Hi All,
It's time for the October Dig-Out Days! Don't let a big project or a pile of clutter snow you under!
Join us for two hours of motivation and the start of some real progress toward your goal, whether it's a work, home, or creative project. We will accomplish this through three 10-minute conference calls with two work sessions sandwiched in between.
Choose the session or sessions that work for you:
Wednesday, October 11, 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm Eastern
Saturday, October 14, 8:00 am to 10:00 am Eastern
Wednesday, October 18, 6:30 am to 8:30 am Eastern
Tuesday, October 24, 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm Eastern
Here's the schedule we'll follow for each session:
Opening Call ~ 10 minutes
Independent Work Time in Your Home, Office, or Studio ~ 50 minutes
Check-In Call ~ 10 minutes
Independent Work Time ~ 40 minutes
Follow-Up Call ~ 10 minutes
I'm offering the Dig-Out Days as a complimentary service, so come and join the party! Your only expense will be your long-distance phone charges to the US Area Code 712, where we all will be calling into a teleconferencing service.
Pre-register and/or sign up for email notices of upcoming events by calling me at 1-610-385-3766 or emailing me at scleaver@dejazzd.com by the day before your chosen session or sessions. I will provide the access numbers to the sessions you specify. It's gonna be fun!
All the best to you,
Susan
P.S. to folks in the greater Philadelphia area: I'm facilitating a Design Your Future
workshop on Saturday, October 28, 2006 from 9:00 am to 1:00 in Pottstown, PA. To receive details about this and other offerings, email me at scleaver@dejazzd.com. Thanks!
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Resource Round-Up
Greetings! Below you'll find a few of my favorite resources....
~The Sensitive Professionals Network
Check it out at www.sensitiveprofessionals.com.
~Mind Media Life Enhancement Network
This website has a catalog of really cool stuff! Some of it is downloadable software, such as Roger Von Oech's "Creative Whack Pack," which is a fantastic brainstorming tool that I use. See www.mindmedia.com.
~Susan Abrams, Master Certified Coach
Susan Abrams has specific skills that can help you sail past blocks, creative or otherwise. To this end, she employs the Emotional Freedom Technique and a step-by-step plan for zapping limiting beliefs. She also offers the Option Process (R) Dialogue, as taught at The Option Institute in Sheffield, MA, USA . See her site at www.susanabrams.net.
~Ali Rodriguez is the owner of Vision for Success, a business coaching and consulting service. Her passion for her work is contagious! Follow this link to see her calendar of teleclasses and live events: www.visionforsuccess.biz/calendar.html.
~The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron with Mark Bryan. This book is a modern classic which has been pivotal in my creative development. Cameron uses the word "artist" in its broadest sense. It's still in print after more than a decade, so you can find it at www.amazon.com.
~The Mind Map Book: How to Use Radiant Thinking to Maximize Your Brain's Untapped Potential by Tony Buzan with Barry Buzan. The title says it all! It's also available at www.amazon.com.
~A.D.D. and Creativity: Tapping Your Inner Muse by Lynn Weiss, Ph.D. This book is a nice mix of personal experience, valuable info, and a fresh perspective. It's at www.amazon.com, too.
~You Don't Need a Title to Be a Leader, by Mark Sanborn. Inspirational! Go to www.amazon.com.
~And a shamless plug for my own guided journal, The Whispering Heart, which I'm offering to my blog readers with free shipping within the US for $15 US. Click on the previous post called "Getting to the Heart of Your Creativity through Journaling" (3/27/06) to see sample pages. Pennsyvania residents will need to add $0.90 tax per copy. Residents of other countries, please email me for shipping details. Make your www.paypal.com payment to scleaver@dejazzd.com. Please put the book title and number of copies in the subject line, and your name and shipping address in the "note" box.
Please let me know how you've found these resources to be helpful once you've checked them out. The more specific you can be, the better, so that your comment can be of help to other readers.
Thanks!
Susan
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
This Is Gonna Be Fun!
Greetings,
This is your invitation to Dig-Out Day on Tuesday, September 26, 2006! Does an avalanche of clutter or a big project have you snowed under? Join us for a series of brief teleconference calls, where we will support and motivate each other to "dig out"! But...
