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My Secret Sauce for Creative Success

I’m as nutty as the next creative person – lots of ideas, interest in a variety of mediums, a preference for play over work.

Secret sauce for creative success
Okay, I'll admit that my creativity is also fueled by caffeine - yummy tea like this!

So why have I been able to consistently start, finish and launch e-books, books, classes and programs? How do I make time for the creative adventures that are fun for me and continue to work?
The short answer: I became a coach and that forced me to the finish line in two ways:
1. I learned productivity and time management skills, and tweaked them to work with my creative ‘insanity’. I kept training myself to do things I didn’t want to do so I could have time to work on projects that matter to me.
2. I dug into my value of integrity; if I was going to help other people be creatively successful, I better walk the talk.
But the long answer? I discovered and held to my three F secret sauce: focus, follow through and finish.

Focus

Every year, I decide what my focus for the year is. This year, it’s making and showing my art, and developing my personal practices in order to have a life outside my business.
Every month, I make a map of the projects I am working on that month. I set deadlines and drive myself toward them.
Every week and every day I force myself to focus on what matters to me and the people I serve. This isn’t easy, but I am committed to refining my work and my life. I’m always learning and that’s why I invest in coaching and programs like The Good Life Project.

Follow through

Like most creative superheroes, I receive a daily stream of new! exciting! different! paths I could follow.
It’s so frickin’ hard to ignore the thrill of these new things. Every day I leap like a trout at small flies that hover on the surface of my idea stream.
But I’ve learned that I’m only allowed to add new things if I am still able to follow through on my current projects.
The main way I am able to follow through is to be accountable to someone else. I use my mastermind partnerships to stay on track.

Finish

Because I’m not able to start new things until I finish current projects, I am motivated to complete things. I also know that great ideas have a shelf life and if I don’t get it out into the world, the idea will wither or someone else will do it. Which would stink.
It’s not easy to drive projects across the finish line. But the more I do it, the more trust I build that I can finish important creative work.
That’s it. This is how I stay on the right side of the nutty line and don’t veer into ‘flaky’ territory. This is what I help my clients do: focus on what matters to them, guide them to follow through on things that will get them where they want to go, and keep them on track to finish their best work.
That’s my secret sauce. Don’t get me wrong; I still struggle with all the same issues we all face in the adventure of living our best creative selves. But I find that this mantra or policy really helps me stay on track so I feel more successful as a creative person.
What’s your method for staying on track to ensure your creative success? Tell us in a comment below, and if there’s someone in your life who might benefit from this simple formula, for goodness sake, share this with them!

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Artists and writers: drop the confusion and define your own labels

At an art gallery, I squirm when the owner asks if I’m an artist. After hesitating, I finally say no. But I’m not convincing myself or her, and my hesitation just confuses everyone.

Which do you choose?

Have you found yourself unable to claim ‘artist’ ‘writer’ or ‘photographer’ even though you write, make art and take photos on a regular, if not daily basis?
I coach a lot of beginning writers who struggle with calling themselves writers. I tell them, if you write, you’re a writer. But it’s not as simple as that.
There are two sides that make it a sticky issue for people to claim what they are: the artist or writer herself and the person on the other side. And the assumptions others make based on what we call ourselves.
It’s the gap between your label and their label that causes us to disown ourselves. Even when we work regularly on our art and make money at it, we squirm.

