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A defining day; my creative gang

maxi gang

maxi gang one

maxi gang two

harry

My little man Maximus has a little gang.

Sierra, Harrison, Chloe and Maximus.

They climb forts, they dine together on pikelets, carrot sticks and drumsticks, they discuss pertinent topics like helicopters, fire engines and Lightning Mc queen.

Together they are a force to be reckoned with, fighting the badies and finding new adventures to explore.

We all need a gang.

Who is in yours?

Creativity done in collaboration is one of the finest pursuits of life.

Today I walked a foyer full of homemade goods, that women had spent hours, painstakingly creating, hoping someone would catch their eye and buy their wares.

A room full of creative conspirators, wanting to inspire and make goods that can help their family thrive.

I was proud of my creative collaborators today.

They were amazing.

Today marks a very special day for me.

I officially sold my very last paper back copy of my first book Capture 30 days. It is still available in an updated e-book format, but the very last copy is a milestone that cannot go past without celebration.

I remember the very day that those 3,000 copies arrived on a very single, very green young woman’s doorstep. The courier didn’t understand my fear as he dropped them on my doorstep. I wasn’t excited, I sat on my porch with my creative co- conspirators and I flipped out.

What was I going to do with that many books?

I had made an expensive and big mistake.

I had no idea that the day would come, when I would sell my last copy and silently remember.

I remembered my fear, I remembered my excitement, I remembered the 15 year old that wrote a list and on top of that list;

To write and publish a book.

3,000 sales may not ever make the best sellers list but today I’m proud. In 3,000 homes, in bookcases, at the back of cupboards, on bedside tables, sit my thoughts on creativity and inspiration.

I just had a go.

What do you need to just have a go at doing?

Jump in.

Be bold.

Gather your gang.

You never know the day might come when you sell your last copy and that sense of satisfaction that you did what you set out to do, will arrive.

All my love

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My creative capture gang: (who without them this project would have never happened.)

Steve and Elaine Fraser

Kym Basoka: Graphic designer and all round best friend.

Bonnie Machell: Photographer and dearest discusser of all things life.

Penny Webb: Head cheerleader

Sue Gifford: reformatted e-copy.

Sarah Churchill: editor extraordinaire!

Thanks for being my co-conspirators in creative crime.

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pen pals and inspiration

postmark

An English teacher gave a group of students an assignment to write to a famous author and only one wrote back. His name is Kurt Vonnegut and at the time he was 84 years old.

Here is the letter he wrote to the students.

kurt vonnegard

What a legend! I hope I am as motivated in my 80’s as he was.

I believe the main way we can remain motivated and inspired at any age, is to try something new often.

Just recently I signed up here Post Mark Society I honestly don’t have the time or need any more tasks on my list to accomplish, but as a fellow writer, I am an inspiration junkie.

I have found being online so often of late really uninspiring so I quickly signed up for this, when I came across a little blog about it and am so excited that my first letter from my new creative/ writer/ inspiration seeker from New York is on its way.

Somedays we just need to force ourselves off the computer and do something that inspires us manually.

Letter writing come at me.

I am an eternal seeker of new ways to live inspired.

How about you?

Speak tomorrow.

Amanda

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Day one March inspired

march inspired

Hello March!

From the beginning of this year my mission has been to live 2014 inspired.

The way that I have been personally doing this is by drawing and writing in my visual journal everyday of the year and posting on this blog about all things creative, innovation, spirituality, culture and arts.

A couple of weeks ago I put out a challenge for people to join this journey in the Month of March.

More details can be found here. March inspired.

Well March is here, today is the first and it is the beginning of Autumn. In 5 days time as well it is the start of Lent, a preparation season of 40 days leading up to Easter.

My encouragement today is for you to choose something small, something that will help you live more inspired and commit to doing it everyday of March with me.

#marchinspired and be inspired by what other people are doing.

I personally have committed to writing everyday towards a ebook that I want to publish this year about being over 25 and single.

