Seattleite Imagery

Week Three Intentions: Rest Easy

noreply@blogger.com (alisha) — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 05:16:00 +0000

I always think it's funny when people say they need to be more self-disciplined, because I have a problem on the opposite end of the spectrum. As mentioned last week, learning to chill out is kind of my continuous education. I'm an uptight Seattleite and I'm stressed out because I have SO MUCH I WANT TO DO -- there's just not enough time in the day. And I want all those things I do to be amazing. What a burden.

This week my goal was to push into something very against my grain: Let go and enjoy. But shouldn't I be working harder? Shouldn't I be more productive? What about my dairy intake?! Aghhhh...

The reality is that I'm a very ambitious person with a lot I want to accomplish. But the counter-intuitive thing is that I can't accomplish much if I'm stressed out, over-stretched, and paralyzed by everything I have to do. The best, healthiest thing to do is to learn how to prioritize and do what's most important (and what has the biggest impact), to get my ducks all in a row, and then let go. Enjoy down time. Do things just for the pure enjoyment. So crazy.

This week I:

carried on with my morning breathing exercise on the way into work each day
when I felt stressed at work, took a quick time out and breathed (it works, I swear)
did yoga twice
got really into oatmeal (so good with cinnamon and rice milk in winter!)
implemented some sweet productivity methods

I'm reading two great books about stress-free productivity right now. Both essentially say that you've got to find a system that works, and then maintain it. Then once you've "closed the loop" on a task or project, your mind is free to rest when the time comes. I'm listening to Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen on audiobook in the morning (after breathing time) and also reading What To Do When There's Too Much To Do: Reduce Tasks, Increase Results, and Save 90 Minutes A Day by Laura Stack. Both are very worthwhile.

I take solace in "rest easy" because it doesn't mean "chill out and be irresponsible." It encompasses a preparedness that allows rest and the wisdom to know that the weight of the world does not sit on me.

This coming week I'm going to continue to focus on developing stress-free productivity skills and further look into stress management techniques. You'd think I'm super stressed, wouldn't you? I'm actually not right now, but I know that in general I am kind of tense person. And I want to take this down time to put good practices into place so that when things do get busy, I'm cool, calm, and collected.

Do you have any good stress management techniques I should try out? I'm all ears.

Week Two Intentions: Clear Out, Chill Out

noreply@blogger.com (alisha) — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 00:27:00 +0000

This past week I set my intention -- I intended to declutter. The result was that I decluttered and then some. Due to packing my belongings and hauling them across both Atlantic and Pacific oceans in the last decade, I don't own a ton of stuff. Also, I have a husband who loves throwing things out, so my house is tidy most of the time thanks to his pacesetting. But due to personal (though minor) hoarding tendencies, I will always be a naturalized minimalist. A little bit of clutter somehow comforts me, but I still appreciate a clean home. I just don't get a kick out of being the one to do it like some people seem to.

Like running, I don't enjoy decluttering, but I like the feeling after it's done. This week I wanted to do a bit of new year's cleaning to start off on the right foot and maybe even motivate me to carry on like this. Here was my plan:

Monday: attack the desk and living room table (aka what I actually use for a desk)
Tuesday: nothing as my friend was in town from the UK! hooray!
Wednesday: go through the closet and make a pile of anything I don't love
Thursday: clear out my beauty drawer
Friday: drawers in dresser and bedside table
Saturday: all my papers (!)

I also wanted to start the practice (however unrelated to clutter) of morning breathing exercises, since stress management is an overarching theme I'm always working on. So for the first ten minutes of my commute, instead of turning on any radio or audio book, I cranked up the ol' respiratory system. I breathed in through my nose for about five seconds, then out through my nose for the same amount of time. It sounds so simple, but it's really amazing what can happen when you get a little oxygen flowing through your body. I honestly bounced into work.

(Get a load of my morning green juice below.)

I was successful in a good hearty clear out, that's for sure. I took in some beauty products to work to give away and filled two bags with clothes I no longer love. And I did get the living room surfaces nice and cleared. But as I was clearing out I realized that the breathing thing was just as important to me, if not more.

I can be pretty militant when it comes to time management and productivity and self-improvement. Self-discipline comes really easy to me. Chilling out and learning how to deal with stress is not so innate. Setting aside breathing time in the morning helps me in my ongoing process of learning to let go of trying to make sure everything in my life is on time and on point, and trust that what needs to happen, will. Letting go and taking action will always be in tension with one another, but I'm an activist in no danger of sloth, so this is the direction I need to lean into for the sake of sanity.

The next few weeks (months, years?!) I want to continue to focus on how to be productive and goal-driven and a contributing member of society, without being stressed out. I hate stress, but also slip into it easily. I think I'll keep up the morning breathing, and this next week I'm going to focus on further de-stressing through some new time and project management technique. Woo hoo. It's going to be a wild one for sure.

A Year of Intentions: Week One

noreply@blogger.com (alisha) — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 22:02:00 +0000

Oh yes, the new year is here and in full effect. In Seattle we started 2013 with three consecutive days of blue skies, which should satisfy us for a few months. With such an auspicious start I'm hoping this is going to be a good year.

With the turn from December to January comes resolutions! Now, I know there are a lot of new years resolutions haters out there. Not me. As a continual improvement and goal-setting junkie, this time of year is an endorphin high.

Perhaps I'm riding that high right now, but I'm thinking about waking this blog up to chronicle (at least for myself) my goal-setting (and achieving!) progress. This November I read Happier and Home and Making Ideas Happen simultaneously, and that combo was deadly from a goal-setting perspective.

In Happier at Home, type-A former lawyer Gretchen Rubin walks us through her school year of setting intentions to improve her home life. It wasn't in shambles, but there's always room for improvement, isn't there? I was inspired by her unapologetic, meticulous approach to personal transformation, and the way she chose a focus area for each month, with tangible goals to help her improve on that theme.

In Making Ideas Happen, author Scott Belsky, outlines a project management approach to life, work, and personal organization. He's got this wild folder system that I snapped right up. Basically, each area of your life warrants it's own project folder, broken down into an action list, a backburner ideas list, and references (which are kept inside). I immediately fused his concepts with the Happier at Home ones, jotted down my project ideas, and busted out the manilla envelopes to get at it.

I don't have a full outline for the year, but I have decided that my theme for January is reset. And the first week my focus is health.

Last year I did a hard-core month of health resetting (I highlighted my top tips here). January is usually a great time to to regain control of my body and start the year as I mean to go on. This whole month I'm going off dairy (going partial vegan last year was one of the best things I've ever done for my health), sugar, alcohol, and processed food, and getting out of some lazy food and coffee habits. For this past week I also decided to go on gentle cleanse to kick start things.

This week my health intentions included the following:

January 1: no coffee, chocolate (!), sugar, dairy, etc.
January 2 - 4: same as above, plus...

make homemade lemon, ginger, and cayenne pepper tea to drink on the way to work (also to keep hands warm in the mason jar)
start the day with a fresh-squeezed green juice at PCC, spend some time focusing my mind for the day, and do 15 minutes of writing
sip warm water throughout the day (apparently good for cleansing), sometimes I mix things up by adding apple cider vinegar (which my colleague informed me tastes horrific, but I like)
mid-morning snack is a glowing green smoothie
afternoon pick me up is the almond berry energy smoothie (based on this recipe)
teeccino with cinnamon and almond milk (best & only coffee substitute)
Firefly Kitchens Ruby Red Sauerkraut for a snack (great for digestion thanks to all those probiotics)
clean, plant-based dinner

As I sip my first coffee of the year I am happy to conclude success on this cleanse! Though my brain was a bit fuzzy on Wednesday going back to work -- due to the four day weekend and caffeine withdrawals -- I pushed through. I am a healthy eater overall, but even I can get lazy, start drinking more coffee than I need, bingeing on frozen chocolate chips in the evenings when I'm stressed, or just eating the same thing over and over again (roasted cauliflower got plenty of air time on my dinner table in 2012). Doing this "gentle cleanse"was a great reminder of what is possible with my health.

