Life & Lillies

02/03/2022

"I took a rose from a vase and fastened it in her sash. She sighed a sigh of ineffable satisfaction as if her cup of happiness were now full." -Charlotte Bronte.

Drying out the roses for the next stage in the epic antique journal making project for the .

27/02/2022

NEW BLOG POST!! "What's happened to me? Where did I go?" You ask yourself as a sadness unfolds in your heart.

Perhaps the sadness is that you miss the women you were meant to be, buried beneath years of old stories, stagnant habits, or forgotten dreams. On top of all that, post-pandemic has you wearier, jaded, exhausted by every little thing. You don't want to crack on with the old goals; you want to figure out what the hell it is you actually want now. You miss your authentic self.

The good news is she's still in there, waiting for you to listen, an inner voice whispering, this is what's next for you.

What does she say? Does she tell you to begin that creative project you've been putting off? Or does she tell you to dream bigger-perhaps start your own creative business?

Maybe she's encouraging you to learn photography, begin writing that book, or simply to nurture yourself and begin your healing journey.

Your wiser self has not abandoned you - she's still in there, patiently waiting for you to listen and reconnect to her.

I wonder what's calling you? Is there a soft voice nudging you? Perhaps you're not even sure if you have whispers of the heart? I know how frustrating, lonely and intimidating it can be. That's why I created a little gift for you to help you uncover what really matters to you and tools to help you embark on your own journey.

Read the blog and download the guidebook.

https://www.lifeandlillies.com/blog/what-are-your-gifts-passions-and-callings

25/02/2022

One of my favourite reminders...I was just looking over the Top 5 regrets of the dying by Bronnie Ware. Have you read that one?

Here are the top three regrets of the dying, as witnessed by Ware:

1. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.

"This was the most common regret of all. When people realise that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people had not honoured even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made. Health brings a freedom very few realise until they no longer have it."

2. I wish I hadn't worked so hard.

"This came from every male patient that I nursed. They missed their children's youth and their partner's companionship. Women also spoke of this regret, but as most were from an older generation, many of the female patients had not been breadwinners. All of the men I nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence."

3. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

"This is a surprisingly common one. Many did not realise until the end that happiness is a choice. They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits. The so-called 'comfort' of familiarity overflowed into their emotions, as well as their physical lives. Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to their selves, that they were content, when deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in their life again."

For me, the most significant is "I wish I had let myself be happier" Bit of a wake-up call. Which one resonates most with you?

18/02/2022

Join me for our FIRST live retreat this summer. Experience creative workshops, well being practices, art history and culinary treats. Add a wander around a rose garden and I'm in heaven - you too?

Imagine joining a group of fellow creative explorers & fun seekers for an adventure that leaves you inspired, supported and encouraged.

Get excited about life again as I lead you through creative exercises that stretch and inspire you.

Wait List now open for 2022!

https://view.flodesk.com/pages/615dca2ac71e8685f183bf8a

18/02/2022

“Practice any art, music, dancing, acting, drawing, painting, sculpting, poetry, fiction, essays, reportage. No matter how well or badly, not to get money or fame, but to experience becoming, to find out what’s inside you, to make your soul grow.”
— KURT VONNEGUT JR.

Have you been longing to be more creative, spend time enjoying a creative practice, and finish the creative projects you've started? Have you always loved being creative but found that life keeps getting in the way?

A few years ago, I longed to be creative, and it had been almost an entire lifetime since I had made any art. At the time, I was running my own business that was not sustainable, working a-l-l-l-l-l-l-l- the-hours...

Read more about my struggles with creativity and how I overcame (some) of them😆 over on this week's blog. Link in bio ☝🏼

And, if you need support in your creative projects, come and join us FREE online every Saturday 10:00 - 11:30 am GMT for a creative playdate. register & Lillies

15/02/2022

Have you been longing to be more creative, spend time enjoying a creative practice, and finish the creative projects you've started? Have you always loved being creative but found that life keeps getting in the way?

A few years ago, I longed to be creative, and it had been almost an entire lifetime since I had made any art. At the time, I was running my own business that was not sustainable, working a-l-l-l-l-l-l-l- the-hours...

Read more about my struggles with creativity and how I overcame (some) of them😆 over on this week's blog. Link in bio ☝🏼

And, if you need support in your creative projects, come and join us FREE online every Saturday 10:00 - 11:30 am GMT for a creative playdate. register

13/02/2022

But I haven’t got a creative bone in my body.”

I hear this all the time from wonderfully creative, intelligent women In my groups. It’s simply not true! I’m so passionate about proving this belief wrong that I included creative activities in each module of The Joy Ride 🎨🎭🖌

Creativity is a force inside every one of us that, when unleashed, transforms our lives and brings vitality to everything we do.

One of the things that we are rarely told in life is that we are creators.

We may hear that we are creative but rarely that we are creators and our lives are a form of art, and the best way to create them is with intention, playfulness & passion.

