Tag: Disney

I’m Looking For My Peeps! Could You Be One?

Peeps are silly, colorful, and exude laughter. Peeps are heart-centered individuals who want to fill the world with love to create unity. Peeps wonder about impossible and magical things. Could you be one?

I am looking for like-minded peeps, er people, who would like to join me on special projects.

I’m currently writing two books. The first is about an author writing a book that she is the actual Alice in Wonderland. This book is called Alice Awakens. It is a work of creative nonfiction (with a touch of magical realism) about the beliefs, spiritual awakening, and healing of the inner child.

Within the book is the story that the author is writing for children. This one will be published as a children’s book entitled Alice Returns to Wonderland. In it, the author returns to Wonderland as a character named Author Alice. There are some characters from the original Lewis Carroll book as well as new ones. What sets this book apart from other Alice stories is that there are many Alices in Wonderland, not just one. (So if you sit down to really ponder this, my book incorporates all stories about Alice.) Alice Returns to Wonderland deals with awakening to unity consciousness through the idea that we are all here to help each other and that by uplifting each other, we uplift the world.

This is just the beginning. I am dreaming big. I mean really, really big, bigger than Disney big. I’m dreaming of a more evolved Walt Disney World where you don’t have to be rich or go into debt to enjoy it.

I dream of a collaborative Disney where there is heart-felt enjoyment of the all workers and visitors. A place where people can heal their inner child. A place of healing and transformation where everyone is co-creating an experience that expands joy to all. I dream of a true healing through imagination center, where the energy expands through Orlando to the state of Florida and beyond.

I’ve always been fascinated by Disney movies, and Walt Disney World is my favorite place to vacation, so yeah, even with its drawbacks, I love Disney. I even had a spiritual awakening on the beach at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort.  You can read about it here.

When I first came up with the idea of these books, I envisioned something larger than just books about imagination and reality. I saw where it could expand, that it could build a community filled with an unlimited imagination. When I saw the movie La La Land, it reminded me how much I always saw my children’s book as a musical.

I envision the Alice children’s books as a series writer by various authors, both known and unknown. New characters are introduced in each Each character has some special trait that makes them unique.

Where I see this taking off is that the books may inspire others to create as well. So that it isn’t one person writing a novel, it is a lot of us collaborating, writing together, creating something the world has never seen.

I can’t do this alone. Since my books are about unity consciousness, I need others. I need dreamers. Dreamers who dream big. Bigger than lowercase big. Uppercase  BIG and you know what that means.

I’d like to create an organization that is like a cooperative. Personally, I prefer the word cooperation because the word states what I am envisioning is all about. Cooperation is reciprocal in nature.

My envisioned cooperation would be an organization where involved everyone benefits. Where the income is split in an equitable manner. Where everyone in the cooperation makes use of their natural talents and skillsets. Where the name of the organization is not the name of the owner, because everyone involved would share in ownership. There would be no egocentric megalomaniac at the top because there would be no top, just a community of individuals working for a common cause and doing work that they truly enjoy.

OK, I don’t have a business degree because, well, you know, I’m an artist and I didn’t take business classes in college. Maybe what I am envisioning is a cooperative. Maybe someone can enlighten me on this matter.

I used the word cooperation because describes what is involved in creating such a community: cooperation. The goal of this cooperation would shift the focus of the business and place people over profit. If it sounds like a non-profit because it is. There would be no stocks, no bonus checks for a few people, no greedy billionaires at the top, nor starving underpaid workers at the bottom.

There would be equality, regardless of one’s position. Perhaps some poli-sci major can figure out a loving model and we can discuss it and form it together, like a true democracy.

Products would be eco-conscious and sustainable. They would uplift and inspire people to create positive changes in their lives.

I need your help.

Here are some of the peeps I’m looking for:

Creative Dreamers

Do you relate to John Lennon’s Imagine song on a deep soul level? Do you believe that we can change the world together? I’d like to find people who will help me to finish these books through additional input. I realize that the issue I have in writing this is because it was never a project that was meant to be done by myself. I would like to build a community of like-minded individuals who will meet online to discuss our ideas.

