how to start a movement

A bit of transparency with a purpose today, friends -

As much as I love Flashdance, I'm not a flashy person. I don't have a huge mailing list. I don't have an agent or manager. I don't have employees. I don't have funding. I don't have anything that's running my business aside from my heart, soul, sweat, tears, and (often overthinking) brain that gets fueled by the dances I create.

Somehow though, there are people out there who have discovered my work and actually benefit from it, who read my blog most weeks, who join my dance programs, and who believe in the same kind of values that I do. If you’re reading this now, I’m pretty sure you’re one of them ;)

I'm in awe of these people who have found even an ounce of inspiration or motivation from something I shared. (Really, you exist?!?) I'm so grateful for them. I’m so grateful for YOU! You make my soul dance. Knowing you’re out there makes me want to get out of bed in the morning and keep going, even when it feels pointless and when I'm mired by the stress of trying to live as a freelancer/business owner in NYC.

Perhaps you can relate. And that’s kind of the point of this blog post.

Maybe you, too, have been creating something dear to your heart or have dreams to do so.

Maybe you, too, have felt pointless, inadequate, or silly at times for sharing yourself.

Maybe you, too, have felt a spark of something small that has the potential to grow into something big.

If so, it’s my intention that a nugget of this story will be valuable to you.

.........

This week I realized that the dance work I've been doing and building slowly over the past 7 years is becoming something bigger. It’s becoming a movement, if you will.

Hearing from the women who have been in my programs for the last year or more, I was deeply touched and inspired to see just how much the You Can Dance Again (YCDA) community has impacted their life - not only with dance, but with their career, relationships, and overall sense of fulfillment. With the support of the program, these women have not only started dancing again and integrated it into their lives (including creating home dance practices, taking classes, choreographing, performing, starting their own dance classes and YouTube channels, etc.) but they have also left soul-sucking jobs, got way more confident and self-expressed, and took a stand for their own happiness and fulfillment, which has uplifted their husbands, wives, children, and communities. And so much more.

I'm excited and honored to continue growing this community, with these very women who have been part of the movement thus far. I’m often in awe that they exist.

7 years ago when I posted my first low-quality, homemade dance video, I had no idea that my career would eventually be an extension of it. I didn’t know there were other people out there who would also want to make dance videos with me and be part of a movement.

What’s coming this year and beyond is way bigger than I could have imagined: creating a team to work with, publishing a book, hosting my first dance retreat, expanding my programming, and reaching people internationally with my work. (Hello, Germany!)

Though I’m often still plotting and dancing alone in my half-office/half-bedroom in Brooklyn, and though I’m often wondering how the hell I am actually able to pay my rent each month to keep that half-office/half-bedroom intact, there are finally signs of growth and expansion. There are finally other people who see the vision, too, and want to be part of it.

And it literally started with a dance video.

Anything is possible.

If YOU have a vision for creating your own kind of movement or community, here's what I learned:

You don't need a ton of money or fame to grow something that is authentic and meaningful to you. You don’t need to purchase the program that tells you how to make $100k in your first month of business. You don’t need to do what Sally Sue is doing. In fact, you don’t need to do anything that feels forced or inauthentic to you.

You just need to start doing it and sharing it from your heart and commit to staying consistent. Even when it seems like no one cares. Because someone does. And one person caring or being inspired or believing in you has the potential to move mountains.

(Oh, and you probably need a day-job in the meantime, because who wants to put undue pressure on their dreams to pay the bills right away? There’s nothing wrong with a day job and it doesn’t negate the passion, purpose, and power that you have to create what you truly want for this world. It might just make it more possible.)

Follow the creative impulses within you, do and share the small things now, and with patience and persistence they just might blossom into a movement you never expected.

And if you or someone you know has been craving a dance community specifically, I have something for you.

I realized that one of the reasons why women joined You Can Dance Again and keep coming back is because they want to be part of something. They don't just want to drop into a random dance class once a week to get a workout. They want to walk into a studio and feel a sense of relief, they want to have an outlet to release the emotions and things that are too deep for words, they want to learn from someone who has been in their shoes, and they want to connect with a group of women who truly get it.

I haven’t formally marketed the program yet, (not that I ever “formally” market anything ;) but there are 11 women registered so far in the current summer session of You Can Dance Again, 8 here in NYC, and 3 from other parts of the world. Many of whom are returning for the second, third, and fourth times. (That’s how good it is ;)

When I was thinking about ways to share this with more people who could benefit from it, the thought crossed my mind that if you’re new to this program or working with me, maybe committing to a whole summer might be a bit much at once.

So I created a short and sweet summer kick-off session starting June 20th. You might get just what you need from it and move on afterwards, or you might feel so at home with us that you want to keep going and continue for the rest of the summer and up til our Showcase in September.

Check out the details here and see if it's for you: http://youcandanceagain.com

So with all that said, I would love to hear from you -

What kind of movement are you creating or do you want to find?

What keeps you going or stops you in your tracks?

And of course if you have any questions or thoughts to share about the YCDA program I’d be more than happy to talk to you.

