candy colored zinnias, photo booth pic
Fall is here! and your time capsules went out over the weekend. I had the opportunity to read a lot of them and was so moved and excited for you.
My wishes for you as you receive them:
1. To be inspired by your dreams and wishes
2. That you honor yourself for what you created and invent a way to celebrate this. It could be a toast you make to yourself in the company of friends or maybe sharing your list with someone. Acknowledging yourself in the company of others is a powerful thing. (You can also ask them what they’d like to be acknowledged for!)
3. And that you hold what you didn’t manifest very gently and either recommit to it or let it go.
The only rule of the game: You are not allowed to make yourself wrong for not writing your list, not sending your list, or not doing your list well enough. You are definitely not allowed to make yourself wrong for what you didn’t manifest!
Whether you sent in a time capsule or not, what is the thing you created this summer that you’d like to be acknowledged for? (big and small things equally welcome)
p.s. See Jeff on the cover of the Palm Springs paper.
![[Podcast] Confidence, creativity and courage with Meera Lee Patel](https://i0.wp.com/www.andreascher.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/meera-lee-patel-podcast.png?resize=400%2C300&ssl=1)
Zinnias make me swoon, Andrea! This is such a lovely picture.
I’d like to acknowledge that I took lots of “creativity” walks this summer! In June, I loaded up a tote with a sketchbook, pencils, a portable watercolor set, little water bottles, a sheet (so that I could plunk myself down wherever I saw fit), and my digital camera. I keep all of these essentials in my tote at all times, so that I can just grab it and go whenever the spirit moves me. It’s been the greatest thing! It’s helped me in two respects: I’ve learned to take advantage of creative moments on a regular basis, and it’s also helped me to be present this summer – I have on record so many beautiful days and little revelations that may otherwise have slipped by.
Thanks for all of your wonderful ideas, photos, and posts – I love seeing them!
Your posts are always inspiring- thanks! This summer, I created a small socially conscious, hip hop inspired clothing line and I kept a collage journal that helped my ideas stay fresh- funny how I haven’t had any artist block lately either. 🙂
How fun … now I wish I’d gotten around to writing mine and sending it to you. Kept meaning to!
This summer, I got my creative business off the ground. I’m starting with jewelry, which is a new area for me, and hope to expand into other product lines, especially inspirational cards, pins, mugs, shirts, etc. Launching into this and making it real has been my biggest accomplishment the past few months … and keeping up my blog … and deepening and reveling in my relationship and friendships.
Somehow the diet/exercise goals didn’t get too much traction :-(, but I am recommitting to them for fall.
Thanks Andrea!
I love the picture! I literally gasped and exclaimed “Oooh!” when I saw it!
This summer I bought an ipod (used and already loaded with music) and started running, heat and all. And I love it! I got over my fear of looking sweaty and yucky in public, realized that everyone is self conscious and has fears (even if they don’t show them) and as a result I’ve lost some weight and gained a lot of confidence and happiness. I still can’t run a mile nonstop, but I can do a lot better than when I started out, huffing and puffing after a minute or two. This summer was the first time that I can remember feeling good about my body (flaws and all).
I love the post that a commenter made about making a creativity tote! I’m going to load up a backpack and get out more.
Thanks for all of your inspiring posts.
After YEARS of wanting to, saying I was going to, and basically NOT doing it for a variety of reasons (laziness, fear of failure, commitment): I planted my first garden this summer. The follow through alone brought me joy, as did the many hours I spent picking through tomato plants, watching my lone cucumber grow, and shrieking over the huge zucchini with my kids (or bikini, as they call it). It was wondeful, fun, and delicious. I’m already planning next years crop.
Isn’t zinnia just a wonderfully silly name? I love zinnias…the ones in your photo look like petal-covered buttons that could be found on an outrageous vintage jacket…
this winter of my content (i’m down under)i know that my mum knew that i loved her with all my heart before she passsed on – that is my greatest gift: to her, to myself and to my world
I;m not sure if this is really creating, maybe of a differnet sort… For me I creating the ability to be really okay with exactly where I am at. Moving accross country has been really challenging for me. I’ve been able to just accept where I am at and learn what is there for me. It’s been great. I’ve enjoyed a lot of things this summer like weather, gardens, flowers and rain storms.
Lovely flower photo Andrea.
If I could I’d take mini copies of all your flower photos and use it as wallpaper in my office. I love them so much.
Jenn
this summer i finally made my dream come true. i created my own photography company, and website. first things first! thanks for all your inspiration and encouragement, A! 🙂
I would like to thank you, although I missed the original invite to send a time-capsule, for “The only rule of the game.” Years ago, I’d sent Rob B my list of where I’d be in a year and it so completely surpassed all of my actual achievements that mostly I walked away from the experience with a list in my head of all the ways that I had failed myself. And look, you knew that: “You are not allowed to make yourself wrong for not writing your list, not sending your list, or not doing your list well enough. You are definitely not allowed to make yourself wrong for what you didn’t manifest!” Thanks.
I created an entirely new career path!
