Cynthia Morris

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You’ve probably had a year that marked a pivot or change in your life. You take a bold leap in the direction of your dream and everything shifts. 1999 was that year for me. The changes I made set me on a new course as a writer, a coach and a person who finally felt like she was living the life she was meant for.

Part of me resists going into the way-back machine to write this story. Another part of me insists. I’ve seen it so many times: we all need more acknowledging and celebrating our wins. But as I reflected on that first summer of coaching and on all the steps between then and now, I recall how hard it was. How many times I wanted to give up. Getting to a 20-year business anniversary isn’t an accident. A blend of hard work, good fortune and the generosity of others has brought me here. I don’t want to skip over what it took to get here. In sharing this and other stories of things I have created, I hope to inspire you to take up your own daring projects.

That summer, I enrolled in a training that not only gave me a career, but a set of skills I could use to design my life according to my dreams and skills. I began writing a novel, and though I didn’t know it then, launched a business that would carry me through the next twenty years.

Earlier that year, I had heard about coaching from a magazine article. I signed up for the entire Coaches Training Institute program. The coach training coursework offered a completely new way of looking at life. It was a crash course in conscious communicating. I learned how to make choices according to who I am and what I want for my life. This wasn’t just a way to help others; my own life would be transformed in the process of serving others. It blew the lid off my mental state and opened up so much possibility. I started putting into place some of the things I’d dreamed about when I did The Artist’s Way five years earlier.

I was naive about what it would take to actually build a business around a skill set. I had just left my long-time job at Capitol Hill Books in Denver. My time at this quirky second-hand bookshop was my graduate school. I felt great freedom and joy in charting my own course of study at the bookstore. I had just abandoned pursuit of a master’s degree in French and set off on my own path.

I lived nimbly and humbly. Several income streams helped me make a new life for myself. I taught cooking and writing classes, worked as a personal chef and picked up other odd jobs as needed. I didn’t own a car, a home or lots of possessions. I wasn’t responsible for pets or children. Housesitting at a friend’s for the year brought my expenses way down. I spent my extra money on travel or workshops as I still do today.

Remember when you were a beginner at something? It’s not easy. It’s humbling. You kinda suck and you know you suck. I loved learning the coaching skills. But practicing them was daunting. I stumbled my way through client sessions, with sweaty pits and my mind on doing it right – asking the right questions, giving the client my best effort. It would be many years before I could drop the model from my awareness when coaching. It takes time to go from conscious incompetence to unconscious competence.

Most of us get really frustrated on a steep learning curve. I was no exception, but I kept practicing. I was grateful for those people who trusted me in those early days with their hopes and fears. I had no idea what I was doing building a business but I was slowly improving as a coach.

Finding clients as a new coach

I practiced coaching on anyone who would sign up for a 60-minute session. At the end of my vegetarian cooking classes, I talked about coaching. I passed around a sign-up sheet for a free sample. I did all the things one did back then to enroll clients: giving sample sessions, leading workshops with a coaching element, publishing a newsletter and hosting a web site. I had been teaching writing classes already, so I knew how to facilitate a group. Now I was adding coaching to the workshops to address the challenges we face when we commit to writing but that no one ever talked about in writing workshops.

But it wasn’t easy. I had to somehow overcome the feelings many of us have. Do you recognize yourself in these things I told myself? I didn’t want to ‘sell myself’. I resisted ‘pushing myself onto people’. It took all my courage and the support of my coach to do the things required to spread the word about my new work.

When we embark on something new, one of the first things we have to do is let our people know what we are up to. Nudged on by my coach, I wrote and sent a letter to everyone I knew. It was terrifying to ‘put myself out there’. Letting people know what I was doing and why was very uncomfortable. Even though this was incredibly difficult, tapping into my network helped me get started. Some of my first clients were people I already knew. Back then, most people hadn’t heard of coaching. There was a lot of work educating people. I worked in the ‘fake it ‘till you make it’ zone while I built confidence and competence.

There were fun things about building a business, too. I got to indulge my tastes and preferences for how I wanted my days to flow. I’d always been an office supply nerd, ever since I was a girl. I used to have my own desk and office at home. I was just like my dad, who ran his business from a desk in our home, and later my mom, who also had her own business. I loved keeping my pencils and pens tidy, and my notebooks in order. I had a ledger in which I wrote down all the books I got from the library and my rating for them. Not much has changed, hello Goodreads! My ‘office’ was a closet desk, with shelves and drawers. I was small enough to crawl inside and sit ensconced in the scent of pencil shavings and paper. I loved the order of my pens, paperclips and ledgers.

So in 1999, starting my coaching business meant, of course, getting office supplies. I went to Office Depot with my friend Gigia. There, we each put a Mac computer on the Office Depot credit card. If you paid it off in six months, there was no interest. I also got a fax machine and a ream of paper. And pens, I am sure. Thus in the summer of 1999, I entered the digital era.

