Mindy Tsonas Choi

The well hasn't exactly been dry.  I have been painting a little, working on a big deadline that is almost complete (and coming along quite well, if I do say so myself), and pinning things here and there.  Otherwise, I've been in a relative quiet creative space coasting on more of an inward kind of energy.  So, I've only been peeking in here and there, napping a lot, and making forward progress on the things that are pressing.  There's another birthday celebration around the corner, a trip to Florida coming up, several work projects in progress, and unbelievably, preschool and 5th grade stuff to start thinking about.  Like I always say to my oldest son... time does not wait for you, so get crack-a-lackin! I'm actually really excited to begin thinking about fall, though a little leery that it might be too early to start feeling that autumnal longing.  It is still July, after all.  But the signs are there, back-to-school stuff in all the stores (abeit way too e

...I could have also aptly titled this post as, 'the chaos in my head' I was up for what seemed like hours last night painting a new project in my head.  I was almost tempted enough to get out of bed, as the muse tirelessly spun her magic in the darkness.  But since it was the middle of the night, I decided it would be better to just watch it all unfold in my mind.  This morning, I grabbed from the stash the big piece of vintage linen my imagination was playing with and set it on my studio table ready to become what I envisioned. I can't wait to begin.  I love beginnings. The spark.  The idea.  The path that materializes right before my eyes, and all I have to do is jump in and trust and follow.  A lot of my projects begin this way... as thoughts that have momentum and energy of their own, with me following closely behind while manifesting the intangible into the something I can hold in my hands and experience in real life. And so this is also the challenge, to wrangle and

{celebration} ::  to observe a notable occasion with festivities. Yes, please! When asked to muse on this word for The Declaration of You blog tour, I immediately think of sparkly confetti, colorful balloons and streamers, laughter, and the joyful gathering of friends and loved ones.  A really festive and special occasion topped off with all the bells and whistles of beautiful food, inspired decorations, and personalized goodie bags.  I also really resonated with what Susannah Conway wrote in her interview as part of the Celebration chapter of Jessica and Michelle's fabulous new book (and awesome workbook) on owning your You-ness, and feel that connection to both gratitude and love as part of the celebratory process as well.  They are a big piece, for sure. Then it hit me and I knew exactly what my Declaration of Celebration is:  it's   sharing the goodness . My accomplishments don't happen alone.  They are supported, inspired and buoyed by the amazing creative community

"She is a Keeper of Treasure" 20x16 mixed media on canvas  It was a full but lazy weekend (is that possible?) that was overflowing with the good stuff, and at a pace that was unhurried yet engrossing, like getting lost in a good book one page beckoning to the next.  The highlight of the last few days was big brother conquering his fear and finally learning to ride a bike (woo hoo!).  We were all overjoyed at the crossing of this milestone, just shy of his tenth birthday. It's never to late to learn something.  Someone might be getting a new bike for his birthday next month.  There was other sweetness too, like an evening walk to get ice cream, and cooking out a yummy grilled feast, goodies received in the mail, and the cooler air thankfully returning, big purple green beans and our first little tomato from the garden, making paper lanterns, and exciting forward progress on the zine that has been such a fun challenge to create.  To top it all off, the prettiest pale pink s

I think Alex and I seriously need a date.  In Alaska. Let's just say that this sweltering summer has not been at all conducive to our togetherness.  In fact, the two of us have been sleeping in separate beds for the better part of this season so that we can judiciously share the air conditioning with the kids which means the early birds retire to the quiet and chilly bedroom around 8:30 (that would be me and the little guy), and the night owls camp out in the cool livingroom with the t.v. and blow up mattress.  Sounds romantic, no?  The kids think it's pretty awesome. So I miss my husband something aweful.  This morning when we all shifted out of our separate nightly repose, Alex and I twined in bed together for about 2.3 seconds until a boy came bursting into our room looking for a partner to help him take out a virtual army of skeleton pirates.  Oh, well.  Just another reason to look forward to fall.

The other day my little guy brought me home a heart rock from the beach.  Actually, both my kids often bring me heart rocks they've found and get so excited about adding more to our growing collection.  I have a lot of heart rocks.  Even my mom and dad recently gave me a big beautiful one which was so touching because the true gift wasn't the rock itself (though I love it!), it was being seen and acknowledged by them in this unique and meaningful way.  I love how my family associates me with these little treasures.  Even Alex will see a heart somewhere and point it out to me, sweetly teasing me about this small obsession. So I was thinking about this, about how we see the world.  I know that it's not that more heart rocks magically appear to me, it is all about our awareness and perception of things.  I simply see the world as full of love.  I believe that life is love.  It's how I choose to see things, and so this becomes my reality and truth of how things are.  Love i

