if you're feeling a bit lost...

 “i want to put together a plan, but cant bring myself to do it. whats wrong with me?  

i'm feeling a bit lost. 

i want to share myself with the world but i don't know what to share. 

are the videos i made dumb? 

am i becoming narcissistic?

or was i always and just repressed it?”

I wrote that 6 years ago.

If I could’ve responded to myself then from the place I’m in now, here’s what I’d say -

(and here’s what I’d say to you, if you have been feeling similar things about your own process) -

If you can’t think of the plan yet, it’s because it’s beyond what you even think is possible.

Stop trying to make it happen in your mind, and instead take one step.

The more you dance through life, the more your path will organically unfold and reveal the answers to all the questions you’ve been struggling with.

Share the simplest thing.

Don’t try to share the best thing, or the most creative thing, or the thing that will get you a thousand likes on Facebook. Just share an honest piece of you and trust that your desire to share it is the only excuse you need. Trust that it will reach who it’s meant to. Trust that it’s leading you to something.

The videos you made are not dumb. They might not be the best quality or most popular creations ever, but they communicate something. They are stepping stones. They are part of your process. Keep making them. Keep sharing them. Without practice, nothing will happen. The practice of making them is your meditation.

Just because you want to share something that happens to involve you and your self-expression, it doesn’t make you narcissistic. You can share yourself and still stay humble. The way you do that is by staying connected to the message behind what you’re sharing and your highest and most sacred intentions.

Your boldness, your expression, the joy you share, will inspire someone else to be bold, express something, and feel joy.

That is healing in action. Think about the artists you love and who inspire you - how empty would life be if they chose to keep themselves hidden?

The only thing you’re repressing is the possibility for more healing, more joy, more creation. It’s not up to you to stop those things from flowing. Be the vessel, be the channel, and let creativity dance through you.

One day you’ll look back at this place and wonder why you worried so much.

Don’t wait til that day to give yourself the love and encouragement that you truly deserve.

You got this.

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I write this from the airplane returning from California, after teaching at Soul Camp West.

It’s not that I have it “all figured out” now - in fact, there are still so many questions and unknowns in my life.

What inspired me to write this is the perspective I now have.

It’s easy to be hard on yourself and think that you should be farther along than you are, or that you should have certain aspects of your life in perfect order. It’s easy to forget how far you’ve actually come.

Teaching at Soul Camp was a reminder for me. I got to facilitate dance for groups of people. I got to perform. I got to be seen as who I really am. I got to make connections with amazing humans. I got to live in between mountains for a few days.

I don’t know exactly what will come next, but I do know that if I hadn’t been posting my dance videos for the past 6 years, I probably wouldn’t have gotten these opportunities.

Ali & Michelle, the founders of Soul Camp, spoke at the closing ceremony when we were all circled up around the bon fire. Ali spoke about how she never imagined she would be standing there (in a unicorn costume!) doing what she was doing. She talked honestly about feeling lost in the past and struggling with what to do, reminding everyone that it’s totally normal and ok to not know. To keep going. To be led.

And I pass on the same wisdom to you.

Take time today to love your process.

Let go of the mental need to figure it all out right now.

And instead, just be in the now and express something that’s in you.

Step by step, with time, your wildest dreams will be revealed.

in love and loving you,

Jess

A video posted by jess grippo (@jessgrippo) on Oct 29, 2015 at 7:12pm PDT

2 words that will boost your creative power

I was in a session with one of my amazing dancer clients earlier this week. She was struggling a bit with solidifying the solo dance piece she is in the process of choreographing.

To paraphrase her dilemma:

“I don’t know what moves should go where. I don’t know if I should wear shoes or go barefoot. I’m playing around with different song ideas….”

Whether or not you’re a choreographer, maybe you can relate in some area of your life?

Is there a place where you’re just not sure what should go where and so you hang out in wishy-washy land?

It’s easy to stay wishy-washy.

It’s easy to avoid making a decision in hopes that it will just be made for you.

It’s easy to defer your power to something outside of you: an authority figure, your astrological forecast, your partner, etc.

Believe me - this is one of my biggest downfalls and easiest trap to fall into.

But I learned something extremely powerful in the last week -

It’s actually MUCH easier to simply decide.

Repeat after me - these are the 2 simple words that will boost your creative power big-time:

I decide.

When you make a decision and commit to it - whether it’s with a piece of art you’re creating or within a relationship or career decision - you free yourself.

You also free the people in your life.

Contrary to the typical fear that you’ll be cutting off so many other amazing potential choices, by zeroing in one thing, you actually expand your potential.

Suddenly the world opens up.

In the example of my client session, I coached her into the remembrance that this is HER piece and HER choice -  no one else’s. There’s no wrong decision. She let herself dance into exactly what she wanted and afterwards felt more powerful and free than she had in awhile.

And isn’t that a mirror for life?

