, to really dig in and explore what kind of self care you need right now.

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Boundaries [I’m making some changes]

By Andrea Schroeder / May 12, 2014 / creative entrepreneur

I’ve been having a boundary problem.

Creating and holding clear boundaries is how you create space in your life for your dreams.? Creating dream-growing boundaries is a simple case of routing resources (time, energy, creativity, money) to go towards nurturing what you want to grow.

Simple, but hard.

Give Your Dream Wings, my free e-course, is growing like crazy, which is fantastic! But as it grew, and my web traffic in general grew, I also became overwhelmed by email.

No one email is a problem on its own.? People are having a hard time watching a video and want some help.? Or they deleted one of the lessons and need me to re-send it.? Or they want the emails to go to a different address.? Or they want me to know how much their dream is growing and how their life is changing because of it.

Of course I want people to be able to access the course!?? And I don’t want to ignore these emails.? But even quick responses take up time and energy.? And having so many of these emails land in my inbox takes up enough energetic bandwidth that it’s leaving me with less than I need for other things.

I’ve been very overwhelmed by this, actually.

It’s been enough to make me not WANT my business to grow any more because I’ve got my hands full taking care of the people who are already here.

When I am in a state of overwhelm, I’m not making the best decisions.? It was when I started thinking about hiring someone to help me with the emails that it finally dawned on me: providing customer service to people who are not actually customers is simply not sustainable.

See, deep down inside I had this inner “good girl” who wants to do what people expect of her.? And suddenly so many people expected me to respond to their emails that she got triggered and kind of took over.

So, first, of all – I had to take back my energy from the situation.? Being overwhelmed by the volume of email put me in a dis-empowered space.? When I re-claim my power and put my inner “good girl” back on permanent vacation, I can see everything more clearly and be in touch with the heart of what is happening, which is: I want to help.

I want to provide my customers with my best work, plus helpful customer service.? This is important to me.? This is what my business is here to do.

I want to provide my audience with helpful resources, including ways to access the answers to their questions (ways that do not include me emailing them individually).? Plus a warm invitation to come and play with me.

So, I’m switching to a new customer service email system and creating a self-serve help center.

The Give your Dream Wings Help Center has everything categorized so it’s easy to find exactly the help you need. So anyone who runs into a problem with Give Your Dream Wings can get a solution right there.

The Creative Dream Circle, gets a Help Center too. Of course Circle members do get customer service, but the Help Center means they can look up immediate answers to the most common questions, instead of waiting for me to answer their email.

What is REALLY beautiful about this is that the customer service software can grow as the Creative Dream Circle grows, so it stays easy & doable for me to offer quality customer service for my beloved customers.

Ahhhhhhhh.

The day I set this all up I could actually FEEL how I increased my internal capacity for serving more dreamers.

With my email under control, it means I can be more present for my Creative Dream Circle and clients.? And that is the whole point of my business!? To support the people who choose to let me support them in bringing their magic to the world.? It feels amazing to actually feel my capacity to do this work increase.

This is the bumpy road of bringing a dream to life!? It often does take being overwhelmed or frustrated or resentful or angry about how things are going, in order for you to see how you’d like to set things up differently.? As Joseph Campbell said “Where you stumble, that’s where your treasure lies.”

Creating a boundary is easier than holding a boundary.

And the outer work (like in this case, setting up the self-serve help center and the new customer service email software) is a LOT easier than the inner work.

You’ve got to be able to hold your power in order to hold your boundary.? This gets easier over time as you acclimate to owning more and more of your power.

But especially in the beginning it can be really hard.? And other people will generally not respect your boundary just because you told them about it.? Not because they want to be jerks, but if you’ve always done ____ then suddenly you decide to not do ____ anymore but they’re still used to you doing _____ so they’re going to expect you to keep doing it.

They’re in that pattern with you and they may not want to change it.

So you really do have to be willing to hold the boundary all on your own, even if no one respects it.? Otherwise, what’s the point?