It took me a long time, but I finally settled on the word "shed" for my 2013 word of the year.  I'm happy to report that this one little word has manifested some pretty significant changes in my day to day, from tiny new habits to big life shifts thus far.  Since it's already July and it feels like I am quickly rounding the corner on the waning half of the year, I thought it would be good to check in and acknowledge some of what's changed.  This has already been one of those years that I know will be significantly notable when someday looking back at the big picture, like a prominent ring of a tree that had an extraordinarily rich season of extra growth.  Here are some of layers I've been shedding to help my life root and bloom: ( Shed :   To cause to pour forth .  To diffuse or radiate; send forth or impart:  shed light.  To lose by natural process: a snake shedding its skin. To rid oneself of something not wanted or needed.  To lose a natural growth or cove

"It's not about being let in, it's about opening the door and walking in." ~ Liz Kalloch in  Indie Kindred by Jen Lee I have been delving a lot deeper into creative community this year.  At the core, this hasn't been about going to more events, it's really been more about showing up for myself and my creative life and nurturing the kind of connections I want to have.  It's been about curating experiences and cultivating relationships.  It has also meant taking a big step out of my safety zone.  For me, I have had to learn to let people in a little closer.  This has meant being less guarded by standing more solidly in who I am so that I can put myself and my work out in the world.  Creating gatherings, for the first time this year, in my own home has been a big part of this opening up as well. In order to be a part of it all, I have to let people in. Community sometimes has felt like this elusive entity somewhere  out there while I was standing somewhere

While I'm not the biggest user of Twitter, I do like to send out a little message every now and then.  I know not all of you are followers (but thank you, ever so, if you are!) so I though I'd gather together a few of my favorite tweets to share.  There is something so wonderful about serving up such a small yet sweet bit of inspiration, a delectable little slice of life!  Yum. "Embrace the winding road, you never know what adventure you will find." "A great networking tip: right pocket for YES business cards, left pocket for ones to pass on." "We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are. ~ Aniais Nin" "Trust in the impossible, then work your butt of to make it happen!" "Create an on-the-go art kit with precut ATC's, pens and glue for in-the-moment art making." "Be specific with your wishes, the universe is not a mind reader!" "Everyone is gifted, but some people never unwrap their package. Open

It's been an eventful week... summer camp for the oldest has begun, my littlest turned four yesterday, and I think that I've had my first real and unceremonious encounter with menopause.  Yep. Sunday night I woke up out of a dead sleep because my heart was racing.  It was enough of a pound, pound, pounding and dizziness that it had me up and out of bed taking my pulse and considering going to the emergency room.  Rationally, I thought it was maybe anxiety, but I couldn't really put my finger on any overwhelming source of stress.  I'd had one panic attack about six years ago that ultimately did send me to the ER and thankfully turned out to be nothing, and this felt similar.  So I breathed through it enough to fall back asleep, but I kept waking up with the same intense fight-or-flight sensation. Needless to say the next day I felt horrible, so I called my doctor to make an appointment for later in the week and she promptly sent me to to the hospital.  Had she not insist

I wish I was one of those people who revels in the sultry days of summer, languorous beach-lounging and sweet nights evocative of Sandy and Danny's summer lovin', but I am most certainly not ever meant to live any further south of my current latitude.  Day after day of super hot temps on top of humidity that makes everything feel like pea soup completely wilts my brain and makes me crabby.  I'm a hot mess.  Literally.  I just don't tolerate the heat at all, physically or emotionally and my muse even refuses to get out of the water to come and hang out with me.  It's kind of a shame considering I live on an island.  Admittedly, I love the beach for it's beauty more than I do for the sunbathing and saltwater stickiness and I'm grateful that even in the smoldering sun the shore is just as breathtaking. But, I'm hopelessly a girl of the equinoxes. So, I am doing my best to get through these steamy days with tons of water, cold meals of tapas and fruit, and h

{she is a keeper of treasure} in progress I'm fairly new to selling my own work, but I heard something yesterday that made me stop and think.  It was about changing the notion of "I hate marketing and promotion" (which I have definitely said in the past) to "I believe in what I have to offer, so I want to share it with the world!" .  Feels very different, no?  And don't we believe in the work that we do? I think that putting a value on something that we have created is a tender thing.  It's tandem to saying "This is what I am worth" .  At least that's how it feels to me in my most vulnerable moments. Whether it's a piece of art, a book, a workshop or retreat, I have to first stand wholeheartedly behind the work I do, then I have to believe in the fact that someone out there will feel the same.  I've heard the idea that your customers will find you no matter what your product or price point.  To be honest, I've always thought th

So, I have discovered a new phenomenon - I actually really enjoying exercise!  It's only been about a month I've been going to a new barre class several times a week, but my body is already beginning to crave this kind of movement and hard work.  Somehow my brain has been able to plug into that happy mind/body place.  Physically, it is more about the intensity I think.  It is the most aggressive kind of exercise I have done in a very long time, even more so than when I used to go to the gym and work on the elliptical machine for an hour.   The way my body feels after a barre class reminds me of how I used feel doing gymnastics, a kind of fully engaged, tough, physical workout that I also really enjoy.  Very satisfying. Since having kids I've always been more of a yoga girl shying away from the zumba craze and never really wanting to sit on a machine to lift weights.  Those things just didn't appeal to me and one thing I know about myself is if it doesn't resonate,