Games Creatives Play...and Win!

Time and project management can be very tricky for creatives. In fact, it's just about impossible to manage your work in the way that more conventional workers do.

As a creative, you can't just plow through your inbox, attend to correspondence, attend a few meetings and call it a day. Conventional work is not necessarily easier, but at least you have a clearer view of the road ahead. A task has been selected, by you or for you, and you typically have some idea how when you're going to get from A to B to C.

For many who have tried to apply this linear approach to creative work do not find it sustainable or rewarding, and they end up burned out. (I speak from experience on this one!)

Aligning with the Law of Attraction (see www.thesecret.tv) is the most harmonious and effortless way for anyone to achieve their goals. For many creatives, however, it is the only sustainable way to go.

The Law of Attraction is all about setting intentions and going with the flow, forgetting about "how," and waiting for inspired action. This is great, but the flow doesn't operate on a 9 to 5 schedule. Actually, the flow works on a 24/7 schedule. The catch is that you don't know which of those hours or even days it's going to have the next piece of synchronicity or inspired action ready for you.

So how can you work with the flow instead of against it? The best way I've found around it is to have multiple projects going at once. It's like the old shell game, only you get to look under each shell and see where your inspiration is today! This can help in several ways:

• While you're waiting for the inspiration or bit of synchronicity you need for one project, you can be working on another. Sometimes a change is as good as a rest. (Staring at a blank page or canvas isn't very restful, anyway! Nor does it invite the Law of Attraction to operate on your behalf.)
• If you're one of the many creatives with ADD traits, this way of working will be likely to fit your style and help keep you engaged in your projects.
• It takes the pressure off you regarding any one project, relieving you of much stress that could have easily blocked your creativity. Missteps are less painful when you have two or three projects going.
• It makes it easier and less scary to finish any given project, because you've already got some others underway.

Also, be sure you have some way of recording inspirations 24/7, the office hours of the creative process. These don't have to be your office hours, but you are on call to at least jot the ideas down for later.

The expression "once begun, half done" is never truer than when you are going with the flow of the Law of Attraction. You have set an intention, and the universe will meet you half way!

To Your Success,

Susan

P.S. Email me at scleaver@dejazzd.com for a complimentary trial coaching tele-session on this topic or most others!

Yin, Yang, and Your Creativity

It's All About Balance

I'm sure you've all seen the perfect natural balance that's depicted by the yin/yang symbol. I would guess that none of us maintain this degree of balance all the time, but the more you reach toward it, the easier it will be for your creativity to flow.

A Quick Refresher Course on Yin and Yang

• Yin, shown as black on the symbol, represents the receiving, feminine energy. The white dot within it represents the smaller amount of yang, or action-oriented male energy, that is needed to balance yin and make it whole.
• Yang (again, the action-oriented, male energy) is shown as white with a black dot, in reverse proportions to the yin side. When we say a man is "in touch with his feminine side," it's that black dot that represents it.
• Each side is shaped sort of like a fish, and they interlock to form a circle.

It's 2007. Do you know where your energy is?

Cultural influences, for better or worse, affect how we express our energy. In the 1950's, I feel that women were expected to be overly yin, and men were expected to be overly yang. So creative men were often criticized for using their talent, and creative woman were often not accessing enough yang energy to get out there and market their work.

Then the pendulum swung the other way for my generation as young adults in the 1970's, especially for women. We took on lots of yang behaviors and created the "superwoman" syndrome. At the same time, men were not only encouraged to express more yin energy, but they they were pressured to do so.

Presently I feel that we have a much better balance of energy for men and women alike. For example, our nursing shortage is being addressed by many more men going into the profession.

Women have much more cultural freedom around the way they want to spend their child-bearing years. If they choose to have children, they may elect to continue working, either from home or not. Where finances permit, many moms are choosing to take their child-bearing years off from additional types of work.

Running a home business is a creative act in itself, as is being a stay-at-home mom or dad. And women are finding their voices in the marketplace while learning to maintain a higher level of self-care. (Need coaching around this? Email me at scleaver@dejazzd.com for a complimentary trial tele-session on this topic or most others.)

Please comment below about how you maintain yin/yang balance in your own life. What a great time in history to be a creative soul!

To your success,

Susan

FAQ's About the Creative Process

"Is everyone creative, or is it just a lucky few?"

