You have probably heard me say that consumerism is the weakest form of creativity. Sure, it’s fun and creative to choose art supplies. But the real payoff is in using them. Like many people, I am seeking more simplicity and clarity with ‘stuff’. My friend Courtney Carver’s book Soulful Simplicity has inspired me to shed my extra stuff. That said, some things do make a huge difference in our lives. I am all for having the right tools.

My guess is you worked hard this year, and that you could use a little treat. What if you got or did something that honors the writer you? The artist in you? Maybe one of my favorite things will soon become your favorite, too.

There were a few things I got this year that I really loved and want everyone to know about. Perhaps one of these treats will be the right gift for the writer or artist in you. 

Hahnemühle is one of my favorite notebook and paper companies. I love the high quality and design aesthetics. This German company won my heart. They are an in-kind sponsor of my year-long Atelier program. Atelier members receive one of the Diary Flex notebooks, one of my favorites for easily and elegantly capturing all my ideas. They have a new cappuccino notebook that they sent me along with some coffee and a cool mug. Get your Diary Flex here.

 

Rancho Gordo My friend Gigia told me about this company. I checked them out and thought, oh, they’re a little expensive, I am economizing now. But when I went back to their site, I was lured in by the gift section. I could get myself beans as a gift.

What could be more practical and more luxurious at the same time? I splurged on the 20-bean box ($119 includes shipping). When they arrived, I nearly cried. The abundance! The beauty! The possibilities!

Get yer beans here. 

Scott eVest

Speaking of cozy, I have started wearing a vest around. Now, it’s not your ordinary vest. We call it the Spy Vest. My friend Lisa Sonora was wearing one when we were in Paris together, and of course I wanted one.

This vest has many, many pockets. So many, the vest could replace a carry-on if you’re traveling light. I love the vest, with its many pockets and its hood. I never thought this would be my style. But I am with a Colorado dude through and through and I think the rugged look is starting to rub off on me.

You need one of these vests.  Just think about the supplies you could tuck in here for a sketch crawl.

HaikuBags is another in-kind sponsor. This year they came out with the Trailblazer backpack. I am not much of a backpack person, but I love all of Haiku’s products, so I got one. And, surprise, surprise, it’s as fabulous as all the other Haiku bags I have had.

I call it my Portable Author Office. When I am going to a cafe to write, I easily put everything into the backpack. The weight distribution is great – no back pain! As always Haiku knows me well and has designed a bag with pocket for everything. This was a great surprise – the bag I didn’t know I needed.

Treat yourself to an eco-friendly, gorgeous and functional bag for those artist and writer’s dates. 

Crystal Journey candles Speaking of my dear husband, when Steve came to my first Solstice party three years ago, he brought two gifts: a Crystal Journey candle (Joy) and a bouquet of flowers. This guy had my number right away. Now, we treat ourselves to these gorgeous candles. In the winter, they are in almost every room.

Light up your world with more love and candles. 

BOOKS

I didn’t read as many books as I would have liked this year. I checked a lot of them out of the library, but only a few made it into my brain. I’ve included a range of my favorites from 2018 here.

Your Story Is Your Power by Elle Luna and Susie Herrick  I loved this book so much, I hosted a book group discussion about it. Just go get it. It will inspire you to be more you, more authentic and more creative.

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee Such a good novel. I had the luxury of reading this on vacation, which meant I was immersed in two strange worlds. Pachinko is set in Japan and shows the hard lives of the Korean people who migrated there. Told through the stories of one family, this is an epic and compelling adventure.

Calypso David Sedaris  David Sedaris has long been a writing role model for me. His wit, insight and tenderness for his family compel me to be a better writer. In this book, we get to hear more about his family. A quick and easy read that doesn’t hesitate to pull the reader in deeply.

Green-light Your Book : How Writers Can Succeed in the New Era of Publishing by Brooke Warner If you are considering self-publishing a book, this is a great resource for all the ins and outs of the publishing process.

