when it feels like it’s all too much to handle

It’s almost too much to handle.

Busting at the seams with passion and desire and anger and love and a voice that wants to be heard and…..

And…

And...

And yet.

And yet where is the outlet? How does this storm of emotions and truth channel itself through me?

I saw my mom have an utter meltdown. At the dinner table with extended family. Crying and shouting in her protest against Trump, trying to get through to the other family members at the table who didn’t seem to feel as strongly.

She got up and moved to the other room where I sat beside her, embracing her shaking body that felt like it had just been through a trauma.

It’s rare when I see my mother totally give in to her emotions, since she lives so much of her life in her rational brain. But when it comes out, it really comes out.

For years I’ve been gently and not so gently cajoling my mother to find an outlet. She’s a talented writer and a passionate woman with an intelligent mind, a body that holds stories, and a soul that gets easily trodden but always rises up.

She doesn’t have it easy. Her life is consumed by doctors appointments and caretaking my father and taking out the garbage and balancing her checkbook.

It breaks my heart because I want her to feel free. I often feel guilty for the freedom I have when she seems to struggle so much. And after trying so so hard for so so long to help, to inspire, to motivate, to troubleshoot, to somehow fix her life and help her find an outlet, I’ve realized that it’s out of my control. It’s still a process of making peace with the fact that I can’t fix everything. I can take action in my own life, I can help if is help is asked for, and I can continue guiding the people who seek out my professional services. And I can love my mother for who she is, exactly where she is.

I share this with you not to get sympathy but to make a point. About our passions and emotions and the channels we can choose or not choose to put them through.

This election season has shaken my mother on a deep level, and it seems like she’s finally taking the steps to channel her passions and beliefs into action. I’ll be marching in NYC with her on Saturday.

And given all the circumstances, I’m more motivated than ever to take a stand for something I believe in deeply: women’s bodies.

Here’s what’s hitting me over the head like a ton of bricks:

As women we are mush if we don’t have structured channels.

It’s great to swim in the mush for a while and feel feel feel all the things. It’s necessary.

And then there comes a time where it needs to pour out of us in a productive, channeled way.

Through the container of a phone call or a dance class. Through words on a page or movement in an empty studio. Through a march. Through art in any form.

Let me ask you -

What’s your container? What’s your channel for this expression? What’s your outlet?

And have you been practicing it?

(And if you don’t feel like you have that emotional mush of stuff inside of you right now, I can tell you it’s even more reason to seek an outlet because it IS in you. It’s just been buried.)

I have an invitation for you.

If you missed my email a couple of days ago, I’ll remind you that I’m currently gathering a group of women to take part in a game-changing program from February to June.

It’s designed to give you the structure - via intimate, personal group coaching sessions, online dance sessions, and customized guidance directly from me to you - to channel what’s in you in a healthy, creative, powerful way.

Imagine:

• Your emotions, monthly hormonal fluctuations, and physical body becoming fuel for your creative process and life, instead of a hinderance

• Having an un-biased, fully present support squad there for you next time you get stuck in your head trying to figure out your next move

• Feeling confident, inspired, and connected to your truth as you continue to create and share more of yourself with the world

All that is possible, and more.

I’m talking to women individually this week and next to help you assess your inner mush, get clear on what it is you truly are wanting in your life, body, and creative world, and then see - in a no-bullshit way - if in fact what I’m offering could be the perfect fit for you.

The calls are 30-minutes, 1-1, over the phone or video, and are completely complimentary and non-obligatory.

Do you want a spot?

Comment below or simply click here to set up a time to talk: https://calendly.com/jessgrippo/cgs

Remember: Women's bodies dancing is a political act.

Given the history of women’s oppression, a history that still is alive today, the fact that we have the freedom to choose how to move our bodies, how to dress our bodies, how to make ART with our bodies, is truly a gift.

If we don't take action and choose how we move and what we create, someone else will do it for us.

Whether or not we work together, I want to know what is written on your body, what lies within your body. I want you to dance it through you and help awaken yourself and the world around you to the great power you hold to heal and change the world. Through your body.

Think of this invitation as a first step toward channeling the mush into action and activism.

Whether or not the full program is for you, it will certainly give you insight on the best next steps you could take.

Comment below or simply click here to set up a time to talk: https://calendly.com/jessgrippo/cgs

to the beauty in the mush, Jess

p.s. If this is lighting up something in you, even if you don’t know what exactly it is, don’t delay on taking action. Let’s talk: https://calendly.com/jessgrippo/cgs

re-inspire yourself

It’s been a shitty year for many of us.

The holidays might have been rough.

There’s a lot of “rah-rah-rah! it’s a new year!” stuff being spread on social media along with the general darkness of tragic news and the current state of politics.

I’m sure there’s a lot of personal darkness, too, that isn’t seeing the light.

I’ve personally been feeling introspective, retrospective, even. Craving time for reflection and to get back to some sort of essence… magic... the creative flow… the space of inspiration before creation can happen.

The reality is, I’m not there yet.