Even though I definitely have extremist tendencies with goal-setting and food (and so forth), I'm still all about scheduling in splurges. Like, tonight Dan and I going out to dinner and I fully intend not to order kale juice or anything with nutritional yeast or raw cashew nut butter. After this week I'm back on the coffee (because it makes my life better), and I cannot wait to get my mitts on a bar of chocolate as a weekend treat. The aim is to not let these treats become the norm.

So, well done week one. I'm still deciding what my focus will be for next week (so many options, I'm stressing out!). But expect a full report at the end of next week.

Are you setting any intentions for the year?

Shh...

noreply@blogger.com (alisha) — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 02:40:00 +0000

Quiet please. My blog is taking a bit of a nap.

A "nap" might be an understatement for a six-month hiatus, but he was really tired. I mean, he's been going for it internationally since 2007.

Anyway, I'm not sure what's going to happen with this blog, but I feel good (great) about leaving it dormant for a wee bit longer.

If you've stumbled here, feel free to poke around some of my favorite posts from the past:

Or, head on over to The Chalkboard to see some more of my recent writing.

When this little guy wakes up, I'll be sure to let you know.

It's early...

noreply@blogger.com (alisha) — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 06:02:00 +0000

I've been waking up at 5.30 am on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays these past few weeks. It is by choice, though I may not have been of sound mind when choosing that choice. A pre-dawn boot-camp Groupon sounded positively invigorating when I signed up in January. And it is... once I can get out of bed and into the dark, wet Seattle mornings to the Phinney Ridge Neighborhood Association building.

When I wake up I tell myself, "Don't think, Alisha." Auto-pilot is the best way to get myself there.

After totally working the squats for an hour I do feel awesome, as anticipated. I signed up for this punishment not only for the physical benefits, but also just to remind myself that, not only can I wake up at 5.30 am to work-out, I am capable of quite a bit more. Starting my morning like this helps me to focus and get the momentum going for the rest of the day.

I'm totally into morning rituals to give me a bit of rhythm. These days, my ritual/ get-out-of-bed bribe is listening to my audio version of The Help in the car on the way to boot camp. (Audio is a great way to read The Help by the way. Those voice actors are something else!). It's so good I often find myself doing several loops around the neighborhood before parking to hear what's going to happen next.

When I wasn't doing morning work-outs, I started my day like this...

It's an immunity tea that really wakes the body up. The cayenne gives that little extra kick. (Be careful not to inhale any surface cayenne while drinking, now that is a kick.) While sipping I write my morning pages and set my intentions for the day. Sometimes I read for 20 minutes, just because. Then I drink drip coffee to off-set the immunity tea -- we can't be perfect.

I love having rituals to help me get going and stop me from reinventing the wheel every morning when faced with a new day. Even though I've been waking up and getting on with things successfully for three decades, it's always a bit of a shock to get started, isn't it? Rituals ease me right in...

What are your morning rituals?

Raw, vegan AND happy? All at once?!

noreply@blogger.com (alisha) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:23:00 +0000

Welcome back!

That's what my blog said when I logged on today. This five month blog sabbatical has certainly been restful, but I was encouraged to restart the ol' engine today as I'm kind of overflowing with information.

{Image from The Chalkboard Mag. Recognize that handwriting? That's right.}

At the end of 2011 I decided to kick off the new year with a month of intentional eating, or whatever the socially correct term for diet/ detox/ cleanse may be. I like the word reset, which I stole from Sarah Fae over at the incredible Addicted to Veggies website.

After just one too many peppermint crinkle cookies over the holidays I was ready to reset my health.

I read a lot of health and nutrition books but there was one that captivated my attention last year called The Beauty Detox Solution. I didn't become obsessed with it because of a desire to become even more beautiful, but more for the detox solution part. The author, Kimberly Snyder, packed that book with all sorts of good practice for healthy digestion and eating for cleansing, and she presented it all in a way that resonated with me.

Talking about digestion makes for fascinating conversation, but not the type you engage in as ice breaker material at a party. But this year one of my goals was to focus on gut health. Not only the literal gut and caring for my colon and surrounding digestive organs, but also my intuitive gut, and learning how to listen to it better.

I think this focus on gut health may have been a great example of me listening to my gut to be honest. For some reason I just became fascinated with digestion, and as I began the "reset" my grandmother was diagnosed with abdominal cancer -- a complete shock to everyone. By the time they found the cancer it was spread all throughout her GI and abdominal organs, she was give ten days to live and she passed away on January 18 during one of the biggest snowstorms we've seen in a awhile. Cancer has taken another wonderful woman (who lived a long and rich life though -- my grandma was almost 90 years old). While I mourn and celebrate a life, I can also say my digestive vigilance has been strengthened.

This month, even with clearly a lot going on, I dug right in. Consider me reset. I feel healthy and empowered to make good, veggie-centric choices. I'm not going to become a hard-core vegan but I am definitely going to lay off the dairy from now on.

Last week, when a friend said they were about to start a Beauty Detox Solution-inspired plan I wrote down some of the key things I've learned along the way. I thought I'd capture them and share with anyone else as interested as I am in this plant-based, whole food, raw, vegan diet.

Here's what I did and what I learned:

Week 1: Elimination Giving up my favorite toxins (coffee, chocolate and alcohol) nearly killed me, but it felt great to remind my body who was in control. Because herbal tea is no substitute for coffee, I was ecstatic to discover a formidable substitute called Teeccino. You can get it in tea bag or ground-up format, it's caffeine free and, with a bit of cinnamon and almond milk, is as good a replacement for coffee that you'll find.

Throughout the month I focused on these basic tenets:

Attempt to eat raw until dinner
Vegan throughout (since I'm veggie anyway the main sacrifice was the dairy, though I'm surprised how quickly I got used to it. It helps when you start thinking about milk and cheese as "cow mucus", a term vegans seems to love. )
Start each day with a glowing green smoothie. Yes, it's green and an unorthodox breakfast choice, but I have converted a fair few omnivores to this amazing drink (see below).

Weeks 2 & 3:Sustain My original plan was to do some juice fasting in this second week, but life got a bit hectic and, listening to my body, I realized this wasn't the best time for it. As someone prone to extremism, though I loved the challenge of a mostly raw, vegan month, I knew that my long-term health was more important than winning a short-term health challenge. I wanted to try some new recipes, supplements and methods to build my heath portfolio and see what things worked for me. Also important to me, in addition to a squeaky clean colon, is quality of life. Stressing about food and deprivation isn't worth it, so giving myself grace through scheduled in splurge meals helped get me through. In week 2 I reintroduced coffee and dark chocolate (70%), but only every other day to give my body a break. (Baby steps.)

