Beth Hemmila :: Hint Jewelry

The Enlightening Mat: Doing & Being

2012-01-27T05:00:00.000-08:00

Hugo Doing

There is a thought-provoking movie that can be rented on Netflix called The Quantum Activist. It's a documentary about the scientist Dr. Amit Goswami, who comes across as the kindest, gentlest spirit on film.

During the movie, Dr. Goswami explains that when we desire change in our lives, creativity is our best way to explore beyond conditioned behavioral patterns. A key idea proposed by researchers on the subject of human creativity is the importance of balancing doing with being. More specifically, embracing periods of incubation when you just sit on ideas instead of taking action. This period of beingness allows for more possibilities to accumulate so that when you return to doing you have more ideas to choose from; and therefore, increase your chances of reaching the best solution.

Hugo Being

Dr. Goswami calls it Do, Be, Do, Be, Do where you value being as much as doing and weave it into your life in such a way that they work together. This concept reminded me art school when teachers asked me step away from my work and then come back to it after awhile to see something new.

Though I make art in this way, I had never consciously applied it to my life until one day at Bikram yoga, I noticed that the whole second half of the series is based on the concept of doing a posture and then being in dead body pose in between -- a place of complete relaxation. Often times I struggle to relinquish myself over to this pose of complete relaxation as I try to hurry the class along in my head or plan for the day. I'm still doing in my head instead of just allowing my body to be. Savasana or dead body pose may actually be the most difficult posture for most students in the class because from early childhood we are conditioned that doing is something of value while being is often discouraged.

On a very basic physical level Bikram yoga is teaching me how to do and be in the microcosm of the classroom so that I can start balancing doing and being outside in the world. When I noticed this was something to build upon, I began looking for ways to incorporate it into my life. What would it look like? Would I work for a couple hours and then go lay in the grass and look up at the sky? Would I turn off all electronic gadgets at the end of the day and just sit with my cat for awhile? Would I put all my projects away and just spend time listening and laughing with friends?

Doing and being are best buds, and as I learn how unify them in the yoga classroom, my deepest is wish is that this habit will eventually extend out into my daily life in a way that allows for creativity to be the root of everything.

The Enlightening Mat is a blog series exploring moments of awareness that come to Beth Hemmila while practicing Bikram Yoga.

Love Has Its Own Plan

2012-01-25T05:00:00.000-08:00

Love Unfolds, Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry): sterling silver flaming heart milagro charm

Love has strange twists and turns.

It's unpredictable.

You are not privy to its plan.

Love Unfolds, Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry)

You're just meant to hang on tight

and enjoy the ride!

Behind the Scenes: Using Negative Reactions to Refine Your Target Market

2012-01-23T05:00:00.000-08:00

Slice of Life, Beth Hemmila

Trying to sell your product or message out to a wide range of people when you haven't got a handle on your target market might ultimately prove to be a useful tool.

One of the key ingredients of any business plan is to have a clear vision of your audience. Unfortunately, the target market thingie has always been hard for me to narrow down because I've got some personal hangups about likeability. Consequently, I tend to flounder for awhile trying to figure out who is drawn to my work and then create a picture from that point forward. According to business plan gurus, this appears to be the backwards approach.

Nevertheless, if you make this silly foible like me, clues are sprinkled along the way that help you get back on track. For example, in the early stages of launching Hint Jewelry I was puzzled by that fact that very few people in Portland purchased my work. However, by tracking my Etsy sales over the past three years, I figured out that the majority of my target market for Hint charms actually lives in California, the Southwest, and New England. So it's taken three years to figure this out. Hey, no big deal. I'm a person that learns by doing, making mistakes, and then correcting my course. I find this form of learning more of an adventure.

Another good example is when someone responds to your work with harsh criticism instead of constructive feedback. You can use key demographic information about this person and refine your target market by looking at the flip side.

Take for instance Subject Y...
Subject Y is a male in his late 60s, maybe retired, with a graduate degree in science who is spiritually content and quite happy with his life. He owns a Harley and is a hands-on person. Upon receiving my marketing message for Lemonade Mantras he may come back with a strong reaction because frankly he thinks it sounds like an arrogant waste of time. For him, it feels like eating cotton candy rather then a juicy steak on the grill -- fluffy stuff with no substance or value.

What might be the near opposite of Subject Y?
A woman in their twenties, thirties, or forties who may be asking the question "Who am I?" Someone who enjoys self-help books over scientific theory and wants to learn more about their emotional reactions and the concept of love. Someone who is actively looking for ways to make their lives happier and starting a process of self-discovery. A person who enjoys keeping a journal, is drawn to written words as a form of self-expression, and wants to learn other ways to communicate.

So maybe you deliver your message at the wrong watering hole the first time around. The strong negative reactions of people in the form of criticism ultimately point the way to where you need to be hanging out. Try not to get emotionally sidetracked by biting statements made by others or no reactions at all. Instead embrace criticism and see what you may be able to learn from their reactions and non-reactions. See their negative reaction as the detour sign pointing you in the direction to where like-minded peeps are hanging out.