Reach out or comment below.

to your sweat, soul, and dancing dreams,

Jess

p.s. In line with this whole message, check out the amazing dancers who were part of the last YCDA program:

getting back to joy, dance-video style

You’re feeling:

Restless.

Stuck inbetween.

Seeing what needs to change but not quite there yet.

So you:

Think about it.

Try to figure it out.

Spend lots of time contemplating what to do next.

And then you:

Get frustrated.

Repeat the cycle of feeling restless and stuck.

Get more annoyed with yourself.

Does this pattern sound familiar?

I’ve been there in recent weeks and here’s what I had to remember:

Making a dance video is more productive than thinking.

[Insert your equivalent of dance videos if dance isn’t your thing]

Get back to your dance.

Get back to your joy.

Do those things that are just pure silly and fun, and watch it renew your energy.

In my experience yesterday, I channeled my restless energy into a going for a run with a mission. A dance video mission:

Did the dance video solve all my problems? No. But it did help me constructively move through the pattern I was in that had been making me annoyed and frustrated and suppressing my energy. It got me out of my head, back to my joy, and much more able to handle the other life and work tasks at hand.

In short:

The path to feeling renewed, clear and confident is often as simple as making a dance video.

Go do it!

To your joy,

Jess

p.s. I know it’s not always easy to get back to your joy and your dance alone, which is why I have 2 offerings for you today - 1 is my Dance Into Your Answers workshop, happening next week, all about getting back to your self-expression and physical movement so that you can move into the answers you’ve been craving and feel more purpose in life:

And 2 is Soul Camp happening in August, which I'll be teaching at alongside a roster some of the most amazing and inspiring humans I know. Click through for the details.

I hope you’ll join me at one or both!

p.p.s. Don’t hesitate to comment below if you have any questions or just want to share something. I like hearing from you. I’m not too busy. You won’t be bothering me. This is my life. Just do it.

trust your emergence

“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

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 a creative 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 a creative being. You are 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.

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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Want to emerge from your questions with clarity, confidence, & trust?

Join me for a group experience that's all about the art of trusting yourself enough to let your body speak.

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 trust in our emergence,

Jess

why we should bother to share stuff

Common reactions when we’re about to share something artistic, or otherwise:

“No one cares about what I have to say.”

“It’s too egotistical to feature myself like that.”

“Someone else already did something similar.”

(Sound familiar?)

Sure, there are many reasons we can come up with for why we shouldn’t share our stuff.

But what about the reasons why we should?

Let’s talk about that today.

I was on a call with a client earlier this week who has just completed the 4-week You Can Dance Again program, and one of the first things she said was, (paraphrasing) "I just love how it's given me a focus of putting myself out there...it's been so powerful."

(Part of the program involves exploring specific themes and how they can apply to your dancing and your life. Each person is encouraged to share a dance video with the group at the culmination.)

She went on to tell me how freeing it was to be dancing more on her own, to share her dance videos publicly, and then to also speak up and share things with other people and communities in her life. I won't share the private details, but it's been making an impact on her family big-time.

We got into a bit of a philosophical discussion and I realized how powerful and healing it is to express oneself. Even when it's in the privacy of your own home, to dance and release and let go.... it gives you practice at being able to do that more in your public life, as well.

So why should we share our stuff?

When we share a piece of ourselves with the world, we allow ourselves to be witnessed by others.

We gain the confidence to speak up in other areas of our lives.

We recognize we are not alone.

We experience human connection, support, love.

An energy exchange happens - a cycle of sharing and receiving, that continues beyond the moment of the share.

When it's done authentically, sharing a piece of our self-expression is, in my book, one of the most powerful and healing acts we can do. In a way, it's what makes us human.

So go use your voice in whatever form it wants to take. It's your birthright to. And you never know who it might impact.

Post a comment below and tell me what you’ve been avoiding sharing, what you deeply desire to share, or what you just got the inspiration to share now. I’d love to hear.

I see you, I hear you,

Jess

p.s. If Justin Timberlake said to himself, “Well, Pharrell already made a really cool dance music video to Happy, so I probably shouldn’t do my vision…” then we wouldn’t have this masterpiece: (current fave dance song!)

to a life beyond waiting. (announcing my first book!)

A philosophy I live by, which ties into the founding philosophy of the Creative Fridays blog you’re reading, is this:

Don’t wait for someone to give you permission.

You make your own rules.

You create your life.

(Start with Fridays.)

I started this blog over 4 years ago on a Friday because I was tired of living by someone else’s rules. I wanted to be an artist, a writer. I wanted to dance. I wanted dance to have a more significant role in my life. And I didn’t want to wait until I had saved up money for a 6-month sabbatical, or until I was ready to audition for some kind of dance company, or until I got the stamp of approval of an M.F.A.

I wanted to change my life and career.

So I started writing and sharing it, as I continued to dance and make dance videos.

Fast forward a few years later, and my life had gradually and then fully changed.

But there was still a holding pattern at work beneath the surface.

You see, somewhere throughout the last couple of years I pieced together my writing in the form of a book. I knew the title, had the vision of what it would look like, would even tell people about it here and there.

But I didn’t do anything with this book for 2 YEARS.

