Give me Pleasure or Give me Death

When we are willing to make what wants to be made rather than make what we want, we become open to new directions.  We begin to be able to let some of the seriousness out of our artist's life, and we begin to let some of the playfulness back in.  It is an ironic fact that most great artists are inherently playful.  JULIA CAMERON



I think it is important to play and have fun in life.  I believe that is what is lacking in most peoples lives, and why so many people are unhappy.  Some people do not even know how to have fun.  If you don't then I think you should learn.  People made fun of me when I went to college and my major was Recreation.  I added a double major of computer technolgy just to look reputable to my parents.  They thought recreation was not a valid profession.  I will tell you we need recreation in our lives.  If we do not know how to have fun, than we need professionals that can help us.  My epertese is having fun.  I try to have fun in everything I do.  Recreation is a HUGE part of our economy as well!  How could they think that it was not reputabe to be in the recreation industry?



I did excell at recreation and having fun.  It is the business I have been in for the last 17 years.  I am still in the recreation business!  I just happend to change majors from guiding to writing.  I believe my writing brings value and joy to those that read it, or at least I hope so.  I enjoy sharing my stories and experiences with people that would never be able to do things like come to Alaska.  I have had so many people tell me that even though  they would never be able to do what I do, that they can live vicarously through me.  This gives me emmense satisfaction, to know that.

I am happy that my pictures and stories could light peoples lives and give them joy and pleasure.

More to come from Alaska Woman~ Life in the Wilds of Alaska


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Go Big or Go Home!

In this life of mine I have come to find even though women have come a long way, we are still belittled and treated differently than men. I think we should be teated differently in the aspect that we tend to be the more nurturing and loving of the sexes. Some women just do not fit that mold. Even women that are nurturers should be given respect. Black hearted business women need love too!

I just want to be treated like a human. Is that so much to ask? It is so funny to me how men will give respect to other men for the stupidest things, and belittle and sabotage women for being successful. It takes a strong woman to see past the glass ceiling and break that son of a bitch to pieces. The next step is living with yourself after you have done this. Believe it or not this is the hard part. After you have gotten that respect, some women revert back into the frame of mind that most of society would like us to fit into.
I
I think it is so funny how men can make sexual remarks and it is totally acceptable. If a woman does it, she is seen as inappropriate. Well I am inappropriate!

So friends, the moral to this story is Go Big or Go Home, and cry to your mommy if you can't play with the big kids!!

Alaska Life; Living Wild!!

Pic of Jill Davis in Icy Bay, Alaska... Brave enough to get dropped off on an Iceberg~  It is great, everyone should do it once!

I wanted to share a poem with you~

There is a pleasure in the pathless woods.
There is a rapture on the lonely shore.
There is society where no one intrudes.
By the deep sea, and music in it's roar.
I love man the less, but nature more.
From these interviews, in which I steal.
From all I may be, or have been before.
To mingle with the universe, and FEEL.
What I can never express yet can not at all conceal.
BYRON

I feel fortunate to have gotten to do so much exploring over the years.  I really did have to make a conscious effort to live this lifestyle.  It did not just fall in my lap.  People have to make the choice and effort for these experiences.  Most people would rather just complain about what they never get to do.  Well folks, I went out and did it!

I want more~  There are places and things that I have planned.  I have always wanted to go travel the world.  I am going to do it.  The Amazon for peacock Bass, South America for Brown Trout and Golden Dorado, Bahama's and Belize.  Watch out world, here comes Jill Davis and I do not give up till I have accomplished what I set my mind to.  That is what it has taken in the past and pretty darn sure it has not changed.

I wish all the best life has to offer to you my friends, and as Donald Trump says, "If you are going to Dream, DREAM BIG!!"

Take care form the Wilds of Alaska
Alaska Woman, Jill Davis
join me on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/jdlostcoast

   

Alaska Life; Dream Big

Pic of Jill Davis landed on a remote beach on the "Lost Coast" of Alaska

Writing is the act of motion.  Writing is the commitment to move forward, and not to stew in our own juices, to become whatever it is that we are becoming.  Writing is both the boat and the wind in the sails.  Even on the days when the winds of inspiration seem slight, there is some forward motion, some progress made.  JULIA CAMERON

Writing as in life we need to move forward.  I agree with Julia, or we will be stewing in our own juices, which sounds kinda gross to me!  If even going to the grocery store is moving forward than that could be considered an achievement.  I have big goals and aspirations.  I look around and see others with those things that I have aspired to achieve and sometimes get a little jealous.  I always seem to think to myself in the back of my mind it just landed in their lap somehow or "Lady Luck" had something to do with it.  Sometimes I do not even realize my own accomplishments.  I think that is because not many people have given me any acknowledgement.  Now that I look back on some of the things I have done or achieved I realize now how extraordinary those things were.  At the time I felt a sense of struggle or even uncomfortable.  I think I was not comfortable in my own skin but I think the bottom line was I did not have a very good support team that would give me any uplifting.  No matter how much I accomplished, I was told I was not good enough, did not work hard enough or do a good enough job.  Wow were they crazy or what?  What is even crazier is that I believed it and took it to heart.

