Ever tried making a 7-foot-long fiberglass banana with eight insect legs?

No?

What about repurposing an abandoned pay phone into a positivity portal that delivers a joke, a ridiculous dance request or some encouraging words for absolutely anyone who picks up the beaming yellow receiver? 

Sounds like a strange dream or the fantasy of a 5-year old, doesn't it?

But in Ryan McGuire's world, a limitless imagination combined with a rigorous anti procrastination discipline and a mad scientist mentality results in a playful world for joy junkies or anyone craving a jolt of possibility or polka dots amidst an ordinary day. 

And this creative dynamo, founder of a burgeoning community arts organization, photographer, photo shopper, web designer and all around wild man, Ryan McGuire, is our guest expert in The Life Feast this month.

Because in a world dominated by deadlines, routines, to do lists plus the daily drudgery of life...

Have you ever looked under the "hood" of motherhood and wondered who am I, anymore? I haven't seen "me" in a while, though I think my soul might be buried under a pile of laundry or a science project somewhere. 

Parenthood is an interesting paradox, isn't it?

It's beautiful, fulfilling, loving, stressful, exhausting, humorous, frustrating, terrifying and joyful all at the same time ... sometimes all in the same hour! 

And, as busy mothers, taking care of our share (and then some), we can lose ourselves along the way.

Remember those invisible mothers from Victorian photos I shared with you two weeks ago? It's an irony both metaphorical and literal. 

This week, in The Life Feast, I have an incredible special guest, one I've waited months to share with you who will be talking with us about how she found herself through photography. 

Mandy Seligman is a mom of five, a homeschooler, a wife, a grandmother, a sister, a daughter, and she is also she is also a...

Are you ready to meet and have your life changed by one of the most extraordinary creatives out there? She's a poet, a self-help author, a photographer, leadership coach and (of course) a cowgirl! And she's one of my favorite humans on the planet. Let me introduce you to: Beth Anstandig.

Beth calls herself "a noticer of things".

She notices the way an orange peel can become poetry.
She notices the subtle shifts in the space between horses.
She notices the art of barbed wire, the beauty in a shadow and the healing power of a hug with a four-legged friend.
And she notices how humans have become so adept at swapping stress for self-care, busy-ness for being, and productivity over prioritizing basic needs, that we don't even notice how much it's affecting our relationships and our wellbeing.

In her Natural Leadership work, Beth has guided heavy hitters from Google, Facebook, Adobe and many other leaders of today in how to slow down and use the wisdom of horses (and the...

What did you used to love to do?

Did you draw?
Did you dance?
Did you paint?
Did you sing?

I used to dance as a groovy chicken circa 1979/80, but I gave up art at age 22.

I was a working girl.
A newly minted adult.

I was a Professional, a few years later I got married and became a Partner, not long after that I became a Parent. I gave up creativity and all outside interests because doesn't adulting mean we are required to give it all up when we hit those 3 P milestones?

Maybe we add in a 4th P and call that fulfillment …. Peloton. Or a 5th, Planner, as in planning everything for everyone in our lives, planning the summer camp, the school activities, the dinners, the bake sales. Or a 6th P: Philanthropy. Worthy only if we are giving everything we’ve got. This is what is normalized in this culture. Give until your cup is bone dry … and unless it’s exercise, feel guilty for having fun unless you are taking care of the other p’s that society approves...

What did you used to love to do before adulting consumed every minute of everyday? 

Did you love to paint?
Did you love to dance?
Did you love to sing?

Has it been a few years since you asked yourself what you used to love to do? And decades since you've actually given yourself permission to be you?

It is time to color outside the lines of motherhood or midlife. Reclaim your identity AND your creativity. Get out of your inbox and into your life. It's time to feast. 

Are you ready to feast on life?  
Details are right => here. 

Wondering what light bokeh even is? It's these beautiful round circles of light that are intentionally blurry and out of focus. It's a Japanese word and a photographic style. 

Christmas trees are just begging for bokeh! But you don't need to celebrate Christmas to enjoy this creative trick. Twinkly lights are easy to find and this on-the-fly creative trick is so much fun to play with. 

If you've heard of bokeh, maybe you've mostly thought of it as a way to blur the background when taking a portrait of someone. I took this photo with my big DSLR camera a few years ago of my daughter, Jacey. I didn't realize you could actually achieve a similar creative effect with an iPhone. 

I accidentally discovered light bokeh on my iPhone last year when I was attempting to shoot this scene while parked at a BBQ joint chatting with an old friend before driving into cell phone dead zones during a snow storm.

My iPhone wouldn't focus on the tree as it kept trying to focus on the...