Original Impulse Blog

Paris Booty Contest Update

Here's the skinny on the Paris Booty Contest: 

Kirsten of Sweden won the first week's contest, with her entry about how she'd use the fleur de sel to scour away her inner critic. I'm all for that, so I'm sending the salt all the way back across the ocean to her in Sweden!

I received zero entries for last week's contest. Apparently no one wants to clean up their act, or doesn't want the adorable heart-shaped soaps from Paris. 

So I am going to claim them. But, in all fairness, I will do something to clean up my act. Here's what I'll do. This weekend, I'll clear everything from my desk and wipe it clean. I'll replace only the things that I am using or that inspire me. I may even take the opportunity to make a Sylvia Beach shrine to help with my novel revision juju. 

See? Cleaning up doesn't have to be a major big deal! But I bet that refresh of my desktop will make all the difference. 

Future Paris Booty Contests will be embedded in my Juju Infusion episodes, which appear on Thursdays. You'll want to get your entries in by the following Wednesday at noon MST to be eligible to win. This week's booty: a gorgeous Paris scarf! Enter to win here

 
 

Paris Booty Contest: Heart Soaps

It turns out it's really tough to choose a winner from the Paris Booty Contest entries! I appreciate everyone who submitted, both in a comment and in emails to me. Thank you! 

To acknowledge your courage and willingness to step up to the Booty, I'm giving everyone who entered a download of my Creative Fortunes. Watch for an email from me soon, with your pdf of the Creative Fortunes that you can print and use to spark your juju!

Last week's winner of the fleur de sel is Kerstin Dahlén. Kerstin, please email me your address (I know you're in Sweden so the salt will take some time to get to you!) so I can ship your Paris Booty! Read Kerstin's entry on the Paris Booty Fleur de Sel post.

In the future, all Paris Booty Contest entrants will receive some kind of creative juju from me. Because I respect those who speak up and who go for what they want.

Now, for this week's Paris Booty!

Contest rules

Respond to my coaching question in the video, in a comment below. Comments must be left on the Original Impulse blog. Comments on YouTube will not be eligible in the contest. 

If you're shy, you're welcome to email your entry to me. Just click the button below the post that says Email the author and voilà! Entries must be received by Thursdays, 5:00 pm MST.

Answer the question in 150 words or less. I'll judge the entries based on: 

• honesty
• willingness
• true desire
• creativity

The winner will be announced the following Friday here on the Original Impulse blog. Get your friends to submit their entries to the Paris Booty Contest. Share the booty!

Questions? Just contact me.  

Paris Booty Contest: Fleur de Sel

Contest rules

Respond to my coaching question in the video, in a comment below. Comments must be left on the Original Impulse blog. Comments on YouTube will not be eligible in the contest. 

If you're shy, you're welcome to email your entry to me. Just click the button below the post that says Email the author and voilà! 

Answer the question in 150 words or less. I'll judge the entries based on: 

• honesty
• willingness
• true desire
• creativity

The winner will be announced the following Friday here on the Original Impulse blog. Get your friends to submit their entries to the Paris Booty Contest. Share the booty!

Questions? Just contact me.  

I'm in Love: Beirut, Nantes, Paris....

I'm in love! My video response to follow. 

 Later that week.... A friend of mine said she saw this post and didn't get it. 

 "In love?" she said. "What do you mean?" 

I mean my thoughts returning to it again and again, a burning impulse to tell everyone, the need to play it over and over...to sing the song at the top of my lungs, to dance in my studio with the song blaring (I even broke something doing this last night!) 

It's wild abandon, it's a coup du coeur, it's what happened to me when I saw Beruit performing this song on the streets of Paris. 

To really grasp this song, you should listen to the studio version, below in my playlist. Then you can hear how great it is and understand how difficult it is to sing this song. (And turn it up and dance!)

 

Juju Infusion 7: Mindmapping for Creatives

Treat yourself to an episode of Juju Infusion - fun and inspiration for creative types.

Quick links for things mentioned in the show:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind_map

Holy Body Day resources: 

The story behind Holy Body Day.

More ideas on how to celebrate Holy Body Day.

Moondance Botanicals

Come here on May 22^nd!

Hello!

Welcome to episode seven of Juju Infusion. 

Thanks for all the comments and support you've shared with me. It means a lot to me that many of you look forward to the show. 

It's my hope that Juju Infusion becomes part of thousands of people's happy creative habits.

Enjoy this week’s infusion of Juju – good, zesty creative energy – into your day.

In this episode:

Holy Body Day! 

Mind mapping my upcoming Paris caper

And more!

To your good juju infusion, 

Cynthia

Juju Infusion 3: Love More, Struggle Less

Creativity in unexpected places...join me for this week's infusion of creativity - Juju Infusion!

Quick links for things mentioned in the show:


Make Writing a Happy Habit

The Rare Orchid

Two Hands Paperie

Moleskine

Writual Blessings

Journey Blessings & Creative Fortunes

Original Impulse Inc.

Hello!
Welcome to episode three of Juju Infusion. Have an adult recess to inject an infusion of Juju – good, zesty creative energy – into your day.

