I’m writing another book! It’s a book about writing books (so meta!).
The working title is The Busy Woman’s Guide to Writing a World-Changing Book. This has been outlined and partially drafted and sitting in my Evernote files for years.
It feels so good to get this project off the way back burner and onto my current work flow. It feels good to put all the things I have been sharing with clients and teaching in classes into a form that so many more people can access. To me, this is a legacy project that will live beyond me and hopefully – as the title suggests – change the world.
Many of my clients are at the place where it’s time to do their legacy work. They’ve become experts in their field, and the time is ripe to extend their knowledge to a greater audience.
It’s not always easy to add a legacy project to our docket. But it’s ultimately worth it.
I know myself – I am most fulfilled and happy when I have a big project to work on. Last year I wrote Visit Paris Like an Artist and it was such fun to bring the ideas inside me out to the world.
I am using the Atelier to stay on track (I’m easily distracted by new projects). In February I will be doing 15 minute daily writing bursts to make even more progress.
What about you? What legacy project are you bringing out of the closet, dusting off and engaging with? If it’s a writing project, you might want to join us to write every day in February.
The Devoted Writer helps writers of all genres and levels get their words out with ease. And there are always a lot of non-writers in my classes, too. Everyone has to write, and this is the perfect way to finally get butt-in-chair time.
Join a global group of dedicated writers and me for a powerful writing month like none other. All the details are here.
Seeking your authentic expression
Years ago, I had the fortune to be on a panel about creative lifestyles with Barbara Winter, Barbara Sher and Valerie Young. I told my story of all the weird jobs I had held and how it led me to my work as a coach.
Afterward, Barbara Sher came up to me and told me “You are so authentic!” I took that as a compliment, though I wondered what exactly that meant.
On a job interview, when asked why they should hire me, I said, I’m authentic! Later, I wondered, what does that actually mean?
Sometimes if feels like our authenticity is a far-away place we don’t know how to get to. Despite our ability to share so much online, we often censor ourselves in how we present ourselves online, in our creative work, in our jobs and even in our relationships.
We don’t say what we really mean. We edit ourselves for the environment. We revise our communication so it suits the listener rather than coming from a deep, true place.
A certain amount of this is social conditioning, and it’s a good thing. But when it comes to writing or creating bodies of work, censoring ourselves is death to our creativity.
If you’re like me, when you read something that’s deeply honest or see a performer who is completely ‘in her skin’, you’re moved. You can tell when someone is giving you their fullest, most true expression. It perhaps inspires you to be more fully expressed yourself.
I have been writing and making art for decades now, and I am still on the quest of more and more authenticity. It’s an ongoing process of digging deeper to find not only what, but how I want to share my gifts.
With this goal in mind, I launched a daily challenge for myself: One True Line. Every day I write and share something that is true for me at the time. It’s surprisingly uncomfortable, and yet I know from experience that when I share something that is real and raw, it’s more compelling than the surface or cliche stuff.
I have to keep asking myself ‘what’s true?’ and also keep in check my concern over others’ response. It’s only just begun and I can see that I have many lines to pen to get to my true self.
The way I’m seeking access to this authentic self is free-writing. I’ve been using and teaching this tool since 1996 and it’s stunning how it helps us get past the inner critic, shed social conventions and get to the core of who we are and what we want to say. I write a lot of lines, in a drive toward the core.
In the classes I teach we use this method, and we don’t share our writing. Having this public accountability alongside privacy allows participants to feel free without worrying about how the writing will be received. This freedom opens up a whole new layer of authenticity and connectedness with the self. It’s astonishing how much power writers gain from this process. I use free-writing for everything I write and it’s helping me with my One True Line challenge*.
If that kind of freedom sounds like something you could use in your life, for a book you are writing or for your own personal enlightenment, I invite you to join us in my new online class The Devoted Writer.
During the month of February we will be writing daily together in a free and empowering way. Find out all the details here and join me to bring more authenticity into the world.
I’d love to hear how you seek and find your authenticity. Please share your thoughts in the comment area below.
