Creative resilience, hope + action - a practice 👏🏽 (transcript of I Feel For You podcast episode 62)

(Transcript for I Feel For You podcast episode 62)

You’re listening to i feel for you, a podcast for creative explorers.

i’m dionne, human being, creative spacemaker and podcast auntie, and i’m so grateful to be here with you in this moment.

This is episode 62 and today we are exploring creative resilience with a lens on hope and action which I really hope will inspire you in these times. Hope you enjoy the show.

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So before we get into it, a little check in with you, and an update of some time-sensitive tools and resources and an event which i hope will be useful for you:::

First of all, how are you?

It goes without saying but i’ll say it anyway, we’re living through some challenging and unprecedented times amidst a global pandemic. Which is certainly scary. The anxiety and fear is real for so many of us, and if this is you, please know you’re not alone. I really hope there’s going to be a lot of stuff here that will hold you, hold space for you as well as give you some tools, and some direction and things to lean on, use and support you to feel better.

So today, it’s Thursday 26 March and…whew, a lot happens in a week huh? I know many of you will relate, a lot is changing all the time, day to day, hour to hour… and I’d really like to know what’s going on in your world right now. So do feel welcome to reach out to me, leave me a message and tell me what is helping you move through these challenging times.

We’re in this together. And if you haven’t already listened to my last episode (61), and if you have time and want some reassurance, solidarity and encouragement, maybe check it out.

—i really hope this space and in fact anything i’m making for you or have ever made, serves to support you to create more space to feel better and hopefully more connected too, to remembering this community that we’re all a part of.

ONLINE EVENTS!

Speaking of which, some of you have joined my live online sessions these past couple of weeks! We've been exploring different ways to connect, build community and feel better, and I'm so grateful to hold space and connect with you in real time.

Shoutout to those of you who came to Release Some Tension last Friday - so so much fun to connect with you ! I'm in the process of putting that somewhere so for those of you who missed it but want to access to the replay, can. Will keep you posted, as always my Digest newsletter is the best place to get access to all the things i make for you in one place.

But yes, these live online events have been so much fun and surprisingly powerful - i mean, i shouldn't really be surprised, cause, i feel very lucky to have such a special community of people around (that includes you, dear reader!)

We also had a teatime instagram live last week which was fun too - alas, i didn't get to save it, working on being better with that, thank you for your patience - as i’m sure we’re all noticing and feeling, this is all new. Sure we might have explored live stuff together or dabbled with this and that, theres a big growth, which is giving me hope. There's this growth curve where we’re all just learning new ways of being cause everything feels new each day and i am hopeful because we are human and were adaptive. Perhaps thats something to feel hopeful about…?

So yes, these live events have felt powerful, which should come as no surprise right? We are human beings wired for connection, and in this time, when we are seemingly distant from each other physically, we get to reimagine new ways of cultivating community, and having nourishing connections and building these new worlds together - i spoke about this in more details on my ig stories earlier this week - if you missed them and want to rewatch, i put them under a saved highlight called “Practice” which i’ll link for you in the shownotes.

So yeah. Connection and live online community these last couple of weeks has been potent. Powerful. Amazing. Hopeful.

And as i also said in my instagram stories, because there's something so special about us coming together, i was considering whether to do a Sunday session on Zoom this weekend because i was supposed to be in Bergen, Norway hosting my Bloom spring workshops - and i asked you to take a vote and tell me if you felt like a class with me live, not as a replacement but simply to meet and practice in real time- whether that would be a good idea and there was an overwhelming vote for yes, (thank you!) and i’m so happy to share that it’s happening my darlings! This Sunday, midday!

So join me on zoom for (let’s have a working title) Sunday Slow Down Club - midday GMT - all the details will be on my Patreon and in my digest - if you're not signed up already, you can get that by going to dionne.space/digest

Check the banner on dionne.space right at the top of the site for the link too.

