Be Your Own Beloved » With your Guide Vivienne McMaster

Little Adventures

May. 20th 2013 Written in: Photo Walks / Self Portraits / Travels / Uncategorized

You are Loved

On this weekends adventure to Washington State, even though it was just a day trip, it was fun to just engage in the energy of travelling, even if only for the short time.

One of the things I love about getting out of town is the unexpected, the in between moments.  The bits of time in between plans where you can just look up at where you are and take a little self-care photo walk.

Just wandering around a town I don’t know makes me seriously happy (with my camera of course).  Something about being in a place I don’t know brings up the energy of acutely noticing, of just seeing with new eyes.  I especially love taking these little photo walks because while being in a car is a much easier way to travel, just getting feet to ground in a new place makes me really feel like I’m experiencing a place, not just seeing it rush by the car window.  I had 2 little bits of adventuring at the start and end of saturday’s photo adventure and in each of those short stretches of time I went on a little wander just to see what might catch my eye.

In Bellingham, just after getting off the bus I spotted it, this patch of tall grass with yellow flowers across the street. I wandered over there and couldn’t resist putting down my iPhone and using the Gorillacam app…stepping into the frame to capture some photos of this day of adventure.

Off on an adventure today!

Then, off on the grand adventure away from the rain, through the mountains to the sunny forest that I shared a bit about in yesterday’s post.  At the end of that beautiful day I ended up needing to change my travel plans and found myself taking the train home from a town I had never been to: Everett Washington.

After getting my train ticket I had some time to spare and while the town looked pretty industrial in that area, I felt drawn to wander around a bit on a photo walk.  I headed up the hill and there it was, this gorgeous mural.  It was kind of the last thing I expected to find in that moment.  This week in Be Your Own Beloved we had been seeking out messages of love (hearts, words, notes) as reminders to cultivate self-love and I smiled big when I saw that there at the bottom it was…the words ‘You are Loved’.  It was a beautiful reminder that wherever you are, there is indeed love.  Here are a few more iPhone captures of that sweet little one city block photo walk in Everett!

I found myself in Everett, Washington catching a train home and went on a lilOne more! This one, adding a bit of selfie-flirty for todays prompt in#beyourownbelovedMore from that awesome mural in Everett, WashingtonThis made me smile. Creatives...get in here already!Have you found that too, that sometimes it is the little in between moments, the unexpected explorations that really add something special to a trip?

 

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A Forest Photo Shoot {Behind the Scenes}

May. 19th 2013 Written in: Photography

A little behind the scenes sneak peek of a photo shoot adventure for #amulet magazine today. We feasted on this soon after!

Yesterday I went on a bit of an adventure to meet up with some folks in Washington State to gather, feast and photograph.  The intention behind this day being to use some of the photos in an upcoming issue of the amazing magazine Amulet (its a pretty breathtaking magazine isn’t it)!

What I love about gatherings that are also photo shoots is that while on one hand I have a task of photographing the experience, it seems to always end up being a beautiful experience of gathering together, sharing incredible food and exploring a pretty stunning location.  Earlier this year I gathered with some folks for this dreamy beach photo shoot.  For this one we adventured eastward over snowcap mountains to a beautiful park in the middle of Washington State and found this spot in the woods to shoot.

While of course the DSLR photos are saved for Amulet, I wanted to give you a behind the scenes sneak peek (iPhone style) of this shoot!

Feasting in the sunshine.Todays magic makers! @amuletmagazine @mamaspace @smashingrubbishHula hooping in the forest!

 

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» Be Your Own Beloved

[...] away from the rain, through the mountains to the sunny forest that I shared a bit about in yesterday’s post.  At the end of that beautiful day I ended up needing to change my travel plans and found myself [...]

Little Adventures » Be Your Own Beloved

[...] away from the rain, through the mountains to the sunny forest that I shared a bit about in yesterday’s post.  At the end of that beautiful day I ended up needing to change my travel plans and found myself [...]

Krista

Although I live in Australia now, I spent many years living in Washington State. You brought back beautiful memories of treks in the woods. :-)

Feeling the Fear (and doing it anyways)!

May. 16th 2013 Written in: Be Your Own Beloved / Uncategorized / Workshops

be your own beloved
On Monday I had the opportunity to do a creativity workshop for the participants of this amazing program: The Self-Care Project.

