Crow Hill Conversations

This Crow's Caw was started in November of 2005.  5 years of squawking my thoughts and someone a few people out there have subscribed. I know...most of you are family and friends...and I am so thankful for your love!



Crow's Caw isn't going away, AND I do want to let you know about my newest adventure.  I am still coaching full time with MAPS...AND I have launched a small creative professional business.  Crow Hill Conversations (Graphic Recording and Facilitation) was born in my spirit and has come to fruition over the last 11 months.  It is both a professional service and a personal expression...and so my blogging will be mostly there for now. 
I'd love to invite you to subscribe to 2 things over at Crow Hill Conversations:  The blog feed either in a reader or via email delivery and ....

the JUST BE Newsletter.  This newsletter...or E-Zine (electronic magazine) will come out only once a month and have articles about living a BEING first life...a life of heart first...then the head and hand. 

It will promote, creativity, relationship, possibility, energy, spirit, balance, and frankly, the CONVERSATIONS that bring meaning to my life...and hopefully yours.  Here is the link to join the list...and look for the first newsletter to come out in December of 2010!~

What conversations bring meaning to your life? Email me...or post over at Crow Hill...let me know. I'd like to connect to you.  Who knows...maybe your conversation and a visual recording of it may just end up on the site! 

Love and many thanks.....
Allison

My heart lives in Central Austin

just sayin'.....

...infinite.....INFINITE love and gratitude........

my 2nd Chakra Dream Chart

Well, here it is. At home, in my art space....my first inspired wall chart. This is a personal chart inspired on Monday morning by reading this from The Chopra Center April Newsletter. 

Below are a few notes about the chart and then a few notes about what I learned about technique as I completed the work. 

Dare to dream has always been a personal mantra of mine so the core word DREAM really popped out when I read the newspaper.  As I saw each of the subtitles. DIGEST, REST, EXERCISE, AWAKEN and MEDITATE...I KNEW I had to draw what flashed before my mind. 

I centered it around an image of the 2nd chakra:

The Sanskrit name for the 2nd chakra is "Svadhisthana." This word means "dwelling place of the Self."

I am generally open here and resonate with the image and the concept. The emotion associated with the 2nd chakra is passion & the element for the 2nd chakra is water.  Yep...that pretty much sums me up. 

I found the E for exercise the most difficult section because for now it feels lost in my life.  I have every intention to re-root myself here and thus chose the brown colors for grounding.  S•T•R•E•T•C•H  &  B•R•E•A•T•H•E are my starting points in the journey. 

Regarding Technique:  

• I will always remember my early work for the dimples caused by the uneven wall I am working on right now (gotta get to home depot and buy and 8x4 foam core board). 
• I can also tell that some markers I like better than others (they tend to be the ones that bleed through and have 2 edges instead of 3).  I will practice my lettering to become more consistent with the density of my lines and letters.
•  For getting low, and staying in my body, I sat on a exercise ball.  I did find that this let me get low, stay with my core and body to the area where I was working and it allowed for a natural movement better than me shuffling across the floor.  
•  My floor- HA!...the poor beige carpet.  I've dropped a few markers, and the chalk dust is everywhere.  Sorry honey, I guess I'll get a little mini vac for my 4th beroom-turned-art-coaching-studio.  

In all...I'm in heaven.  When I started this Monday, I hooked up a USTREAM session (there are a few boring videos of the process..bad sound and apparently I couldn't be bothered to dress up or make up my face for the camera).   Today even, on a group call I used the wall and did some graphic facilitation of our topic via the web with large chart paper on the wall.  That is a whole new area...actually using this live with my clients...and the feedback from them was great.  They loved the visual tools...and so did I.  

my heaven these days

I've been doodling so much lately, I haven't been writing.  I've been reading and thinking so much, I haven't been writing.  Have you ever had a rebirth or rediscovery of a gift in you...that at one time you thought was lost? Last year during a turbulent time I picked up my markers again.  And so it began...again. Now i find my self holding 4-5 markes or pens in my hands at all time. I've got pads of paper in all sizes EVERYWhere. 

 

I'm inspired to go through old things and pull out this history of the visual thinker in me....and watch the rest of the story unfold.  The coolest part is, I know there is a Future...with a capital F in this story. 

I've had all these crazy cool teachers show up in my life....

