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Do What You Love interview – Charlie Morley

Posted on 23/11/2016 at 8:55 am.

Did you know that on average we sleep for one-third of our lives? That’s a whole lot of time spent in dreamland! So what if we could use some of this time to not only have fun, but to transform how we experience the world and who we are? Well, according to lucid dreaming expert Charlie Morley, we can do just that. How? By simply bringing mindful awareness into all stages of our dream, sleep and waking life.

Charlie has been lucid dreaming since his teens but he only began teaching it about six years ago through a holistic approach to lucid dreaming within the context of mindfulness meditation and Tibetan Buddhism, Mindfulness of Dream & Sleep, which he co-founded. Charlie passionately believes that anyone can learn how to become conscious within their dreams and he’s living proof that doing so can change be life-changing.

Charlie now spends his time travelling the world running workshops and retreats and giving talks based on his books Dreams of Awakening and Lucid Dreaming: A Beginners Guide to help people on the path to spiritual and psychological awakening. I just had to talk to him to find out how we can all open ourselves up to a world of limitless possibilities… without even getting out of bed! ~ Rachel

1. First of all, for those who’ve never heard of it, can you tell us exactly what lucid dreaming is?

Lucid dreaming is the art of becoming conscious within your dreams. A lucid dream is one in which you think, a-ha, I’m dreaming! while you’re still asleep. Once you become conscious within a dream, you can interact with and direct it at will, dancing with your unconscious mind. With practice, you can have lucid dreams of an hour in length. Imagine spending an hour inside your own mind: think of what you could do; what you could explore; the people you could meet: aspects of yourself, your higher self, guides. And remember, everyone you meet in the lucid dream is you – they are reflections of you, your own consciousness. In a lucid dream if I meet an elderly African woman, I’m meeting an aspect of my own femininity, an aspect of my own age-old wisdom, and an aspect of my own ideas and energy of Africa. So it’s a fascinating way to gain insight into yourself – and particularly into aspects of yourself that normally remain hidden because in our waking state we have filters. We can suppress things. When we go to sleep all this content can come up. A lucid dream shows that this content is you – the good, the bad and the ugly. The key is to show love towards everyone – all parts of you – in your dream.

2. How long have you been lucid dreaming?

When I was a kid I was scared of monsters under the bed so I didn’t want to wake up and use the toilet when I needed to pee. I remember the feeling of a full bladder seeping into the dream and making me become fully lucid. Then, from within the dream, I would think to myself: I really don’t want to get out of bed to pee. Maybe I’ll just do it while I’m still in the dream?

Then I kind of forgot about it all but then when I was 17, I bought some books and taught myself how to do it and I started having regular lucid dreams. I found that I had gained access to a virtual reality of incredible realism in which social norms didn’t apply. Not yet aware of the Tibetan Buddhist lucid dream practices that I now teach, and at the peak of my wild teenage years, I didn’t view the lucid dream state as a potential training ground for enlightened action. I saw it purely as a place to get laid! So it was just for having fun first but then when I got into Buddhism a couple of years later I started to use it for more beneficial stuff.

3. What kind of healing work can we do on ourselves in a lucid dream?

Lucid dreaming can offer some really powerful opportunities to unpack, accept and heal our baggage within the dream state.

Let’s say you’re scared of spiders? Gradual exposure to spiders within the lucid dream can be used to help overcome a phobia of them in a similar way to cognitive behavioural therapy. By engaging fearlessly with the source of a phobia (whether it’s spiders or anything else) within the lucid dream – while holding in mind that it’s all a mental projection – sufferers can begin to gradually integrate the phobia. I’ve worked with people who’ve all used their lucid dreams to heal all sorts of things. One man used his lucid dreams to explore his sexual behaviour – by meeting a dream character who told him he was ‘the physical manifestation of your fear of commitment’, while a young woman used her lucid dream to meet and forgive the memory of the abuser from her childhood. This potential for healing is one of the deepest benefits of the practice.