The real magic happens between the calls! This is when we will be in motion, each tackling our own project at hand. We will be calling in at the times below to keep us all on track and inspired. I'd love to have you on all the calls, but if your schedule doesn't allow that, call in when you can.
9:00 am eastern
9:45 am
10:30 am
11:15 am
12:00 noon
I know what you're thinking: "But it's too overwhelming!" "But I don't know where to start!" "But being organized will stifle my creativity!" We are going to get off our "buts" and into action! Who knew it could be this much fun?
We will be calling into a conference line service that is in the US area code 712. So, while I am offering Dig-Out Day as a complimentary service, we each will be charged our long-distance rate by our respective providers.
Pre-register by emailing me by Monday, September 25, at scleaver@dejazzd.com. I'll see that you get the number to call!
Blessings,
Susan
P.S. There are also three telecoaching hotline days left this month! Call in on any of the remaining Thursday nights in September between 6 and 8 pm eastern time. Again, this is a long-distance call for most of you, but the 15-minutes of coaching is complimentary. The hotline number is 610-385-3766.
This is your invitation to Dig-Out Day on Tuesday, September 26, 2006! Does an avalanche of clutter or a big project have you snowed under? Join us for a series of brief teleconference calls, where we will support and motivate each other to "dig out"! But...
The real magic happens between the calls! This is when we will be in motion, each tackling our own project at hand. We will be calling in at the times below to keep us all on track and inspired. I'd love to have you on all the calls, but if your schedule doesn't allow that, call in when you can.
9:00 am eastern
9:45 am
10:30 am
11:15 am
12:00 noon
I know what you're thinking: "But it's too overwhelming!" "But I don't know where to start!" "But being organized will stifle my creativity!" We are going to get off our "buts" and into action! Who knew it could be this much fun?
We will be calling into a conference line service that is in the US area code 712. So, while I am offering Dig-Out Day as a complimentary service, we each will be charged our long-distance rate by our respective providers.
Pre-register by emailing me by Monday, September 25, at scleaver@dejazzd.com. I'll see that you get the number to call!
Blessings,
Susan
P.S. There are also three telecoaching hotline days left this month! Call in on any of the remaining Thursday nights in September between 6 and 8 pm eastern time. Again, this is a long-distance call for most of you, but the 15-minutes of coaching is complimentary. The hotline number is 610-385-3766.
Monday, August 28, 2006
Fear of Success
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure." --Marianne Williamson
Why is this true for so many creative folks?? Do any of these ring true for you?
~~fear of criticism, either from yourself or others
~~fear of responsibility
~~limiting beliefs
~~fear of jealousy
~~feelings of deservingness are shaky
~~fear of leaving your comfort zone for the unknown
~~lack of self-confidence or self-esteem
Coaching can help! Email me at scleaver@dejazzd.com or call 610-385-3766 for a complimentary trial session.
One more for the road, and I think this is a biggie: For most of us in the US, we have been educated by schools that train us to "blend in," not to "stick out." I would be interested to hear from those of you in other countries. Has this been your experience, too?
Marianne Williamson also makes a great case for "sticking out":
"...as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same."
Shine on!
Susan
Saturday, August 19, 2006
Rev Up Your Creativity with Time for Renewal
Greetings!
I'm back from my medical leave. I had planned to take it easy this summer, but not that easy! Anyway, I prefer to think of it as a sabbatical, because sabbaticals can really rev up your creativity! They allow your ideas to incubate, and they allow you some renewal time.
Even mini-sabbaticals in your day or week are crucial to your creative process. I wish I had known that years ago when I was writing for kids! Instead, I was always pushing myself for the next great idea. Well, guess what! After a while all my ideas dried up, my health was a mess, and I was not a happy camper!
Julia Cameron, author of "The Artist's Way," calls this "over-fishing the pond." She suggests replenishing your imagination with weekly "artist dates," where you go out alone and soak up something interesting. It could be a movie, window shopping along a row of quirky shops...anything to wake up your creativity.
The most sustainable kind of creativity comes from joy and play, not from running your reserves down to nothing.
My beloved friend and mentor, Sally Martin, taught me to slow down, and for a few minutes a day, do absolutely nothing. Yes, nothing! Just breathe and relax. Consider it a micro-sabbatical in your day.
Play around with these ideas, and let me know what works for you.
