Welcome to Summer 2017

It matters a lot to be surrounded by success…opportunities, models, and encouragement.   Choose and shape your environment!  Linda

EXCEL

We are approaching June 20, the official date for the beginning of summer.  In most families, this signifies a re-set of schedules, routines, and plans.  It could be the coming of vacation, changed work hours, or summer educational programs for the kids.

I think that creative thinking means that reduce, reuse, recycle applies to ideas as well as things.   EXCEL is an idea that was born for me in a different time and context, but it has had continual meaning in changing ways.  I share it now because I hope it will be a useful acronym for you as well.

To excel is to do very well, to perform in an outstanding way.   To personally accomplish any goal in an excelling way, it is important to choose an environment where the behavior can flourish.   Make sure that the flower can really grow and bloom where it is planted!! 

Everyone can

Xtend

Creative

Environments for

Learning.

As you plan your summer family options, think about how important it is to create contexts and environments that invite success.   Open, happy, supportive, inviting people and opportunities provide the greatest potential for learning and growing.

Curiosity is the wick in the candle of learning.   William Arthur Ward

Genesis Creative Concepts

Promoting Natural Wonder

www.ltcarlson.com

Autumn is here...

Seeing is Believing

HIGH NOTES TRILLS

October 2015

Nothing will happen in your life that you do not inspire by your own initiative.   Creative vision is the power that inspires that personal initiative.     Napoleon Hill

                                                                                      

SEEING IS BELIEVING

When you see this phrase, some of you may think immediately of the colored leaves peeking through the green trees and the amazing recognition that it is fall!! 

True, but not totally what I think.   It does emphasize to me how so many of us rely on vision for our source of data or reality.  I would guess that the greatest marketing also uses this fact as a technique.   See the amazing new product then buy it!!

I think we can also use this principle to "buy in" to beliefs and attitudes that help us live the life of our dreams, creative and wholesome.  I have belief signs posted in strategic places all over my house and studio.  Seeing in print daily what I believe helps me buy in through action and actively live what I believe.

Some signs reflect Biblical beliefs and are favorite scriptures.

Some signs are originally sourced by literature or musical scholars…Shakespeare, Thoreau, Emerson.

Some signs are attitude encouragements from current thinkers, speakers, and writers.

You choose what fits best as favorite encouragements to you.   Print the phrases.   Post them on cupboard doors, bathroom mirrors, exit or entrance doors to your house or office.  Shift your life action choices to your beliefs, visually reminding yourself with posts!! 

Someone in my family has encouraged me to collect my posts.  Here is an important one…the phrase is surrounded by colored circles made in pencil track elaborations, like a kid would do:

GO FORWARD IN FAITH!!

Genesis Creative Concepts

Promoting Natural Wonder

www.ltcarlson.com

ltcarlson.com.creativity@blogger.com

Mindsets Matter

HIGH NOTES  

August 2015

I have a coffee friend who aptly declares that he is the smile distributor for the Upper Midwest!  Be like Wayne…brighten others' lives.  Linda

MINDSETS MATTER

Every once in a while we come across a book or a person who speaks bold wisdom to us.   A spirit filled friend recommended such a book to me!   Perhaps the author's inspiration will touch you as well.

Kelly McGonigal, PhD, has written The Upside of Stress.  I like that this author has balanced writing about concepts along with research data.  Her reference to "mindsets" is quite profound.  In particular, she describes mindset interventions, which are defined as experiences that open our minds to a new way of looking at life or the facts.  These intervention events are like seeds planted.   They always impact the person even though there is no prediction for sure about when  or how that will happen.

Our world is full of traumatic stress, however, not all stress is bad.  Challenge stress applies to people committed to goals that make life better.  It is hopeful to me in new ways that a light can impact forever for good even those people who have spent way too long in darkness.   Of course, I think first about kids…our future!

In a previous Genesis book , Claiming God's Power and Purpose With Creativity, this is what I recommended to anyone who has faced trauma.: "You will need to look in the mirror and say to yourself:  I am sorry that you were hurt. You are a wonderful person, and I love you."   I call this mindset intervention now!!

Recently, I described myself as an empowered optimist:) This book has added fuel to my fire!  I trust that this warmth of hope will rub off on you, too.

"You cannot swim for new horizons until you have courage to lose sight of the shore."

