Mindful Design: Healing Spaces For A Nourished Life

Healing Spaces For A Nourished Life

MINDFUL DESIGN: HEALING SPACES FOR A NOURISHED LIFE

Article by Jennifer Nesbit Holt
Photo Credit: Dasha & Mari
Magazine: Issue #31

I spent years working with individuals of all walks of life in an intimate, healing capacity as a sound healer. I won’t say I was going through the motions but I will say the work was consistent and basic, yet, extremely profound.

From the very beginning stages of owning my businesses, I was adamant about my client’s experience unfolding before they entered the door of our beautiful bungalow. Maybe it’s my type A personality or possibly a deeper “knowing”, but to me, impression is everything and so was establishing a cultured community.

I always felt I was a bit of a loan ranger in my days of one-on-one healing because I considered everything from colors, temperature, mood and visual appeal rather than just the healing modality itself. The experience started with a keenly thought out website to special touches outside my studio space to the visceral experience one felt as they walked through the door. THEN a warmer, deeper healing could begin.

For risk of rocking the boat, these “collective” qualities are not easily found in holistic healing spaces or many business for that matter. Most business owners don't have the insatiable craving for good design, a background in fine arts and an established field of sound healing that bridges a gab between math, science and energy.

Truly, it was only when I surrendered to every aspect of myself that was I able to really see what experience people needed. From there, it took little to no time to discover I was on the right track. Why? Because EVERYONE who walked through the door of my studio told me they felt a shift and experienced such beauty on the inside and outside.

I obsessively HAD to make any and all connections of the pulse of life to ensure a powerful result in healing. I knew that the psychological detail to design was a first step in forming a solid relationship with my clients and the last step was creating the profound internal changes they were seeking plus a lasting memory.

Clients must trust you in order for your work together to be effective.

As a designer of of healing sound, spaces and life, emphasis on the “whole” person is crucial if you are looking to make a difference in your client’s lives. As a designer, I want to encourage you to go deeper and think past the visual aesthetics of creating a space and look to the senses through which we experience life.

Help your clients really investigate what makes them unique. What do they really want? Need? Even if you have clients who are hell bent on a particular design esthetic, they are still looking for a feeling. A connection. And it is your job to see that it happens. How can you make the psychology of interior design safely plunge to the soul level?

I’ve learned that through quietly creating a beautiful path into my healing space of business, I’ve created an “unexplained” draw for people to want to work with me. You, too, can do this and it’s starts by looking into your own soul. Who do you want to attract into your life? How do you want to feel?

If you are wavering in uncertainty your design message will be lost and you will attract confused (difficult) individuals into your realm. Without tapping into profound experiences and energetic shifts that have made lasting impressions in your own life, you will not be able to do this for others.

The time is now for your to unleash your unique business design voice so you can help your clients immerse in purpose and community to make their own authentic impact in the world.

Stop Making These 4 Excuses! Grow Your Design Business Today

STOP MAKING THESE 4 EXCUSES!
GROW YOUR DESIGN BUSINESS TODAY

Grow Your Design Business Today

Article by Jennifer Nesbit Holt
Photo Credit: Dasha & Mari
Magazine: Issue #30

I have two questions for you..

Are you trapped in all the reasons NOT to start that dream design business? Are you still swimming in uncertainty splashing around in the kiddie pool of imagination because its 'safe’?

You know you really want to unleash your design voice! So why not STOP making these 4 excuses and dive off the high-dive into the ocean of success!? Get inspired to move past your blocks so you can grow your design business today.

1.  I don't have enough money

Who does? You could sit in this false mindset all day, every day. This is the most costly mistake holding you back.    

By saying “I don’t have enough” is an example of the “lack” mentality holding you back from attracting abundance and the design career that you are meant to create. You’re simply denying yourself of a higher possibility—a soul goal.  

There is an ancient business idea that all start up businesses need ’funding’. Frankly, this is old-school and limiting to your success. There are 101 ways you can open the doors to your new design studio! Here are some things to consider to determine if you are ready to move past ‘not enough’.

*Are you resourceful? Who do you know and how can you cut corners in the beginning?

*Are your sights set TOO high? Think about if you have a tangible plan. Is jumping strait to the idea of having a fully staffed, design firm with 100k+ clients really feasible?