Blessings,
Susan
P.S. - I'm offering Free Coaching Hotline Days in September! They'll take place every Thurday evening in September 2006 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm Eastern time. First call, first served for only the cost of your 15-minute phone call. The hotline # is 610-385-3766. Choose one of these suggested topics or bring your own. I'm looking forward to talking with you!
I'm back from my medical leave. I had planned to take it easy this summer, but not that easy! Anyway, I prefer to think of it as a sabbatical, because sabbaticals can really rev up your creativity! They allow your ideas to incubate, and they allow you some renewal time.
Even mini-sabbaticals in your day or week are crucial to your creative process. I wish I had known that years ago when I was writing for kids! Instead, I was always pushing myself for the next great idea. Well, guess what! After a while all my ideas dried up, my health was a mess, and I was not a happy camper!
Julia Cameron, author of "The Artist's Way," calls this "over-fishing the pond." She suggests replenishing your imagination with weekly "artist dates," where you go out alone and soak up something interesting. It could be a movie, window shopping along a row of quirky shops...anything to wake up your creativity.
The most sustainable kind of creativity comes from joy and play, not from running your reserves down to nothing.
My beloved friend and mentor, Sally Martin, taught me to slow down, and for a few minutes a day, do absolutely nothing. Yes, nothing! Just breathe and relax. Consider it a micro-sabbatical in your day.
Play around with these ideas, and let me know what works for you.
Blessings,
Susan
P.S. - I'm offering Free Coaching Hotline Days in September! They'll take place every Thurday evening in September 2006 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm Eastern time. First call, first served for only the cost of your 15-minute phone call. The hotline # is 610-385-3766. Choose one of these suggested topics or bring your own. I'm looking forward to talking with you!
Embarking on a New Project
Overwhelm
Goal-Setting
Getting Unstuck
Brainstorming
A Life Transition
Decision-Making
Conflict Resolution
Getting Organized
Monday, March 27, 2006
Get to the Heart of Your Creativity Through Journaling
Greetings! Here are a few sample sets of quotes and questions from my guided journal, The Whispering Heart, that you can use to prime the creative pump. You can order the 50-page book by sending your www.paypal.com payment to scleaver@dejazzd.com. Please put the book title and number of copies in the subject line, and your name and shipping address in the "note" box. I'm offering it to my blog readers with free shipping within the US for $15 US. Pennsylvania residents will need to include $0.90 tax per copy. Residents of other countries please email me for shipping details.
Here goes...
Passion!
"Your true passion should feel like breathing; it's that natural." --Oprah Winfrey
What is it that comes this naturally to you? How can you capitalize on this gift?
Creativity
Creativity can be described as letting go of certainties." --Gail Sheehy
What certainties are you willing to let go of?
Rewards
"The Highest reward for a person's toil is not what they get for it, but what they become by it." --John Ruskin
Who are you becoming (because of your art)?
Risk
"We have to go a little beyond the frontier of sensible appearances in order to see the divine." --Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
Are you willing to take that risk (for your art)? Why or why not? How can you better prepare yourself to take the risk?
Boldness
"Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it."
--Goethe
How would your life change if you were twice as bold (with your art) as you are now?
(copyright 2005, Susan Cleaver)
Play around with these and let me know what "aha's" come out of it.
For those of you in the greater Philadelphia, PA, area, email me for details about "April Jewels Day," a day dedicated to women's well-being, being held this Saturday at The Open Door in Douglassville, PA (www.opendoorfitness.com). Hope to see you there!
Blessings,
Susan
Here goes...
Passion!
"Your true passion should feel like breathing; it's that natural." --Oprah Winfrey
What is it that comes this naturally to you? How can you capitalize on this gift?
Creativity
Creativity can be described as letting go of certainties." --Gail Sheehy
What certainties are you willing to let go of?
Rewards
"The Highest reward for a person's toil is not what they get for it, but what they become by it." --John Ruskin
Who are you becoming (because of your art)?
Risk
"We have to go a little beyond the frontier of sensible appearances in order to see the divine." --Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
Are you willing to take that risk (for your art)? Why or why not? How can you better prepare yourself to take the risk?
Boldness
"Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it."
--Goethe
How would your life change if you were twice as bold (with your art) as you are now?