One true line: I fear my ambition exceeds my abilities
One True Line
Hemingway got past writer’s block by telling himself to ‘write one true sentence’. As a writer and artist, I crave more permission to be honest.
Long ago, I decided to never post anything ‘negative’ online. But now I see how that has allowed me to only show the cheerful, positive parts of myself.I want to take the muzzle off and share myself more authentically.
So I am taking up Hemingway’s invitation with a new series, One True Line.Every day, I will write or draw what I consider a truth. Just one line. This project could take many forms; I am leaving it intentionally open.
Join me in your own daily One True Line. It’s free and there’s no need to sign up.
Simply follow along on Instagram or Facebook, using the hashtag #onetrueline .
What’s in the way of your creativity?
Do you feel lack of confidence, attempt too many projects, suffer from disorganization and plain old fear?
It’s easy to let our demons force our creativity into the closet.
Probably the biggest thing I do for my clients and students is help them get these obstacles – both inner and outer – out of the way so they can create with joy and ease.
When I talk about a program like my year-long Atelier program, I emphasize getting things done. But often we have to get things out of the way in order to get things done.
What would your life and your creativity be like with that biggest bugaboo finally gone? I’m taking a stand for creativity that empowers us and makes a difference in the world.
If you have a project that you are ready to commit to for real, check out The Original Impulse year-long Atelier program.
Travel like an artist
I lead a workshop in Paris and elsewhere called Capture the Wow. Unlike tours or classes that teach you how to paint or draw, Capture the Wow is a playful invitation to become unabashedly receptive to the delights that surround us every single day, whether at home or away. Basically, I help people lure out their inner artist in a city devoted to art. What could be better?
I’ve been traveling this way for so long, it would be hard to imagine not setting out with a notebook (or two) in hand. I have shelves full of my sketchbooks, resplendent with stories, shapes, color and memories. It’s easy to whip one out to recall a special moment or share it with a friend. Sure, I could do that with a photo but it’s not the same.
But beyond the sketchbook, what does it mean, exactly, to travel as an artist? As I prepared to take my artist to Japan (I’m there now!), I set the intention that this was a trip for my artist. That I would come home with insights and inspiration for my art and my life.
In addition to the intention, I also practice the following approaches when I travel, and invite you to as well. I invite:
- Openness to synchronicity and random surprises rather than being attached to an overly-full agenda.
- Willingness to adopt a slower pace, perhaps even stopping to take things in more deeply.
- Using the sketchbook more often than your camera to capture things that move you.
- Veering off the well-worn path offered in popular guidebooks.
- Bringing out the camera selectively, perhaps using a theme or photo prompts.
- Reflecting on experiences and how they contribute to our art.
- Seeking out local artists and artisans.
This ability to tap into the wonders of the world is what allows artists to make art, musicians to compose great symphonies and photographers to see what the average person misses.
For the first time in 19 years, I took time off completely from work to go to Japan. No clients, no classes, no writing. I wrote this in advance of leaving so I could still keep my promise of sending a bi-weekly newsletter. I’ll be filling sketchbooks, writing daily haiku and making watercolor postcards. I can’t wait to see what inspiration and actions come from this time traveling with my artist.
What helps you travel like an artist? Leave a comment below.
Overwhelmed? Try this simple approach to sanity
If you are like me, you like heaping lots of things onto your plate. At the buffet line or in life, you love the abundance of having many things going at once.
Then this crazy thing happens – when overwhelm approaches, we don’t let go of things. We add MORE! I don’t know why I pile more on.
What happened to the joyful abundance? We’ve gorged on possibility and now we’re the rushed, anxious, slightly crazy person we avoid at the grocery store.
The problem is, we can only digest so much. We can only DO so much. And we don’t realize we’ve gone too far until we’re cranky, sleep deprived and anxious. How to reel it in so we can enjoy life?
Here’s what I do to stay sane.
First, I look at the calendar. I’ve got all month, right? That should be plenty of time to get everything done, do everything.
But when I subtract travel days and days when visitors are here, I see the actual work days available. And there’s not that much time.