Favorite Pen

My favorite pen to gift people. If I were giving you a gift, I’d get one of Pilot’s Metropolitan fountain pens. I give everyone this pen, because it’s fancy and fabulous but not too expensive. I’d get you one in turquoise or purple or my favorite, gold. (See my pen at left with my Diary Flex notebook.)

This pen was gifted to me and turned me into a fountain pen lover. I use the refills and changing the Namiki ink is easy peasy.

Maya matches, tiny but mighty. Here’s something odd about me you may not know. I am a match fiend. I love matches and have a collection I bought in a jar at a yard sale. It’s stuffed with Denver restaurant matchbooks from decades past.

When I travel, I like to go to grocery stores and prowl the houseware section. The matches are always interesting, always local and always cheap. They make a great souvenir. I love my matches from Amsterdam and France. My suitcase always has a stash of matches upon return.

Recently, in Cozumel, we went to the local grocery store. It’s always the first thing I do when I go somewhere. I know, it’s weird. Why go on a mundane errand? Didn’t I leave home to get away from those errands? Well, I must procure almond milk for my coffee and while there, might as well get some matches. 

I bought a set of 6 Maya matches. Cerillos in Spanish. On the back of each yellow box is a picture of a Mexican site. These are some of my favorite matches ever. There’s a tab on the box, making it extra easy to open. The matches are tiny, flimsy little things. But they light like magic and are better than some of the sturdier wooden matches. I can’t wait to go back to get more.

What was a favorite treat for your writer or artist? Share the goods in a comment below.

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Do you ever do something and then realize, OMG that was not the smartest move I’ve ever made? I recently made a couple of dumb and expensive purchases that I regret.

I bought two planners mostly as research for a potential project. I had filled my tried and true Moleskine so I needed something. I also thought it wouldn’t hurt to explore a new method of planning. But oh, it did hurt.

I got the Full Focus Planner. One book costs over $40 and is for one quarter of the year. It took five minutes to realize that the habit tracker, goal setting, weekend planning and weekly review were not going to be useful for me. I prefer to plan my week once and then just do the freaking tasks. All the time it takes to fill out the planner is time I could spend just doing the work and enjoying my life.

Then! I somehow caught wind of a gorgeous French planner and bought that. I won’t reveal the cost but let’s just say I could have bought a pair of sandals instead.

I blame myself for these shopdoggles. (That’s boondoggle for shopping. Yes, I made that up.) I blame my enthusiasm, my love of productivity and my tendency to want to do what others are doing. Do you suffer from these symptoms of a shopdoggler?

This issue of productivity comes up all the time with my clients. We are all battling for focus and productivity, and sometimes we think it’s the right planner or method that will save us. I think it’s making better choices and doing less that helps us feel more satisfied with our progress.

We have access to others’ opinions more than ever. Taking on things that don’t work for us can be detrimental to our confidence. If you have gone on a shopdoggle or otherwise sidelined your wisdom and self-knowledge, it’s okay. These things can teach us if we let them. Not in a harsh ‘You’ll learn your lesson, Missy!’ But in the ever-growing self-awareness that fuels more of us, more of our creativity and more of our power.

I shunned a system I had developed and that was serving me to thrive in work and life. This is how we defer our power. We shun our original impulse or deep knowing for something new, flashy or trendy. 

I’ve gotten over my tomfoolery. (Writing this helped!) I forgave myself and let go of the sunk costs. Beating myself up, cursing myself and allowing this to linger like a dark cloud isn’t helpful.

Know what works for you to be productive, apply that consistently and jettison anything that doesn’t suit your needs.

Next year is the 20-year anniversary of my coaching business. I am launching a book and have big plans for it. Why would I risk my sanity, my productivity and my focus trying a new planner? I will finish the year with this recent planner, hacking it so it works the way my old method does. But next year I will return to my trusted and effective way of working. Phew!

In case you’re curious about my planning method, read on.