My average day looked like this:

Wake up to hot water with sliced ginger, a load of lemon and a dash of cayenne pepper
Probiotics: I used New Chapter and was happy with them. Want to check out Dr. Ohhira's (apparently the best, not cheap though). Heard that Garden of Life and Mega Foods are also good brands. Probiotics are good for grooming your helpful intestinal flora.
Glowing Green Smoothie! (love adding herbs such as basil, cilantro or mint. Ginger is also great; I use two apples instead of a pear, sprouts are good in it too. Love kale in the winter as a spinach sub.)
Some quiet time to set my intentions and remind myself what I'm doing. It's kind of a prayer/ meditation/ quiet time. At the beginning of the week I did some meal planning as well to make sure I had a general plan. Having a plan is essential.
Lunch: tried lots of Kimberly Snyder's recipes from the BDS. Lots of big, veggie-laden salads with yummy homemade dressings, some raw soups and, when really hungry, some avocado toast with Ezekial 29 sprouted bread. (Using coconut oil instead of butter is amazing. The toast isn't raw but we can only do so much.)
Snack: some fruit, kombucha (Love the GT brand gingerade flavor -- this stuff is amazing and full of probiotics, you can load up at Whole Foods or PCC; the cherry chia was also fun); raw almonds; a frozen banana smoothie with cinnamon/ almond milk/ splash of vanilla extract may rock your world. A good snack for when you need an energy boost is chia seeds soaked in almond milk with a bit of cinnamon/ sliced banana. I really like the taste!
Dinner: tried lots of new recipes, roasted or steamed veg with dressing, quinoa, salad. Basically just loaded as many vegetables into my body as possible with homemade dressings. Added 1-2 TBSP ground flaxseed. Great nutty taste and Spectrum is a good brand. Tried making the Probiotic & Enzyme salad but the Firefly Kitchen brand is much tastier. I love their kimchi and their Ruby Red Saurkraut is good too. This stuff is not cheap though ($6-10, depending on the type you get).
Before bed: detox tea (Traditional Medicinals or Yogi tea, or just plain Mint tea); magnesium supplements. Just started taking the Mag07 supplements that Kimberly recommends (supposed to filled your gut with oxygen and clear you right out!) but the jury is still out on these.

{Photo by SimplyRecipes.com}

Other tips:

Raw apple cider vinegar is supposed to be good for digestion. Braggs is a good brand. I've been putting a splash into hot water and sipping on that and it's surprisingly good.
Nutritional yeast is great for flavoring. You can use in dressings or sprinkle on food like parmasan. I bought some in the bulk section of my local supermarket, but again Braggs is a good brand to buy in a container.
I've been drinking tons of almond milk and am planning to try making some in the coming weeks. Raw almonds are always great to have on hand for when you hit an energy slump.
I've found that the whole principle of light to heavy eating really works for me. Also, I try and eat my carbs for lunch and proteins for dinner and try my hand at food combining where possible. This can be a pain so I just keep it in the back of my mind. In BDS Kimberly goes into more detail about why it's good to think about food combining, and though I'd always been opposed (so much hassle) she makes some good points and I find it really works.
I highly recommend scheduled-in splurges so all this change doesn't seem oppressive. I think quality of life and not stressing about food is really important for digestion (and general happiness) so I'm not out to kill myself.
www.iherb.com is a great place to buy natural food items. Cheap and no shipping costs, plus you can choose some free samples with each order. First time buyers can use my voucher code (VUF744) for $5 off.

Favorite recipes:

Carrot-ginger dressing a la Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop (I LOVE this!)
Liquid Gold Elixir dressing from Natalia Rose. (Note: I use 1/2 cup lemon juice, olive oil, skipped the bee pollen and chili powder and cut the garlic in half. You can totally make it to taste. This is amazing over steamed veg and quinoa.)
I'm always experimenting with a new combo of tahini, miso paste, sesame oil, ginger, garlic and tamari (just because nama shoyu/ raw soy sauce is like $10 a bottle) for dressings. Just a few tablespoons of tahini &/ or miso with the juice of a lemon and some water is always a treat. I am, in fairness, naturally inclined toward Asian-flavored foods.
Beauty Detox Solution recipes: love the oil-free basil lover's dressing (tastes like pesto), the raw teriyaki sauce is good and the red pepper soup I made several times.

Other resources: I find that reading about healthy eating during a reset is helpful. So much of our food choices are down to planning and motivation, so keeping the motivation levels high is important.
- Books: Beauty Detox Solution by Kimberly Snyder; Crazy Sexy Diet by Kris Carr; Clean by Alejandro Junger; Raw Food Detox Diet by Natalia Rose
- Blogs: Linda Wagner; Kimberly Snyder (worth signing up to her newsletter); Addicted to Veggies (tons of raw, vegan recipes); Spinach & Yoga; The Chalkboard Mag (overall wellness features)
- Videos: Forks Over Knives (what my husband calls vegan propoganda); Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead (haven't seen but comes highly recommended), Crazy Sexy Cancer (haven't seen, just heard about).
  
  Hope there are a few morsels of wellness you can pick out and use for yourself!

Fallow blog

noreply@blogger.com (alisha) — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 05:08:00 +0000

I've been pretty poor at tending my blog this summer. Even after all the excitement over the new title, I just deflated. I used to be incredibly consistent, staying up late to post at least once per week. I knew that consistency is key and I knew that I needed to be building my platform if I ever want to get published. I knew that sometimes you have to work through a lack of inspiration and get 'er done.

But in this season, despite all these things about blogging that I know, it's felt right to let it go a bit.

At first I thought I was simply being unmotivated, but recently a word came to me for how I feel: fallow.

Fallow means left unsown for a season in order to restore fertility.

My e-creativity needs that, no matter how many rules of blogging this fallowness breaks. I'm such a rebel.

I'm not sure how long this fallow thing will last, I just thought I'd put it out there so you'd know that I'm not being lazy, just seasonal. See you whenever the sowing season starts up next!

10 on 10 Photo Project:: August

noreply@blogger.com (alisha) — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 07:46:00 +0000

A staff picnic at Lake Wilderness Park in Maple Valley meant that my day started out like this...

Fortunately, the first aid kit was unnecessary, but it was good to know the park's health and safety standards were up to scratch. Leslie Knope would be proud.

Not bad for a Wednesday morning, really.

Food was consumed.

Newborn babies were corralled around.

The view of Seattle coming from the south on 99 can sometimes be stunning. You'll have to just trust me on this.

Blueberries!

The first of the dahlias has bloomed. In a few weeks we'll have these bad boys coming out of our ears, and I cannot wait.

The first tomato of 2011. Woo hoo. A real week of firsts in the garden.

I have been on an absolute tahini rampage recently. This is the dressing I've been using from Mayumi's Kitchen (Mayumi was Madonna's personal chef for years) and it's been treating me well so far. If you have any good tahini tips or recipes, do share!

Ten on ten is a monthly photo project started by Rebekah at a bit of sunshine. If you want to play next time, just take ten photos on the 10th of the month and post them on your blog. Check out other people's days here.

Don't Think, Just Jump

noreply@blogger.com (alisha) — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 20:24:00 +0000

Well, I'm back from my first Writer's Conference, which was equal parts amazing, stimulating and exhausting! My goal was to learn as much as possible about the craft of writing and the industry of publishing and to pitch my project to agents and editors. This pitching business, as you may imagine, is kind of nerve-wracking. Cold-selling is never fun, but it's even harder when you are so intimately involved in the product. When pitching memoir you are not only pitching your voice and storytelling skills, but also, as the main character, your life. No pressure or anything.

My philosophy on doing frightening tasks is to jump right in without thinking too much. Which is how I ended up in an Albanian refugee camp when I was 19 or in central England with no job, money, friends or family (barring my new husband) when I was 25. These are two decisions I'm very glad I made, though if I would have thought too hard about what I was getting myself into I may not have made those jumps. Thinking -- though not without its merits -- can be an incredibly dangerous procrastination tool.

One tidbit I took away this weekend was that, over his typewriter, Ray Bradbury posted the words "Don't think." From Bob Mayer's excellent talk, I was also encouraged to lean into fear, because action is the only way to grow courage.