William Faulkner

GENESIS CREATIVE CONCEPTS

www.LTCarlson.com

ltcarlson.com.creativity@blogger.com

Promoting Natural Wonder

Photo by Melissa Capaul

In endless rolling fields

Crops are planted.

In only a few months

Every farmer's wish will be granted.

New life will reach up;

Growth happens, against the odds.

Most know they added their labor,

But the credit is God's.

Harvest Hope

Jiminy Crickets...It's June!

HIGH NOTES TRILLS

June 2015

           

"Many of life's failures are experienced by people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up."   Thomas Edison

Someone on classical radio said a composer and a poet working together are like 1+1=3.  C'est moi:)  If you want world logic, you likely won't hear it from me.  Linda

WEDDINGS

A friend was recently talking to me about a 50^th Wedding Anniversary celebration in her family.  It reminded me of someone I knew who painted a wheelbarrow GOLD for her parents' 50^th Wedding Anniversary.  It took a lot of work to maintain a relationship that long, through good times and bad!  I think that all of the young couples hearing wedding bells this June or whenever need to spend time with someone who has made it 50 years.  Perhaps this task needs to go on the list proposed by the wedding planner, along with choosing the flowers and counting the dinner guests:)

SUMMER

I just heard that Memorial Day is the unofficial beginning of summer.   What does that mean to you?  For most kids it means no school.   It can be a time for renewal with hammocks, lemonade, baseball, movies, and picnics with friends and family. 

The focus for most people is on "doing" more than "being."  But as my friend, Callie, reminded me today…. we are human beings not human doings.  So draw in a deep breath and allow renewal to wash over you and fill you.  Allow time for play and activities that bring you peace.   Be fully with people you love.  It doesn't really matter what you do together.  

You HAVE heard this here: fill up, fill up, fill up, spill over!  Be intentional about filling up with and spilling over love.

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." 

Martin Luther King Jr.

GENESIS CREATIVE CONCEPTS

www.LTCarlson.com

ltcarlson.com.creativity@blogger.com

Promoting Natural Wonder

Friendship.

Your friend will listen!
Your thoughts always matter.
Your plans describe you…
Ahead, behind, organized, or scatter.

Your friend will lead you…
Look up and learn well.
Be unique like a snowflake
But today is new, who can tell!

Light overcomes darkness--
Maybe friendship is the sulphur on the match.
Strike up a conversation and see.
Undoubtedly there is wisdom to catch.

A hug, a touch, a gleaming eye,
Words spoken in earnest clearly say
Thanks for sharing my path.
Seeing you, knowing you, has brightened my day.

HIGH NOTES

Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries.   Without them, humanity cannot survive.   Dalai Lama

SPRING UP

Recently a High Notes reader I haven't seen for a long time said in a note that she was sure that I was "connecting to others and making this world a better place."  Thank you, Jodi.  All readers' notes help me spring up to new ways to give and earn such an awesome comment.  Together, we make it happen.    Linda

WINNING

We have just come through March Madness.  Our culture is mad about winning.  Many of us have a competitive spirit.  Sports play a big role in entertainment and education.  Beyond the joy of the game is perspective…people are even more important than the game or winning.   Are you spending time, are you playing sports or games of any kind with people you love?   Be a good sport!   Find an activity everyone can enjoy and do it!!  It matters.

SPRING…A TEST IN PATIENCE

Many of us think about spring as a great metaphor for new life.  It is.  But, as I watch the new leaves bud on my trees, I'm aware that in the darkest of snowy winter, I KNEW this was coming!  Maybe some part of me could hardly remember or just hated to be patient.  Or maybe it is easy for us to ignore this cycle of life.   Some parts we might like better than others but surprise is probably not one of our reactions to spring.  I do love the familiar French expression, Carpe Diem, that tells us to focus on today.  I mused about Seattle weather recently and decided that the phrase I used fits spring everywhere and life in general.   Keep watching…something lovely is coming!

INSPIRATIONAL READING

Books can inform us and inspire us.  People can inform us and inspire us.  The two words that describe for me an important part of our process for either are "open" and "seeking." It was great to meet with fellow artists to discuss a book that brought inspiration to us about differences and the power of seed planting.   Kids are usually curious about differences, not afraid and judgmental.   Maybe young children need to be our model in this regard. In this story we read how through a neighborhood experience with gardening, many leaps over harsh global perspectives were made.  It says to me that we can plant seeds, take on big issues in small ways, and make a difference.  If we are to BE the change we want to see in the world, it means being open and seeking the new and different not just same and familiar.