Lastly, if you want to go one step further, you can practice hearing and empathizing with the harsh criticism a person believed they were directing at you but is really a covert message meant for themselves. This technique for turning criticism around can be found in Chapter 14 of Lemonade Mantras, "Empathy for Others," Practice Hearing Another Person's Self-Judgment.

P.S. Another interesting thing that may happen when you first launch your business is that your message or product may not be something your close friends or family need as a solution to a problem. In fact, more than likely your friends and family ARE NOT your target market. If you notice close friends and family not being drawn to your work, begin to see that you are embracing a path that will expand your circle of connection even wider to human beings that relate most deeply to what is in your heart. Treasure their disconnection as an opportunity to expand outward into the world.

Valiant Spirit

2012-01-21T05:00:00.000-08:00

Valiant Spirit, Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry): sterling silver cross charm necklace

Strength of numbers is the
delight of the timid.
The Valiant in spirit glory in
fighting alone.

- Mahatma Ghandi

This quote from Mahatma Ghandi is the text I chose to tell the story of the Valiant cross charm from Hint Jewelry. It still gives me chills every time I read it.

To be a visionary, dreamer, seeker of wisdom, or teller of truths you must be willing to stand alone. Maybe this alone-ness exists for only a split second before someone reaches out to join you or maybe it lasts for countless years. Whatever time elapses, constant connection with the basic truth of what you are trying to manifest is essential. You be there for you. That's it. That's all you need.

Valiant Spirit, Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry): sterling silver cross charm necklace

Nevertheless, I can't say I have ever been completely alone for whenever I do feel like my dreams are crumbling, I take comfort in the life stories of visionaries like Mahatma Ghandi, Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa, and Nelson Mandela. I imagine hanging out with them and thinking about what inspiring or funny thing they might say regarding my predicament. These fearless leaders are on my team and are my best cheerleaders for they are examples of human beings who never stopped believing in their missions, and they never used feeling alone as an option for not continuing with what they knew was their purpose.

Dragon: Empowerment, Wisdom & Healing

2012-01-19T05:00:00.000-08:00

Dragon Guru, Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry): sterling silver year of the dragon charm

Dragon guru, supernova busting wide-open, incinerating future promises and past regrets in your unconscious fireball. Show me the pure power resting in every volatile breath and with searing heat sew up my thought wounds that skidded past center.

Lemonade Mantras Book Launch

2012-01-16T05:00:00.000-08:00

My book Lemonade Mantras is finally here! And as a special thank you to all my friends and readers for supporting my work over the years, I'm offering FREE e-book versions of Lemonade Mantras and its Companion Journal in PDF format. Also included in this package is a bonus feature called Mind Tricks.

If you haven't already received an e-mail from me with attachments for Lemonade Mantras, then it's possible I don't have your correct address on file. If you would like free copies of these e-books, please send me a message at beth@bethhemmila.com.

This special offer is for a limited time and will continue through the month of January.

What is Lemonade Mantras?
In a nutshell, Lemonade Mantras is a powerful 10-step process that teaches you how to love your whole self as a way to create more happiness in your life and more peace in your relationships.

Lemonade Mantras blends together 10-steps for transforming your negative thinking chosen from the best techniques found along my own twenty-year therapeutic journey of finding more happiness and peace.

On your own journey through the Lemonade Mantras process you will:

Develop your intuition by writing with your non-dominant hand.
Untangle and resolve the emotional conflicts in your life through journal writing.
Practice identifying feelings and needs.
Discover hidden beliefs that sabotage your life.
Take responsibility for personal outcomes so as to empower your thinking.
Find happiness by making personal requests to meet your needs.
Write your own personalized recipe of positive affirmations for change.
Rewrite your internal script and rewire your thinking patterns.
Turn self-empathy into empathy for others.

What's unique about Lemonade Mantras in comparison to other self-improvement books?
Most self-help books explain the "Why" but never effectively come up with a concrete action plan for how to change your life.

Lemonade Mantras is HOW TO CHANGE and is written in a practical way that keeps learning simple and accessible. Each chapter can be read in under 20 minutes and includes a follow-up exercise to put your learning into practice. More importantly, it gives you a plan for change. Something solid that you can rely on every day to transform emotionally charged moments in your life into wisdom.

Another key concept in Lemonade Mantras is the belief that learning a new habit requires repetition. So while other self-help books offer question and answer worksheets to be used and forgotten, Lemonade Mantras treats your brain like any other muscle in the body and becomes an exercise regimen for personal change.

Lastly, if done with consistency and to the best of your ability, Lemonade Mantras will produce your own personal recipe of positive affirmations that act as a unique alchemical formula in your head to transform your thinking and open your heart.

How do I purchase a copy of Lemonade Mantras?
If you have missed my free offer and would like to test drive these books, visit my page of FREE DOWNLOADS and receive a preview of Lemonade Mantras' first four chapters by clicking here.

If you are ready to purchase e-book versions of Lemonade Mantras and the Companion Journal in PDF format please click here.

If you enjoy reading by having a book in hand rather then from a computer screen, purchase hard copy versions of Lemonade Mantras by ordering print-on-demand books at Lulu.com by clicking here.

