Life is What You Make It

What I'd like to share with you today is how fun and fascinating life can be when you see it creatively. Whether you call yourself an artist or not, creativity is a vital aspect of our lives that sometimes gets stifled or dismissed.

I offer a way that you can invite creativity into your life and give it an honored place to thrive, and to guide you.

Introducing a Creative Framework

The way I do this is to first recognize the importance of structure – yes, structure – in the creative process. Speaking from experience, I am the least productive when I have no structure.

But when I have a system, and a routine that works for me, my creativity can flourish. I have found that the best structure for me is the one that nature offers. If I look at the Big Picture, I see time moving in cycles and repeating patterns. I am comforted knowing that I will return to the same themes year after year in different ways as I evolve.

This way of understanding the world is not new. It is repeated throughout human history in different forms and cultures. The symbol that best represents this to me is that of the “Ojo de Dios” or “God’s Eyes.” It is a diamond-shaped weaving that was created by the Huitchol people of Mexico, in the Sierra Madre mountains. It was taught to me as a craft activity in my Bluebirds group as a child.

I wasn’t given any context for this symbol at the time. It was simply a fun craft to do with popsicle sticks and yarn. But I sensed that it was important and had a history, and I assumed it belonged to the Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest where I grew up.

A few years ago, I was drawn back to this craft and it became so much more for me. It became a way to make sense of my life and navigate through my personal history. By seeing it as a metaphorical compass, it has been teaching me about the significance of each season, each phase of my life, right down to the cycles of each day and the energy I have to use throughout my day.

As I’ve contemplated this symbol, I’ve drawn it and weaved it and diagrammed it out in different ways. I have applied it to multiple situations and it always brings a natural order and balance. And in the process, I’ve been delighted to find that my inspiration and creativity have flourished.

Enter the Muse

I visualize my creativity as my muse - a specific entity with a distinct personality. Her name is Sunny Lee Frost, and she showed up as a character in a work of fiction I was developing in 2017. She began to take on a life of her own and lead me to important truths I had yet to discover. Ultimately, she led me on some adventures that connected me back to her and my authentic self - the "me" that had gone into hiding.

What I have been learning is that I must care for this muse if I want her to be in my life. Sunny Lee needs a place to thrive and an invitation to show up. Part of caring for her means showing up consistently, at regular times, to be available to receive the inspiration that she wants to share. And why is this critical? Why is it so important to entertain the muse and to have creativity be a regular part of life?

Well, I've tried living without it. And, I can only speak for myself, but just doesn't work for me. I lose my joy for life. I lose my sense of purpose and desire to really live into my life. So I need to take hold of the thing that inspires me and brings me joy. I need to nurture that so I don't slip into a place of deep dissatisfaction where I'm relying on distractions and substances to fill the gap.

If I have the thing that makes me curious and interested in life, then I know that I'm thriving. I'm excited to live each day. I look forward to what I get to do. When I've identified what it is that brings me joy, I know I’ve found my muse.

aMUSEd Humans = A Muse and Their Human

Each person has one, a muse that is unique to them. What I'm most interested in is putting people in touch with their muse so that they can live out of that interest and joy that will naturally emanate to others.

I believe the world is a better place when we are each living out of our unique authenticity. We then have the freedom to be confident and loving and interested. It’s a joy to be in one another’s company and we can do great things together. I believe that everyone is, by nature, creative when they allow themselves to be.

Sometimes we hide from this by saying “I’m not an artist.” It’s a way of keeping our own creativity at arm’s length. Is it possible to lay claim to such wild freedom that artists seem to have? It seems impossible.

But everyone has creativity within. What I'm interested in doing is putting you in touch with your specific language of creativity that is communicated to you from within.

Big Picture Creative Co.

In my work, I specialize in making things visual and tangible. I believe in the power of structure and play existing together in harmony. So I have created a place for exploration that I call the Creative Cocoon. It is a small space that is comfortable and inviting, and contains all the materials needed to get started on your creative journey.

I’ve developed the concepts I’ve described into tools of self discovery: The Big Picture Compass, an adaptiation of the ojo weaving; The Big Picture Map, a template of the quadrants to customize for your journey; Seasonal Muses to be discovered in the creative workshops I call “aMUSEment Parties,” a regular journaling practice called Mindstream, and Inspiration Files.

Together, we explore ways of using these tools to uncover your unique story and meaning in the world. Using playful creativity and imagination, you can open a dialogue with yourself that you would not have otherwise experienced.

This dialogue is important because it helps you recognize what is already in process within your subconscious. There is a conversation happening within each of us that informs our actions. And the more we can draw this out and make it visual, tangible and material, the more we can choose what we want for our lives. The more we can trust our inner wisdom.

Alisha Lee Jeffers is an artist and creativity coach residing in Loveland, Colorado. As a lifelong creative, she has found expression through drawing, painting, writing, photography, digital media, fibers and mixed media with found objects.

She is a Certified Professional Coach through the International Association of Professional Recovery Coaches, and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts with from the University of Washington, Associate of Applied Science in Graphic Design and Illustration from Seattle Central College, as well as certifications in Advanced Graphic Design and Digital Marketing from the Digital Workshop Center in Fort Collins, CO.

Her passion is empowering others to bravely take the roads less traveled, as she has, in pursuit of their calling.