So, this weekend I leaned right in and approached as many people as possible to tell them about my book. I submitted my synopsis to a synopsis boot camp to be torn apart, America's Got Talent-style. I put myself out there. Though it was scary at first, it certainly became much easier by the end. And I was really encouraged by response, the crazy reality that my book just may be interesting to other people.

The pro-activity also introduced me to some new writer friends, such as the lovely Alexis, a Young Adult paranormal fiction writer also living in Seattle, and Heidi, an inspirational girl from B.C. who is writing a memoir about a car accident that killed her best friend, burned 52% of her body and required the amputation of both her legs below the knee. But you'd never know it from Heidi's bubbly personality that she'd gone through all this. I just watched a video that tells her story and definitely encourage you to do the same.

Sometimes jumping right in without thinking isn't always the best tact, but this weekend it was well worth it.

What about you? When it comes to approaching something outside your comfort (something you know you need to do), do you generally think first or just jump right in?

The importance of having purpose

noreply@blogger.com (alisha) — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 18:59:00 +0000

One of my favorite book genres is memoir. I love knowing that a story is based on real life and that I can go on wikipedia and google images and stalk the author after I finish reading the book, gathering as much behind-the-scenes information as possible. Another reason I read memoir is that I'm writing a memoir, and it's important to read in the genre you work in.

A perk of writing memoir is the wealth of primary material from which to draw on. I've got so many stories from my four years in the UK that I'll never be able to use them all. Like the time I was walking home one summer evening from a friend's house in Fulham and totally slipped on what I quickly realized was human vomit. It was quite unpleasant, seeing as I was wearing flip flops and a skirt and had to ride the bus home with the remnant barf caked to my shin. When writing a book about your life you get to relive your stories again and again as you brainstorm, write and rewrite and rewrite some more.

Until there comes a point after you've spent a year and a half rehashing your stories ad nauseum when you get so sick of reliving the same four years and want to just move on with your life and not have to think about England every single day.

It's easy, when you are the topic of your writing project, to become jaded and dismissive -- who would want to read about little old me slipping on human vomit in West London? It's times like these when I need an author statement to bring me back to the purpose behind why I write.

I was inspired about this the other month while reading the memoir This is Not The Story You Think It Is. The author, Laura Munson, was certainly correct about the title -- even though I'd read the synopsis there was still way more too this my-husband-is-leaving-me-but-I-don't-buy-it play-by-play than I expected. Ms. Munson had 14 novels rejected by publishers before getting this memoir about the intense summer of marital strife published and she has a lot to say about contentment, intentionality, success and living the creative life.

She must have gone back to her author statement many times throughout the years of writing and rejection, trying to see in the dark what the point of writing more words even was.

I've written statements like an author statement in the past, but after I read hers I decided to whip one up again. Here's what I came up with: "I write to bring truth, encouragement, clarification, simplicity and life where it's needed. To bring order out of chaos and wholeness out of confusion. To help people, rich and poor, live to their full potential and to thrive."

It may not mean much to someone else, but for me it's important to come back to my purpose as often as necessary. I've been loving the following quote recently, which pretty much sums up the importance of vigilant purpose-honing:

"People don't leave because things are hard. They leave because it's no longer worth it."

Creating something from scratch is exhausting work, but when you have purpose, it's completely worth it. It reminds me that my story is about much more than slipping on vomit (that anecdote's probably not going to make it in the book, sadly), it's about sharing a journey and encouraging people on similar journey's along the way.

Do you have a purpose statement? I won't ask you to share it but encourage you to think about what it would look like.

OK, now back to writing that book of mine... :)

My first fashion fashion show

noreply@blogger.com (alisha) — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 05:29:00 +0000

Despite that fact that recent blog posting frequency may suggest otherwise, I've actually been quite active in the last few weeks. On Tuesday night I even attended my first fashion show! The aLIVE event in South Lake Union was fantastic -- turn-of-the-century vintage meets locally-designed jewelry meets multi-cultural celebration inspiration. So much was happening.

The best part for me was that half the proceeds of the evening are going to benefit the wonderful refugee resettlement work World Relief Seattle does around the Puget Sound area. It's not only because I work there that I say this of course. I truly believe in what World Relief does helping refugees plug into the community and connect with the people and resources they need to become sustainable.

The other half of the proceeds will go to the YWCA's Dress for Success program. I don't work for them (a girl can only have so many jobs) but I'm a fan. Through personal shopping for professional attire and career development services they are empowering disadvantaged women to thrive in work and life. What's not to love there?

Several refugees displayed their artwork (above) and I really enjoyed hearing from a women who is a refugee from Iran. She was incredibly positive and a great speaker, but said that one of the hardest things about her new life here is that it's difficult for her and her husband to find time to be together. He works the graveyard shift and she works mornings. I think carving out time for relationships is something a lot of us can relate to.

I LOVED these sewn brown paper goodie bags and took quite a few photos for inspiration for when I one day learn to sew properly. The postcard on the left features two refugee sisters from Iraq who are now working at my friend's Feather Hair Extension Company, Plume. It's been a great set-up for the sisters and the business. If you're in the position, hiring refugees to work for you is really a fantastic way to contribute to local resettlement efforts.

The whole she-bang was put on by the multi-talented Carly Holtzinger, a recent graduate of Seattle Pacific University who did the whole thing on a volunteer basis. This girl's got some serious talent and drive and World Relief was incredibly honored to benefit from her vision.

I'm planning to jump back on the blog wagon, so expect some more from me in the coming weeks! I'm headed to a Writing Conference next week and will have plenty to share I'm sure.

Hope you all have a great weekend.

{Top Photo by Mike Fiechtner and the rest ala my iphone}

Which business card design do you prefer?

noreply@blogger.com (alisha) — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 14:42:00 +0000

I'm getting business cards made up for the Writing Conference I'm attending in August and am having a hard time choosing the look. Any thoughts on these options?

Front A

Back A (possibly with the gray crown that's below as my inserted logo)

Front B

Back B, centered, could be in a different color

I'm decisive about most things, but not things as important as paper products!

Also, if you're on Pinterest check out my business cards board -- there are some great ideas out there. And if you're not on Pinterest, get on, it may change your life. Or at least your on-line habits. :)

Thanks for your thoughts on these options!

This American Wife: Building Life Across the Pond

noreply@blogger.com (alisha) — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 19:12:00 +0000

So, a few updates are in order. As you can tell I've been playing around with my header and have a new blog name for the time being. Also, if you've read my little bio on the right, you may notice that I have a new working title for my memoir about life in the UK.

This American Wife: Building Life Across the Pond

I am, of course, a sucker for a good pun. But I'm not sure if this crosses some respectability line, or even some copyright line. I hope not, because I think it works in a lot of ways. A huge theme of the book is being an American abroad. And though I'm not focusing on my marriage in the book, the fact remains that we moved to England three weeks after the wedding and my wife status is what got me through immigration.

Part of the fun (and frustration!) in the creative process is following along in the wild goose chase of where your project is heading. This is where I'm at right now, but who knows what the final book will be called.

For the blog direction, I am planning to hone in on my niche as This American Wife. Meaning, I'm going to focus on topics including, but not limited to:

    •    Life in England (but sometimes New Zealand and Japan sneak in too)
    •    Moving back home to the States with my British husband, Dan
    •    Cross-cultural shenanigan, joys and mishaps
    •    The Writing Life and the creative process

Faith is always at the center of who I am and what I do, so you may find that seeping in as well.

Well, enough of the introductions. I hope you like where I'm going. If you think my new title is awful please let me know sooner rather than later to save me the embarrassment. Any encouragement also taken.

Here's to a great weekend!