I use a large, hardback Moleskine notebook to run my business. I like this notebook or this notebook. I prefer dotted or grid pages over lined or blank.  The front of the notebook is for my weekly to-dos, with one week per page. I make 9 boxes on a page. Each box holds a different category of tasks. Every week’s workload is different so the categories could be: writing, teaching, clients, admin, travel, etc. At a glance I can see what I need to do for what project or sector of my work life.

The back half of the notebook is where I take meeting notes, make notes about projects and basically dream my work into existence. This system has worked for me for six years. When I need to reference something from the past, within minutes I can find that year’s notebook and access the information.

What helps you honor your original impulse? Share below in a comment.

Applications are rolling in for the Original Impulse Atelier, my year-long program to help you focus, follow through and finish that all-important project of yours. This is a training in how to know, honor and trust your creative process. It’s fun and effective, and we’re enrolling a few focused creatives now. Check it out here.

I’ve heard from some people that for the last year or so, world events have dampened their enthusiasm for their creative work. I get it. It’s easy to get discouraged and to sideline our creative work when we feel angry, fearful and disempowered.

The problem is, we need our power now more than ever. When the world ‘out there’ tries to disempower us, we need to do what we can to claim our power. And, I believe that taking up an art form is one of the best paths to personal empowerment there is. I’ve coached hundreds of women (and men) to find their power through their words and creativity. I have been blown away by the strength we access when we commit to and follow up on our creative dreams.

Showing up for our writing sessions sends a signal to ourselves that we matter. It says that when we commit to our projects, it means something. Most of my work as a coach involves helping women set up their lives so their creative work has the space it deserves. Writing a book may seem in conflict with our other commitments, but we actually gain a lot for our lives.

When we learn how to stake a claim for ourselves in this way, our lives are better. The real, deep work of committing to a creative path has a great side benefit of personal empowerment. Staking a claim for our projects is a power move. In our work together, we discuss:

• setting and keeping boundaries.
• communicating our needs to loved ones and others.
• making choices about how we spend our time.
• releasing beliefs, objects and obligations that no longer serve us.
• learning to prioritize projects, tasks and commitments.

When we consistently show up for our work, we grow. When we empower ourselves through our  creative work, we gain confidence. This confidence extends to other areas of life.

The recent situation with Dr. Christine Blasey Ford can send a signal that women’s words, lives and experiences do not matter. In a recent episode of Hidden Brain, they looked at how in the past, when women have spoken up about harassment, nothing changed and their experiences were disregarded. This prevented others from speaking up. This is called ‘social proof’. Why bother? It wouldn’t make a difference. This has changed with the #metoo movement, but we see with the recent Supreme Court Justice appointment that we still have work to do. But we should not take this as proof that our voices, our stories and our experiences don’t matter.

Some of us are galvanized by world events. One of my clients said that recent events spurred her to stop playing small. This is what I want for us all: that we recognize that we are in charge of our own empowerment. No more waiting for permission. No more waiting until we feel stronger or more confident. We are the gatekeeper to our power, and we have the keys to empower ourselves. The time to act is now.

We may not be able to change policy as we wish. But we can lead the change we seek in our own lives. I believe that when we empower ourselves it has a ripple effect. First we feel it in our intimate relationships. Then our work relationships. And on and on.

Maybe you don’t see your creative work as a personal growth path. There are many ways to empower ourselves and make a daily difference in the world. We are empowered when we:

• help a stranger.
• say no to something that isn’t right for us, even if we worry about how others will respond.
• negotiate for the true value of our work.
• speak up for ourselves and others.
• donate our resources to causes we believe in.
• take an honest look at how our actions play a part in keeping ourselves in a one-down position.

It is time for each and every one of us to claim the power each human has and deserves. Power to be self-determining. Power to express our truth. Power to play a role in a world that treats every person as equal and deserving of dignity.

However you are stepping up to claim your power, know that you, and your empowerment, matter. It does make a difference when you make space for your creative work. It does make a difference when you take a stand for what you know to be right. My hope is that this article has rallied your courage and that you feel your power now and that you feed its growth.

How do you experience your creative practice as a path to empowerment?