AND...

A Cadillac ad says:  It is not the critic who counts.  Credit belongs to the person actually in the arena!   At the best, know the triumph of big achievement.  At the worst, fail while daring greatly!

Soon...SPRING...New Life

Under the cold, hard earth, tulip bulbs are sleeping.

The sun will warm them, and suddenly they will stretch.

They will stretch from their winter's slumber.

Silently they will reach until daylight.

For them, the sun will show through the ground.

For me, the green suddenly appears.

Under the harsh ice,   

Under the white snowdrifts,

Under the frozen dark earth,

Suddenly green will break through.

Then red or yellow buds will show up.

The color warms my psyche.

The spring sun has warmed my soul

Winter dark days are forgotten.

New life is here.

Spring.   Again.

Eternal hope.

EMPOWERMENT UNLIMITED

HIGH NOTES

February 2015

INVITATION:  Come.  Be Inspired.  Grow your story.

If you live in my area, check with me or the Chaska Library for information on the Inspiration Gathering that will be held monthly at my home/studio starting in March.

EMPOWERMENT

As the New Year moves forward, some people I have talked with find themselves wondering just where they are headed with their lives.   Some like the forward visions they see and some still feel unfulfilled with their possibilities.   It has reminded me of a poem I wrote many years ago that seems like a perfect Valentine gift for people in both certain and uncertain circumstances.  

POCKETSIZE

Stories are pocketsize.

They appear magically before your eyes.

They can be short of long,

Develop in riddle, poetry, or song.

Stories share joy or sadness,

Frolic, folly, maybe even madness.

Reach in your pocket,

Let your hand slip deep

And you’ll be surprised

At the stories asleep,

Waiting to be roused,

Waiting to be told

As possibilities unlimited

Before you unfold.

Just remember that your stories are your lives, not just your memoirs or written tales.   What do people read when they see you?  This is a poem about empowerment, my wish for all of you.   Within you lies the mystery of your life purpose fulfilled in delightful ways.  Check your pocket!

UNIQUENESS

Fortunately we are all different.   It seems like an obvious and innocent truth, yet recently it dawned on me that we are often touched through a unique gift that someone else possesses and shares.   Sometimes our own qualities seem so common, yet we are a part of a great mystery, often providing for someone else the uniqueness they need or value.  Sometimes we'll never know when it happens, but believing that this does occur will give us a new perspective on our own gifts and qualities.  

Proceed boldly in the direction of your dreams and destiny.  Linda

Anything Is Possible

Light the light...smile!

HIGH NOTES

December 2014

Tis the season:)  Linda

Many say that this is the season for light overcoming the darkness.

Midst all of the realities of clouds…in the sky, in lives, in the world's lack of love…there are smiles this time of the year!

Creativity is just like that! 

It's going the extra mile.

It's seeing things just a little differently, even upside down like kids do.

It's doing something a bit unusually that may even bring a smile to yourself or someone else.

A smile is the least expensive yet maybe the biggest gift you can give someone.

For whatever reason, find a way to celebrate life this December with joy.   

Let your eyes twinkle with the light.  Smile:)

"It's not what you have on the outside that glitters in light, it's what you have on the inside that shines in the dark."

― Anthony Liccione

Poetry and Life

A collection of alphabetical letters

Scrambled together to make words.

A collection of words

Scrambled together to capture ideas.

A collection of ideas

Scrambled together to reflect visions.

A collection of visions

Scrambled together to build lives.

A collection of lives

Scrambled together to share hope.

Faith, hope, and love

Scrambled together to share beliefs.

Poetry, messy like life--

First the mess, then the beauty.

October High Notes

Are your thoughts uplifting and inspiring… just like a good book?  Notice what you think about!  Your mind guides your days and ways.   Linda

TRUST:

Steven M. R. Covey has just written a book called the Speed of Trust.  In essence, he says that in professional and personal outcomes, we pay a higher price in dollars and time if we do NOT have trust in relationships.  It is a useful read and good for discussion.  One easy application is to ask for counsel and expertise from people you trust.   Everyone has opinions, many of which will not encourage or thrust you in positive ways.

