Co-Dreaming this Tuesday! Plus updates…

By Andrea Schroeder / Creative Genius Planning

This is the daily post for Monday, which I send out to everyone on Sunday because some people have more time to check in with us on Sundays. The daily posts are on our private blog - so this is the place to leave comments, thoughts, questions, ideas - where no one outside of this group can see them.

Get the calendar of upcoming calls here | Get your next Dream Book lesson here.

Catch the latest replays:

January New Moon call <-- it doesn't matter that the new moon is over, this call was amazing and I highly recommend checking out the replay.

Marketing as a Creative + Spiritual Practice, we had such a great conversation, as always!

This week: Co-Dreaming on Feb 7.

(There are more calls on the Google Calendar)

Slow the fuck down! BE as powerful, creative + magnetic as you are Zoom call/community spell.

Feb 28. Get the details here.

You are a creative supernova.

You’re also a sensitive living creature and you need your needs met in order to unfurl the full magnificence of who you are.

The world is very loud about telling you to live at it’s pace. You have got to slow WAY the fuck down first, then find your own pace, then find your deeper magic.

What would slowing down look like for you?

Slow down can meant a lot of different things. What comes to mind for you? What part of your life do you want to slow down in?

We recognize that slowing down is not always possible! There are external factors that can make this impossible. And then there are internal voices that can tell us it’s impossible when it’s actually not. Notice all of your external obstacles and internal reactions as you explore these questions.

Journal about this, follow your thoughts wherever they go and feel the feelings that come up in the process.

Next prompt: Where is it SCARY for you to slow down?

I talk a lot about the the oppressive systems we live in, like capitalism, colonialism and white supremacy (which includes ableism, sexism, homophobia and transphobia).

I talk about them because these are external forces that make it harder for all of us to BE our authentic selves and pursue our dreams. NOT talking about them leaves them as these invisible forces which means we are powerless against them.

Talking about them makes them visible. Once you can see them you can stop them from stopping you, you are no longer powerless.

A lot of approaches to healing focus on “Don’t be negative!” and “Don’t blame anyone or anything, take responsibility for your life!!”

But by not being able to “blame” whatever was responsible for terrible things that happened to you, you take the blame yourself for the way those things impacted you. THIS CREATES SHAME, THIS DOES NOT CREATE HEALING. It means the impacts of those things will continue to impact you.

The word “blame” feels so loaded, but there is nothing wrong with assigning responsibility to the responsible parties.

I don’t blame the government or my parents for the state of my life.

But my eyes are open on my healing journey.

Which means: I don't blame MYSELF for all the times I failed. By acknowledging that certain things made certain things hard for me, I acknowledge the truth, I make space to process my feelings, and I free myself of the ways that these things impacted me and I empower myself to make a different choice.

This is healing. And you’ve got to SLOW WAY THE FUCK DOWN before you can access it.

So - let's not avoid the places where slowing down is scary.

If the thought of slowing down feels appealing but scary, if you have a lot of stories about why you CAN'T slow down - let's acknowledge all of that so that it doesn't turn into an invisible internal obstacle.

What's happening for you this week? What are you working on with your dreams?

If you're reading this is email, click here to read it on the website where you can leave your comment.

⚡️⚡️⚡️New Call Scheduled!

By Andrea Schroeder / Creative Genius Planning

Get the calendar of upcoming calls here | Get your next Dream Book lesson here.

Catch the replay: January New Moon call <-- it doesn't matter that the new moon is over, this call was amazing and I highly recommend checking out the replay.

Next call: Marketing as a Creative + Spiritual Practice, Feb 2.

(There are more calls on the Google Calendar)

New call scheduled:

Slow the fuck down! BE as powerful, creative + magnetic as you are Zoom call/community spell.

Feb 28. Get the details here.

This is continuing the month of meditation and journaling I did on this theme in August. This time, for the month of February I'll be sharing prompts and thoughts on the theme, and then we'll work on this together during the Zoom call at the end of the month.

This is my first experiment with the ideas that have been coming to me from Marketing as a Creative + Spiritual Practice. A shift in how I approach visibility and marketing, and I am really excited about it. It feels creative and expansive and fun and that's how I've been wanting to feel about this part of my business.