The Civil Wars at the Triple Door

noreply@blogger.com (alisha) — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 01:11:00 +0000

For a girl who sometimes wonders if she's indifferent to live music, I've sure been to a lot of gigs. Life just seems to really think that free concerts are what I need, so free concerts are what I get. Take, for example, spending my first two years in England working in events management, attending 10 summer music festivals, including the world-famous-in-the-UK Glastonbury, going on now to kick off the British summer. I saw every possible band and singer-songwriter and Korean lutist and drum and bass dj possible. Bringing my husband along to the festivals as lead volunteer worked well -- it was the perfect job for Dan. I would, however, be muddy and tired in the middle of a field listening to Arcade Fire or We Are Scientists thinking wouldn't it be nice if I were curled up, warm and indoors, with a thick book.

I exaggerate to prove a point, but the truth is that for me, the perfect concert is indoors, seated and drowning in bluegrass, folk-inspired harmonies. The perfect concert is The Civil Wars at the Triple Door.

Dan, in his love for live music, reviews gigs for various publications in Seattle. Sometimes I go along because I don't really hate concerts and because I do love hanging out with my husband. But though I will attend a dubstep or broken beat night at Dan's suggestion, sometimes I can't help myself and suggest a band for Dan to review that will be perfect for me.

Last night was my night.

I won't even try to do a proper review since the main detail that sticks out to me is Joy Williams' amazing black dress with thin brown belt (and the fact that that lady can sing, of course). But do check out Dan's review for City Arts magazine for a run-down of the evening.

And then, go check out The Civil Wars beautiful Poison and Wine video and their amazing support act, live from Dublin, James Vincent McMorrow, who reminded me a bit of Damien Rice and not just because they're both Irish.

That we were home by 10.30pm was not the best part of the evening, but it certainly was ideal. Can you believe that I'm going to be 31 next month? Yes? I'm thinking this is going to be a great decade.

Happy Father's Day

noreply@blogger.com (alisha) — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 07:24:00 +0000

Do you know who my number one fan is? It's my dad. That's why today I want to do a little post in honor of John Griffith.

Dad, you really are the best and I'm so lucky to be your daughter. I hope this picture of baby Alisha brings back some good (or tired?) memories of the early years.

Speaking of good memories, I couldn't resist sharing this video. It was only fitting. So, if you had a Seattle childhood or love baseball or if this 1989 Upper Deck rookie card means anything to you..

...then you've got to watch My Oh My by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, below.

I hope fathers and daughters and mothers and sons (does that cover everyone) have a great day celebrating family.

Ambition, Contentment & Impact

noreply@blogger.com (alisha) — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 04:49:00 +0000

There is this sweet spot of tension between what I want and what I have that I'm continually dancing around.

Right now, I have the gift of flexibility in my schedule and time. On so many drizzly 7am London bus rides into the office I salivated over this.

But because I thrive on change, there's a huge part of me that is desperate for something new, a challenge. I mean, I've lived in Seattle for one whole year already -- it almost feels like we should be thinking about moving again! (Don't worry, we're not.) A huge part of me, instead of waking up grateful for this golden season -- this time to go to coffee shops and write my book, to meet up with friends during the middle of the day, to savor life on my own sweet time -- is ready for what's next. I don't know why I'm so quick to rush this season. Self-sabotage? Ha!

I've had to keep myself in check lately, to remind myself not to swing too far to the ambition end of the pendulum, the what I want side. It almost feels un-American, because here, in general, we love the addiction of success. I'm certainly not immune. One of the things I LOVE about being home is that in the US, in Seattle in particular, there is this intangible drive for innovation and, well, success. I hear it in conversations and can just feel a sense of positivity and forward movement. I think it's fantastic, in moderation.

As a naturally ambitious person nurtured in a success-driven society, contentment is a skill I've had to learn. And re-learn. Right now, in the middle of this tension between what I have and what I don't, I'm practicing through the simple act of listing what I'm thankful for. Contentment takes a while to seep in and take over, but it's worth the fight.

I'm also keeping my priorities in check. What motivates me, beyond success and contentment, is impact. I've had to remember lately that what I want out of my time, my work, my creative pursuits and my relationships is to make a positive impact. It doesn't have to be earth-shattering, but in my own small way in the season I'm in, I want to make a difference. I want conversations that bring life and small acts that remind people to hope. I want to care more about stepping out of my comfort zone to encourage and love and less about what people think of me. I want prayer that moves the real mountains of confusion and isolation (among other first world mountains) that people around me face every day.

Here in this tension I want to be deliberate, and I'm starting with this post.

Does contentment come naturally for you? What are you secrets to enjoying what you have instead of always being ready for what's next?

{photo from www.flickr.com }

Ten on Ten Photo Project:: June 2011

noreply@blogger.com (alisha) — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 03:55:00 +0000

I haven't participated in the 10 on 10 photo project for several months, but after the sun came out this afternoon I caught some inspiration.

Yummy lavender cupcake ala Cupcake Royale -- what a way to start a Friday!

And it's peony season! What could be better. I'm a bit of a let's-photograph-beautiful-flowers girl, so here we are, the peonies on my coffee table.

Found this card for my cousin's birthday, which is today. Sarah, if you're reading, happy birthday and, well, no surprises now on the card. {Card by Lark Press from Sip & Ship in Ballard}

Boot camp at the I-5 Colonnade Park, one of the most interesting places in Seattle in my book. The geniuses made a cement and gravel mountain bike park under the freeway overpass that includes a healthy staircase to serve as the base of my thirty minute work-out. Great use of space with a sweet view of Lake Union.

Bussin' it home, Seattle Metro style...

The fun walk home...

Never a cloudy day? In Seattle? Not completely accurate, but I'll take it.

Jenny and Jeff (mowing the lawn off to the side) caught in the act of being excellent homeowners. I love being their neighbors. :)

Juicy strawberries growing strong in the back garden, a delight to come home to.

To check out other 10 on 10 entries head to Rebekah's beautiful blog a bit of sunshine.

Here's to a lovely weekend. I'm about to cozy up with a book and hot tea and enjoy the evening. What are you up to?

Rainy Day Curry: Pass it on!

noreply@blogger.com (alisha) — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 20:19:00 +0000

Yesterday, like so many days in Seattle, was a rainy day. And since I had just checked Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution out from the library, and since my friend Adriana was coming over for dinner, I decided that it would the perfect occasion for a rainy day curry. There's just something so comforting about a homemade curry on a rainy day -- or at least that's what I imagined, since it's not like I'm making curries all the time around here or anything. But seize the diem and all that.

In England I never actually tried any Jamie Oliver recipes, but his Food Revolution cookbook caught my eye. I love his philosophy of simple, delicious and affordable meals. I'm into good food and all, but I can't 100% say that I love spending the time necessary to cook it, so simplicity is my motto. Also, Jamie talks about the concept of passing it on, and sharing recipes and cooking skills with friends. I thought it would be fun then for Adriana and I to make the meal together so both of us would have a new recipe in our arsenal, should it go well. Skill-sharing in sweet action.

I chose his Chicken Tikka Masala recipe and tweaked it to be veggie friendly, subbing my ubiquitous chickpea and petit pois for chicken. The sauce was made using Patak's curry paste, and it turned out well. Phew! The ginger added a really nice flavor burst, in my opinion.

To really push the boat out I found a Mango Lassi recipe, the perfect compliment to a curry. I wanted to try out Jamie's Lassi recipe, to keep to his brand for the evening, but wasn't bothered to be converting from milliliters if not utterly necessary, so created my own recipe. Adding the vanilla was key for me.

Fresh-cut flowers from the garden to accent the meal.

And here we are... Overall, I was impressed with the recipe. I think adding the extra water as called for is unnecessary, but feel free to play it by ear. Hope you can try it out sometime, and let me know if you do.

