Our finished projects – books, business launches, bodies of artwork – are all paved with commitment points.
You can see that many of my commitment points involved me realizing I needed help or a new approach. If you’re stuck with the book you’re writing – non-fiction or a novel – I can help.
Join me and other committed authors in my Finish Your Book Coaching Group. We begin on September 11th. You will love how this group helps you focus on what’s important to you – finishing your book.
Early registration discount ends on September 1st, so snag your spot today.
The “F” Word Isn’t So Bad. Really.
Finish.
Oh, the dreaded ‘F’ word. ‘Finish’, along with ‘focus’ and ‘follow through’ are words that make creative types cringe.
Focus? Why? Living in the land of possibility is so much fun! I have so many great ideas, it’s really impossible to focus on only one.
Follow through? Groan. It’s much easier to entertain new and energizing ideas! I can’t get organized enough to follow through on project ideas.
Finish? Death! If I finish something, then I have to face the reality of whether it’s any good or not – will anyone want my work?
If you’re familiar with these obstacles to completing projects, you’re probably less familiar with the boons on the other side of the finish line. Deep satisfaction, pride, recognition, and yes, possibly cash money await you if you can bring your creative baby to completion.
Quit being a cringer and become a finisher. Here are the five essential steps to carry your brilliant ideas all the way home.
One: Identify Your Motivation
Start becoming a great finisher by doing some soul-searching. In a notebook or computer file, write out an answer to this question:
What is important about becoming someone who finishes?
Understanding your unique motivation for staying through the entire process is an essential piece of the puzzle. Get clear on what’s important about finishing. You may come back and add more as your motivation becomes more apparent to you.
Craft that motivation into one sentence that you keep nearby when you’re creating. A single affirmation or reminder of your commitment can do a lot toward achieving the finishing line. Develop your own version of the Little Red Engine’s mantra: “I think I can, I think I can!”
Two: Commit to a Project
You most likely have a number of projects in various stages of completion. These ideas marinate in your mind, spoiling as you become overwhelmed and distracted by your creative inspiration. It becomes easier to let them fall to the side rather than make choices to commit to one project after another.
When you decide to be a completer, you need to choose where you will focus your time and energy. You will be tempted to work on several projects at once. This is fine, if you manage to follow through and finish at least some of them. (I don’t recommend this until you can call yourself a serial finisher.)
Three: Build Structure
External structures help you stay organized and focused. You will need to learn what works for you, but you’ll have to commit to structures like deadlines, timelines and accountability. Your inner saboteur will pipe in with notions like “I’m not a deadline person,” or “Lists don’t work for me.”
Take this as normal resistance that surfaces when you try something different. Sometimes creative people think they need to be free and flexible, but the truth is that structure allows creativity to flow. Creative people actually like structure, for it gives them the needed focus to bring their ideas into form.
Four: Stay on Track
Getting clear on your motivation, committing to a project and developing a plan of action are the first three crucial steps. Staying with your project to completion is critical to becoming a completer. As Molly Ivins wrote, you need to “dance with them that brought you.”
Don’t flirt with your other ideas once you’ve committed to go all the way with one. You’ll need to develop your creative stamina, hone your emotional intelligence, and stay connected to all the previous reminders about why you’re doing your project and what’s your payoff for finishing.
Five: Acknowledge and Celebrate Completion
This final step is often overlooked. After all that work, we skip the fun part! But it’s important to put this into the creative cycle. Too often, we rush to the next thing, overriding the need to acknowledge our efforts.
Before you pop the cork on the champagne bottle, take some time to acknowledge what it took to get here. Take the opportunity to learn about your creative style and what it takes to bring your projects to fruition. Acknowledging and celebrating will help you build confidence to complete future projects.
Most of us want to finish. The work required to finish is nothing compared to the real cringer when we think about all those once-wonderful projects that are now abandoned on the back burner, hidden in the bottom drawer, or lurking on the garage shelf, gathering dust and silently mocking us and our supposedly brilliant ideas.
Knowing the five steps is one thing. Taking them is another. Do yourself a favor: stop cringing and start finishing.
Check out my book, Cross the Finish Line and let go of cringing about the ‘F’ word.
Book Review: Art of Urban Sketching by Gabriel Campanario
This is a delightful book! I adored The Art of Urban Sketching by Gabriel Campanario.
One sentence review: If you like to wander around the world sketching, this book will take you far away without leaving home.