 Social Media Experts and Influencers,
Marketing and SEO Pros,
Crowdfunders and People Connectors

Being a creative introvert, I like to create all sorts of things, so on a social media score, I’m probably a D-. I mean, just take a look at my Instagram posts. Inconsistent and sparse. Sparsely inconsistent. Not cohesive in any way.

I need people who can help me create a successful crowdfunding campaign to generate money, create a buzz, and connect with others through social media. I’m looking for people to create an Instagram account and Facebook pages for Alice Always, and people maintain them. Also, I would like my blog posts to make it to page one on Google.

Web Designers

As I need to start several websites, I would like them to have a polished look using the colors of this one, so I need the designers to use Avada or a similar responsive theme. I would even like to tweak this one a bit. If you are a student, this might be a project for a class. I’d like to see what you’ve done, so please provide a website or links.

Graphic Designers and Illustrators

I do my own graphics, and they take me a while to create, so I would like to discontinue doing that and focusing on writing. I’m looking for someone to take some of the quotes from this blog and the future books to make graphics for Instagram and social media.

I’d like to work with designers who have AdobeStock (or some other stock art) who can create graphics for Alice Always featured images.

There is a particular style of Adobe Illustrator graphics that I prefer for this blog. If your style matches the image featured in this post here (or this one here), I’d like to hear from you as I will be looking for several book illustrators also.

The most pressing issue is creating two book covers, which I’d like to discuss with published cover artists. After that are illustrations for the children’s book, these will probably be paid by royalties after publication. That is a legal issue that needs to be worked out before work is started.

Please provide a link to your portfolio.

Film Makers

I would like to connect with filmmakers to create short video clips. Please provide links to your work.

Copywriters and Editors

I will need a copywriter and an editor for email campaigns and other projects. Please provide samples.

Attorneys

I need an attorney with knowledge of copyright and licensing laws and someone to advise me on Disney Execs or Peeps Affiliated with Disney.

Yep, I’m throwing it out there! I would like to connect with upper-level management on how my books can be made into Disney movies, musicals, and amusement park attractions. Since that might not happen soon, I’m looking for anyone associated with Disney Corporate who can help me navigate the proper channels and tell me what I need to know legally to publish these books as I would like to include characters from Disney franchises.

Also, I need to know if I can publish the Alice in Wonderland graphic as I did above. If you are in the legal department at Disney, please let me know if I need to remove it. I will gladly follow all legalities. I do not intend to use copyrighted images; for-profit and Disney-owned artwork will not be part of the final books.

Accountants

The money aspect is important for all of us because our society functions on a monetary system. A resume is required.

Virtual Assistant

As I need to spend time writing, I need at least one virtual assistant to help me with managing everything from projects, blog posts to connecting to people. This person needs to be very organized as I am not yet.

•  •  •

I am hoping to grow a community out of this. I want it to be fun and enjoyable for everyone involved.

If you would like to get involved in this curiouser and curiouser Alice in Wonderland adventure, please send a message here. I look forward to playing in Wonderland with you!

Thank you!

Always,
Alice Always

My Spiritual Awakening: It All Started With A Mouse

Back in May 1991, I went on vacation with my sister and a friend. My sister had just received her master’s degree and wanted to celebrate by going to someplace special. So we went to what some consider the most magical place in the world: Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

I had been there twice before the trip, so I knew how wonderful it could be. This time was no different and every moment of the vacation was fun, even when it rained. On a rainy afternoon, we saw many people wearing slick plastic ponchos with a Disney emblem on them. One of us (quite possibly me because I have a propensity for naming things) made up the term “Poncho Villa people”. You have to understand those transparent rain ponchos were a new concept back then and to us, they looked incredibly silly as a cultural phenomenon. We did not become assimilated into their cult and did our best to navigate umbrella-less throughout the Land of Mickey.

I have to pause from my story and say that I love Mickey Mouse, I have my entire life. One of my favorite t-shirts is an all-over print of various Mickey Mouse heads that I bought on this particular trip. At times, I call my boyfriend “Mickey” and sometimes sing parts of the catchy Toni Basil song Hey Mickey to him.