Finally, if you do choose to use Lemonade Mantras a tool for self-discovery, consider purchasing the Companion Journal which makes doing the exercises a snap. You can find the Companion journal by clicking here.

Authentic Knitting Board for Kids

2012-01-15T05:00:00.001-08:00

Tadpole Knitting Board, The Authentic Knitting Board

The other day at yoga class, a young girl was using this cool loom to knit a scarf. I asked her how it works and in about 5 minutes she showed me. Wow, this is a clever little device and perfect for young kids who might struggle to hang onto cumbersome knitting needles. Also, this knitting loom only has only 16 pins so it's perfect for small, on-the-go projects such scarfs or hats. Using the knitting board you create a double knit stitch which makes your work extra thick and cozy.

The Enlightening Mat: Turning the Other Way

2012-01-12T05:00:00.000-08:00

Reno Sky, Beth Hemmila

Lately, I've been using my Bikram Yoga practice as a laboratory to experiment with my habits. That may sound strange, but if you've been inside a Bikram Yoga studio, quickly you become aware that yogis develop a lot of strange personal habits that they would very much like to keep intact. Some of them are strategic like sitting near air flow and wanting to be in front of the mirror or hidden in the back of class. While other rituals are psychological mind tricks that help people check out of the experience like drinking water at a particular time, always grabbing a tissue, routinely quitting the same posture every class, etc.

When you are sweating your butt off in a hot and humid yoga room, these seemingly insignificant habits can feel like reaching shore after the perfect storm. I'm sure every Bikram yogi will confess to the mini temper tantrum that erupts in one's head when your favorite habit is unknowingly shattered by a teacher or the actions of a fellow student. Letting go is the hardest thing.

I think one of the most surprising things I've noted about myself is how many habits I actually have constructed. One of my ways of dealing with this understanding is developing a sense of humor, and when something outside myself asks me to adjust my habit seeing it as an opportunity to laugh at my silliness.

One habit I've been observing is my insistence on turning clockwise. During the second half of class, after our resting pose, you are asked to sit up and then turn around and face the mirror. My most instinctual movement is to turn clockwise; however, many times I am sitting next to someone who turns counterclockwise, and if we are sitting too close it becomes a sort of dance of who goes first.

So one day I decided to join my classmate sitting next to me and turn counterclockwise every time. Wow was this hard!! First of all my body's interpretation of this new movement was that it took twice as long to do because I was going twice as far. Even though logically I knew that it was the same distance, because it was a new movement this is how my brain registered the experience. My brain was saying, "This is so much harder. To be fast and efficient you should move clockwise." And if my brain's argument wasn't enough to convince me to change back, my body felt seasick turning counterclockwise.

The brain doesn't like new. It likes old, familiar, tried and true. Use the thing that has worked in the past is the brain's philosophy. So if changing a little habit like turning the other way will create an all out rebellion in your body and mind, think about how much determination it takes to change those long held habits we have with drinking, smoking, sugar, anger, negative thinking, or self-doubt. Overwhelming, no?

My way of dealing with the landslide of gigantic habits I'd like to transform is to not get caught up in the hugeness of it but just chip away one bit at a time. And maybe by starting out small and turning the other way in my yoga habits, I will have the platform to tackle those colossal habits that seem to get in the way of me being fully alive.

The Enlightening Mat is a blog series exploring moments of awareness that come to Beth Hemmila while practicing Bikram Yoga.

Anna Halprin: Breath Made Visible

2012-01-10T05:00:00.000-08:00

The other day a friend studying Movement Therapy Somatic Counseling Psychology at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, sent me some information about Anna Halprin and her movie Breath Made Visible created by filmmaker Ruedi Gerber. The dancer's name hadn't rung a bell, but when I started watching the trailer to the film, I realized I had seen Anna Halprin dance in San Diego about ten years ago at Sushi Contemporary Performance and Visual Arts.

Even though I didn't file her name away in my head, for me Anna Halprin's performance was a life altering experience. The way she moves is indescribable but somehow deeply knowable all at the same time. When I was watching, I remember thinking, "This is the kind of movement I would do if I was a dancer. It's so alive, pure, and raw." Anna Halprin's movement was real and transitory all at the same time. The dance wasn't filled with elongated lines of the body, but rather the unique patterns of a soul inscribed in space. For several months after her performance, I moved around my apartment and made up stories with my body in response to her work. She made me feel like every movement was incredibly special and something to rejoice in.

Connecting to your body however you can in what is most authentic for you in each moment can be a healing and transforming experience. Playing sports, walking, yoga, dance, rocking in your chair, or just lying on the floor and moving your arm to express the story of your emotional landscape can be one way to return to the place that is most authentically you.

Anna Halprin is going to turn 92 this year, and she is still performing, teaching, and traveling and living her own saying, "Aging is like enlightenment at gunpoint." What a hoot!! Thank you Anna Halprin, for helping me see the beauty in every movement of my body.

The Enlightening Mat: Love vs. Self-Realization

2012-01-07T05:00:00.000-08:00

Crater Lake, Beth Hemmila

Love is simply the training wheels for self-realization.

