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You’re ready to create what’s inside you. Finally, you’re at a place where you can devote yourself to your creativity.

At Original Impulse, you’ve found a safe haven to dedicate yourself to projects that matter to you. Through online workshops, creativity retreats, our long-term creativity apprenticeship and customized one:one coaching, we are here to make writing a fun and vibrant part of your life.

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What do you get from finishing a passion project?

I published my first novel ten years ago.

It took 12 years and 17 drafts.

Whaaaaat?!?!

I learned so many things from writing that book. One gift I received was learning that I am a tenacious person.

When committed to something, I will stay with it to the end. I finish and publish books, launch programs and lead workshops in France.

Writing that book gave me those ‘finishing skills’. It gave me the confidence to try all kinds of things that seemed beyond my reach.

Every project we finish has a gift for us at the finish line. What have you gained from completing a major project?

What project are you finally ready to commit to? A book, a body of artwork, a professional project all benefit from focus and support. 

Enrollment is open for the Original Impulse Atelier. This is my eight-month coaching group where we all dive into one project each. It starts in September, but there is some pre-work that can be done in August if you’d like to get a head start. 

All the details are here. 

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What makes for good writing?

Plan ahead for a productive season with us 

Hey! If you are already thinking ahead to autumn and to the deliciousness of focus that season brings, consider the Atelier. This coaching program runs along the school year calendar. In it, each member – me included – focuses on one project. We make great progress and learn a ton about our creative process. 

The Atelier is accepting applications now – if you want to make serious and fun progress on a project, this is the program for you. All the details are here. 

A cool reading job I did this month 

Recently, I was invited to be a juror for the Courage to Write literary grant sponsored by the DeGroot Family Foundation. Two other jurors and I read 33 applications. They included a letter and a sample of the writing. We were judging on several criteria, including of course the quality of the writing. 

I accepted this invitation because I have never done this. I knew I would learn from doing it. 

It was fun and an honor to peek into these writers’ worlds. To learn about their passion projects and to appreciate the commitment they have to write even when life is super busy and complicated. 

I also wanted to be a juror because pitching your idea in a succinct and compelling way is vital for anyone wanting to bring their work to the world. I help my Atelier members learn how to present their ideas. It’s not easy!

After reading through all the applications, I have one piece of advice for anyone who wants to present their idea to the world. 

Make it easy for people to talk about your work. Some might call this the ‘elevator pitch’. Whatever you call it, get the central idea of your project into one short sentence that’s easy for people to remember. 

I found myself wanting to share a couple of the project ideas with my husband. The easier it was to refer to the project, the more likely we are to share it. 

What makes for good writing? 

I recently finished Maggie O’Farrell’s This Must Be the Place and Tana French’s The Likeness. Now I’m reading The Magician’s Assistant by Ann Patchett. 

It’s a rare book that I LOVE. So I’ve been curious about what I consider good writing. In this post, I share some thoughts from my book group and also what I consider ‘good writing’. 

This piece focuses on fiction. I read a lot of non-fiction, too, and that kind of book has different criteria for me. 

This is of course highly subjective, but this is the kind of thing I ponder in the middle of just about everything: what makes for good writing? 

My book club had a couple of less than compelling picks last year, so as we prepare to choose our next set of books, we collectively asked ‘what makes for good writing?’ 

I took some notes and by the end of the discussion, of course it was obvious that we all have different takes on ‘good writing’. And we also realized that we want that variety. If we all had the same metrics, the discussion would be uninspired. 

Here are some of the things we want when we are reading fiction. 

  • Easy to get into and read
  • Be able to relax, enjoy, and be immersed in the book
  • Don’t want to be distracted from the story
  • No didacticism, teachy, preachy stuff (sorry Barbara Kingsolver)
  • Emotionally intelligent
  • Want a challenge/want to learn something/makes you think/changes you 
  • Like when the author is trying to do something different/unique storytelling (How Much of These Hills Is Gold)

For me, I love lyrical prose. I adore sentences that move me, stop me reading, make me go WHOA. I want to be moved emotionally and I want a peek into a world. 

