5 Reasons Why Your Passion Project is Stuck
Once upon a time, you felt the tug to start a passion project. You decided this was the moment to start your blog, to turn
Blog
Red Plastic Hope: A Poem
By Kelsey Horton I don’t remember how to attract hummingbirds, but I still try.I read books about pollinatorsand wish for a red hummingbird feeder. I
How to Fall in Love with Your Life During Quarantine
At the time of this writing, April 2020 is blooming and we all are (or should be!) collectively social distancing in a major way. Some
The Wedding Website Story I Didn’t Want to Write
After nine years of dating, my boyfriend and I are getting married next year. I stare at the little box on my wedding website that
Your Dead Ends Are Sacred Ground
I want to hear about your dead ends. The forks in your road. The moments where you followed each delightful breadcrumb, looked for signs, pulled
When a Friend Criticizes Your Writing
Lorem Ipsum
3 Reasons Why Your Writing Feels Stuck
“Blogging just seems kindof easy for me, you know?” I told my friend over the phone, explaining my predicament. After years of creating positive social
Safe and Trusting: A Grounding Prayer
I wrote this grounding prayer to help you come back home to yourself in moments of doubt, confusion, and anxiety. I hope it helps you
2018 Year in Review
Hi gorgeous readers, I meant to post a round-up of my 2018 sometime in December. An end of the year blog post… at the end
7 Questions to Ask When You’re Feeling Jealous
“People want you to be happy.Don’t keep serving them your pain! If you could untie your wingsand free your soul of jealousy, you and everyone
I Wish You Rainbows: A Prayer for Self Acceptance
Today I wish you rainbows. I wish you the bravery to take a deep breath and forgive yourself for being so you, so human, so
Three Steps to Find Your Voice
Have you ever scrambled around trying to find your glasses, only to realize twenty minutes later they were perched on your head the whole time?
Bring Your Dreams to Life Training Series – Video 3
In this free video training we talk about time — how to manage it, how to drop the guilt over taking time for ourselves, and how to break our work into bite-sized tasks to cut through the feeling of overwhelm.
Bring Your Dreams to Life Training Series – Video 2
Welcome back to my three-part training series on bringing our creative dreams to life! Today we’re talking about how to move through self doubt and
You Don’t Have To Blow Their Minds
“I have written 11 books but each time I think ‘Uh-oh, they’re going to find out now. I’ve run a game on everybody, and they’re
Seven Books I’m Loving Lately
“Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be
People Want to Support You
Have you ever thought about just how supported you are? Let’s take a moment to inhale, exhale, and consider this in full color: Have you
Own Your Talents
The things that come naturally to you, the traits and talents that flow out of you so effortlessly… those are yours to do. You are
Curious and Positive: Taking the Pressure Off Your Future
Do you ever feel like your arms are being stretched in two directions, caught in a tug of war between worlds? Like you used to
How to Reconnect with Your Creative Voice
Hey beautiful friends, I have been stubbornly clinging to the idea that each of my blog posts has to be a standalone piece of art
I Trust This Day (A Prayer To Start Your Morning)
Dear God/Spirit/Universe/Higher Power/Life, I trust this day. I trust this space where I am standing, and I know that I’m exactly where I need to
Sifting Through Words
This is my sitting at my desk, wearing my “weekend outfit,” trying to figure out how to wrangle all of my soulful written content into…
Your Art Is Not Meant For Everybody
Your art is not meant for everybody. Some people just aren’t going to like it. And the sooner you can accept this + embody this
OCD and the Power of Books: My Interview with Agape Podcast
“98.762 percent of my time is spent obsessing. About what? EVERYTHING.” ~Monica Devon, the main character in Janet Tashjian’s novel “Multiple Choice” I don’t
Back to Our Roots
“Painting is easy when you don’t know how, but very difficult when you do.” ~ Edgar Degas My very first blog post was the best
Shedding Our Cocoons
“And then I said to the world: You will see me. You will hear me. I am not afraid. — The day I left my damn cocoon so I
What Do You Really Need Right Now?
“I stopped explaining myself, because I learned that making decisions is never about doing the right thing or the wrong thing. It’s about doing the
Start Before You Know Your Target Market
“Stay afraid, but do it anyway. What’s important is the action. You don’t have to wait to be confident. Just do it and eventually the
Back on the Bandwagon
“All I ever really want to know is how other people are making it through life – where do they put their body, hour by
Hope and Light for 2017
“The very least you can do in your life is figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is live inside
Forge Your Own Comeback
“…if you are writing without zest, without gusto, without love, without fun, you are only half a writer. It means you are so busy keeping
Hover in the Hesitation
Since my last blog post, I moved away from Illinois (where I have spent my entire life), and I’m writing this post from the couch of my
Listen To Your Impulses
“I took a deep breath and listened to the old bray of my heart. I am. I am. I am.” ~Sylvia Plath Epiphanies. Insights.