If I do all this work to set up new systems, but keep responding individually to every email I get because my inner “good girl” doesn’t want to upset anyone’s expectations… how does that work?? Now, besides still being overwhelmed my email I’m also out the time and money of setting up new systems that I’m not using.

I can’t expect people to just stop emailing me, can I?? It’s 100% up to ME to do something different if I want this to change.

That’s how it is with ALL boundaries.? You can’t expect other people to change just because YOU want something to be different.

For many years, boundaries were super hard for me.? I was working really hard at it, and setting boundaries… but wasn’t owning my power enough to hold them.

It was SO HARD for me to set a boundary, I couldn’t bear the work of actually holding it.? So I’d set it, the other person would bulldoze through it, and I’d collapse the boundary and they’d go on doing what they’d always done.

What I find makes it easier is if you go into the process of setting the boundary fully aware of your responsibility to HOLD the boundary, this way you tend to set up boundaries with maintenance-systems in place.

If you’re a Creative Dream Circle member and you want to learn more about boundaries, check out my video on Sovereignty, in the Advanced Creative Badassery Resource Library – it’s 57 minutes (!) of me talking about this in more detail, and answering people’s questions about how this works in the real world.

Plus, I changed my email address.? I was still using the email from my old abccreatvity.com domain, but as of today I’m using hello [AT] creativedreamincubator.com

Boundaries [I’m making some changes] Read More »

Update 24: How About We Just Be Happy Now?

By Andrea Schroeder / May 9, 2014

I set a big goal for my business for 2014: to welcome 800 dreamers into my Creative Dream Circle. And to do this not by getting super pushy about selling – but to do this with heart and soul and creativity and joy and LOVE.? (you can read my original post about this here)

At this point though, I’m not interested in the numbers.? I’ve been more interested in exploring how to grow my capacity serve dreamers in bringing their dreams to life.? And now I want to explore more about how I want this all to work for me, and how I want to feel inside it.

In support of this goal, I am writing weekly updates on Fridays, for all of 2014. This is where I’ll share the story of all the ups and downs of bringing a big dream to life.

***************************************************

I turned 40 last Sunday.? My mom posted a bunch of old photos of me on her Facebook, it was so amazing to see them again!

I kept looking at this one and remembering how much I loved gymnastics, especially cartwheels.? I want to draw this part of me out, into my regular life, more often.? And it feels like I’ve been doing that – I got a bike for my birthday!? And after not riding for 20 years, I am finding that riding a bike is a really special kind of delight.

I feel like I need 16 updates to talk about everything that happened this week.

I am really in love with this process, of writing an update every week.? At one point it was feeling weird, like who cares?? But once I started sharing these updates in the Creative Dream Circle and creating space for everyone else to share their updates too – it turned into pure magic.?

Writing out a weekly update, even if it’s just in your journal, if a very good dream habit to get into! ?And I did end write a whole separate update this week, all about boundaries and re-arranging things, which I’m going to post next week, not as an update post but as a regular post.

This week so many things happened. We started a new class in the Circle, which I am super happy about. It’s always amazing to see how people interact with the material.

The longer I do this work, the better I get at creating classes which are actually containers for people to get exactly what they need right then, to realise something important or have a healing or find a new dream or whatever. I’m really proud of that and grateful that there are so many amazing people to play with this stuff in the Circle.

I’m feeling a strange mix of more committed than ever to my goal, and feeling like I understand my goal and what it will take to get there clearer than ever, and also feeling a sense of letting go and also a sense of total fuzziness about it. It’s also feeling less and less important, the more I explore it.

Notice how I’m referring to it as a goal and not a dream.

Goals are different from dreams. Solid, clear and external. It’s very black I and white – you achieve your goal or you don’t. Goals are very helpful things to have.

A dream though, is purpose and delight and spirit and authenticity and moving towards who you really are and stepping into your superpowers and love and bliss and wonder and magic. Goals are head. Dreams are heart.

