A Conversation w/ Beth Nicholls of Do What You Love

I'd like to share a conversation I had with Beth Nicholls, of Do What You Love. 


Much like The Desha Show, Beth is interested in sharing stories of people doing what they love, and she's featured my story here! 


She offers an ecourse on the subject, and just finished what looked like an incredible retreat in England (one, I would have loved to attend!). Take a moment to read this inspiring interview with someone whom I admire, and I think you will, too.


Desha: Beth, your business and blog is about helping and inspiring people to do what they love. Are YOU doing what you love? What inspires YOU?

Beth: Yes! I am definitely doing what I love right now, and looking back over my journey to here, I have made many choices along the way to do what I loved doing at that particular time. We grow and change, and I don’t think we have to have one ‘thing’ throughout our lives. We may have a particular talent or calling, but I think the way that manifests itself in our lives can and should change as we grow up and expand our horizons.

I truly believe that the world would be a better place if more people were doing what they loved, and I feel very passionate about helping others find their own passions and reorganize their lives to allow them to make that a priority. Right now that means running retreats and online courses to give people the thinking space to focus on themselves, connect with like minded people and get tools and inspiration to help them make what can sometimes be difficult decisions. But it’s worth it, because magic really happens when we follow our dreams.

Desha: On your website, you describe how you were busy in life, but read a book by Kelly Rae Roberts called Taking Flight and felt you needed to meet her. You bought a ticket to San Jose, CA and went to an art retreat that changed your life. Can you talk about your life at that time, and how that experience led you to where you are today? What gave you the courage to take that first step?

Beth: At the time I was running my own consulting business, helping clients run their businesses in a more responsible way. I was working on some very high profile and glamorous projects, and was really enjoying the challenges presented. In my case it wasn’t that I disliked what I was doing at all, but I felt that something was missing. I didn’t know what that was until I read Kelly Rae’s book and it felt like she was speaking to me. Suddenly everything made sense. I had been burying my creativity, pushing it aside every time it came to visit when I was ‘too busy’ doing something else. All of a sudden I knew what I had to do, and it felt like all my wild and crazy adventures in the years leading up to this moment had been exactly the preparation I needed.

Desha: As a career counselor, I find that many people simply don’t know what they want to do. You can’t very well do what you love, if you’re not sure what that is, right? For myself, there are many things I love, and sometimes it’s hard to manage all of the wild possibilities. Was this ever a problem for you?


Beth: I know exactly what you mean, and this is something we go into in depth in my e-course ‘Do What You Love’. I have many passions too – not just creating, writing and photography but also travel, connecting with people, food, learning… I don’t think it is about choosing one at the expense of all the others. For me the key was understanding where they intersect, and working out how to capitalize on my unique experiences and shift things around in my life so that my passions generated income to allow me to do what I love, every day.

Desha: Once you decided what you wanted to do, how did you negotiate 
that lag time between the dream and the actualization of that dream? For example, some people acknowledge they have a dream. They quit their job and go for it. Others plan and slowly embark. Others never do anything. How did you, or do you, manage this time between the dream and attainment of the dream?

Beth: I am a funny combination of dreaming big and taking action. Once I have something in my head that I know I want to do, I begin. That is the most important thing. I develop a very clear vision of what I am aiming to do, and then break it down into the smallest details and work out what I need to do in what order to make it happen. 


I am also very realistic – you need time and money to get a business off the ground, but probably less of both than you think. You can usually find enough of both if you really put your mind to it – but it is vital to work out what ‘enough’ really means for what you are trying to do. I also got myself a mentor, who gave me a fresh perspective, constructive advice and helped steer me towards my goal.


Desha: Many people are scared to start a creative business. Even without a down economy, we tend to think of the “starving artist” complex. Did you have any fear around doing what you love and money? Would you mind sharing how you managed the initial start up costs?

Beth: I had a lot of fear around money! I was moving away from very well-paid consulting work to step into a world that was very new to me (although felt very familiar at the same time). But I have learnt over many years that nothing good happens without taking some kind of a risk – it’s all a question of the kind of risk you take, and how you manage your fear. 