*If you say you REALLY want to do this, plan smart and work hard!

2.  I don't have enough time

If you have your clear vision but the excuse of time is holding you back, you’re not alone. I struggled with this mindset before opening my wellness studio. Being a mother, fine artist and teaching yoga full time had me strapped, I thought there was no way in hell I could do start a successful wellness studio but I found the time because I was on a mission and passionate.  

Maybe..

You are in the corporate world and feel exhausted at the thought of launching a new business on the side.  Or maybe you have children and feel “the timing not right” so “I’ll wait it out”. Whatever your current reason, remember we live in an age of “quick and easy”.

•   Within minutes you could have a website up and a pay button added to your site through a Stripe account or PayPal. (This, by no means, means that you’re completely legit as a business entity and there are till details to be ironed out but this is a start!)

•   Get selfish with your time and find hidden pockets in your day you can commit to growing that brilliant design studio. Get off Netflix and wake up 2 hours earlier… BOOM! You’ve got a bonafide part-time gig going!

3.  I don't know how to build a successful, lucrative business plan

Your business plan should evolve and change over time. Entrepreneurs are always finding creative ways to improve and be malleable in order to find success. A formal business plan is time consuming. While it is important to have clear vision and growth strategies, laying out any and all ‘what ifs’ can be depressing!  

Is a business plan important? You bet your bottom! But if you’re using this as an excuse to not move forward, STOP! If you are looking for clarity and momentum, this ends up being the fun and exciting part my clients love and it can be done in as little as half a day. 

4.  I wasn't trained at the best school so I can't start a freelance design biz

Whether you are self-taught

5.  I don't have enough credibility to draw in high paying clients.  

I’ll be seen as a fraud. Clients only hire designers with years of experience. STOP! I want you to take a long deep breath right now….

You are the owner of your own design destiny! Don’t fall into the trap of feeling that you’d have to suffer INTO your new solo career. If you believe in what you do, you’re passionate, open, skillful in your art, respectful and professional you will be seen as an expert worthy of being hired.

I have to confess, I had these limiting beliefs about myself even when my career was taking off. As you grow, so will your client base. While it’s ok to have dreams of climbing to the top in one step. Stay grounded and focused on your current capabilities, do quality work and keep manifesting your design dreams.  

You will be tempted to make excuses because you are a visionary taking exciting risks.  

Return to the feelings of positive possibility and your big ‘WHY’. You will be opening the doors to your new design business soon!

Friends with the Monster: The Time Has Come for You to Live Your Art

FRIENDS WITH THE MONSTER:
THE TIME HAS COME FOR YOU TO LIVE YOUR ART

Friends With The Monster

Article By Nikka Karli
Photo Credit: Dasha & Mari
Magazine: Issue #30

There you are. Sitting alone in your room. The scariest monster you’ve ever encountered is under your bed, gnashing its hideous teeth and sliding its creepy alien fingers along your bare skin.

But this monster- the one who has you plugging your ears and squeezing your eyes shut so tightly you’re seeing stars- is not, in reality, a monster at all.

This monster is your Ultimate Dream.

And you are so scared by the very IDEA of said dream that you are, at present, curled up into the fetal position sucking your thumb and crying for your mommy. Just wishing someone would come and take your Ultimate Dream away so you don’t have to think about it for more bed-wetting second.

Except- EXCEPT- you know in your heart of hearts that if you actually lost this dream that you might completely fade away from all space and time.

And you know that no matter how scary this dream is, it is your reason for being on this planet, at this time, in this place.

For without this dream your soul would be incomplete. And your life would become a vast wasteland of mediocrity. And carpooling minivans. And boring lingerie that doesn’t even turn YOU on. And ugly Christmas sweater parties where you get to feign laughter at your husband’s boss’s ridiculously inappropriate jokes. And one craptastic vacation every other year. Oh. And, perhaps worst of all, watching other people build their dreams while you sit back and try to remember a time when you yourself had more than just a fleeting memory of your own.

And that version of life? Well, I don’t know about you, but that hot mess of a reality is simply unacceptable to me.

So, what’s a rebel-thought leader-dreamer-creator-world changer to do?
Roll over, play dead, and let the monster have its way with you?
Well. Yes, actually. That’s EXACTLY what you should do.