- Beth Hemmila

Romantic love, familial love, or any form in between feels like a little raindrop of happiness compared with the tidal wave of bliss that happens when living from a place of wholeness or more accurately self-realization. For me, opening the door to wholeness has taken a couple years of Bikram yoga practice, meditation, thinking, and reading, but I see now that all those things were distractions, and I was dancing around what was already there.

Self-Realization is the knowing in all parts of body, mind,

and soul that you are now in possession of the kingdom

of God; that you do not have to pray that it comes to you;

that God's omnipresence is your omnipresence; and that

all that you need to do is improve your knowing.

- Pramahansa Yogananda

When the moment dawned on me, it felt like I had been sitting on top of a treasure that I hadn't noticed was there, and instead of getting caught up in figuring out how to open it, I just let it unfold all by itself. Here I was always trying to crack the secret code because nobody I knew could explain what self-realization felt like or looked like so I couldn't picture how to get there. Maybe that's the point. Perhaps the understanding of wholeness comes to each person differently and getting there is part of the magic.

Self-realization started dawning on me one day last fall as I was staring at my face in the mirror during class at Bikram Sierra Yoga. My head was swimming in the intense heat and humidity, and I felt completely exhausted. There in my face I started to see a slide show of pictures that were meant only for me. Tiny snapshots that kept registering in my mind and then flickering away -- a forest, seaweed, a mountain, apples, snowflakes, a girl with her dog, a painting, a sunset, etc. -- and it went on and on like that for several minutes. I wanted to cry because each picture was so utterly beautiful, but I was stunned into silence and just keep watching.

I was feeling this sense that everything out there was also in me. Every "perfect" or "imperfect," "happy" or "sad, "beautiful" or "ugly' thing or moment was also a part of my body. I suppose this could sound sort of vain or conceited. But it didn't feel that way. It didn't feel like ownership over these things out in the world. Rather it felt more like being the unknowing receiver of all these gifts. I was incredibly humbled by the experience and looking at a rock, the sun, and a bowl of soup all took on new meaning.

Picture going outside and picking up a bird's feather and thinking, "I am here to receive this gift, and I know I am enormously lucky to be a part of this moment," and then feel that immense sense of gratitude for the experience. Now string all those millions of seconds of gratitude from your day into one long song, and you can begin to imagine how this emotional ride could feel like the biggest tidal wave you've ever ridden.

After this experience in the yoga room, nothing has stayed the same. The world seems to float in a sea of gifts that are endless. The love I felt before feels like it was the training wheels on my bike of self-realization. I see now that the love I expressed in relationship to others was me practicing, examining, and playing it safe :)

The Enlightening Mat is a blog series exploring moments of awareness that come to Beth Hemmila while practicing Bikram Yoga.

Erin Prais-Hintz: Simple Truths

2012-01-05T05:00:00.000-08:00

Seahorse Wonder, Erin Prais-Hintz (Tresori Trovati Jewelry): polymer clay, paint, ink, and metal bezel

In December 2010, jewelry designer Erin Prais-Hintz of Tresori Trovati Jewelry decided that she wanted to start creating her own components and embarked on a journey that led to Simple Truths.

Erin Prais-Hintz revealed an interesting tidbit about the birth these Simple Truth pendants for they came about during a time when she had joined a local group called Working Artists Initiative. This group of artists met bi-weekly to critique artwork and offer support. The idea was to bump up one's notion of being an artist to being a working artist. Being able to incubate your ideas among other creative minds is one of the best ways to stay motivated and on track with any goal.

Inspired by a book she had read called Four Word Self Help: Simple Wisdom for Complex Lives by Patti Digh, Erin Prais-Hintz set to work testing out different art bead mediums (e.g., stamped metal, resin, and etching) that incorporated inspirational words and images.

Erin's initial resin experiments didn't sell as well as expected, so she continued looking for the right medium for her beads. After reading a tutorial by Heather Powers on Art Bead Scene about using polymer clay to make last minute Christmas gifts, Erin Prais-Hintz set about designing her Simple Truth pendants.

Erin Prais-Hintz loves the idea of being able to personalize these pendants with quotes that come from the heart of the person buying the charm. The opportunity to connect with such powerful moments in people's lives such as personalizing a woman's pendant who is dying of cancer, a writer who wants to believe she can publish a book, and adopted son and birth mother who meet for the first time is truly a gift to receive when being an artist. She is hoping to offer more of these custom order designs in the coming year.

Simple Truths Sampler, Erin Prais-Hintz (Tresori Trovati): polymer clay, metal bezel, paint, and ink

Last June, another neat idea Erin incorporated into her business model was to offer a monthly sampler club. She has around 10-13 members during any given month and these people all receive a unique pendant that is part of a limited edition run.

If you haven't met Erin Prais-Hintz yet or seen her shop Tresori Trovati on Etsy, be sure to stop by this year and get inspired by Simple Truths.

