I’m as nutty as the next creative person – lots of ideas, interest in a variety of mediums, a preference for play over work.
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!
One of my mantras is ‘focus’. I’m going to add ‘follow through’ and ‘finish’. Adding a deadline helps me. Work expands to fill the time and then nothing gets done. When you aren’t accountable to a supervisor or client, things slide. I need to become accountable to myself. Thanks for reminding me.
Bobbi,
I think the last two Fs are the hardest.
You do need to be accountable to yourself. That’s why I emphasize the ‘why’ for my clients, to help them deeply connect to their motivation, or original impulse, for creating something. It has to come from inside.
Keep creating, I know you’re doing a great job!
Hi Cynthia,
I’m new to your blog. I love your info here and your artwork. I am always interested in how other creatives go about their work in an artful way. I love mind mapping, drawing up business plans with paint and ink. I guess we both make business fun by infusing our artwork into the dreariness of business. I just don’t know any other way. Nice to find you here, I’ll be back.
Naomi
Artbiz Rx blogger:naominovella.blogspot.com
Hi, Naomi! Thanks for coming by and for adding to the conversation.
I completely agree with you: for some of us, our business absolutely has to be infused with our creativity. When I began my business, I promised myself that it would be artful and creative. Over time, I’ve continued to open up to what that means.
Mostly I think we need to learn how to listen to our own creative instincts and not be submerged by everyone else’s idea of how we should work.
You’re right: there is no other way.
Keep having fun! Are you in Italy?
Thank you Cynthia! This came at a perfect time. I started the year with a deep focus (clearly following the 3 Fs). This month has been full of “Oh Shiny” moments that have really taken me off course. This is what I need today to bring me back into focus. I am going to start the mind mapping as well. Lists aren’t cutting it when I have several different projects going on.