Because it is only by surrendering completely to your Ultimate Dream that you will ever give it permission to become your reality. It is only when we give ourselves over to the great, big, scary void of creativity that we are capable of not only making friends with the monster, but BECOMING the monster.

What does it mean to become the monster {AKA your Ultimate Dream}?

It means that your life is no longer an unsatisfying accumulation of the mundane tasks and self-limiting comfort zones with which we occupy ourselves to distract us from the fact that we are not living our art.

It means that your name will be forever written along the magical ley lines of the Soul of the Universe.

It means that you- yes you- will have faced your demons, nourished them with love and gratitude, and chosen to embrace them in spite of your fears. You will have not only accepted your monster, you will have become the walking, talking, breathing embodiment of your divinity. For our creativity- which is the active invocation of our Ultimate Dream- is, in all essence, divine.

It is the vast expanse of the ancient ones that runs through our blood.
It is our strength and our weakness. Our light and our dark. Our truth and our faults.
It is our greatness.

We must never forget that when we fight our monster, we are fighting ourselves. And nothing great has ever come from an artist fighting her art. From a leader fighting the fact that they are meant to lead. Or from a creator refusing to create.

So, this is your invitation to surrender, Lover. To give yourself over to your own monster. To allow your life to become the sacred magic that is your Ultimate Dream.

This is your wake up call. Your monster is waiting.

Creative Edge: How to Be Your Own Muse

How to Be Your Own Muse

CREATIVE EDGE: HOW TO BE YOUR OWN MUSE

Article by Cinthia Singleton
Photo Credit: Dasha & Mari
Magazine: Issue #30

The relationship between the artist and their muse gives us a buzz. F. Scott and Zelda. John and Yoko. Andy and Edie. One magical being for each artiste and, BAM, a meaningful tie to our own work as never existed before in the solitary garret. Sign you up, creative one? Well, why not? Who doesn’t want a tangible connection to their process? Of course with all that sizzle what you’re working on will be great and there’ll be the exhibition or book deal, whatever. Energy, traction… MOMENTUM. Ah, the muse. They seem to give us a voice, know how to carry us to the finish line, the whole while wiping away the tears, applying salves and loving us. A muse doesn’t necessarily have to be a lover, but someone who demands, and gets, the keys to our artistic soul in exchange for a map to our greatness.

Don’t believe the hype.

Creativity is a lot of work and all it promises is that and lots of personal fulfillment if you hang in there. Problem is, it can be one darn lonely process full of [waiting, pondering, procrastinating, hoping and praying for signs] and many of us find that we CAN’T do it simply, or simply can’t [concentrate, think, move forward, enjoy the process warts and all]. This is why we want to find a muse. They make a tough mountain easier, safer to scale.

The reality is not all of us will have a magical muse in our creative lives. In fact, gifts aren’t meant to miraculously emerge from behind the barriers but are mined from within. A muse, if there is one, is, like a lot of things in life, a PART of the plan; creative people are meant to encounter a SERIES of people and experiences to guide them; creativity is about a life of living and our creativity is a life force that contributes to it. How deeply or intimately, depends on timing, how open we are, what we need to learn at a particular point in time. They come to us in the form of a new friend who reads that first chapter, a new technique we learn or a book we read. They are the people who might listen for a moment or say something that illuminates a left turn over a right. Places we visit open us up to new experiences. These possibilities are infinite. We let them in. 'Till they do, stick with the boring part of the plan:

1 :: Stop talking about it and do it
2 :: Stay in the [ chair, room, studio ] for a set amount of time every day
3 :: Learn to enjoy 99% of the process, steps large and small
4 :: Be forgiving when 1% of the process hurts
5 :: Believe something good comes from each day, ‘bad’ or ‘good’ 
6 :: Maintain composure while struggling with new ideas
7 :: Learn the tricks that will enable you to ‘work around’ particular process bug-a-boos
8 :: Work daily

If you need more than this, it’s ego and there’s no place for that in the process unless you want to quit. 8 steps. You, yourself and you are the ore being mined. It’s GOLD not fool’s. So stop looking for the muse. They might SEEM like the most amazing gift personified but it’s really YOU and that’s already in you.