One of the most powerful ways of dealing with fear is to arm yourself with information – how much do I really need to get by in the beginning? What are the real start up costs? And the real biggie - how much am I prepared to lose?


Being really honest and open with yourself in the beginning is so important. I was also really committed to financing the whole start up myself – I didn’t want the extra pressure of external loans, although for some business models these are vital. I was fortunate enough to be able to invest in my new company with funds from my existing business, so all the risk was my own – which is the ultimate test of whether you really believe in your idea!

Desha: Can you share your ultimate dream with me? What do you hope, visualize or intend for yourself in the future?

Beth: In terms of creative business dreams, long term I would like to own a beautiful purpose-built venue to hold retreats and host artists-in-residence. Shorter term I have many other dreams – including running a retreat in my beloved Japan, and writing a book to help more people do what they love. Let’s see what happens…



The Summer session of the Do What You Love e-course begins on June 6. It is a powerful online adventure to help you identify your passion and take steps towards doing what you love, for life. For more information or to register click here.


Do What You Love

A little update

What's happening with The Desha Show?

I thought you might want a little update of how my 12 month experiment is going so far. You might recall that my first post described how I would make a TV show based on the things I love: fashion, art, overall creativity and inspirational stories.

I started off with grand plans of a 30 minute show with a million different elements, including HOT DANCE, thus I had an amazing dance contest to find the best dancers in the area. What an amazing event that was! Since then, the show has morphed into a short series of interviews where I incorporate dance where I see fit. It's been an incredible learning process. Have you ever tried to make a TV show with no previous experience, and no money? ha! It's been a pretty fun and interesting challenge for sure!

Indeed it would be easy (well, easier...) to pull off a great show with a big budget and team of people, but hey, you gotta start somewhere- and at least I'm STARTING.

Here's some good news since I began this experiment-

1. The other day my brother asked me when the show was airing on TV, and I kinda laughed and said I didn't know. I don't really bother to take notice since I don't OWN a TV and really, no body I know has one either. I just hand in the DVD to the station and they play it whenever they want, so imagine my shock and awe when real people, like my neighbor,  tell me they saw it on TV!

2. I took Holly Becker's Blogging Your Way class where I met my "tribe" of super cool artists and designers. I'm finding much inspiration and support from this new found community of talented women.

Beth from Do What You Love

3. I found someone who has similar interests to glean inspiration from on the website Do What You Love, by Beth Nicholls.  I feel honored to be featured on her blog this Monday and I'm so excited to share an interview I had with Beth here on the same day!  Come check it out on Monday.

3. My TV show is now being shown on 3 local stations! BCTV (Brattleboro Community Television),
GCTV in Greenfield, MA and MCTV in Montague, MA- ssooo close to MTV!

4. I applied for a Vermont Arts Council grant which would help the ole' pocketbook, please send me good vibes (will know in Aug), or if you know someone on the board- well, you know what to do... or better yet, if you have money- gimme some. :)

Robin MacArthur

5. I acquired a fantastic editor, Robin MacArthur, amazing writer and singer in my favorite band Red Heart the Ticker and a great intern who's filming, Melinda T, also known as Pinecone. although she's back in Brooklyn for the summer. Need another one, if your interested.

6. And finally, even though I'm producing shows slower than I thought, and everything is harder than I thought....and I'm broke as hell,  I'm still hangin' in there, and actually I'm diggin it. It's fun.  And it feels good.  Although I can't get all my creative ideas out on film yet, I'm really enjoying the blog as a creative outlet, too.

Marshall Jarreau and Luminz Dance Studio Owner, Aurora Corsano
Photo by Jeff Woodward

And so, WHAT'S NEXT? In the near future, look for Episode 3 featuring VERY HOT and oh so wonderful Dancer and Circus Extraordinaire, Mr. Marshall Jarreau.

Also, on the blog front, we'll  hear from Ms. Erin Lorenzen, a cutey pie fashion designer from my home town of Little Rock, Arkansas.

Erin Lorenzen, Fashion Designer 

In the interiors department, you'll see another super duper cute VT apartment, occupied by the manager of the one and only ALTIPLANO, one of my very fav stores in town.