I had a lot of big shifts last week!

I felt deeper IN my practices and experienced more creative flow and productivity. I even had one day where my creative work life felt exactly like my pre-pandemic life, which felt like a miracle.

I got in touch with the feeling of BEING the artist + writer I want to be in a new way. I feel in the groove with my practices and routines that support this.

AND it all feels so new. Like I am not grounded in any of it. One big burst of wind could sweep in and I'd be back where I was.

So what helps with this?

slowing down
deep breaths
meeting my Dream Self

Ahhh yes, meeting with my Dream Self:

The field of Creative Dream Alchemy is a golden egg. It feels so nourishing and I notice I WAS feeling a lot of anxiety and now it's gone.

I feel luminous and filled with possibility.

My Dream Self has a flowiness to her, like she is grounded but also flowing. The image I see is really hard to describe but I FEEL it. There is also something just completely different about her, something I don't see/know yet. A different way of relating to her work, I think.

I feel hands on my shoulders pushing me down and get a SLOW DOWN message. Like - don't try to work/rush to get to her, just relax into it.

OK this is about my next steps with the Slow the fuck down! BE as powerful, creative + magnetic as you ARE call and month-long "marketing campaign" As I get closer to starting this it feels like this big thing to leap into and she is saying no.... relax into it. Have fun with it, be in the flow and stay grounded in your dream.

Ahhhhhh! This is helpful.

And I know that right now, today, first - I need to clean up my room. I want to start this week with a clean space.

What's happening for you this week? What are you working on with your dreams?

If you're reading this is email, click here to read it on the website where you can leave your comment.

Hello New Week! And also: Un-Sticking the fear of change

By Andrea Schroeder / Creative Genius Planning

Get the calendar of upcoming calls here | Get your next Dream Book lesson here.

Catch the replay: January New Moon call.

Next call: Marketing as a Creative + Spiritual Practice, Feb 2.

(There are more calls on the Google Calendar - and more to come.)

As I start my week I feel super stuck AND super determined.

I have a bunch of Un-Sticking Station visits I’ve been doing in my journal and haven’t shared here. I have a lot of fears about “doing things differently” and a part of me is making this feel like a really big deal when, in reality, as far as I can see, it’s really NOT. I just want to be more structured and intentional about how I market my work.

This dynamic is fascinating to me.

I know this is what I want, just like the thing my heart wants that I feel will help me be happier.

And I know that this is, from a logical point of view, a smart move.

BUT IT’S CHANGE!

And somehow that “BUT IT’S CHANGE!” Is getting equal importance with the “my heart wants this” and “this is the best move to make from a practical standpoint”.

And that little voice appears that says “I AM EQUALLY IMPORTANT”

So let’s talk with her. She’s a … blue fluffball or stuffed animal and she’s sitting in my childhood bedroom.

Of course she is.

"CHANGE IS REALLY SCARY!!!" she yells.

I pick her up, give her a hug. “I know sweetie. Changes happened in your life and it felt like the whole world shifted and you didn’t know what was happening and you had no way to change it back and no one would talk to you about it. That sucked so hard! You did not deserve that!”

I made her a little canopy bed where she feels safe and tuck her in with a plate of cookies.

“But I also have to tell you, that as an adult, sometimes I WANT change. Like - let me be clear, I WILL KEEP YOU SAFE IN THE PROCESS OF CHANGE but there are lots of times when of course I will CHOOSE change. Change is actually creative and fun and it’s a way to have more of the stuff that makes us happy.”

“Your experience, having someone else make changes that you didn’t understand and they impact you in big scary ways - that’s really different from the change I am talking about here. Do you see that? You have a bit of a knee-jerk reaction to ANY change, and that makes sense! So I’d like to discuss the change with you, so that it’s not that scary hidden change. What do you think?”

“I trust you. You gave me cookies and a canopy bed.”

“Right - those are ways of offering you love.”

“Yeah” (big smile) “I am loved and I am safe”

“Yes. And I want you to share with me how you experience things - when those big changes happened, you had no one to talk to. You didn’t even know how to talk about it and your (our) parents didn’t know either. They didn’t mean us any harm, they just had no idea.”