Chicken Tikka Masala (From Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution)
serves 4-6

4 skinless chicken breast fillets
2 medium onions
1 red chili
a thumb-sized piece of root ginger
a small bunch of fresh cilantro (ie coriander)
peanut or vegetable oil (I just used olive oil & it was fine)
a pat of butter
1/2 cup mild curry paste such as Patak's
sea salt & freshly ground pepper
1x 14oz can of diced tomatoes
1x 14oz can of coconut milk
1 cup natural yogurt
a small handful of sliced almonds (optional)
lemon

Instructions, abridged
Cut your chicken into strips and peel and slice your veg. For the cilantro, take the leaves off and put to the side for garnish and chop the stalks for the sauce.

Put a large pot on a medium to high heat and put the oil and butter in. Add the onions, chili, ginger and coriander and cook for 10 minutes.

Add the curry paste and strips of chicken (or chickpeas!). Stir well to coat everything and season with some S&P. Add the tomatoes and coconut milk. And the controversial step: Fill one empty can with water, add to the pot and stir again. Bring to a boil and then simmer, with lid on, for 20 minutes. Check on it to make sure it doesn't burn and smoke out your kitchen (that's my addition, not Jamie's).

When the meat is tender give it a taste and season if necessary.

For the Mango Lassi recipe, I just stuck some chopped and frozen mango (thanks Trader Joe's) into the blender with 1 1/2 cups plain yogurt, 2 teaspoons of sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla. Nomnomnom...

Well, I think I've certainly done my pass it on duty for the week. It looks like for the first time all year Seattle might have a weekend free of rainy days, so I'm glad I got that curry in when I did.

Do you have any recipes to pass on? What's your default meal when making dinner for friends?

One year ago I was...

noreply@blogger.com (alisha) — Wed, 25 May 2011 19:17:00 +0000

♥ Finishing up six glorious months of summer in New Zealand. Hooray for the Southern Hemisphere, free time, coast line to run along, sea to swim in and bare feet to walk back home in. New Zealand is vitamin D therapy for a drizzly Seattleite who'd been holed up in England for four years.

♥ Exploring Auckland's best coffee shops (and there are many!) with Mel and Rachael, sipping flat whites and writing about my finds in the design*sponge city guide.

♥ Finishing up the first draft of my manuscript and realizing I still had a long way to go.

♥ Still in my twenties (!) and totally uncertain about what my next decade would look like, other than the fact that it would start in Seattle alongside one certain, nomadic Englishman I'd had the great fortune of marrying and circumnavigating the globe with.

♥ Filled with nervous excitement and bracing for change. I do love a good move across the world, but I also know how much work is involved and was psyching myself up.

Today, I am...

♥ Grateful. Writing full-time in Auckland, ten minutes from the beach, was a difficult act to follow, but Seattle has been doing just fine. I'm thankful for the way life has pieced together, for family and friends nearby and for that long-forgotten feeling of being home. Ahh...

♥ Balancing in the constant tension between contentment with ambition. It's much easier to look ahead at what's next than to appreciate what I have now, which was what I once craved.

♥ Still reading, writing and drinking excellent coffee.

What were you doing one year ago?

{Images from traveltrailersnz, MR38 and Maptote}

British teeth and other stereotypes

noreply@blogger.com (alisha) — Wed, 18 May 2011 18:56:00 +0000

Last Thursday, as luck would have it, I cracked my front tooth right off. While calmly applying mascara, I bit down and suddenly my tooth was not where it was supposed to be. This was the fourth time in my life it had happened, so I wasn't alarmed, more inconvenienced. The dentist couldn't fit me in until the next Monday.

My dentist also happens to be an antique collector and interior designer. His office is visually stunning and I figured that if he could make my mouth look as good as his office, I was in.

The procedure took 3 hours and made him 45 minutes late to an event. All for the sake of my front teeth. The procedure didn't need to take three hours, he could have done it in one, but he's a perfectionist, and I appreciate that quality in a dentist. The last time I cracked my tooth several years ago in England my dentist had me in and out in a lunch hour.

British dentistry is, for Americans, classic fodder for stereotype. Bad teeth along with mediocre food (but quality ale) is to the British stereotype what obesity and ignorance (with a winning smile) is to the American. How much truth exists in these impressions is something different all together. Most Brits I know have perfectly fine teeth, and I actually liked my dentist a lot in London, who was South African, but nevermind.

The other day, as we were going into a supermarket to pick up supplies for a BBQ, Dan commented that our life in America was completely different to how friends back home in England might imagine. Or at least how TV shows and movies might portray life in America. In Dan's America, he'd just finished eating a local, organic leek and onion tart from work (a nice French restaurant), was planning to review world music star Femi Kuti that evening and could talk in depth with his co-workers at a local arts magazine about Nigerian music and global politics. And just the other day he'd said, "I think 70% of the population of Seattle is, at any given point, on a cleanse." Seattle is simply more wheatgrass than loaded potato skins.

Likewise, so often I felt like my experience in England was completely at odds with what I had expected of life in the UK. The England I'd carried in my head going in was akin to a Hugh Grant or Colin Firth film -- riddled with posh wit and charming eccentricity. It was lined with white terraced housing and cute cafes and fruiterers who knew my name. But, even while living in England I'd long for that England. That England exists, in small pockets of West London, but it certainly wasn't my everyday life. The guy in the market I bought veg from (occasionally) was actually a bit of a jerk, though perhaps making fun of his customers was his way of building rapport. I learned quickly that there are many Englands, just like Dan is learning about the many Americas.

Liberal, latte-drinking Seattle may be as different to Texas or Boston as it is to London, but it is still one of many authentic American experiences. One that doesn't get highlighted in international media very often though, because it's not the story of our country that sells to the rest of the world. People want, I believe, Americans to eat chicken-fried-bacon and be unable to find Australia on a map. Just like I wanted England to feel like the set of Notting Hill, rather than a place populated by real people with a variety of personalities and characteristics.

I think about trans-Atlantic stereotypes way more than your average girl, being married to a Brit and having done my four years in the UK and all. I've struggled to not get defensive about brushstrokes about my country that were far-removed from my own experience and I've struggled not to brushstroke back an entire nation on days when I felt foreign and frustrated. As a writer authoring a book about living in England, I sometimes struggle to describe real differences in two distinct cultures without resorting to caricature. Because though very real differences do exist, so do many shades of gray in between. And as everyone knows, black and white is much easier to deal with than gray.

Every time I'd be riding a bus in central London and cringing at the LOUD American students or tourists I'd be reminded where that stereotype comes from. Dang it! But for every exuberant group on the bus I knew there were a handful of thoughtful, quiet Americans just getting on with their lives, unnoticed. Or at least I imagined this.

Due to a personality that hates being pigeonholed and can't accept inaccurate generalization easily, stereotypes drive me insane. Almost literally. I used to want a name tag that read..."Hi, I'm Alisha. I'm American, but not every American." I wanted room to breathe within my cultural heritage, to not feel constantly apologetic, to not feel like I had to prove that America is diverse and intelligent and not what you think. I'd get all fired up defending America against inaccurate stereotype, and defensiveness is an exhausting habit.

Me and stereotypes have yet to completely reconcile, but now that I live in the US I have less to defend. And I just don't care as much anymore, which is refreshing. Often, I love thinking about the differences between the US and the UK, but other days, like today, it's even better remembering that, really, we're all just the same, trying to live normal, fulfilling lives marked with love and happiness. And moderately straight teeth.

Do you have any stereotypes that drive you insane? Have you ever been challenged by a stereotype? This is beginning to feel like a book club discussion guide, but really, what a great topic, huh?

