A Golden Buzzer Moment. A Moment in Time when all seems to stand still as golden confetti cascades down over you after one of the judges on American's Got Talent determines that after your fabulous performance, you're ready to go to the live shows. Now. That's pretty amazing...especially when you have no idea of how good you really are. I've had the wonderful opportunity to be the hearing recipient of a very talented young girl's performance on AGT; her name is Grace VanderWaal. The thing that really struck me about Grace is her authenticity. She offered a self-penned song that has gotten a replay in my head on repeat for several days. Quite catchy and I must say, quite empowering. She's got my attention! See her performance below. (I've seen her follow up performances which are just as delightful and heart warming.) After thinking about Grace's Golden Buzzer Moment, I realized what this can mean for us on a daily basis.
A Golden Buzzer is a validating and very surprising external action on someone else's part letting you know how good you really are. Sometimes we get that kind of validation from someone who sees our potential or who appreciates us for Who We Are at the Heart of what we do every day. But we can actually create our OWN Golden Buzzer Moments on the internal side. How, you ask? By paying close attention to our own Value, to what we are contributing every day to our immediate worlds: our selves, our families, our communities and our worlds. An example of an Internal Golden Buzzer Moment: when you're writing a journal entry and you experience clarity on something that's been puzzling you. when you connect with someone on a deep level that is totally unexpected. when you validate another person because you see their potential. when you're working on a painting, drawing, collage, or sculpture and it works out exactly the way you want it to in that moment when just the right word comes to you to complete a poem you've been working on when you are aligned with Who You Are and you know you are exactly where you are supposed to be when you hit that sweet spot in your creative practice and you wouldn't change it for the world right at that moment You know your Golden Buzzer Moments when you feel them because they leave an impression. (And maybe even a life changing one.) But when you are LOOKING for them actively, you may find that they replicate, which only increases the Value of your every day experience. So, go on. Validate Yourself. See Your Own Potential. Congratulate Yourself on a Job Well Done. Enjoy that Sweet Spot with Relish and Relive it in your journal! The more you pay attention to those GB Moments, the more you will experience them. And it might just lead to some external ones too! Journaling Prompt: Record every Golden Buzzer Moment that comes to mind. Make a list. Don't be shy. What have you experienced that would qualify? Think Small too. It doesn't have to be huge. Look with expectation over the next several weeks for those moments when you simply hit your sweet spot. Art Journal Prompt: Using the words, Golden Buzzer, create an art journal spread that speaks of your potential, of a time when you hit your creative sweet spot. Relish with colors that showcase you at your heights. Really Celebrate!
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As the creator of a 21 Day Refresh Intensive Course, I wanted to get a Fresh Perspective on the course content and decided to engage with it once again. One of the things I appreciate about Refresh Intensive is the fact that it's evergreen, so it never grows old. We change every day, so each time we engage with questions we can answer or an activity that can show us something about ourselves, we can learn something new and profound. I wasn't disappointed! I was quite amazed with the discoveries I made throughout the course; it really did reveal things to me I was unaware of and it also clarified and affirmed some things I've experienced before. I don't mean to make this post an info-mercial for my course. My purpose is to simply share with you how I benefited from the journaling and other activities I engaged in and why I think it was a good investment of my time. First, I determined to do each day's Journaling either before or after my usual personal journaling since it seemed to fit and resonate with that time the best. I was fresh and ready to dig in at that time, so I could get the most out of it. One of the things I really love about each day's content/engagement are the options for further reflection and activity, such as art journal prompts, poetry ideas and more, and I felt like I could just run with something that really resonated and not feel obligated to do something that didn't interest me. I think the use of COLOR was the most FUN element in whatever context it was contained in. I found the music topic to be revealing and even profound as I worked through the questions. I think really focusing on my preferences and why I loved what I was drawn to so much helped me appreciate my own personality on a deeper level because of what I learned about myself in the process. I've shared an image of items I found during two of my "Field Trips" I did for those portions of the course. I had a great time following the directions and questions about my Field Trip experiences and what they had to teach me on a deeper level. I was surprised by how much I learned from these activities. Journaling is a powerful tool that I use daily, and yet, engaging in the journaling exercises in this course showed me things I might not have otherwise discovered if I hadn't worked through those specific processes. I answered the questions as honestly as I could and I think that really initiated a more profound and enlightening "opening up" to Who I Am in the process.
