Hello loves!
I continue to find myself in creative productive storms.
For me it is amazing to examine intellectually, spiritually + emotionally the dynamics that conspire to set my creative flame on fire.  The most fun experience of all however, is the deliciousness of throwing myself into being creative + setting aside the time just to play.

Result?
A lot of stuff got made and a ton of fun was had. 
I would like to specifically introduce you to a new family of creations that I call

This is just a sample, I made so many more.  Can you believe I made over 100 of these wee cards and now have my first online store up and running as they were so well received!  Squeeps of joy!! :) Check it out at:

This one is simple.  Dearest Universe, I need a solid, amazing, gets-me, genius + resonant art pimp.  Please + thank you in your amazing, better than I could have ever imagined it way.  Love much, your joanie :)

Hello beautiful friends!
How excited I am to be writing to you :)
As of Friday, September 13 I am happy to report to you that www.hellostillpoint.com is live.  It is the online portal to my home-based cranial sacral therapy practice.  I have a humble goal of working with four clients a week in order to keep learning + practicing this awesome modality.  

I would be delighted if you could spread the word!

This is part of my art-as-living master plan.  I spied this picture this week during my travels on facebook and it really inspired me:

I'm a bit lucky in that I am already working in one of my dream jobs.  Alas, the reality is my creative spirit is calling out louder and louder, challenging me to weave my disparate interests into some work that resonates more deeply.  

Also, I found that after 8 years of bedside nursing (with some exploration of leadership + administrative roles) I longed to expand my healing skill set with a modality that was explicitly holistic and non-intrusive. Over time, I found that working in hospital settings conflicted with my ecological values.  Modern medicine is tremendously technology and resource consumptive.  The waste produced by hospitals is phenomenally destructive to the environment and therefore, to human health (for more information, check out http://www.noharm.org/all_regions_issues/waste).

Increasingly I experience hospitals to be emblematic of an out of balance Western allopathic medical model.  This model is driven by vicious scarcity consciousness that prioritizes efficiency + compartmentalization which results in terrible outcomes for both patients + care providers.  It is totally disconnected from a perspective of health that considers the whole person in the context of a healthy society.  These are the kind of thoughts that percolate for me as I experienced increasing moments of visceral moral distress in moments of my work day.

My curious, idealistic and proactive nature led me to ask:  what are the other options, from micro-scale to macro-scale?

Micro-scale = what I can do, what I have influence over.

Micro-scale = I have chosen Cranial Sacral Therapy as my alternate modality because it is simple, holistic and effective.  It brilliantly utilizes my training in human anatomy and physiology, highly visual nature, patient listening skills and gentle temperament.  Having experienced very effective results from it myself, I am hopeful that it is a powerful and resonant means for me to continue to work with people who desire to be their most sparkly, well + vital self.

I used to criticize and judge myself endlessly for not being able to stick with my one awesome career:  straight-up palliative care nursing.  Seriously Joanie, is one passion-turned-work not enough for you?  Apparently not.  I know this because in my quiet moments of mindful reflection and doodling, I can hear a restless little voice challenging me to do even more of what I love.  Sometimes what I love does not appear initially very practical.  

The heart's calling is never very practical or rational though is it?  I've come to discover that looking fear in the eyeballs and doing stuff anyways pays off. I am so grateful to experience that the Universe is way more clever + elegant than I am.  It conspires with me brilliantly to unlock hidden dreams and bring them in front of me with a happy, assured and hilarious eloquence that pffftss my practical :)

Huzzah!
I hope you'll join me in my practice :)
In love + joyful service,

By October 8th (my 30th birthday!) I will launch my other dream project, the work I want to do.  I discovered it during my quarter-life crisis last year after watching this video from under the my covers, anxiously asking myself "what the fuck am I going to do with my life?"
Stay tuned. It's going to be awesome :) xoxo