When you are willing to allow creativity into your life, a world of possibility begins to unfold

And… I so want that for you. That’s what is so special about this program; we use all sorts of creative exercises to assist with your learning, including photography, painting, collage, music, writing and more…

What would you create if you had the courage?

Find out more about The Joy Ride at my bio-ink. Learn how to create more, strive less and for the love of Mary do what matters most 🥰

11/02/2022

“You either walk inside your story and own it, or you stand outside and hustle for your worthiness”
— Brene Brown

Are You Listening To Your Whispers?

A voice of inspiration inside each of us struggles to be heard. Sometimes this voice speaks louder than a bloody fog horn. At other times its longings drift on a cloud we barely notice, a spark of an idea, a subtle desire that we quickly shut down before we can even name it.

Why do we do this to ourselves? Spend years refusing the call, the whisper? Because to acknowledge it demands change, and change will undoubtedly invoke fear. Fear of complexity, fear of rejection, fear of failure. You will probably have a very similar fear list, or if you have a new one to add, please do let me know, and I’ll add it to the list 😉

The anxiety associated with listening to our desires frequently prevents us from taking even the first step of acknowledgement. We remain stuck, crippled by self-doubt with a thought loop of unworthiness or whatever the inner critic wants us to believe at that moment.

Yet there is something else inside. That small voice you’ve been ignoring actually possess more strength than all your fears; stop working so much, it shouts on repeat (daily). Take a chance! As scary as it sometimes feels, you can trust its power to lead you home.

In choosing to listen to the whispers, we initiate a relationship with ourselves; we begin a dialogue, allow ourselves to get curious, and perhaps allow ourselves to hope for something greater, fuller, and more meaningful.

If you have been ignoring or running from your inner whispers, perhaps you can no longer dismiss what longs to be experienced or expressed. Maybe you are ready to answer?

Read more over on this week's blog 🥰

A voice of inspiration inside each of us struggles to be heard. Sometimes this voice speaks louder than a bloody fog horn. At other times its longings drift on a cloud we barely notice, a spark of an idea, a subtle desire that we quickly shut down before we can even name it.

09/02/2022

A Poem I Love
Dharma

The way the dog trots out the front door
every morning
without a hat or an umbrella,
without any money
or the keys to his doghouse
never fails to fill the saucer of my heart
with milky admiration.
Who provides a finer example
of a life without encumbrance—
Thoreau in his curtainless hut
with a single plate, a single spoon?
Gandhi with his staff and his holy diapers?
Off he goes into the material world
with nothing but his brown coat
and his modest blue collar,
following only his wet nose,
the twin portals of his steady breathing,
followed only by the plume of his tail.
If only he did not shove the cat aside
every morning
and eat all his food
what a model of self-containment he
would be,
what a paragon of earthly detachment.
If only he were not so eager
for a rub behind the ears,
so acrobatic in his welcomes,
if only I were not his god.

- Billy Collins
🥰🐶💕🐶

08/02/2022

We might not have "expected" anything different, but we certainly "hoped" for a new year a little. . . lighter . . . than the past few 😕​​​​​​​​
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Alas, with spring beckoning, now is the time to dust ourselves off, wave Au Revoir to the past few years and give ourselves permission to start dreaming again.​​​​​​​​
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There are so many reasons we stop dreaming.​​​​​​​​
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Here are a few of my favourites. . .​​​​​​​​
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Our dreams are impossible, and thinking about them is painful. Even if they are possible, the discomfort of pursuit feels too uncomfortable. We’re afraid we might lose. We’re afraid of rejection. We’re afraid we might change. We’re afraid of failing. We’re afraid of succeeding. We have real reasons and obstacles of why we can’t. We don't know what we want. We’re too busy to even think about what we want. We are grateful for what we have and feel guilty about wanting anything different. We can't plan anything in advance because of the pandemic.​​​​​​​​
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Phew! ​​​​​​​​
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What a list! With all that going on in our minds, it’s perfectly reasonable to ditch the whole dreaming thing altogether - why bloody bother with all that, let’s just stay here; it feels safe?​​​​​​​​
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But what happens when you do!​​​​​​​​
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I wrote a blog post called "What If We Started Dreaming Again". Where I share my story of "why bloody bother," and little ways we can release the fear that is preventing us from enjoying life again.​​​​​​​​
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Link in bio or sign up to receive Joy Notes for weekly encouragement and support.🥰​​​​​​​​
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05/02/2022

I'm starting with warm-up exercises for the next round of . My go-to favourite . . "found" poetry and stories.
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I just grab a book page or a magazine, a pair of scissors, a cafetiere of freshly ground coffee, and allow the words come together in unexpected ways . . .
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✨ I'm sharing my process amongst other things in my next FREE online creative playdate starting 12th February. I hope you will join me! ⚜👉🏼 Link in my bio to join
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