How to Celebrate: The Declaration of You Invites You to Own Your Success
The Declaration of You, published by North Light Craft Books, gives readers permission to step passionately into their lives, discover how they and their gifts are unique, and uncover what they are meant to do!
Today’s post is part of The Declaration of You’s BlogLovin’ Tour, which I’m thrilled to participate in alongside over 300 other creative bloggers. Learn more — and join us! — by clicking here.
Celebration is a topic near and dear to me. In the course of coaching hundreds of people to help them make their creative dreams real, I have learned that there’s one insidious thing that blocks our success and satisfaction:
We don’t know how to celebrate. And when we don’t acknowledge our efforts, we lose confidence and momentum for our projects.
I am here to insist upon celebration as an integral part of your creative life. When you’ve hauled yourself over the line of your deadline, when you’ve gotten the news that your story has been accepted, when a gallery finally sees your brilliance and puts your work on the walls, it is time to celebrate.
Oddly, when I ask my clients, “How will you celebrate?” they have no response. Most of us have no idea how to celebrate. Aside from a special dinner, we don’t have celebration rituals at the ready.
Thirteen ways to celebrate your creative wins
I’ve compiled a baker’s dozen of creative, inexpensive and fun ways to celebrate your successes. Try these or let them spark your own celebrations.
1. Write a love note to yourself bragging about your win. Go on, indulge in some bragging!
2. Treat yourself to a new notebook or pack of pens.
3. Visit the art supply store and buy a new brush, tube of paint, sheet of beautiful paper, or other creative treat.
4. Take a pause. Go to the park or other natural environment and allow the sights and sounds to rejuvenate your spirit.
5. Give yourself an afternoon in the library or bookstore. Pick up ideas and inspiration for the next creative phase.
6. Call up a creative buddy and schedule a walk or coffee date. Trade acknowledgements of each other’s progress.
7. Make a list of all the things you have done for your creativity in the last six months. Give yourself gold stars for everything.
8. Reread a journal or free write notebook. Take stock of how far you have come and prepare for more.
9. Compile your victories in a portfolio or notebook. Use a three-ring binder with plastic sheets to protect your clips, reviews, articles about you or other kudos you get.
10. Treat yourself to a special bouquet – or even one – flower.
11. Get tickets for a concert, reading or other artistic display. Connecting to others’ creative expression will feed your own.
12. Make notes about what you brought to bear on your creative life. Your persistence, your sense of humor, your willingness to listen to your instincts, all will help you in the next phase of the journey.
13.Plan a retreat – an afternoon, a day, a weekend, a week – in a nearby locale to fuel yourself.
Make a list of your own celebrations and rewards. When you hit a milestone, small or large, you’ll be ready to party on!
How do you celebrate? Share your ideas below.
Good Life Project TV Interview with Tami Simon, Founder of Sounds True
I’ve long admired Tami Simon, founder of Sounds True, a multi-media publishing company that produces titles relating to spirituality and personal growth.
This is one of Boulder County’s most successful businesses, and I’ve always wanted to meet the woman behind the company. I was at Jonathan Fields’ Good Life Project TV interview with her and did this capture.
Check out the video interview with Tami Simon at the Good Life Project. It’s inspiring on many levels.
Book Review: Personal Geographies: Mixed Media Map-Making by Jill Berry
Another creativity book review! This week it’s Personal Geographies: Mixed Media Map-Making by Jill Berry.
One sentence review: Over 20 tutorials to show you how to map your world inside and out using various mixed-media methods.
Have you ever mapped your world in your journal?
Friday Art: Capturing an Interview with an Earth Protector: Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche on GLP TV
I recently had the pleasure of sitting in on some tapings of Jonathan Fields’ Good Life Project TV. During these interviews with entrepreneurs and authors, I captured the conversation on paper.
I’ll be sharing them with you as the shows go live. You can watch all episodes of the Good Life Project here.
This week’s interview is with Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche.
Capturing the wow
It was our first interview of the day. I had no idea who we were going to meet. I was just along to push the button on the second camera. When we drove up and were escorted into a mansion by men in suits, I began to suspect something extraordinary was about to happen.
Turns out Jonathan was interviewing the head of the Shambhala lineage, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche.There’s a lot I could say about that experience but I won’t here and now. I will say that the Rinpoche signs his books with a Visconti pen.
Check out the interview between Jonathan Fields and Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche.
About the capture: I was sitting directly behind the Rinpoche. I captured the conversation in ink, then painted it later. I was experimenting with my new Peerless Water Color Paints . I confess that I had little or no control over the colors. The page turned out way, way brighter than I expected.
