Nikki Starcat Shields's Blog, page 16

The Life of the Imagination

Photo by Aracos the Bardtographer at this year’s Beltane on the Beach

I enjoy living a “Life of the Imagination.” The phrase itself came to me at some point several years ago, popping into my consciousness and immediately embraced as something that describes me, at least when I’m at my best.

What does it mean? It’s about letting your creativity flow, allowing yourself to be whimsical and fanciful, and noticing (and being amused by) those little fun quirky moments that arise in life.

Everyday...

The Creative Power of the Sea

Going to the beach regularly makes me a better writer – a better person, even.

After a visit to the ocean, I feel calmer (thank you, negative ions), more focused, and extra inspired.

I’m blessed to live in a spot in Maine where a trip to the ocean takes less than 30 minutes. It’s a good thing, too, because over the past few years, walks by the sea have become an essential part of my life as a Thriving Artist.

Why? I’m not exactly sure. Without planning to, I’ve become a water priestess.

Earli...

Starcat’s Favorites: Books and Bookstores

Happy Independent Bookstore Day! Yes, that’s really a thing. Today’s a wonderful day to visit your favorite local bookstore.

I thought I’d kick off the festivities by sharing photos of my “to be read” and “currently reading” piles. The shorter pile is what I’m currently reading (or re-reading, in the case of Women Who Run with the Wolves). The ones I have underway on the Kindle are Chillpreneur by Denise Duffield-Thomas and Who the F*** Am I To Be A Coach? by Megan Jo Wilson.

What are you rea...

Why YOUR Story Matters

To doubt oneself is a common experience in our modern culture. So many of us have a story to tell or a tale to craft, yet wonder whether or not our experience is unique or profound enough to share. We don’t fully trust our imagination, or the impulses that urge us to create.

If you find yourself thinking, “Who am I to write a book?” – pause and consider this.

You are a woman with a unique experience in the world. What you bring to the table – your skills, your wisdom, your service to the comm...

Courting the Muses: 7 Ways to Get Inspired

I sat down to write this post about courting the muses, yet the background sounds in the room were distracting me. So I pulled up my Writing Inspiration playlist on YouTube.

That reminded me of a song I wanted to add. One of my yoga teachers has been playing it in class lately, and I love it. I added the song, and then looked through the whole playlist, which is a work in progress.

I had some inspirations for other songs to add, which then led me down a lovely trail of music, mostly geared to...

Starcat’s Favorites: My Community

I’ve had kind of a struggly winter, blah blah blah. Who hasn’t? I hope you haven’t, actually.

But the cool thing is that I have such a vibrant and supportive community. I’m so thankful. I’ve surrounded myself with some extremely excellent folks. This wasn’t always the case.

I’ve been blessed with an amazing and close extended family. But over the past several years, I’ve consciously nurtured (and expanded) my tribe of friends, biz sisters, and acquaintances, and they are amazing. I’m so very...

Opening Pandora’s Treasure Box

Pandora’s Box by Michael Hensmann, shared via Creative Commons.

It feels like writing about the Law of Attraction means opening up Pandora’s mythical box. On the one hand, there’s so much treasure in there, and it has helped me to vastly expand and improve my life. On the other hand, there are many misconceptions about the philosophy and its validity.

So of course BlackLion and I decided to write a book about it!

The book actually focuses on the work and teaching we’ve been doing that integra...

Your Mission, Should You Choose To Accept It…

In order to truly thrive as an artist, your quest is to playfully engage your Younger Self on a regular basis. But how do you accomplish that in the course of your very full daily life?

This is something I’ve been exploring in my personal and professional life for more than two decades. Over the course of that time, I’ve made some discoveries that helped me – and my readers and clients – to make play (and thus, deeper access to creativity) a priority.

Here are the basic building blocks to bec...

Play Is Productive – Younger Self and Creativity

The author’s Younger Self, age 2.

There’s a concept that I often share with my one-on-one book midwife clients and during various workshops. It comes from one of my favorite authors of all time, Starhawk. She’s a Pagan activist, writer, and leader of the Reclaiming tradition. I’ve read nearly all of her books, and recommend them highly.

In her classic work The Spiral Dance, Starhawk writes about the Triple Self that we each have within our psyche. It’s reminiscent of the id, ego, and superego...

Why You Deserve More Ease In Your Life

Have you been brainwashed to struggle through life? How to tell: you begin your day tired and feeling like you’re already behind, you complain more often than you express your gratitude, you finish the day lamenting all the tasks that didn’t get done, and you wouldn’t describe your life as “fun” or “fulfilling.”

You might say you’re just trying to survive.

Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Modern Western culture is steeped in a “what’s wrong?” mentality.
Nearly from birth, we’re urged to accompl...