what you need to do now

Posted on April 17, 2024 by April Lee • 0 Comments

write poems about the sky
express yourself in fashion
think happy thoughts
move the energy through your body

celebrate the good days
breathe deeply, exhale fully
listen to the trees’ stories
indulge in soothing epsom salt soaks

what you need to do now
heal yourself

make sure you give lots of hugs
turn your face towards the sun
splash color on a page
and lines and shapes too

travel and dance and stretch and flow
talk to people who inspire you
journal and process your feelings
frolic with the waves

what you need to do now
heal yourself

walk and explore your town
eat foods that nourish and restore
study the patterns
recognize the immense bravery

collage only the highlights
scrub away the fear
smile and laugh and laugh and smile
say an ardent goodnight to the moon

what you need to do now
heal yourself

 
 

 
 
 
 

Filed Under: my studio notes

meanwhile the world goes on

Posted on April 10, 2024 by April Lee • 0 Comments

meanwhile the world goes on . . . but how can it? when your own personal world is collapsing, falling apart, seeming to end. another cappuccino sold on the street from that cute little coffee cart, another warning given to a speeding car on the freeway (where was he going in such a hurry?).

Filed Under: my studio notes

why i stay

Posted on April 3, 2024 by April Lee • 0 Comments

why i stay . . . because my journals reveal too much too often, because my sons are people i always want to know, because our home-remodeling-times-two are both so fabulous to live in, because i still have so many books to read.

Filed Under: my studio notes

from violet layers to mosaic alchemy

Posted on March 20, 2024 by April Lee • 0 Comments

with TAPESTRY as my word of the year, i’ve been experimenting with piecing together the loose threads and interlaced knots that colorfully illustrate and express my existence. and thus far i’ve found myself in places i hadn’t imagined going.

i’d also added a secondary auxiliary word to the mix for 2024 .

Filed Under: my studio notes

embracing your uniquely wonderful self

Posted on March 6, 2024 by April Lee • 0 Comments

 
 
Imagine yourself . . .

  • traveling through the myriad of emotional challenges to the very heart of your essence
  • searching deeply for personal wholeness, with no more thoughts of retreating further into an unfulfilling existence
  • transforming inertia and immobility into the ultimate creative discovery
  • choosing to arrive at a final destination of incomparable joy: your bold, free, new life

 
Are you ready to redirect your energies to exploring and embracing your uniquely wonderful inner self?

Filed Under: my studio notes

two weddings and a funeral

Posted on February 28, 2024 by April Lee • 2 Comments

in the span of one month (exactly 30 days)
i’ve attended two weddings and a funeral

the first was my nephew’s wedding
officiated by his uncle, my brother
a lively and lavish affair in florida
which included many fascinating components
of a traditional hindu bridal ceremony

the second was the intimate wedding
of the daughter of one of my best friends
also officiated by an uncle
and punctuated by lovely vows
for her adorable new stepdaughter

though the funeral was difficult
a vibrant young woman, only 34 years old
much too young to be saying her goodbyes
an amazingly moving tribute penetrated the
excruciating sadness of the standing-room-only crowd

i once babysat her mom and her aunt
and consider them my little sisters
sometimes the circle of life seems skewed

this service included rituals from
the young woman’s native american roots
the hauntingly beautiful drum-and-song solo
still reverberating on in my heart

so it was a bit of an event whirlwind
and i was grateful to be present at all three

but one thing i noticed with surprise
in different ways at each
was how, at certain moments
i felt somewhat removed, even
separate from what was happening

as a spectator, i’d taken a step back
and almost felt as if i might be
infringing upon the sacredness within
a trespass on the very private joy and grief

it’s kept me thinking about the
concept of ceremony ever since

what does ceremony mean to us as humans?

Filed Under: my studio notes

i’ve always loved the name

Posted on February 14, 2024 by April Lee • 0 Comments

i’ve always loved the name
but i’d never stopped there

i decided it would be
a romantic destination
for a valentine road trip

cocolalla lake

a coeur d’alene salish word
that means very cold
(or possibly deep water)

either description seems to fit
(and i’d add “raw beauty” too)

i’m trying to commune more
with nature in 2024 (surprise!)
something new and rare for me

so i stood in the biting winter wind
hair flying, eyes watering

and snapped shot after shot
of the stark scenic view before me
it was worth it, so captivating

and as i was about to leave
two trains waved hello

that comforting nod
to civilization that
i always seem to crave
 
 
 
 

Filed Under: my studio notes

all you have to do

Posted on February 8, 2024 by April Lee • 0 Comments


 
 
How many times have you done what’s expected (or accepted)? Sacrificed your own wants and needs in order to stay safe, to avoid standing out, to take care of everyone but yourself? How many times have you surrendered your own authenticity?

Filed Under: my studio notes

how does tuscany in may sound to you?

Posted on January 17, 2024 by April Lee • 0 Comments

announcing my next essence7 retreat-no-more experience:

THE ARRIVAL #6

SAVE THE DATE

SUNDAY, MAY 19 through FRIDAY, MAY 24

2024

and begin planning YOUR unique transformation!

 
 
oh, is it ever enchanting . . .
 
 
the distilled-down exploration and discussion of THE ARRIVAL’s 7 essential elements (the elements that form the very core of my own personal philosophy) .

Filed Under: my studio notes

tapestry grounds me, vibe releases me

Posted on January 10, 2024 by April Lee • 0 Comments

full disclosure: i’ve wanted to write a book my entire life.

i literally have pages and pages, notebooks and notebooks, filled with words that were simply-and-always labeled my story. going way back to my elementary school days, most of them residing in storage bins in italy.

Filed Under: my studio notes

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