Happy September first loves.
I’m currently sitting at my favorite little french bakery shop enjoying the chillness of labor day weekend which where I live truly feels like the last weekend of summer.
Wanted to do a reflection on August and let you know some exciting announcements for September and a chance to WORK WITH ME one on one for creativity coaching!
August simultaneously feels like a very long month and at the same time feels like it went by in a blur.
Here are some highlights 🙂
Family Time
During my week off, my younger siblings came up to visit me and I had the best time showing them my favorite spots in town, going to the beach, wine tasting, making dinner together, and enjoying the seaside views.
It was one of the first times I got to hang out with them on my own and outside of a “family” setting and it really felt like I was getting to know them more as adults which was such a beautiful blessing.
I feel so grateful to have these people in my life that shared so many major life experiences with me and although we live completely separate lives now and I don’t know what their daily lives look like and they don’t know mine, we are still bound by this connection and always will be. Siblings are just the best.
After a few days, we headed to my grandma’s house in New Jersey where we met up with two more of my sisters and spent some quality time with my 94 year old grandma.
Usually when we get together it’s during the holidays or for a big family event like a graduation, so it was such a nice refresher to just spend time together in the middle of august like this.
I chased my nephew around the house, listened to my grandma’s many stories, ate lots of food, and sat around the couch happy to be in the company of my loved ones.
#MERMCREATIVITYCHALLENGE – 30 days of creativity
I completed my August challenge of 30 days of creativity over on Instagram!
This challenge was so much fun and I learned a lot from leading my first one.
It was great for me to commit to posting consistently every single day for 30 days and I didn’t pre-plan the content at all which was actually really fun because the morning of, I would have to take a picture and write up a caption and it always just worked out exactly how it was supposed to.
This challenge made me do things that I normally wouldn’t.
I found myself waking up early to paint during the sunrise, discovered incredible new mermaid artists like Lindsay Rapp, indulged in a mermaid inspired bath in the middle of the day complete with music & lavender essential oils, read plays before work, and much more.
It’s really interesting to see how stuck in our old routines we are which is partly why I created this challenge so that we can push ourselves outside of our daily routines and do something DIFFERENT for once.
Painting in the morning or reading before work or finding cool new spots in my own town definitely inspired me and helped me see the world in new ways which sparked more inspiration & creativity.
I love the idea of committing to a challenge like this and will definitely be doing something similar in the future 🙂
COACHING MY FIRST 1:1 CLIENT
I’ve had 3/4 calls with my first client who is writing a screenplay for the first time in years!
It’s been such an interesting experience working with him and I’ve found that I can’t “plan” out too much how I’m going to work with them because it’s really about where they’re at in the moment and I am there to support in whatever way I can.
During our time together, he has almost completed an entire first draft of his screenplay and has been making time to write almost every day – which is huge because before this he hadn’t written single thing in 5-6 years!
Making the commitment to work with a coach can be that push you need to finally get started on the things you want to get started on because the financial and time commitment of having weekly calls already keep you accountable so you will not ghost yourself on your goals.
#dontghostyourgoals
BIG ANNOUNCEMENT
So, on that note I am offering TWO SPOTS for the month of September for my 1:1 coaching program.
This is for people who want to
-birth a creative project but don’t know how or can’t seem to get started
-create a consistent creative practice
-unlock their creative potential
-overcome blocks and limiting beliefs like “I’m not good enough” or “nobody cares about my art”
-have accountability and support in order to reach their goals
-finally see the art they’ve been keeping to themselves, come to life
Like I said, my process is very individual for each person and what their needs are depending on what they’re working on and what stage they’re at in the creative process but some examples of what I do with clients are:
-identifying your creative gifts
-help you get “unstuck” and get started
-create a consistent creative practice
-goal setting
-working with your MINDSET to overcome fear and self-doubt
-help you with taking actionable steps to reach your creative goals
If this sounds like something you’re interested in, you have until SEPTEMBER 6TH to book an entirely FREE 30 minute discovery call where we can get to know each other, chat about your goals, and see if working together would be a good fit.
Book your call here: www.calendly.com/leyavandoren
You will ONLY have until Sept. 6th to book your call, so the time to act is NOW.
Can’t wait to hear from you 🙂
As far as September goals go…I am keeping them minimal as I am focusing my time & energy on my 1:1 coaching program and preparing for something BIG come October.
I will be able to announce what it is next week, but for now here are things I’m enjoying:
Books, books, books
Just finished “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” which was eye-opening to say the least and just picked up “The Immortalists” and “Writing to Pursuade” from the library which I’m excited to get started on.
The Heartful Biz by Vienda Maria and Claire Baker
-loving this dreamy, intuitive, heart-led course from these two inspos about creating your heart led business!
It’s MUCH more my style as far as approaching business from a more feminine perspective rather than masculine and I admire both their approach to business and the lifestyles they lead.
Here’s the link if you’re interested: https://www.theheartfulbiz.com/
Amelia Whelan’s mixes on SoundCloud
Amelia Whelan or @saltsandandsmoothies on Instagram has created these gorrrgeous mixes on Soundcloud. I don’t listen to music much, but these tracks are the perfect dreamy vibes that get you into that creative flow.
My fave are Pulo Cinta and Akasha.
Here’s the link to check them out: listen here
Lindsay Rapp’s mermaid/ocean inspired art
As I mentioned before, Lindsay Rapp is an artist I discovered while doing my creativity challenge and I can’t get over her incredible art that is so aligned with my love for all things mermaid/oceans.
You have to check out her gorgeous art here and if you’re in Laguna Beach, check out her gallery!
ICYMI
Here are some poems from yours truly this month:
AND AGAIN…
If you’re interested in creativity coaching at all and unlocking your creative potential, book a FREE, no strings attached 30 minute call with me: here.
With love,
Merm Ley
Mermaid Musings 