Heather Powers: Jewelry Designs from Nature

2012-01-03T05:00:00.000-08:00

For Christmas, I treated myself to Heather Power's new book Jewelry Designs from Nature: Woodlands, Gardens, Sea. Heather Powers of Humblebeads outdid herself with this gorgeous book that brings together amazing art beads in one-of-a-kind jewelry designs. First of all, Heather focused on my favorite subject matter -- nature -- and in her book, she reveals that some of her designs are inspired by her childhood growing up in the forests of Michigan. This is one experience I can relate to because even though I grew up in a suburb of Michigan, I spent many hours daydreaming and staring up at a pine tree in my backyard, wishing I was lost in the beauty and mystery of the north woods.

There are lots of delicious pieces to draw inspiration from in Jewelry Designs from Nature, and Heather Powers has once again come up with unique combinations of colors and textures that surprise me every time. I think my favorite piece is the necklace Nurture Thy Soul that brings together a Humblebeads clasp as a focal point with a Cindy Gimbrone's lampworked headpin. Clever!

Lastly, Heather Powers includes a wonderful little section the talks about using poetry as a starting point for creating a design. I love this concept because it asks someone to take words, abstract ideas, and emotions and translate them into a visual image that tells a story.

If you want to learn more about this book and see some of the designs featured inside, watch this video interview of Heather Power talking about Jewelry Designs from Nature.

2012 Year of the Dragon

2012-01-01T05:00:00.000-08:00

St. George and the Dragon, Raphael (Italy, 1483-1520), 1504-1506, oil on wood, National Gallery of Art

Happy New Year!

I feel like we've turned a corner, and the optimist in me is looking forward to the year ahead. One of the things that excites me is that according to the Chinese Zodiac, starting on January 23, 2012, we will be entering the Year of the Water Dragon. For the Chinese, the celestial dragon is a powerful symbol of strength and good luck so 2012 could be one filled with incredible breakthroughs, leading to harmony and fulfillment.

The last time we experienced the Year of the Dragon was in 2000, and for me that year was particularly amazing because I made the crucial decision to move to San Diego, which ultimately led to a whole bunch of other pivotal things in my life. Remember the whole Y2K fizzle and singing Prince's 1999 on New Year's Eve? I even recall the most beautiful sunset that night where the sky was on fire, and we all waited to see what it would be like to enter a new century.

Dragon, Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry): sterling silver dragon

To celebrate 2012, I designed a dragon charm for Hint Jewelry. I haven't totally decided what I want to say about this creature because its hard to boil down all my excitement into a couple sentences. First of all I am extremely drawn to people born during the Year of the Dragon because they are such dynamic individuals. Any mother who is expecting a baby in 2012 will be blessed with an extraordinary soul. Secondly, dragons are ancient, mythical beasts that are part of so many stories lodged deep in our collective psyches and I don't want to miss out on this unique symbolism.

In the meantime, let's do a virtual high-five to 2012 Year of the Dragon and give thanks for what lies ahead!!

Happy Holidays and Blessed New Year!

2011-12-24T05:00:00.000-08:00

Wholeness, Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry) sterling silver charms: flowers, sun & moon, three dots, two fishes, and heart

I made this necklace pondering all the things I've been grateful for during this last year and the intentions I have set for 2012.

During this past year, I was given many joyful moments as well as unique challenges that expanded my heart, which are represented by my Joy and Be Mine charms.

I also focused a lot of energy on my Body, Spirit, and Soul through the practice of yoga and am learning how to balance those opposing forces such as passive and active, dark and light, and Sun and Moon from the inside out.

Lastly, I am beginning to develop a deeper understanding of what Abundance truly means and how to see this quality woven throughout my life at all times.

This coming week I will be taking some time off from blogging to work on another project, but my shop Hint Jewelry will remain open.

I hope you have found some things to celebrate during the last year and are looking forward to what 2012 brings. Thank you so much for your generosity and sharing your presence with me. May you have a wonderful holiday, and I look forward to seeing you the New Year!

Comfort Your Cold with Faux Pho

2011-12-18T05:00:00.000-08:00

Faux Pho, Beth Hemmila

Two things that I want to point out in this post:

Instead of reaching for chicken soup to ease your cold and flu symptoms, consider whipping up a simplified version of some scrumptious Vietnamese Phở.
If you like warm meals during the cold winter months, and find yourself reducing your raw food intake, think about redesigning your dishes in a way that makes them 50% cooked and 50% raw.

Faux Pho, Beth Hemmila

It's December and I have recently joined the other thousands of locals with the sniffles. I no longer think so much about curing my colds, but rather make them opportunities to see what kind of self-care would bring me the most pleasure. I use to enjoy a bowl of chicken soup, but after living in Portland, Oregon and eating lots of Vietnamese Phở, I've developed this dish into my number one comfort food.

Okay, so my Phở is not legit, but unfortunately I usually don't have the time to dedicate myself to making authentic broth and whatnot so I settled with what I affectionately call my "Faux Phở" and it is something that can be made in probably 20 minutes or less if you have all the ingredients handy.

Here is what went into my in my Faux Phở pictured above :

I sauteed lots of fresh ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes in olive oil.
Added a can of beef broth (you can substitute vegetable or chicken) and simmered for about 10 or 15 minutes.
While the broth is cooking, I prepared my rice noodles according to the package and let them sit in warm water to soften for about 10 minutes.
Next I grated a carrot and chopped up some fresh celery. You can add any fresh vegetables you want such as parsley, zucchini, green onions, lettuce, kale, broccoli, mushrooms, etc.
When everything is ready, I drain the noodles and put them in a bowl with the broth and then top with my mix of fresh vegetables.

