Category: creativity

creativity, yoga

Leap: The Hands are the Vehicle of the Heart

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest member http://pinterest.com/marface/

This is the first full weekend of my advanced yoga teacher training at ISHTA. The days are long but invigorating. My eyes are already opening to new ways of seeing and my heart is already opening to a new way of being.

As we were learning about the 7 segments of the body that correspond to the chakras. The hands and the heart live within the same chakra. The hands deliver what the heart wishes to create, whether that creation is a hug, a cake, a home, a letter, a painting. Whatever the heart wishes, the hands convey.

The saying “made with love” is more than just a nice cliche. It’s the mechanism by which everything every we make comes into being. What are you building?

art, creativity

Leap: We the Artists, the Pathmakers

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest member http://pinterest.com/susanjenkins/

“The artist is not a special kind of person; rather each person is a special kind of artist.” ~ Ananda Coomaraswamy

It’s what we’re all looking for – a way to find our art, our own unique expression of who we are, where we belong, and why. I believe we are born with our art within us and the purpose of our days is to bring it to life, in full color, for all the world to see.

Our karma and our dharma, our path, is our art. Where does it go? Who will share our path with us? How far does it extend and what shape will it take? These are all questions that we have the freedom and responsibility to answer clearly, succinctly, and authentically. And if we don’t answer these questions for ourselves, then someone else will do it for us.

Don’t let anyone steal your thunder. Go out there and claim the life that is yours. It is a celebration of who we are on the very deepest of levels. We are our art, and our art is made along the path we build.

creativity, goals, learning

Leap: One Picture a Day

Christa Avampato
A picture I took on my first day of my "a picture a day" - daffodils in Union Square, low contrast color setting

For Christmas, my family gave me cash and Amazon gift certificates so that I could put that money toward getting a new digital camera. My old one started to develop its quirks and had been put to goo use for many years. Because I know India will be filled with gorgeous photo opportunities, I wanted to make sure I had a camera that was up to the challenge.

After much research I settled on a Nikon S9100. It’s a bit more camera than I know how to use, but I got such a good deal that I went for it. Though I’ve read the manual, I’ve been reluctant to use anything but the auto mode. The multitude of options served as a great big hurdle and for some reason I was afraid to jump. Irrational, but truthful.

I was recanting this story to my friend, Amy, when she gave me one simple piece of advice. “Take one picture a day, every day. It’s small so you can carry with you everywhere. Take a picture without being concerned with how it turns out. Just choose a setting, snap, and see how it goes.” It’s one of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever heard about photography. It’s also a wonderful guiding principle for life.

Take a big goal and break it down, day by day, frame by frame. Take it, watch, and learn. Practice is for its own sake.

adventure, change, choices, commitment, courage, creativity, passion

Leap: Stop Buying Ice and Start Living

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest member http://pinterest.com/denizyildiz/

I recently had a small group of people over to my house. As I was drafting up my grocery / to-do list, I wrote down “buy ice.” And then I started laughing. I have a freezer. I have ice cube trays. Did I really need to buy ice? No – I had everything I needed. I just had to take the time to fill the trays with water a few times and then crack the ice into a bowl.

We play this game with ourselves all the time. We put off doing what we really want to do because we need more – more training, more money, more contacts, more experience, more time. We have enough. We are enough. We have everything we need to get going right now. Sure, it’s scary. It’s a risk to let go of the familiar, to go off the well-planned, well-worn path. But that’s all it is – scary. It’s not impossible and we’re not incapable in any way. It’s going to take work but we can make it happen.

So many people have stories of a breaking point – an illness, a loss, a tragedy – that awakened them to the passion of their lives. I certainly do. All of a sudden we realize in a very real, non-negotiable way that our lives are finite, that we only get one time around in this form, and that it’s our obligation and deep responsibility to make the most of it.

Don’t wait for the breaking point. Breathe in and breathe out. The anticipation of leaping is much scarier than the leap itself. So gather up your courage and know that whatever you need to get your dreams to take flight, you already have. “Sometimes you just have to take a leap and build your wings on the way down.” (Kobi Yamada)

creativity, hunger, thankful, writing

Leap: Thank You Notes Volume 2

Christa Avampato
Will Ferrell in Casa de Mi Padre

Last week, I wrote my first volume of Thank You Notes in tribute to Jimmy Fallon’s segment. This week I had a few shining and not-so-shining moments:

Thank you, Delta Airlines, for making me fully aware that if I book with miles, then getting me to my destination on time is not your priority.

Thank you, SXSW, for helping me realize that there’s a better way to spend my 9-5.

Thank you, local hardware store, for keeping my wallet safe when I absent-mindedly left it at your counter for a solid 30 minutes before I noticed it was missing.

Thank you, older women, for being the new face of real beauty. Now the rest of us can stop trying to look like we’re 19.

Thank you, Greg Smith, what all people in financial services know but are afraid to say.

Thank you, Rick Santorum, for reminding us what a scary country this would be without separation of church and state.

Thank you, Will Ferrell, for teaching us that we’re never too old to learn a new language.

Thank you, Think Coffee, for showing us that opportunity can be found in the most unlikely places such as a Korean talk show that helped this NYC local business expand internationally.

art, creativity, film, work

Leap: What Hugo Taught Me About Work

Christa Avampato
Asa Butterfield, left, portrays Hugo Cabret, and Ben Kingsley plays George Melies in a scene from 'Hugo.' Tinkering became their common purpose. ASSOCIATED PRESS

“If you lose your purpose it’s like you’re broken.” ~ from the film Hugo

I finally saw Hugo and from the opening shot, I was completely enchanted by the characters, their stories, and the world that Martin Scorsese masterfully created. The line above was the one in the film that snapped me out of my enchanted state and back into reality. Hugo at work in the clock tower wasn’t so much a sentimental endeavor as it was a desire to be useful, to have purpose, and to tinker and learn in the hopes of capturing a message from his father.

