2011

Jan 25

Reflections on Reverb11

After a powerful experience, do you ever find yourself a bit numb—emotionally drained? Do you retreat to the safety of restorative activities that enable you to create some distance between you and the experience? This time for restoration is essential to your ability to digest and process the experience.

During the Reverb11 journey, I noticed that many prompts touched on experiences too close to the surface for analysis. Rather than try to rush the process, I found that I gained clarity by simply noticing that more time was needed. Most importantly, I realized that the act of reflecting does not mean you need to generate grand patterns and interpretations. The act of showing up and reflecting does not need to generate anything new. The experience itself is nourishing.

After a few days away from Reverb11, I spent some time reflecting on the experience. I’ve shared these raw reflections below. Thank you for showing up and sharing this journey with me.

The Good

- My prompt responses brought a new sense of vulnerability to the blog. This vulnerability is scary yet extremely liberating.

- My relationship to comments changed, for the positive. Prior to Reverb11, I was easily let down when a blog post generated very few or no comments. I questioned my content and my identity as a blogger. I was so immersed in writing and interacting with other reverbers that I don’t know which posts generated higher or lower numbers of comments. I love the posts that I created during this time and feel much more comfortable with my role as a blogger. I don’t need a certain number of comments to validate this for me.

- I loved having the Reverb11 Facebook group to vent and connect with others in real time. I definitely want to create a Facebook group for this blog in the near future.

- I responded to all 31 prompts (which I didn’t think I could do). My goal at the beginning was to complete 15 of the 31 prompts. I guess I underestimated myself!

- I loved collaborating with Tiffany on this project. It was so much fun and something I want to do more of in the future.

- 54 people joined the Reverb11 community via the Facebook group (amazing!). This number seemed like the perfect amount. It never felt too crowded and voices never got lost in the mix.

The Not So Good

- The community prompt responses felt scattered. It was difficult to find responses from other reverbers to particular prompts, which I would have loved.

- The linky list disappeared on the reverb11 page on January 1st! Next time, I need to remember to extend the expiration date on the list before the list expires. I was hoping to have the linky list permanently available on the reverb11 page for reference.

- Daily blogging takes a lot of time! I loved journaling my responses to the prompts in my actual journal, but dreaded actually plugging everything in online, editing photos, adding tags, and so on. I would have felt more at ease during the experience if I were able to focus 80% of my time on the creative process and 20% of my time on the administrative process.

- I spent more time online during the holidays rather than offline in restorative mode. I’m happy I noticed this and hope to strike a better balance during reverb12.

The Takeaways

- I am eager to spearhead more community projects.

- Embrace spontaneity. Tiffany and I began this project on December 1st and just went with the flow!

- I surprised myself a lot during the experience (in a good way!). I want to remember this :).

- When a project is meaningful, you don’t focus on the end game the entire time, you are in the moment, immersed in the weeds. This is good. Relish the change in scenery and be sure to notice the beauty within the process.

- Deadlines are helpful and creating personal deadlines illuminate a sense of structure that you crave. But don’t defeat yourself with a deadline. Be flexible if you need a bit more time—especially if you’re enjoying the ride. (I needed an additional 3 weeks to complete reverb11)

- Practice and repetition are very wise teachers.

- I will definitely be hosting reverb12, save the date :).

…

p.s. have you entered the shabby apple giveaway (it is open until fri evening)!

image: pinwheel designs

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Dec 30

Closing Chapter 2011

As we embark on a new year, we have the opportunity to approach this transition with intention.

Imagine for a moment that you can create a bridge for yourself between 2011 and 2012. What does that bridge look like? What does the experience of crossing that bridge feel like? What do you hope to leave behind in 2011? What do you hope to take with you into 2012?

You are able to create a clearing as you cross this bridge—space within 2012 for growth and new beginnings.

Remember that this is your story to tell. What is the ending that you want to write? And how does the next chapter begin?

As you close this chapter, be gentle with yourself. Use self-compassion. Reflect with kindness. Allow yourself to be at ease, to start where you are. Let this transition reflect the way you would like to treat yourself in 2012.

. . .

As I exit 2011, I am saying thank you—to each of you that has been a part of A Beautiful Ripple Effect. To those of you that have read a single post, submitted a single comment, tweeted about a post, pinned an image from a post, emailed a friend or loved one to share what you’ve read here, emailed me about a post, or for spending any other moment on this journey with me in 2011, you have given me a tremendous gift. Your time is precious and I want you to know how much I value the time you take to help me create a beautiful ripple effect of inspiration. As I enter 2012, I will hold this feeling of gratitude close to my heart.

. . .

Wishing you a beautiful journey as you exit 2011 and enter 2012 .

Love,

Carolyn

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Dec 30

Rebuilding Community

UPDATE!! Throughout December, I have been posting my personal responses to Reverb11. Below is my response to the 20th prompt! This post is my last Reverb11 response for 2011. I have decided to complete the final 11 prompts after the New Year (between January 1st and January 15th). I have one or two special posts to share before the New Year. Then, for the first two weeks of January, my posts will be a mix of reverb11 prompt responses and more “normal” posts! If you would like to join Reverb11, feel free to get started after the New Year! There are no rules :). Thank you for being a part of this personal journey!