This Faux Phở is my example of making a 50/50 dish. Half of it is cooked and the other half is made up of a raw veggie salad. It's not a big conceptual leap because most restaurants serve a raw salad along with your meal, why not merge the two together in some way reducing the main dish by a little and bumping up the fresh vegetables a notch.

Here are some other ideas for 50/50 dishes:

50% beans and rice & 50% raw veggies
50% cooked quinoa or pasta & 50% raw veggies
50% boiled/sauteed potatoes & 50% raw veggies
50% cooked barley (or other grain) & 50% raw veggies

Right now I can feel raw foodies wincing in pain out there, but sorry folks not everyone is up for being a raw food rock star when it's cold outside :)

The other part of my Faux Phở that is incredibly delicious and soothing is the combination of garlic, ginger, and red pepper fakes. Heat your cold up and burn it out of your system. This makes me feel better every time. Never underestimate the power of ginger in your life! During the winter I'm always looking for ways to squeeze this spice into my dishes for an added kick. Or simply boil some water and poor it over a slice of fresh ginger and drink up.

If you are unfamiliar with Phở and are not sure how to pronounce it, please be sure to visit Wikipedia's site and click on the listen link. I use to gaily run around and pronounce Phở like "foe" and then one day was enlightened to the fact that is actually sounds more like "fah." Also, be sure to checkout a Vietnamese restaurant when you have an opportunity and try some real Phở to help inspire your own noodle bowls.

Behind the Scenes: Protecting Trademarks or Building Relationships?

2011-12-16T05:00:00.000-08:00

If you receive an e-mail from a legal department siting copyright or trademark infringement don't despair, be happy because that probably means your Web site made it to the top the Google search engine. You definitely got someones attention :)

So far this has happened twice to me in the last year. Both times it occurred because I'm completely clueless as to what is happening out there in mainstream culture and wasn't quite educated on all the technical details of trademark infringement. I no longer have a TV, haven't spent any real time reading the news in probably seven years, own very little in the way of technical gadgets, don't keep up with music and current trends, and pretty much don't buy into anything media related. The downside of this hermetic lifestyle is that when I am writing, and words are fitting together, and I feel like I'm being my own person, later I find out I just copied the creative soul down the street who thought the idea up ten years ago. Oops!

Is this ever present awareness of everyone else and what they're doing out on the Internet a problem? Is technology making it harder and harder to actually express yourself and feel comfortable with the results? It's not surprising that my idea was also the idea of probably hundreds of other people. We are all thinking, feeling, and experiencing very similar things, so of course we are going to write similar words, make similar art, and so on. In fact, a bunch of people coming up with the same idea without really knowing each other demonstrates the beauty and intricacy of our interconnectedness. It's not new. In the ancient world, people separated by large land masses and bodies of water were using similar motifs without ever having met or surfed the World Wide Web.

I think the saddest part that comes out of trademark infringement is that sometimes, but not always such as in the case of blatant copying of an image for intentional profit, these crossover relationships could be turned from potentially harmful into mutually beneficial. The agenda of a civil attorney is to profit from encouraging conflict between parties not discouraging or looking for new possibilities. So what if people didn't turn to lawyers and see conflict all the time in regards to trademark and copyright, and saw an opportunity for a new relationship? What would our world look like if we didn't believe that we actually owned things, words, and ideas and spent so much time and energy protecting them instead of sharing them in a new way through partnership for the same cause?

I think the Bible is one of the most fascinating examples of the benefit of no copyright. Through it's openness it has expanded to become one of the most read, shared, and copied pieces of writing. Nobody owns it and yet everybody feels they share in it. This idea is similar to bands like the Grateful Dead where bootleg recordings of their concerts were encouraged and served to create long-lasting relationships with their fans. Somehow these guys understood that what was of more value was the experience of being at a concert -- intangible feelings that can't be neatly branded, packaged, and sold as an object. This kind of belief system is operating from place of knowing that true wealth is not quantifiable but exists in our hearts and minds.

How much is the expansion of your business greatly decreased by protecting its borders? Could the company or person you engaged in conflict over copyright or trademark have been the key to that new audience that exploded your business? How could your business be this open and free? It's a question I ponder a lot because from early childhood I've been conditioned or chose to believe certain things were mine. But are they?

I don't see legal battles over copyright and trademark ending too soon, but I love mulling these visions over in my mind as a way to see what could be different in our world and in our relationships.

If you are in business and you are thinking about trademark or would like to learn more be sure to watch the videos put together by the US Patent and Trademark office on Youtube. They're incredibly helpful.

Bear: Willpower

2011-12-14T16:23:00.000-08:00

Bear Medicine, Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry): sterling silver bear charm

Be brave and bear your burdens with gladness, for in your ferocious grace you will discover the willpower to bear it all.

Lisa Jacobs: Marketing Creativity

2011-12-13T15:00:00.000-08:00

A big thank you to Lisa Jacobs from the Energy Shop on Etsy, writer of the Marketing Creativity blog, and contributor to Handmadeology, for featuring an interview on Hint Jewelry.