Eight hundred members in the Creative Dream Circle is a goal. And it’s a fine goal. But right now I want to explore the dream. Where’s the light and the magic? What does my heart want?

My heart wants to do what I love and to be making enough money to live comfortably. Oh. I have that.

My heart would like permission to ignore my goal.

My head says that’s stupid. My head reminds me heart how delicious what I’m doing in the circle actually is, how it’s changing peoples lives and how needed it is. My head wants my heart to know that all of this gets bigger as the circle gets bigger.

My heart says yes, it’s delicious. Now in the present. And what if we weren’t trying to make to grow? What if we just give it sunlight and water and love and I let it grow itself?

So that’s where I am with this. I don’t know that letting it grow itself would result in me doing anything differently than I have been doing, it seems like it’s just a different attitude.

I’m feeling a strong desire to get to know this dream in a new way.? Or maybe I’m just tired of holding this and need to it down for just a little bit.

In other explorations, I discovered a whole new understanding about my role as a Guardian of Dreamers. And I am learning about what I need to be the best Guardian of Dreamers that I can be: Delight! Happiness! To Be In Love With My Life!?

Things are shifting, that’s for sure. I always lose my sense of clarity when things are shifting. Experience shows that something amazing will come next, so I’m looking forward to that.

Update 24: How About We Just Be Happy Now? Read More »

Let’s Make Inspiration Cards Together Starts Tomorrow. Are You Thinking Of Joining Us?

By Andrea Schroeder / May 7, 2014

If you’re wondering if this is right for you I thought I’d write a little more about it.

This is a class on creative inspiration, that’s Creative In~SPIRIT~ation.

It’s for experienced artists and total non-artists – either way, you will learn delightful & amazing new things.

In order to explore all of the possibilities of Creative In~SPIRIT~ation you’re going to work with an intention for your cards.

This is so you can explore inspiration through the lens of your intention, which, as you will see, teaches you all sorts of wicked cool things about both inspiration and your intention.? Working in this way with inspiration and intention magnifies them both.

The first part of this class is a self-paced series of short, guided, creative meditations and journaling prompts.? This is where you work with your intention for your cards and discover whole new worlds of magic and delight.

You’ll do this work in your own time, and of course you can share your discoveries and insights, and see what other people are learning, in our online classroom.

Because I teach from the intersection of creativity and spirituality, the class is very non-linear and? I’m not going to force you to go in a certain direction. ? You will have your own unique experience and adventure, based on where you’re at, where you’re going and what you need right now.

The beautiful thing about playing with intention in this way is that you get what YOU need from the experience.

Working with inspiration and intention together is very healing and transformative.

The second part is where we scoop up all the things you learned in the first part, and put them onto your gorgeous inspiration cards, so that you can hold onto the magic of it all.

As I said, this is for experienced artists and total non-artists alike.? You’ll get something valuable out of this either way, each group will just approach the second part a little differently.

If you’re an experienced artist you know how to make your cards!? You can look over my suggestions and ideas if you want, but I’m not going to get in your way and tell you how they “should” be done – play and experiment and work your magic and we’ll all cheer you on in the online classroom.

If you’re a total non-artist and aren’t sure if you can make your own cards – I will share so many easy ideas, tips and tricks you’ll be a pro in no time.

This is NOT one of those classes where we all come out with art that looks the same!? I encourage you to find your unique creative voice, not learn how to copy mine.

Even though the art I love to make is very simple & child-like, I have university level education in how to make all kinds of art so I really can answer any questions you’ve got about making your cards.? (I have a degree in fashion design from one of the best design schools in Canada.? As part of my four years as a fashion student, I was taking life drawing, technical drawing and visual communications classes.)

What I WILL NOT share with you are the harsh critiques and “you have to do it this way” attitudes of university level art classes.

Everyone will be celebrated in this class.

