Woman Up //

 And just when you feel yourself settle into comfort,

just as your muscles are able to relax, 

just as your soul feels settled.... 

Reach strongly for something beyond your fingertips.

Desire the challenge.

Seek it out.

Grab it confidently with both hands.

Don't drag it behind you or carry it haphazardly. 

No, pull the weight of that sucker square onto your shoulders.

Strive to make the new discomfort manageable and then eventually make it look effortless.

Because woman, you are the most beautiful when you bravely and vulnerably tumbling forward in pursuit of life. 

When you are answering the question, what am I capable of? 

I want to know the strength of this body... and this soul.

I want to know I can wo-man up to any challenge.

I want to feel uncomfortable in contentment, and twitchy when I'm still.

I want to see the vastness myself and therefore also my boundaries.

And most of all I want to break them.

---

Guys I've been pushing myself hard lately. Stretching and reaching for more in almost every aspect of my life. It's super exciting, but it also feels incredibly overwhelming.

I keep wondering if I'm capable to rise to the challenges I've laid out for myself.
I keep asking if I'm really capable of what I hope for.

And I keep trying to remind myself that this is who I am. That I am a strong capable woman, and I've rose to every challenge before this. That I've built this business up with just these 2 hands.
I keep trying to remember I've taught myself these skills before, and I'll keep trying to do it again and again and again.

No matter what.

Available here until sold.

♥  Carin

LURE - SMALL FRY

REPOST FROM ORIGINAL LURE BLOG:

I keep thinking about how luscious & tempting things in this life can be. 

Intriguing us with beautiful forms,

pungent perfumes,

bold, stunning colors. 

All things that promise rushes of dopamine through our blood stream.  That addictive, powerful flow which excites each and every one of our cells. 

It makes us feel alive.

It makes us feel happy.

Often when we speak of these types of things, we talk about how indulgent they are. Each of them carrying a sense of negativity with them. We hope we are strong enough to evade their pull, and somehow that ability would make us better human beings. 

__

It brings me back almost 20 years, neatly sorting seed beads into their own little compartments. I'd pick up a few, gently sliding my fingers back and forth across their glassy surface. Letting a few of them at a time all back into their designated spot. 

That's when the tug began for me, I got sight at what I consider my life long lure. A glimpse at what a dreamy, sexy life this career would be. 

But as with most things that bring us happiness, as a good strong human, I stopped myself from daydreaming too long or too hard.  I'd think about how much fun it was as a hobby, but never, ever would I allow myself to dream beyond that. 

Perhaps, I thought, too much daydreaming would somehow get in the way of "real" work. 

But oh how wrong I was.

How wrong we are.

My only regret is how long it took me to allow myself the freedom to explore. 

Explore my truth,

Explore my passion,

Explore my life. 

I regret so much, how long and how hard I struggled against the urge. 

Now, when I daydream, it's more frequently about the past than the future.

I remember my 18 year old self standing at the top of a set of stairs that led to an art department. 

A set of stairs I was too coward to walk down. 

An 18 year old too afraid to speak her truth and too fearful to take the leap. 

Now as I daydream, I find myself telling that youngster this,

"Now is always the time for happy." 

___

NOW IS ALWAYS THE TIME FOR HAPPY.

NOW IS ALWAYS THE  TIME FOR HAPPY.

NOW.

I challenge you this, why not indulge? 

______

These beasts are meant to be big and bold.

For those of us willing to take the bait.

Go against the norm.

Take the less worn path.

To you, I applaud.

I send my highest praises.

They are more than that though.

A side story if you will. 

Of a friendship that started while sorting those seed beads 2 decades ago. 

A person who, despite what she says, was by far one of the biggest artistic influences of my life. 

She gifted me a pair of articulated fish earrings over a decade ago.

They were my favorite.

I rarely took them out.

But then there was that one time I did, and sadly they were never to be seen again.

I've thought about those earrings for 10 years.

So I bring you my, bigger, bolder version all these years later.

I think appropriately, they are sized to represent my unwavering announcement that I will not follow the well worn path. 

I will embrace my indulging, dreamy, sexy career with all it's ups and downs.

I took the bait. 

will you? 

___

Available for purchase here for just 1 week. At which time I will close the listing and fulfill all orders at one time.

Carin