So you can expect a mini creative activity, then an hour of indulgent feel good yoga and movement and breathwork and meditation.

...Interested?

All the deets are here.

And you’ll need to register for this cause you get a special link sent to you so you can access the room where we’ll meet on the internet! Imagine! Like the Matrix…Ok not like the Matrix. Absolutely not! But lol. You can expect sweetness and softness and space for you to come as you are.

Oh and remember the clocks go forward in the uk this weekend too so heads up on that. Here’s a time converter in case it’s useful.

Also, perhaps it’s a good time to let you know i’ve been making loads of new videos for you on my youtube channel! I’m uploading regularly so do check out if you’re interested - i’m dionne yoga on youtube, so there’s some short potent practices that you can slip into your day as and when you need them, also some longer ones, but either way, practices focussed on releasing tension and feeling better which i hope is useful to you during these times. Subscribe to get updates of new videos as and when they drop, and remember you can let me know any requests eh? You can comment on the videos and let me know! I’ll try to do better at responding to those comments cause i see you and i am grateful for you to connect with me any way that is possible because i do these for you, for the community so...that isn’t said in a martyr way, it’s simply me sharing that i want to offer the things i might have access to that could be useful for you and help you so thank you for your feedback on that.

…..

PATREON SUPPORTERS

And i just want to take a moment to shout out my Patron supporters at this point, because your help has enabled me to create these things. Everything that i’m doing right now, cause at this point in time, your donations are paying for us to eat, so i’m very grateful for that! I know lots of us have been affected during this time. It's super intense and i recognise there is so much unknown……and shoutout to everybody, wherever you’re at, whether you're working from home, unable to work from home, unable to work, shoutout to creatives and peeps running your own businesses…..there’s a lot going on and …. There is so much i can say here….. I guess just want to thank everybody for supporting my work and livelihood….cause its tough. It’s hard. And i don't know if this helps you if you're working for yourself right now. Ive had a lot of dm’s from people and we’ve talked about how the situation is affecting us and i feel very privileged in many ways as i said earlier, to have such a wonderful community. Obviously the work i do is very much uncertain anyway...it always has been, so for 10 years its been very much the unknown, so in terms of the chaos that ensues and being prepared for anything happening and just not knowing what's going to happen day to day, i guess i've had a lot of practice in living in the unknown….however i guess i just want to say that without you, the community supporting me, i wouldn't be doing this work and i’m very grateful for that. As you know, its very much part of my mission to offer tools and make them accessible and inclusive for everybody cause not everyone can afford to go off and study something for a period of time or have the resources or access to info that could enhance their lives so thank you so much to those of you who have joined me on Patreon and are donating.

And If you value and want to support my work, perhaps consider joining my Patreon community to help keep me going and enable me to keep making the majority of my stuff free, inclusive and accessible for the community. you also get benefits in shaping what you want to see more directly, and i’m hoping we can create more regular live events.

So if you’re interested, head here.

So shoutout to those of you who might be dwelling in this unknown space especially when it comes to livelihood and things like that. The best advice I can give you is to take some time to reflect and to allow yourself to feel what you’re feeling.

I find that if I try to resist what I’m trying to process, it makes the whole thing a lot harder you know? it’s what i talk about a lot when it comes to tension -we can apply to every situation in life where we might carry tension: by trying to ignore it and override it, I don’t think it’s so helpful for us, but working with it, i feel like it opens up new space, for new ideas, maybe for a new way of doing something maybe just for allowing us some time to reset, to reflect and to move forward with that.

I’ve also been thinking of doing a live event specifically for those of you who might work for yourself, who might be doing creative jobs, and anyone whose lives have been dramatically impacted by what’s going on. you can let me know if that’s something you're interested in. there’s a poll on my patron that’s open to everybody so feel free to head over there and let me know what you want to see. i thought about the kind of skills i've picked up over the last 10 years in working full time for myself and whether any of those might be helpful for people who might be transitioning or pivoting or changing or resetting so that’s an option.