{Photos by weheartit.com}

8 Things I Miss About England

noreply@blogger.com (alisha) — Wed, 04 May 2011 22:58:00 +0000

In the wake of last Friday's royal wedding it must be said that Britain exports nicely. So, prompted by Kate and Wills' nuptials I am inspired to recount a few things I truly love about England. For, when strangers hear that I lived there, after first asking what it was like (which I answered several weeks ago), I then get, do I miss it? I certainly love and miss parts of it. Four years was long enough for a fascinating culture to creep well under my skin and make me feel that, though I am not officially British, there is still a big part of me that is definitely Britified.

So, without further ado... 8 Things I Miss About England

{Peacock fascinator from etsy shop Head Full of Feathers}

8. Fascinators & wedding hats - On the wedding tip I've got to take my hat off to British women at weddings. Like many Americans I'm obsessed with the creative contraptions placed on top of British women's heads, and even bought myself a hot pink feather fascinator to push the boat out at a friend's wedding (another trans-Altantic couple) during our last summer in London.

7. St.James's Park and other manicured playgrounds - I first discovered St.James's Park one spring evening with a few girlfriends. The grounds were in full bloom and we took our picnic and plopped ourselves right under this out-of-control Magnolia tree that sprinkled petals throughout our time there. It was nothing short of magical.

{View from the District Line near where we lived, via Mike Searles}

6. Public transport - Sure, British trains might be notoriously late and grind to a halt when the wrong type of leaves fall on the tracks. Buses might require one full hour and two transfers to travel seven miles. The Underground might schedule routine maintenance for peak hours to cause the greatest public inconvenience. But, it IS possible to travel from east to west without a car, which is more than you can say about broad swathes of Seattle. The best aspects of public transport are of course uninterrupted chunks of time for two of my favorite pastimes: reading and people-watching.

5. Specifically, the District Line - It wasn't the most frequent of the Underground lines, but there is something kind of charming about it, with it's soothing green color and posh stops from Richmond to our house. I liked getting off two stops early at Turnham Green in Chiswick and walking home through the cute shops and cafes. Chiswick is considered a "yummy mummy" area, which leads me to believe myself and yummy mummies have quite good taste.

{Nordic Bakery goodness via Ingrid Design}

4. Various Scandinavian outposts in London - I love the stark Scandinavian aesthetic, so what can be better than bits of the continent's neighbor to the north scattered about London. Of note, I loved the Swedish pub, The Harcort Arms, we frequented every Sunday evening. And of course the Nordic Bakery in Golden Square near Covent Garden. Every thirty minutes a baker brings up a fresh pan of cinnamon aroma in the form of pastry-like cinnamon buns. I'd smell them from the hard seats that myself and Scandinavia go nuts for but that my husband doesn't fully get behind.

3. Mosob's - This might not seem English at all, but since England was where I was introduced to Ethiopian and Eritrean food, and since London offers an amazing selection, it had to be included. The cream of the Horn of African crop, in my opinion, is Mosob's. Owned by brothers Benjamin and Daniel, this is the only restaurant in the whole of Great Britain that has ever welcomed me in with a hug. And word games to occupy us while we wait for the main course. It's perfect.

{From Julia Speller at Your Tea Time}

2. Rounds of tea - At first I didn't understand this concept of rounds of tea. How, in the British office it's not only a kind act but also an unspoken obligation to make, depending on the size, either the whole office or your whole team, a cup of tea at regular intervals. And since it's well known that the Brits can keep a teapot flowing, this is no easy task. Of course the duty is rotated, but whether doing the making or the receiving it interrupts productive workflow zones and "my task list" and forces mid-morning conversation and, wouldn't you know, a sense of being in this thing together. Once I was broken in I got quite used to it and grew to love the moment of handing a colleague a nice warm cuppa and being told, with complete sincerity and mild elation, "You are a star." It's just too easy.

1. Sunday Roast and a newspaper at a cozy pub - It's just got to be done.

And one shameless plug... It goes without saying that by far my favorite English export is my husband Dan. If you're needing a dose of Britishness you should definitely check out his new radio show, Dig Deep, which you can stream right here from KBCS.fm I like listening because it sounds like our house, which sounds like a steady stream of funk, soul and electronic music, thanks to Dan. If you're into UK beats then it's definitely worth your time.

What about you? Is there anything you love about England? Have you been? Brits, would you like to chime in with what you miss about home when you leave?

{Royal Wedding Print by Glyn West Designs via etsy}

How to start a writing group

noreply@blogger.com (alisha) — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 21:35:00 +0000

One of the best things that's happened to me as an author this past year has been being a part of a writing group. Not just any writing group, mind you—a magical one! Now, all the ladies in my group know that fantasy is hardly my forte (or interest whatsoever), so I'm not talking about talking animals or vampires showing up every week to the cafe and ordering coffee while wrestling prose alongside us muggles. When I say magical, I mean that our group has been a cauldron (sorry!) of momentum, community, encouragement and direction for a group of women who needed all of the above.

While living in New Zealand for six months I wrote full-time and finished the first draft of my manuscript. I enjoyed the independent work and it was nice to get all my thoughts onto the page without showing anyone. But when I moved to Seattle I started to feel thirsty for creative community, people to share the isolating writing process with.

I attended a local writing group and author talks and looked for an established community to link into. But nothing quite seemed to click.

I heard that Natalie Goldberg (writing muse and author of Writing Down the Bones) was going to be in town speaking at a Writers Conference, so I rustled up a few friends to attend with me. That changed everything. Natalie said that her biggest writing trick is to agree a public meeting place with a writer friend and say, "Next Monday, 8pm. You, me, cute cafe." They'd meet and just start writing for twenty minutes. Then they'd stop and read what they'd written, no matter how awful or brilliant, and then do another timed writing.

After the talk, eager to action Natalie's tip, I put it out there. "How about it? Next Monday? 8pm?"

They were in!

Then, within a few days, friends of friends were expressing interest. They were in too! And then we were six. English teachers, mothers, young adult fantasy enthusiasts (whose fantasy writing I actually love, so it must be good), memoirists, screenwriters and the next Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, gathering together weekly for coffee, pie and timed writings.

Seven months later, two manuscripts have been finished. Film schools have been applied to and narrative arcs formed and re-formed. We invited local author Janna Cawrse Esarey to talk with us about the writing and publishing process and have a retreat planned for a few weeks' time. We also started a critique element, so that if someone has a chapter they want advice on, they bring it in and we share our impressions, what works, what feels flat, where the energy is. It's scary, but empowering.

I've heard time and again that the most important thing to do when you are pushing into any sort of creative endeavor is to surround yourself with like-minded people to spur you on (and remind you that you're not crazy for spending years on a project with no guarantee of payment!).

If you're looking to start a writing group, here are my tips:

Research any existing groups in the area first on meetup.com and go and see what they're like. Who knows, you may find the perfect fit! If you do need to reinvent the wheel, then at least you'll have some inspiration, thoughts on what works and doesn't, and you'll certainly meet some interesting folks. Just get out there and do something that gets you going in the right direction!
If you want to start your own group, don't wait for a full attendance roster to be handed to you. Start with one writer friend and be bold in getting the word out. I was surprised to see how many people popped out of the woodwork once they heard about the opportunity.
Find a location with a big corner table and bottomless coffee that doesn't mind your funny group typing away silently and reading intimate yet therapeutic essays. (It's amazing what comes out when you start tapping away at the keyboard after a long day!). Our location is by no means the coolest place in Seattle, but the staff is friendly and happy to let us do our thang.
Six or seven people has been a good size for us.
Start with two timed writing sessions for twenty minutes each. We love the pomodoro timer widget our on dashboards that tell us when we're done in their robotic, tomato-y voices.
It's always awkward to share our unedited, imperfect writing, but like jumping into a cold lake, it's stimulating. (I say this like jumping into cold lakes is routine for me, it's not.) Instead of justifying and going on and on about how crap what you've just written is, just read. Perfectionism is the enemy of the creative mind, save it for the editing stage.
Your group will probably develop over time, based on your needs. Roll with it and develop organically. We introduced the "critique time" element a few months after we started, once we were really comfortable and knew each others voices.