I mostly read historical fiction by women featuring strong female characters. I tend to avoid contemporary fiction that mirrors real life too much. Honestly, I read fiction at night to shut off the world. I don’t want something that is more of the same. 

That’s it for today! What is ‘good writing’ for you as a reader? As a writer? Share your thoughts on the Original Impulse blog here.

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The Thrash

Away from the computerI am away this week on a retreat, totally off-grid. Not looking at the screen at all.

I’m writing this in advance and as an advocate of stepping away from the fray. I do take weekends off and I do get more space in the summer. But a whole week away from all my obligations and routines?

It sounds good and it’s also scary. I noticed all my fears and patterns pop up like popcorn before I left. Would the food be enough for me? Would I get along with the other participants?

This summer I have really noticed how uncomfortable change is. DUH, right? It’s easy to feel the discomfort of where we are. It’s easy to feel desire for where we want to be. But between the two, we encounter a lot of thrash. We don’t easily let go of beliefs, habits, and fears that want to keep us in the known.

I witness my clients as they go through the thrash around writing and creating. Like most things, wouldn’t it be nice if it were just a matter of a slogan – Just do it! Or a schedule we could stick to?

But no. Life is meant to challenge us. If we want to grow, we have to go through the growing pains.

Here’s to giving yourself permission to have growing pains. Here’s to being kind to yourself as you go through the thrash.

What helps you get through the thrash? Feel free to share your thoughts on the Original Impulse blog here.

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Seasons and the creative life

Summer is my favorite season. It seems the most potent reminder to soak up the moment. If I don’t stop to notice the roses in our yard, next thing you know, they’re faded and falling away.

Summer gets my attention like no other season. Biking around the neighborhood, splashes of color attract my eye. I can’t help but oo and ahh over them just like my mom did when we drove around our town when I was a girl.

It’s easy for time to rush past. I think, what have I done? I see all the things ahead and the projects I want to do.

But when I do a mid-year review, I tap into that slow summer vibe. I pull over and reflect on my efforts. I notice that so far this year, I focused mainly on curriculum development. I love designing experiences for people and this year gave me the chance to develop a bunch of new programs.

My new courses include Your Creative DNA, Paris Sketchbook, Write Your Heart Out in Paris and Write Your Book Coaching Group.

I also pivoted two live courses, The Devoted Writer and Write Your Travel Stories into self-guided programs you can take any time.

We also produced 15 episodes of Stumbling Toward Genius. AND I wrote a draft of my new book.

Time for a break, right!?

I’m supposedly taking my summer ‘break’ but if I’m honest, the only thing I have paused for the season is hosting my coaching groups.

There’s a lot on my plate…I have a handful of new clients I am excited to work with. I’m finalizing the curriculum for my two Paris workshops. I am a juror for a literary grant (more on that in an upcoming issue).

I had grand designs for designing my current book. It’s going to be illustrated! I also considered putting together a book proposal for the book.

What happened to slow, easy summer? Does this happen to you – despite your intentions, life revs and drags you along?

I had to pull the bus over and admit it was time to let some things go.

In my current book, there’s a chapter about how we are affected by the seasons. How each season has its creative vibe. For me, summer is time for my artist to be in the lead. She is painting the summer CSA share and filling a sketchbook of garden delights and more.

Summers are where I replenish, recharge, and get in touch with my wild nature. I need time in the summer where I am not fully booked with work. Summers are for reading more. Summers mean more time outside, away from the screen.

That doesn’t mean no work, just less of it. So, how to lower my expectations and workload? I can defer the book project to this fall. It will be my Atelier project. (Yes, I do a project alongside everyone else!)

Do the seasons affect your creative cycles? Do you dial back the expectations in the summer?

Share your thoughts on this at the Original Impulse Blog here.