If you haven't checked out Handmadeology and you're just beginning your Etsy shop, this blog is essential for awesome business advice and tips. In addition, consider hiring Lisa Jacobs to help coach you through opening and marketing your new Etsy shop by visiting her Motivation for Hire page here. On her Marketing Creativity blog you can purchase pdf books such as this one pictured above: The Success Series.

Last Minute Holiday Charms

2011-12-12T05:00:00.000-08:00

Mothering, Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry): sterling silver mother hen chicken charm

I just added some last minute sterling silver charms to Hint Jewelry for the holidays. They were a delightful surprise since I haven't seen my penguin charm since he sold out during Christmas last year.

Silent Night, Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry): sterling silver midnight star charm

I made limited quantities of each charm, so if you do see one you like, please don't delay because I may not make these again until next holiday season. Just a little reminder that I am running a 25% off holiday sale until December 23rd. To see details click here.

Eternal Life, Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry): sterling silver pine cone charm

I hope you are having fun celebrating the season and finding joy all around you!

Penguin, Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry): sterling silver penguin charm

I'm off to go think happy penguin thoughts :)

Nevada Regional Yoga Asana Championships

2011-12-10T05:00:00.000-08:00

Afton Carraway at the 2011 USA Yoga Nationals

Last weekend I attended the 2011 Nevada Regional Yoga Asana Championships in Reno, hosted by Bikram Yoga Sierra. I remember snickering the first time someone mentioned "yoga" and "championship" in the same sentence. How could these two words fit together? To me, yoga was a sacred, internal experience, why would anyone go and ruin this concept with a competition?

It took me a couple years and an open mind to see the bigger picture and what it could all mean. Nevertheless, if I wasn't convinced before, after going to the Nevada Regional Yoga Asana Championships I have now been converted. Competition or championship doesn't seem sum up what this experience is truly about. Some people call it a demonstration, but to me it is more like going to watch a group of souls offering the story of their bodies up in prayer.

Represented at the competition were all different ages, genders, body types, and abilities. And I wouldn't say perfection of a particular asana (pose) was the most inspiring aspect of the event, but rather being able to witness each person's path to personal excellence and knowing it is changing in every second. I think this may be one of the closest experiences to seeing humans model both the strength of lion and the fragility of a butterfly all at once. I couldn't help but delight in each unpredictable moment.

Not only was it a spectacular experience to watch, but I realized how much closer I felt to the greater yoga community. I saw how supporting yoga on a larger scale through competition could inspire people to care for their bodies and their emotional well-being. The ultimate goal is to raise yoga consciousness to the level that it will be a part of the Olympic games some day. Not as a means for self-approval and to take home a gold medal, but to inspire kids to want to take care of their bodies through yoga. Not such a silly notion since it was Bruce Jenner's display at the 1976 Olympics that got me into running and joining the track team when I was a kid.

What would life be like if millions of kids were inspired by yoga at the Olympic games to change the state of their bodies, minds, and souls?

Yoga: The Union Between Sun & Moon

2011-12-08T05:00:00.000-08:00

Yoga (Sun & Moon), Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry): sterling silver sun and crescent moon charm

Brother Sun, turn back and shine your burning light on Sister Moon. Within her glow, see the reflection of the whole universe and feel the powerful union that sends you spinning out into the glorious cosmos.

WWA Backcountry Film Festival 2011 promo

2011-12-06T05:00:00.000-08:00

The 7th Annual Winter Wildlands Alliance Backcountry Film Festival came to Reno this weekend. Here's a preview of what you can expect to see. If you're ready for some inspiration to go play in the snow check out the tour sites and dates at Winter Wildlands Alliance Backcountry Film Festival Web site.

For my favorite film check out Solitaire by Sweetgrass Productions filmed in the wilds of South American.

They had to live in the midst of the incomprehensible.

- Don Arturo, The Drifter

Color Your World with Raw Food Salad

2011-12-03T05:00:00.000-08:00

raw food salad: parsley, celery, corn, carrots, and beets

One thing my raw food diet has taught me is that I don't need lettuce to make a salad. Hello!! Wow, that sounds like a pretty obvious notion, but while I was making food, I noticed that there was subtle programming in my head that said, "Well, I don't have lettuce so I can't make a salad." My perfect excuse for not eating raw vegetables.

Moreover, the real craziness of hanging onto this belief is that lettuce provides very little nutritional value to one's diet so why not leave it out all together. Since lettuce spoils quicker then other vegetables, I opt for purchasing heartier leafier greens like fresh kale or roots that actually last more than a week.

Consequently, after I abolished my lettuce belief, I found that making a salad was a lot more fun when I threw it together based on color. Of course there are some taste factors to consider, but honestly if your fridge is stocked with enough variety of vegetables on a weekly basis, you can make some pretty festive salads based on the concept of color.

Here is one of my favorite salad combinations that uses the colors dark green (parsley), yellow green (celery), yellow (corn), orange (carrot), and red-violet (beet). A bowl of this salad is really fulfilling live food and nourishes you all day instead of a bunch of delicate lettuce that holds your cravings back for about an hour or two.