I’m taking on a limited number of clients this month. obviously many of the events i've scheduled for most of the rest of the year for me have now been cancelled or deferred so its means there’s more room for me to take on clients 1-1 so if you're interested in that do get in touch here.

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORT!

Thank you too to everyone who has been listening to this podcast, sending me messages and tagging me in your instagram stories - this means so much! For those who took an extra minute to write me a review in iTunes - honestly, i’m honoured and so grateful, it really helps me connect with other good people like you. Connecting with you in any way really means the world and i hold you dear. So thank you for being here. And thank you for listening.

Also want to take a moment to say thank you so much Ketil for editing this podcast, for being a magnificent being in helping me film, edit and make as many resources as I possibly these last couple of weeks that that might help people in these uncertain times. Every day has been relentless i think for most of us out here in the world but it's certainly felt like a purposeful time for me, and i couldn't have done this alone, so sorry Finemann if it’s been intense but also, thank you!

Both Ketil and i hope you will find the videos, live events, podcasts, blog posts, digests and so on, helpful tools and resources to lift you up and reminding you who you are, filling you up with goodness, hopefully inspiring you, hopefully helping you to create some space for yourself, hopefully helping you to feel connected to community. We thank you so much for receiving them, sharing them with people you think might also dig them too and letting us know what you think, so do reach out, you know where to go - the shownotes, obviously!

Oh and you know i make playlists for these podcast episodes right? No? Well you do now! Here’s this one!

I want to summarise this update space with a heap of love sent your way, to you, to your loved ones, those you care about, to our global community.

Just sending you so many intentional, loving , caring , safely held, nourishing beams of energy. My heart is with you. We are in this together. I know it's said a lot. But it’s so true. we feel it and we know it. And i really encourage you to hold space for yourself, for your feelings, come hang out with me, come connect with me and we can move through this together. Thank you so much for being here.

ok!

So lets get into the show.

Today we are exploring creative resilience. It’s something I’ve spoken about a lot over the years, in workshops, with clients, with friends, and i recorded this episode back in 2019 and sat on it for ages….cause there was other stuff going on and other episodes that felt more urgent and timely, and yesterday morning, i decided to listen to this episode whilst cleaning the bathroom - does anyone else listen to podcasts whilst cleaning the bathroom?! i’d love to know what you’re doing right now actually… ok i digress, i was cleaning and re-listening to this and thought it feels resonant, you know, being here, in this moment in time, and i feel it might resonate and hopefully offer you some light for this moment.

So.

I really hope you enjoy this episode. Thanks again for listening.

Creative resilience, hope + action

In these times, as land burns, conflict erupts and continues, relationships erode, pain exists, it’s hard to keep sight of the positive. In these times in particular, limiting my time on certain social media spaces is necessary for me to function and to continue to find and create hope. I think creativity in general is a good practice of that - it’s something i talk about a lot, cause to be hopeful in these times requires us to get creative!

indeed!

so…to justify my laser focus on creating joy or at least space and the opportunity to invite pleasure feels— deeply necessary for me to keep feeling optimistic about the world that we’re living in.

i’m focussing on others who are near me, in some way or form, physically, virtually, however, to try to do what i can with those tools and create positive change. even if it seems small and insignificant.

this isn’t intended to be a blow of a wailing trumpet, rather, i hope it’s encourages those who feel helpless…hopeless….to meet you there, cause i sure as hell have these days…months…years...and to encourage you to make space for your feelings, because you are entitled to them. and hopefully i can remind you of how appreciative i am you are here on this planet with me. because it wouldn’t be the same without you. We’re in this together. so, an invitation today, to remind yourself of the tremendous power you have - your energy! This can ignite change.

I know. By reading these words you’re doing that, even if your reaction is “meh”. or eyeball roll, or groan. But there might be a little stoke of your inner fire that helps you to remember who you are and the power you possess. At least i hope you feel that.