I am comfortable now in my own skin and very happy with My Alaska Wild Adventures living real life in the wilds of Alaska.  I have learned to be happy with myself and what I can accomplish.  I set high standards and goals but take in to consideration that it takes steps, sometimes baby steps.  Taking steps toward those goals and being happy with those steps, and knowing that those steps add up.  The worst thing we can do is nothing.  Jack Canfield Author of Chicken Soup for the Soul is one of my mentors.  He has sold over a BILLION books!!! Can you imagine a BILLION BOOKS!!! Wow!  They are printed all over the world.  Jack was told by many people that his books were no good and at they would never be published or sell.  Boy were they wrong.  It was his act of not sitting still and not taking no for an answer and knowing deep down in his soul and being that his book was good enough and that HE was good enough. 

That is what it takes in life people knowing that you are good enough and that you deserve happiness no matter what we have been told by others.  Another thing Jack Canfield told me that I took to heart was that to get a book written, even if we wrote one page a day in a year that is 365 pages!! Imagine that if all we did was write one page a day in a year those pages would add up to a pretty good size book.  In any goal we have in life, if we just do one little thing every day towards it, that is something that will add up.  A year seems like a long time, but for me it has been going by fast.  Not always, but it does fly by before we know it. 

Live life to the fullest friends and do what you enjoy and makes you happy!! Go get that Ice Cream Cone! Yeah Baby~
I look forward to your comments and feedback!  Find me on Facebook~

Take care from the Wilds of Alaska
Alaska Woman Jill Davis
http://www.facebook.com/jdlostcoast

Alaska Life; The Spice of Life

Creativity involves process, and process involves change.  The truism we often hear is that we resist change because change is difficult or change is painful.  This is not accurate.  It is the resistance to change that is difficult or painful.  In the same way, it is the resistance to our creativity that causes us to equate it with suffering.  It is important to remember that "effort" and "suffering" are two different things. Julia Cameron

Hope you all are having a good start of the week!  The fun thing about life out in the wilds of Alaska is that it is always changing.  We go through phases and seasons.  Some people are happy with their routine.  Well folks my routine is that you never know what is going to transpire.... isn't that fun? 

When you do not know when and where things are going to happen.  Most of us are scared of the unknown, well I welcome it!  Some people can not have fun without a plan.  I think a general plan is good but what excites me the most is impulsiveness.  When I commit to something I follow through to the end, so I am not "flighty."  I spent 17 years in the lodge business, and was very dedicated.  Within the realm of that business though I was able to have the freedom to "fly by the seat of my pants" so to speak.  You have to have a plan, but things happen.  The storm blows in and it is too gnarly to fish so you have to improvise.. stay indoors, tie flies and tell campfire stories.  The river blows out, so the plan to go to the river you intended is no longer an option, so new plan.  I believe in structure, but also I welcome the unpredictable.  That to me is what makes life interesting.

I suggest to all of you add a little spice to your life and try something new!  You never know what will transpire~

I am looking forward to your feedback and comments!

Take care from the Wilds of Alaska
Alaska Woman Jill Davis
http://www.facebook.com/jdlostcoast

Alaska Woman's Trick to Happiness

My Pet Blue Jay at Icy Bay, Alaska.... he loved Butter!

In times of pain, when the future is too terrifying to contemplate and the past too painful to remember, I have learned to pay attention to the right now.  The precise moment I was in was always the only safe place for me.  Each moment, taken alone, was always alright.  I am breathing in and out.  Realizing this, I began to notice that each moment is not without it's beauty.  JULIA CAMERON

Life is not always going to be a pleasurable experience.  In times of strife look to what there is to be grateful for.  That is something that has always gotten me through times when I was not feeling so great.  My Grandma would always tell me "Count your Blessings Jill."  I use this everyday in my life and try to tell others when they are going through tough times.  I actually believe we cannot appreciate the sweet unless we have tasted the bitter.

You would not believe some of the complaints I have heard over the years from people.  People in my mind that should be the happiest people in the world.  People in my mind that had the world at their fingertips.  There will always be unhappiness, the trick is to outsmart it!  It is all  in your mind~  Everyone should be happy about something.  It is only natural to want things that we think are going to "make" us happy, but in truth if you are not happy on the inside that "thing" is only going to bring you temporary joy.  That vicious cycle of collecting things we think are going to "make" us happy. 