Each activity truly gave me food for thought. And as I looked back on each one during my Wrap Up time, I was freshly appreciative of what I learned and look forward to going even deeper in the days ahead. There are suggested ways to extend each activity, if it especially resonated with you. I found this especially helpful in the EMOTION days and the DECISION MAKING activities. Of course, COLOR is a part of my daily life as a watercolor painter, so using it in a fresh context really made it fun and insightful and revealing into deeper dimensions of Who I Am. I really look forward to more insights, reveals and fun fabulousness as I engage once again with a Refresh Intensive, with the purpose of always Activating My Intuition, Honoring My Preferences and Listening to my Life Messages. I always want to know what my Life has to say to me! Creating Awareness and Appreciating Myself For Who I Am are key elements to Refresh Intensive, not to mention being personally empowered by recognizing things that I didn't realize before where positive change can be initiated toward a more refreshed life. Journaling Prompt: What specific choice can you make for yourself right now that will create more awareness of your preferences? How can you celebrate specific elements of your personality? What there something you did today especially that you can celebrate as a direct result of a choice you made today to honor your preferences? Art Journal Prompt: Create an art journal spread to show appreciate for a specific aspect of your personality that you don't normally like to pay attention to and give it homage. Do this from the heart without hesitation. You're welcome to check out my 21 Day Refresh Intensive Course to see how it might benefit you. So, here we are at Back to School Time. Where the school supplies are in abundance (Stocked up on those trusty composition notebooks of course!) and the kids are getting ready to start classes to get them one step closer to graduation, to meeting goals, to establishing what their direction will be and to figure out their purpose.
This time of year can also be a source of inspiration toward life-long learning and activating self-discovery as we choose to go deeper into Who We Are. As we watch the kids gets their school supplies, clothes and gear gathered, we can also be inspired by what motivates us and where our curiosities are bringing us. This can enable us to learn something new about ourselves, which can lead to more self-appreciation as well as motivation to initiate positive change. As an artist, I am constantly looking for inspiration by taking photographs, looking through magazines, and watching videos, reading inspiring blog posts, articles and reading books and also listening to podcasts. And I often find it! And when I do, I get excited and motivated to look more closely at my own motivation, direction and purpose as a creator. One thing I've already learned in my life-long pursuit of educating myself about Who I Am and What My Purpose Is is to always be willing to make a change when it's needed, with no apology, no second guessing. When I see what is working, I look to expand on that. When I see what isn't working, I start journaling, connecting with Spirit and determining what my next step is. Life is constantly changing, just like our kids and grandkids do as we see their growth and feel proud of their accomplishments as they learn about Who They Are, what talents they possess, and how they can leave their meaningful mark in the world. And because of that flux of change, we need to always be looking for new opportunities to grow, to create, to discover, to go deeper. That's why I love my creative practice so much. Each activity I choose to engage in, as often as I choose to engage in it, is another way of learning about myself, giving myself space to think, dream, love, discover, follow "rabbit holes" of curiosity, and learning to be more flexible with myself with what I choose to do, what supplies I choose to work with, and with what I choose to express myself. It's easy to fall into a creative rut, doing the same thing over and over. That's when it's good to change things up, be open to new possibilities and try new things, things that excite your heart and make you want to do a happy dance. And a happy dance in just the beginning. Who knows where our creative practice can lead us, what new places we have yet to explore and what new inspiration will come across our path and lead us into a new love? See yourself as a student of your Creativity; see what it has to teach you; listen carefully and relish each moment. No, not everything we do has to be "just so." Stay open to making mistakes (If you perceive them that way) and not