Christina Merkley

Deepak Chopra
Abraham Hicks

Ron Patulski

i just met Bryon Katie last week!

MAPS BOLD program has supported me financially and emotionally over the last year. 

Lee Mannix taught me so much in his death and I find myself beginning to really become a bit more comfortable with who I am.  I'm shedding some layers and getting comfortable in the layers that are really me. 

Courtney Crow Wyrtzen teaches me all the time....and did especially in this editorial about moms.  

Dr. Wayne W. Dwyer (listening to the power of intention on itunes)

Oh...and all the beloved books by my bedside....(thanks nikki for sharing the Renard book).

At this moment....I'm in heaven in my life....and I'm thankful.

This is EXACTLY what I feel today!

and what I choose to feel EVERY day!

Let me introduce you to my new best friend

This post is probably a little airy-fairy for some of you....so warning. I am pretty airy fairy sometimes and this is my blog. That being said, let me introduce you to my new best friend.

I was recently introduced to my angel-ness and her purpose for my life. I'm grateful for the introduction and for the many messages she has been giving me since I met her. Today was the day I first drew her and put her to a visual symbol. She is the very best version of myself. The one God created me to be. She is here to remind me that I brave and strong and the words on her spirit tail are just some of the qualities that I know I have and am growing every day.
Here are a few of the other messages she has helped me uncover:

• Watch out for downplaying who you are
• Leave the small shit behind
• Validation comes from the SPIRIT, not from the world.
• You have an infinite capacity to grow and love and evolve
• You are an artist--always have been.
• You are able to trust completely...those wings are strong and will guard my heart when needed.
• Life is meant to be enjoyed abundantly...this abundance is for all of us...including you, Allison
• Laugh
• Don't take life so seriously
• God takes care of the birds doesn't he? and they are just birds...
• Delight in the people you love
• Just be. Just be has been your motto for a long long time...bring it back...and be all that you want to be. Be love-don't DO love...just be.

I guess I share...because I'd love for YOU to have the gift of hearing what your angel-ness has to say for you? How can he/she/it contribute to your spirit...and then your life?


To the one who introduced me to my angel-ness, I am grateful for your contribution to my life..I look forward to speaking again soon...and learning more.

it is just what I do.....explained for today.

There is a question I have asked many clients: “If you knew you couldn’t fail, what would you do?”

The answer is scary and fabulous all at the same time for many of us.  Our thoughts and beliefs and “everydays” are made up of so many pieces.  So many voices and influences, it is often hard to listen to the quiet dreams of our hearts.  I know the quiet dreams of my heart, as I am always engaging them and nurturing them. 

Recently, a moment of past pent up hurt flashed that dream as a better alternative than what that present moment was offering me.  In a sensitive moment of feeling completely misunderstood (one of trigger spots I’m working on healing), my reaction was to remove myself from the pain and move toward the pleasure of the dream instantly and without regard for a community I not only belong to but actually, love.  Even if the end choice is good, we still have to remember that there is a path to that choice…..and spur of the moment choices can be dangerous for the surrounding hearts.  Personal and professional collateral damage. 

Question: Is it selfish to --AT TIMES--protect my own heart and values from the damage? I think not.  A team is only as strong as the weakest link, they say, I’ve come to believe that being my BEST self helps not only me personally, also all those I come in contact with and those whom I am in relationship with.  I spent up to about age 24 NOT taking care of my body, my mind, my heart, my spirit.  That certainly didn’t work.  Is it really possible to put others first and protect yourself?  Aren’t adults capable of taking care of themselves? When does looking out for everyone else steal from one’s own soul?   

 It is about being true to self. It is about not tolerating a cancer in an otherwise healthy body of this being. Even more than that, it really is about being free to be ALL that I’m am capable and destined to be. It is about expanding my wings and soaring. As a master soul coach, Nigel, spoke with me in February--it is about what is in my heart.  

In my heart, I help millions find a deep love for themselves –exactly for who they are—and I help them use that love to become all that they were meant to be for blessing their businesses, for blessing their families, for realizing their dreams, for honoring their spirits—and maybe—for the blessing the world. 

It’s just what I do.

Oh and, It’s not about the money. 

AMAZING photo called"It takes a silly girl to lie about the dreams she has. (210)" by whatmegsaid under a Creative Commons License.