(copyright 2005, Susan Cleaver)
Play around with these and let me know what "aha's" come out of it.
For those of you in the greater Philadelphia, PA, area, email me for details about "April Jewels Day," a day dedicated to women's well-being, being held this Saturday at The Open Door in Douglassville, PA (www.opendoorfitness.com). Hope to see you there!
Blessings,
Susan
Monday, February 13, 2006
Patchwork Creativity
Betsy's comment on my last post addresses a common problem for creatives. She mentioned how daily responsibilities keep from doing her creative work at the time of day that she feels she's at her best. She feels drained by the time she gets to her art. Here's my suggestion: patchwork creativity.
Step One: Before going to sleep at night, set an intention for what you want to create the next day. Be sure to write it down. By doing this, you're sending a message to your subconscious mind, along with a self-addressed, stamped envelope for its reply. The subconscious is great to have in your employ, because it works tirelessly 24/7. Just before sleep is the best time to jumpstart it.
Step Two: Reread your intention as soon as you wake up, preferably aloud. The subconscious mind is very open to suggestion at this time before you are fully alert.
Step Three: Always carry something with you to jot down or electronically record any bits and pieces that pop up while you are carrying out your other responsibilities. These become your patches for your patchwork creativity.
Step Four: When your time of day to create finally arrives, make it a ritual to sit down and "sew" your patches together. You can create this way even when you feel drained from your other activities, because you've already built a foundation for it in bits and pieces. As "The Artist's Way" author Julia Cameron would say, you have made your creative work into "no big deal." And I know when I'm tired, everything feels like a big deal, so I'd better have my creative goals cut down to size in this way.
My wish for all of you this week is a beautiful piece of patchwork creativity, whatever that means for you. Give it a try and let me know how it goes. Or if you have another method that works for you, please tell us about your experiences and results. Thanks!
Blessings,
Susan
P.S. A note to local folks: Last call for the "Design Your Future" workshop on Saturday, February 25, from 1 to 5. The registration deadline is Wednesday, February 15!
Step One: Before going to sleep at night, set an intention for what you want to create the next day. Be sure to write it down. By doing this, you're sending a message to your subconscious mind, along with a self-addressed, stamped envelope for its reply. The subconscious is great to have in your employ, because it works tirelessly 24/7. Just before sleep is the best time to jumpstart it.
Step Two: Reread your intention as soon as you wake up, preferably aloud. The subconscious mind is very open to suggestion at this time before you are fully alert.
Step Three: Always carry something with you to jot down or electronically record any bits and pieces that pop up while you are carrying out your other responsibilities. These become your patches for your patchwork creativity.
Step Four: When your time of day to create finally arrives, make it a ritual to sit down and "sew" your patches together. You can create this way even when you feel drained from your other activities, because you've already built a foundation for it in bits and pieces. As "The Artist's Way" author Julia Cameron would say, you have made your creative work into "no big deal." And I know when I'm tired, everything feels like a big deal, so I'd better have my creative goals cut down to size in this way.
My wish for all of you this week is a beautiful piece of patchwork creativity, whatever that means for you. Give it a try and let me know how it goes. Or if you have another method that works for you, please tell us about your experiences and results. Thanks!
Blessings,
Susan
P.S. A note to local folks: Last call for the "Design Your Future" workshop on Saturday, February 25, from 1 to 5. The registration deadline is Wednesday, February 15!
Friday, February 03, 2006
Dumping the Myths Around Inspiration
Thank you, Betsy and J for your comments! You both mentioned inspiration, so let's go there today....
"No matter what our attempts to inform, it is our ability to inspire that will turn the tides." (Author unknown.) So.... Go, Betsy and other artists of every stripe! The world needs what you have to offer. (For more about what Betsy has to offer, go to www.opendoorfitness.com.)
There are a lot of myths around the idea of inspiration. Let's dump 'em! The first myth is that inspiration is going to show up at your doorstep and say, "Congratulations! You have just won the Idea-of-a-Lifetime Sweepstakes!"
Writer Brenda Ueland explains how it really works: "I learned that inspiration does not come like a bolt...but it comes to us slowly and quietly and all the time, though we must regularly...give it a little chance to start flowing, prime it with a little solitude and idleness." So don't just do something, sit there! Meditation works great for this, as does journaling.