I kept going to church all summer, even though I didn’t know a soul there. (Pun intentional.)
When I received my envelope in the mail yesterday I was sort of hesitant to open it because I thought I hadn’t manifested even ONE thing on there. But being the curious sort that I am, I couldn’t not open it. I was pleasantly surprised because I did, indeed, manifest a lot of what I wanted this summer. For me, it was more about an attitude–of learning to be present to the moment–to the person right in front of me–to the ordinary but delightful things that happen every single day–to both the pleasant and hard emotions and parts of my life. And I think I did do that a lot more this summer than I ever had in the past, but it’s an ongoing lesson I’m trying to learn.
The one thing I wanted to manifest–the miracle-like thing for me was to find my engagement and wedding rings that I have LOST. They got too small and I put them away…and then I went and tried them on when I lost weight to see if they might fit again. They still didn’t. Later I went back to the place where I had always kept them to get them for another reason, and they were not there. I have searched and searched and searched for them–I’ve moved furniture and cleaned out drawers and looked in places I know they’d never be (like my husband’s tool chest…). It is driving me crazy! It’s not that they were expensive and have great monetary value–it’s that they hold sentimental value as they were the rings Jim chose for me and put on my finger(s). I keep thinking one day I’ll get an idea of where to go look, and they will be there and it will be such a relief. I cannot imagine what I did with them…and I KNOW I wouldn’t have gotten rid of them on purpose. Perhaps the lesson I need to learn here is: LET GO. I dunno…but I want my rings, dammit!
Well, I didn’t do a list, but maybe I can do one for myself to open on Christmas Day…I really think that if you take the time to write your goal down on an actual piece of paper, then there’s no way that goal will not be reached….
I love this photo, by the way. There is a mother/son team that sells zinnia’s at my local farmer’s market and they sell out very quickly!
oh andrea! i LOVE that picture!
more colour please!
I finally finished my website of my current body of work – intimate lil’ acrylic paintings…
For any curious soul out there —
http://www.amykomar.com
In the name of MANIFESTING ~
Amy
I meant to do a list and send it to you. I was feeling badly about it until you said not to. 🙂 That made me laugh.
Much of my ‘creation’ energy this summer went into helping to create two plays at our community theatre. I started a garden at my new house. And I have created a lot of ideas for me to create soon. 🙂
Currently, I am trying to create a safe and warm place for my mother-in-law, who is very ill, to stay with us for a while.
Next time you do this (and I hope you will do this again), I won’t stand by. Thanks, Andrea.
you’re so nice to say that we can’t be mad at ourselves for the things we didn’t manifest… 🙂
I got my list yesterday and it was fun to revisit that part of myself. I did more than I thought I would and the things to shelve are actually more in process. I contemplated this more of my site.
Thanks for the chance to participate in this great excerise.
Great article, by the way, about Jeff and his friend…
I was also one of the many that ‘intended’ to send you a list but didn’t end up doing it. I think I even have a draft somewhere on my computer.
What I am MOST proud of that happened this past summer….was the creation of the wedding of my dreams. It wasn’t what most of you would call perfect and it certainly wouldn’t qualify for magazines, but it was perfectly ME and perfectly my husband. It was unconventional yet elegant, fun yet respectful, non-denominational and yet very spiritual. I still smile when I think of the day and have a feeling that my eyes will twinkle for the next 25 years on the memory of that day.
It was such a wonderful way to celebrate the past 7 years of both of our lives. We look forward to 70 more.
My husband and I had a co-creation this summer: our daughter Esme. I don’t want to be acknowledged for her, but rather to acknowledge that she has blown my, and our, world out of the water. Each morning as I lay in bed listening to her cooing to herself I am amazed by our luck, and every morning when I climb out of bed and look into her bassinette her face breaks into the hugest smile I have ever seen. It is a love and privilege that I never imagined. It feels like swimming in a sea of love. I hope that your and Matt’s co-creation arrives soon. You will be wonderful parents.
Hillary
Cool article about Jeff and his friend. I grew up in Palm Desert/ Palm Springs and can just imagine what peoples reactions were to the dancing on the corner. 🙂 Glad to know they caught peoples attention and people got to see their short.
I was going to send a capsule, and I didn’t. And I noticed it even took me awhile to get around to commenting on this post. Perhaps there is some resistance there…. maybe because I wish I had something more fun to say.
Anyway, the summer was in one aspect a little disappointing, I took a “dream” job only to find out, well, it wasn’t such a dream job. And I got a depressing diagnosis of a chronic pain condition.
BUT. I am tremendously proud of all the work I have put in this summer to active healing. I’ve gone to doctors and specialists, I’ve gone to acupuncture, I’ve gone to see my herbalist, I’ve devoted two days a week to physical therapy, and I’ve really actively worked to reduce stress and modify my behavior in ways that will reduce pain. So I’m proud of that. But sometimes it’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Self Care is not as much fun as say, throwing a party. And some days it feels hopeless, and some days I feel like I’m making no progress at all. BUT, the fact that I’ve devoted all this thoughtful energy to it says something.