“The gold in life is for those bold and brave in life.” 

- Ifeany Enoch Onuoha

The 3 Essential Components of Inspiration

The 3 Essential Components Of Inspiration

THE 3 ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS OF INSPIRATION

Article by Sophie Mihalko
Photo Credit: Dasha & Mari
Magazine: Issue #30

In her 2009 TED Talk's, Elisabeth Gilbert describes how inspiration is often something outside of ourselves that we somehow need to invite in. 

We often get our best ideas in the shower, while driving a car, or even washing dishes, which is very frustrating since we don’t have anything to record or write with.

So, let’s use the example of the shower and investigate what the conditions are that allows inspiration to strike so often!

1 :: We are not thinking
Most of us know how to take a shower, drive a car, and do the dishes without thinking about it. NO THINKING allows inspiration to come faster than if we are. Why? It’s simple- A thought is the repetition of something we know or have experienced. Inspiration is something that does not exist yet, so it just cannot be in the same environment as a repetition of something that already exists. 

Meditation or Access The Bars® are a great way to have a blank mind. Find your way to clear your thoughts. 

2 :: We are relaxed
The hot water, the repetitive movements, the condition of the shower itself is relaxing. When the body does not make strenuous movements (but still moves), inspiration is much more likely to strike. We are now in full mode of “receiving”, like a blank slate. The body is open to the information. Ruth Stone, the famous American poet often described how she felt poems “passing” through her body.

Taking a walk in nature, stretching, receiving a massage, or eating the foods that nurture our bodies are perfect ways to relax as well. 

3 :: We are not judging ourselves or others
Usually we do not judge ourselves for the way we take a shower. We also do not judge the shower. In this space of non-judgement, where nothing is wrong, bad, big or small, inspiration can come. It will find a fertile ground where a seed can be planted without the risk to be modified or pushed away. 

Judging ourselves not only creates stress, but it also prevents our creativity to blossom. Therefore, even if you are your “worst critic”, adopting a technique to stop self-judgement as soon as it is noticed is critical in developing new ideas. 

If you apply these three components and recreate them at any time, you will eventually be able to get inspired any time you choose to be. 

A Stalking Quest to Find Your Muse

A Stalking Quest To Find Your Muse

A STALKING QUEST TO FIND YOUR MUSE

Article by Denita Austin
Photo Credit: Dasha & Mari
Magazine: Issue #30

In our darkest times, we can still go out into the world and find something of phenomenal beauty. Regardless of any situation that we encounter in life, there is always light at the end of the tunnel and the sun will always make an appearance. There is beauty everywhere and we must take the time to open our eyes and take it in. We are surrounded by so much to fill our hearts and souls for a life time, but one must have patience to endure. 

I encourage all Holistic Beauties to wander the world and find that burst of inspiration that will run chills down your spine and form a permanent smile on your face. Perhaps a moment of silence to reflect on what intrigues you, what is it that creates a spark within your bones to gently push you to dive into your day. Is it a person, art, life in itself or maybe it’s ourselves? 

My personal quest of finding a muse has been quite intriguing. I tend to switch this creative process every year. It’s more of a hard reset for me. If I begin the year on one muse, whether it’s a person or subject matter, I literally focus on that for one complete year and then the next year will completely different. I’m inspired by constant change. In my world it’s a form of continued growth. My number one suggestion to everyone would be to travel to find your answers. When we travel or we are set out on a quest to find answers, not only do we learn about our surroundings along the way, but we learn about ourselves and how we function in the world. I personally like to think that we inspire each other more than we think. I could clearly travel to another country and be inspired by someone picking grapes to eventually make a fine wine. That person could clearly become the muse of the year to either paint something, write a book, or even pick up a new hobby. We are surrounded by so much beauty and inspiration that we tend to forget.

A prime example could be the Holistic Fashionista Magazine. At first glance of visiting the website, one can experience a rush of inspiration by gazing at the authentic creative layout of colors, designs, and concepts. It is by far a Brand of Inspiration and a burst of vibrancy oozing out of your computer screen. Every single cover is a reflection of Authenticity. This could easily be a muse; whether it’s the creator or the magazine you connect with. 