Boldly choose your path and stick to it. Things might change down the road, but if you don’t commit to SOMETHING, you’re stifling a whole lotta energy and creating confusion in the world.

Let’s say the words one more time:

I DECIDE.

It’s your life, it’s your art. Take the reigns and dance with them.

to the power in you,

Jess

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Are YOU ready to take your power back and initiate creative change in your life?

Let me lovingly kick your butt into action this fall.

5 spots are open in my calendar next week for a 30-minute Creative Guidance Session. I’ll help you identify exactly what’s blocking you, what your bigger creative vision is (it might not be what you think!), and how I can guide you step by step through the process of making lasting change.

Click here to claim your spot.

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how one woman quit her job & made dance her career

There comes a point when you have to stop blaming your job, your relationship, your health, your family, your crap-that-only-happens-to-me, and you start taking charge of your own life.

You dance because you want to. You create the life you desire.

I’m not saying the outer circumstances or roadblocks aren’t real - oh boy, are they real!

And I’m not saying that the change will happen overnight - very often transitions are convoluted, challenging, and not black-and-white.

But I am saying that it starts with a moment:

a commitment to oneself to gather all the power you can muster, to bring in support where needed, to take responsibility, and to make the first tiny step.

One of my joys in life is to be the midwife for this kind of creative emergence - helping people take back creative license on their LIVES. It’s not just about making art, it’s about making your life what you want it to be.

The story I’m going to share with you today is of one of my clients Aimee who successfully quit her 9-5 job and made dance her career.

It involved letting go of the fears around disappointing her family (it was a family business) as well as her fear that her new path would be a failure (it’s not).

In Aimee’s words:

“I have accomplished A LOT with Jess.

“I have quit my job (!!!), I have my own dance company that performs, I teach dance workout, I have my own class where I teach my own choreography each week, I am dancing in multiple companies, and have noticed a new respect from peers within the dance community.

“A lot has shifted for me. I feel like I am on my life path and it feels so good and I am not only one who gets to enjoy this shift, everyone around me gets to enjoy being around a happier, more loving, more creative and thoughtful me. It’s awesome!”

Want to know more about how it happened?

Watch her Showcase video below where we talk candidly about:

• Aimee’s transition out of her job

• what it’s like to make dance your career

• AND get a peek at Aimee’s debut dance video that she created as her final project in the Thriving Artist’s Program.

Please comment below with your questions or takeaways that you want to apply to your own life!

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Are YOU ready to take your power back and initiate creative change in your life?

Let me lovingly kick your butt into action this fall.

5 spots are open in my calendar next week for a 30-minute Creative Guidance Session. I’ll help you identify exactly what’s blocking you, what your bigger creative vision is (it might not be what you think!), and how I can guide you step by step through the process of making lasting change.

Click here to claim your spot.

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There’s a creative world in you waiting to dance it’s way through you.

Don’t stop the flow.

Let it go.

It’s time to grow.

I told you so.

;)

supporting the most expressed, fulfilled version of you,

Jess

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Here's Aimee's awesome dance video that she choreographed and produced:

"The project I am presenting for the showcase is called Vampire Teeth and is an original choreography created by me and filmed by my good friend Mallika Prakash.

"Vampire Teeth, by the reggae/dancehall artist Busy Signal, was a song created for revenge against another dancehall artist Movado (I think) who was talking shit. The song it’s self is all over the place lyrically but the beat is strong, dark, and menacing so I tried to create a work that had those qualities plus more literally gangster and warrior like. This piece incorporates movements from dancehall, Afro-Haitian, and Afro-Cuban dance to tell a story of anger, death, and remorse. This is not a happy dance but more darkly expressive. For me it was a healthy way to express my anger for whatever reason."

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What will YOU create?

Let's talk and find out.

5 spots are open in my calendar next week for a 30-minute Creative Guidance Session. I’ll help you identify exactly what’s blocking you, what your bigger creative vision is (it might not be what you think!), and how I can guide you step by step through the process of making lasting change.

Click here to claim your spot.

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your creativity is not a luxury

Today’s message is short and sweet:

Your creativity is not a luxury to reserve for the moment when everything is perfect again.

Your creativity is your savior right now. Right in the midst of all the tough stuff and your busy schedule.

Your creativity is what will help you pick up the pieces, smush them back together, and present them back to the world in a new and unique way. In a way that is purely, genuinely, vulnerably you. In a way that will elicit emotions and connection from other human beings, inspiring them to feel something long tucked away.

It has the potential to change lives. To save lives.

Do not forget this.

It’s time.

Come home to your creative self.

If you don’t know how, just start somewhere. Do a dance. Draw. Sing. Make something.

(And if you feel lost,  I have an awesome GPS system that can help you find your true north.)

