Hi everyone! I’m so excited to dive into the first week of the KAL! Each week you’ll receive an email from me with 2 important links, 1 link to the creativity/inspiration blog post and another link to the teachable course tutorials. Be on the lookout for these in your inbox and of course, I’ll post links in our Facebook Group. If you need any help at all - please get in touch – comments below are great or email amy@knitcollage.com (for anything really!) cheryl@knitcollage.com (for knitting help!) and jessie@knitcollage.com (for technical help or yarn help).

OK DIVING INTO ALL THINGS CREATIVITY! Here is a quick overview of the topics I plan to share about for the next 6 weeks. I’ll share many of the resources I love surrounding these topics and hope to spark some good discussions, mainly in our FB group, where I hope to break this down into more bitesize pieces too!

Week 1 – Going First

Week 2 – Intuition/Taking time for ourselves/Morning & Nighttime Routines

Week 3 – Leaning into you/Art of being yourself/Vulnerability

Week 4 – How we work through failures/hardships/strong emotions

Week 5 – Importance of Making/Creativity/Curiosity

Week 6 – Gratitude, Appreciation, Giving Back

LET'S DIVE IN! I want to start off today with an idea I always talk about first during the KALs because I think it is so essential – the idea of GOING FIRST. This was first introduced to be Gabby Reece on the Tim Ferris Podcast – the idea she mentions is the idea of going first – smile first –open up – take that first step. Not many people take this first step, especially in the busy hustle of our every day life, or (I think) in an online community. But when you go first and smile or open up first, chances are the other person will too but it takes someone going first – why not you? We just moved and I realize now in the new house and new place we live in, that's it important to make this effort. Sometimes it's that first smile that can open up a whole new friendship. I notice myself talking to people wherever I have regular interactions and just being friendly – the new coffee shop I found and work from sometimes and the new yoga studio I hope to go to regularly. It’s a small thing but it’s helping me feel a little bit more at home, like I’m recognized and am starting to build a community here. Even this weekend in Rhinebeck, there were so many people I knew a little that I wanted to introduce myself too. I just did! Yes, it can be awkward, ha! I try to take that leap that used to be scary, what do I have to lose. It's really only upside.

SOOOOO I say all this of course to encourage you to open up and introduce yourself in our KAL group. This a perfect safe space to get to know like minded friends. How can we apply this idea to our community for the KAL – by introducing yourself – opening up in the groups, share first, cheerlead first. Let’s make it a place where we all feel comfortable to go first and support each other. I love this idea as small as it may be.

The last think I’m going to leave you with this week is a wonderful quote I found on the Seth Godin blog a while back regarding attitude.

Attitude is the most important choice any of us will make. We made it yesterday and we get another choice to make it today. And then again tomorrow.

The choice to participate.

To be optimistic.

To intentionally bring out the best in other people.

We make the choice to inquire, to be curious, to challenge the status quo.

To give people the benefit of the doubt.

To find hope instead of fear in the face of uncertainty.

Of course these are attitudes. What else could they be?

And of course, they are a choice. No one does these things to us. We choose them and do the work (and find the benefits) that come with them.

SO here is to GOING FIRST, shifting our attitudes and to opening up and sharing the most authentic selves. I’d love to know about what you struggle (or fully embrace!) regarding these ideas. How can you use them to shift things in your own life? How can we all go first in this little community? 

Big hugs ~ Amy