Ingredients of Life

It's been a long time since I've visited the wonderful Braveheart community, so I thought I'd better have something I really cared about before I posted again. And I do. I just finished animating this story that, for me, is always ALWAYS valuable.

I don't put much stuff other than coupons on my refrigerator, but if I did (and could), I'd put this up.

They sent a straight to the point email: You've been rejected. I didn't even get to be IN the contest. I guess they knew what they were doing. Still..



I went to the site to have a look at submissions that managed to meet their exacting criteria of expressing three essences: energy, forward momentum, and (the) positive. More than a few expressed them JUST by putting the words on screen. Really.

I felt a little stupid for telling a story.

I wasn't alone, though. One story that made it past the praetorian guard was set in a slum/depressed neighborhood. A 20-something's drinking from a can of the beverage in question and generously shares with a po' little urchin, who shares with a second little urchin, who shares with yet another. Energy, forward momentum and positivity ensue.

I couldn't have cooked up a better satire if I'd tried.

And then I was over it.

Except that it made me think about rejection. I've known some who were crippled by it. Some are crippled by the thought of it and do as much as they know how to avoid it.

You can think what you want about rejection, but I just can't invest too much in the stuff. I can say this with confidence, having enjoyed loads of the things under different names. They're easy to experience when you put things out there.

Of course, losing something you've got years into - a job, a shared life - is certainly harder than, say, losing a role at an audition. But ...the actual rejection, that piercing moment when we're told no, when we're denied or eliminated for subjective reasons (those always seem so unfair), when someone else is chosen - that moment punctures the same size of hole.

We, in our endless quest to find the most pain there is in life, can poke our mental fingers in and root around til we've got ourselves something gaping.

I can imagine people insisting that the amount of pain we suffer is equal to our investment in whatever we just got rejected from. In my experience, this is less than true. What is more true is that the pain is equal to our investment in the story.

And for me, that's the BEST way to get over rejection: it's a fact. Don't make up a story about it.

'Stop waiting for a spotlight. Glow.'

I like small scenes captured in small containers - in globes, in boxes, in tin nichos. Actually, more accurately, I like the ideas that are illustrated by the scenes.

My very favorite is 'A Setting for a Fairy Tale' by the curious, nearly eccentric Joseph Cornell; it hangs in the Peggy Guggenheim villa in Venice which makes it the more wonderful (to me) for still being part of a very real home.

With the daily flood of information and our genuine interest in paying attention to other people, it's remarkably easy to be distracted from ideas and thoughts WE treasure. Those moments of enchantment, where the seeds of our vision can almost literally sprout and grow, can become a memory.

Or maybe it's just me. At any rate, I've started collecting my artwork so that some day, I can make my own scenes. Until then, I'm archiving the work digitally. This is my very first.

Every once in awhile, as I illustrate & animate a story, I find myself enchanted by it all.
Everything I believe gets poured into the storyboard and I feel I'm interpreting it ... just right.

Of course, people might disagree & they're welcome to, but I float, for those moments,
in a bliss.

I wish that same sensation for everyone, the sensation that they are living in a state of
inspiration, whether it's providing financial advice or spiritual guidance, whether it's in teaching
children or being a great administrative assistant.

Inspiration in action. What a gift to the world. What a gift we give ourselves.

The popularity of talking about new thought & spiritual ideas seems to be subsiding. The
frequency I hear 'just put it out to the universe' has dwindled to a mere once or twice a month.
I couldn't be happier.

Talking about it's just fine - better than fine - but in my small world, the talk was too often
unaccompanied by work, action, patience. Most often, it was only the talk.

I've recommended BraveHeart Women to countless friends and acquaintances. I've been able
to suggest, very specifically, resources, experts and Braveheart TV interviews
that I know address whatever problem or issue they're struggling with.

I don't want to guess why they don't do anything. I might not be influential enough. They
certainly seek out my thoughts and perspectives, my assistance and contribution.

It takes all of us as long as it takes us, so there's no judgment. But the time has come when
I've lost all interest in the 'talking.' I won't do it, I won't just talk - not because I don't care,
but because I do.

You might see the same theme in this video. (You might not, but I promise: it's there. )

Intuition is a woman's gift, I've heard (not that men don't own their fair share). But that gift can
be - well, maybe not squandered - but ... squashed. Silenced.

Mine was. I did it to myself. I gave into just about every impulse (no, really. Every one.) and
unapologetically and was rewarded with the kind of experiences that show up in movies.

And then I succumbed to convention. At my age, wasn't it only proper that I start reining
myself in? If I wanted to play with the big boys - the high risk project managers, the successful -
shouldn't I embrace the big boys' methods and values?