4. Why does lucid dream training wake us up to the real beauty of life and help us become more mindful of the way we think, feel and behave?

Through learning to dream lucidly, we can learn to live lucidly and wake up to life. Every time we lucid dream we are experiencing a new perception of reality, one in which we are the co-creator, and the more we experience this, the more we may also perceive waking reality in a similar way. Each time we do this we are creating a habit of recognition. It is this habit of seeing through illusion that forms the crux of lucid living.

Lucid dreamers naturally begin to take charge of their waking life in much the same way as they do in their dreams. Empowered by the experiences of their lucid dreams, they strive consciously to direct and co-create their waking lives, too. They become more positive, proactive and discerningly optimistic in their waking interactions.

In his first book, Dreams of Awakening, Charlie says that while 99 per cent of what we experience in a lucid dream is our own unconscious, there’s always room for other possibilities. “If you think of the classic iceberg description of the mind that Freud popularized, it’s as if when you go into a lucid dream, you go into the depths of your personal iceberg, which is normally hidden below water,” he explains. “But you also might move to the edge of the iceberg, or even into the sea surrounding the iceberg, and this might be exploring the edges of the collective unconscious, or even interacting with the universal mind.”

5. Why is practicing compassionate motivation in our lucid dreams, and in reality, the key to manifesting what we really want in this life?

Because this is a compassionate universe and so the universe responds to compassionate motivation. Do something for others and it will manifest way more easily than doing something just for yourself. That’s how karma works in fact too.

6. Can we all get lucid and how do we do it? Is there a step-by-step guide to follow or will having the right intention, and lots of enthusiasm, be enough to make it happen?

Yeah there a step by step guide by which anybody can teach themselves how to do it. Intention and enthusiasm are key but without the correct techniques they may not be enough. My books and online courses are pretty good at teaching people. And yes that was a shameless plug.

7. Is it easy to get confused between reality and the lucid dream state? What checks can we do in the reality state to check that we aren’t lucid dreaming?

Some people worry that lucid dreamers stand to lose touch with what’s real but in fact quite the opposite happens. Once we can see through the hallucinatory reality of the dreamscape, and know it as illusion, we become better

equipped to recognize illusion in the waking state. This makes us more mentally stable and self-aware.

Reality checks, ways of telling if you are dreaming or awake (in the dream it can be a bit confusing) are used by lucid dreamers to become lucid and so in fact nobody knows the difference between reality and dream better than a lucid dreamer because becoming lucid depends upon it!

8. What is the most amazing things that’s happened to you in a lucid dream and did it affect your life?

Oh god, we could be here all day with this one but some of the standout moments where healing my eye sight, curing my nightmares, communicating with someone who had recently died, precognitive possibility and being able to meet both my internal Jesus and the Devil in lucid dreams. Both of them were embraced equally!

9. You have many amazing teachers. Who are you looking to right now and what lessons have you learned most recently?

Ok so here’s an exclusive for you because I just revved this teaching today. I bought my teacher Lama Yeshe Rinpoche a Nutibullet so that he could wizz up his nettles for his nettle soup: the only thing he eats during his annual 3 month retreat. This morning he sent me a thank you e mail with the following teaching in it: “always remain joyful and humble. No hope of achieving anything, no fear of losing anything and being kind, honest and true will bring you good benefit.”

10. You are truly doing what you love. How did your lucid dreams guide you towards teaching, writing and speaking – and reassure you that helping others is your true calling?

I actually asked the lucid dream “what should I do with my life?” I literally yelled it out in a lucid dream about seven years ago. The dream then presented me with all these dream characters who told me to do the lucid dream teaching full time. I just took their advice.

11. What’s your ultimate goal?

It’s the same as the poet Patti Smith’s actually: “My mission is to communicate. To wake people up. To give them my energy and to accept theirs. We are all in this together.”

