2023 As a Class: Devotion 101
How the past year molded and shape shifted me into my most honest self yet.
If 2023 was part of my continued School of Self Study, this year’s curriculum looked a little something like this:
School Year: January 2023—December 2023
Class: Devotion 101
Curriculum
✏️ Contraction before the Expansion (inspired by Jumakae of Your Story Medicine)
✏️ Ancestral Interviewing & Storytelling
✏️ Embracing Life’s Surprises
✏️ Curiosity Scavenger Hunt
✏️ Foundations of Devotion
✏️ Creativity as Ecospirituality
✏️ Womb Portal
✏️ Vocal Practice
✏️ Heart-led Artivism
Inspired by Holisticism’s Year End Closing Portal Ceremony. Visually experience my 2023 recap in my cute lil reel above.
Who I was at the start of the year and what I imagined to be my life for the future was drastically different from how I ended up becoming at the end.
I went from being a full time Art Director at a PR & Marketing Agency to a solopreneur within the realm of creative coaching and freelance designing.
But my culture work is so much deeper than these limited, restricting labels that can barely hold the expanse of my gifts.
At the heart of my essence, I am a Creator. How marvelous, that mere thoughts that only live in my mind, birthed from spirit, can be alchemized to be so beautifully made manifest into the physical or experiential realm for others to receive.
When I think of creative energy this way, it really is magic.
From nothing to medicine. Alchemy.
I now continue doing the work of taking the culmination of my life experiences and skills, and masterfully blend them and pair them at the right moments, for specific people and places.
I release the restrictive, imaginary, rigid boxes and labels that kept me from fully experiencing the vastness of my abilities. What a hidden superpower, that was just yearning to spew out of me.
In past lives, I really played into the weird idea that I had to hide or downplay my after-work activities.
So my 9-5 design job stayed in the office, and after hours I put on the hat of space holder and event organizer, running to catch the next BART train to my event.
I felt like two different people, playing with alter egos, as if I was a superhero hiding behind Clark Kent glasses.
Thinly veiled disguise, but the way I radiated energy or withdrew changed how I wanted to be perceived.
I even remember trying to fuse these worlds together at one job, where I nervously shared that I spoke on stage over the weekend.
My boss was quite receptive and open to what I would share and even recommended me as a go-to person to a temporary intern if they wanted. to learn about cool local events. But when I shared this alter ego experience, I could sense a bit of surprise, in how he shared that “speaking on stage requires a lot of courage”.
And that’s because I was so soft spoken, afraid to share my full personality at work. I felt like I was in middle school again, in a new campus, like a fish out of water, trying to find my place.
But I always felt like a frog was in my throat, and probably from feeling this ingrained need to keep these aspects of myself disparate, that my professional life is not to be blended with my personal.
Sure there are boundaries between the two (I’m not trauma dumping at work when that’s best saved for a therapist of healer), but I physically and emotionally felt drained playing two people.
The first half of the year was in the Philippines, in the motherland, and working in a traditional Art Director role where I truly believed I could settle into that agency and role for a few years.
The second half of the year I was in Costa Rica, getting my heart cracked open, and exploring the depths of my culture work as a Creativity Wellness Guide among other roles in service to the collective.
My self-concept of what I am capable of has soared beyond what I even comprehended as possible for myself.
All from a place of devotion.
Knowing that change is inevitable, how do I stay rooted in my values, beliefs, practices, and rituals, so that no matter how life rocks me up or down, I continue on my path of desires from this place.
I can’t wait to look back on 2024 to reminisce on how staying in the energy of devotion guided me towards continued expansion and abundance.
The end and start of a year can bring up a roller coaster of emotions, and would love to witness and receive you.
Let me know in the comments or reply to this email directly what has been coming up for you, or even one word that encapsulates 2023 and the word you have for 2024 (yes, I do actually get responses back and I will message you in return)!
Your Choice in Connection
I know it’s been a bit since I last chatted with you through Substack (was caught up in the holiday rush and allowed myself the space to slow down and rest from work).
With upcoming travels, and other areas of my offerings to you expanding and deepening, I’m rethinking the frequency of this Substack blog. From every week to once a month.
Would love to check in with you, how that’s feeling and other spaces you’re excited to connect or hear from me.
Feel free to comment, email, DM or vote in the poll below to share. I truly take into account your requests and needs, so I can best serve you in the way you actually feel lit up by! Can’t wait to co-create with you.
Let’s Get Activated!
Resources and invitations for getting activated, to move us closer to collective liberation.
Have suggestions you believe should be featured in the next blog? Drop them down in the comments!
Culturally relevant resources, recommendations, and inspiration intuitively curated for you.
🥑 Nuggets of Nourishment: Questions to Hold
Beautiful prompts and questions to hold for yourself, as you grapple with how you can take part in larger movements, especially if you’ve felt lost or overwhelmed.
📚 Reading Rec: See You Yesterday, by Rachel Lynn Solomon
After deep dives of creative work or space holding or learning about entrepreneurship, I love unwinding with fun fluffy romcom books, from YA to adult to spicy (and I like my spice, iykyk). After Business or Pleasure (also very solid romcom and very spicy), I fell in love with Solomon’s writing style, take on unique fun romance stories, and depth of characters. This was a cute, fun, and endearing take on Groundhogs Day while also exploring grief, addiction, humiliation, and more with beautiful nuance. Also, love me an enemies to lovers trope.
Side note, I read 70 books in 2023, mostly from poetry and romance books mixed with some audio books, and am excited to expand my list into diverse characters/authors of various backgrounds, cultures, and genres.
🎨 Creative Resource: Vision Board for 2024
I love this concept of getting organized and intentional with a list of categories before diving into the visual aspect. I have yet to do this, but think this is a structured supportive method to get into vision boarding.
⟡ Ready for confident creative clarity?
Apply to Vessel for VIP Visionaries: 4-month 1:1 mentorship for heart-led creatives and changemakers
Apply to Unearthing Creative Wisdom: 6 week group program to establish foundations for rest, creative habits, and inner child joy
Creativity Lab: Intimate one-off support to navigate your blocks and uncover what will guide you back to creative ease
Listen to my podcast episodes: Cozy up to various chats I have with changemakers on creativity, wellness, and everything in between