When I did this for October, instead of 31 days to get stuff done, I actually had 15 days. That was sobering.
Then I do step two. I make a large sign and hang it by the calendar. It’s made of three words:
This means nothing more. No more outings, no friend dates, no new projects, no more client calls. The door on possibility has shut for this month. It’s the month of inhabiting and enjoying what I have committed to.
This might also mean no more media. We become obsessed with the disasters happening and listen endlessly to news even when there is no new news.
Part of me pouts; she wants to do everything! She wants to read every newsletter and sign up for every new class. She wants to believe in the joy of infinite possibility.
But a bigger part of me draws a sigh of relief. She doesn’t have to do any more than she’s already committed to. Phew!
If you are feeling overwhelmed and not enjoying it, try this two-step process to creative sanity. It works great at holiday time, too.
Try this and let us know below how it worked for you. Share your strategies for coping with overwhelm.
Your creative routine will fail you… but how to recover
You’ve got it all set – you’ll write (or make art) on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays, at 3:00, for an hour each time. Sounds good, doable and perhaps even a little exciting.
This lasts for a week, maybe two. Something comes up – always – and you’re thrown off your routine faster than a squirrel leaping off a branch. And you’ll be left feeling like a failure, like something is wrong with you. You may even abandon your creative ambitions altogether.
Why does your splendidly devised routine fail you? Mostly because we don’t take into account all of our other obligations. We don’t give ourselves wiggle room. We tend to over-book ourselves, and our beloved optimism works against us. We also crave variety, and we don’t like to feel boxed in or pinned down.
It took me years to accept the fact that setting up a routine is usually a set up for failure. Sure, it may work for a week, or two, or even a few months, and then, the ship hits the foam and we veer off course.
It’s not your fault! It’s life. I have learned that it’s always something. Every single week has its wrench to hack your carefully devised rhythm. And, sigh, you have to get back on the wagon, often losing valuable time beating yourself up that you fell off.
If setting and resetting your creative routine works for you, hooray! Keep doing that. I suggest another approach: become an ardent opportunist.
This type of creative may not have planned her creative time but seems to get a lot done.
It helps to know when your best creative times are – early morning before everyone is awake. Late afternoon before the evening cycle begins. But the ardent opportunist knows that she doesn’t NEED those windows of time. She can create anywhere, anytime, even if it’s just capturing ideas and insights while away from the studio.
The ardent opportunist seizes any chance she can to create. She has her notebook with her at all times to capture her ideas, to whip out a 10-minute free-write, to finish a sketch.
When an appointment cancels or a window of time opens up, she doesn’t pop over to social media or email. She digs into her project. She knows that these small drips of time add up.
The ardent opportunist savors little victories. She knows that even the shortest sessions count, and she gives herself credit for showing up when she can.
The ardent opportunist doesn’t make excuses. She looks for ways to make it work for her.
She sets deadlines and works hard to meet them. When random events throw her off course, she gets back on with renewed commitment.
I try to be an ardent opportunist as much as I can. It’s often in those windows of time that I would never have suspected would be fruitful that have worked best for me.
Are you an ardent opportunist or a planning failure? Try to adopt the ardent opportunist approach this week and see what happens. Share your approach below!
Be a badass finisher
You find a structure that seems great to help you stay on track with your art or writing- something like the 100 Days Project.
You choose your focus and start out with a BANG! The first days are heady, where you feel joyously connected and committed to your creative love.
You see progress. You feel pride. Flush with joy and power, you show up every freaking day for your project. You are a creative badass.
And then…vacation. Guests. A tornado/flood/election/accident/illness/baby/new horse/barn/puppy/kitten/squirrel/fill in the blank derails you.
And all the woo hooo you started with turns into boo hoo. The self-recrimination kicks in. You wonder why you ever thought you could stick to your creative passions. It seems SO impractical, anyway. Just go back to the ‘same old, same old’ and forget your creative dreams.
Has this ever happened to you? I know this well, not just because of all the time I spend with my clients and students, but because I go through this cycle as well.