It’s about CREATIVE PLAY and INSPIRATION and LEARNING about yourself and CREATING new space inside you for inspiration to live.

It’s going to make you feel inspired and lifted up.? It’s going to help you believe in yourself more.? It’s going to help you find your creative joy.

One last thing: The Circle.

It seems like I have not quite explained this clearly, as I have been getting a lot of emails from people asking if I would run this as a separate class, as they don’t feel ready to sign up for a whole year of stuff.

When I put all of my classes inside the Creative Dream Circle I lowered the price dramatically.? If I ran this class on its own it would be $100.?

This way you pay $100 for this one class – but then you have the option of joining in on anything else I do for the next year without paying anything.? When you join the Circle you get access to the ultimate Smorgasbord Of Dreams.? Feel free to pile your plate high with treats, or just try one or two things.? You’ll find that every item on the menu is worth the cost of the whole Circle, so there’s no pressure to do it all.

You get to pick and choose which of these to play with, to create your very own customized Creative Dream Support Systems.

This isn’t a marketing gimmick.? When I added up the price of each individual thing that I put in the Circle, it was over $1300 – not even including the new classes I am going to keep adding this year.

It takes quite a bit of behind the scenes admin time/energy/money to run each class individually and I really want to simplify everything.? Plus, my work changes people’s lives so I want to make it more accessible.? So, that’s why you get a whole year of stuff.

You can read more about the Inspiration Cards class here.? You can read more about the Creative Dream Circle here.

Let’s Make Inspiration Cards Together Starts Tomorrow. Are You Thinking Of Joining Us? Read More »

Creative Dream TV: For Those Days When You Don’t Feel Like Showing Up

By Andrea Schroeder / May 6, 2014 / daily practice, Vintage Creative Dream TV

The secret to making ANY dream real is in showing up every day: daily practice.

But, inevitably, some days you’re going to want a day off.? You’re going to think that you “deserve a break”… but actually that’s bullshit.? I explain more in this video:

Creative Dream TV: For Those Days When You Don’t Feel Like Showing Up Read More »

I’m Turning 40 Today: May the Fourth Be With Me

By Andrea Schroeder / May 4, 2014

It feels kind of strange to say that this has sneaked up on me.

I mean, how could I not know that I was turning 40?? But still, it feels like a surprise.? Like, Oh, 40, I can’t believe you’re here already.? I knew you were coming but I didn’t think it would happen so soon.

You’re here, I’m here, today I’m 40.

So far, every year just gets better overall even though each year also brings its own unique challenges.? Every year I get to know myself and my dreams better.? Every year I am better equipped to care for myself and my dreams and that makes life better.

So I’ve always looked forward to turning a year older and having another year of experience being me.

But something about entering a whole new decade feels, well it feels like turning 40 is supposed to mean something, but I don’t know what it means.

It feels like I’m growing up a bit more and that’s good.? But it doesn’t feel super important and I don’t really want to do anything to celebrate, other than eat pizza and cake with my family, and let them give me a BIKE (!).

But there is this part of me that was getting all stressed out about how this BIG MILESTONE is happening and I’m supposed to do something with/about it.? To celebrate in a big way or become a grown-up or something.

The truth is: I’m happy.? I don’t have anything to freak out about.? Nothing needs to change just because I’m turning 40.

I’m living with my dreams as my teachers which is exactly where I want to be right now.? I’ll hit the next transition when I hit the next transition – not when I turn some arbitrary age.

It’s ok for turning 40 (or any other number) to not mean anything.

I keep writing and re-writing this post.

I wanted to have something inspiring and meaningful and helpful to say about entering a new decade, especially to people who are feeling uncomfortable about getting older.

But the truth is if you’re feeling uncomfortable, it would be good for you to sit with that feeling, rather than try to inspire yourself out of it.? Your feelings hold your genius.