12. How can we all use lucid dreaming to take us closer to doing what we love?

Lucid dreaming will show your highest potential and can also be used to ask for advice on how you can manifest that highest potential. Follow your dreams, they know the way.

13. Finally can you share your tips for helping your mind move towards the lucid dreaming state?

Before you go to sleep, ask ‘may my dreams guide me to…’
Keep a dream diary to help you recall your dreams and get to know the territory of them. Eventually you’ll begin to recognize that territory when you’re in it, and know when you’re in a dream.
Reality check during your day – ask yourself ‘what would I like to be dreaming about right now?’
Before you go to sleep, hold the intention of being lucid by saying: “Tonight I recognize my dreams. Tonight I am lucid in my dreams.”

For more information about Lucid Dreaming, watch Charlie’s TED talk at the San Diego TEDx conference, below:

For more information about Charlie and his work, visit his website, YouTube or connect on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS AND DO WHAT YOU LOVE

What is it you really want? The courage to start a new career? The time to pursue passions and hobbies? The freedom to travel and have big adventures? Or simply to “feel differently” about your life, just as it is? All of those wants — and so many others — stem from one big desire… you love. The desire to do what

And if that’s what you want, you’ve arrived in the best possible place you can be. This is your launchpad — and this is your community. And this online course might just change your life.

Do What You Love is an acclaimed course for people who want to spend more time doing what they love and less time doing what they don’t. Simple as that. It’s about finding freedom and building the life you really want.

You can find out more about our life-changing Do What You Love e-course, or sign up, HERE.

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Do What You Love interview – Su Blackwell

Posted on 17/12/2015 at 8:55 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

Today we bring you an interview with the fascinating Su Blackwell, a talented and creative lady who makes intricate art-works from every-day objects, and transforms books and clothes into spectacular three-dimensional forms.

“Paper has been used for communication since its invention; either between humans or in an attempt to communicate with the spirit world,” Su says. “I employ this delicate, accessible medium and use irreversible, destructive processes to reflect on the precariousness of the world we inhabit and the fragility of our life, dreams and ambitions.”

In 2011 Su set up her own business to work on a variety of projects, commissions and collaborations. Since then her exquisite work has been on display in galleries and museums all over the world and she has turned her hand to art-direction for commercials for clients such as Crabtree and Evelyn, Nicole Farhi, Volvo and British Airways. She has also designed fabrics for Liberty London, illustrated The Fairy Tale Princesses for Thames and Hudson Books and designed the set for The Rose Theatre’s production of The Snow Queen.

We were excited to hear more about her story… ~ Rachel

Working on a commercial project

1. How are you ‘doing what you love’?

I’m doing what I love because I’m resilient, stubborn, rebellious, passionate and slightly obsessive about my work with paper. After leaving school and trying my hand at lots of different things, I stumbled into a textiles course run by the local college. While studying, I applied to local crafts markets, and I got a buzz out of people wanting to buy things that I’d made. I think this gave me the building blocks for understanding business early on. I continued to study art and textiles at BA and MA level, and was always hands on when it came to selling my work or working voluntarily within the community. During my studies, I gained a lot of different experiences, before becoming self employed, and eventually setting up my own company in 2011.

2. Tell us about your childhood; what did you do for fun and what did you want to be when you were growing up?

I liked making my own entertainment and was happiest playing on my own in a small bit of woodland at the end of the cul de sac where I grew up in Sheffield. I built dens, climbed trees and imagined different Worlds. I dreamt of being an art student, but I didn’t dream of being a working artist, that just wasn’t in my vocabulary as a child. I remember going to the careers advisor at school, and saying I wanted to do something creative, and I think they suggested teaching. I didn’t have a formal art training until I was 20, and before that I used to paint and draw and keep scrapbooks from cut out pictures in magazines that captured my attention.