Finding your muse isn’t as hard as you may think. It doesn’t necessarily have to be another human being. It can honestly be yourself. You could be inspired just by being your creative spirit. You also have the option to go on a quest and make your own rules and travel to find that boost of inspiration. Along your trip you may stumble across snippets of what could be the next chapter in your life. Being side-tracked from our path is common, however we should pay serious attention to our instincts. It is super important to open your heart and mind to everything life has to offer.

Think about your quest in detail and ask yourself the following questions:

1 :: Why do I feel the need to find my Muse?
2 :: What will this do for my life? 
3 :: What am I willing to do to grab this burst of light? 
4 :: Do I currently have a muse? If so what is it or who?
5 :: How soon will I challenge myself to begin my quest?

When your decision is made to begin your quest, I would like to share these helpful tips for you to try on your quest:

Have a liberated lifestyle| Challenge yourself to think outside the box. This will not only boost your confidence but it will allow you to experience more creative energy instead of following the rules all the time. 
   
Spend Time With Creative People| If you are able to surround yourself with people who value creativity as much as you do, this will get the juices flowing
   
Listen to your Instincts| Tell the Micromanager of your emotions to take a back seat. Rules, restrictions, and social norms can put a damper on creativity.  It’s when you’re free within yourself that you’re able to show up in the world. Our emotions always reveal the truth and influences our decisions. 
   
Keep a Journal| Keep a journal of your experiences that were memorable and exciting. You can always reflect back on this for inspiration that may spark new thoughts and ideas.
   
Travel & Explore| This is always a favorite of mine. Move away from the normal routine. Jump out there and explore. Your muse may just be on the other side of your destination. Jump out there!

I wish you the best of luck on your quest to find your muse or to become your own muse. I want to hear about your experience. Don’t be shy, send me a note. 

Artists, Photographers, and the Creative Inspiration of the Muse

ARTISTS, PHOTOGRAPHERS, AND
THE CREATIVE INSPIRATION OF THE MUSE

Article by Jeannine Chanin-Penn
Photo Credit: Dasha & Mari
Magazine: Issue #30

Artists, Photographers, And The Creative Inspiration Of The Muse

If you look up the definition of a Muse you will find:
myo͞oz/noun
(In Greek and Roman mythology) each of nine goddesses, the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, who preside over the arts and sciences.
A woman, or a force personified as a woman, who is the source of inspiration for a creative artist.
synonyms: inspiration, creative influence, stimulus; formal afflatus

In more modern times, a muse has evolved to include a variety of individuals that profoundly inspires and influences one’s creative work. Quite typically we think of a muse as an exceptionally beautiful woman like Audrey Hepburn was to Givenchy, the can-can dancer Jane Avril was to artist Toulouse Lautrec or model and heiress Edie Sedgwick was to Andy Warhol. 

Often these are very complex, intimate relationships sometimes resulting in great love, great heartache, or both. With actress Mia Farrow, Woody Allen created a feminine young, innocent and their relationship went from a seemingly strong love to a very complicated mess that ended their relationship personally and professionally. 

Photographer Alfred Stieglitz fell in love with Georgia O’Keeffe’s artwork before falling in love with her. Stieglitz photographed her nude and exhibited the pictures, which caused a sensation. After divorcing his wife and marrying O’Keeffe, the photographer took hundreds more pictures of her.

Though they had their ups and downs, they continued to share their passion for art and each other until Stieglitz’s death in 1946.

And then there are the non-sexual, not classically beautiful women only muses. Martin Scorsese has a unique bond with Robert De Niro a man who he sees as his alter ego. Their collaboration has resulted in numerous award winning movies including “Raging Bull” and “Goodfellas” two of the greatest films of all times. 

Tim Burton and Johnny Depp are another iconic duo in Hollywood whose list of films includes “Edward Scissorhands” and “Alice in Wonderland.” According to Burton, they communicate in a way that "wouldn't really make sense to the normal person." “It’s very nice to have someone that you can have a completely abstract conversation with and leave the room, feel like everything’s fine, and then realize that if you pick it apart, you have absolutely no idea what either of you said.”

The list of muses is endless especially among artists/photographers and their subjects, directors and actors, choreographers and dancers, writers and their characters and fashion designers and their models.