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How Our Creative Ancestors Influence Our Art: Adri Norris on Stumbling Toward Genius

Who are your creative ancestors, and how can their stories influence your creative journey?

Your creative ancestors are those people who make you, you. They build you up and inform your creativity through the things they teach you, even from a distant past. Their legacies inspire you to share their stories with future generations through your art. They are part of what I call your Artist’s DNA.

Adri Norris’ successful “Women Behaving Badly” series was born out of a desire to share the stories of important women whose stories have largely gone untold. These works are a window into their truth, created to inspire today’s generation with role models they might not otherwise be exposed to.

Adri says of the project, “It was basically combining my love of learning with my love of drawing and painting faces and learning how to tell a story with my work.”

Listen in to hear Adri talk about how she infuses her work with the power of storytelling, as well as:

  • How she’s using her mural work to inspire both the community and the next generation of artists
  • How she’s proving that you don’t have to pick one area of art to work in as long as you’re clear on your core
  • Her Artist Residency and the long-overdue surprise project she’s working on now.

Plus, she’ll share what her biggest challenges have taught her and the big shift that changed the way she views her work.

If you’ve ever wanted to dive deep into storytelling through your art but don’t know where to start, this episode is for you.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Afro Triangle Designs

Women Behaving Badly

Adri on Facebook

Mango House

Cleo Parker Robinson Dance

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Memoir as Medicine: Book Recommendation for Non-Fiction Writers

Who would you be if you didn’t write?

I have been writing steadily since 1994. I’ve written poetry, plays, dramatic monologues, a novel, non-fiction books, short stories, video and podcast scripts, and articles about the creative process.

Can you even imagine who I would be if I did not have this inky channel to get my thoughts and feelings out onto the page?

I imagine a dark, crowded, cluttered garage full of unprocessed ‘stuff’ and unacknowledged ideas. I imagine I would be a very cranky, mentally and emotionally constipated person.

So of course I loved Nancy Slonim Aronie’s book Memoir as Medicine. I work with a lot of people who are writing pieces of their life story.

Most people want to get their experiences onto the page to help others. But in the process of writing their stories, they are transformed. Nancie’s book offers a great range of short, poignant exercises to help us come to the page with new eyes and fresh angles.

If you have been wanting to write your stories down to get them out and unclutter your inner landscape, Nancie’s book is a great resource.

You don’t have to want to write a whole memoir or book to use this helpful book full of prompts.

If you want to write, please do it. Make it easy on yourself to pick up a pen and ink your ideas.

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The Link Between Spirituality and Creative Inspiration, Stumbling Toward Genius With Kim Roberts

Have you ever had a spiritual awakening that opened your eyes to a new or deeper creative practice?

My friend Kim Roberts did. Her long-time yoga practice opened her eyes to the deeper dimensions of life, eventually leading her to Paris, where she started painting.

Kim is multifaceted, sharing her gifts as a yoga practitioner and instructor, psychotherapist, coach, artist, and writer with the world.

She joins me on Stumbling Toward Genius today to share how her many daily practices feed into one another, as well as:

  • Her art-making process and how she opens herself up to express what’s inside
  • From Paris to the San Luis Valley, how place inspires her work
  • The one thing that holds her back and how she is facing her fears

Plus, we talk about her book, Toward a Secret Sky: Creating Your Own Modern Pilgrimage, and she shares a glimpse into her new online program that offers women the practical tools to navigate any life transition with confidence, courage, and grace.

Did you enjoy hearing about Kim’s artist origin story in Paris? I really believe many people find their creativity in Paris.

My creative life continues to be sculpted by this amazing city and I would love to share that with you.

If you have wanted to connect with your creative self for a long time or believe you are being called to a deeper level of writing, join me for Write Your Heart Out in Paris.  There are only three spots left!

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Finding the Courage to Write the Book of Your Heart with Heather Stimmler

How do you know when it is the right time to write and publish your book? And then, how do you find the courage to step back from a project that you’ve poured your heart into so you can create a larger body of work?

