My Story
Between the Lion's Jaw and Little Haven
Do you ever stick your head in the lion's mouth?
i used to berate myself in the midst of these experiences. Then, i realized they were often initiated by a creative spark and/or resulted in a golden nugget of insight that made the wince worthwhile. In time, i understood my choices had come from part of my inner creative team and i didn’t want to get rid of the tendency, but instead to refine it! i needed to include all of my inner team members and get them to work together.
Yes, you can get your inner creative team to collaborate instead of argue and compete. Really! Then lion encounters become curious inspiration, ingredients for magic.
If you’re tired of an old story of polarized inner arguments with your creative life or other matters, i get it. Sometimes, the fight takes all the spark out of you, draining your energy and/or eating your head before you can use it.
i discovered there is another way. You can learn to find your (inner) haven, what i call little haven, from there you lead your creative team, become an inner adventurer, explore and create vibrant new stories.
The process releases energy and ideas, you get better at you; find your very own magic instead of living someone else’s script or an old narrative from your past.
You don't have to be a magician to cast for magic!
Hi i’m Lisa Kellogg, here’s more of my adventure to find & create my Abracadabra, Little Haven.
It took a wise and playful thesis advisor during an extra semester i’d had to eat (due to a lion encounter) to lovingly notice that though i’d done it again, stuck my head in the lion’s mouth, it was good that i knew how to take it out! At the time, i felt like i hadn’t a clue. i was just suffering with challenges that resulted from “crazy” choices i’d made.
Then, he sent me a pair of his kryptonite resistant focusing goggles. A playful offering, they worked surprisingly well. i finished my thesis and later was able to own and even celebrate that i did and do (stick my head in the lion’s mouth) take the chances that others would think were crazy.
Now, instead of feeling embarrassed by these choices, i can see their magic and feel grateful for my life’s creative and unconventional path inclusive of “lion encountering” risks. Not life threatening physical feats as the metaphor might imply. That’s not my arena but life choices that involve potentially significant and painful consequences.
Instead of playing it safe these experiences have taught me to get better at choosing life’s lions. The practice of extracting my head has developed resilience, useful in case of particularly strong jawed encounters. As i revisit these metaphors, my propensity to “stick my head in the lion’s jaw” and magic’s invitation to play, i see the genesis of my risk taking and unconventional paths comes from curiosity, a desire for something “other”, to search & explore. i’m a questioner.
Questions, they help us learn, creating gaps where new can emerge.
Good questions help draw us into better futures.
Here’s one that i’ve been pondering with my recent reclamation of magic.
Hmm… So, what am i creating with my magic, how can it be more evocative and empower others?
i don’t think we can fix anything that’s doesn’t work in our lives or in the world with a fighting mentality. A war approach/framework only appears to beget more war, whether its against bad ideas, terrorists, drugs or germs. This dominator way is so pervasive in our culture many people think its irrevocably part of human nature. i don’t. i think it’s time to jump that frame!
i’d like to contribute to the transformation of our culture to a partnership way of being (see https://rianeeisler.com/ for more on dominator vs partnership culture and its historical precedent).
Or, some other new unnamed, paradigm shifting evolving culture and system(s) that consider and care for the interconnectedness of life. Ways that are generous, loving, creative & peaceful. i have big ideas, more than one life’s worth and i understand that to simply start where you are, with small steps, can bring significant change.
So... What's Next?
If you’re still reading, Thank you for your time and interest!
If you share my desire to have greater positive impact on the world with the way you create your days, let’s keep in touch!
If you share my desire to have greater positive impact on the world with the way you create your days, let’s keep in touch!
If you want to get better at taking your head out of the lion’s mouth but still play with lions, learn to lead your inner creative team. Then you can have fun & fruitful creative adventures rather than getting eaten alive!
Curious to know more of what feeds my magic & more on my background, keep reading.
i love the magic of thunderstorms and the seasons changes, putting a fresh edge on a garden, a curvy path. i’d rather take longer to get somewhere in order to take a scenic back road. i love living in the northeast US, the magic of snow and the gift of water. i love the Greenland tradition of Qajaqing (kayaking) and have mentored for about 10 years in a wonderful, pay it forward community of paddlers, who i am grateful to for sharing their grace and magic.
i love to spend time in VT (where i grew up) near my family and i also love living in the Hudson River Valley of NY in the enchanted little town of Rosendale; i delight in finding 4 leaf clovers and paddling with my kayak playmate and partner Ed.
i came to Rosendale as an intern to Women’s Studio Workshop when i was 25. This intensive and wonderful learning experience lead to employment and my community, i remain indebted to WSW, the founders and community they cultivated for stewarding me through my early creative and professional development.
Education & Training: Akimbo, Writing in Community (2021); The Creative’s Workshop (2020); Graduate and post-graduate training in Narrative Therapy, Internal Family Systems (IFS) & Solution Focused Therapy; Theater Improvisation with Actress/Director, Ann Citron (2003-2009); Co-Active Coach Training, The Coaches’ Training Institute (2001); Master of Arts in Psychology & Counseling, Goddard College (1997); Bachelors Fine Arts (Printmaking) SUNY College at Purchase (1986)
Work Experience: Assistant to Woodcarver/Sign Painter; Carpenters Helper; Arts Admin/Program Director; Landscape Gardener; Crisis Family Counselor; Director of College Counseling Center; Facilitator & Project Manager; Sole Proprietor of Coaching /Counseling Practice (2001-present); along with other adventures in my multi-disciplinary path.
*My use of the small “i” on this site is intentional. It reminds me to engage student mind and humility. It also feels playful and since i’m a “serious girl” on a path to be more playful and free, it helps me with this endeavor as well.