Decide who defines you

In our culture – I’m speaking of the Western culture of capitalism, the labels we give ourselves imply a monetary component. If we say we’re a writer or an artist, the implication is we make money doing so.
But that may not be the defining factor for the creative person. I make art every day. I do this because I like it and because I am trying to improve. Doing art improves the quality of my life as well as my art making skills.
I have made money from selling my art. But that’s not my primary goal now, and I’m not sure if it will ever be.
Am I am artist?
I write every day, and publish my writing on this blog and elsewhere. I write to get my ideas about the creative process into the world. I write to help others.
Writing made up 19% of my income last year.
Am I a writer?
I have no problem calling myself a writer or an artist – to myself. It’s speaking this to others that brings complications and assumptions.
Let’s stop the squirming about how we label ourselves. Here’s how:
1. You decide what criteria you will use to determine if you can own the label ‘writer’ or ‘artist’.
2. You decide whether you want to have conversations with strangers about your work. You decide whether you want to open yourself to their labels and assumptions.
If you have a hard time claiming a label for yourself, consider what is important about calling yourself writer or artist. Consider if it’s a label you need to claim privately or publicly.
What are your criteria for the labels you affix to yourself? How do you deal with others’ assumptions? Share with us below what works for you, and be sure to pass this article to your friends who struggle with this.

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Which Is Better: Inspiration or Influence?

People tell me I am inspiring. I’ve been uncomfortable with this for a long time. I finally realized why.
I want to be more than inspirational. I want to be influential. As a coach, I want to see people make specific and positive actions to bring their ideas into form. I love that I bring inspiration. And I want to bring change too.
What’s the difference between inspiration and influence?

Inspiration

Inspiration sparks an emotional quickening. It uplifts, infuses us with hope, generates new ideas and gives us the sense of possibility and faith. I feel moved when I am inspired.
Some of my inspiration comes from:
Cities, nature, oceans, movies and books.
TED talks
Justine Musk
Good Life Project TV
Design Matters Podcast by Debbie Millman
Chris Guillebeau of The Art of Non-Conformity

Influence

Influence exerts a specific, directive force to provoke change on a sometimes daily or consistent basis. Influence makes things happen.
Some of my influences are:
The weather, my emotions, my food choices.
Susan Piver
Kelly Newsome
Jonathan Fields
This Epic Life
Moondance Botanicals
Kindness Yoga
Art Biz Coach
The Kitchen Skinny
Natalie Goldberg
I could go on but I’ll stop there. I’m sure there’s crossover and in some cases, we’re talking semantics. I could argue that the flowers both inspire and influence me. And the tea with its ritual hits both influence and inspiration.
My main reason for bringing this conversation up is because I want all of us to glean inspiration and take action. I am not okay with sitting on the sidelines all inspired and no action.
Have you considered what inspires you – makes you feel good and hopeful – and what influences your life on a daily basis?
I invite you to make a list. It’s a good practice to see what you’re consuming and what’s helping you create. Share your list in a comment below or a link to the list on your own blog.
And don’t be stingy – share this post! I’m trying to be an influence and need your help to do so.

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Fill a 60-Page Moleskine Notebook in Two Hours? Impossible!

Mia at Two Hands Paperie in Boulder asked me if I could provide a sample journal for my Journal Juju class there. I didn’t want to release one of my own notebooks, so I made a counter-offer.
I’d pick up a Moleskine Japanese Album and see how much of it I could fill in two hours. Using the methods and exercises I teach in my Journal Juju class, I’d see how far I could go.
Now, my class is NOT about speed or competition or doing anything quickly. It’s about slowing down, enjoying what’s around us, and using all of our senses to record that in a little notebook. It’s fun. It’s easy. It’s play and it doesn’t require art skills.
I just thought it would be fun to see how far I could go in two hours, and I filmed myself playing in the notebook at The Kitchen Next Door in Boulder. Here’s the video, speeded up for the sake of time.

The next Journal Juju classes at Two Hands Paperie are on March 16th and April 7th, 2013. These classes fill quickly, so call Two Hands Paperie to register today:  (303) 444-0124
Don’t worry; we won’t be rushing or trying to fill the notebook during the class. We’ll be slowing down, tuning in, and having a great time together.

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Join the Wild Money Revolution and Fall in Love with Money

What is it about a new enthusiasm that makes us want to run out and spend money?

With my new focus on art making, the possibilities to buy are endless. New books. The incredibly seductive lure of the art supply store. Surely I need to get a new journal every week, right?

Then there’s the learning curve. The more I practice, the more I see the need to improve. Surely I need to take a class or sign up for some expensive retreat like the month-long program in New York at the Visual School of the Arts.