Today, you’ll hear a conversation with my friend, Heather Stimmler about the highly acclaimed Secrets of Paris website and newsletter. A labor of love, Secrets of Paris has been a trusted reference for alternative news, original feature stories, useful sightseeing advice, reviews and recommendations. She has been sharing insider information about Paris for visitors and residents for over twenty years.

Now Heather is sinking her teeth into her next challenge—writing the book about Paris tourism that has long been in her heart. She’ll share why she’s finding writing her book to be such a challenge and, and how she’s finding her way.

Listen in to hear:

  • How Heather’s writing dreams have changed over the years and how she has taken the invitations from the universe and made them hers.
  • Her step out of her writing comfort zone that went viral and how that’s helped push her forward
  • How the Secrets of Paris has evolved and why she still has so much to say about the City of Lights after ‌all these years
  • How she’s learning to let ‌go and make room for the new

Plus the small steps action plan that’s helping her move forward.

Want more of Paris?

I’ve been leading workshops in Paris since 2005. My Paris historical novel and many of my writing projects have been inspired by my time there.

Now, I bring my writer and writer’s coach out to lead an inimitable and life-changing writing workshop.

WRITE YOUR HEART OUT IN PARIS is designed for writers who want more for and from their writing. Find out more HERE.

Also this autumn in Paris is the fun and delightful Paris Sketchbook. I’ve invited four of my favorite sketchbook keepers to lead an inimitable creative adventure. All the details are here. 

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Creating on Your Own Terms with Cory Huff on Stumbling Toward Genius

Sometimes we get stuck thinking that someone else’s way should work for us, then we get frustrated when it doesn’t.

Today, on Stumbling Toward Genius, I talk with my friend Cory Huff about how he is navigating his creativity his way.

Cory Huff is Chief Marketing Officer at Productive Flourishing, founder at The Abundant Artist, and serial fiction writer. His background also includes acting in classical theater and narrative storytelling. He’s been existing at the intersection of business and creativity for 15 years.

In this episode, we talk with Cory about his own creative pursuits like acting and novel-writing. He also shares why he is passionate about helping artists recognize and elevate their potential through The Abundant Artist. You’ll also hear:

  • How an anonymous benefactor set him on the path to where he is today
  • What success means for an artist
  • Why Cory decided to publish his fiction without expectations
  • How he balances his business with his creative work
  • How to be successful in your creative life on your terms

Plus, we will talk about his ADHD diagnosis. Cory walks us through strategies he uses to maintain his productivity so he can publish novels, short stories, and other writing while also maintaining his business.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

The Abundant Artist

Productive Flourishing

How to Sell Your Art Online

An Argument of Fairies

The Abundant Artist on Instagram

The Abundant Artist on Facebook

How to ADHD

The Smart but Scattered Guide to Success: How to Use Your Brain’s Executive Skills to Keep Up, Stay Calm, and Get Organized at Work and at Home

Daily Rituals: How Artists Work

Pippen

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Closing the books – a ritual for finishing a notebook

What do you do when you finish a notebook? If you’re like me, you’re so excited to open a new notebook. You might even just stuff the old one on a shelf and move onto those fresh, bright pages, full of potential.

But I’ve found that if I pause and riffle back through the pages, I discover gold in my own notebook.

I recently finished one of my business notebooks. I have dozens of these going back to 2000 when I started coaching.

I took myself to a cafe, got a soothing beverage and with my new notebook, paged through the old one.

I didn’t have a rigorous process. Here’s what I quickly listed:

  • What I had done
    Things to do now or in the near future
    Ideas that still hold interest

Cynthia Morris business notebooksWhen I go through a reflection process like this, I am always surprised. This time I was blown away by how much I did since the notebook began in September. A few things:

  • Revived my podcast Stumbling Toward Genius with guest interviews
  • Adopted a new task planning and management system – Notion
  • Wrote a draft of a new book
  • Designed and launched a new workshop in Paris.