CLOUDS:

The warm days are gone and the colored leaves have been blown away by the fall winds.  It is easy to say that the clouds create a dark and gloomier day.  But what about thinking of the clouds as just vapors, beyond science, lifting our gratitude and collecting it to soon shower the beauty of winter?  Pollyanna?   Maybe, but empowerment gathers our verve and wits in ways that hopeless resignation never can.

THANKS:

Thanksgiving is just around the corner.  The very first article I ever wrote for a newspaper was done when I was in high school: Let's Put the Thanks Back in Thanksgiving!  It's still a good idea.  Maybe the gratitude we lift to reframe our perception of dark clouds will also prepare us in wonderful ways for the upcoming traditional gathering of thanks.  As you plan for dinner with your family and friends this year, think of the title of the hymn tune—
Come Ye Thankful People Come!

Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted in big matters.

Albert Einstein

Perspective...

HIGH NOTES

By a child we can be led.    Linda

UPSIDE DOWN

Ever watch a young child tipped over and looking at the world upside down through his legs?  Adults generally don't do that, but it certainly provides a new perspective on the same world.  My friend, James, suggests snapping the photo you have just framed and then turning around 180 degrees to catch the view with your camera that is directly behind you.  It is another lesson in perspective.  Increase or change your view and you will have a larger scope of life.

SIMPLY TIP IT!!

I have carried a birthday card propped on a holder in my car for a very long time because the giver was so right about my enjoyment of the colors.  I recently was temped to take it out but instead just tipped it over, which meant the words were now hidden but not the colors or images.  Tipping things upside down is standard operating procedure for kids.   Try it!

NEED HIERARCHY

I have forever been inspired by the wisdom found in the Basic Human Need Hierarchy developed by Abraham Maslow.  I have always drawn this paradigm as stairs, highlighting that the step up is accomplished with greater ease when the lower steps are completed.  For example, it always made sense that basic physical safety and emotional security must be satisfactorily met before anyone can successfully benefit from a circle of belonging.  And completing all of these steps shapes our ability to master life's learning needs and feel totally assured about individual uniqueness.  This matrix has always caused me to focus on the concrete issues first.

But recently I looked at it all upside down!  It occurred to me that the concept of LOVE is the most abstract and draws our thinking and decision making to the highest level.  If we engage at the top and most abstract FIRST, it will totally increase the effectiveness we have in tending all of the other need levels.  Loving myself or loving someone else heightens my awareness and my fulfillment capacity, exponentially.  The tasks become important in new ways.

Why you do something powerfully impacts the what!

"Why was the burning desire to not quit because they were on a mission that was far bigger than themselves.  If you have a big enough reason to do something the "how" will simply show itself." Three Feet from Gold, Sharon Lechter and Greg Reid

The blessings and bane of gold...

Fall is in the air...

Any day is a good day...

Highnotes             

July 2014

Do you know that declaring it will seed it?   Linda

Your body might be more sluggish with summer heat.   Mine is.  Or your body may just be more relaxed with hammock and lemonade time.

But every farmer knows that the roots of seeds planted in the spring are working hard and growing deep during summer months.   The crops are growing tall with sun and rain.  In my area of MN there are farmers who are disheartened because rain and wet fields prevented their seed planting this year.  It made me wonder if my understanding of seeding is as deep and urgent.   It's easy to be ho hum about setting goals and developing visions.  But there is a Biblical statement that says, "Without a vision, people perish."

Undoubtedly you have planted some seeds with your pen, your spoken words, or quietly in your heart. Your visions are growing too.  As you declare them you seed them.  As you believe for them, they do grow.   They may be visions for yourself, personally or professionally.  They may be visions for your family, specifics of growing and thriving.  The Universal sun and your mind provide the energy of blessing as you wait expectantly.

The outcome of visions seeded can surprise, which is good and not just all right.  I have a one-degree theory.  Look just to the left or to the right of what you were "going for" and you may have found your surprise discovery.   Your goal will manifest in delightful ways…especially if you don't give up!

Keep watching!  Wait, hope, and stay expectant.   Visions are taking shape out of sight.

Harvest will come!

Genesis Creative Concepts

www.ltcarlson.com

Promoting Natural Wonder