All the characters, in their own way, wanted to have a purpose that made them feel alive and valued. It’s what we all want. And the movie holds up a few examples of those who lost their way on the purposeful path and a few counter-examples of those who were resolved in the necessity of a purpose-driven life. That purpose was their most valuable possession.

In this regard, we would do well to let life imitate art. The only work we have to do each day is make it matter.

creativity

Leap: Progress We Make Together

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest member http://pinterest.com/paytoncwel/

“It’s when we start working together that the real healing takes place… it’s when we start spilling our sweat, and not our blood.” ~ David Hume

This quote by David Hume is a wonderful way to frame up a perspective of SXSW. Down here in Austin, it feels so good to hear from and meet so many inspiring people who are living out their purpose. They encourage, challenge, and push one another for the sake of making the world better. Whether it’s in the name of storytelling, great access to quality healthcare, or improving our education system, speakers and attendees flock down to the land that makes it a point to “keep it weird” each Spring in search of kindred spirits. I feel privileged just to be a part of it.

Much more to come once I return to New York next week. In the meantime, I’m soaking in all the goodness that abound throughout this celebration of great people doing great things.

creativity, movie, technology, women, work

Leap: Plan B for Technology’s Unsung Hero, Hedy Lamarr

Christa Avampato
Hedy Lamarr

“All creative people want to do the unexpected.” ~ Hedy Lamarr

We look down on Plan B, as if its accomplishment is not as worthy of our time and attention as Plan A. I’m glad Hedy Lamarr, a stunning actress of the golden age of Hollywood, had a Plan B, and so are you. Of course Hedy Lamarr didn’t need a Plan B to survive and thrive, but she had one and she worked on it diligently, seeing to it that it was as successful than her movie career.

In 1942, with the world immersed in war, Hedy did her part to help the efforts of the Allies. Along with her friend and collaborator, composer George Antheil, she developed and patented frequency-hopping spread-spectrum. In short, it was meant to encrypt communication messages to prevent them from slipping into enemy hands. The technology of the time was not sophisticated enough to take full advantage of Hedy’s invention, but she pushed on. Today, this technology is still hard at work within Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. We use it every day.

Not bad for a Hollywood actress – shaping and transforming the entirety of the tech industry. We need more Plan B’s like that, and more people like Hedy Lamarr.

community, creativity, work

Leap: Do What You Can. It’s Enough.

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest member http://pinterest.com/begeezer/

“Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little.” ~ Edmund Burke

We’ve got problems.

The environment, education, the economy, healthcare, world peace. These are big issues, and they only scratch the surface of all the needs of our community. It’s easy to trick ourselves into thinking we don’t have the power to generate change. It all seems so daunting and it is if we think of them as all or nothing challenges. But if we could do a bit, and perhaps inspire someone else to do another bit, that might be enough of a daisy chain to get us going in the right direction.

I won’t solve the healthcare system’s many ails, but Compass Yoga is helping people feel better in small ways on a day-to-day basis.

I won’t solve the public education complexities, but I’m working with the Joan Ganzy Cooney Center, the educational center of excellence for Sesame Street, as a pro-bono consultant on their STEM (Science, Technology, Education, and Math) video game challenge that encourages students and educators to create and use games as a means of understanding STEM concepts.

I won’t solve the economic conundrum, but I’m starting The Geronimo Project as a way to publicizing incredible work being done by entrepreneurs and people who take big leaps into careers they love.

These are little things but I care about them and the people that they affect, and that’s enough of a reason to keep going bit by bit. What little things are you up to that are making this world a better place? Keep doing them.

adventure, courage, creativity, entrepreneurship

Leap: How Did You Celebrate Leap Day? I Started The Geronimo Project and I Want You to Join Me!

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest member http://pinterest.com/sdl/hell-yes-and-amen/

My house is full of lists – things to do, places to go – far and near, people to contact, things to buy, things to look into. You name the task, and I bet I have a list for it.

Over the past few months as I’ve started my journey to make The Leap into entrepreneurship and a new way to live my working life, I’ve been kicking around an idea that began to take root yesterday, appropriately enough on Leap Day. The timing couldn’t have been more synchronous. Introducing The Geronimo Project, a community of people who took The Leap and share their stories to inspire others.

Back in 2009, I started a column on entrepreneurship for Examiner.com to showcase inspiring entrepreneurs. The column did very well and I wrote a free e-book (please download and share!) to highlight the interviews that were most meaningful to me in my quest to get inside the entrepreneurial mindset. I’ve missed conducting and writing those interviews and since closing out the column in 2010 I’ve wanted to find a way to continue that journey to celebrate the brave people who took a chance to realize their dreams. Also, I’ve become increasingly interested in finding a way to begin doing more video and podcast work. Wrap all that up with my love of teaching (yoga, meditation, personal finance, personal action plans) and it becomes The Geronimo Project.

The site and Twitter feed are incredibly bare bones as I work behind the scenes to bring it all to life. And here’s where I can use your help!

Have you taken The Leap from a stale day job into a career that you love? Do you know someone who did? Did you read an interesting article or see a news clip that highlighted someone who took The Leap? Have you got links to resources, ideas, and advice that you think would be valuable to someone considering the Leap? Do you know someone I should connect with? Send all your ideas on over via email or Twitter – your choice. The more the merrier.

Let’s see what we can build together!