In this episode:

• Things I love: Rare Orchid Bubble Stickers help keep things creative at work.
• A Writual Blessing for you!
• Journal Juju: How I use Moleskine notebooks to run my business
• Yoga Juju: Quit struggling! Use Bakasana to learn how to get out of struggle mode.
• Journal Juju – Last week's winner of the journal juju giveaway was Kerrie Wrye. Who is it this week? Watch to find out!

  
Plus more surprising juju in action.

Thanks for watching and please do let me know what you’d like to see in future episodes!

If you watch my show, please let me know by rating it on YouTube or by leaving a comment below. (You’ll want to leave a comment anyway, to be entered in the Journal Juju giveaway next week!)

To your juju infusion,

Cynthia

(There are no paid endorsements in this episode. Other than my own. Original Impulse Inc. pays me to do this silly show.)

Poetry Mad Libs

"It is ____ in the world to live after the world's ________; it is easy in ________ to live after our ______; but the ______ man is he who in the __________of the crowd keeps with perfect _________ the_________ of solitude." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Okay, what's up with the blank spaces in the quote above? I thought it would be fun to play Poetry Mad Libs.

I once taught a private poetry workshop and one of the exercises was Finish This! The challenge is to fill in the blanks with vivid language, not necessarily to get the correct words in the quote.

Please be as silly as you want. Fill in the blanks and leave your entry in a comment. 

Celebrating National Poetry Month.

Juju Infusion 2: Writers in Love

Creativity in unexpected places...join me for this week's infusion of creativity - Juju Infusion!

Quick links for things mentioned in the show:

AWP Association of Writers and Writing Programs

Vital Yoga

Baer Ridgway Exhibitions

Curious Amsterdam: June 13th - 19th - last chance to register this week.

Kathy Loh

Demetri Martin

Tartine Bakery

Original Impulse Inc.

Hello!

Welcome to episode two of Juju Infusion.Take a break to inject an infusion of Juju – good, zesty creative energy – into your life.

In this episode:

• Falling in love at the AWP conference.
• Yoga Juju: Utkatasana! (Say it with me.)
• Journal Juju: Join me on my jaunt to Northern California
• Journal Juju – Last week's winner of the journal juju giveaway was Janet Keen. Who is it this week? Watch to find out!

Plus more surprising juju in action.

Thanks for watching and please do let me know what you’d like to see in future episodes!

If you watch my show, please let me know by rating it or by leaving a comment below. (You’ll want to leave a comment anyway, to be entered in the Journal Juju giveaway next week!)

To your juju infusion,
 

Cynthia

Conference Juju: How AWP Gave Me a Plan, Guidance and Renewed Love for Writing

“That which does not kill you gives you great material.” Denise Hoffner

I reluctantly attended The Association of Writers and Writing Programs conference last week in Denver, and it completely infused my life, my novel and my business with new juju.

I had shrugged off the conference because the sessions were largely related to pedagogy – teaching writing in universities and elsewhere. Although my mom would love to have seen me become a professor, I obviously took another path. So mingling with a bunch of academics didn’t appeal to me.

My beloved friend and editor David Hicks, however, encouraged me to go. I was on the fence about the conference when I got crushing news about my novel Chasing Sylvia Beach – it was being rejected by major publishers. I was freshly stunned by the prospect of a revision when I had to make a decision about whether to attend AWP. It could be horrible to be among writers as a fresh failure.

After a week of indecision, I tipped over to yes and canceled and re-arranged my appointments. I made loose plans to connect with David and Shelly, my conference buddies. If I don’t have plans with friends for networking events like this, I’m likely to bail out and stay home in the studio where it’s nice and safe and private.

Yoga Yields Creative Conference Strategy

Juju Infusion 1: What's Juju?

Need an infusion of creative juju? Find inspiration for creative adventurers in my new web TV show, premiering here at the Original Impulse blog.

Looking for time management tips, productivity hacks, or admonishing advice from an expert?

You won't find that here. (Okay, maybe a little.)  Instead we'll infuse your week - a ten minute break for you - with the unexpected and quirky.

Juju: magic, sparkle, unexpected, giggle, mystery...

Infusion: the essence, the absolute sweetest part of something, elixir. 

Show Notes Episode One

Quick links for things mentioned in the show:

Vital Yoga

Yoga Empowers Your Creativity

My thoughts on dealing with rejection

More on rejection

Cynthia’s YouTube channel

Make Writing a Happy Habit

Hello!

Welcome to the inaugural episode of Juju Infusion. I’ll be broadcasting weekly ten-minute shows to inject an infusion of Juju – good, zesty creative energy – into your life.

In this episode:

• The new yoga challenge that’s kicking my butt in April.
• Kicked elsewhere: news about my quest for a publisher for my novel, Chasing Sylvia Beach: not pretty.
• Survival tactics for artists: get freaky!
• Weekly permission slip
• Q&A: This week: The quickest way to move beyond creative blocks.
• Journal Juju – A lucky Original Impulse blog reader gets some Journal Juju sent her way! Is it you? Watch to find out.
• You'll also discover that I am a way more talented writer than you ever knew.

Thanks for watching and please do let me know what you’d like to see in future episodes!

If you watch my show, please let me know by rating it or by leaving a comment below. (You’ll want to leave a comment anyway, to be entered in the Journal Juju giveaway next week!)

To your juju infusion,
 

Cynthia

P.S. Not all of the episodes will contain films of my friends and I partying. Just this one. Okay, maybe more will appear...