I immediately said YES when Olive (amazing coach and one of the facilitators) asked me, because as you can probably imagine, that project is so up my alley.  I’ve been craving to do more in person workshops so this was a great opportunity to do just that and to talk about self-portraiture as self-care to a group of awesome folks.  There have been a few in person teaching opportunities coming my way locally, which has felt really incredible….because this work I’ve been doing for years has been SO online based.   For it to cross over to locally AND in-person, not just from me making it happen, but from opportunities coming up is really making me happy.

So back to the workshop…

The day of the event came and along with it MEGA nerves.  Now, I’m an introvert but an introvert who loves teaching (maybe its the introverted Leo thing) and feels drawn to do it in person.

It reminded me of when I first started teaching e-courses and how vulnerable it was to put it out into the world.  I’m remembering those days and how while it isn’t easy-peasy these days to launch a new class, there isn’t that mega fear there was when I first started.

Here’s the thing I need to remember about that fear.  That it is a sign that we are venturing outside our comfort zone, and that is a good thing!

Just like when I’m asking participants in Be Your Own Beloved to come face to face with their inner critic and to tell it:

“I’ve got this.  Thanks for trying to alert me to something new and that I’m going outside my comfort zone, but I believe I can handle this, so inner critic…buzz off”

Within the many hours of the day 0f the workshop where I had to say this to my inner critic again and again I realized how much this is a place where there is room to grow, to really show up for myself and I plan to get brave and do it more.

The workshop felt awesome and I loved seeing how once I started, the nerves disappeared and made way for a lovely evening.

I’ve been dreaming of doing some more local Be Your Own Beloved workshops and this class was the spark I needed (yes even with the nerves) to get going on planning it.  I’m even dreaming of bringing it to some other Canadian cities and then at some point bring it to the US too.

If you think your city would be one for me to add to the list as I dream up bringing these in person workshops on the road someday, spill the beans!

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Lynne

Ottawa would be a great place to come to (or even better) a little town just west of Ottawa, called Almonte. It would be a lovely place to host a workshop. Beautiful scenery, architecture and people and lot’s of little inns and B&B’s nearby. Close enough to Ottawa (about 20 – 30 min) to get lots of interested people.

I can just picture it!! :)

shanon

I write and think a lot about body image. I’d love to take one of your workshops.

I’m sure you have a busy, friend-filled life… but if you’re ever looking for a coffee-mate (not the artificial powdery gunk), I’d be a fantastic choice. And The Drive is one of my favourite places to coffee.

:)

rebecca

COME TO TORONTO!

Amy

Come to Toronto! Or Oakville! I know a handful of people who would join just off the top of my head. If we went up north a bit we could stay at my parents place and spend a lot of time at the lake or in the country. So beautiful!

Amy

Karen Main

Vivienne,
If you ever come to Australia I will be first to sign up for your workshop. I have done two of your ecourses and they changed my life.

Kelsie

Come to the Olympic (or Kitsap) Peninsula in Washington!

Truth Telling

May. 15th 2013 Written in: Be Your Own Beloved / Self Portraits / Uncategorized

Todays #beyourownbeloved photo

Each time I’m running Be Your Own Beloved I take part in the class too.  I’m so loving how each time I do, even though they might be the same prompts, I experience them differently.

I feel like its important for me to be right there alongside them doing this work as they are bravely engaging in the activities.

But at the same time I also am doing it for myself.  Because this self-love journey is so multi-layered.  Because these prompts come from my own healing journey and they aren’t meant just to do once and suddenly we see ourselves with love and the inner critic disappears.  Because doing these same prompts again I’m amazed at how much new realizations emerge.  New layers of the healing.

I try to take my self-portraits with my iPhone as I participate alongside the participants. In this class, more than ever, I really want people to not feel the need to take a ‘perfect’ photo.  That it isn’t about having a fancy camera or even knowing how to use it.  Its just about showing up in our own photos.    Our inner critic can come out in reference to our self-image but also to feeling as though our photograph is ‘enough’.

Yesterday’s photo was one of those ‘digging in deeper’ moments for me.  I shared this with the participants in the flickr group:

The truth of today is that I see tiredness in my own eyes, I see me but without a spark.  

The truth of today is that I really wanted to retake this and not share it.  

The truth of today is that I often do reshoot until I get one that I really feel like I can see myself with kindness in but that today I stopped myself from shooting more because I really want to share more of the ones in between, the ones that are outside of my comfort zones and really show up for you amazing #beyourownbeloved participants and not just with happy jumping photos and feeling sassy.  So this is the truth of today.

Now, I think sometimes folks might think that because I do this work that taking self-portraits is easy-breazy, that I’m 100% comfortable with taking photos.