I see this trend with myself and my clients: the creative impulse is immediately followed by the spending impulse. But I think this urge to open our wallets is not based on need, but on our own discomfort.
We’re uncomfortable that the true next step is to sit the hell down and do the work. Fumble through that shaggy first draft. Fill pages of crappy sketches of distorted faces. It’s so much more fun to go out and get a (cheap) thrill by buying something we’re convinced we need.

Years ago I got my financial act together. But recently, I’ve had to do a refresh on my spending, saving and buying patterns. I’ve had the good fortune to work one-one with Luna Jaffe, an amazing woman who’s both artist and financial planner.

She gets this creative urge. She doesn’t tamp down my enthusiasm for my art. Instead, she points me toward solid practices that help me feel good about creating and about my money relationship.

Luna’s book, Wild Money, offers deep insights into why we thoughtlessly spend. Luna’s book kindly guides us – in bright, beautiful color – to design a financial life that supports our wild creativity. This book is part of Luna’s mission to lead a money revolution based on love, creativity and mindfulness.

Be part of the revolution and get your hands on Wild Money so you can create and play with ease, knowing you’ve got your money thing handled.

Won’t it be fun to say, I love money and money loves me, and to believe it? Join the Wild Money revolution now and tell your friends, because being rich in all ways is better with friends.

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Back to Class: Designing My Art School Curriculum

I always loved school, but I didn’t love getting an F in high school art. Now that I’m gearing myself toward making art, I am eager to learn and improve. I’m also eager to be financially prudent.
So it’s back to school for me, with my own art school curriculum.
I adore this concept of earning my A from Rosamund and Benajmin Zander’s wonderful book The Art of Possibility.
Current favorite podcast: Design Matters by Debbie Millman.
Books resource: Denver Public Library, for which I am eternally grateful, otherwise I’d be penniless from buying so many books. Check out more books in my art school reading list.
Other specifics:

  • Daily sketching
  • Weekly urban sketching excursions
  • Weekly illustrated column at Original Impulse blog
  • Weekly Friday art show and share
  • Continued learning about processing for digital sharing
  • Monthly meetings with art buddy
  • Continued absorption of the wonders of the world and openness to juju, guided by intuition and enthusiasm.

 How do you focus your ‘side project’ work? Do you use the frame of a curriculum or something else? Share in a comment below, and if this article inspired you, share it with your friends with one of the buttons below. 

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Befriend Your Body To Release Pain, Increase Creativity and Feel Great While Writing

Today’s article is a guest post by Ashley Josephine, a friend who is passionate about empowering busy women to embrace wellness through the practice of yoga and mindfulness. We talked about the need for writers to have a good physical practice in order to stay healthy, and Ashley wrote this article to offer us strategies for wellness at work.
It’s surprising how hard it can be for writers to actually start writing. Despite the fact we say we love to write, when it comes to completing projects, our self-discipline tends to fly out the window and excuses abound.
The act of writing can actually be quite painful – physically, emotionally and mentally. It’s only healthy to exercise our creative minds for so long before burnout becomes inevitable and it’s shockingly easy to become lost in fantastical realms that we forget exist solely in our heads.
As with all professions, the stresses we experience as writers need to be addressed to ensure a healthy, productive and efficient writing session and career. This three-part series outlines movement-based exercises and stretches that will help open your mind (and body) to new ideas and relieve the pain and tension common to many writers, novice and professional alike.
Watch the video demonstration of the following yoga practice.

