Hi, I’m Darius.

For the past 22 years I’ve been a creative entrepreneur and artist.

Many of you know me from my photography, some of you know me from my meditations, and some of you know me from the many videos I’ve shared on social media over the years.

I’ve created a lot of stuff in the last 2 decades:

• 1 million+ plus photos

• 2000+ videos

• 500+ podcasts

• 150+ guided meditations

Someone recently asked me if I’d be open to mentoring them in creativity, and it got me thinking about what my best advice would be. So today I’m sharing my best strategies for building creative muscle.

PHASE ONE: Build Your Dreaming Muscle

• Use guided meditation, guided visualizations and journaling to find the creative dreams inside your heart.

• Seek support and guidance to bring your dream out into the world. Write it, speak it, share it, feel it, see it and eventually BE IT.

PHASE TWO: Build Your Courage Muscle

• Create a weekly workout schedule for your creative courage.

• Write, make videos, take photos, or share your voice for 90 mins a day, 2-5 times a week. These are called creative sprints. No phones, no internet, no emails, no texts—just deep, focused work.

• At the end of each creative sprint, you MUST publish something (even if it’s on a private social media account at first). The point is to practice feeling the nerves and insecurities and doing it anyways.

• The more your mind and heart see that you will consistently show up to these workouts and continue to SHARE the new work, the less scary each sprint will be. As you build courage, what was once terrifying will become a walk in the park.

It’s easy to get caught up in the outcome: What will people think? Will my work be loved? Will I get views and comments? The truth is that the PROCESS is infinitely more important—especially if you want to create consistently (and perhaps professionally).

Which muscle (Dreaming or Courage) would you like to see grow must this year?

Big love,

D

I haven’t heard the term “spiritual creator” before, but there’s something I really love about the idea of creators, artists, and innovators who believe in divine guidance.

As a spiritual creator, these are 3 practices I do before I create anything:

1. I meditate and connect with my own heart.

2. I burn sage or palo santo in order to cleanse and clear myself and my workspace of any stagnant or unwanted energy. (see special note below)

3. I say a prayer and ask God for help and support. Yes, I know that God is a complicated concept for many, but in my heart God is one of my best friends and most badass collaborators. The prayer to God is slightly different every time but always includes the following lines…

Dear God,
Please use me as a vessel for your divine expression.
Use me as an instrument of your love.
Give me the courage to go into the depths of my heart and find my truth.
And the courage to speak my truth in my own authentic voice.
Whatever happens from there, I let go and let God.

Today’s post is dedicated to anyone else who feels seen and recognized when they hear the term Spiritual Creator; people who feel that there is something important in their hearts that they are looking to express.

Whatever personal practices or creative rituals you might have, I hope they lead you to creative momentum and spiritual growth.

Big love,

D

Please note: sage and palo santo are sacred indigenous medicines that need to be treated with reverence. It is a good idea to find a trustworthy source to teach you about these two powerful medicines and how to utilize them with respect to the land and the people they came from.

There is a question that keeps haunting me. Maybe haunting is the wrong word. It feels more like flirting.

The question is this:

What if 2023 was the last year of life?

I’m grateful for the reminder of how precious and uncertain life on Earth can be. So this question doesn’t feel mean or malicious in any way. In fact, this question feels friendly, and to be honest I enjoy every time it crosses my mind.

Knowing that there is a last breath out there looking for each of us helps me focus my energy and attention.

I get to ask myself, if this was my last year on Earth…

• How would I spend it?

• What would I want to leave behind?

• Who would I spend my last few months/days with?

• What will I let go of?

• What will I be remembered for?

My suggestion is if there is something you really want to do, make 2023 the year you actually do it. Because there are no guarantees there will be a 2024.

Big love,

D

PS: I know my mom reads these so, mama, I am fine. I promise. Actually I feel better than I have in years.

I used to think I was broken or that there was something wrong with me, because when winter showed up I became a totally different human.

The stark difference between Summer Darius and Winter Darius was really hard to accept.

If I wasn’t careful, Winter Darius would be very toxic and harmful to myself. I could easily disappear, sometimes for up to six weeks. My life would start to crumble, and the more time I was alone the harder it became to reconnect with the world.

At some points it felt impossible to get out of bed. I wouldn’t talk to anyone, unless I absolutely had to. And literally no one knew I was going through this, which only exacerbated the isolation and loneliness.

It felt as if in the summer months I was a fresh and fast-moving river, full of life and beauty.

And when November rolled up, that river started to freeze. And by December all life felt trapped in the cold ice.

The truth is, the surface does freeze over in the winter. But there are ways to keep the flow of creativity and life force energy moving underneath the surface all winter long.

Here 3 practical tips I now use every November to help myself more gently adjust to the changing seasons. —> watch on IG / watch on TikTok

If you have any good tips to fight off the winter blues please share them with me.

Big love,

D