Stay tuned.

xoxo desha

"i'm going to put you in Jail, with no food. no water. no plants."

You are going to be seeing lots of flowers, trees, and landscape this time of year because I absolutely am in love with Vermont in the spring/summer. To emphasize this point, I leave you with a quote my daughter said to me today that seriously cracked me up.

"mom, i'm going to put you in jail with no food. no water. and no plants." 

The Desha Show: Episode 2

Presenting episode 2 of The Desha Show featuring Renaissance man, Mr. Daniel Kornguth with special dance guests Artis Cummings and Nicholas Harris.



The Desha Show: Episode 2 Daniel Kornguth & Hot Dancers! from Desha Peacock on Vimeo.




Please take a moment and support Daniel in his kickstarter campaign, click below.

Artist Series: Take 5 Daniel Kornguth

Episode 2 of The Desha Show featuring artist Daniel Kornguth is coming May 15, until then, here's a sneak peek of Daniel and his work. Please support Daniel in his deep desire to publish his first comic book, click here to donate NOW!

From Daniel Kornguth

"For the last year I have been working on a comic book. As it nears completion, I am starting to explore my options for publication. To facilitate this endeavor, I have launched a Kickstarter.com campaign.

Kickstarter is a web site which hosts creative projects, e.g., visual art, theater, comics, dance, film, photography and inventions, and enables them to “crowd fund” or raise capitol by reaching out to a wide range of people and accepting donations as small as a dollar (there is no upper limit for donations). It is a pretty exciting concept because it means that, for the cost of a cup of coffee or a lunch, an individual can contribute to and support a creative endeavor.

The money I raise will enable me to finish production, print, distribute and promote my first comic. There are a host of incentives for various levels of investment. I hope you take a second to check out my project.

Any contribution, no matter how small, makes a difference. Please don’t hesitate to pass this message along, press “like” on the facebook link, or spread the word via any medium (smoke signals, semaphore, morse code, the interwebs). Thanks for helping me create my first comic.

Please support Daniel in his deep desire to publish his first comic book, click here to donate NOW!

My New Art Inspired Bathroom



Before pics of my tiny, duck papered bathroom


About 8 months ago, I decided the blue and taupe ducks that resided on the walls of my bathroom walls needed to find a new home- in the trash. 

The overall scope of my bathroom remodel seemed very manageable. After all it was just a half bath. There where only two hideous things about the room- the aforementioned duck wallpaper and the dull, dated linoleum floors. Sounds easy enough to conquer- right? 


I thought so, too. But.... after stripping miles of navy blue and mauve wallpaper from my kitchen, and yards of other images of pseudo cross-stitched farm- couples holding hands in my dining room, you would think I wouldn't even consider putting up more wallpaper. Ever. But.... guess what? Wallpaper is making a major comeback. If you don't believe me, look at Anthroplogie's collection, or any good design book - it's everywhere. And it's cool. Most of it, anyway.



Have you ever seen anything so HIDEOUS?

I was convinced wallpaper was the way to go. Unfortunately, after 6 months of obsessively scouring the Internet, I was becoming more and more baffled by the endless array of choices. Finding beautiful wallpaper is kind of like looking for a bobby pin in your purse. It's a bit daunting.


Meanwhile, we had our toilet and sink removed, took out the old floors and installed wood. So, while I obsessed over chinosiserire or damask... our toilet sat on the back porch.

Then one night- it hit me. I was looking up "Chinosiserie" and this website popped up. I immediately had a vision for my entire bathroom. Forget the wallpaper. I would by this print below. Paint my bathroom light pink and be done. It was almost that easy. I immediately ordered the print.

Fell in love with Catherine Nolin's work, check out her blog here and her etsy site here. Woke up the next day and told my hubby "today is the day". Imagine my shock when he said "I don't want to paint the bathroom today", even though he had asked me several times about it over the last 6 months. So my response was, "okay, I AM painting the bathroom TODAY. Get out of my way." I know this isn't nice, but I was truly on a serious mission at that point.