So maybe you don't have time or the inclination to paint, draw, bead, knit, sew, or garden, instead open the fridge and look at your palette of veggies and have fun composing with color.

Loving the Bare Necessities

2011-12-01T05:00:00.000-08:00

Lately I've been thinking about what story to write for Hint Jewelry's new bear charm and found myself humming the song "The Bare Necessities" from my all time favorite Disney movie The Jungle Book. Okay, perhaps my enthusiasm is based on the fact that I dreamed of being like Mowgli raised by a pack of wolves, but it doesn't discount that the lyrics and phrasing of this song are incredible. As I was reading the words through, I noticed that Baloo's song may have been my first exposure to the concept of Zen simplicity:

And don't spend your time lookin' around

For something you want that can't be found

When you find out that you can live without it

And go along not thinkin' about it

I'll tell you something true

The bare necessities of life will come to you

This year I've stripped my life down to the bare essentials both physically and emotionally. I've lightened the load and in return feel a whole lot happier. I saw the full impact of this change the other day when I was leaving my apartment at 2am to escape the Caughlin Ranch wildfire in Reno. For the first time I felt no attachment to what I was leaving behind. I basically grabbed Hugo (my cat), my purse, and Hint Jewelry's charms and scooted down the road, realizing that whatever was happening was out of my control and whatever the outcome I could start all over in a new and different way.

This holiday season I'm guessing there is a buzz of activity around you. Advertisers are telling you what to eat, what presents to buy, how to celebrate, and what to do to make yourself and your family happy. These things can often feel like your load is getting heavier not lighter. This year if you find yourself standing in the mall overwhelmed by the possibilities and tasks that need to be accomplished, maybe just take a second and hum a little bit of Baloo's tune, smile and laugh at the silliness of it all for you will always have exactly what you need.

Behind the Scenes: Turning Your Circus Upside Down

2011-11-29T09:13:00.000-08:00

The other day I received an e-mail from The Crave Company that said "Flip It!" The concept asked women to envision flipping their business upside down. I thought, "Wow, this is an awesome idea. I do this exercise for drawings, writing, and other creative endeavors why not apply it to my business?" I even read a book last year called Lucky Everyday by Bapsy Jain that proposes when things get confusing, turn yourself upside down and stand on your head. I still hadn't embarked on this technique as a way of looking at my life as one big circus act, so I saw this e-mail as wake-up call and sat down to write a list of things that make up Hint Jewelry:

charms
symbols
animals
cute
small
universal stories
constructing necklaces
adding components
colorful gems
collecting
metal (solid)
exploring identity = Who am I?
intrapersonal

Then I went through my list and came up with the flip side or what might be the opposite:

uncharming
literal
people
serious
big
personal stories
deconstructing
subtracting things
colorless
give away
intangible
no identity = Who aren't I?
interpersonal

When I looked over my list, a huge smile erupted across my face because the concepts for this new business are actually already in process. All year I've been working on publishing my book called Lemonade Mantras. A simple 10-step process of self-acceptance that transforms your hidden negative beliefs into a personalized prescription of positive affirmations for inner peace.

Here is the concept of the book using the words from flipping Hint Jewelry:

Uncharming
Exploring criticisms, judgments, and negative thinking patterns.

Literal
Looking at language and how we use words.

People
A project that explores the relationships between people and how to create more peace within them.

Serious
Dealing with issues that evoke strong emotional reactions such as anger, guilt, and saddness.

Big
Creating a large network of people through a project of self-awareness.

Personal Stories
Examining personal stories and seeing how they limit our thinking about situations and future actions.

Deconstructing
Breaking down beliefs so as to come to a place of positive uncertainty -- a way of being where the mind knows nothing for certain.

Subtracting Things
Neutralizing negative thinking and addictive behavior.

Colorless
Moving towards a way of being where you are no longer reacting to the colorful storyline created by your mind.

Give Away
Universal teachings that are indirectly passed on to other people simply through experiencing your presence, language, behavior, and positive thinking.

Intangible
Dealing with the ephemeral world of beliefs, intuition, physical sensations, feelings, needs, and the desire for wholeness.

No Identity = Who aren't I?
Learning to see that your negative reactions to other people are in fact judgments about yourself and offer an opportunity to connect your unclaimed nature.

Interpersonal
Learning self-empathy as a foundation to practice empathy for others so as to become a more loving communicator, creator, and peacemaker in all your relationships.

***

Your business a living thing. Like a circus act your business has it's own cycles of learning, being on stage, and breaking down the tent. You may be sensing you've hit a plateau and new learning needs to happen or you need to cut a piece of your business and let it go. From this experience of flipping Hint Jewelry, I saw that I was already unconsciously developing a new part of my business but was never completely acknowledging how important it was for me or how they were interconnected.

If you're stuck, things have gotten boring, or you hit a road block, consider turning your business upside down and check out the flip side. Maybe you're already growing something new that just needs your attention to nurture it further or perhaps you'll see your business isn't working and start something completely different. Whatever the outcome, I hope you take a moment to turn your circus act upside down!