In Kinship - for makers who crave a vibrant life Tina VanDenburg

Being a beginner at something you already know, seems counterintuitive.  But when I was looking to deepen my artistry, reconnect to my mojo, and embrace new ways to do what I love doing, being a beginner was just what I needed. 

Learning anew gave me a deeper connection to my craft and a mindset that allows for more curious experimentation rather than rushing to the end product.   I highly recommend it!

Give it a listen! 

Mentioned in the episode:
Brooks Ann Camper's Skirt Skills
Laureen Nowlan-Card
Episode 18 - with Laureen
 
tina@kinshiphandwork.com

In this episode, I talk about that space between.  Like the time between Christmas and New Year’s or the space between the end of one way of living and the beginning of another and how that space, that pause, can be beautiful and uncomfortable at the same time.

I also share about our move and where we are now physically and emotionally.  And about having a great deal of grace with ourselves.   
And did I manifest a SLLLOOOOWWW electric hookup?  
It’s a good question.

I also share my thoughts for sewing workshops in the new year, my guest appearance on the Sew and So podcast, a new online show I’m putting together, and in mid-January a free workshop to create our intentions for a Vibrant Year!

And finally…I have decided to ground myself back into my making by taking a course on custom sewing! 
Sometimes being a beginner again is just what we need to settle back into the next layer of our artistry!    I am signed up for Brooks Ann Camper’s Skirt Skills (doors open Dec 30th and class starts January 10th) and I am excited to start it with fresh eyes and see where her methods take me!   Want to join me?  See all the details here.
 
Take a listen!  
 
tina@kinshiphandwork.com

{w/ Megan Frey}
In this episode I caught up with my dear friend Megan Frey just days before she embarks on her next voyage. 
 
12 or so years ago, I was working at a natural food co-op and Megan hired on to earn some cash for her next adventure.   She waltzed in, this tall blond, glowing human with a gorgeous accent and I KNEW we were already friends.  And we were.
For this recording I caught up with Megan on the island of Maui (gah! online not, sadly, in person!) where she’s been resting on the land, the ocean ever in view. 
For the last decade, Megan has been sailing the world, chasing her dream.

I think of her like a graceful sea bird.  Most at home in the winds and water, but from time to time, landing on shore, wings spread and eyes closed, spent and ready to be held by the earth.
On our show, she shares a wee bit of her story; the first place that comes to mind that she’d like to revisit in this wide world she’s criss-crossed by sea, how she chose herself and stepped off a path that was once a dream and what she’s learned about trust and the journey. 
 
In her words…
“And a lot of that really, for me, right now in my life means creating more space for myself. However that looks, whatever feels good for Megan to do, or not to do, even more so, even more importantly, actually, is to do less.
It’s really being honest and checking in with yourself every day. Not just because one day you make this decision and then you, yep, this is the one, and then you just write it out.
That, to me, doesn’t feel authentic either to who I am.
You have to put effort into yourself every day. You can’t just check the box, sign the subscription, or membership, pay for it, and it’s over.  This one isn’t signing up for that subscription.”
 
Take a listen!  You’ll be glad you did.



tina@kinshiphandwork.com

(w/ Ricki Oldenkamp)  
Do you know what's better than foraging for fresh wild blueberries while chatting with friends and hoping the grizzly bears have a different spot?    NOTHING!

My guest today talks about her love of foraging and kitchen witching as a way to be part of nature, a welcome juxtaposition from her days observing nature in her work as a scientist. 

She also shares how she went from living out her "Jane Goodall" dreams to taking a chance and responding to her environment to become a teller of stories.  As a self-proclaimed nosey person, Ricki Oldenkamp speaks with passion and joy of her career now as a copywriter and of the honor she feels in hearing, translating, and telling another's story. 

Before that though, and in the midst of years of travel, she followed her intuition and took a trip that didn't necessarily make sense, but unfolded beautify, one step at a time.

Take a listen!  You'll be glad you did.



tina@kinshiphandwork.com

So...you've made a list of what brings you joy and you've been practicing some gratitude every day!
You've thought about your energy flow throughout the day and what your ideal day would look like. You took some tests, read some things and you know yourself and how you operate in flow a bit more.
Then you got clear on the habits and commitments in your life that do not bring you ease and joy and determined what of those you want to cull, delegate or limit.
NOW...we're bringing it all together with our calendars and starting to put some JOY into place. Scheduling it first. Allowing life to flow around the most important things to us.
Give the audio a listen.  Get your calendar and to do list and start sorting all this information into what you want more of in your life.  While you're at it, add tasks to your to do list that put culling and delegation into motion.
Create a list for daily things, weekly things, monthly things and quarterly/yearly things.  These are the things you want to ensure are part of your rhytym.  Things like walking, meditating, visiting an art museum, sitting in front of your watercolor paper, live music, a solo adventure, cermonies...you get the idea.  Things that will inherently bringing connection and joy into your life.
Now, schedule them!!!  Put them in first and honor that commitment to yourself.  After all as Dr Edith Egar says, the only person that you will be in a relationship with for your entire life, is YOU!tina@kinshiphandwork.com

Today's lesson can be both a YES! kind of lesson and a "oh, but wait, that's too hard" kind of thing!    Culling out the things in your life that are not making you happy can be HUGE and can be simple.  But, we only have so much time and energy each day and if we commit to all the things, we won't have space for what matters.
So, let's begin!
Give the audio a listen.  (above)Make a list (YES, I love lists!) of all of your commitments and daily habits and rate them.
First mark all the the things on your list that excite you.  Things you love doing and that are clear yeses.
Next, give the list a critical view and cross off everything that doesn't really need to be done and that can easily be culled away.
Then, look at what's left and determine what does not in fact need to be done by YOU!  Be really honest about this and find ways to delegate or hire out these things. (ideas in the audio!)
Finally, turn a really critical eye to what's left.  The things that you don't really want to do, but that you feel you have to.  Do you REALLY have to?  Is there another way to accomplish what this task does?  Can it be cut anyway?  What story do you have in your mind about what it means about you if you don't do this?    Saying no, opens your life up to what you are meant to be doing and how you can stay in joy and ease.Tomorrow, we'll get out our calendars and start to pull some of things we're learning about ourselves together!
Comment below and tell me what you are no longer doing!
tina@kinshiphandwork.com