My advice.... be happy with yourself and what you have first, and the rest will follow if you work at it.  It is not just going to land in your lap by rubbing a magic lamp!  Do anything simple to get you out of the funk like even as simple as buying an ice cream cone, heck it worked for me once!  Be wary though some people use shopping as therapy or eating and that definately can become a disorder, so please take in mind I am not a licensced heath professional and please don't sue me if the ice cream cone thing does not work!

I am looking forward to your friendship, comments and feedback!

Take care from the Wilds of Alaska!
Alaska Woman Jill Davis
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/jdlostcoast

Alaska Life; Wimps need not apply!

Photo by Jill Davis

What is it about Alaska that enthralls people?  Well friends the list is endless.... I will tell you one thing Wimps need not apply!

Alaska is not for the faint of heart.  There is a saying up here that goes "Alaska where men are men and the women are too"

Well sorry to say there is a lot of truth to that.  Of course that used to be more common in the days before the 90's.  In the 1970's Alaska was practically the Old West.  I have noticed things have become quite civilized in the past 20 years.  I have not had that much time in civilization to experience that though.  Out of the past 17 years I have spent a total of 3 months max out of 12 in so called society.  I think that is about all I could handle or more like about all that civilization could handle of me.  There are a select group of us Black Sheep out there that just do not fit in to the mold that society wants people to fit in.

I think those people that fit that Black Sheep category became guides and outfitters.  I guess that is what makes the best guide and outfitter, one that is willing to go against the grain and pioneer a trail that no on else has gone on.  Do something or build something somewhere no one else has built.  I applaud all of you in the elite club that have done things that said they could not be done, gone places no one else has gone, and succeeded in their dreams and goals.

I am being harsh when I say wimps need not apply, I use it to weed out the faint of heart.  We take wimps!  I have been guiding in the wilderness for 17 years and the people that surprised me the most with courage were people that I never would have thought had it in them.  Alaska will test you physically and mentally.  I do enjoy sharing my wilderness with anyone brave enough to come experience true raw rugged wilderness.  It will be something you will never forget, and you probably be wanting to come back for more!  Once you get Alaska in your system it is hard for anyone to get it out.

I look forward to hearing your posts and comments, find me on Facebook! 
check out my website http://www.alaskawildadventures.tv

Cheers from the Wilds of Alaska!
Alaska Woman Jill Davis

LIFE AND ART

Our life is supposed to be our life, and our art is supposed to be something we do "in" it and with it. 

Our life must be larger than our art.  It must be the container that holds it.  Life is not linear.

Our Artist's Way is a long and winding road, and we travel it best in the company of others, engaged not in the inner movie of the ego but in the outer-directed attention that fills the well with images and stocks the imagination with stories.

Rather being "full time artists," we might aspire to being full time humans.  When we do, art is the overflow of a heart filled with life.  JULIA CAMERON

I believe we get too concerned with pressure to "be" something, I think being ourselves is something.  Everyone is good at something and doing what you enjoy is being something.  That could be making a good cup of coffee or tea, cross stitching, sewing, etc.  It is all art, we are not in a competition in this world, well not totally true.  We can be in competition if that is what pleases us. 

I hope people realize doing what you enjoy weather you think it is not as good as others will not let that bother or deter you.  Enjoy your life and do what makes you happy!  Another thing to keep in mind is that we will get better.  You should see some of my first pictures.... so amateur.  That is the truth though.  I do believe that I take better pictures than I used to.  A professional photographer told me back when we used film he was happy to get one good picture out of a roll of film.

By the way a more expensive item does not improve your performance.  Granted when you become better at something having a better quality item will improve the outcome.  I think people buy expensive things thinking it will make them better at something, I just laugh. 

I guide sport fishermen and they come up with these $2,000.00 rod and reel set ups, and then there was me with my cheapo rod and reel. 

I actually had expensive set ups, but did not bring them out guiding because people usually broke their rods and needed to borrow mine, and no way in hell was I going to let someone touch my GLX with my Able reel but me!  Well, I would have to say the expensive rod did not make them a better caster.  I do not like to put people to shame, but should one hold back if they are good at something?  It is true I think a good guide does not purposely try to look better than their client, but if you can not help it is it a crime? 

Well long story short do what you love, buy the cheap stuff till you get good at it, and then you can appreciate the quality high end items when the time comes!

Take Care from Alaska Woman!
feel free to friend me on Facebook or e-mail me with your comments or feedback!
http://www.alaskawildadventures.tv

Alaska Wild Adventures the Easiest Catch

Facebook Addiction

Hello, My Name is Jill Davis and I am a Facebook Addict

With all of the distractions of Facebook, email, and social media in general it is a strain to almost force myself away from my compter and ipad.  Writing is like exercise, painful at fist but the more we do it the more we get our writing minds and hands into shape.  By the way now I am thinking I should be gig to the real gym to physically workout.... geez i need to stay on track.  No pain no gain.

