Let’s build a fire…

My new website is up and running.  This is my soft launch, so if you see any problems, let me know 🙂  But, please go check it out at http://www.storyjacking.com

 

A hand moves…

Singing Image of Fire 

A hand moves, and the fire’s whirling takes different shapes.
All things change when we do.
The first word, “Ah,” blossoms into all others.
Each of them is true.    –Kukai

I recently heard/read this poem and it resonated with me.

We change ourselves when we change our relationship with our story.  Our minds developed into a neural network of stories, as we humans started telling stories around a fire.  Fires are magical and can set us into deep reflection, warm us, or burn through us like a 1000 suns.

I know for myself that I can sit mesmerized by flames, allowing me to step out of my own swirl and just be present in the moment.  And, when I get curious about my own experience with the same level of focus, I can reflect on what stories I am telling myself and choose stories that have more value, and help to guide me to where I want to move toward.

It is through conscious awareness and at the same time surrendering to the process that we have infinite potential to grow and change.  When we bring into alignment, our internal self and our external self, we can shift into the life we want to create.

Creative Inquiry

 

 

 

courtesy of Daniel Peebles

courtesy of Daniel Peebles

In this episode of StoryJacker, Lyssa Danehy deHart interviews adventurer, visual artist, University Professor, and photographer Daniel Peebles.  Dan discusses the early influences of his narrative style, exploring the Dirty Realists, such as the work of Charles Bukowski, and the exploration of the individual perspective of life in a ambiguous world.  He also shares how he has been able to create a powerful personal voice, in a world filled with photographic images.  His Narrative Photography is part personal exploration part expanded human exploration.

Along the way Dan got curious about his own life and when it got to painful, he learned to inquire into the stories he was telling himself.

At what point are you ready to make a change?  At what point are you willing to investigate why you are reacting and responding to life the way you are?  And, what can you do with the awareness once you’ve started to get curious?

courtesy of Daniel Peebles

Dan talks about his very personal journey, the emotions, thoughts and beliefs that he had to question in order to grow as a person and as an artist.  Diving in deep to find his authentic self.

If you are an artist trying to find your own unique voice is a world filled with imagery, maybe it’s time to explore yourself a bit.  And, please go and check out Dan’s storied images at his website, www.danielpeebles.com if you happen to find yourself in Albuquerque, New Mexico with some time on your hands, stop by Exhibit 208 Gallery www.exhibit208.com to see his work in person.

 

StoryJacker is a production of Creative Human Solutions.  Host Lyssa Danehy deHart.  Recording and editing by Lyssa Danehy deHart.  Music from Logic Pro X Loops.  www.creativehuman.me copyright 2016

All images on this page belong to Daniel Peebles http://www.danielpeebles.com

courtesy of Daniel Peebles

It is by going into the abyss…

It is by going down into the abyss that we recover the treasures of life.  Where you stumble, there lies your treasure. Joseph Campbell

What is it about the dark night of the soul that opens us up, if we surrender to the experience and decide to learn from it?  I think it has to do with facing our fears of not being enough, whether that is ‘good enough’ or ‘smart enough’ or ‘strong enough.’  The stumble just alerts us to where we need to look.  When we choose to look into the darkness and face ourselves and the stories we are telling about how terrible, horrible, awful it is in the abyss, we have the opportunity to grow.  We are moved by our unconscious thoughts and actions, just as surely as our conscious thoughts and actions.  If we leave these motivators in the space of the unknown, we often find ourselves experiencing patterns that reincarnate into new situations and relationships.  That which we resist… persists.

Tightwads on the Loose

In this episode of StoryJacker, Lyssa Danehy deHart interviews adventurer, traveler, and speaker, Wendy Hinman, author of Tightwads on the Loose.
Tightwads on the Loose tells the story of Wendy and her husband Garth, lured to sea by the promise of adventure. They buy a 31-foot boat that fits their budget better than it fits Garth’s large frame and set sail for an open-ended voyage, never imagining they’d be gone seven years, or cover 34,000 miles at the pace of a fast walk. They live without most “necessities” and learn that teamwork and a sense of humor matter most as they face endless “character-building opportunities.”