When have YOU experienced creative or artistic expression as a life saver or life changer? Has it ever helped you get through a rough time? Please share below!

you have arrived,

Jess

p.s. There's still time to apply to the Thriving Artist's Program. Did you check it out yet?

p.p.s. In honor of Father's Day coming up and the reminder that creativity is not a luxury, let my dad remind you to dance in the rain:

have patience in your process

“Being an artist means, not reckoning and counting, but ripening like the tree which does not force its sap and stands confident in the storms of spring without fear that after them may come no summer. It does come. But it comes only to the patient, who are there as though eternity lay before them, so unconcernedly still and wide. I learn it daily, learn it with pain to which I am grateful: patience is everything!”

~ Rainer Maria Rilke, from Letters To A Young Poet

Patience in the storms of spring…

I read those words and suddenly the tides of emotions I’ve been feeling, the inner struggles I’ve been facing, all made sense.

Why?

Let’s not forget that spring can be tumultuous. Yes, there’s green growth happening and pretty flowers blooming on trees around us, but think of the work that transformation takes! From the dead of the winter when much is dormant, new life arises. Don’t expect it to be smooth. Growth is messy.

When you commit to an artistic life (i.e. when you realize that calling deep down that it’s in you, whether or not you’re actively making art), you’re also signing up to feel the cycles and seasons of life - magnified!

You are an artist. You are more sensitive to the world around you. You feel things deeply. You long to express that energy inside, you long to paint the world with your colors and strokes.

And so your body tunes in to everything around you - especially the changing seasons and moon cycles.

You can choose to numb out to all of this. And many do.

You can cover the feelings and cycles with a whole range of things: from booze to Netflix to overly “busy” syndrome. You can pretend the creative impulse is not really there and instead just live a “normal” life.

But does the straight and narrow path really work for you?

Rebell against the status quo! (quoting my dad Gerry Grippo on that one ;)

Make waves, paint your strokes, choose your colors.

And don’t be afraid of a stormy spring.

The summer WILL come.

The sap will flow.

Without having to push or force or try,

you will channel something beautiful into the world.

It will come together.

Trust this emergence.

Have patience with your delicate process.

And while you ride the storms of spring, don’t forget to dance through the rain.

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If you’re feeling the storms of spring deeply,

You don’t have to ride them alone.

Dance into your answers with me on June 10th in NYC:

https://danceintoyouranswers.splashthat.com/

or online on June 9th:

https://danswersonline.splashthat.com

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with surrender to spring and faith in my heart,

Jess

didn’t get your “work” done? oh, that’s living.

Crap.

I didn’t get everything done on my to-do list.

I had to reschedule that appointment.

I didn’t “work” enough today.

(“work” is loosely translated as sitting in front of the laptop pecking away at something that seems really important.)

If any of these words have come out of your mouth lately, GOOD!

It’s a sign you’re actually living life.

As I went through my week, I noticed how anxious I was to get this blog post and other writing done. I did not plan the topic in advance. I did set aside time to write, but the time kept getting moved or pushed aside because of other things.

The frustration and anxiety rose -

But why was I feeling that way?

Really, it came from a place of fear of not having enough time and wanting to just “get it over with” so that I could not worry.

Then on the B train on my way to visit a friend, it hit me and I pulled out my notebook to scribble:

The balance of living life vs. documenting it.

Your experiences lead you to the truth meant to be spoken (or written).

Your experiences - with the world, with other humans - are what bring you to your truth. Sitting in front of a laptop trying to think about what to write is not always the way in.

I thought about how much richness and learning were embedded in the experiences and conversations I had been having throughout the week.

Monday was an example -

Stuck at an airport for 8 hours, I put a lot of expectations on myself about how much time I should spent writing and getting that very important “work” done. I took a break in the yoga room (yes, SFO has a yoga room!) and it led to a dance break which led to making new friends and making a dance video:

I’m so happy I didn’t sit in front of my laptop, which seemed like the easier, more responsible option. Instead, I followed my impulse to move my body and connect with people and it was so fun.

So what if I didn’t get ahead of the game with “work?”

Maybe my “work” is in the moving my body and connecting to people. Can it be that simple? I think it can.

And I’ll say the same to you:

Follow the impulse and desire inside of you. The work you’re meant to do will reveal itself that way.

There’s a time to integrate and document your experiences - and that part is so necessary! But don’t force it or rush it. The more you LIVE, the more natural the documentation process will feel.

And one more thing -

If you’re not sure if your impulse or desire is aligned or the right thing to do in the moment, here a few questions you can ask yourself. I got these questions from an amazing teacher of mine, Amy Jo Goddard:

1. Is it something I want to be, do, or have?

2. Does it create more life for me and others?

3. Does being, doing, or having it take me closer to my goal?

4. Does it limit anyone’s freedom, choice, or well-being?

If you can answer YES to the first 3, and NO to #4, then it’s pretty safe to say that your desire is a GO.

Trust that impulse. Ditch “work” for a day if you need to. Be messy. Be truthful. Be connected.

And then take time to make art out of it all.

from the field of experience to you,

Jess