Taking Our Talents Seriously
“What begins as something like a dream will in fact stay a dream forever unless you have the tools and the discipline to bring it
Forgiving Ourselves
It occurred to me that I haven’t made this life-altering announcement on my blog yet: I published my first book! I planned on promoting Robot
Robot Coconut Trees: A Creative Timeline of My First Book
Every creative project has a backstory, a truth behind the curtain, a core reality that deviates from the flashy final product we see at the
Calm: A Soulful Book Review
Every now and then, I think about changing my blog and featuring completely different topics. There are so many pieces and people that make up
Goodbye, I Love You: An Ode to 2015
“I live in a state of joyous anticipation, as well as quiet realization” – Ernest Holmes At the end of each year I publish
Let It Be
Let it be easy. Let it happen slower than you wanted, let it frustrate you, let the existential realizations hit you in the produce
When Fear Goes Into Hiding
Lately I feel like I’m up-leveling, on the cusp of everything, gaping wide-eyed at my life as it finally starts to resemble the life I
Darkness, Moths, and Flinging Ourselves Towards the Light
When I was 14, I had a dream about a moth. In my dream I chase the moth around a white room with a fly
The Story of Starting My Blog (dream now, begin now)
This week, I celebrate two anniversaries in my creative life: Four years ago, my mentor and I created a farmers market. We spent several years
Peacocks, Holy Gratitude, and Almost Getting Hit by a Bus
I often say “You know what — I could get hit by a bus tomorrow,” as a way of portraying the immediacy of acting on
Magic, Pink Dresses, and Reviving Our Sense of Wonder
In June 1998, my elementary school hired a magician to perform tricks at an assembly during the last week of school. My second grade class
Blossoming, Doubting, and Writing a Book
I announced last month on my facebook page that I am self-publishing an e-book this year, to be released on October 13th 2015. Since then,
The “I Don’t Have Time” Lie
One of the biggest lies we tell ourselves is “I don’t have time.” We say this constantly. We say it to the fundraisers who wear
Don’t Put On The Brakes
So you’ve hit a moment in your life when everything is falling into place. You landed the boyfriend, the job, the apartment, the publicity opportunity
My Liebster Award and Shining the Light on Others
Rachel Stolzman (an amazing writer at rachelstolzman.wordpress.com and author of The Sign for Drowning) nominated my blog for a “Liebster Award.” I didn’t even know
Au Revoir 2014: A Tribute
I try to imbue all of my blog posts with a sense of timelessness – I purposely leave out the daily drudgery and updates about
Dear Dancer: You Are Enough
In my post Fierceness and Bite, I wrote about my desire to write a letter to young dancers — a letter that would glow with
Being the Light in the Cold Messy Darkness
“Travel Light, Live Light, Spread Light, Be The Light.” – Yogi Bhajan Sometimes spirituality is easy. The Law of Attraction works. We pray for
Chile Peppers, Trust, and Cutting Through: On Writing my First Book
“I’ve been absolutely terrified every moment of my life and I’ve never let it keep me from doing a single thing that I wanted to
Fierceness and Bite: Honoring the Details of Our Lives
“We are important and our lives are important, magnificent really, and their details are worthy to be recorded. This is how writers must think, this
A Prayer for Writers
By Kelsey Horton May you remember that there is no perfect word — just like there is no perfect boyfriend, no perfect eyelash, no
20something profile: Kelsey
A piece I wrote for “20somethings in 2014” — on navigating post-graduate stuckness, deciding between multiple passions, and creating a bold new life. And, of
For Writers Who Don’t Know What to Write About
“It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop.” – Andy Warhol My blog has been frozen in
Holy and Messy: Letting Your Life Purpose Find You
“They say, Find a purpose in your life and live it. But, sometimes, it is only after you have lived that you recognize your life
Our Common Molten Human Core – Where Expression Meets Service
“If art doesn’t make us better, then what on earth is it for.” – Alice Walker I unfollowed my favorite self-help author on my
Swimming, Surrendering, and Shining: Lessons After Two Years of Blogging
“Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment
You Are Not A Broken Toy
You are not a broken toy. Your arm is not imprinted with the bite marks of a brother or friend or dog or frazzled mother.
4 Truths That Every College Graduate Needs to Hear
Graduation season brightens my heart. When I walk into bookstores and see Oh The Places You’ll Go prominently displayed, I remember the excitement and hope
Don’t Think: When Writer’s Block Meets Self Doubt
I have dozens of half-written blog posts that linger on my computer, posts on beautiful topics like post-graduation devastation, the insecurities that emerge in our
Anxiety, My Teacher: Gentle Strategies to Look Fear in the Eye
There is a frantic young child inside me who screams and shakes. Her name is Anxiety, and I can feel her quivering in my chest.
Dear You, Love Spirit: A Transformative Exercise
“Perhaps someday I’ll crawl back home, beaten, defeated. But not as long as I can make stories out of my heartbreak, beauty out of sorrow.”
How Alive Are You Willing To Be?
