🥁Attuning to Life's Rhythms

Step into a 13-week journey of creative emergence, soulful connection, and living wonder.

Soul Rhythms, Acrylic on Remo Drumhead, 2025

Hundreds of thousands of people have been transformed and inspired through Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way for the last 30+ years.

I am one of them.

This book first taught me about the word synchronicity as a Jungian term for describing events that coincide in time, appearing “meaningfully related, yet lacking a discoverable causal connection.”

The premise of the book laid the groundwork for my daily writing practice that began in 2014: the fibers that now hold the emerging Pollinated Prayers series!

“Follow your bliss, and you’ll be met with the support of 1,000 unseen hands.”

⬆️ The synchronicity of discovering this quote from Joseph Campbell, tucked away in the final chapter of Julia’s book, inspired the emergence of 44 somatic Ancestral Mandala explorations in 2020-2021, including the art for the Ancestors, Legacy, and Crown cards, which later became anchors in the E M E R G E N C E Deck.

This inspiration helped guide to me connecting with Emily and Dan of Seeing With Your Heart, who became integral allies in the artist residency that later gave birth to Pollinated Prayers.

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When I first discovered this book 11 years ago, it helped me transform timidness into courage, hesitancy into curiosity, and perfectionism into “…but what if this turns out amazing?”

Newly divorced and living alone for the first time, The Artist’s Way invited me into a season of adventures and soul-stretching explorations. It planted seeds of courageous, creative unfoldment that are still blossoming today.

Here are just a few ways it shaped my path:

🌿 I met my stage fright head-on — learning bass guitar, playing in the neo-folk Swampbirds with beautiful humans through Jen Long’s Whale Guitar Project, and even supporting recordings for the amazing singer/songwriter Kate Mick.

🌿 I learned to surf, and I looked my fear of heights in the eye and learned to rock and ice climb — which led to helping other courageous women find their way forward, upwards, and through- on the rock wall, on the trails, and even on the slackline in downtown Providence!

🌿 I took myself out to dinner alone — flowers, dress-up, no phone — for the first time in my life. (I’ll never forget the anxiety it stirred — or the pride I felt for staying present with myself.)

🌿 I explored everything from tango dancing to scuba diving to backpacking via nordic skiis, and co-led an unforgettable Artist’s Way road trip to hear Elizabeth Gilbert speak about the courage to live creatively

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Over time, I came to realize something profound: the real magic wasn't just in the adventures themselves. It was in the way they changed me.

And that same magic lives inside of YOU, too.

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One gorgeous spring day, I was working in an office with the windows open when I heard it — a faint drumbeat echoing in on the breeze.

At first, I tried to focus on my spreadsheet. But my body began moving, almost without permission, in rhythm with the sound.

I remember pausing, sensing a choice: I could shut the window and go back to work... or I could follow the pull of something deeper.

I chose to listen.
That moment — that simple yes — eventually led me to the Himalayan Mountains.

At first, it was just a drum circle at a local event. I sat down, heart pounding, palms sweating, no rhythm, no experience. But the drummer welcomed me with a smile. The people were kind.

Through Sidy Maiga’s heartfelt drum call, that moment of listening and allowing opened a doorway.

It led to a 10-day trekking adventure in Nepal through Driftwood Adventure Treks — a breathtaking experience that later inspired a series of live silk painting collaborations with the Aurora Collaborative chamber music ensemble, and also ended up in the E M E R G E N C E Deck as the Dawn: New Beginnings card.

Truly, I could fill pages with the wonder these small yeses unlocked.

But this isn’t just a story about my life.
It’s a mirror of the soul essence that’s already alive inside you.

This is about YOU — and your own courageous, creative unfoldment.

It’s about awakening to Life’s Emergence, together — in creative, heart-centered community, where our shared presence broadens and deepens our access to the field of Divine Inspiration.

It’s about daring to say yes to the deeper callings within you, even if your hands are shaking a little at first.

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🌸 Wherever you find yourself this season — whether in stillness, in sprouting, or in full bloom — if a curiosity is stirring in you as you read these words, it’s no accident.
Maybe it’s a whisper. Maybe it’s a full-body YES.
Either way: you are invited.

I would be honored to walk alongside you — and a circle of courageous, curious Souls — as we creatively E M E R G E together this Spring!

🌿 Learn more and apply today! 🌿

(PS: If you want a peek behind the curtain: a few months ago, I did one of the unblocking exercises from The Artist’s Way, weaving it with some questions inspired by Caroline Myss. I shared more about it in an earlier post, including a free download of the exact steps. It’s been a catalyst for flowing creativity ever since — and I’m here to guide you into your own flow, too.)

There’s magic waiting.
Let’s say yes to it — together. ✨

In rhythm,
Joanna