I’m also noticing more and more how fucked up our society is about aging and our perspectives on “old people”.? The way the elderly are often portrayed is dehumanizing, which is really strange giving that the more years you’ve been alive the MORE human you are – you’ve got more experience and wisdom and gifts and stories to share.? But society is fucked up about a lot of things.

Mostly I’m thinking back to my thirties as I lovingly say goodbye.? My thirties were amazing!? So much growth and delight as I learned how to stop fumbling around with my dreams and start living in them.

SO MUCH happens in a decade and I am looking forward to opening up a new one.

One thing is changing for me: Grey hair.

I started getting grey hairs in my late teens.? But had I started colouring my hair for fun and self-expression before that.? So I never intentionally set out to colour/cover my greys.

About a month ago, I stopped enjoying colouring my hair, so I decided to stop colouring.? At this point, I am about 50% grey and I’d like to have my real hair.

Also – at 50% grey I can use hair chalk to play with colour, which is harder to do on dark hair.? I mean – come on, of course I want this:

So I am going to start streaking my hair super-light, to play more with colour as I grow out my greys.? I’m not sure when I’ll start – right now I’m just letting my roots grow until it starts to feel awkward.

I used to do Birthday Journaling on my birthday but I’m not sure if I’m even feeling that this year – we’ll see.? Mostly I just want to appreciate being where I am.

I’m Turning 40 Today: May the Fourth Be With Me Read More »

Update 23: Working Through a Big Fear

By Andrea Schroeder / May 2, 2014

(you can read my original post about this here)

At this point though, it?s less about the numbers and more about growing my capacity to serve dreamers everywhere in bringing their dreams to life.

In support of this goal, I am writing weekly updates on Fridays, for all of 2014. This is where I’ll share the story of all the ups and downs of bringing a big dream to life.

***************************************************

Last week I shared how I couldn’t share last week’s update here, that my dream and I were feeling too exposed and needed a smaller, more sheltered space. So I posted it inside the Creative Dream Circle instead.

And OMG! When Circle members joined me in sharing updates last week it was amazing! I want to keep doing that and inviting them to join me in the weekly updates, which is such a helpful habit to have when you’re in the process of bringing a dream to life.

So, me feeling awkward and unsure about how to share the update last week ended up creating this beautiful new thing in the Circle. I love that.

From now on I’m going to write the updates for inside the Circle. Then I can edit my updates as much as I need to, before posting them here on my blog. Some weeks I may edit nothing, some weeks I may edit everything or re-write things or whatever feels right.

This creates a new container of safety for me as I grow my dream.

In my many travels to Portland, Oregon I was really struck by how BIG the trees are, much bigger than trees in Winnipeg, Canada. It being so rainy and damp, those trees must have some happy root systems.

Imagine taking one of those tress into the desert and planting it in the sand with no rainy dampness.

It would be too big, too heavy. It would fall over because the sand couldn’t support the roots so the roots couldn’t support the tree.

It’s like that with dreams and safety. Dreams need to be planted in safe ground in order to be stable enough to support big growth. And each dream needs it’s own kind of safety, so you have to learn about what your unique dream needs.

Sometimes I forget that every time I want to take my dreams to the next level, I need to re-adjust my safety levels (among other things).

This week got off to a really rough start.

On Monday my fears and inner critics totally took over. I completely believed that I CAN’T do this, that I don’t have the capacity. I’m too sensitive. Underneath that fear was a lot of sadness and pain about doing it all on my own and not feeling big/strong/brave enough.

The fear was not that I won’t reach my goal, the fear is that I’ll be totally burnt out and overwhelmed. Like I am small and this dream is big and the demands of my growing business will crush me. I felt completely helpless.

Once I journaled about it and cried about it and took a hot aromatherapy bath, I could see that this is good because this means I found the edge of my capacity. Last week when I felt uncomfortable about sharing my update on my blog, that was about capacity, about wanting to shrink in a bit and stop feeling so exposed. But I felt confused and foggy about it.

