Whee! The people.
I was going to write a little declaration of who we are — the kind of people who hang out here with me.
We the People.
Except it’s more like Wheeeee! The people!
If you thought that was stupid, but you laughed anyway, you can stay! If you thought it was stupid but you’re still reading, we like you too. If you thought it was hilarious, come on in. It all works, really.
This place can be a little overwhelming.
Especially when you first encounter the blog with its layered vocabulary of invented words and symbols. We even have our own awkward superhero called Metaphor Mouse.
Plus ridiculous in-jokes that weren’t even funny the first time but have now reached new levels of self-referential absurdity.
It’s a lot to take in. And since I want you to feel at home, and culture is a powerful and complicated thing, let’s see if I can help.
Who this space is for.
We generally seem to collect bright, thoughtful, creative people who care about working on their stuff. Usually who fall into one, two or all three of the following:
1. People who are interested in destuckification and rewriting their patterns. But not in a conventional way. And not through forcing or violence.
Through curious, inquisitive, playful self-inquiry as a way of being in the world.
2. People who are interested in mindfully biggifying — in making more money or reaching more people. But not through compromising what you believe in. And not through having to become someone you’re not. And not through having to be big when you don’t feel like it.
In a way that is harmonious with who you are as a person.
3. People who are interested in projectizing and making progress on their goals/wishes. (Gwishes!) But not in the “Ass in Chair! Ass-kicking! Ass-kicking! Do it now!” way.
Through mindful, fun, messing around to find out what you need. Sometimes it involves being five years old. Sometimes it involves magic markers. Sometimes just magic.
Who we are (me, my duck and my people).
We live life as intentionally as we can stand, which is to say that we spend time asking questions and examining why things might be the way they are, while wondering what we’re probably wrong about.
We like the margins. We are queer-friendly. We like exceptions. We dislike rules.
We are warm and welcoming.* We recognize that everyone is working on his or her own crap, and we make room for that. We let people have their own experience.
* That is to say: HERE. WITH EACH OTHER. We can still be complete misanthropes in daily life. It’s not like we’re sweetness and kittens all the time or at all.
You can fly the freak flag or not have one. That’s not important. What’s important is you and your relationship with yourself — with your internal and external worlds.
Who tends to hang out here.
My people definitely seem to include a lot of artists and writers, some of whom don’t identify themselves as such and a fair number who do.
We have yoga people and business people, and people (like me) who are both at the same time.
We have engineers, therapists, teachers and bloggers as well as thousands of people who have no idea what they are, which is fine by me since I feel exactly the same way.
My impression is that the people here — and the people who participate in my programs and come to my center — are intelligent, hilarious and rawther eccentric.
But I’ve learned that most of them don’t self-define that way at all, and that’s fine too.
On the other hand, I totally saw one of those people who was all “I’m not one of your people because I’m not kooky” facilitating a conversation with hedgehog erasers at a recent Rally. So really, who’s to say.
My people are varied. And if you like it here, you get to be here too. We all sometimes think we don’t belong — that’s outsider complex, and it’s another fuzzball monster to get to know.
We believe! Stuff we believe in.
You, of course. We believe in you.
Also, this:
You do not have to define what you do, dammit.
You do not have to choose to be one thing, dammit.
You do not need to do things in the way that other people think you should. Unless you feel like it, in which case go for it.
You have the right to never have to go big. Or bigger than is comfortable.
Hiding is okay and legitimate.
It is both acceptable and possible to make good money doing stuff that is meaningful and/or pleasurable for you. And you can do this while hiding. Or not. There are ways to make this work, and we find them.
There are ways to make serious, scary life changes without that change needing to happen in a serious, scary way.
You get to be king or queen of your own personal world.
You get to have safe rooms. With mashed potatoes, if you like them.
You don’t have to have goals, unless you want them. Gwishes are fun. It’s easier to hold a Revue than to have a review. Everything is better with costumes, and you don’t ever have to wear one if you don’t feel like it.
Ways to work with the stuff I teach here.
Read the blog. Play in the endless archives.
There’s also a variety of useful stuff you can get in the shop.
There is one-on-one coaching. However, I’m generally booked four to six months in advance, and there’s a waiting list.
I highly recommend coming to a Rally or a Week of Destuckification/Week of Biggification at the Playground in Portland.
Take a look at the events page and the Playground website.
And no matter what you end up doing, I look forward to hanging out with you here.
Love, as always, to the commenter mice, the Beloved Lurkers and everyone who reads.