“You listen to me. When you feel stuck and can't do things that will make change. I like that.”

“Oh, so the days when I feel kind of frozen in fear and it’s hard to move forward - this is validation for you.”

“Yeah, I see that you are listening to me that CHANGE IS SCARY”

This feels like a big giant healing moment.

“I am happy you have been feeling validated. And I would like to have a different relationship with you - see this is a form of really good change, I think, for both of us, so we don't have to assume it's scary. Instead of you needing to jump into CHANGE IS SCARY in order to try to slow me down - I can talk to you, and share with you WHY I want to make the change, so you understand going in. Also - you can ask for other things, like the canopy bed and cookies, to make this room a safe space for you where you are not impacted by the changes that I choose. How does that sound?”

“ I would like to just stay in this room with a canopy bed that I can re-decorate any time, and a plate of cookies that re-fills itself.”

“ You’ve got it! I love you.”

+++

Well OK that is not where I thought this was going but this is really such a beautiful example of how Creative Dream Alchemy can bring you exactly what you need by engaging with whatever is going on. I love this.

What are you dreaming of and working on right now?

If you're reading this in email, click here to post your answer on our private blog.

New alchemy meditation to make it easier to know what you want

By Andrea Schroeder / Creative Genius Planning

Get the calendar of upcoming calls here | Get your next Dream Book lesson here.

Catch the replay: Hello 2023.

This Friday (Jan 20): January New Moon call.

(There are more calls on the Google Calendar - and more to come.)

I just added this Alchemy Process for removing the things that make it hard to know what you want to the Library of Inner Work practices.

While I was doing that I noticed that while I had added the "Journaling Process For Getting Different Results" video to the Outer Work section of the library last year - I didn't add it to the front page, which means it's very likely I also didn't send the link to you! So here it is:

Journal Process for Getting A Different Result, from the Library of Outer Work practices.

What are you dreaming of and working on right now?

If you're reading this in email, click here to post your answer on our private blog.

Hello 2023 call is Monday!

By Andrea Schroeder / Creative Genius Planning

Get the calendar of upcoming calls here | Get your next Dream Book lesson here.

We had Marketing as a Creative + Spiritual Practice on Jan 6 (follow the link for the replay)

And Hello 2023 is on Monday!!

(There are more calls on the Google Calendar - the New Moon calls are scheduled until October.)

What are you leaving behind? What are you embracing as your way forward?

I started painting a mural in my new creative work/play/dream space. Painting this mural feels like I am calling in the energy of my next-level self into my space. I love it.

In December we did the Releasing Ceremony for releasing the things we didn't want to bring into 2023. On Monday we're doing the next part of it: a blessing ceremony for our dreams for 2023.

I still feel this releasing process happening in me. Habits, routines, ways of doing things that felt good are starting to feel constrictive and worn out.

Without judging myself for doing things the way I was doing them when that worked for me - I am starting to want to do things in new ways which are surprising and delighting me.

I am giving myself LOTS of space with this, but I am starting to fill journals with all of of my new ideas and plans as I dream up HOW I want to be next.

This feels like an important threshold. And I am giving myself all the space I need to navigate it.

Everything really can change. The things you are dreaming of are not only possible - they are your sacred calling.

You can absolutely do this AND you need to give yourself space to DO THIS.

What are you dreaming of right now?

If you're reading this in email, click here to post your answer on our private blog.

An awkward start to the New Year

By Andrea Schroeder / Creative Genius Planning

Get the calendar of upcoming calls here | Get your next Dream Book lesson here.

How is your New Year so far?

On New Year's Day we went to my parent's for brunch. Then I went home and Joseph went to his friend's to watch football.

He moved back in in September, and I still don't know how to turn on his tv, lol. It's got three remotes, and I don't know which one to use... but on New Year's Day I wanted to lie on the couch and watch The Office, so I looked at the remotes more closely, and said "surely I can figure this out" and then I did. Then I texted Joseph "new year new me!" lol and laid in front of the tv all afternoon, eating leftover New Year's treats.

Now, Jan 2, I woke up thinking of a New Year's Resolution: meeting my Dream Self EVERY DAY.

Like - do this in bed before I get up, besides whatever I am doing in my practice.