Even though facing your feelings isn’t fun, it’s always easier to shift something that you are clear on. Which means shining a light into the fog to figure out what is REALLY going on.

So that’s what I did in Monday, I found the me who believes that she’ll get totally burnt out and overwhelmed, and is terrified about it. Then I took her into the Un-Sticking Station in the Creative Dream Circle and spent a LOT of time with her there, learning more about where she lives and what she needs, which is safety.

As I filled her world with safety, her world changed.

She had been living inside this old castle. Well, not a castle exactly. It’s like it was supposed to be a castle, but really it was this tiny space, with tall tall tall tall grey stone walls, but grass as the floor and sky as the ceiling. She couldn’t see out because of the walls, which she thought she needed for safety. But really they were just limiting her possibilities.

As I filled her energy body with safety a window opened up and she could see all the cool stuff happening out in the meadow outside the wall. Then we discovered the miracle of how much support there is for her out there and how safe it really is to step into a bigger dream – how actually it’s safer than staying in the smaller dream.

And with that done, the walls were gone and she had this amazing new world to play in.

And suddenly everything seemed easy and obvious.

I set up my business to be primarily a coaching practice, with regular classes. Classes having 50 people maximum and coaching happening with 1 person at a time. I had systems that supported this.

Suddenly I saw how creating the Circle and lowering the price of everything and having more people and offering less one-on-one support changed my business model. So of course my systems need to change with it!

After spending so much time crying about not having the capacity to do this, I actually laughed about how simple it would be to solve the capacity problem by switching to new systems which will support growth and actually make everything better for EVERYONE as more people join the circle.

And there are LOTS of delightful options for right-fit systems I can use as my business grows.

But I couldn’t see that before because of this part of me hiding behind that giant stone wall.

Figuring this out makes the path in front of me feel smooth and clear and sunny.

So that feels good.? And I am excited about moving forward and switching some of my systems.

Update 23: Working Through a Big Fear Read More »

Creative Dream TV: Inspiration is an inside job

By Andrea Schroeder / April 29, 2014 / Vintage Creative Dream TV

Today I’m talking about how INspiration is NOT something that you should be looking for OUTside of you.

And how looking inside for inspiration is the first step in living in the flow of inspiration.

I’ll be showing you exactly how to find this kind of inspiration in the Let’s Make Inspiration Cards Together class in the Creative Dream Circle – click here to join today!

Creative Dream TV: Inspiration is an inside job Read More »

Update #22: So This Is Awkward.

By Andrea Schroeder / April 25, 2014

(you can read my original post about this here)

At this point though, it?s less about the numbers and more about growing my capacity to serve dreamers everywhere in bringing their dreams to life.

In support of this goal, I am writing weekly updates on Fridays, for all of 2014. This is where I’ll share the story of all the ups and downs of bringing a big dream to life.

***************************************************

I had a post written for this week, it was about increasing internal capacity and identity shifts.? A lot happened this week!

But then more happened this morning and I found out that I can’t post that update here.

This morning I was doing my meditation/creative soul alchemy energy work/dream work and in looking at my relationship to this dream, there was so much energetic gunk around it I couldn’t connect clearly to it.

So I explored the gunk.? It was unfamiliar, which is strange because normally my energy is VERY familiar.

It turns out that this gunk is not mine.? This gunk is other people’s reactions to my dream.

I now have 10,000 visitors a month.? And for the past little while my traffic was stalled (while I was quietly freaking out about 8,000 people reading my private thoughts) but now it’s increasing again and I have a really solid plan to keep doubling it.

Everyone doesn’t read very post but still, that’s a lot of people and that’s a lot of reactions for my little seedling of a dream to be exposed to. Not that exposure is always bad for dreams, just that this dream needs quiet, clear space right now.

This is a part of stretching capacity and identity shifting: it’s no longer right for me to share things here on my blog that I used to share here.

This is new and I am still learning about it and I don’t know what to do about it right now.? I said I would post a weekly update every Friday this year.