And much, much more. It was surprising because all this happened alongside some very difficult personal experiences.

While it’s not about productivity above all, for me, I often overlook things that deserve a pat on the back. Going through my notebook gave me the chance to see and acknowledge my process, my progress, and my projects.

It’s hard to describe the benefit of this. I can only hope that you would find great value from pawing through your pages as I did.

I invite you to take that date with yourself when you finish a notebook. Go through and honor who you were. Appreciate how you showed up. Love yourself and your process.

What’s your ritual to close a notebook?

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Finishing What Matters Most, Stumbling Toward Genius with Charlie Gilkey

Do you have an unfinished project you’ve been working on for months, years, or maybe even decades? You know, the one you keep putting on the back burner for “some” day. But that day never seems to come?

Today, we’re talking with Charlie Gilkey, author of the book Start Finishing about what happens to us when we don’t finish the projects we start, and how we can “start finishing.”

Charlie Gilkey helps people start finishing the stuff that matters. He’s the founder of Productive Flourishing, author of the book Start Finishing (2019) and The Small Business Lifecycle (2012), and host of the Productive Flourishing podcast. Before starting Productive Flourishing, Charlie worked as a Joint Force Military Logistics Coordinator while simultaneously pursuing a PhD in Philosophy. He lives with his wife, Angela, in Portland, Oregon.

I’m excited to share our conversation with you. Charlie has been a tremendous influence in my life and on my creativity. Listen to hear the insight Charlie shared with me a few years ago that challenged me to think differently about the days of the week and dare to try something new.

Charlie says, “It’s really hard to go and look at this other thing that no one is asking for except your inner self and prioritize it.”

And yet, through his planners, books, and coming Momentum app (coming soon) he’s found a way to help people finish the projects that matter most.

Listen as he shares:

  • Why we’re all asking the wrong questions when it comes to our projects and how to ask the right ones
  • The secret to planning your creative time to get the best energy
  • The value of focusing on fewer things—how hustle culture, grinding, and head trash are keeping us from finishing and how to align your (limited) time, energy, and attention towards the things that matter most.
  • Why not everything is meant to be finished

Plus he’ll tell us more about the Momentum app and his new book, Workways coming in 2023.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Productive Flourishing

Momentum App — Coming in June

Start Finishing: How to Go from Idea to Done

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Initiating Change Through Intimacy with Krissy Shields on Stumbling Toward Genius

Have you ever heard someone say something that felt like a dart to your heart?

My guest on the show today, Krissy Shields, had just such an experience when she heard Rev. Angel Kyodo Williams speak about racism at Camp Good Life Project a few years ago. That moment became a catalyst for change in her and led her to host a peer group called Brave Circle.

Krissy Shields is a wellness expert and the founder of Maha Mama, empowering families with accessible yoga, nutrition and mindfulness. She has taught in yoga trainings all around the US plus in homeless shelters, prisons and public schools, weaving in her passion for social justice, advocating for maternal health and anti-racism. She lives in NY on the unceded land of the Munsee Lenape with her family.

Our conversation inspired me, and I can’t wait to share this episode with you so you can learn more about Krissy, the Brave Circle peer groups, as well as:

  • What being in relationship really means and how to find new ways to better support people from different cultural backgrounds
  • The difference between a safe space and a brave space and how to initiate daring intimacy
  • What she’s learned from her stumbles — she’ll take us behind the curtain to share how she remains curious, creative, and committed

Plus, she’ll introduce us to her new yearlong gardening program GROW! At The Good Place, a year long program on her farm to teach city kids about the process of seed to sprout to nourishment, where they can gain an appreciation of food and the wilds of nature.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Maha Mama

GLP – Camp GLP

The Sum of Us

Rev. angel Kyodo Williams

12 Years A Slave

Me and White Supremacy: How to Recognise Your Privilege, Combat Racism and Change the World

The Lost words

Aviva ROM

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Art, Sketching and Inspiration in Paris: Stumbling Toward Genius with Marcus McAllister

Today on Stumbling Toward Genius I am excited to talk with one of my favorite people, Marcus McAllister.