I truly believe Facebook could be considered an addiction similar to a dug addiction.  Facebook for me has been a replacement for T.V. It an be mindless numbing entertainment.  I do not mind admitting I do enjoy watching reality t.v.  it is like watching a train wreck that I can not keep my eyes off of no matter how bad t gets.  Now with Facebook I have my own plethora of reality tv channels.  I have real life dramatic soap operas between friends, family and couples.  I have religion, politics, activism, comedy, and inappropriate comedy.  I am like a kid in a candy store, sampling all of the delicious candy.  A little bit of everything for me please!

I have to admit I started Facebook with the upmost honest intentions of using it to connect with family, friends, and my Facebook fan page Alaska Wild Adventures to share with the world my adventures in the wilds of Alaska.  And I stick to that but for me it has turned in to something more something powerful that takes my will to control from not turning into abuse.

I get uplifted by the inspirational quotes and love the humor, I also get to see and talk to people from all over the world and plan my next expeditions. I get to see others experiences at various lodges or destinations firsthand.  I have met the most wonderful people on Facebook that I enjoy conversing with.   I do us Facebook a tool, but it can easily turned into a weapon.

Look at me he person that lectures people about staying off of their iphones and here I am a hypocritical facebook addict.  I do not do it in public tough i am a home user, but with my ipad as beig an enabler with  that glossy touch screen with that button on the top "more stories" so easily accessible.  Then I can hop from my personal page to my fan page, then to my emails.  My goodness at least back n the day on the computer wen we had to physically switch pages it kept me at bay.  I do need it for staying on top of my writing and adventure pages.  It does take will though.

Well I do love Facebook and all of the neat things I can see ad do from the privacy of my home and share my Alaska Wild Adventures with you.

I have actually gone to the library and checked out 4 books, went to the bookstore and bought 4 books.  I have read more in the past 2 weeks than I have read in years.  I have enjoyed my latest adventures in Sika and Cordova and looking forward to sharing more adventures to come.

I love Facebook and I hope that I inspire you to venture out away from your computers, take a walk, go to the library, check out a book or go to the bookstore and buy a book.  Remember what joy comes from the pages of book running through your fingers and the adventures you can go on through the authors words.

Here is an excerpt from a book I just bought "The Artist's Way Everyday" A Year of Creative Writing by Julia Cameron

It is no coincidence that artistic annals are filled with tales of incendiary romantic intrigue, yielding blazing creative work.  Our muses are fuse lighters, and the blaze they ignite may be passionate, creative, or both.

Artists can marry, but they must marry well.  And I would argue, there must be merriment in their marriage for their work to continue, to flourish.  In Artist to Artist relationships, both artists must need to be nurtured and seen.  Neither partner should be neutered or neutralized by excessive care taking.

AGENDAS CANNOT REPLACE ADVENTRES ~  Julia Cameron

Finding Your Inner Peace

There is a pleasure in the pathless woods.

There is a rapture on the lonely shore.

There is society where none intrudes.

By the deep sea, and music is it's roar.

I love not man less, but nature more.

From these our interviews, in which I steal.

From all I may be, or have been before.

To mingle with the universe, and FEEL.

What I can ne'er express, yet can not conceal.

BYRON

Geting Back in to the swing of things!!!

Hi Friends!!!

I have been on a little hiatus.  I hope you did not miss me too badly.  It was the holidays, and I was traveling.  I have been on a short break from my normal writing and videoing activities.  As William Shakespeare would say "Strong reasons make for Strong Actions!"

I am in Cordova, Alaska and having a great time.  I moved here when I was 7 years old.  I then moved around a bit over the years.  I lived with my father on and off in Oklahoma, but I have always considered Cordova my Hometown.  I graduated high school here and I am sure at the time they were happy to see me head out on my life's adventures.  Since I have been back I have been more than welcomed with open arms by my childhood friends.

I am happy to be back and can not believe how much I missed the scenery and comradery, even for a hermit like myself that has spent most of the last 17 years of my life isolated in locations only accessable by boat or bushplane.  It is a nice change to hone my people social skills.  Being mostly a YouTuber/ Facebooker/Blogger can and will give you a fase sense of social grace!  I must admit dealing with people on a face to face basis is a lot different~

I am glad to be back writing and have a lot of stories to share with you.  I hope you enjoy and feel free to e-mail me and facebook me with your comments and feedback.

This is a video of Humpback Whales Bubble feeding.  I spent 8 months on a remote Island off of the North tip of Kodiak Island and got to see this face to face!  More to come~
 

Thank you kindly!
Sincerely,
Alaska Woman Jill Davis

Happy to see you here on my Alaska Woman Page!! I want to share with you true stories of growing up in the Wilds of Alaska!!