Me painting, aged two

3. When did you first start making sculptures from books?

The first book sculpture I made was using a book called The Quiet American which I bought on the Kao San Road during a month long trip to Thailand in 2003. It had beautiful, pictorial Thai inscriptions in the margin, and this provoked me to think about the book’s history, and how I could turn it into something tangible, and give it extra dimension above and beyond the text.

My father had passed away while I was studying at the RCA, and I was thinking about life, death, and the in-between. I cut moths from the book with a craft-knife. The piece was inspired by a Chinese legend, about two lovers whose souls re-emerge from burnt ashes in the shape of two moths. I felt bad cutting into the first page, but I had courage in my conviction knowing I could turn it into something magical. I began working with paper, because of its connection to spiritual rituals that I encountered in South East Asia and this was the beginning of what has become knows as my book-cut sculptures.

My very first book sculpture: The Quiet American

4. What are your favourite books and have these inspired any of your projects?

I think stories were an integral part of my growing up, I could identify with the characters in the books that I read. They opened up possibilities outside of my normal life. At school, I always felt like an outsider, looking in.

I especially love fairy tales, they are part of the national psyche and have such a universal appeal. I’m particularly drawn to European fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen and The Brothers Grimm. These stories have been with me since I can remember. Fairy tales work on so many levels, therefore they are an endless pot of inspiration.

5. Where do you find the books you use for your art and do they always inform the narratives you create?

I lived and worked in Carlisle when I left college and by chance I found an amazing treasure trove of a second hand book shop, a huge palace full to the brim with musty leather bound books on five floors. The top floor housed all of the very rare antique books, books which were in locked cabinets, and required an effort to view. There they had there a section of children’s books, like Alice in Wonderland, Chronicles of Narnia and The Secret garden. These are books that I had adored as a child, but had forgotten about into adulthood. Rediscovering them brought back memories and connotations associated with my childhood. Books like Alice through the Looking Glass and The Secret Garden have beautifully preserved illustrations from a bygone era. I bought a huge bundle of books, and then I started one by one to cut out the illustrations and create scenes around them.

Now I make a concerted effort to visit second hand book shops and to trawl through their dusty shelves, picking out books which appeal to me in one way or another. The book has to resonate with me somehow, either in an illustration, or in part of the story. I need that spark of inspiration. The books always provide the narrative, and core inspiration for the work.

6. You must have an amazing imagination, great vision and incredible concentration to create such magical works. Are these traits that come naturally or are they skills that you’ve worked to develop over the years?

I have honed these skills over the years, but I think they were skills that were always there. I have always been very imaginative. As a child, I was given a lot of freedom, freedom to be by myself and make up stories and games. I think that’s important for children.

7. What does the process of making a book sculpture involve?

I start by reading the book, and then thinking about the work, and what I want to say. I start by sketching a few ideas. I usual have a general idea of what I want to create, and I will do some research, and some more in depth drawing. I then draw templates, and trace these onto the pages of the book, and cut the templates out with a sharp scalpel. It’s very complex working on such a small-scale.

If I’m making a sculptural object, I sometimes use wire to make a model to wrap the paper around. When I think the sculpture is nearly complete, I add the lights, and a bespoke box is made to house the sculpture. The whole process from start to finish usually takes between six and eight weeks.

8. What materials and techniques do you use most in your work?

I try only to use the material that I am deconstructing, whether that be the pages of a book, or say the cotton material of a garment, I try to use in essence only that same material. Occasionally, I need to use wire or balsa wood to strengthen the models, and glue, that’s about it.

9. When, and why, did you start lighting your sculptures?

I began to use light in my work because I wanted to create shadow, and make the invisible more visible. I look at it like theatre design, where the lighting plays an integral part.

One of my recent works called The Ice Maiden – before (above) and after lights (below). Credit: Yeshen Venema

10. What’s a typical day like for you?

I live just a few minutes, walk from my studio in West London. I get to the studio for 7am with a coffee, and then I work until 7pm. I make a list of what I’ve got to do each day and I work through the list. There is always something to keep me busy. I’m happy working on my own, but I have an assistant who works with me a couple of days a week, and it’s great to speak to her about the projects we’re working on.

