We rang in the new year with the Cincinnati Pops and then dinner with a few friends. It truly felt good to celebrate endings and beginnings. Conversation turned to rituals. One that bubbled up was choosing a word to guide the year rather than to set goals or resolutions.
On January first, I met a trusted old friend and we started the work of putting vision boards together. We ritualized the year just passed by writing things to let go of on index cards, saying them out loud, then burning the cards and watching the smoke dissipate in the cold air. Only then did we create our boards.
Check out my article at the Conscious Living Center to see how I did: https://www.goconscious.com/news/whats-your-word-for-2022/
Time to Move
What does office space and a sport car have in common?
I’ve had an office above Roebling Point Books and Coffee in Covington, Ky for two years now. I have loved being there, drinking bourbon on Fridays, bouncing ideas off of other creatives. Clients loved the charm of the space. But over the last few months, it felt right to change my perspective with a move to my home office.
Our property sits on a double lot in a small, urban setting. At the back of the house, on the parking pad is a shed big enough to fit a two-seater Fiat. I know this because a previous owner did just that, parked his Fiat inside the shed to work on it. I looked past the Dayton heater hanging from a corner, dismissed the smell of motor oil, and conjured an idea that this could become my space. My husband and a friend ran electricity, drywalled and painted, christening it as the “She Shed”. I dismissed that title too. It became my office.
Little did I know that it would become a necessary place to conduct workshops, facilitate meetings. Near the end of 2021 several clients expressed concern over pandemic issues and meeting in public places. I took a look at how to minimize risk and ensure that I could safely see clients in person. My home office became a place of possibility. I control who comes and goes, sanitize, and provide comfort and safety.
Take a gander at this gallery of the space. And click here to book your session today!
What’s on the Horizon:
Writing in the Alley: Saturday, February 26, 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM, Kennedy Alley, Bellevue, Ky.
Starved for in-person, creative events? We meet in a clean, practical space behind my house. Our time is filled with fun activities centered around creative writing. Start a story, write from the heart, cultivate a stage act, song lyrics, jokes. We write, we talk, we laugh, we cry, and in the end perhaps you will feel just a little happier and hopeful. Cost: $35. Space is limited. Email tina.neyer@gmail.com to reserve your spot.
Writing Memoir: Practical Advice on How to Write Your Personal Story: Saturday, March 5, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM, Women Writing for (a) Change via Zoom.
In this intensive, interactive, all-new workshop you will get the tools to start and organize your personal story. Learn how to:
Determine why you want to write this book.
Identify the point of the story.
Write book jacket copy.
Outline your story.
Write a killer first sentence.
Choose a title.
Determine when to end the story.
Let Me be Your Co-Conspirator
As a refresher, here is a list of my services for the individual.
Mindfulness Journal Writing, Six 60-minute sessions. Cultivate your consciousness with six sessions to open your consciousness through discussion and writing prompts. To learn more about this program click here Cost $330.
Life Coaching. You have the power within you to step forward into life. Sometimes thought, you just need to talk things out with someone. Let me be that person. You drive the conversation and I offer suggestions for you, but in the end it's up to you to decide. Cost $80 per session.
Career Coaching. Three sessions that get you thinking in the right direction. I ask the questions, you develop the answers, and together we form a plan for next steps. Cost $330.
Book-length Manuscript Assessment, Intake interview, you submit 50 pages of your book and a one-page summary. You receive a detailed, two-page editorial review that highlights strengths, challenges, and an overall understanding of the project, in-line comments of the first ten pages and a one-hour session to discuss the feedback. Cost $250.
Book Length Manuscript Intensive, In-depth review of a book-length manuscript of 200-to-300 page project. I specialize in Fiction and Memoir. This service includes a deep read of your manuscript to ensure that your story is strong. I provide a 5-to-7-page review of the material, highlighting strengths, challenges and possible next steps for the writer. Cost $600.
A Final Thought:
In the past two months, I have visited two desert areas. Not being a fan of deserts, too many Spaghetti Westerns, watching blurred figures in the waves of heat from an obscure desert floor, I had the chance to consider the vibrancy of a landscape. My first experience was in December on a visit to the Mojave. The overall energy of the place felt heavy, filled with imaginative scenes of fire ants and quicksand, ready to swallow me up if I traveled too far from civilization.
A few weeks ago, my journey took me to Scottsdale, Arizona, where cacti mingle with housing starts, Starbucks, and grocery stores. The feeling of possibilities filled my senses as I hiked Pinnacle Peak, meeting others along the way, each with broad smiles.
It got me thinking about what lay beneath the surface. Houses, water tables, land usage. Each place could be seen as vibrant or dying. But the one definitely filled me with hope, while the other only led to a sense of dread. Can you guess which one was which by the way I describe them? And what does your desert experience feel like, real or imagined.
Until Next Time:
I’ll be writing and thinking and working with others. I’ve learned that the world is full of possibilities if only I let go of the things that weigh me down.
Tina