Creative Alchemy: Where Magic Meets Momentum

“Goals need a plan… but they also need a little magic.”

Creative Alchemy is the art of blending your unique imagination with practical steps, allowing you to turn vision into action — without burning out in the process. It’s not about working harder; it’s about transforming ideas into momentum.

We’ve all had moments when an idea sparks, excitement builds… and then nothing happens. The vision fades, the goal stays out of reach, sometimes they seem even more unreachable…and we stop trying. Life goes forward and that spark dwindles.

That’s where Creative Alchemy comes in — the art of turning your ideas into real, tangible results.

I’ve seen it work in my own life.

One March morning, I opened my email and there it was! An email invite from the president of the board for Mattole River Camp. (A place known to me because our writing retreat is there.) I took to invitation to heart.

When I applied for the Executive Director role at Mattole River Camp, I could have gone in with the usual checklist mindset — repairs, budgets, maintenance needs.
But instead, I chose a different approach.

I stood in that space and let myself imagine. All the summers I had gone there had filled my mind with ideas, and I called on those.
I pictured a walking labyrinth tucked into the trees.

Women’s retreats with quiet morning yoga by the river.

Musicians’ weekends where the air was filled with guitar riffs and laughter.

Cozy winter gatherings with reading nooks and hot cocoa by the fire.

I didn’t just see what was there — I saw what could be.

When I spoke in the interview, I did more than talk about infrastructure like patching decks or replacing furniture. I gave them the vision I had for what the camp could become — a place alive with creativity, connection, and possibility. As I spoke, I saw board members nodding and smiling.

That experience reminded me of something powerful: when we lead with imagination, we invite others into the picture. We shift the conversation from “what’s broken” to “what’s possible.” And that’s the heart of Creative Alchemy.

I have also seen it work for my clients, like when *Marie came to me because she felt she needed more creativity in her life. She had been a teacher for her adult life, and now was retired. She still tutored, and consulted at schools but she wanted to shift her creative energy away from teaching and into more personal use. With this process she began unearthing her own joy in creativity. She found her strengths, and pursued them. She checks in now and again for a creative top up but she reached her goal of balancing her career creativity, and her personal creativity.

The Creative Process – The Magic Behind the Method

Before we dive into Creative Alchemy, it helps to understand the foundation I built it on. Many years ago, I read about Graham Wallas and his 4 step creative process, from nearly a century ago in his book The Art of Thought written in 1926. Even though it is an old idea it has become the foundation of many creative researchers and writers.

1. Preparation – Gathering information, ideas, and inspiration.
2. Incubation – Letting the mind work in the background while you rest or focus on other things.
3. Illumination – The “aha!” moment when the idea or solution becomes clear.
4. Verification – Testing, refining, and putting the idea into action.

It’s a timeless model — but as you know, real life and creativity seldom move in straight lines. You might circle back, jump ahead, or repeat steps as needed.

When I was I first starting blogging about creativity in 2005, I often found myself bouncing between preparation and incubation. Putting together a blog and website didn’t seem as easy then. I had several starts and stops, and redo’s. Each time that I have had to add or update, or even change an aspect, I enter the process all over again. But that doesn’t make it a failure.

Sometimes incubation takes a very long time. I reached a burnout point on my blog around 2016. There was so much going on between real life: kids, ex-husband, family, and health that I had to stop. I thought I could go right back to it after things settled. But I didn’t.
My website, the blog, and who I wanted to become needed rest. It needed space to percolate and recharge. It has taken years for everything to come together to this point. But it worked because I am doing the work I have wanted to do.
I am writing what I have wanted to write about.
And I am speaking, and doing workshops they way I saw it all those years ago. But I had to put the pieces together. Just because the process is slow it doesn't mean it isn’t working. The key is not giving up.

Back and forth, and time spent are not failures. It is process. You need to give yourself permission to work the process.

Creative Alchemy – My Twist on the Process

In Creative Alchemy, I adapt Wallas’s process so you can intentionally use your own creative rhythm to achieve any goal — whether it’s writing a book, starting a business, or improving your health.

I blend the Wallas framework with modern coaching principles, playful experimentation, and my CREATE Framework so you can:

• Capture inspiration quickly and avoid losing ideas.
• Use Resilience and play to break through resistance.
• Engage with your vision instead of just thinking about it.
• Align your actions with your values.
• Transform intention into momentum.
• Execute a goal with confidence.

One of my coaching clients, *Kate, had the unfortunate news of being laid off. It was completely unexpected. Being laid off has an effect on our psyche. Because it feels personal even if it isn’t. She had playing with an idea about starting her own research business. After she was over the shock of losing her job, she began doing 2 things: Figuring out what she wanted from a new job-not just any replacement job but one that fit her need for growth as well AND she began focusing on how she wanted her business to be.

There was time spent in going back in forth between Capture, fortifying her Resilience, and Engaging with her goals. With each one she measured it to see if it Aligned with her values. If it didn’t she would go back and try again.

Within 11 months, she launched her website and business, and began attending networking groups, AND she found a new job she loves- that helped her with MANY smaller goals.

She told me she was amazed at how much easier the process felt once they embraced their own way of working instead of forcing themselves into someone else’s system.

Why This Matters for Your Goals

The truth is, creativity isn’t just for artists. It’s for anyone who wants to bring something new into the world — whether that’s a book, a business, a healthier lifestyle, or a new habit.

Every time I’ve trusted this process — from accepting the invite to apply for the Executive Director job to realizing I have more skills, knowledge and ability than I had ever believed about myself— I’m  reminded that momentum isn’t built by sheer force. It’s created when you work with your mind’s natural rhythms instead of against them.

Your Turn

What is a goal you are holding onto? What is something that sparks in you but you keep waiting until “someday”?

Are you ready to see how your creative process can become an invaluable tool?

Then-Start Now!

Pause- take a moment to see where you are in the Wallas’ cycle: preparation, incubation, illumination, or verification?

Now ASK Yourself:

What’s one small step I can take today to move forward?

✨ And if you want to experience Creative Alchemy in action — with tools, exercises, and a clear path from idea to implementation — join me at my August 16th workshop. Let’s turn your vision into momentum.
REGISTER for the Creative Alchemy Workshop