Stills from a music video I worked on

Each working day can be quite different from the last, and each day brings with it new challenges. I never know what the next project that comes through into my inbox is going to be, and that keeps it exciting. About 70% of the projects proposed to me, don’t make it into reality. You get quite good at being able to tell which ones will make it, but there are some surprises. Work has taken me to places I wouldn’t normally have travelled to. Recently I was invited to work on a big project in Kuwait City.

11. What do you do to relax?

I’m relaxed when I’m working, and when I’m not working for a period of time, I start to feel anxious.

It is important for me to be able to switch off from work occasionally though, and my 3-year-old daughter sees to that. I make sure I take at least one day off a week to spend with her. She is great fun. We often go to Kew Gardens or Syon Park for a walk and for lunch in the café, and in summer I take her camping or we go to a music festival.

12. Tell us about some of the amazing projects you’ve done in the past. Which ones have you most enjoyed?

For the work that I did, the Bronte project was the one of the most enjoyable. I was given free reign of the Bronte Parsonage to install my art-works into their collection. Thinking back, it was quite a brave thing for the Parsonage to do. I loved the opportunity I was given there.

A project for The Bronte Parsonage Museum, Haworth, West Yorkshire: working in the Bronte’s bedroom

The work I did for the Bronte’s nursery

For the people and experience, it was probably a project I worked on in Jakarta, Indonesia, where I art-directed a music video. It was a huge project with a low budget, but it is such a different culture out there, they made it seem like anything was possible. There were no health and safety issues at all, you just came up with a crazy idea and they made it a reality. After we finished filming, everyone (cast and crew) went around hugging and thanking each other. It was really beautiful.

13. What are you working on at the moment? And are there any exciting projects planned for 2016?

I am moving house next year, moving out of London to be by the sea, and so I’m not taking on any big projects for 2016. Rather, I’m working on commissions for book sculptures, am exploring the possibility of an animation project, and will be exhibiting some dress installations in Museum Sinclair near Hamburg in Autumn 2016, which I’m really excited about.

14. What’s your ultimate dream?

I’ve never had an ultimate dream. I prefer to let things happen naturally, and like a leaf blowing in the wind, see where life takes you. I feel that that when you’re open to new possibilities, rather than being set on making your ultimate dream a reality, life can throw you some wonderful surprises.

For more information about Su and her work watch the video below and visit www.sublackwell.co.uk

Su Blackwell on CBBC Channel from Su Blackwell on Vimeo.

Do What You Love Interview – Catalina Guirado

Posted on 16/01/2014 at 8:55 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

Catalina Guirado was discovered as a model by Vogue at the age of 15, became a television favourite in the late 1990s after appearing on Channel 4‘s cult hit show TFI Friday, hosted by Chris Evans, and has since appeared on many TV shows. Her exciting career has taken many turns, but most recently she launched design label ‘Guirado Designs’ with her first collection of luxury silk scarves, fabrics and bespoke wallpapers. These use HD prints of chosen enlightening works by her father, internationally acclaimed Spanish surrealist-essentialist artist Juan Antonio Guirado. These beautiful products are available exclusively at luxury concept store The Clerkenwell Collection in London and online at www.theclerkenwellcollection.com. We asked her to share her inspiration, motivation and advice on doing what you love.

Catalina is a half Spanish/British designer and model. She describes herself as “an art, fashion, gypset, rock n roll, horse obsessed, animal loving, champagne darling!”

1. How are you leading a life ‘doing what you love’?

Before I became a model and TV host I actually studied art and textile design. I grew up surrounded by art and attended gallery openings since I was a baby, as my father was an artist. Since his sad death, my life has come full circle and I have returned to what I originally loved and have always wanted to do. I love fashion and design and the creativity of my life. I am extremely grateful that I am able to do this and mean to excel!