Perhaps it’s not an accident, but a reflection of the energy in the room. I like how the heads of the people speaking are not painted. Their conversation swirls around them in words and color.
My favorite part: the quote: “We’re living this life together, all of us.”
Check out the interview and come back to tell me how it moved you.
Book Review: Murder Below Montparnasse by Cara Black
I love books set in Paris, and I’ve enjoyed several of Cara Black’s Aimee LeDuc Paris detective series.
One sentence review: Learn a bit about Russians and art theft in Paris with a sassy heroine.
Giveaway: What do you love about a Paris mystery? Leave a comment below and I’ll draw a winner at random by Friday, July 12th, 2012 at noon MT.
Video Book Review: Startup Life by Brad Feld & Amy Batchelor
Another review in my series of book recommendations*. I loved Startup Life by Brad Feld and Amy Batchelor.
One sentence review: A great book to help you design a conscious and thriving relationship with your partner, entrepreneur or not.
Have you read this? If so, how did it impact your relationships?
*I am sometimes given books to review but am not compensated for sharing my enthusiasm for books that help creative people thrive.
Video Book Review: Daily Rituals: How Artists Work by Mason Currey
I’ve been reading a ton of great books lately, and this summer I’ll share what I’ve gleaned from the creativity books I love to consume.
This week’s video review: Daily Rituals: How Artists Work by Mason Currey.
One line review summary: Read this book for entertainment, not for how-to advice.
I’m giving away a copy of this adorable and entertaining book. Simply tell us about a daily ritual that you do that helps you be more creatively satisfied.
Leave a comment here at the Original Impulse blog by Friday, June 21st at noon MT to be entered into a drawing to win.
Video Interview with Danny Gregory on How to Craft an Illustrated Memoir
I had the great, good fortune of being able to interview my art and life hero, Danny Gregory.
Danny’s recent book, A Kiss Before You Go, is an illustrated memoir recounting the year after Danny’s wife Patty passed away. It’s moving and gorgeous and heart breaking and life affirming all at once.
I wanted to know how one goes about writing/painting an illustrated memoir. I was in New York recently, and Danny kindly invited me to his home for this interview.
Join Me: Capture the Wow Summer Scavenger Hunt
This is your formal invitation to play the Capture the Wow Summer Scavenger Hunt with me! Let’s make this our most creative summer ever!
Come out and Play This Summer!
If you’re like me, summer is your favorite season. You relish the chance to play outside more. To eat farm-fresh produce. To lie under a tree relaxing.
You want to make the most of summer. So do I. One of the ways I do that is to capture the wonders of my world in my illustrated journal. I’ve been doing this for years, and almost everyone who sees my journals says, “I want that.”
That = creative expression. That = play and messiness. That = having a colorful, vibrant record of your life. That = a way to play more and feel more creative.
Let’s make this your best summer ever, shall we? Join me to play my Capture the Wow Summer Scavenger Hunt.
You’ll love this scavenger hunt game that pulls you toward what you love and pushes you – gently – past the inclination to sit on the sidelines and let your summer fun pass you by.
All the Beauty and Magic Is Here…
The best speaker at the 99U conference earlier this month, hands down, was Jane ni Dhulchaointigh, founder of Sugru.
Perhaps I should say hands up, because she was the only speaker to incite a standing ovation.
Jane said a lot of things I captured during my New York week but this was the best. Her process of creating Sugru was a long and arduous one. Jane reminded us to relish that process.
If you want to relish your daily life a bit more, and perhaps even have a lot more fun doing so, stay tuned. Tomorrow I will publicly launch my mission to help you have your most fun, creative summer ever.
For now, look for the beauty and magic in your process.
P.S. If you want to learn how to spell a long or difficult word or name, just do a hand lettered sign. I can spell Jane’s name now!
Five Life Lessons from an Urban Sketching Workshop
Last weekend, I went to Seattle to take an Urban Sketching workshop, Line to Color. Classes in the craft of art or writing can give us a lot to work on in our art.
As I took notes, some of the lessons in drawing appeared to me as life lessons too. These truisms could be considered in our overall creative process.
Here are five things that my teacher Frank Ching said about drawing that I can easily apply to life and art making:
1. Choose what to focus on.
2. Ask: what’s my bias?
3. Don’t let your mind trick you.
4. Ask: how do you see relationships?
5. Enjoy the process.
What do you think? Do you see these as true for your life as well as your art? Tell us which of these is most resonant for you in a comment below.