Who would have known that I would take up a skillset and turn it into a thriving, 20-year old business? Back then, the internet wasn’t yet the platform to launch yourself and hang your shingle. I could not have known I could work completely online and from a home office. I’m grateful for it all – timing, luck and connections to new people and new ways of thinking.

Bringing coaching to writing

I took the common advice to find a niche for my work. Being a creative type and a writer, I focused on helping people get their work out of their head and into the world. It’s been a twenty-year deep dive into the creative process. In the course of thousands of conversations with clients, in the thick of my own making, in the study of what works to be an empowered creative, I have learned so much. I’m endlessly fascinated by how we humans make things and how that process in turn makes us who we are.

When I think back to my 32-year-old self, I feel the excitement of the new world opening up to her. What would she think if she could look ahead to 2019 and see what grew from that seed? She would be super psyched. There was of course a lot of stumbling, picking myself up and plunging ahead. This was a way to live and work on a growth edge, and I, a lifelong learner, was up for it. If you want to work through your ‘issues’, take up an art form or launch a business.

I’m working on a big project to celebrate the 20-year anniversary of Original Impulse. I’m not ready to share yet, but keep your eyes open for news. I will need your help to make this happen!

Celebrate your own milestones!

Get in your own time machine and travel back twenty years. What were you beginning? Who were you becoming? What would your young, newbie self say if she saw things now? Maybe you took a creative leap more recently. What inspired you to go for it? Finally, how can you acknowledge and celebrate your courage and conviction that helped you get going?

I did pay off the computer, interest-free, in six months. I’m still an office supply geek and I still love organizing and being in my current home office. Later this year, I will move to a new home. It will be the first time in all these years that I will work outside the home. I’ll be setting up my Atelier, or studio, for better workflow. I will also be hosting live workshops and events here in Denver.

When I started out 20 years ago, I didn’t know what I was doing. But over time, with luck, persistence and a good bit of magic, it all worked out. I remember this when clients want to plan out every detail before diving into the work. Planning takes us only so far, and I well know how easy it can be to hang out in that comfort zone. But over and over, the books and programs and artwork I have made have taught me about life, making and letting go. And that cluelessness when taking a leap isn’t always a bad thing!

What does my business’ origin story spark in you? Ask me anything.

The things I consume hopefully inspire me to create more or teach me to be a better human. Podcast conversations illuminate my drives, my kitchen time and my walks. Podcasts and books go a long way in buffering the loneliness that can come with working from home. Sharing some recent favorite books, movies and podcast with you helps me feel more connected. Enjoy!

Books

Feast Your Eyes by Myla Goldberg.  I am a Myla Goldberg fan, so when I saw this at the library, I had to get it. The story of a female photographer when photography was just being born in the ‘50s. Another great story about the creative life and what it costs women to be artists.

Museum of Modern Love by Hannah Rose.  I loved this novel that centers on Marina Abramovic’s performance piece at MoMA – “The Artist Is Present.” A beautifully written book about love and making art.

Less by Andrew Sean Greer.  A fun romp with some depth that carries the protagonist, a waning author, around the world where he hopes to elude his grief over a lost love.

It’s Not Your Money by Tosha Silver.  I have been reading Tosha’s books for awhile. This one focuses on abundance, prosperity and invites the reader to surrender to the Divine. I am working on this.

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb. I recently had the crazy idea to become a therapist. So when I heard Lori Gottlieb on Good Life Project podcast, I wanted to read her book about being a therapist and also being in therapy. I haven’t finished it, but it is engrossing and illuminating about the human condition.

Vietnamese Food Any Day by Andrea Nguyen. I heard about this book on The Splendid Table, another favorite podcast of mine. I love cooking but it’s easy for me to get into a rut and make the same stuff. I love Vietnamese food and with a few new cupboard items, I have been making tasty meals!

Podcast episodes I’ve loved

I don’t know what I would do without podcasts. They make driving and cooking so much more enjoyable. When do you listen to your podcasts and what are some of your recent faves? Share below in the Comments section. Here are my recent faves:

On Being with Krista Tippett with guest Atul Gawande
Tim Ferriss Show with guest Amanda Palmer; also episode with Ramit Sethi
Design Matters with Debbie Millman with guest Shantell Martin
Elena Brower with guest Lauren Zander
Hurry Slowly episode with guest Scott Barry Kaufman

Movies

I love cinema therapy. I watch a movie at least twice a week. I go for the dark French psychological dramas and Steve prefers a light and fluffy rom com. We seem to find a happy medium and enjoy the cinema therapy, two hours away from my own life and problems.

About Time
Dumplin’
The Edge of Seventeen
Roma
The Chaperone

TV Shows

I am trying to not get into watching shows, because I get hooked and then binge watch and then feel like I have lost some precious non-renewable time. But there are some shows that aren’t just blobbing on the couch, but inspire me creatively. Here are some recent faves:

Fleabag. The final and second season of Fleabag, written by and starring Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Wanderlust. I love Toni Collette so will see anything she is in. I LOVED this show about a therapist who asks her husband for an open marriage. The therapy episode was amazing.
Glow. SO much fun – Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling is a delightful tale of the underdog.
Babylon Berlin. I love Berlin and this historical show was fabulous, if dark.
Salt Fat Acid Heat. Four-part food show on Netflix with Samin Nosrat
Heal. Documentary about the mind/body connection and its role in healing. Profound.
Wanda Sykes Not Normal. Stand up comedy show. Hilarious.
Amy Schumer Growing Hilarious. stand up show.
Brené Brown The Call to Courage. A lot of this you have probably already heard, but it’s worth watching anyway. A masterful and inspiring talk that may change the way you create.