“Because this business of becoming conscious, of being a writer, is ultimately about asking yourself, How alive am I willing to be?” – Anne Lamott
How to Daydream
“Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night.” ― Edgar Allan Poe Unfocus your
Creative Writing as a Pathway to Self Love
“Once you have learned to trust your own voice and allowed that creative force inside you to come out, you can direct it to write
My Relaxed is Brave: Letting Go on New Years Day
“Learning to let go should be learned before learning to get. Life should be touched, not strangled.” – Ray Bradbury “Relaxed” is a word
An Answered Prayer on a Tuesday Train: The Kindness of Strangers
“Life is a process of becoming, a combination of states we have to go through. Where people fail is that they wish to elect a
Au Revoir, 2013: A Tribute
I love the fresh start of a new year. Every December I daydream in the realm of possibility – I envision the person I want
So You Feel Called to Write: A Compassionate Creative Manifesto
“I read the way a person might swim, to save his or her life. I wrote that way too.” – Mary Oliver I have spent
Authenticity Meets the Little Puzzle Piece
“We have to dare to be ourselves, however frightening or strange that self may prove to be.” – May Sarton One winter when I was
At 23 – Passion, Peril, Confusion, Resurrection
“…It may be that when we no longer know what to do we have come to our real work, and that when we no longer
Feeling Our Fears Through the Autumn Transformation
Autumn is upon us, bringing with her the rainbow of seasonal decay, the heat of oversized sweaters, and the warmth of tenderhearted boyfriends. My facebook
Creative Respiration: Mining Your Life for Writing Content
“Write What You Know” seems like the most repeated writing advice out there. It can also come off as the most confusing and the most
The Challenge (and Sweetness) of Slowing Down
“Slow down and everything you are chasing will come around and catch you.” – John De Paola At my church this weekend, we talked about
“I Want to Feel Good” – Why We Fiercely Cling to Our Struggles
After I wrote a blog post that dabbled into my experiences with trichotillomania (trich), the compulsive pulling out of hair, a friend reached out to
Different Than a Rose – Hidden Teachers and Our Individuality
I watched a video of an intuitive life coach the other day, and it scared me. It scared me because of how slowly she spoke,
Seeking Healing through Conscious Storytelling
Stories make up the latticed marrow of my bones. I want my stories flushed out for the world to see in their flaws and imperfections,
Nesting In My Hair – An Eyelash Story
“You can’t keep the birds of sadness from flying over your head, but you can keep them from nesting in your hair.” – Sharon Creech
Knowing What You Know – Part I
“At the center of your being you have the answer: you know who you are and you know what you want.” – Lao Tzu
How to Receive Life Guidance from a Younger Version of Yourself
When I feel stuck, I often ask people what advice they would like to give to themselves when they were my age. “If you could
11 Lessons from Blogging – From My Heart to Yours
Happy first birthday to my blossoming little blog! If you have ever spent a moment on this website, I thank you from the depths of
Hatching Open
“I write to discover what I know.” – Flannery O’Connor Expression is one of the bravest things I know. It takes bravery to put
Tending to the Flock
“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is
The Joys of Being Passionate
“All the great saints, in all the traditions, are beings who live absolute passion.” – Daniel Odier When we meet new people, one of the
Stuckness and Revival
Everyone is a multifaceted expert who is talented in ways both celebrated and secretive, useful and quirky. I don’t know what people think I’m an
Sabotaging Ourselves
“Once we believe in ourselves we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight or any experience that reveals the human spirit.” – E. E. Cummings
Empowered Creativity
“And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The
Honoring The Muse
“Creativity takes courage. ” – Henri Matisse Do you spend five minutes a day checking your facebook? Do you spend five minutes a day living
Welcome 2013!
Every year, I hear the same round of complaints against New Years resolutions – “they’re lazy,” “no one sticks to them anyways,” “if you really
Adoring Nonsense
“I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells.” – Dr. Seuss We need to revive the habit of purposely doing things that we are
Help Me Write a Memoir!
Hello beloveds, I have severely neglected my posting on my blog — however, I have several half-written posts that I am looking to beef
Because We Love It
“I was starting to wonder if I was ready to be a writer, not someone who won prizes, got published and was given the time
Unleashing Happiness
“We do not need the sheltering wings when things go smoothly. We are closest to God in the darkness, stumbling along blindly.” — Madeleine L’Engle
On Writing
“When I write, I feel like an armless legless man with a crayon in his mouth.” – Kurt Vonnegut On my daily and nightly
When You’re Holding onto Me
“Some people need a red carpet rolled out in front of them in order to walk forward into friendship. They can’t see the tiny outstretched
Reviving my Post-Grad Spirit
After seventeen years of endlessly sitting in classrooms, this jump from college senior to young professional is less glamorous than it sounds. People told me
Recommended Reading: The Books that Changed My Life
“It is what you read when you don’t have to that determines what you will be when you can’t help it.” – Oscar Wilde I
Hello, dazzling world!
Several years back, I received a nudge of inner guidance to start a spirituality blog. It was 2009, I was a freshman in college, and