Rick Allen

Fountain Hills

I paint beautiful women! I write about love and stuff! My first book is on Amazon. It is a road map to creating your own book.

Articles

In the Space Between Effort and Grace

21 hours ago | open.substack.com | Rick Allen

For years, I thought creativity meant being original. Clever. Maybe even impressive. I figured if I could just come up with something no one else had thought of, I’d be a real artist. A real writer. A real contributor to this strange and beautiful world. But it never quite worked that way. Rick’s Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
In the Space Between Effort and Grace

1 day ago | medium.com | Rick Allen

What happens when I stop reaching for brilliance and start allowing something deeper to move through meFor years, I thought creativity meant being original. Clever. Maybe even impressive. I figured if I could just come up with something no one else had thought of, I’d be a real artist. A real writer. A real contributor to this strange and beautiful world. But it never quite worked that way. I’ve come to realize that creativity lives in the space between effort and grace.
How Flexible Thinking Strengthens the Mind

5 days ago | medium.com | Rick Allen

A delightful place to spend some time, feed your soul, be inspired, and laugh a lot. Follow publicationWhy I stopped teaching certainty and started modeling curiosityI used to think the goal of teaching was to pass along what I knew. The right answers. The clear values. The stable foundation. But over time, I noticed something: the more certain someone was, the less they could listen. The more fixed their viewpoint, the more fragile it became when challenged.
Beauty as a Form of Truth

1 week ago | rickallen.substack.com | Rick Allen

There are moments when something ordinary stops me — a line of shadow across a table, a worn hand resting in stillness, the uneven edge of a pot someone made by hand. These things aren’t beautiful in the way we’ve been taught to expect. But they feel honest. Alive. And in that aliveness, I feel something I trust. I’ve come to believe that beauty isn’t just decoration — it’s revelation. It doesn’t flatter. It tells the truth.
What I Gave Away Came Back in Ways I Couldn’t Predict

1 week ago | medium.com | Rick Allen

A delightful place to spend some time, feed your soul, be inspired, and laugh a lot. Follow publicationHow the Law of Reciprocity reshaped the way I give, receive, and trust the unfolding of lifeFor most of my life, I’ve been the kind of person people come to when they need a hand. I don’t say that to wear a badge, just to name a pattern. I’ve fixed things, helped people move, brought meals when someone was grieving. If I had the time and a way to help, I usually said yes. And mostly, it felt good.
The Missing Pie

2 weeks ago | medium.com | Rick Allen

Using the Drabble format, our publication presents stories for children that are exactly 100 words in length. Each story has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Each story is a life lesson teaching principles and values while encouraging big thoughts and imagination. Follow publicationA mystery in MiniwoodIn the cozy village of Miniwood, the annual Pie Bake Off was the highlight of the year.
It’s Not Too Late to Create

2 weeks ago | rickallen.substack.com | Rick Allen

There comes a time when the rush slows, and the noise settles just enough for us to hear something we may have ignored for years — our creative voice. If you’re over 50, you might be feeling that pull. Maybe you used to paint but put the brushes away decades ago. Maybe you always wanted to write but convinced yourself you weren’t a “writer.” Or maybe you’re simply craving something new, something that makes you feel alive again.
The Art of Believing on Purpose: A Creative Path to Conscious Living

2 weeks ago | medium.com | Rick Allen

Some beliefs aren’t found — they’re made. And in their making, we discover ourselves. I’ve long held that the most powerful canvas isn’t stretched across wood — it’s stretched across awareness. Just as an artist selects colors not simply to match the world but to interpret it, I’ve come to believe that we choose our beliefs for a similar reason: not to prove a truth, but to explore one. And once you taste that kind of freedom, dogma feels like a pair of shoes two sizes too small.
The Jump

2 weeks ago | medium.com | Rick Allen

Using the Drabble format, our publication presents stories for children that are exactly 100 words in length. Each story has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Each story is a life lesson teaching principles and values while encouraging big thoughts and imagination. Follow publicationA reflection on ConfidenceDrabble Maya stood on the edge of the diving board. Her toes curled over the rough surface. Below, the water seemed so far away. “Just jump!” someone shouted.
The Familiar, Part IV

2 weeks ago | medium.com | Rick Allen |Arpad Nagy

Each week, I will give you a new sentence — the first sentence for you to write a piece of short fiction. From drabbles to several-minute reads — let your imagination take you where it will!Follow publicationHe didn’t move on. He moved deeper. Chapter Ten: The Crossing Before the EndHe didn’t open the second box. Not yet. He sat beside it in the grass, legs crossed, palms resting on his knees. Luna settled near his foot, her flank pressed gently against his ankle.