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!
Creativity
What Helps You Make Your Creative Mark: Interview with Author Eric Maisel
An Interview with Eric Maisel
Eric Maisel is the author of Making Your Creative Mark and twenty other creativity titles including Mastering Creative Anxiety, Brainstorm, and Creativity for Life.
Eric coaches individuals and trains creativity coaches through workshops and keynotes nationally and internationally. Visit him online at http://www.ericmaisel.com.
I’d like to know more about what you call the “freedom key.” What sort of freedom are you talking about?
Many different sorts—let’s look at just one, the freedom not be perfect; or, to put it slightly differently, the freedom to make big mistakes and messes. Not so long ago I got an email from a painter in Rhode Island.
She wrote, “I’m a perfectionist and I want my artwork to be perfect. Sometimes this prevents me from getting started on a new project or from finishing the one I’m currently working on. I think to myself: If it’s not going to be the best, why bother to do it? How do I move past these feelings?”
One way to get out of this trap is to move from a purely intellectual understanding that messes are part of the creative process to a genuine visceral understanding of that truth. You need to feel that freedom in your body. As an intellectual matter, every artist knows that some percentage of her work will prove less than stellar, especially if she is taking risks with subject matter or technique.
But accepting that obvious truth on a feeling level eludes far too many creative and would-be creative people. They want to “perfect” things in their head before turning to the canvas or the computer screen and a result they stay in their head and never get started. You have to feel free to show up and make a big mess—only then will good things start happening!
Another key that interested me is what you call the “relationship key.” What sorts of relationships did you have in mind and what can an artist do to improve his relationship skills?
All sorts of relationships! And relationships in the arts are frequently very complicated. You may be very friendly with a fellow painter and also quite envious of her. You may actively dislike a gallery owner or a collector but decide that he is too valuable to cast aside, maybe because he is your only advocate or your only customer. You may respect your editor’s opinions but despise the rudeness with which she delivers them.
There may be no such thing as a genuinely straightforward relationship anywhere in life but relationships in the arts are that much more complicated and shadowy. The main improvement an artist can make is to actually think about the matter!
You can decide how you want to be in relationships but only if you actively decide. You get to decide if you want to be honest and straightforward even if others aren’t, if you want to be polite and diplomatic even if others aren’t, if you want to be quiet and calm even if others are stirring the pot and making dramas.
It may not prove easy to be the person you want to be at all times and in all situations, especially since the marketplace has a way of throwing us off our game, but you can nevertheless hold the intention to try your darnedest to be the “you” you would most like to be. This takes thought and preparation!
Thanks, Eric, for sharing gems from your book with us!
How to write books and articles more quickly
All of my clients bump up against the frustration of how long it takes to write. Because we can access and send things at lightning speed, we think we should be able to write and create that quickly. But writing remains a slow process. Especially a book: this requires deep thinking and space to hash out and develop our ideas.
I think what you’re looking for is more efficiency so you can make the most of your writing time. You can set yourself up to write more efficiently. The main work is knowing your own style and systems and sticking to them without wavering.
Here are seven suggestions for feeling like you are mapping and writing with more efficiency and momentum: [Read more…] about How to write books and articles more quickly
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.
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!
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.
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.