So in some way or form, all of these reactions are a form of connection. there’s an energy exchange happening between you and i because we’re interacting (even if it’s not an “actual” conversation!).theres giving and recieving, an exchange. energy is powerful. words. gestures. thoughts. feelings. music. actions. gyrations. all of it and more!

so in times where hope is a grim and distant concept, i wonder, if it’s helpful to encourage you to look to what’s directly around you? Like right now! outside your window. Perhaps you might think about whats going on in your locality. in your community. even if you feel you aren’t part of a community (sometime i feel this tbh but then i remembers that’s not true and if you too need that reminder, a word to say that i value you as part of my community - not as in “you’re mine” as in i “control” this because that’s weird and wild, a community is comprised of the beings in it. it’s not “chosen” or designated or assigned, it just is, without trying to be a wanker about this…….)

Let’s go back to our locality and look to those nearby, whether physically, spiritually, emotionally, meme-ally can we make a new word for those memes that feel so deeply relevant you inwardly sigh “it me..” ? look to music. books. art. animals. whatever resonates. a team you admire. your local retirement home. a local school. your imaginary people (goes without saying Mariah is my imaginary mate, as are Eartha Kitt, Maya Angelou, Lorraine Hansbury, Patti Labelle, and more).

The resonance you feel is real! It’s all energy! Look for the light that feels meaningful to you, and let that inspire you like a candle, you know, candles can pass on light without dimming or diluting its flame.

pass it on.

pass on what you like.

what makes you smile.

what lifts you.

what wisdom has been shared with you.

you never know how it will land, of course (and this takes a certain vulnerability i recognise, but really i think it takes willingness to practice and build resilience rather than a courage and vulnerability)

you never know how something will land

how something will be received

but i bet, if you share and pass on the stuff that offers you light, it’s surely going to reach someone else who really needed to hear/see/experience it.

we can’t measure this of course, and in this practice of creative resilience, we have to be willing to give without conditions or expectations or validations

and give because we know what life us

so we might lift others

...does this sound a bit cringe?

let me ask you, when you do something for someone else, how do you feel?

i mean, something you have initiated, not because someone made you feel bad so you did the thing.

can you capture that feeling?

….

it feels good, doesn’t it?

i know, i know, i said giving without the expectation of return, but this is just a bonus side effect that the likelihood of you being impacted by this practice of sharing light is a great one.

we are all connected.

we are community.

Therefore, its impossible not to be impacted by what is going on in the world, sure, the heart aching news that makes us feel helpless. but we also get to meet it with action. action that is significant! transformational. Sensational! (yes i’m doing that in the meme voice!).

This is how we change the world.

We don’t necessarily have to get on a plane or show up to somewhere we’ve never been before and don’t understand the current grassroots initiatives in place that are already positively impacting and resolving conflict which deserve respect and support

but we can work with what we have

and from where we are

we can start from this place, right now. you and me

talking

well. you know, i always imagine we’re having a conversation. you, answering me in your head….arent you?

i hope you feel invited too.

or even to reach out and connect with me, like, send me a message or whatever, you know how to reach me...

we start from this place

this practice of

remembering

and our resonance. our impact.

our energy. our resources.

our light. if you will.

i mean, sometimes i feel weird talking about ”light” in this contect, you know it conjores connotations of that frightening racist idea that dark is bad and light is good….

but when i talk about light I’m talking about some very lo fi but very potent 80s disco lights

of every spectrum, every hue

they are bold and know what power they possess!

sure we might need a fuse replacement now and then cause the plug was last rewired sometime in 86 but we’re still going! we are robust! and true! and non pretentious led dimmable bulbs

ok no shade to led.

this is getting out of hand….

let me circle back from this tangent.

spiral back.