My life became much more luxurious. It looked enviable.



I know many aspire to that lifestyle and I'd deny NO ONE the luxuries. If prosperity means
the power to purchase high ends goods, then it all works out.

But I sacrificed my intuition. It just disappeared while I focused on the external things and
nurturing connections that, frankly, felt artificial.

The good news is my intuition's coming back. It doesn't entirely trust me, having been so
rudely abandoned, but it's still back. It doesn't seem to have any problem at all with me caring about prosperity, but it wants that prosperity to be grounded in what I - ME!! - really truly want
and what I truly believe my purpose to be.

So. In honor of what I know to be true, that not every one knows where their intuition rests
or how to call it up: this animation.
I post it with love.

Today is Dia de los Muertos. And it's midterm elections. Gee, it's almost hard to pick which one to celebrate. :\ and



Today is a day for hundreds of other events, big and small, fun and horrifying, happy and heart-breaking. This small truth, that appears day after day, is a little bit comforting, inspiring, and gratifying. Mostly, because I consider it a small gift that I'm able to see it.

I can be in the bad moments and know there are good ones only a small shift away. And when I'm in the good moments, I carry empathy and readiness to be of service. Yah, I think that's a treasure, to have all those possibilities.

I watched this cartoon I animated a few years ago and was reminded why I like the story so much. I'm the sister who likes shiny stuff, twinkly stuff.



I don't know if we judge each other by our clothes (okay - fashionista police do), but we definitely use them to sort of ... sort and signal. This is useful for a particularly fun parlor trick. I'm fond of casually chic dressing. My wardrobe has many subdued, elegant pieces - easy to look conservative in. Which is huge, huge fun since what goes on in my head is the polar opposite.

As much as I like Italian and German designers and fine cashmere and Hermes scarves, I like cowboy boots and Chucks and old jeans and tattoos and t-shirts. Easy to look earthy in, like you'd never brush elbows with refinement.

It's all a great game, made even more great because someone went and invent twinkly stuff. Oh, yes, I like twinkles. I do because I can. Whatever anyone else thinks.

At the very last minute, I was able to go to RISE. I had work, deadlines, things I could have sworn I couldn't possibly not do.
Something knew better than me. RISE was what I couldn't NOT do.
My gratitude is deep and big. I could write about it at length. Instead, I made an animation.
Thank you. With all my love, Cris

Sure. It looks like a short little video and that's it, that's all. There are a gazillion production details, though - kind of a surprise. Who knew it would take so much getting, learning, adjusting? Camera, lighting, mics. Sound, synching, editing so the synching might actually work. Jeesh. And restraining from using my every day profanity. Oh, THAT's been a tiny little hell (which I intend to give up. It's so not worth it, just to avoid anyone's objections.) That's been a part of the hardest part: making myself comfortable with making myself public. Originally, I meant to keep myself out of these videos. I don't care that this young internet generation is so loose with their privacy. That's their problem. Or good luck. Whatever. But I realize that, as a for instance, you can't visit a place without taking a personality along and using it as a lens. I know this too well about traveling. Send two people to the same city or neighborhood or joint and they'll experience completely different things. Have them read the same book and they'll read it differently. So. I'm still figuring it all out, but the lessons are coming fast and furious and I'm currently almost sure I'm actually learning something. Imagine THAT!

This video was probably mistitled. (Spell check's telling me that needs a little something. A hyphen? Mis-titled. Misstitled. Badly titled. Ha.)

It implies that I long for more time and this is not true. I have plenty. I just want to live big and beautifully with it and hand out lots of love. I need more practice. ANYWAY ... here's the video.

They're going to be there, no matter what. Fears. It seems so strange to me to suffer them twice - be afraid of fears? Are you KIDDING? No way. Here's episode 4 as proof. (Sort of. Two minutes hardly constitutes proof, does it? )

A few weeks ago, I started a web series - very short videos that let me focus on what's right & interesting, instead of the billions of things that are wrong and clearly need fixing. I don't know. I thought the former would be way more fun. So far, it is.

I just thought one or two of you might like to take a look.

It's a promise we make to each other, that we must make to each other. Love. Our future depends on it.

I animated this little cartoon. I was trying to just put it up in Inspirational Videos, but that's not working very well tonight.

Fun people are all around, creating amazing things & projects & lives, but if you want to connect with them, it helps to offer them treats. They won't come out for any old thing.

For starters, you might try long underwear.

Being an adult is nice & all, but there are obviously too many decisions. A sign always helps & if you're in search of good one, I like to recommend this. I animated this from the story by Brian Andreas.