What is inspiring your creativity these days? Share what you are reading, hearing and watching below.

You’re tinkering in your studio, making that Erector Set capital A. Or, you’re pulling over to make notes about this story that keeps pestering you. You unroll your washi tape and mask out a colorful shape.

Your creative output may not earn you a Pulitzer or a show at the Guggenheim, but I assert that your creative efforts, however meager or non-profitable, are contributing to world peace.

We’re all creative, sure. Each and every one of us is making things every day — sandwiches, relationships, and choices.
And then there are the creators — people who are driven from inside to make things. Writers, artists, businesspeople, inventors, these are the people for whom making is not an option.

All the obstacles to creating

Even with this inherent creative drive, making is not always easy. Our natural creative impulses have perhaps been mocked, belittled and shut down. We tamp it down and play it safe for the sake of getting along, getting a job, and getting ‘real’.

Our excuses (Not enough time! Too many ideas!) often mask the inner obstacles. We’re insecure about our ideas, so it’s easier to do mundane tasks that call for no risk. Laundry, anyone? We are ignorant of how to write a novel, so we let that be an excuse to look at what other people are making instead. We don’t esteem ourselves enough to dedicate effort to something the world isn’t waiting for, so we defer our creative time to others’ agendas.

All the costs of not creating

It’s easy to layer these excuses over our creative dreams. Our default mode of ‘busy’ makes it easy to pretend we don’t have time for our creativity. But the cost of burying our creative drive in commonplace excuses is high. And it’s not just costing us, it’s costing the planet.

When we defer our creative power, we often feel:

• Jealousy over others’ output.
• Anxiety around unfulfilled purpose.
• Irritation over little things, a surface dissatisfaction hiding a deeper discontent.
• Overconsumption of others’ creativity, or of food or drink. Shopping, anyone?

If these aren’t bad enough, what’s worse is the persistent feeling of lack of integrity. When we defer our creativity, we are out of alignment with our very essence. Our ego or social self ‘gets along’ but our stifled creative self simmers in resentment.

This might contribute to mean gossip, road rage, unkind online comments or squelching someone else’s dream. Disconnecting from our creativity disconnects us from empathy and this disconnects us from others.

With so many of us walking around with our most vibrant creative selves locked away in the basement, it’s no wonder things are askew in the world.

Our creativity changes the world

I imagine a world where our creativity is liberated and fully expressed. What if:

• Honoring our creative impulses made us feel better and thus contributed more kindness, acceptance and joy to the world?
• Satisfying our muse satisfied the greater order of things and perhaps fosters more solutions to the world’s problems
• Honoring our creative impulse sparked a daily joy that ripples out and made a difference beyond our own selves, even if we don’t become rich or famous?
• Perhaps the time you selfishly protect for your doodling is not so selfish after all.

What if by dint of making, you make yourself a better person to be around? What if your own creative satisfaction makes you feel more energized, more productive and more purposeful?

What if that vibe made a difference in the world and you, tinkering away in obscurity, were actually contributing to world peace and healing?

Creativity makes a real, daily difference

This isn’t just a hypothesis. I’m not making this up. The real results my clients and students — and myself — have experienced from spending our ‘free’ time making include:

• Renewed vitality.
• Greater sense of spiritual connection and empathy.
• Release of old baggage, limiting beliefs and lingering emotional burdens.
• Feeling of fun and playfulness.
• Renewed enthusiasm for life.
• Sense of personal power and greater purpose.
• More flow of creative ideas and inspiration.

I could go on. In twenty years of coaching creatives, I’ve seen all kinds of miracles happen when people honor their inherent creative drive. Sure, some have published their books. Others have won awards for their art and built thriving businesses.

But every single person who has devoted themselves to their creativity has felt immediate and potent benefits. We don’t have to produce a bestseller to change the world. Changing our own state of being has an impact on those around us.

We grow through our creativity

I believe the work we make works us. And the works we don’t make diminish our humanity and our creative essence. In my work as a coach and teacher, I spend my days unlocking the creative basement so those who feel the drive to create can get out of their own way.

When we say yes to our creative work, we’re not just making a book or a piece of art or a business. We’re making ourselves. We’re making ourselves whole and that makes the planet a better place. Our creativity is the source of our vitality. Anything that brings alive our natural creative drive contributes to peace and healing.

You’ve heard that song, Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me. I say, let peace begin with your creativity. You might think this is a simplistic or perhaps unrealistic expectation for our tinkering, our scribbling and our making. But when love drives our creative acts, there’s no greater force.

What will you make today?