Gild the Lily

"To gild refined gold, to paint the lily, to throw a perfume on the violet, to smooth the ice, or add another hue unto the rainbow..." -Shakespeare

Philosophy: Never stop improving yourself

Pride and Prejudice and Philosophy

“You must learn some of my philosophy. Think only of the past as its remembrance gives you pleasure.” 
― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

Philosophy: The past not only helps us to understand our present, but to enjoy it as well. 

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

My sketch of a ship

"Day after day, day after day, we stuck- nor breath nor motion; As idle as a painted ship upon a painted ocean." 

Philosophy: Stagnation doesn't preclude growth; sometimes it generates motivation. 

The Mad Hatter

"Hatter: Have I gone mad? Alice: I'm afraid so. You're entirely bonkers. But I'll tell you a secret. All the best people are." Lewis Carroll

Philosophy: Madness is genius 

These are a few of my favorite things...

Travel. Coffee. Psychology. Art. Books. Flowers.

Philosophy: You are what you love.

Philosophy of Procrastination

“I can't think about that right now. If I do, I'll go crazy. I'll think about that tomorrow.” 
― Margaret Mitchell, Gone with the Wind

Sometimes it's warranted. 

Hemingway

"When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen." 

— Ernest Hemingway

As a therapist, listening is likely my greatest asset. 

Philosophy: You have to hear to heal. 

Fulfillment

-F Scott Fitzgerald 

Philosophy: Remember to be grateful for what you already have. 

Light

"There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that receives it." -Edith Wharton

Philosophy: Be an advocate of goodness: reflect what you receive, generate what you wish you had.

The Fig Tree

“I saw my life branching out before me like the green fig tree in the story. From the tip of every branch, like a fat purple fig, a wonderful future beckoned and winked. One fig was a husband and a happy home and children, and another fig was a famous poet and another fig was a brilliant professor, and another fig was Ee Gee, the amazing editor, and another fig was Europe and Africa and South America, and another fig was Constantin and Socrates and Attila and a pack of other lovers with queer names and offbeat professions, and another fig was an Olympic lady crew champion, and beyond and above these figs were many more figs I couldn't quite make out. I saw myself sitting in the crotch of this fig tree, starving to death, just because I couldn't make up my mind which of the figs I would choose. I wanted each and every one of them, but choosing one meant losing all the rest, and, as I sat there, unable to decide, the figs began to wrinkle and go black, and, one by one, they plopped to the ground at my feet.” -Sylvia Plath

My all time favorite quote. The first time I read this quote I imagined it was myself, not Esther, in the crotch of that fig tree; grabbing desperately at different futures under a palpable pressure of time and limitations set forth by my gender and maintained by society. I could relate. I have many interests: drawing, psychology, acting, traveling, and of course writing, to name a few, but I had to choose one. My choice to pursue a doctorate in psychology was as much a choice made out of personal interest as it was out of necessity. It was the only option that had the prospect of financial stability and simultaneous self-fulfillment, but I didn’t want my other interests to drop dead at my feet the moment I declared my major in college. So instead, I’ve tried to gather each fig as I see them slip from the tree like a frantic juggler at a carnival. To that end, I've self-published a novel, generated a decent collected of artwork, and traveled to over 15 countries. 

Philosophy: Life is what YOU make it. 

Recovery

People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone. - Audrey Hepburn 

This quote parallels my thoughts on rehabilitative psychology- particularly the recovery movement for individuals with schizophrenia. 

Philosophy: No one is beyond help. 

Philosophy of Mistakes:

“Sometimes I wish we could rub out all of our mistakes and start fresh, from the beginning,' I said. 'And sometimes I think there isn't anything to us but our mistakes.” 

― Paula McLain, The Paris Wife

If you're not making mistakes then you aren't trying anything new. 

Philosophy: Perfection doesn't exist. 

Humor = Health

"I have an everyday religion that works for me. Love yourself first, and everything else falls into line." - Lucille Ball

Philosophy: To laugh is to live

John Lennon

“When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.” ― John Lennon

Philosophy: Happiness is the key to life 

Book Worm

 Books are an escape, an adventure, a world untethered to reality...

Philosophy: Books are therapy 

Insanity

"I was never insane except upon occasions when my heart was touched." 

Philosophy: Emotions are powerful.

Thoughts --> Feelings --> Behaviors

What's past is prologue

My drawing of Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby.

"And so we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past." Our past, our history, informs our present and our future.

Philosophy: Past is Prologue 

Anais Nin

Philosophy: Philosophy, psychology, and art help us to make sense of ourselves and others.

All or Nothing

"I am so thirsty for the marvelous that only the marvelous has power over me. Anything I can not transform into something marvelous, I let go. Reality doesn't impress me. I only believe in intoxication, in ecstasy, and when ordinary life shackles me, I escape, one way or another. No more walls.” ANAIS NIN 

Philosophy: Go to the extreme; be marvelous 

Einstein's Wisdom

My drawing of Albert Einstein.

"The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination." -ALBERT EINSTEIN

 Philosophy: Creativity and Imagination = Intelligence 

Philosophy of Feelings

As a therapist, it is often difficult to measure your success. At times, it seems as though no progress has been made at all; despite months of concerted effort. This quote by Maya Angelou really embodies my philosophy of psychology. What matters is not always the technique you used or precise turn of phrase, but rather how you've impacted your patient emotionally. 

Philosophy: Feelings are enduring.