Email me with what you have decided to do and lets live march inspired together.

I took this photo in London on a beautiful farm called church farm.

Goodbye Summer

Hello Autumn

What a perfect time to decide to do something to live inspired.

Goodbye Summer Hello Autumn

Amanda

 

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burn, burn, burn…

burnToday marks the start of a very special week, it is birthday week for my little man Maximus, he turns two this Wednesday. Tonight is family night and I have been baking cupcakes and covered them in all things aeroplane and helicopter!

It is times such as this, that you take time to reflect on what you want for your children. I find birthday’s very sobering. Another year older, a time of reflection and a time of thanksgiving.

I am thankful that I even had the opportunity to become a Mum, because so much of my life I thought I wouldn’t be one.

My heart felt cry for my son as he grows a year older that he would find what he was created for.

“The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars.”
Jack Kerouac, On the Road

That Maximus would be a little mad. That he would embrace his eccentricities and he would burn. 

oupa

That he would live life to the fullest.

His current obsession is Helicopters and as I write he is laying on the bed beside me watching a helicopter documentary on my iPhone. His Oupa is a aeroplane mechanic and he is enthralled with anything that flies.

That he would live inspired.

Inspired to live for others and beyond himself.

I don’t want him to be like everyone else.

I want him to embrace life to the fullest and live boldly.

What do you want for your life?

Do you want to just fit in?

Do you want to live a common life?

or do you want to live on the edge, embracing the uniqueness of your life and live inspired.

I have begun a little project called March Inspired read this link to find out more and join the journey towards living March more inspired.

Must get back to finishing my cupcake project.

Speak tomorrow

A

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march inspired

march inspired

March is an amazing month, to refocus and reset your goals. Everything is back to normal after the silly season of Christmas and the New Year. Life as you know it has a little more routine. There is no time like the present to commit to bringing change and inspiration to your days.

What would you like to commit to doing for 30 days, to bring inspiration, innovation and creativity into your year?

You could write, sew, paint or draw. Also you could make cards, pot plant, knit or exercise. Do you need to read more, bake for others or Cook through a recipe book? You could have coffee with 30 inspiring people, Pray, Meditate, Stretch or Walk… the options are endless.

I wrote recently about how I wrote my first book Capture 30 days , in 30 days.

It takes 30 days to form a new habit. 30 days of doing something is a powerful change tool.

At the beginning of 2014, I started drawing in my visual diary every day for the whole year. I have been posting them here and on social media it is called #inspire14 and some other creatives have joined me on the journey.

Also, March marks the month where the season of Lent begins. Lent is the 40 day period leading up to Easter. It begins on the 5th of March and ends on the 20th of April. Lent is an amazing time, to reflect and sacrifice and bring perspective on area’s of your life that you need to bring change to.

What I want to encourage my readers to do, is to commit to doing something inspiring every day for 30 days in March. (you could carry it on through lent if you wanted)

March inspired

I want to encourage you to first of all do a word brainstorm like this one I have done below.

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1) Say yes!

2) Print out this worksheet for  March Inspired  and answer the questions to prepare yourself for the 30 day journey.

3) Send me an email on amanda@amandaviviers.com for accountability and encouragement towards your 30 day journey. I will commit to skyping or online chatting with you at some point during the journey, if you would like that.

4) #inspire14 with your journey through facebook or instagram.

5) Start March 1st.

6) If you are in Perth I am speaking at a SPARC gathering at the cheeky sparrow on the 31st of March and we can celebrate together your accomplishment.

This year I have committed to publishing two e-books. 1) YESTEMBER– a 30day guided journey for singles  2) Curate- 30 days to cultivate creativity. (both of which are my very loose working titles.) So I need to commit, before baby number two arrives to write. So for the month of March I am writing each day for publication 1) Yestember.

I wholeheartedly believe, when you reflect on what you want to do and then you ask someone to hold you accountable to it, the likelihood of committing to it is so much higher.

Lets live inspired together.

Amanda

CS-JO