Yoga for Mental Clarity

When you’re feeling burnt out, stuck, or all wrapped up in one plot line that you can’t seem to escape, try taking a break to restore mental clarity. The following exercises will help clear the cobwebs up above.
Forward Fold:
This pose will help stretch your low back and hamstrings, plus turn your world upside down. Enjoy the rush of blood to your head and surrender to gravity’s pull to feel relief and clear-headedness, allowing all your frustrations to roll of your shoulders.
Sunflower:
From a forward fold, wrap your hands onto your opposite elbows and make large circles with your torso, coming all the way up through standing and moving back down again. After a few circles in one direction, switch sides. This exercise will force you to use your abs, stretch the obliques and hamstrings plus raise the heart rate to get your blood moving. Go at your own pace to get back into the swing of things and out of a confusing rut.
Alternate Nostril Breathing:
When you allow one side of your brain to dominate for too long, you start to lose touch with the better qualities of your other half. Alternate nostril breathing is the perfect cure to balancing out your left- and right-brain tendencies.
Start sitting in a comfortable seated position and place your right hand on your thigh. Raise your left hand up toward your nose and close off your left nostril with your left thumb. Inhale through the right nostril, hold the breath, then close off the right nostril with the left ring finger, release the thumb and exhale through the left nostril. Pause at the end of the exhale, then inhale through the left nostril, cover the left nostril with the thumb again and release the left ring finger from the right nostril to exhale. Continue in this pattern until you feel a sense of calm restored throughout.
Legs up the Wall:

Legs up the wall is surprisingly relaxing

This relaxing pose is quite simple and performed exactly as it sounds. Taking weight out the feet and legs relieves and reverses the typical gravitational pull, giving your legs a rest from supporting your weight all day long. Reversing your blood flow by going upside down can lower your heart rate and help you relax according to the Mayo Clinic.
Start by scooting your rear end as close to the wall as possible and then place your legs on the wall. Close your eyes, breathe deeply and enjoy relaxing without worry.
Practice Suggestion:
Start your day with this practice or take a break with some or all of these poses when you’re feeling confused, lost, overwhelmed or stressed out.
The next two parts of this series will be published here.
Ashley Josephine has been studying yoga for 5 years and currently lives and teaches in Wichita Falls, TX. A writer, traveler and a whole lot of other things, Ashley believes wholeheartedly in experiences and is passionate about empowering women to embrace wellness with yoga and mindfulness based practices.
Sign up on Ashley’s yoga web site if you’re a woman working through life’s daily stresses who’s ready to enjoy life more. You’ll get worldly wisdom, yoga, meditation and other free resources delivered straight to your inbox.
Other places to connect with Ashley:
Ashley on Facebook
Ashley on Twitter
Leave a comment below to share relaxation and/or movement practices that work for you when you’re in need of creative reinvigoration.

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A Good Life Is Possible with a Power Tribe

Big dreams need a big container and big support. I’d always appreciated Jonathan’s heartfelt and smart writing at his blog. I resonated with his message at Tribal Author. So when he launched the Good Life Project and announced the application process for his business incubator, I went for it.
I was accepted and eagerly prepared to change my life for the better. Reflecting on our year together, I can say that I got so much from my time with this group. I have made a lot of changes and have a lot more to make. I am excited about my good life and about making both my life and the lives of those around me better.
I’d like to publicly thank my GLP peers and share their work with you here. Enjoy this brief tour of my mastermind group!

First meeting in NYC

 
Linda Buchner  is one of those people you call a giver. She gave so much love and support to me. In her work as the co-founder of the non-profit Minddrive she’s on continual give. MindDrive is an extracurricular program where students at risk work throughout the year to build electric cars. They’ve got a IndieGoGo campaign that ends this week, so pop over and be part of this amazing project.
Karen Wright is one of Canada’s top executive coaches. Last year she published her book, The Complete Executive, a must-have for busy people trying to live a good life. A few of the things Karen said to me last year profoundly impacted me and changed me for the better. Pick up your copy of The Complete Executive. 
Jennifer Boykin has more sass and wisdom than she can ever express, but thankfully she’s doing her best to inspire mid-life women at Life After Tampons. She’s about to launch a gift for subscribers, so get over there now and join the movement.
Kristoffer Carter says that everyone asks him ‘what are you on?’ Last year, he answered that question in his multi-media manifesto. It’s been inspiring people to see and live in new ways; if you haven’t gotten your copy yet, head over to This Epic Life to pick it up.
Eric Michael Pearson is a celebrity photographer and videographer and all-around sweetheart. I worked with Eric to shoot some footage of me that will appear later this year. Check out his celebrity photos here.
Ashley Josephine is a writer and yoga teacher who’s bringing her passion for health and sanity to readers at her new blog Ashley Josephine. Take part in her Do Nothing Challenge here.
Angela Devlen is on a mission to help hospitals and emergency care providers get the skills and resources they need to thrive under pressure. She is a speaker and consultant, and also spearheads a thriving non-profit, Mahila, devoted to addressing the health and hygiene needs of women and girls in disaster zones. Be part of this inspiring mission.
Kelly Newsome  Kelly’s cool, wise and heartfelt work helped me through some tough moments last year. I can see why her business. Higher Ground Yoga, is successful in guiding extremely busy female executives to stay sane and healthy. Kelly’s email Love Notes continue to inspire me – get yours here.
Gathering in Mexico for our final circle

