Day 001 of 100 | On the creativity that carries us…

#100DaysofWonder | When does your creativity feel like a portal?

Hi, friends. It is a joy to welcome you to this next 100-day adventure together.

In a time when so much is heavy and hard, I hope this space can be a place to gather the goodness that sustains, the kindness that nurtures, the hope that resists, and the courage that creates a better tomorrow.

You’ll hear me say it many times on this journey. This is a safe place to be who you are. This is a vulnerable work. Showing up online. Having conversations with strangers. It is brave, vital work. And you are brave. I’m so grateful you are here.

A meadow portal. This is what I envision my creative portal to feel like. Serene. Open. Growing.

We won’t always have long introductions. But as this is day 001 of 100, here are the basics of how I imagine this to work going forward.

I pull a prompt from Penelope the Prompt Jar at night and write it here, offering my reflections. It will get delivered to you at 8 AM each morning. You are invited to share your reflections on the prompt in the comments. Or simply to use the prompt to create from.

You can write, journal, sketch, doodle, take photos, paint, collage… However you prefer to create.

(I will also be sharing each post in a Note here on Substack. If you are sketching or doing something visual, you can share a picture of what you are making in your reply to the corresponding Substack Note once it gets shared a little later in the day.)

Let’s get started!

PROMPT | DAY 001

When does your creativity feel like a portal?

This was literally Day 001. ⬆️ ☺️ What a perfect question to get us started!

MY REFLECTION:

When I step into a place where things seem suspended outside of time. When you look up and 2 hours have passed… The place of absorption where time slows down and bends around what I’m working on, making all feel like one incredible now.

When the ideas that live in dream-tossed landscapes become embodied in paint and paper and language.

It also feels like a portal when the words I write or the art I make find resonance with others. It’s an absolute privilege I will never take for granted.

But I find it incredibly ironic how portals that used to be the domain of magic and imagination have been co-opted by the annoying notifications on my phone reminding me to check in for next week’s medical appointment.

When did that happen? When did I exchange creative for clinical? And how do I get the creative back?

Portals appear the moment I step from what has been into what might be. They arrive as an imperceptible tug at the edge of my attention. I wonder how many I’ve stepped over because I was running late to wherever I was going next.

I’m convinced most portals look overwhelmingly ordinary until I realize the way I’m paying attention has changed. Because I have changed. Ordinary-looking wardrobes still lead to Narnia.

Portals open when I stop forcing clarity and let my curiosity lead the way.

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Your turn. Share your thoughts in the comments below. And if you create something to this prompt you’d like to share, look for my Substack note sharing this post a little later today.

Thank you so much for being here!

All my love,

PS. If you made it all the way down here, please consider sharing this post, hit the heart button, and/or restack it on Substack to help it find others that would be encouraged and grow our community.