But its the opposite.  While its not so much outside of my comfort zone to take out the camera and engage in the act of taking self-portraits, the work of seeing myself with kindness is ongoing and ever evolving.  I’m definitely feeling the effects of years of doing this work and am seeing myself with much more compassion lately.  Yet that doesn’t mean taking selfies is always easy (mind you….I do make sure I have fun amidst the work of self-compassion).

Like yesterday when I took that one and felt drawn to see her with compassion, with her tired eyes and a shot I might have normally retaken.

So I wanted to share this moment with you.  The in between.  The days when just showing up in front of the camera and telling the truth of the day is more than enough.

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Lynne

Beautiful truth. Thanks for sharing your vulnerability.

Alison Miyake

I can see what you mean when you tell us more about how you are feeling. Funny, but when I first looked at it, I didn’t notice the tired so much as the just letting be… There is a certain relaxing into the moment that I feel with this that is definitely lower energy than your usual photos, but in a good way. It relaxes my heart to look at it, if you get what I mean. But I also love that when you are tired you are surrounding yourself with things that can help you remember self-care: all that beautiful green, the flowers, the lovely colours that you are wearing… The colours are so rich and deep in this…

And thank you so much for sharing the thoughts behind the photo with us BYOB alum, too! You made me curious when you posted about it on Facebook. So glad that you participate right along with everyone. I can see how going back to this course will be so great for me, too. It was such a wonderful place to start my self-portraiture (and self-care!) journey. I will be forever grateful to you!

Rachel K

Hi Vivienne,

I really appreciate your openness and in particular how you ended this posting by stating that “The days when just showing up in front of the camera and telling the truth of the day is more than enough.”

I haven’t yet taken BYOB, but through YAYOM I found myself deleting 80-95% of the shots to find the best ones – the pictures that showed my best possible self. There are certainly significant benefits to this process in that I came to view myself differently and in a much more positive light. Also, most times I would start a photo walk thinking “what on earth will I be able to shoot – I’m just not wearing the most glamorous clothing, etc.” but through the process of taking one shot then another and changing settings, etc. I started to see pictures I liked.

I’m also finding the process of taking self-portraits to be meditative. I’ve practiced meditation in the past and an important aspect of it is becoming aware. Self-portraiture has made me more aware of my positive qualities. In becoming more aware we also get to see that every day is not a sun-shiny day and that sometimes just showing up is more than enough (as you so eloquently stated).

Thank you again Vivienne : )

Rachel K.

Dyamond

I loved reading this Vivienne. Really spoke to my heart.

A New Be Your Own Beloved Workshop: Creating Self-Care Policies!

May. 8th 2013 Written in: Be Your Own Beloved

A few months ago I came to the place in my creative business where I realized I needed some ‘company self-care policies’, to add some pro-active self care into my week.  You can read about that realization here. I quickly realized that while I did need them within my business, I needed to create some life self-care policies too!

Since then, I have been filling my journal with thoughts about self-care tools:

  • how some things feel like self-care and actually drain me
  • how to figure out what the best way to nurture myself
  • what self-care tools aren’t working for me and I need to let go of
  • what are the simple ways I can cultivate more self-care
  • how to create ‘policies’ and make self-care non-negotiable yet not shame myself if i can’t fulfill that ‘policy’ during the week

Then one day on one of my self-care journalling Monday mornings (totally one of my self-care policies) I realized that all of these spillings, questions and answers where a collection of really useful tools that might be able to help YOU figure out what self-care policies are right for you.

So I decided to create a new course in the Be Your Own Beloved series!  It is a 2 week course (14 days in a row) inviting you to discover some new tools to help you create more space in your life for YOU to thrive.  In the first week I have 7 different, really unique ways to approach discovering the self-care tools that will help you cultivate more self-care time in your life.  This isn’t a one size fits all approach at all.  In the second week we put these tools into practice.

Of course, being a Be Your Own Beloved class there is also a self-portrait element, but it is completely beginner friendly.  This course is a great sidekick to the original Be Your Own Beloved class but can also be taken on its own!  As with the original #beyourownbeloved class we are going to have a beautiful community energy in this class and will be able to share our self-care discoveries and get inspired by one another.

Oh, and it is super affordable too!

Head on over here for more info about Be Your Own Beloved: Creating Self-Care Policies! 

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Sheila

I signed up first thing this morning.

Beside-myself-excited!!

Becs

This sounds amazing! I wrote a lot in my journal yesterday about cultivating self care policies (with no actual plan I might add)…so this really couldn’t have come at a better time. Signing up now. :)