I don't really want a resolution or anything but this feels really good, so I'm going to do it for now.

It feels like - my Dream Self wants to pull me through a bunch of muck. Like - pulling me out of the muck of the last few years. And I would like her to do that!!

Then I went out for coffee.

Because New Year's Day was a Sunday, the Monday is the stat holiday here so most of the places I like to go are closed, or opening later than usual.

So it was hard to decide where to go. I felt tired. It was dark. I got dressed without really looking in the mirror. Now that the sun is up I feel really awkward.

I went to a Starbucks, which felt so strange since I stopped going to Starbucks last year.

Then I realized I forgot my wallet.

Then I realized I could put my Starbucks app back on my phone and pay that way.

And this feels.. I don't know. It felt victorious and good to delete it and now here I am with the app back.

Here's the thing: Starbucks feels like my Past Self.

I used to like Starbucks because I felt fine taking up a table for hours on end, and I used to be VERY PRODUCTIVE going to a Starbucks.

And my whole way of working changed in the pandemic.

And the forms of "hard work" and "VERY PRODUCTIVE" that I used to do don't feel accessible now. They also don't feel WANTED. I have grown so much in the last few years in my inner relationship with myself and now that old way of working (which felt AMAZING at the time, I am not knocking it!) doesn't fit.

I always preferred independent coffee shops for when I wasn't going to stay so long and take up a table. And in the pandemic new places opened and I just found places that feel like the right fit for me now, when going out for coffee with my journal rarely takes more than an hour.

So being back in the old place just feels awkward.

I don't know what I am saying. This just feels like a really strange way to start the New Year.

But I feel so much potential for this year.

I wrote about how I did not get my business goal last year, and I have that same goal this year now.

But I also feel like: I do know how to do this. I know lots of ways! AND I don't want to do it in any of the ways that I know how.

And I want to explore whole new ways of having a business and putting myself out there.

I feel I can have a whole new relationship with the soul of my business, with my own creativity and potential, with my creativity and productivity.

And I want to ease into this so slowly.

So - I am looking forward to the Marketing as a Creative and Spiritual Practice call on Friday.

On NOT getting the big goal in 2022.

By Andrea Schroeder / Creative Genius Planning

Get the calendar of upcoming calls here | Get your next Dream Book lesson here.

We had our New Moon Call on Dec 21 - This is our monthly intention session + coaching call. It's never too late to do the New Moon call! Get the replay here.

This week we have Marketing as a Creative + Spiritual Practice on Jan 6.

And Hello 2023 is next week, on Jan 9.

(There are more calls on the Google Calendar for January + February)

On NOT getting the big goal for 2022.

It's 4 am. I was wide awake, writing in my head, so I decided to make myself a latte and come upstairs to my studio and write for real.

My daily blogging challenge is over and I have blogged every day for six weeks!

I've been thinking back to when it started and some of the ways it felt awkward and uncomfortable, which is so interesting because now it feels so easy because I have a routine with it.

I may stop sharing the daily posts (I mean for my public blog - I'll keep doing them in here). I don't know know yet and I don't feel any pressure to figure out my next steps right this minute.

But I do feel like this experiment was 100% a success. It doesn't have to become a "forever thing" to be worth doing.

Over the last two years my big dream has been becoming the artist and writer I want to be.

This is a much more expansive dream than I can really put into words but that kind of sums it up.

And it's not really about what I am doing or how it is reaching people, it's about how I feel and how I am using my creative energy.

I don't take for granted that my business has stayed stable throughout all of the instability of the last two years. I don't take for granted that I've had a lot of new opportunities this last year especially, to share my work in new places, in new ways. And I don't take for granted that, thanks to my business, I actually DO have the time to become the artist and writer I want to be.

I have talked about how I've failed in some of the business goals I had for this year. But at the same time - really good things have happened that I wasn't planning for, and I had opportunities I wasn't going after, and so my business also grew in ways I wasn't expecting or planning for.

That's how it is with dreams. There are no guarantees, but more often than not your dreams will surprise you if you stay devoted to them.

Another way I grew this last year was in my own relationship with myself. So many aspects of my inner world have shifted in ways that astound me.