Karen Friend Smith and her husband are on a mission to help people eat well so they can feel well and do good in the world. The Kitchen Skinny has made a huge difference in my lifestyle. Lots of free goodies and insights for your kitchen are available here.
Chris Stepien We nicknamed Chris the Gentle Giant because he’s a sweet and strong force in the world. A chiropractor and trainer with a vision to make fitness and health a soulful practice, Chris gave so much to GLP members, as he does at his clinic in New Jersey, Barefoot Rehab.
Max Fram-Schwatrz is a young genius just out of university who landed a job in Silicon valley immediately. Being part of Max’s emergence into the work world taught all of us the value of beginner’s mind and how to boldly go into the world with a hope and a dream and lots of energy.
Margy Stratton is a force for bookish good in Milwaukee, programming speakers at Lynden Sculpture Gardens and pioneering reading programs at her soon-to-be launched Milwaukee Reads.
Last but of course not least is our fearless leader Jonathan Fields. I got so much support from him. He helped me clarify and focus. He knows business and appreciates the creative spirit. he guided me to make choices that honored both my CEO and my artist.
Special thanks to GLP faculty: Charlie Gilkey, Susan Piver and Emiliya for their generous teachings.
I’m grateful that I made this leap and got this kind of support. It was a financial leap and a leap that called me forth in many ways, both big and small. It was worth every penny and every quaking moment.
What leaps are you taking this year toward your own good life? Who are the people that surround and support you?
I’d love to hear what you consider a good life and who contributes to that. Consider your own blog post on this subject and share the link in a comment below, or just post some thoughts below.

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Three Steps to Liberate Your Creative Genius

Three steps to liberate your creative genius, whether you are a writer, an artist, a photographer, a multi-lingual rabbit…
Liberate your creative genius with 3 easy and fun steps
Willing to try it? I’m doing it and it feels so great I wanted to share these three easy steps with others. It’s more fun to be a creative genius with others, so don’t hoard this message! Share with friends and others you know who need a nudge.
What are you doing this week to liberate your creativity? Share in a comment below.

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What’s Fun for You?

Practically every client I work with – no matter what they come to coaching for – wants to have more fun.

“What’s fun for you?” I ask.

This question is always met with the response, “I don’t know!”

So I give the assignment I’ve written about in a previous article about fun as a means to success. I invite my clients to list 50 fun things.

A friend and colleague tried to do this, but got stuck. She realized that the word ‘fun’ wasn’t right, and that the notion of ‘joy’ was better for her. She didn’t like the concept of fun as something that happened on an episodic basis, and that she wanted joy in every moment.

I love that perspective, and for me the word fun and joy are fairly interchangeable. I ask clients to write down 50 things because after the first 10 big fun items – vacation, special events, unusual activities – you’re going to have to dig deep into the mundane to find fun. And fun and joy should be found in our work, our parenting and our free time.
I did a spread in my journal of what’s fun for me now. It’s not 50 items, but when I put ‘looking at dogs’ I realized how much joy and fun this simple, easy-to-experience thing brings me.