Who is or could be your muse? Is there someone whose style, face, essence inspires you? Could they be your model, your protégé…your constant inspiration? I’d love to hear about them in the comments below.

For now my greatest muse (who is my muse, and doesn’t know it) is my son. Besides being in love with his face, I think the relationship of parent and child is so intense that it is easy to find inspiration in so much of what they do, the expressions they make and in them just being a mirror of ourselves. 

Featured Interview: Hailley Howard

FEATURED INTERVIEW: HAILLEY HOWARD

Interview by Angel Quintana
Photo Credit: Hailley Howard
Magazine: Issue #29

Photography by: Hailley Howard

In this month’s issue of Holistic Fashionista Magazine, we’ve featured beautiful photography from Hailley Howard. Hailley is a California-born fashion and commercial photographer now splitting her time between both coasts. Hailley's clean and stoic eye is experimental and not afraid to push the boundaries. Self-taught, she doesn't adhere to the confines of rules and she lets her environment envelop her imagery; unique, free and feminine. Raw yet structured, her images evoke emotions of voyeuristic moments; caught and captured, intimate and still. When not shooting for work Hailley fills her Instagram feed with images of beaches, architecture, palm trees and stolen moments - camera always in hand, Hailley is ever defining her voice behind and through the camera lens. You can see more of Hailley’s work at www.Hailley.com

Who or what influenced you to become a photographer?

I was a kooky child. A mismatched ragamuffin running ragged with un-brushed hair, bouncing off the walls and always stopping visitors and friends for an impromptu dance performance. I guess you could say that I had an "artistic temperament". But I couldn't find my outlet. I would draw, I would paint, I would wake up early and write stories on a baby blue typewriter - but I never felt that I was "good-enough". Looking back I can see how drawn to images I was. I would pull magazine clippings and take selfies, before the word was coined, already creating stories with images before I realized what I was doing. I suppose it was so seamless and natural that it took nearly 23 years for me to hear that calling, that whisper - the pull into the abyss that is diving headfirst into a creative career, naked and vulnerable.

I had become the one that always had her camera out, taking photos, editing them {badly} and sharing them with strangers and random party-goers. I wasn't trying to be a photographer, I was just being. In saying this I am realizing that in this love affair, we found each other. I decided to move forward full-force after a soul-searching road trip across the country. When I got home, that is what I did and it's all I have been doing ever since. The movement was slow at first but it has truly become what I live, eat and breathe.

It's hard for me to tell you exact influences. I can tell you photographers that I love for various reasons. But I think what is more interesting is that I look back at things that I liked, people I looked up to, images I marked or pulled and I see how they seeped into my consciousness and somehow became a part of me and my style. It's an amazing thing what happens when you love and appreciate something. It becomes a part of you.

How would you describe your photography style?

Sometimes I will ask my subject to look at me as if they are putting a spell on me. I suppose I am asking this because I want them to go into themselves and find their power and share it with me through their eyes. I think my images have a sense of magic to them. There is a level of intensity but also a feminine whim. That juxtaposition plays into my sense for a clean image, nearly stark at times but never cold.

What is your favorite part of having your own creative business?

I love {and hate} that is all lies on me. I grew this with my work ethic. My honor to my word. My flexibility. My will and my perseverance. It is a deeply moving thing to step back and realize that regardless to what I am shooting, someone liked what I do and wanted to hire me. Someone appreciates the way I see the world. It's my gift to share a perception of reality. THIS is what I see, and you can see it too... it's sharing with others in a really beautiful way and it's an honor. Isn't that amazing that I get to do that and get paid for it?!

Photography by: Hailley Howard

What projects motivated you the most?

I find happiness in everything I shoot. But if I were to plan a "perfect" career, it would be filled with beautiful locations, beautiful light, beautiful people and beautiful clothing. I am motivated to create beauty, to capture the beauty in front of me and to share these beautiful things.

If you could give our readers one piece of advice about owning your own business, what would it be?

It isn't easy to find the thing that makes you tick, that feeds you and that keeps you going. If you find that, whatever it is, do not give up. Make. It. Happen.

What’s on the horizon for you? Any projects we need to know about?

I have a cover coming out this fall with Palm Springs Style - we shot at a super special top secret location - keep your eyes peeled... might be my favorite shoot to date!