So rather than forcing myself to create before I’m ready, or to use my injured leg too much before it’s healed, I’m giving in to what’s happening inside.

I recently came across the dance videos I made 7 years ago (!) when I first started getting back into dance and my creative process. Something in them struck me. (note to self: when you feel “struck” by something, it’s a sign you’re going in the right direction.)

There’s a certain tenderness that was present back then when I first started creating dance videos. It was before dance became a part of my career, and there was a sense of wonder and deep honesty that, I’m not shy to say, upon looking back, I really admired about myself back then.

So I’ve dug up lots of those old videos as part of this effort to introspect. To re-inspire myself in the present.

I’ve been sharing one a day on Instagram, along with a brief story of why I made the video or what was happening in my personal life at the time. It’s an intimate peek behind the scenes to shed some light on the drive to create, in spite of or because of whatever was going on at the time.

The process of writing these blurbs and reviewing these videos has already lit up something inside me.

If you feel curious and want to join me this month in the process, come on over to my Instagram land and follow me there.

I’m also encouraging anyone who’s up for it to join in and find ways to re-inspire yourself, too.

If you feel so bold, share your own introspective - or retrospective - posts on the ‘gram and tag them with @jessgrippo / #reinspireyourself so that I can see what you’re up to.

We are all in this together. And I don’t know about you, but from my point of view, we certainly could use more inspired, creative humans adding positivity to this crazy world.

Wishing you hope, peace, and inspiration on this Friday the 13th.

to the tender dances that move us, Jess

p.s. Happy anniversary! While it’s the 7 year anniversary of publishing dance videos for me, it’s also the 5 year anniversary of this very blog you’re reading, Creative Fridays. It was a Friday the 13th in 2012 when I led my first creativity workshop and a couple of weeks later, I started writing weekly.

No matter how long you’ve been reading, please know that I’m so grateful for your presence here and so honored to be taking this journey with you.

If Creative Fridays has been part of your process in any meaningful way over the last 5 years, please just comment below and tell me how!

It would light up my world to know.

Thank you for being here.

p.p.s. For my NYC peeps, there’s no formal party happening tonight after all, but I’ll be at an Open Mic night at Shaktibarre in Williamsburg at 7:45pm and would love to see you there!

why you can’t get anything done this week

Anyone else feel like their work efforts are pushing upstream?

If so, I hope this helps, and if not, put it in your back pocket for next time you’re struggling.

Sometimes I feel like I bang this point into the ground so much, but I think it’s the kind of reminder we need to hear over and over again:

IT’S OK TO NOT BE  PRODUCTIVE ALL THE TIME.

IT’S ACTUALLY HEALTHY TO NOT BE PRODUCTIVE ALL THE TIME.

(Like the ALL-CAPS emphasis on that one?)

If you keep pushing yourself, you’ll end up with a broken leg or the flu (like I did in the fall).  Not fun.

This theory is a huge part of the cyclical method of creativity that I teach in many of my programs. I’m going to outline a bit of it here for you.

Here are 3 reasons for you to stay in bed as late as possible, push back deadlines, and just generally slow down as much as possible right now:

1. It’s Winter.

   It’s the friggin season of the slow down. Mother nature takes a break from outer growth, so why shouldn’t we? Instead of starting new things and diving into New Year’s resolutions, try cultivating your inner world. Listen to your dreams. Do the kind of creative projects that just feel good to you - even if they don’t seem to have a purpose.

2. It’s Mercury Retrograde.

   I’m no astrologer but I have been following really great ones for years now and this stuff really works for me. From what I hear, until January 8th we’re in the midst of the time of year when the planet Mercury goes Retrograde - this is known for messing up communications and technology. Again, don’t push yourself to do a million things during this time. Finish up unfinished things. Get the thing fixed that you’ve been meaning to get fixed. You get the gist.

3. You’re pre-menstrual.

   Ok, maybe you’re not right in this moment, but I am and I felt compelled to write about it. When I’m pre-menstrual (technically called the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle) it’s a time when I don’t feel like doing shit - for good reasons! Hormones get a bit whacky and the body requires way more rest than usual, as well as more B-vitamins (hello, gluten free zucchini bread!)

   This is a time when my clothes are in heaps all over my floor, dishes get piled up in the sink, and I really don’t want to go out and be social. (Usually a day or 2 before my period I get this surge to clean my entire apartment, so eventually things get back into order!)

   If you feel this too, don’t fight the feeling. Nourish your body with good food and plenty of physical activity. Stay in bed longer. Wait until after your period to start the new projects or do lots of things. You’ll be more aligned energetically at that point and it will feel much more effortless.

   Want more on this topic? Check out my friend Lisa Lister’s book Love Your Lady Landscape, of which I was a proud contributor!

   (BTW if you don’t get your period because you’re a man or you’ve stopped menstruating for various reasons, you can still tune into cycles in your body and cycles in the moon!)

Did I convince you? ;)

Comment below and tell me your agreements or objections or obsessions.

from the front lines of the snooze button, Jess

p.s. As a creativity coach, you would think it’s not in my best interest to tell everyone to stop creating, right? I could totally be someone who pushes the idea of creating and producing all the time, but that would just be against my values and against the cyclical nature of life.