I’m still learning how to best show my art, which is also fun.

What about you? What’s fun for you now? 

Fun is more fun when shared…don’t hoard this fun inspiration! Send to friends or share below.

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Today, start living your epic life

What does it mean to have an epic life?
When I hear the word ‘epic’, I think in a gigantic scale. I think of epic movies and novels with masses and masses of people like Schindler’s List or Braveheart. I think of herculean and miraculous acts like Moses parting the red sea.
But ‘epic’ doesn’t have to mean big. Epic can be deep and authentic. These descriptions come closer to what culture catalyst Kristoffer Carter is sharing on his site This Epic Life.
Kristoffer is one of those rare people who has figured out how to have a successful career, how to love his family well, and how to honor the musician he has always been. Even more than that, he somehow has enough energy to acknowledge, love and challenge every single person he meets.
Luckily, Kristoffer isn’t stingy with his juju. He is the first to let you in on his secret: green drinks and meditation.
Before you head for the juicer or the meditation cushion, let me tell you that’s not the method. What we feed ourselves and how we tune in on a daily basis is important, but it’s deeper than that.

Living according to your non-negotiables

Kristoffer believes that we can each live our own epic lives, not according to what would look impressive on a billboard or resume. Not according to what others think is epic, but according to what is right and true for us.
People always ask Kristoffer ‘What are you on?” He laughs and talks about the green drinks and the meditation. But soon he realized he had more to say about what it means to live an integrated life.
I coached Kristoffer this year to help him pull his work together in a way he could share. In his multi-media manifesto, he invites us to get clear on our non-negotiables, the pieces in our lives that when brought together, add up to our own epic life.
In my coaching, I call this values work, and it’s powerful stuff. But KC takes it one step further to bring these values into a lens statement. When you combine your values into a statement, or mantra you can live by, that’s powerful stuff. This becomes the lens through which you see and experience everything.

Start enjoying your epic life

Today Kristoffer launches his multi-media manifesto. I’m celebrating him and all the work he did to pull this project across the finish line – in itself an epic feat.
But it’s not just about Kristoffer Carter achieving his big goal of the year. It’s about all of us finding the way to live and thrive as the creative dynamos we are. Not because we’re prima donnas needing to have life our way. Because the world needs fulfilled, creative people working to make this a better place for all of us.
Together, if we’re all living our values and honoring our non-negotiables, we all get to enjoy this epic life. Kristoffer is living proof that no part of ourselves – not our brilliant work selves, not our kooky creative selves and not the part of us that loves our families – no part gets left behind.
Get your copy of Kristoffer’s manifesto – for free – today. And start enjoying your epic life now.

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Three Vital Pieces for Creative Success

Last week I wrote about the internal challenges that threaten our creative output. I’m not going to dwell here on the internal challenges; those obstacles are better dealt with in conversation with a therapist or coach.
We all need consistent patience and compassion to keep going when the emotions rise up and threaten to derail us from writing our book or blog. But you can do it.
I have found the following three things are vital in managing the emotions that accompany writing or any creative work.
1. A physical practice. Walking, running, dancing, yoga, tennis, weight lifting— whatever you do, do it regularly. Being in your body and using exercise as a way to get out of your head and work things through will help keep you grounded and sane.
2. Support from your creative tribe. Being around others who are also working on their creative projects is vital to staying on track. Ideally you will have a community of people working in your medium, but it’s also helpful to be around artists working in other forms. Conversations with other creative types will fuel you and help you process the emotions that surface.
3. A clear sense of your motivation. Without clarity on why you are working on a project, you won’t have the stamina to stick it out through tough times. Knowing your motivation for finishing will give you more stick-to-itiveness than you can imagine.
The clients I work with who have these three pieces struggle much less than those who don’t. The work of writing is already difficult enough; make it easier by ensuring you have these three vital pieces.
What helps you navigate the challenges between you and the finish line?
This post is excerpted from Cross the Finish Line: Five Steps to Leap Over the Hurdles to Completion. This and other guides for being a creative superhero are available at Original Impulse through November 30th, 2012. After that, they’re gone. Poof!