I got derailed from the 100 Day Project when I went on vacation. I didn’t want to do anything! I even left my FitBit behind, and my phone didn’t have service the entire week. When I came back to the studio, I found it hard to get back to my 100 portraits. I only had 12 left, but finishing seemed like an insurmountable mountain.
I finally completed the 100 Day Project last week – a week behind everyone else. I eked my way forward and finished 100 portraits. With my coach’s help, I completed my commitment and feel so much better than if I had surrendered to the post-vacation inertia.
Having her support helped, but what really gets me to finish my books, launch new courses and complete most of the projects I commit to is not someone else cracking the whip.
It’s my own inner drive. Self-respect. Integrity. Intrinsic motivation. Call it what you will. For me, it’s a matter of being able to live with and like myself. Like you, I have plenty of inner demons that try to take me down on a daily basis. If I were to add ‘creative loser’ to the mix, I would be sunk.
Keeping our creative promises is one of the best power moves we can do to generate self-respect and self-love. When I stay on track with my projects, following all the way to the freaking nitty-gritty, often excruciating finish line, I gain so much power. Not only do I keep my word, I have more fun and learn a ton about myself.
When I lined up all 100 portraits and took photos and video footage, pride welled up inside me. I chose my favorites – all 22 of them. That might sound like a small number, but it doesn’t matter. I made 22 portraits that fill me with pride and joy. I overcame a limiting belief about my artistic ability. I gained permission to do it my way, and made great strides toward developing my artistic style.
If I had given up before the finish line, that ‘fail’ would have been all I could focus on. I wouldn’t have given myself credit for what I did do. And now, I feel like a badass finisher, not because it was easy, but because it was hard to get over the finish line.
There are many reasons to stick with a project to the glorious finish line. What motivates you to stay on track? Share your tips and tricks below.
Need help finishing your projects? Pick up a copy of my e-book, Cross the Finish Line and be the badass finisher you know you can be.
Portrait of the artist: 100 days of painting watercolor portraits complete!
Being an artist means getting to know yourself on a deep level. We have to dig deep into what we care about and somehow express that in our chosen medium.
Making art is a process of learning to respect and love ourselves. Just taking the time to make art is a huge act of self-respect.
Showing up over the course of several months to make portraits hasn’t been easy. Some days I was barely able to ‘phone it in’. I didn’t have as much time as I wanted to really dive in. It would have been easy to abandon it. But something I have learned about myself: I’d rather lower my own expectations and stay with it than abandon it because of some notion of perfection or excellence.
I’m finishing a week after the rest of the tribe, barely getting over the finish line. I feel successful in my quest to improve my skills. I have had fun seeing improvement.
As I continue this adventure of self-discovery and expression, I am grateful for the art and writing that continues to reveal me to me. Thanks for sharing in this process, and for cheering me on. Your encouragement means a lot to me.
100/100 Portrait of the artist Cynthia Morris 9 x 12 watercolor on Hahnemuhle paper
Pay yourself for your creativity
You might not be depositing checks earned by the sweat of your pen (yet). But that doesn’t mean you can’t start becoming financially savvy with your writing or art.
One of the top tips for becoming financially empowered is to pay yourself first. But how can you do that without incoming cash? Set your intention, and take action. Here are eight ways to make money a part of your writing, even before you get paid from others.
Begin by setting your intention to match money with your creativity. Do this by opening a bank account for your creative life. Get a savings account and label it ‘creativity’ or another inspiring name that will remind you of your intention.
Fund your account by paying yourself when you submit a query, finish a body of work, or achieve some other creative victory. Don’t wait for others to acknowledge your progress. It doesn’t have to be a lot; even ten dollars for each success signals to yourself that you value your efforts.
Spend from your creative stash only for your creative work. Use your creative funds to pay for contest entry fees, subscriptions, and supplies. Or, earmark your account for a big reward such as a workshop, retreat or conference.
Track of your art-related expenditures. Make creativity a priority and investigate how you can shift your financial priorities to support your art or writing. Keep a log of your creative money and see where you are spending more money than time on your art.