Marcus is a French-American professional artist based in Paris for the past twenty-five years. In his acrylic paintings and long-term Sketchbook discipline, he layers figures, animals, text, abstract signs, and mystic symbols to create meaningful, dream-like glimpses of his inner universe.

I still remember the first time I met Marcus. It was at one of his Sunday Salons at his art studio in Paris. I left that evening with a new friend and two pieces of advice that have made a big difference for me in my own creative life.

Tune in to find out what those two things are, and to hear more about Marcus’s artists’ journey, including what he’s learned from 30 Years of Sketchbooking, as well as:

● The function of the sketchbooks—the surprising way they help him structure his life, figure out his filters and enhance his memories

● How a simple adjustment in his process led to him finding his artistic voice

● Going from trepidation to motivation to finished—he’ll walk us through his in-studio process and how he determines when a painting is complete

We’ll also spend some time talking about how artists are navigating the post-pandemic terrain and the new opportunities available now.

Plus, in the video version on YouTube, we join the artist in his studio, where we’ll get an inside look at his sketchbooks and his gorgeous paintings—join us there. Check out the video version of this interview on YouTube here.

Finally, if you are interested in a deeper level of creativity for yourself, there’s no place better to come alive with inspiration than Paris.

Join us September 27 – October 2 for a life-changing workshop: Paris Sketchbook

Or, my writing workshop, Write Your Heart Out in Paris, October 6-11, 2022.

MENTIONED

Caran d’Ache Watersoluble II

Marcus McAllister

Marcus’ Instagram

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Carving Out Time For Our Creative Pursuits Infuses Our Vitality with Dallas Woodburn

Who are you writing for? ⁠Who counts in determining what we create?

Sometimes we get bogged down by the idea of what our audience, peers, or the people in our lives will think of our creative pursuits. That can lead to a muddying of the waters of the creative process.

In this episode, Dallas shares how she broke through those barriers to write the books that were in her heart. Listen as she walks us through:

  • How she learned to write for herself to leverage her creativity.
  • The life events that inspired each of her books, and how the therapeutic power of writing helped carry her through grief
  • How a decade working on the just-released Thanks, Carissa, For Ruining My Life reflects her growth as a person
  • Plus the life changes that have helped her reframe her view of her writing time and ignited a new passion for investing in her creative pursuits

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Amy Bender
Gretchen Rubin
Sara Barelis
InstagramDallasWoodburn.com
Facebook Book Breakthrough Community
Thanks, Carissa, for Ruining My Life
The Best Week That Never Happened

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Life is Better Sketching: Stumbling Toward Genius with Koosje Koene

What happens when you lose your mojo by making the stuff you are told to make instead of what you want to make?

Today, we’re sitting down with Koosje Koene to talk about how burnout in her photography business led her to a series of dull “cubicle” jobs. It was then that she started spending all of her free time soaking in her creative pursuits and drawing each day. Now she teaches others how to develop their own creative practice.

Listen as she walks us through:

● Why draw? How sketching challenges us to step out of our comfort zone
● What sketching has in common with cooking and how both practices are more about why than how
● The trick to lowering the stakes so you can get off the creative roller coaster, create your own sketchbook practice, and even have fun

Plus, in the video, she shares some of her favorite sketches with us.

Join us September 27 – October 2 for a life-changing workshop: Paris Sketchbook

Mentioned in this episode

Koosje’s Website

Sketchbook Skool

Koosje’s YouTube

Koosje’s Patreon

Draw Tip Tuesday YouTube playlist 

The Beauty in the Mundane

Inktober

Susan Colon

Sabine Wisman

Jane LaFazio

Hahnemühle Nostalgie series

The episode is also posted on my YouTube channel.