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Global Talent Search Semi-Finalists announced – Did you make the top 50?

Posted on 01/08/2013 at 9:11 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

It’s time to reveal the 50 Semi-Finalists in the 2013 Global Talent Search!

We were flooded with entries in response to the exciting brief set in association with Paperchase, inviting entrants to design a journal cover with a playground theme. Here is what Lilla had to say about reviewing the submissions, and undertaking the difficult task of making the selection…

“What’s it like to review submissions from over 1,500 participants from over 30 countries around the globe? I’ll tell you what it’s like: It’s exhilarating! I couldn’t wait to see what would turn up as a result of the assignment. For starters, I was astounded by the quality of work and the calibre of the artists. Work was submitted in every medium: paint, watercolor, Adobe Illustrator, even 3-D pieces! My goal was to seek out the best of the best, and by a very careful process of elimination, I was able to narrow down the selection to 122 images. From there I began an even more studied (and challenging!) examination, and then finally I brought in my crack team, Susan McCabe and Jennifer Nelson, for their savvy input as seasoned agents to help narrow the work down to this group of AMAZING 50 semi-finalists.

First and foremost, we looked for pieces that jumped out at us for their terrific color, strong composition, and overall uniqueness. (Those of you that took Make Art That Sells know about how important it is to have your piece read well as a postage stamp as well as full size!)

Was there something special about the piece? A quirkiness that enticed us to want more? Could we see our client base wanting to work with this artist? How about a clear embrace of the subject matter: playgrounds. (Pretty universally, the playground theme was well-executed.)

Was the style of the artist really apparent, in that we could immediately see a unique point of view? Was the technique masterful and polished? If we are to represent this artist and award them with a variety of top licenses, would they be able to knock them of the park? A strong, evolved style can do that. So that’s key.

Our sincere hope for those of you that were not selected for this particular competition is that you understand that in no way is that a reflection on your talent. There were clearly way more images than we could select. Going forward, you may wish to take my Make Art That Sells e-course to grow your talent even further (a new round of the course starts in October!). I did see how my June Make Art That Sells students were really well prepared for the Global Talent Search. Also, we truly hope you’ll consider re-entering the Global Talent Search next time. ‘Like’ our Facebook page to be sure to stay on top of announcements and news!”

With no further ado, let’s give a big round of applause to the Global Talent Search 50 Semi-Finalists! The full list has been unveiled on Lilla’s blog here.

Feel free to share your thoughts with us on Twitter (@lillarogers @DoWhatYouLoveXx #globaltalentsearch)

A little piece of history

Posted on 08/08/2012 at 9:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

Just a few minutes’ spin of the bicycle wheel from our little place here in Kyoto stands a World Heritage Site, “a place of exceptional and universal value; a cultural heritage site worthy of preservation for the benefit of mankind”.

This astonishing city actually has 17 sites deemed this magnificent. Today I wanted to share Nijo Castle with you.

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Play time!

Posted on 21/06/2012 at 9:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

‘Hollywood dream’ rollercoaster – Hollywood nightmare more like!

On Friday my man skyved of school (shhh) and we sneaked away to Universal Studios Japan – a surreal expanse of movie sets and theme park rides near Osaka. I am totally terrified of roller coasters but made myself go on most of the rides and surprised myself by actually loving some of them!

Waterworld

It was refreshing to be in a little piece of America for a day, although it has definitely been Japan-ified (Hello Kitty everywhere)…

Some of the rides are based on really old films, and it was quite freaky to listen to the Terminator ride with it’s wild guesses as to what incredible far-flung future technology would look like – it predicted online education (e-courses) and video phone calls (Skype)! Thank goodness the robots haven’t quite made it yet…

That car from Back to the Future

Such a good day of being alternately scared and elated, laughing a lot and having fun.

The amazingly realistic ‘Amity Village’ from the Jaws ride