We stayed at the Caribbean Beach Resort, which is on the grounds of Walt Disney World so that we could go to all the theme parks by boat, shuttle or monorail, and never-ever step one foot off of Disney property. I feel that staying within the complex is the most magical way to visit this enchanted realm. When I’m there, I never want to leave. If you feel the same way about any Disney park, it’s partly because of the pixie dust that Tinker Bell and her friends sprinkle on you when you’re not looking.

On the last day of our trip, we checked out of the hotel and had several hours to spend until our afternoon flight. We found some lounge chairs along the beach and I quickly fell asleep.

I don’t know how much time had passed when a voice woke me up with the words: Write the book. Write the book that you always came here to write.

My epiphany was part of my spiritual awakening, A voice that didn’t sound like my own thoughts, was telling me something that was in my own heart. (Read more about my ideas of spiritual awakening here.)

I got home and started writing a fantasy novel. I adored the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien and always thought that I would write something along the sword and sorcery vein. The date was May 23rd; I remember it because it was my friend’s birthday.

Over time, the book I wrote morphed into another one and I sent the manuscripts off to publishers. They were rejected each time. Because I was one of those people who could not handle rejection well, years passed in between submissions to publishers. At one point, I stopped submitting altogether.

Meanwhile, I started writing the third book in the trilogy, completing several chapters and the ending. Most of the middle is not yet written, though the final chapter is. And that is the important part because it ends on a high note.

Writing a novel is a journey in itself. For me, it was an exploration of my own psyche, a map of my subconsciousness that took me years to understand. My fantasy novels are not structured writings with carefully outlined details but rather an unfolding of the story that occurs only when I’m ready. My books write themselves, or rather, they write me, revealing wisdom that I had forgotten. I had many serendipitous moments when I stumbled across another author’s work whose use of magic resembled my own. Perhaps we are all drawing from the same well.

23 years after my magical nap, it is May 2014 and I go on a trip with my boyfriend to celebrate his birthday. Just as Walt Disney World is my special place, the mountains are his, so we went to the Rockies.

It was there that I began to awaken to the realization that the book that I was meant to write wasn’t just another fantasy novel.

The puzzle pieces that had been scattered throughout my life began to fit together. I have always been fascinated with Alice in Wonderland, especially Disney’s cartoon movie. I love the 2010 version with Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, who also plays Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean. Do you know what my favorite ride is at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom? Yep! You guessed it! Pirates of the Caribbean.

In college in the 80’s, I did a pointillism project for an Illustration class. It was a picture of Alice falling down a rabbit hole and it took me over 40 hours to complete. (I will share that another time.)

In the 90’s, I had a shaman call me Alice and took me on a journey of shapeshifting. I also trained in shamanism and began the healing of my inner child, the Alice within me.

For many years, my boyfriend has owned a white rabbit statue. As a Christmas present in 2009, he gave me a drawing of a rabbit that he had created. Another time, he gave me a rabbit statue. I never told him of my Alice fascination but seeing each one leads me deeper down the rabbit hole of my own imagination.

I credit Walt Disney for waking me up. As I awaken to remembering more parts of my cosmic puzzle-self, I am seeing with renewed clarity how everything is connected through consciousness As I expand in my awareness, insights come to me which feel that they were always there. I just never looked at them.

It’s all about perception. While you may not share my love of the magic of Walt Disney,  you may have a curiouser idea that you don’t share with others because of an underlying fear, like rejection. Or you do share it and people act like you are entirely bonkers.

I’m completely bonkers and I’m happy to admit it.
I have ideas that are out of this world.
Maybe you do too.

My last post was about waking up as a Jedi. As audacious and maybe even childish as it sounds, I’ve always felt that I am a Jedi Knight ever since seeing the first Star Wars movie in a theatre in 1977. Now that Star Wars is part of Disney, it confirms my long-held belief that George Lucas didn’t invent Star Wars, he was merely awakening us to the wonders of the Force that we had forgotten.

It is my hope to someday contribute to Disney in a creative manner. All possibilities exist in multidimensionality, so that might still happen in this Universe.

I am certain that humanity will eventually see how multi-faceted, interconnected, and real the world of imagination actually is.

I believe that voice that woke me up in 1991 was Walt Disney. And just as he said, it all started with a mouse.

Always,
Alice Always

P.S. I would like to hear about your personal experience with spiritual awakening or your curiouser beliefs. Please share in the comments.