When I compare the business goals I didn't reach with the ways I grew and changed I feel like I got the better gift, if that makes sense. The ways I've changed on the INSIDE feel so much more significant than the ways I wanted some things to change on the outside.

And I feel more than capable of achieving my goals.

AND I have more clarity about where I've been ambivalent about those goals.

AND I think in 2023, as I keep working with the same goal, I am going to find all new ways to approach it. I think something in me needed to change before I could see a different way.

Creative Dreaming is a practice and a process. Not a destination.

I share a lot more about the places where I stumble and flail than I share about the things that go well.

This is because I want to normalize the idea that some parts are hard, and that the hard parts actually heal, teach and grow us in important ways. Because I want to encourage you to never give up on yourself.

Our culture shoves perfectionism on us as though anyone who stumbles, doubts or fails along the way is not worthy of having their dreams and should give up immediately.

We all deserve everything. But I don't meant that in a capitalist hoarding kind of way. I mean we are all equally deserving of the things that are necessary for a good life.

Your Creative Dream is a map from your soul that shows you who you really are.

Using this map to navigate your path will bring you the healing and magic that you need most, right now, while it also grow you into the version of you who is doing your next-level dreams.

To me - the healing and magic I receive from engaging with my dreams in this way is as important, if not more so, than the external outcomes. This is the thing I want most in my life, and I get to choose to have it, every day.

So, for 2023, I will keep enjoying the process.

What are you dreaming of right now?

If you're reading this in email, click here to post your answer on our private blog.

The joy of dreaming

By Andrea Schroeder / Creative Genius Planning

Get the calendar of upcoming calls here | Get your next Dream Book lesson here.

We had our New Moon Call on Dec 21 - This is our monthly intention session + coaching call. Get the replay here.

No calls this week, next week we have Marketing as a Creative + Spiritual Practice on Jan 6.

And Hello 2023 on Jan 9.

(There are more calls on the Google Calendar for January + February)

(Sharing a photo of me in the sweet little bakery/coffee shop near me that I want to spend time in this week. It's a wood-fired bakery, so they have the fire going all morning and it's sooooo warm, perfect in the winter!)

During the New Moon call we did on Dec 21, I had such an intense sensation of connecting with the version of me who has done the thing I want to do and the thing that struck me is:

She's so CHILL, like chiller than I have ever been. She said to me "This is SO easy." and showed me some of the things she does. It made me feel so SURE.

I've been thinking about how, these last two years, I am not following through as "well" as I used to. Some things are taking a lot longer to do. Some things are just not getting done.

And it has felt like a real struggle. I want to do things, but... so much gets in the way, mostly lack of focus and having less energy. I used to move quickly between Dream Work, Inner Work and Outer Work.

And today - I am feeling the joy of staying in the Dream Work. Dreaming about it. Planning it. Being excited about and not rushing to DO it.

I'm feeling GRACE for myself for the last two years. And I am looking forward to 2023.

What are you dreaming of right now?

If you're reading this in email, click here to post your answer on our private blog.

New Moon Call + 2023 in Dream Book

By Andrea Schroeder / Creative Genius Planning

Get the calendar of upcoming calls here | Get your next Dream Book lesson here.

New Moon Call is on Dec 21!

This is our monthly intention session + coaching call. Bring any and all questions, and if you can't be there live, leave your question as a comment on the call details page and we'll talk about it on the call.

Get the call details here - the replay will be on that page a few hours after we're done.

Goodbye 2022 was last week - get the replay here.

(There are more calls on the Google Calendar for January + February)

These times are as MAGICAL as they are DIFFICULT.

In the Before Times, I used to go to coffee shops every morning. Something about the din of the coffee shop forcing me to focus on my work helped me to REALLY focus on my work. I could spend a few hours there and get a remarkable amount of work done.

I repeat: Having some kind of activity around you and being forced to focus, can help you focus more deeply than you can if the activity wasn't there.

Which means: hard times that we are in also can make for MAGICAL and TRANSFORMATIVE times. Like the din of the coffee shop, the ABSOLUTE WILDNESS of everything that is happening in the world can help us shut the world out to focus on our own dreams. I mean - not keep our heads in the sand forever, but it becomes more important to MAKE SPACE for ourselves when surrounded by SO MUCH.