Calculate the return of ‘psychic payment’ on the creating you do. These include the side effects, or benefits, that you get from doing something. Psychic payments from writing could be: feeling of satisfaction with yourself, surge of power from expressing yourself, excitement over completing and submitting something. How do these non-monetary rewards ‘pay’ you?
Affirm your abundance. Write a whopping check and in the memo line, put Book Advance. Carry it around or post it in your studio. I write affirmations about the number of clients I want to work with and the number of workshop participants I want to enroll. I include a dollar amount with plus signs, like this: $50,000+++. I’ve been doing this for years. Guess what? Woo-woo as it sounds, it absolutely works every time.
State clear money goals. Write down when you’d like to start making money for your art and writing, what you’d like to get paid, and what you’re willing to work for. Set a standard for yourself and stick to it. For instance, your intention might look like this – After January, 2018, I publish only for payment in money (not just ‘visibility.)
Get dreamy. What will you do with the money you earn from your creativity? You might take a trip, pay off your computer or fund a conference. Write down your big vision of how you will spend your hard-earned cash. I suggest funneling the money back into your writing.
Try any or all of these over the next three months and see what happens. Notice what happens when you take these actions instead of waiting, wishing and hoping the world will pay you for your efforts.
By bringing awareness and financial focus to your art, you prepare yourself for the day when others pay you for your creative work. Keep track of emotions, ideas, and external events that stem from your efforts.
Let me know how it goes. If you already practice some of these things, let me know what results you’ve experienced. Share your money wins in the Comment section below.
Meet Your Inner Artist and Discover What She Wants
You have an abundance of creative ideas, and sometimes this overwhelms you. Here’s a process that will help you honor your creative impulses, actually do some of the things you want, and finally feel like you are honoring your inner artist.
I’m working on a new book based on exercises I consistently give my coaching clients. In 18 years of helping bring more creativity to light, I’ve learned a few things about what works.
Here is one of the most potent processes I have used to make sure that creating has its place on the calendar. Try this exercise and share your experience in a comment below.
I’m working on a new book based on exercises I consistently give my coaching clients. In 18 years of helping bring more creativity to light, I’ve learned a few things about what works.
Here is one of the most potent processes I have used to make sure that creating has its place on the calendar. Try this exercise and share your experience in a comment below.
My Inner Artist Spoke Up and I Listened
Have you ever made a list and gone back to it years later, to discover that you actually DID the things on the list, without necessarily trying? That happened to me.
I revisited my list from 2012 recently. I was amazed to see that I had done 2/3 of the things on it. Not because I disciplined myself to do it. Not because I time managed-my way to do it.
Because I WANTED to do these things, they somehow happened. It feels a bit magical to see that once I put my artist desires on paper, it somehow was easier to make space for them.
I revisited my list from 2012 recently. I was amazed to see that I had done 2/3 of the things on it. Not because I disciplined myself to do it. Not because I time managed-my way to do it.
Because I WANTED to do these things, they somehow happened. It feels a bit magical to see that once I put my artist desires on paper, it somehow was easier to make space for them.
Try this process and let us know below how it went for you!
Delete limiting beliefs and live your creative dreams
There are lots of things that build our creative confidence. Being awake to what works in our creative process is vital to feeling happy about our creative lives.
Most important to my satisfaction is noticing progress. When I see improvements and changes, it boosts my morale immeasurably. I train my clients to notice shifts, because when we see progress, we are motivated to continue.
We can easily see progress in our craft – better writing, better art, better at our business. But we often overlook some of the most potent progress of all – when old beliefs and thought patterns no longer apply.
Two limiting beliefs used to hold me back with my art.
I am bad at drawing people.
Every time I set out to sketch a person, this thought would pop into my head. Of course this made me feel bad about myself and my art abilities. Until one day, when the thought appeared, a surprising new thought came alongside: “Well, you better practice.” So I began, slowly and doubtfully to practice drawing people. Over the course of ten years, I got better. Not great, but better.
Second limiting belief:
If you can’t draw people, you can’t have a career as an illustrator.
