Hi, my name is Jan Blount.

 

I am an author, artist – i.e. mixed media junkie, visual art journalist, altered book fan (once I finally got over the initial stumbling block of… What? You want me to “damage” this precious old book?), photographer, workshop facilitator, personal empowerment & creativity coach – ARTbundance Certified Coach & SoulCollage Facilitator, Mom to….ummm (lost track…long story…it’s complicated …they are all adults now…and great “kids”), luckiest wife ever (going on 36 years …he’s Mr. Wonderful), blessed with a  “sister” (Bunnie, my soulmate & bestest girl friend and “wife” of ten years), We lovingly call ourselves The Tripod. We live in the country with a pack of llamas, one grumpy goat, a bunch of chickens, a messy peacock and peahen who like to eat my flowers, 2 massive Antolian livestock guard dogs, and Miss Haley some kind of poodle mix rescue dog.

Ten Additional Whacky, Quirky, Fun Things About Me

1. I make a yummy “mean” bowl of Seafood Gumbo,

2. Love beautiful flowy skirts (wear them almost exclusively).

3. Don’t wear make up

4. Love big old “Grandmother” trees & walks in the forest (thanks Dad, he is 93, a lifelong conservationist and did forestry for years),

5. Love books…still have too many even after thinning my bookshelves (thanks Mom, who was an avid reader, librarian, and teacher, now passed and terribly missed)

6. Love road trips and traveling (Thanks Mom & Dad!, with four siblings this was the affordable way to travel and our parents wanted us to experience to world)

7. Got my degree in Fashion Merchandising at the University of Hawaii, but may be one of the least cool, trendy people you know…either that or I am just WAY ahead of my time, which wouldn’t surprise me in the least

8. My brood was home birthed, attachment parented (I believe that is the term they’re using these days) and home schooled…and I still managed to not get it “right”

9. Have a love and unquenchable thirst for learning

10.  Love dancing, exploring junk/thrift stores, floating down the river, and playing Ticket to Ride    Yeah! I know that’s technically four things….Shhhhhh!  Don’t tell on me!

About My Own Wonderful and Wild Journey

Rainy day splashing…I love stomping in puddles

I love adventures, having fun, and YES!!!! That’s a huge part of my spiritual path. Spiritual doesn’t always equal serious, solemn, and sedate.  (I love the laughing Buddha…got to get one of those for my altar). Leaving this bit in the parenthesis as is, even though it’s a bit out of date, cause now I’ve done one better and had Epithany, the laughing Buddba bullfrog join our family of muses.

 

I used to be a “worry wart” and a bit of a “Debbie downer” (okay more that a wee bit).  I’m reformed…mostly.  I still have “THOSE” days, but I know how to make those dark clouds lift out of my way much more quickly and easily these days.

I used to beat myself up for being too unfocused, too scattered, and spinning my wheels too much of the time.  I didn’t believe it was possible to make any headway in my life…I always felt I was playing catch up and continually felt energy zapped.

I know now it;s doable…I didn’t have to sacrifice any part of me to have a life I love.    I wish for you to know this too.  Don’t give up on yourself and become discouraged.  Keep listening to and trusting your inner guidance.  The answers are there.  It does help to discover the right questions to ask.  Empowering ones like:  What if____?   I wonder what ____? How might____?

I’ve learned to dance, hike, and play in the rain.  Why wait for the sunshine to pop out.  Life’s too short to wait for the “perfect” day. Plus, I live in the beautiful Oregon, where it is cloudy, overcast, and drizzly at least 8 months out of the year. I choose to make every day a PERFECT day…even the “sucky” ones.

I’ve learned how to fill my own well;

I’ve learned how to let down my hair, and kick up my heels and feel all of my wonder-filled emotions …even the heartbreak and tears.  As these are precious too.

I celebrate all my quirks and kinks!  And I thank the gods that I’ve been blessed with a complexity of interests and passions.  There was a time when this “too-many-interests-and-passions” felt down-right frustrating, almost a flat-out curse.  I’ve FINALLY found a way to merge those varied interests, passions, and quirks into a richly blessed and meaningful life.

Yeah!  I may be a marvelous out-o-step misfit, but finally after many years of personal growth, I’m proud of who I am.  I also know I’m not the only one who feels this way.  More and more of us are finding our voices.  We are realizing that conformists don’t change the world.  The world needs us.  It needs our creativity and our genius.

I find these “about me” things challenging to write.  They are at best a snapshot in time.  They don’t begin to tell the whole story because; we’re growing, ever-evolving, complex creatures.  At least I know I am and if you are visiting here you likely are too.

Let’s celebrate Life

I’d love to get better acquainted, so please stick around, introduce yourself, leave a comment below. I promise to try to keep it interesting, entertaining, as well as informative.  My deepest desire is to inspire and guide you to discovering your own wildly wonderful path to your most miraculous well-loved life.  I celebrate your creative genius.