being completely satisfied with the job you did. That's okay. It's all a learning process. I think one of the key issues is being True To Yourself. Honor Your Preferences. Pay Close Attention to Your Intuitive Nudges. Follow Those Curiosities. What Life Message can you glean from each creative experience, each creative act, each creative project, each creative journey? Enjoy each creative moment, whether you're going solo or sharing it with your kids or grandkids. Let Life Teach You and Relish the Learning. Journaling Prompt: What does your creative practice teach you? What have you learned about yourself, your creative work, your world? What is the most recent creative experience you've had and what did it show you about yourself? What positive change can you initiate based on what you now know? Celebrate in your journal what you've learned! Art Journal Prompt: Create a Back to Your Creative Practice spread, using images of creative projects you've completed and what they have taught you about yourself. Or dream on the page about what you want to learn and try that is new for you. And if you're wanting to go a bit deeper into Activating Your Intuition, Honoring Your Preferences and Listening to Your Life Messages, you're welcome to check out my 21 Day Refresh Intensive Course. Copyright 2016 Dawn Herring Today commemorates the 22nd year of my youngest daughter's birth, and it also hails the opportunity to emphasize what my daughter loves in order to create a visual which has changed dramatically over the years.
From the time Hannah was 10, I have initiated my creative juices to help celebrate her day of birth. From embellished birthday banners to full scale collages featuring all of her favorite things to the more grown-up version, The Birthday Doodle, which I've used to illustrate what matters most to her. I decided to change things up yet again this year to reflect what I know my daughter really loves, even as she gains in years in her twenties, where we may not see as much change in their day to day lives as in their younger years. Instead I decided to focus on one area that my daughter talks about the most when it comes to what she loves, and that's MUSIC. When you're inspired by the songs you choose to listen to, lyrics can take on a significant meaning to uplift your spirit and give you encouragement. So I asked my daughter what was her favorite lyric was that had the most significant meaning for her right now. (The key is to capture what your grown child loves right now). Once she shared the lyric with me, I went to "work" or "play" with my Uniball Vision pen and Winsor Newton Watercolor markers and laid out the lyric word by word on a piece of 8 1/2 by 11 White Card Stock paper. I did not draw out the letters with pencil first. I simply drew the letters freehand with the pen. Once I had the initial drawing laid out, I got out my watercolor markers and began filling in the letters with intuitively chosen colors, plus added highlights for depth and dimension. Then I embellished certain areas but kept the design simple and fun. Creating a Lyric Doodle (or any doodle) requires some decision making with type of lettering, colors chosen for initial layer plus subsequent layers as well as embellishments to make a well balanced visual without overwhelm. I'm glad I was able to capture the essence of the lyric and its meaning for my daughter to help celebrate her 22nd birthday. Credit for Lyric goes to Vertical Church Band from the song titled, More Than I Deserve. Please note: The Copyright date for the artwork on the actual image should read 2016. Copyright Artwork 2016 Dawn Herring Copyright Text 2016 Dawn Herring |
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![]() Dawn HerringDawn engages in many roles: As Writer/Blogger and Artist/Creative and Founder of Refresh with Dawn Herring: Where Art and JOY Align, She enjoys sharing from her vast experience as award-winning, life-long artist and leader in the field of written journaling, offering encouragement and proven tips to other journal keepers. Dawn's focus is on written journal keeping, artistic expression and finding your Creative Voice, and positive change that leads personal empowerment, encouraging you to leave your authentic and positive mark in the world. Dawn is a Commercial artist, hand letterer/illustrator and writer/blogger and enjoys sharing insights, humor, and encouragement as she shares from her life experiences as a woman, wife, mother of two grown daughters and as a Grandparent to a special needs grandson. She enjoys keeping a journal and reading spiritual texts to help keep the light on. May JOY Align with Your Creative Heart. Archives
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