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The Hidden Gift at the Finish Line of Your Creative Projects

Are you one of those people who can’t seem to finish your creative projects? Books, blog posts, art pieces…no matter what you try, the finish line remains an elusive land you can’t seem to access.

Why, why? Are you simply lazy, inept and perhaps stupid?

I doubt it.

When we consider the entire arc of the creative process, it’s easier to understand why the last part can be so difficult. Imagine a funnel, wide end open to the sky. At the top, we have the beginning phase of creating. In this wide space, we are flush with the heady, exciting sense of possibility.

Here, anything can happen: Our idea will be successful and lucrative. We love this spacious phase, where our ideas shine with intoxicating brilliance. Our abundance of ideas provides proof to us of our creative genius and allows us to dwell where we’re most happy – in the creative dream.

As we move down the funnel, the realm of possibility narrows toward the realm of reality. We begin to bring our snappy concept down to earth. We map it, sketch it, outline it and force it to live according to the laws of gravity, cost, and the dictates of its genre. As we work on our projects, we come in direct contact with our capacities: how much time, energy, resources and skills we actually have to make our idea real.

This reality check can be really uncomfortable. It can be painful to discover that we often get ideas that we don’t yet have the skills to execute. Squeezed by the dictates of our genre, we’re tempted to abandon the mission. (New, sexy ideas crowd around us at this phase.)

To make matters worse, we can also get caught in the emotional undercurrents that run below the surface. Everything that quietly prevented us from creating now shouts loud and clear. It gets more and more painful to even think about your once-beloved project.

The further into the creative process you go, the narrower the space feels, and the more you are required to deal with the emotional eddies that swirl under the surface of your creative life.

  • Fears lurk to sabotage us:I’m not good enough.
  • I don’t have anything to say, or show.
  • This has already been done, and better.
  • No one will like it.
  • I’ll be exposed as a failure.
  • If my work is bad, I am bad.

You’re not a fool for feeling these things, and you’re certainly not alone. After thirteen years of coaching myself and others through all these phases, I believe that the work of creating calls us forth in a deeply powerful and challenging way.
The only way to overcome these fears is to keep creating. If you want to know who you are and what makes you tick, take up an art form and stick with it. Staying with a project from start to finish will teach you more about yourself than years of therapy.

Can you accept that this is the nature of art-making? Can you stop bemoaning how hard it is? Can you embrace the emotional challenges of writing? If so, there are rewards.

Every project has something to teach us. What’s to learn? It’s different for everyone. You may learn something about your true limits. You may unearth some old wound that will be healed through this particular project. You may discover that the forces that have been driving you are no longer your own wishes.

Sticking with writing and finishing my novel has been the best teacher, the most challenging coach, and the biggest gift I ever gave to myself. My clients, too, have seen themselves develop alongside their commitment to their art. If we don’t finish our projects, we lose the valuable insight that each project has for us.

Next week, I’ll share three vital pieces that have helped my clients and students stay with their projects. In the meantime, what have you gained from your completed creative projects? Share with us in a comment below.

This post is excerpted from Cross the Finish Line: Five Steps to Leap Over the Hurdles to Completion.

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Focus Your Creativity Using Visual Methods (paper! color!)

Managing our creative abundance isn’t always easy. Despite the many time and project management software available, we can still struggle to find what’s right for us, for our style and for our work.