There are far too many things out there trying to push us to do more and be more and have more now, so here’s a place where you know you can always take a break from it.

You’re wonderful just the way you are.

let’s take a creative inventory

As we wind down the year, I’m not one to encourage resolutions, but I am in full support of taking more time for reflection during the winter season.

One of the theories I live by is this:

We are connected to the cycles of nature, the cycles in our bodies. We are not merely human machines made to constantly produce. There must be time built in for rest and renewal if we truly want to thrive creatively.

In honor of that, I’ve designed a Creative Inventory for you:

A 5-minute survey that will help you slow down, check in, and tap into what’s true for you, so that in 2017 and beyond you can be more clear, more inspired, and more in tune with your creative cycles.

Join me in filling this out at some point between now and Sunday night January 1st, and you’ll receive:

• A free copy of my Year-End Reflection Guide, full of my favorite books and video for creative inspiration, plus more questions to ponder as we sink into the winter season.

• A complimentary check-in email from me in the Spring, plus other inspiring options, to help you stay on track with your intentions and stay connected to your creative muses.

Click here to complete your Creative Inventory and get your gifts!

And remember, the more time you take now to slow down and renew, the more creative energy will be ready to burst forth in just a few months.

your friend in the cycles, Jess

p.s. The conclusion of this year feels particularly potent since we are approaching the 5 year anniversary of Creative Fridays! If you’re in NYC, save the date for the evening of Friday January 13th in Brooklyn for a celebration event - more details to come. And remember to give yourself the gift of reflection and take 5 minutes for your Creative Inventory here. I can’t wait to hear from you :)

why do we resist the creative practices that are best for us?

Why do we resist the creative practices that are best for us?

Like: 10 minutes of meditation in the morning, the dance break in the middle of a work day, scribbling a few lingering thoughts in a notebook before sleep…

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I feel palpably opposed to doing them, even when I know it would be best for me.

Laying in bed with restless thoughts I keep getting that nudge to write it out, but instead I ignore it and try to breathe deep and hope to fall asleep. An hour or two later, still tossing and turning, I finally succumb and put the pen to the page and immediately feel relief. 10 minutes later I’m calmed and ready to drift off to la la land.

I’ve heard this from many clients, too.

We’ve all read The Artist’s Way.

We all know it’s helpful to meditate or write every day.

We all have the idea in mind of what we should do...

But still we don’t always do it.

My theory is this:

It’s easier for our brains to suffer than to let go of control.

The brain loves a challenge. The brain loves struggle. The brain loves to *think* about what’s blocking you from creating. The brain wants to “figure it out.” The brain is comforted in that state.

Letting go and getting into a flow state with our creativity…. That’s something that can’t be controlled by our brains. It requires our bodies and our souls to take the forefront.

The letting go that happens when you finally just free write, or free dance, or meditate, or work out, or have an orgasm… that’s threatening for the brain who wants to keep things in check and stay attached to the struggle.

So then what?

Well, first thing’s first, it’s ok to have dry spells. I actually think it’s healthy.

When you’re away from your creative practices, you remember how important they are. And you are that much more energized when you restart them. (You can always restart them!)

Plus, the downtime - or even the disconnected time, if that’s what it feels like to you - gives us an opportunity to gather new life experiences, i.e. new material for the creative well.

Second thing’s second, you can trick your brain.

The best way I know how is to create shortcuts and elements of habit in your daily schedule.

For example, I keep a notebook a few pens by my bedside at all times, so that I don’t have to ever get out of bed to find a pen. I keep the pen inside the notebook where the next new page is so that I can open it up first thing in the morning or right before bed and just start writing right away.

You can set reminders on your phone that go off at odd hours, reminding you to take a dance break or to take 3 breaths.

You can have accountability buddies or dates with your creative self.

You can use Google Calendar like a champ.

Remember, when you reach the point of feeling like you’ve been neglecting your creative self, it’s never too late to return to your practices. Stop thinking about lost time and just start now.

Does this spark any ideas for YOU?

Any other brain tricks or creative practices you can suggest?

Leave a comment below and tell me!

And if you need an extra boost, send me an email at: jess@jessgrippo.com. I’d love to set up a time to talk and see how I could support you and your fine creative self in the new year.

with love in the doing and not-doing,

Jess

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up next:

This new 4-week series starts January 9th!

Dancers of all levels and experience are welcomed.

Get the details and sign up here

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Just when I thought it was time to retire this online program, it’s been called back into existence by popular demand. This 6-week program takes you through a personal creative process of making space and time for your creativity, getting past the blocks to sharing your work, and connecting with a supportive community.

Until the end of the year, you can save 50% on the online program, and a big discount off the private coaching package.

AND you can feel doubly good because I'll be donating a portion of proceeds to a dance charity again this holiday season: DanceAbility, which makes dance accessible to people with disabilities.

Click here for details: sign up or gift it to someone!