“Mystery Train”

T his morning I woke up groggy from my staccato dream life, and French pressed a heady cup o’ Alma de Tierra as the orange sun rose over the valley. I wondered when the next post would pop into my head, and as I poured the dark brew into my cup, I saw the image of a train emerge from the steam: a ‘Mystery Train,‘ then Paul Butterfield & The Band started rocking in the back of my mind.

B efore I share more, let me give you a hint about what this post is all about. The ‘Mystery Train’ is memory, an immortal line of carriages full of all the people you’ve ever met, never met, thought of, know now, and will meet again – and they’re all just waiting for you to sit down for a chat. So climb onboard and settle in for a little ride on the Mystery Train, as we’ll explore the roots of story, character, and experience.

Continue reading ““Mystery Train””

What's in a Story

What’s in a Story?

A hhh story. Like most of us, I grew up thinking stories were what you read or watched, and thought of them as entertainment, a fun way to pass the time. As the only child of ‘busy’ adults, I devoured them and developed an urge to scribble my own, without realizing – until much later – that my creative muse was giving me a tool to know myself, and with that knowing, decipher the story of everything.

E verywhere you look, corporate story engines are influencing billions of people and raking in trillions of dollars in the process; crowding our devices like an aggressive gaggle of garrulous Carny Hawkers desperate to sell us everything from toothpaste, to ideology, to hookups. My goal here is  to play through all that noise, and help you understand & master the universal ‘What’s’ in every story – because these ‘What’s,’ are at the heart of your own high-powered story engine.

Continue reading “What’s in a Story?”

Be Magnificently Simple!

S implicity is the essential state of all Beings, so it’s no wonder that it’s popular, especially now when our lives are constantly drenched in a tsunami of stuff. And I don’t just mean all the ‘Thing Stuff,’ that’s only a reflection of our interior state; I mean the ‘Thought Stuff’ that clouds our minds, and blocks our ability to directly experience the world. Most of the advice we get involves shedding physical stuff to live a simpler life, it’s helpful, but misses the mark. Simplicity is not about having too much stuff – simplicity is about ‘Being,’ and being is about connection.

M agnificent Simplicity is the awe inspiring creative framework of our existence, and my peaceful battlecry, ‘Be Simple,’ reflects the most important path to power that I can share with you. The ‘Be’ is Being: Your essential ground of existence; and ‘Simple’ is the process of staying connected to that Being, so to be Magnificently Simple – is to Simply, Be.

Continue reading “Be Magnificently Simple!”

Anatomy of a ‘Creative’ – Chapter Two

I was waiting for the Solar Eclipse to remind us of the celestial mechanics that drive the universe, when my creative sensors lit up and suggested that I jump back into my Anatomy of a ‘Creative’ Series. If you read ‘Anatomy of a ‘Creative’- Chapter 1′, you know that I believe everybody is a ‘Creative,’ and that creativity works through us to power everything we are and do, so welcome to Chapter Two: Your ‘Creative’ Legs: What you ‘Stand On,’ ‘Stand For,’ and the strength of your ‘Standing.’

Standing is Essential – Physically, it keeps you fit; emotionally, it keeps you strong; intellectually, it gives you perspective; and spiritually, it represents your connection to you earthly journey. And when you choose to stand, you set the wheels of creativity in motion, and make magic happen.

I ‘ve mentioned a few of the amazing folks, from Norman Lear to Ray Bradbury, et al. that I’ve ‘Stood With’ over the years, and it’s through their example that I learned what ‘Standing Up’ is all about. Throughout the long arc of their lives they developed a profound understanding that their ‘Standing’ in the world depended on how much positive creativity they shared with us; how committed they were to ‘Standing For’ the people, places, causes & beliefs that underpinned their beliefs & vision; and how solid their ‘Standing On’ reflected the collective power of our shared creative purpose.

Continue reading “Anatomy of a ‘Creative’ – Chapter Two”

Creative Gravity 2

Creative Gravity 2 – Fearless Imagination Unleashed!

I t’s time for another Creativity upgrade my fellow Imagineers. I realized this while I was fine tuning and expanding ‘The Ultimate Writer’s* Toolkit’ and hit several Power Links, that pivoted my Attention to one of my favorite Creative Gravitation Tools: Fearless Imagination.

