Mindy Tsonas Choi

photo by elizabeth duvivier reading :: on my stack these days... Divergent  for fun,  Amor and Psyche  for learning,  Open  for both ;) and always oodles of magazines including Bust, Real Simple, and Whole Living. writing :: daily gratitude in my journal, working on three blog posts simultaneously (not including this one), a final submission to Mabel Magazine , and juicy email correspondence with old friends and new acquaintances. making :: a giant painting on a piece of raw plywood, art journal pages filled with colors and words, lots of new vegetarian recipes since my husband stopped eating meat, new alchemy cards to add to my deck, an "open marriage" Pinterest board  for resources and anecdotes (cuz there's not much out there). watching :: season 1 of Girls (genius and hilarious!), food network shows - Heartland Table and Pioneer Woman current faves, the morning light shift deep in to the east, so many birds coming to feed in our backyard feeders...

#notesfromtherocket by Swirly I spent the better part of this weekend surround by some pretty sexy people.  And by sexy I don't mean the scantily clad, primped, polished and plasticized PR version of sex (well there was a little of that, maybe), but I mean more the real life version that included every size shape and color sexuality comes in, namely myself and about 400 other regular people. If you've never been to a sex-related conference, it's incredibly similar to going to a creative event except everyone is geeking out on all aspects of sexuality rather than creativity.   There's a stark authenticity to it all that is so very similar.  It's not dark or dirty.  It really is quite the opposite.  So I thought I'd outline just how similar these two worlds really are. 10 Things Sex Events and Creative Events Have in Common: 1.   It's all about connection .  Look closely and you will see that both creativity and sexuality are all about connect

"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful  than the risk it took to blossom."  ~ Aniis Nin This quote has always resonated for me, but I hadn't really realized the expanse of it, until now. Just in the past few months my life has taken on new shape and form.   Integration is a beautiful thing , people .  I'm realizing how my life is fitting together with so much ease... how my creative work is attuned to my personal work, how my aesthetic truth bares my emotional truth, and how being allowed to speak with 100% honesty and openness across the board is just so damn refreshing.  It's a flat out, revelation! Whatever arena I am in, I can tell it like it is.  No need to obscure any piece of the puzzle any longer.  For years I felt conflicted about walking the walk of authentic living  while   not sharing a piece of my story, and that has completely dissolved.  This new phenomenon is total awesome sauce (to put it

Many of you have asked, so I decided to share this series of images that depict a bit of my painting process.  It always starts with a few things glued on and a little bit of color inspiration to begin.  No plan, just moving paint and paper around. There are many many layers of added bits of color, texture, and pretty paper and ephemera, this one using a vintage piece of lace, dripping paint, and one of my photographs.  Always, there are words that want to be added. At some point, when the painting starts feeling messy and full, I add the black boarder around the edges to make it feel a bit more contained and so I can see a bit more clearly where the painting needs to go.  Most often, this means hiding parts of the layers, obscuring some things, and letting other bits and pieces peek through, as I did with the big journal page I used.  More covering, shading and highlighting, a few finishing details... and the painting is done!  A story captured in paint. 

The melting has begun and all along the marsh and the river huge chunks of ice are floating along.  The boys (all three of them!) had a blast tossing in huge snowballs of their own and watching them drift away. It was a glorious Saturday to be out in the warm sunshine (47 degrees!).  We took the scooters out to the rail trail and walked and wheeled around snow, puddles, sculptures, and tiny promises of spring.  The red hugs and kisses, a favorite of mine of course. This sculpture is beautiful too... a large bird with two open palms for wings.  About thirty seconds before I hopped on and took this photo both my boys had been sitting on the hands, one on each wing, but they're never in one place for long so I missed the shot.  Such is life. This part of the trail is dotted with colorful bird houses and in the summer will be completely filled in with greenery offering much needed shade.  There is even one at the beginning of the trail that is a birdhous

So, it happens.  You put your stuff out there and people start coming to your door to spill their own hearts.  It just goes to show how much we need solidarity, commiseration, and validation, and the power of connecting in these real, gritty places never ceased to amaze me. I've heard from people who've wanted to simply give a nod of appreciation for being one of the ones out there and talking about alternative relationships.  I have been asked some pretty juicy and brave questions about my own exploration.  I've heard from others asking for advice and support around having conversations about sex in general.  I've received piles of gratitude from people for inspiring them to have new conversations about sex in their own marriages and relationships, and I've also been told some really hilarious and steamy sexual adventures. This is such good...  necessary, life affirming ... stuff people, and you're totally rocking my world! And I want you to know how