Cause everything is a spiral.

are you interested in universal geometry?

lately spending more time reassuring myself of the mathematical theories that prove what we know: nature can teach us so much about how to exist in this world. physics, art, music, sound, language, numbers, shapes,

we are one. you know the popular phrase, you are not a wave in the ocean, nor a drop of the ocean, the ocean is you. every part. all connected. i think i mashed up that paraphrase but do you feel me?

am i harping?

for those of you interested in some lovely mind food,

Robert Edward Grant is a cool bean for some nourishment and rememberings especially around the topic of universal geometry.

also what else can i recommend, obviously stuff that lights you up, take a playtime. 10 minutes in the morning to read a page or few from a book you love. to listen. To observe. To absorb. To receive. To fill up your cup with inspiration. think about what you’re letting into your space in these precious minutes.

then contemplate how it makes you feel.

we’re looking for pleasure here darlings.

and in this pleasure, a moment to acknowledge your receipt. thanking the sender. the maker. the person or animal friend sharing that with you. the tools you have that can receive it. your body for being able to absorb and digest it.

this nourishment.

and now, pass it on.

if you feel like it obviously!

fill up your cup.

until you feel ready to give.

but know that giving can look different and be different for all of us!

you don’t have to “fix the world” - using inverted commas.

but the world is you, so know that whatever small action you take will have an impact.

Here’s some ideas and inspo for actions if it’s useful:

One of the things that can trip us up is asking, “what can i do? I feel so helpless in the world!” so here you go:

send a voice note to someone you’ve been meaning to connect with but are stressed because you haven’t had time to sit down and properly reply to them. send the thing.
donate to an organisation or individual you admire doing great work. even seemingly small contributions are impactful and matter!
tap someone in on the metro/underground/subway or buy a ticket and give it to someone who could use it
send a hand written letter or card to someone, talking about their impact on your life. gas them UP.
smile at or talk to a stranger. You know how i feel about this….
ask the cashier at the supermarket how their day is going, or simply smile and sincerely thank them for their help and service. realise this sounds a bit patronising as i type it but earnestly, some of the greatest people i’ve connected with have been in stressful stores where staff are treated rudely by customers. When i lived in Norway i used to make a track across town to stand awhile in a fruit and veg section of a supermarket just to say hello to someone i met there who would brighten up my day. I miss them....in fact when i go back to run workshops i always go back to that supermarket to check on them...i’m that person...lol!
pay for someone’s groceries. better yet, ask someone what they need. as well as donating money to homeless people (because money is helpful to them!) i ask them on my way into the shop if there’s anything i can pick up for them, or if going for a coffee asking if they might like a warm drink, sandwich whatever. getting to know these people in my local community has opened my eyes to their experiences, life stories, day to day events.
buy a book you love for someone you know will dig it too
make a playlist for someone
donate unwanted clothes and shoes to your local charity shop or drop them off at a collection point.
Donate to a foodbank.
Volunteer at a foodbank.
donate your time and expertise in creating something for those who might not have access to, or can afford your services.

this is as much a list of inspo and idea for me as an offering to you!

every day we have the power to make a significant impact on someones life.

you never know your reach, but trust me (daddy), this is how we change the world.

start with one positive action. however small, just make it accessible and meaningful to you (something that brings you joy/light/fizz -whatever you want to call it- is a good place to start, and if you aren’t sure what that is right now, it’s time to get to work on exploring pleasure! here’s a creative exercise i love called the Encyclopaedia of Pleasure that can help you with that.

Some of you might be familiar with that if youve ever been on retreat with me, sometimes i run it in workshops.

Either way its a useful tool that i come back to over the last, whew, 10 years or so! I hope that it’s useful and most of all, fun! XC

so, fam, community, i’m holding you in my heart, today, each day,

reminding you to reach out anytime, as well as holding up a mirror to so you can see your greatness.

i love you

And remember, fill up your cup then go share it around! We need you in this world! And if you feel inspired, let me know what small action you took today to contribute change in this world!

dionne x

a playlist for the podcast: Still Processing

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