Inspiration for the new bathroom. Print from Catherine Nolin

I painted the bathroom pink in one day, including sanding and priming. As I was painting, my husband walked in the bathroom. Here's the conversation that ensued-

Matt: (Walks in slowly. Looks apprehensive). "What color is this?"

Desha: "What color do you think it is?"

Matt: "What color is it?"

Desha: "I think it's called blush."

Matt: "Is it Pink?"

Desha: "Yes."

Matt walks away. Ladies, men don't go for Pink. So you should not ask their opinion. Just do it.

But, the pink was too pink, even for me. So, two days later. I pulled out some old cream paint and mixed it together with the original pink and walla- the perfect shade that I had imagined that starry night of my vision.

The print above is from Matou en Peluche and the cute black and white knob is from Anthropologie.


AND. THE. Bathroom is Complete...

AmEn.

Happy Mother's Day~

Here's to the beginning of the most wonderful season in Vermont, and May is the best of the best. Everyday I walk outside and see what tiny little bulb is peaking out. 

My Spring Garden

I watch as the ferns uncurl, the tulips POP and the gardens slowly wake up from a long winters sleep.

Beginning of My Child's Secret Garden

Spring is my absolute favorite time of the year, a time of birth, growth and renewal.

Today, on Mother's Day, I hope to tend to my garden, feel the sun on my face, and enjoy each precious springtime moment.

If You Want Something, Give It

This morning I woke up feeling some doubt and needed a nudge to let me know I'm still on the right track.  On the way home from dropping off my daughter at school, I stopped and said "please give me a sign". 

A few minutes later when I arrived home, I found another great review of the interview with Suzanne Kingsbury, by Mayumi Shimosepoe... 

Mayumi says, ""LOVED this interview, took away lot of gems about how to be more proactive at creating that sweet spot for myself, but I also had a single moment's pause." 

Mayumi brings up the point that it's hard to live somewhere between your dream and reality. How well do I know, I'm living that now. 

But, she leans towards Suzanne's advice,  "If you want to receive something--I wanted to receive the feeling again of bliss--then give it, you know? And you will eventually ... receive what you want."

One thing that I've been struggling with lately is feeling strapped financially. I've had very good luck in my life manifesting prosperity and I know the law of attraction works. My problem has been that I've been spending too much time worrying about money, even though, REALLY I am fine. In Rhonda Byrne's book "The Power" she tells the story of when she was making the film "The Secret". She was in big debt and needed lots of cash to make the project work. 

So, she did exactly what Suzanne did (giving it, to receive it), she went to the ATM and took out a load of cash on her credit card and handed $50 to strangers on the street. Now, that takes some faith. But, she did it with intention. She purposefully gave out money to those she was called to give to. Three days later, she received $25,000 in her bank account from an investment she made years prior that seemed worthless, but whose shares unexpectedly skyrocketed in value.

Does this mean we should all go empty our bank accounts and see if we can instantly become millionaires? If you'd like to try this, be my guest and let me know if it works. 

For me, I like to start small to build faith :) 

Although my budget is as tight as a walrus wearing a size A-cup bra.... I'm going to give two small donations this week-  $20 to my buddy Eddy who's riding his bike across VT to raise money for my daughters school, and $20 to Daniel Kornguth's kickstarter campaign to publish his first comic. (Sorry guys, I wish this could be a cool grand, but you gotta start somewhere, right?)

So, let's see what happens when I give away what I hope to receive. Ironically, my daughter found $20 in the dirt yesterday, so I'm already half way there. 

Would you like to join me in this exercise? 

What can you give that you'd like to receive?

To read more about Mayumi, visit her blog at:

Mayumi Shimosepoe.com

Seeking My Querencia reviews The Desha Show!

Thanks to Lydia of Seeking My Querencia for reviewing The Desha Show!

I met Lydia in Holly Becker's  Blogging Your Way class, which I highly recommend. It's been so fun to connect with creative people like Lydia, who says....

"During the BYW class, I saw some amazingly talented people and some whose creative juices were already filled to the brim and one drop away from flowering. One of those people was Desha Peacock." Click here for the rest of the review.