20. Community. Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2011? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2012? (Author: Cali Harris)

Don’t walk behind me; I may not lead. Don’t walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend. -Albert Camus

In 2011, I feel like I lost a sense of community—both online and offline. I’ve felt more disconnected than usual which is likely associated with a sense of loss with regard to communities that I am no longer a part of this year. Through this sense of loss, I’ve truly come to recognize the importance of community within my life—online and offline, personal and professional.

In 2012, I’m excited to rebuild community into my life. I will be moving in the spring (from Boston to Miami) and hope to join a book club after I get settled. I would also love to get involved with the creative community offline in a meaningful way. Online, I would love to begin to create a community to help individuals connect with others more easily—enable others to come together with ease and feel a sense of connection and unity rather than competition within the online sphere. I think there are so many people, like me, that crave a safe place online to share the ups and downs of our journey and to solicit/provide feedback. I hope that 2012 is the year that I’ll begin to fill this gap in the online community.

image: glitter guide

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Dec 28

A Joyful Life

Note for new readers: Throughout December, I will be posting my personal responses to Reverb11. My posts will be a bit different than usual—more vulnerable, less polished, more frequent, and probably more interesting! However, you can expect some “special” posts  during the month as well. If you’re interested in reading more typical content, check out a few of the most popular posts. Regardless of what you’re reading (or not reading), welcome and happy December!

19. Joy. What does a joyful life look like for you?

A Joyful Life

… is composed of joyful moments.

… is being mindful of joyful moments.

… is now, not tomorrow—it’s a state of being not based on circumstances.

… is grabbing the moment, and not letting it go.

… is feeling giddy about what you’re doing or who you’re with.

… is working smarter, not harder.

… is accepting what is and letting go of what is not.

… is filled with imperfections and mistakes.

… is jagged and rarely smooth, made of turns and leaps—dreams realized and dreams abandoned.

… is undefinable, constantly evolving.

… is available to all who embrace it, all who feel worthy of embracing it. moments of joy enable you to get through life’s darkest moments, especially when you feel joy is the last emotion you should be feeling. it’s during the difficult moments that you need to dig deep and embrace little kernels of joy.

moments of joy. flashes of delight. that is what we live for, that is a joyful life.

What, in this moment, brings you joy?

image: ritzy bee

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Dec 27

Ordinary Sparkling Moments 2011

Note for new readers: Throughout December, I will be posting my personal responses to Reverb11. My posts will be a bit different than usual—more vulnerable, less polished, more frequent, and probably more interesting! However, you can expect some “special” posts  during the month as well. If you’re interested in reading more typical content, check out a few of the most popular posts. Regardless of what you’re reading (or not reading), welcome and happy December!

18. Ordinary Sparkling Moments. Reflect on the ordinary moments that bring you joy (e.g., the tea pot whistling, the sun setting). What moments would you like to relish in the coming year?

For this prompt, I decided to approach my response using a more visual technique. I created the mosaic above to reflect ordinary sparkling moments from 2011—moments that I hope to continue to cherish in the coming year. This mosaic represents such extraordinary happiness. I highly recommend putting together a little personal collage of happy moments/memories from 2011 that you can look back on at any time and feel a surge of joy :).

My Technique (Love reading others’ step-by-step processes so I thought it would be fun to share the nitty gritty details!)

(1) I spent about five minutes journaling ordinary sparkling moments from 2011. After this exercise, I had a list about a page long of happy moments + memories.

(2) Next, I brainstormed how I wanted to share this list. I could type the list and publish it in its raw form or capture the list in a more visual form. Since I have relied on words for most of my reverb11 responses, I chose to move outside my comfort zone and use the visual approach.

(3) I selected a mosaic photo template created by Pugly Pixel for Photoshop.

(4) I searched for photos* to capture a few of the ordinary sparkling moments on my list. After finding about 20 photos, I cropped and edited until I got down to just the right number of photos for this particular mosaic. I knew I was done when I looked at the mosaic and felt a strong emotional response to the collection of images all together :).

*I keep track of images that I find online by creating a new bookmark folder for particular blog posts. For example, for this post, I created a bookmark folder with the name: OSM (Ordinary Sparkling Moments). As I find photos, I bookmark the photo and save it to its post folder so I can easily find the image sources to link back to when I’m finalizing my post. I very rarely will share an image if I can’t find the source to reference.

Ordinary Sparkling Moments 2011 (Image Sources and Notes)

Blogshop Boston (Group Photo) | Carolyn + Lila Rose (Oct. 2011—I remember playing with Lila and feeling such joy. It was a weekend evening and my hubby and I were having a casual cosy night in. I asked him to take a spontaneous photo to capture this ordinary moment of bliss.) | Twinkle Lights (always make me happy) | Pink + Gold Wrapping (this is my new favorite color combination and inspired me to get more creative with my own holiday wrapping this year!) | Book Styling Photo (Leah Verwey shot and styled the most beautiful photos of my book. Looking at this photo and acknowledging this experience makes me incredibly proud and grateful for my book’s journey.) | Carolyn + Ben (Oct. 2011 in Paris—This photo was taken at a fabulous bistro in Paris on our first night. We were so excited to be celebrating our 1st wedding anniversary in such a special place, just the two of us.) | Cocoa and Hearts Painting (My hubby bought me this painting for our apartment. It has the most beautiful pinks and golds in it. In the evening, the gold sparkles and just looking at it brings a smile to my face.)


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