Are you currently – or have ever been – stumped for Ideas, or experienced a drop in your ‘Creative’ output? If you said ‘Yes’ to either one, you are suffering from a ‘weak’ Creative Gravitational link to Fearless Imagination. Why do I use ‘Fearless’ Imagination, instead of ‘your’ or ‘the’ Imagination? Because ‘Fearless’ is what true Imagination is; and it will produce amazing Ideas for you to play with, if you are courageous enough to step past your ‘Fears,’ and empty your mind to it’s loving embrace. Continue reading “Creative Gravity 2 – Fearless Imagination Unleashed!”

The Ultimate Writer’s* Toolkit – Chapter 2

W elcome back scribblers! I’m in between drafts, and was inspired to jump into The UWT C2 while the perspiration & inspiration are fresh. I just had a call with a dear friend and I marveled at her tenacity, and willingness to move past the ‘E’ and into the ‘CC’ – the ‘E’ being Ego, and the ‘CC’ Connected Creativity. If you’ve been perusing my posts, you may be growing weary of hearing me expound on the many juicy delights of getting out of your own way, so I decided to go really, really big, and show you how to re-purpose ego by using ‘Presence’ to expand your Ultimate Scribbler’s Toolkit!

B ut Scott! You just said we have to move past the ‘E,’ absolutely correct! But moving past it, doesn’t mean that it evaporates like a bad dream. Ego, when applied properly, is a scribbler’s delight. How? Well, I hate to annoy the enlightened souls out there, but stripping the world of ego, also strips it of conflict, and conflict my dear scribblers, is the lifeblood of all fiction. Without it we would sit around the maypole in blissful satiety, singing ‘Kumbaya’ ’till the cows came home. So today we’re going to put ego in it’s proper place and practice using it the way it was intended, to help us build powerful stories.

Continue reading “The Ultimate Writer’s* Toolkit – Chapter 2”

Action

Action = Your Creativity in Motion

S ince we covered Your ‘Fierce’ Perception, the next logical step is to discuss Action = Your Creativity in Motion. I’m racing to meet another deadline, but I just had to take a moment to share my thoughts with you while they’re fresh from the imaginal tree.

If you read ‘Your Creative Gravity – and how to hack it’ you already know that creativity is the act of rubbing two or more ideas together to create Action; now I want to connect and expand on that by adding ‘Your ‘Fierce’ Perception’ (FP) to the mix. Your FP starts the ball rolling by placing your attention on the Big Picture. When you follow the electric pull of the most emotionally charged of your perceptions, you’re moving toward dazzling creative opportunity. Continue reading “Action = Your Creativity in Motion”

Your ‘Fierce’ Perception – An Owner’s Manual

S eeing is perceiving; seeing is believing; seeing is knowing. You show up, stay present, open your eyes, engage your senses, and let the reality in front of you soak in, as you allow sight, sound, smell, taste & touch feed you all the data you need to fully engage with the world. But are you absolutely convinced of the completeness of the reality that you’re perceiving? And how does your ‘Fierce’ Perception (FP) fit in?!

The word fierce is from the old French fiers: ‘Fierce, brave, proud’, and from the Latin ferus: ‘Untamed.’ So your ‘Fierce’ Perception is the courageous, perceptual engine of your untamed consciousness. Why is it courageous? Keep reading my friend, because drama is anticipation, mingled with uncertainty!

Continue reading “Your ‘Fierce’ Perception – An Owner’s Manual”

Anatomy of a 'Creative' - Chapter One

Anatomy of a ‘Creative’ – Chapter One

U nderstanding ‘Creative Anatomy’ is an essential power tool for anybody interested in filling their life with the restorative powers of resonant bliss: The supercharged connection/s between you and your world. To “Know Thyself” (gnothi seauton) is an incredible joy, and creative anatomy is a primary ‘Knowing‘ tool that speaks to the bones that support your consciousness, and frame your dynamic movement in & through life. It is also your personal Rosetta Stone, translating the impossible complexity of life into a DIY, with a practical set of instructions on how to show up with confidence!

When I hear the old saying, “It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey.” I sincerely get it. All the paths we take and choices we make, become the roadmap of our lives. But they don’t define us. We are so much more than biography, and the most sublime joys of life can be easily found in the peak experiences that reveal our inner selves.

So let’s get this show on the road with a little personal story that will provide you with a ‘slider’ sized map of my anatomical journey from film lover – to film maker, which you can apply to everything you love to do… Continue reading “Anatomy of a ‘Creative’ – Chapter One”