Where did that notion come from? I have no idea. There are plenty of thriving illustrators who can’t draw people in any realistic or appealing way. And whose art isn’t technically accomplished. One of my favorite illustrators thrives on drawing things that look purposefully amateurish.
Logically, that belief needn’t hold me back. But because I thrive on seeing progress, I recently set out to develop my people-depiction skills.
For the 100 Day Project, I chose to paint people. I’m at #75 today, and I have seen MASSIVE improvement. Not only am I having a blast, I am seeing progress.
It’s apparent that I can no longer accept the limiting belief that I am bad at drawing people. Or that I can’t work as an illustrator. These limiting beliefs have fallen away like an old scab covering a wound that healed long ago.
This is the result of dedicated practice focusing on improving specific skills. I call this the Creative Edge, where you grow and hone your abilities. It’s specific, it’s edgy, and it improves your art.
These limiting beliefs seem to relate to the things we want the most, so it makes sense that we’d perhaps be scared to let them go. But if we focus on the joy of noticing our progress, we will have less room – and proof – for those limiting beliefs.
What limiting beliefs relate to your creative dream? What can you do to prove it is no longer true? Share your experience below.
Design your summer creative residency
Last year at this time I was in Paris, happily ensconced in my apartment with my pal Carl. Engrossed in my self-designed artist residency, the focus of my days was spent making commissioned paintings, exploring new creative avenues and wandering Paris, taking in all the inspiration there.
This was one of the best periods of my life, and I look back with deep fondness and nostalgia, as you can imagine! Because Colorado is my creative zone this summer, I wondered how I could recreate the experience at home.
To gain clarity on how to make the most creative summer for myself, I sprung a few coaching inquiries on myself.
So you fondly remember that artist residency in Paris. What do you deeply crave this year?
I really want to focus on my art. I crave days in the studio making and exploring.
How could you meet that desire this summer?
Two things help me: specific projects and clustering my time.
Like many people at the end of the school year, May was packed with a lot of work. I planned and drafted my newsletters for the summer. I launched and delivered the webinar Prioritize Your Passion Projects. I set up my summer coaching schedule on specific days so I have sweet, concentrated time with my clients alternating with time in my studio.
I spent a lot of time noodling about how I want to spend my creative time on this summer. My birthday is coming up and I feel a sense of my mortality. That was helpful to get clear on what I want to create in this precious time. Finally, a plan emerged from my many interests and desires.
There will be three main areas of focus, with one additional daily practice.
- Portraits: 100 watercolor portraits as part of the 100 Days Project (ends mid-July)
- Products: working with my coach to develop my voice and products – starting with an illustrated book that has been nudging me for years.
- Pattern Play – explore making patterns, using the info from a class I took in 2015 to guide me.
- Daily videos – this is something I love to do, but it’s also a challenge. I commit to doing a daily video for 45 days, just like I did in Paris. I started on May 13th. Most of the videos are on my Instagram channel and also on YouTube.
What I hope to gain from these projects:
- With the portrait project, I am gaining skills and confidence depicting people.
- For the product line, I am developing my visual voice and clarifying what I want to share with the world. Plus, it’s helping me put a book project on the front burner – one that has been simmering in the background for years!
- The pattern project also helps me do something that’s been on my list for a long time. That project is mostly for play and exploration with no expected outcome in mind.
- The videos are for me to continue to share my process and to scratch the performer itch that never goes away.
Instead of the vast inspiration from Paris, I’ll tap into the vast inspiration of Denver. Messing around in my garden – watching flowers, greens, vegetables and herbs grow will be sheer delight. Time spent in gorgeous Colorado – mountain camping, hot springs soaking, forest hiking as well as cultural treats like Cirque du Soleil, Wonderbound ballet, museum and gallery visits. A yard sale to clear out my closets. Time with my sweetie and friends. Space to absorb it all.
At the end of the summer, I want to have made progress on the book, a series of portraits and a sense of growth and satisfaction.
What would your summer artist or writer residency include? I hope this week’s Impulse’s has inspired you to structure your own creative focus for the summer. (A summer that includes play and fun!)
Share your thoughts and plans here.