I am not a person who doesn’t follow through on her word.? I am also not a person who ignores her intuition.

I have found that there is always a way for these two things to work together, but it usually takes some time, exploration and creative thinking to find that way.

What feels right to do today is to post my post in the Creative Dream Circle and invite the members to share their own weekly updates with me there.

I have been looking for a way to make the updates more of a group thing, but I haven’t wanted to ask people to share their vulnerable dream process publicly.? So that part is a really good move – we can share privately, in a community where everyone 1) loves & supports dreams 2) has the tools and support to make their dreams real.? It’s a really different atmosphere than a public blog, and of course you are welcome to join us.

Plus, making it a habit to write a weekly update helps ground you in the process of bringing your dream to life and opens up new channels of support.? I think it’s a beautiful addition to the Circle.

And I’m going to have to think of something else to do out here in public.? I’ll be exploring that more.

Update #22: So This Is Awkward. Read More »

Without my creative dreams, I shrivel up.

By Andrea Schroeder / April 24, 2014

Growing a business is hard and sometimes in that hardness I lose sight of why I’m even doing this.

I teach open-hearted, creative people how to live a RIDICULOUSLY inspired life, filled to the brim with dreams come true.

I teach what I teach because this stuff makes me happy.

This stuff makes me deliciously and consistently and reliably happy.? Which is kind of a miracle.

And the times in my life when I did NOT have this stuff have been pretty bleak.

I didn’t set out to become accredited as a spiritual teacher because I wanted to teach.? I was taking those classes it because I needed them for me.

I needed healing.

Even though I wouldn’t have used these words at that time: I desperately needed to find a way to live in tune with my own creative soul.

First, art and design helped (I have a degree in fashion design, half of a degree in interior design and a decade working as a textile artist) but were not enough on its own.

Then, spirituality helped (I am an accredited spiritual teacher/counselor and energy healer and spent years leading healing & meditation groups and classes) but was not enough on its own.

It’s only when I bring it all together and stay engaged in my creative AND spiritual practice that I am truly, like right down to the core, happy.

Without my creative dreams, I shrivel up.

I need this stuff.? This stuff changed my life.? I teach it so I can share it so it can change more lives.

I built this whole world full of tools that help you activate the magic because I know what it’s like to live without the magic.? I know I never want to go back to that place and I don’t want you to live there either.

Once I learned how to create a life that is in tune with my creative soul it was like… whoa.? No wonder I wasn’t ever really happy before.

I need my creative dreams, in order to live my real life.

If you’re reading this, I suspect the same is true for you.

Unfortunately, we live in a world where the odds are stacked against dreams and there aren’t a lot of places you can go to get help with this.

That’s why I built the Creative Dream Circle – to help stack the odds in your favour.

And because my biggest dream is to live in a world where everyone has the option to live with their dreams.

I know we’re a long ways off from this.

I know this is a huge huge tremendously huge job and I am only one person but I’m doing what I can with what I’ve got to move towards this.

Just imagine what happens when everyone lives in tune with their hearts, when everyone believes in their creative purpose, when everyone on this planet feels safe enough to dream.

That’s why I do this.

Do you know that I do energy healing for the Creative Dream Circle and all of its members?

I do this often. Dreaming is about healing, and transformation and moving towards your inherent wholeness.? It’s a big job and it’s never really done.

I have so much love for the people I play with in the Circle.

I check in every day.? I send love and energetic healing attunements.? I offer support and encouragement and ideas.

Love for the dreamers and their dreams fuels my work.

That photo above is a chakra energy healing I was doing for the entire Circle, earlier this week.? The day after I did that members started reporting tiny miracles happening in their lives.

This stuff works.

I can’t make any promises about timing, like how fast you can have your wildest dream come true, but I can promise to make it easier and more fun to stay in the process of getting there.? I can show you how to make the ride smoother.? I can help you rev up your power source.

Without my creative dreams, I shrivel up. Read More »