The second myth to dump is the one that says that artistic souls need to have total freedom in order to create. Not so! Structure is not such a bad word after all.
In her book, "Pencil Dancing," Mari Messer says, "Why impose structure when you don't have to? You do it to make a framework to hang your thoughts on."
Structure doesn't have to be boring! For example, you can create an interesting structure instantly by choosing three words randomly from a book and challenging yourself to use them in the same paragraph. Give it a try and let me know how it goes!
Blessings,
Susan
P.S. For more info on the guided journal, "The Whispering Heart," that J mentioned in her comment, please email me at scleaver@dejazzd.com. Thanks!
"No matter what our attempts to inform, it is our ability to inspire that will turn the tides." (Author unknown.) So.... Go, Betsy and other artists of every stripe! The world needs what you have to offer. (For more about what Betsy has to offer, go to www.opendoorfitness.com.)
There are a lot of myths around the idea of inspiration. Let's dump 'em! The first myth is that inspiration is going to show up at your doorstep and say, "Congratulations! You have just won the Idea-of-a-Lifetime Sweepstakes!"
Writer Brenda Ueland explains how it really works: "I learned that inspiration does not come like a bolt...but it comes to us slowly and quietly and all the time, though we must regularly...give it a little chance to start flowing, prime it with a little solitude and idleness." So don't just do something, sit there! Meditation works great for this, as does journaling.
The second myth to dump is the one that says that artistic souls need to have total freedom in order to create. Not so! Structure is not such a bad word after all.
In her book, "Pencil Dancing," Mari Messer says, "Why impose structure when you don't have to? You do it to make a framework to hang your thoughts on."
Structure doesn't have to be boring! For example, you can create an interesting structure instantly by choosing three words randomly from a book and challenging yourself to use them in the same paragraph. Give it a try and let me know how it goes!
Blessings,
Susan
P.S. For more info on the guided journal, "The Whispering Heart," that J mentioned in her comment, please email me at scleaver@dejazzd.com. Thanks!
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Welcome to creative4life!
Through this blog, I envision an ongoing forum about living creatively at work and at play. Please do jump in with your comments and experiences!
In last Sunday's USA WEEKEND, an essay appeared called "Acts of Kindness," by 16-year-old Maria Jose Perez. In it she explains how she started reaching out to the other students at school. She had an ulterior motive, however, which was to get elected into the student government system. Along the way, she discovered how much she valued the resulting friendships. The original goal soon lost its luster for her.
I had a similar experience when I used to write children's fiction. I studied the creative process with the ulterior motive of getting published by "real" publishers. Self-publishing wasn't "good enough" for me then. I wanted my creativity to have a capital "C"!
I had only a smidgen of success in that field, but I fell in love with the creative process, and its cousin, intuition. I write what pleases me, and I shamelessly self-publish my work. I also shamelessly plug it; email me for details about my guided journal, workshops, and tele-coaching!
My wish for you this week is that you will let yourself do something creative with a small "c." Write a letter, make your own soup recipe, solve an everyday problem...anything that brings you satisfaction. Remember that expressing yourself creatively is a vital part of your self-care. Let me know how this experience goes for you.
Blessings,
Susan
In last Sunday's USA WEEKEND, an essay appeared called "Acts of Kindness," by 16-year-old Maria Jose Perez. In it she explains how she started reaching out to the other students at school. She had an ulterior motive, however, which was to get elected into the student government system. Along the way, she discovered how much she valued the resulting friendships. The original goal soon lost its luster for her.
I had a similar experience when I used to write children's fiction. I studied the creative process with the ulterior motive of getting published by "real" publishers. Self-publishing wasn't "good enough" for me then. I wanted my creativity to have a capital "C"!
I had only a smidgen of success in that field, but I fell in love with the creative process, and its cousin, intuition. I write what pleases me, and I shamelessly self-publish my work. I also shamelessly plug it; email me for details about my guided journal, workshops, and tele-coaching!
My wish for you this week is that you will let yourself do something creative with a small "c." Write a letter, make your own soup recipe, solve an everyday problem...anything that brings you satisfaction. Remember that expressing yourself creatively is a vital part of your self-care. Let me know how this experience goes for you.
Blessings,
Susan
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