There is something so rewarding about having a group of fellow writers who are encouraging me, believing in me, laughing at my jokes (!) and pushing me forward. What can I say, I love my writing group big time, and hope you can find (or start) the perfect group for you as well.

How has community (on-line or in the flesh) helped you in your creative pursuits? What's worked well for you in the past? What support are you craving?

{I'm loving this new header font from dafont.com by the way! What do you think? The "Journal Bandolier is from the cleverhands etsy shop—very clever indeed.}

Got any good book recommendations?

noreply@blogger.com (alisha) — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 23:51:00 +0000

My life-long tendency has been to have about 20 books on the go. As a child I'd pack a good five to six books for a twenty-minute car journey, you know, to have options. I never knew if it would be a Samantha Learns a Lesson, Number the Stars, or Baby-Sitters Club Super Special type of day. My reading selection had everything to do with what was in stock at the library or featured in the Scholastic school book order (!).

These days a lot of my recommendations come via the interweb, so I thought it would be fun to share some of the books we're loving right now.

I just finished Life Would Be Perfect If I Lived In That House by Meghan Daum and am raving about it. It's hard to live up to a title like that, but the author does it with flying (and hilarious) colors. I'm also looking forward to reading The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance by Elna Baker. Apparently I'm in a female-penned-long-titled-memoir phase, but I'm fine with that. It's much lighter than previous Russian literature phases.

So, what book(s) are you excited about right now? Can't wait to hear!

{Isn't this embroidered book cover by Jillian Tamaki amazing, by the way? There's more flossed goodness where that came from here.}

Do what you love to undo what you hate + CD giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (alisha) — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 18:04:00 +0000

Who am I to want happiness in such a hurting world?

Have you ever asked yourself this? I certainly have. It's always more subtle though, and usually feels less like a philosophical discussion and more like a nagging guilt. Who am I to want to write books and flourish creatively when 5,000 children are dying per day of diarrhea-related illness? (It's true.) Who am I to want more than what I already have when I already have more, materially, than 90% of the world? Who am I to want to surround myself with beautiful things when there is so much ugly in the world? A professional background in communicating global-poverty issues gives me plenty of ammunition for guilt.

I know I'm not the only one who's felt this. I've seen friends stay in bad relationships because they felt that asking for happiness would be too much. I've known plenty of people to stay in jobs that suck the life out of them because they felt they couldn't leave a "good" job. I should just be lucky to have a job in this economy, right? (Great post by Laura on Stratejoy about this, by the way.)

It's a constant dance between tending to your heart and living in your strengths and the sacrifice necessary for collective responsibility to a world that has quite a lot of need.

Jennifer Louden, a writer based on Bainbridge Island who I've come across recently, calls this intersection the sweet spot, and has committed to pursuing that sweet spot for a year on her Savor and Serve website. Check it out!

Some more amazing people to check out are Curtis and Grace Romjue. They are the founders of Jubilee, an abolitionist band (beach town folk rock, to be specific) that encourages their fans to take action on modern-day slavery. (You can read my husband's review of their album launch concert for KEXP here). They're the first band also officially registered as a 501(c)3 nonprofit, giving a portion of all their income to an organization (International Justice Mission) that works to fight human trafficking around the world. I love the way they describe the sweet spot of engagement. They call their guilt-free, compassion- and passion-driven work as "thrive activism". Love it! They also coined a phrase that I wish I came up with:

Do what you love to undo what you hate.

It's not just "do what you and forget everyone else". But it's also not "undo what you hate, even if you're miserable". It's about finding the convergence.

It's Friday. I'm in Seattle's Belltown doing a few choice activities that I love (drinking coffee, reading and writing!) and thought I'd give a bit of weekend encouragement. I also thought I'd do a CD giveaway.

If you want a chance to win Jubilee's new album, To See You Well, just leave a comment below, somehow, however loosely, related to the idea of doing what you love to undo what you hate. If you put it on twitter or facebook and tell me, you'll get even more chances to win. I'll draw the winner next Friday. Woo hoo!

**Update, using random.org, I've drawn the winner: Joanna! I'll get this to you today and thanks for entering.

My Seattle:: Local's Guide to Seattle

noreply@blogger.com (alisha) — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 17:29:00 +0000

This week we have some dear friends from England visiting us! I think they're our first English visitors, but I have an increasingly bad memory and am trying to correct myself if that is untrue. Has anyone else visited us from England? Anyone?

With who I presume to be our first English visitors, I plan to put Seattle's best face forward, to make them leave with the impression that our drizzly city is actually a gem, an emerald even. Plus it's a great excuse to brunch daily and play visitor myself.

Another reason I'm so happy to have them here, in addition to the fellowship of course, is that it's fun to have reminders of a life in England that seems distant sometimes. Aside from the fact that I'm writing a book about it and thinking about England daily, of course. But actually living somewhere is much different than writing about it.

One of the downsides of moving to a new city at least every two years since college (Santa Monica, Tokyo, Osaka, Seattle, Bath, Birmingham, London, Auckland and back to Seattle), is that while I've become pro at packing, it can feel like my community is scattered to the far corners of the earth. I invest in people, and vice versa, and then leave. It's a bit schizophrenic, all these lives I've created for myself. Having friends in town reminds me, Alisha, you actually lived in central England for two years, isn't that just nuts?

Finally, entertaining visitors is all the excuse I need to compile a Local's Guide to Seattle. You won't find any Space Needle action on it, just a few of my favorite places to eat, drink and explore.

Here goes, by neighbo(u)rhood...

Capitol Hill -

Oddfellows and Elliott Bay Bookstore
Caffe Presse and Stumptown
Volunteer Park Cafe then walking around Volunteer Park and the surrounding gorgeous old houses
Can't wait to try Analog Coffee + Poquito's when they open!

International District -

The Panama Hotel Tea + Coffee House (wonderful history about old Japantown too, and the setting of The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter & Sweet)
Maneki Sushi (yet to try)
Uwajimaya (just because of my acute Japanophilia)
Zeitgeist Coffee (technically this is Pioneer Square, but who's counting?)

Ballard -

Delancey (Molly Wizenberg and her husband's NY-style pizza restaurant)
Honore Bakery
A Caprice Kitchen (also yet to try their infamous brunch)
Cafe Besalu and then drive up to Carkeek Park (in Shoreline, but worth it)
Ballard Sunday Farmer's Market
Bastille (French Cafe I'm biased toward)

Magnolia -

Pastries at Upper Crust then Discovery Park
Bay Cafe at Fisherman's Terminal for a nice diner experience (in my experience Englishmen like a good diner, or maybe it's just my husband)

Phinney/ Green Lake -

Herkimer (best coffee in Seattle) or Zoka coffee and walk around Green Lake

Wallinfordia -

Tilth (for a local, organic brunch, heard great things and can't wait to try)

Queen Anne -

Toulouse Petit Cajun/ Creole (M-F brunch happy hour, all dishes $6!)

West Seattle -

Bakery Nouveau + Lincoln Park

So my guide is heavy on the pastries, brunches and parks, but that's the kind of guide I write because that's the kind of girl I am.

Seattleites, anything else it would be rude to leave out? Where do you take your visiting friends and family?