I Wouldn’t Have Dared

If I had sat down after college to plan out the life I wanted as an artist:
A) I never ever would have had the audacity to do that, and
B) Even if I had, it would not have included engaging thousands of volunteers in creating dozens of public mural projects in several states and overseas.

My “accidental” path turned out so much richer than anything I would have dreamed up for myself. Because of that, I have very little use for long-term goal setting.

Enough with the “5-Year Plans” Already!

Today’s episode of the Accidental Muralist Podcast (Episode 17, which you can also think of as Season 2: Episode 3) is about navigating life’s transitions without a roadmap. And everyone on this globe is currently in transition — in the “betwixt and between” as Michael Meade calls this time where one era has surely ended and the next one has not yet taken shape.

The old value systems are not producing healthy results. So even if your job and your relationships are stable today, it’s a good time to tune up your inner compass. Let that—and your imagination—guide you into the future.

Enjoy this conversation with Elena Consear Ramos and Teresa Fabbricino, two wise 28-year-olds making life decisions from the heart.

Notes + Homework

Elena, Teresa, and I acknowledge that making soul-centered choices, especially regarding employment, requires a certain amount of stability, security, and privilege. Not everyone in our society has that luxury.

For those of us who do, I’d like to challenge us to notice where we are letting a scarcity mindset hijack our decisions. (You’re not alone. We’ve all been trained this way, since capitalism relies on keeping us afraid we don’t—or won’t—have enough.)

Also, let’s pay attention to our subtle profession-related biases:
> Do you show more respect to your doctor than to, say, your barista?
> What assumptions do you make about a person’s intelligence, ambition, or lifestyle based on their job?
> We’re conditioned to equate higher salaries with higher human value. What can we do to disrupt this conditioning?
> If we say we stand for Equality, how can we inch closer to living it in our own lives? Believing it in our own minds?

I always enjoy hearing your comments and stories. What does this subject bring up for you?

Ok, Sometimes I Do Plan Ahead

We’re working on an acronym here in heART❤️SCHOOL because, well, sometimes a little planning — a container of sorts — helps me in the creative process.

Our first three month-long themes have been:
Agency
Rituals
Trust/Transitions

Hmmm, what could we be spelling?? Stay tuned. HeART❤️SCHOOL will continue through May 2022. You’re already accepted and the homework is optional, so what’ve you got to lose? (More info here about how you got in.)

Thanks for being here with me. I love exploring big topics together. 🤓❤️🤓
- Pam

P.S. Know someone who’s moving, retiring, getting married, changing careers, getting divorced, facing an empty nest, or going through some other life transition? (Of course you do!) Consider forwarding this post. If your friends would like to subscribe to my emails, that can be done here.

(If you do decide to “buy me a coffee,” I’ll figure out a way to share it with these two. ⬆️ 😉)