I was waiting for the “right” time to release it.

I was waiting til my email list was 5 times the size it is now.

I was waiting til I had the time to create a proper proposal so that I could get a real book deal.

All of these reasons are totally valid.

But then I stopped waiting.

And I decided to put it out there. Self-published. Today. On my 33rd birthday, on a Friday the 13th.

I share this with you for 2 reasons.

1. Because you might really love this book - ok, you WILL really love this book - and there’s a way for you get the first chapter for free today AND to pre-order the entire thing.

2. Because I hope you’ll use it as inspiration to stop waiting on whatever YOUR excuses are. Whether it’s a book, a movie script, or a trip to Marrakech, stop waiting and just do it. Take the first step. Be bold. The world needs to hear it if your desire to make it is there.

So, back to this book.

I wrote this book for the artists trapped inside someone else’s expectations.

I wrote this book for the dancers who stopped prematurely or never let themselves start.

I wrote this book for you if you want to bring dance back into your life - literally or figuratively.

The name of this book is quite simple:

DANCE WITH THIS BOOK.

Because that’s really what it’s about.

It’s not rocket-science. It’s not based on a thesis project or years of research.

It is practical, packed with inspirational punch, and designed to get you up off your butt and dancing.

It’s designed to be that book that you pick up off the shelf at Barnes & Noble while you’re shopping for a birthday card for your friend’s kid, and it catches your eye and you end up reading it cover to cover as you stand there in the aisle, bursting inside with YES! because it’s exactly what you needed to hear on that day. And you leave Barnes & Noble with a skip in your step, smiling at strangers as you dance with them in your head - or in reality. Because it makes you remember. Who you are. That you are here to dance.

You can grab the first chapter and pre-order this book here.

$5 gets you the e-book.

$13 gets you the print book.

$33 gets you 3 print books.

The prices will go up after today - these are birthday prices on 5/13! - so lock it in if you want it.

Bottom line: this book is about reclaiming dance and reclaiming life in YOUR OWN WAY. It’s not about trying to fit into the mold that someone or something else wants you to be.

You don’t have to be a “dancer” in the traditional sense to read this and benefit from it. You just have to want something more, a way to express yourself in this world and connect to your body.

You might be drawn to specific styles of dance, or you might be drawn to discovering your natural movement.

You might want to get back in shape, or maybe you just want to reshape your life and you don’t know where else to start.

Perhaps you just want to be more active and feel more joy on a daily basis.

Whatever your reasons, you’re here to dance with this book, right?

Let’s do it.

Get your copy/copies here and I’ll send you your book in August or as soon as it’s ready.

to life beyond waiting,

Jess

p.s. Although I've been sitting on this book for 2 years, the whole process of deciding to get it out there today happened pretty spontaneously. I don't have a marketing plan, I don't have a fancy new website, I barely even told the people in my life I was doing this until today. If the book excites you, or if you've been getting value from my weekly Creative Fridays notes, please feel free to share this with people in your life and let's spread the love and accessibility of dance to the people who need to hear it.

Link to share: http://eepurl.com/b1xXTP

how to let the creative muse in

Sometimes your creativity doesn’t make sense.

Like when you’re supposed to be “working,” but you start making up poems.

Or when you’re on a writing deadline, but the urge to dance it out comes over you.

Or when you finally set aside time to write/paint/sing/dance, but all you want to do is lie on the floor and cry.

Those moments may not make sense, but follow them anyway. For those are the moments when the creative muse has taken over.

It happens when you least expect it.

You might squelch it without realizing it.

You can’t predict when it will happen or for how long.

So how do you let the muse in and find your creative flow?

You listen.

You listen to yourself and to the impulses and creative urges that tug at your sleeve, like a child wanting to play with you.

You stay curious.

You experiment and follow the impulses with curiosity, as if someone had planned the most fancy surprise date and is leading you towards the next destination.

You clear the crap that’s in the way.

You stop tolerating the unrealistic workload that’s being thrown on you at the office. You start making house rules that guarantee you’ll have time and space to yourself. You recognize the habits you’re becoming too reliant on (ahem, Facebook scrolling? Netflix?) and you start to let them go so that you can face the thing you’re most scared to face: yourself and your creative potential.

It’s that delicate balance of planning to have creative time, and also being open to the happy accidents (bow to Bob Ross) that pop up along the way.

Your creativity might not make sense all the time, and that’s exactly why you should listen to it and let it lead the way.

Making too much sense makes for a boring and predictable life.

Outside of sensibility is where the magic happens.

wishing you wonder, flow, and senseless joy,

Jess

p.s. Part of my non-sense this week has been writing poems. Didn’t realize it happens to be National Poetry Month – it must’ve been the creative muse who knew first! Here's one I'd like to share:

Could it be that all along

I was on a path, but it was wrong.

The work I did, the daily grind

Was all in vain and not aligned.

Could it be that even though

It wasn’t perfect, it helped me grow.

Each and every time I tried,

Something grew and something died.

Could it all be part of a plot

That I once wrote and soon forgot.

For maybe it was meant to be

Exactly what would set me free.

- Jess Grippo 4/27/16