I've been experiencing this myself and seeing it in a lot of people in Dream Book. As the world becomes crazier, it's like we are forced to focus more firmly on our own dreams, our creativity, our values, our truth. It becomes so much more urgent to do the things we feel called to do. The world needs ALL OF US!

And then it actually does get easier to summon the courage to face the fear and let go of all the different ways we hold ourselves back, and make our dreams a priority.

I love this. I am here for this.

For 2023 in Dream Book, I am continuing the monthly intention setting and coaching calls to help you navigate your path.

I'm also doing a monthly Marketing as a Creative and Spiritual Practice call because everyone's gifts are needed out in the world right now so let's all practice SHINING BRIGHTER! And also because, as the world falls apart, there's actually a really good opportunity to let go of the parts of entrepreneurship that don't fit our values or creativity and create new ways of doing things that are more congruent with our deepest inner truth.

I also want to do regular calls (every month or every other month) on topics that the members need most. For example in November I did the Staying Stable With Money While The World Is Unstable call. I'd like to do one on Believing In Yourself No Matter What, but mostly I want to listen to what topics would be the most helpful to the members and do those.

And mostly - keep using the content from Dream Book to show up in my daily practice, sharing my notes with and encouraging you with your practice.

These are TRANSFORMATIVE times.

Every creative dream we can put out into the world helps us move towards a better world for everyone.

What are you working on this week? Or - what are you dreaming of right now?

If you're reading this in email, click here to post your answer on our private blog.

Goodbye 2022 is this week 🤩

By Andrea Schroeder / Creative Genius Planning

Get the calendar of upcoming calls here | Get your next Dream Book lesson here.

Goodbye 2022 is happening on Dec 15!

Get the call details here. (The replay will be on that same page when we're done)

This will be a releasing ceremony, for reflecting on 2022, making a list of things you're ready to let go of and them letting them go so you're not carrying them into 2023.

(There are more calls on the Google Calendar for December, January + February)

My work this week: do the next thing that feels like magic.

This is from my Dream Status Report from Friday, and the meeting with my dream and the soul of my business that I had there.

I feel like yes - there is this rope that goes from where I am to where I want to be. My dream IS this rope. The soul of my business is holding the other end, making sure it stays sturdy.

I can trust this rope.

Also - the dream IS THE ROPE. Like, being in the process, listening to my heart and intuition, staying connected and doing the little things I can do each day - THIS is the dream. Not the destination, which is my business goals, which is connected, but the dream itself is to enjoy this creative process.

Do the next thing that feels like magic. But I am conflicted about actually DOING this.

This is a challenge to some parts of me! Like - shouldn't I do the thing that makes sense?

Right now, what feels like magic is sewing.

But, since I am feeling better, shouldn't I get to work? There are so many things I wanted to do last week that I didn't do.

So I invite in my dream and the soul of my business.

Girl?! What are you doing! We gave you clear instructions.

I know you did, but...

NO! BUTS!

I am really conflicted though. I need your help here. I was sick and all these things didn't get done last week, I want to do the things.

Yes. You WILL do those things. But does doing those things RIGHT NOW feel like magic?

No.

The dream is not about getting to the finish line as fast as possible. There are ways of thinking/feeling/seeing/BEING that are so much more important than the speed of how things happen. To be in alignment with us, you need to do the next thing that feels like magic. Your work right now is learning to prioritize this. I know you know you can trust your dream but - act like it.

Oh wow. ALL of my conditioning from living in this world is telling me to catch up on work. But if I am going to TRUST MY DREAM and TRUST MY MAGIC actually I need to sew.

Yes. It's that simple.

It doesn't feel simple at all but I get that it IS simple.

You ARE going to do those other things but actually - even though you ARE recovered enough to do the work, technically, you are not received enough to have the energy you need to do it in the most aligned/inspired way. You know what I mean by that. You need to work from that deeper connection to your dream and your Dream Self. You don't have the energy to do THAT today.

Yeah. I get it. Thank you for explaining it more clearly. I know you are right AND I have so much conditioning around getting caught up.

Sewing IS the next magical thing. I am going to do that this morning.

What are you working on this week?

If you're reading this in email, click here to post your answer on our private blog.