Planning materials from my Claim Your Authority retreat

Sometimes it helps to simplify your process, or to approach your planning in a right-brained way using visual elements.
I like planning on newsprint paper, using big sheets that I don’t mind wasting or being messy with. I also plan my work on a monthly basis using one page in a notebook to focus my attention.
These methods often resonate with my clients. When my client Donna Druchunas of Sheep to Shawl told me how much success and fun she was having using visual methods to plan her projects and career, I was thrilled.
Donna sent me images of her planning and I asked if we could share a public dialogue about her process.
Here’s our conversation. See what this might spark for your own planning and creativity. (Click images to enlarge.)
Spread from Donna's journal

CM: I LOVE it! I just saw that these are in a Moleskine accordion notebook. Oo la la!
DD: Yes, I use a regular Moleskine sketchbook, too because it has more pages and I’m always worried about running out. But if I am going to a special conference or working on a specific plan, I will use an accordion notebook just for notes about that one thing.
CM: Nice. So each event has its own visual record book. How did you start doing visual business planning for yourself?
DD: I started doing a monthly theme sketch in 2011, based on something you had posted on your blog.
I make a sketch of something that represents the theme of the month, like a big $ for making money, a file cabinet for getting organized, or a clock for deadlines. Then I list the high-priority items related to that theme around the page.
Do you remember that post? I don’t recall what you said in the post, but your drawings stuck with me. I still do that every month.
CM: That’s the mindmap your plate practice. You use one piece of paper to map what you are focusing on that month. It’s an easy and quick way to see if you’re trying to do too much and if your attention is focused on your bigger agenda.
Click to enlarge

 
CM: I know that you use The Right Brain Business Plan by Jennifer Lee, and you took my Journal Juju class at Two Hands Paperie in Boulder. What else inspired you to map your career this way?
DD: It was basically those two things that got me into visual planning. Before that, I’d been afraid to draw since I was a teenager. But I realized that if I am doing this for myself, it doesn’t matter if my pictures look like they were drawn by an 8 year old! As long as they are meaningful to me, it works! I find that the visual element adds emotional impact and a sense of play to getting the work done.
CM: Emotional resonance and play sound like great things to have for your work!
What’s so interesting to me is how so many people are hung up about their ability to draw. Like it’s some kind of character default. But it’s a learned skill and if you want to learn it, you can.
But what we’re talking about is simple visual notation – the drawings don’t have to be good, just communicative. It’s not about perfection but about simple depiction.
CM: Did you plan this out as a sketch on paper before or is this your first pass?
DD: I sketched it all out in pencil on the same page, so I could erase parts I changed my mind about. Once I had the elements all in place and was happy with it, I traced over the outlines with a black pen and erased the pencil marks. Then I colored everything.
CM: Nice. I should try pencil more. I never use pencil. Is there a significance for the colors for you?
DD: Because I’m afraid that my drawing skills are severely lacking, I find that adding color lets me relax and play. I feel like a little kid with a coloring book. The colors themselves are not significant. I have a lot of colored pencils and travel with just a few in my pencil case. It’s the process of coloring and the feeling I get when my drawings pop out in color that makes me happy.
CM: I love how you describe that simple pleasure. How color helps you play and relax.
What ideas or solutions came to you while sketching this out?
DD: When I write to do lists or plans, I tend to focus in on the details right away. With a visual plan, I can just focus on a theme or focus or the big picture for a longer period of time.
Donna's bigger picture

I love how this particular plan I’m working on now has four quadrants. This let me create a kind of compass for myself. I actually made two versions:

  1. one that shows how I can focus my business on my customers’ needs
  2. one that shows what I need to do to meet my own needs.

CM: I love that balance between what your customers need and what you need.
What steps do you take from here to implement these plans? Do you need to make lists of action items?
DD: I’m going to explore each of the sections on the plan in more detail but I’m not sure how yet. I am less detailed about planning and writing out action items than many people are. I tend to work on the plan until I have a clear picture in my mind of what needs to be done, and then I just plow through things for a while. If I start to feel unfocused, I go back to the plan to ground myself, and make updates if necessary.
CM: This is how I do it, too. I can only plan so much before I have to start executing. Then I go back frequently and keep refreshing the plan. I think it’s a good balance of planning and flexibility.
Thanks for sharing your process, Donna!
DD: My pleasure.
CM. Find out more about Donna’s knitting classes, tutorials and patterns at Sheep to Shawl.
What about you? What visual elements do you use to map your career or creative projects?