There are really two stories happening, the first is the outward adventure and the the second is the internal adventure.  We spend this episode delving into the internal experience and how Wendy was able and willing to leap out of the box and into an adventure.

To find your own copy of Tightwads on the Loose, head over to Wendy’s website, wendyhinman.com or you can find her book on Amazon.  Wendy also is a regular speaker at book stores, libraries, boating clubs and at writing conferences.  If you have the opportunity to go hear her, take it!
StoryJacker is a production of Creative Human Solutions.  Host Lyssa Danehy deHart.  Recording and editing by Lyssa Danehy deHart.  Music from Garageband Loops.  www.creativehuman.me copyright 2015

Preconceptions: how they affect who we see…

Preconceptions affect how we view the world.  They speak to our views of ourselves and others.  Our preconceptions are made up of our biases, experiences, and expectations and they are how we determine our view of  the world.  They are the glasses that we view the world through and they are stuck firmly to our faces.  It’s nearly impossible to take them off.  And, unconsciously, these preconceptions affect how we see other people.  This video shows a fantastic experiment to see how six different photographers photograph one man.  Each photographer gets a story about the man they will photograph.  The story about who the man is, colors their perception of him and shows up in how they view him and ultimately photograph him.  It’s a great reminder to be mindful of how we make assumptions about others.  It’s also a good reminder that we can develop our awareness about our bias’ and challenge the stories that are unconsciously running below our thoughts and behaviors.

You are not a drop in the ocean…

Perspective is a curious thing.  I love this Rumi Quote because it turns our thoughts about ourselves upside down, in a good way.  What if you are not insignificant?  What if you, in fact, are connected to everything and everything was connected to you and through you?  That you are a unique conduit of the energy of the Universe?

I think about this often.  How do I recognize the gifts I have to offer the world and then share those gifts in a meaningful way?  I believe that we each have a unique gift to offer that would improve the world if only we would name it and work to develop it.  And our job, in some respect, is to recognize this in ourselves and to look for it in others.  It’s about becoming confident inside so that we feel empowered to be authentically confident on the outside.

Hedonistic StoryJacking – From TED to you!

The Architect Bjarke Ingels is something of a wunderkind.  Mixing his passion for sustainability with his passion for architecture and beauty.  I saw this TEDTalk several years ago, but a recent conversation brought it to mind again.

I am sharing this video for several reasons.  First and foremost it is freaking cool!  Seriously, you need to watch it and be inspired.  But secondly and also uber important, his thinking is so far outside the box that the world has created that it blows your mind when you start thinking about what it takes to think in such innovative ways.  You have to give up what is known and be willing to dive into possibility.  You have to be curious about doing things in new ways, you have to be willing to ignore the nay sayers (to include you own internal negative dialog) because you are so solid in your own truth that you just blow by those voices, and you have to be courageous as you work the journey.

What would you want or be driven to be curious about?

What if we all started thinking outside the boxes of our own lives?

What would you be willing to look at and give up in order to reach your potential as a person, and share your gifts with the world?

This video gives me hope.  As human beings on this planet we can, if we decide to, undo the messes we are making.  We can stand up and demand that our Governments become innovative, we can demand the same from industry, and we can decide to make changes that support life.  The video also shows how a country, like Sweden, can think outside the box and change how it does business.  Right now Sweden needs trash, yep, you heard that right.  They are importing trash, because they now can’t make enough of their own to power their power plant, which now heats over 900,000 homes and provides electricity to over 250,000 other homes. (facts from Avfall Sverige) It blows my mind.  What a terrific StoryJack, from waste to energy.

I don’t spend time cultivating my phobias.  On the contrary, I explore them for missed opportunities.  Bjarke Ingels

My most important take away is that if Sweden can do this on such an epic scale, what is stopping you and I from transforming and StoryJacking our own lives?

What idea or situation have you been sitting with and allowing to molder, instead of acting on?
What negative self talk or discomfort do you need to explore for opportunities?
Do you think, that maybe, it’s time for a personal revolution? Hedonistic StoryJacking!