I believe that everyone is creative. The catch is that there are blocks that stop people from accessing it or recognizing it, such as:

• fear of failure, success, responsibility, looking foolish, or being rejected.
• unconscious programing that may sound something like this: "I'm too left-brained to be creative," or "It would be arrogant to assume I'm creative."
• overlooking the creative things we do every day at work and at home. A former client of mine who didn't see himself as creative is actually an outstanding creative problem solver!
• depression. Even a mild case can shut your creativity down. Please seek help if you need it! Depression is a messenger, and you may need help deciphering the message. If you try to ignore it, the messenger may start knocking so loud that you can't hear anything else.
• limiting cultural stereotypes about creatives, which often include words like "flake," "drunk," or "starving." If I believed these descriptions, I wouldn't want rush up to join the club, either!

"What about those who start out creating but then seem to lose touch with it?"

Here are a few possibilities:

• the onset of depression (see above).
• pushing and striving instead of going with the flow.
• getting lax about self-care and balance.
• resentment toward those who have criticized or rejected their work.
• other unfinished emotional business.

"What are the relationships among creativity, intuition, and spirituality?"

If I took a poll of actively creative folks, I believe the responses would fall into three categories:

• Some might say something like, "I have no interest in intuition or spirituality, and I do just fine creating."
• The second group may not use the exact terms, but may report things such as "I get lost in my creative work," "I'm surprised by the results of my own work," or "The work seems to come through me instead of from me."
• The third group might be those who actively cultivate their intuition and spirituality and feel strongly that these inform, inspire, and shape their work. While I respect the experiences and preferences of others, I find myself in this group.

"O.K., Susan, please tell me why I keep putting off the work I would most like to be doing!"

Here are some possibilities:

• fear (see the first question again).
• guilt ("I should be spending my time doing something else.")
• ADD or culture-induced ADD-like behavior. See the work of Edward Hallowell.
• failing to break the project down into approachable pieces.
• lack of accountability. Set up a mutual accountability plan with a friend or email me at scleaver@dejazzd.com. I can always use an additional accountability buddy! I'd also be glad to coach you on this topic during a complimentary trial tele-coaching session.

Please ask any additional questions on the creative process in the comments section so I can address them in future posts. Thanks!

To your success,

Susan

Castles in the Air

"If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them." --Henry David Thoreau

This is one of the greatest lessons I learned in my coach training! I wish I'd known it when I was a freelance children's writer. From my viewpoint now as a coach and Reiki Master, I can see how I failed to provide a solid foundation for myself. I did well in terms of learning the ropes and staying up with changes in the field. I knew the foundational stuff for my sole proprietorship, but I forgot to take care of the proprietor!

Soon I became the weakest link in my own chain, often dealing with creative blocks and stress-related illnesses that led me away from being the "principal" of my business and toward being the "principle" reason it failed!

I did not take care of myself physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, or energetically! It was like walking on stilts, which was certainly not a firm foundation for my "castle"!

Even if your creative activity is a hobby rather than a business, if you've been walking on stilts, where are you going to find the energy and inspiration to create? Keeping your values in mind, take a look at these three areas:

Simplify

• What routines can you institute to lessen your stress?
• What positive energy resources can you cultivate for yourself? Maybe a walk in nature?
• What boundaries do you need to set with others to lessen your stress?

Clarify

• What strengths can you leverage?
• What kind of people do you want to surround yourself with?

Amplify

• What is your vision or mission for your life, and how does your art fit in?
• What goals support your vision or mission?
• What's one small step you can take today to start building a firm foundation?

Please share your comments on the step you choose and your results to inspire the rest of us!

Thanks,

Susan

P.S. Email me at scleaver@dejazzd.com to set up a complimentary introductory tele-coaching session for more help on this topic or most others!

Creative Community

Diversity and Choice

I'd like to start with a few things that creative community is NOT. First of all, it is not limited to what we normally consider the "arts." Putting together a rewarding life for yourself is the creative framework for all else that you do! This can include the arts, but could also include many other things such as parenting or running a business.

Secondly, creative community is not limited to traditional networking at breakfast meetings, etc. Some folks love these and find them very helpful. Others find them to be an unnatural fit for their style.

Technology's Role

If you found your way to this blog, you probably already know what a boon the Internet has been for networking and support communities of all types. And you can often enter into joint ventures with no concern for your JV partner's geographic location!

Modern phone technology, which allows for inexpensive conference calling, can be used for all sorts of group experiences, including brainstorming, classes, Q and A, interviews, and demonstrations.

The Right Fit

Having fun loosens you up and opens the door to your creativity, so be sure to choose a community that provides this for you. Forget about what you've heard you "should" be doing, and involve yourself with others in ways that you feel enthusiastic about.

What I love about community is the amazing synergy that comes out of a group in which the individuals have moved past "What's in it for me?" and have shifted as a group to "What's in it for us and for those we serve?"

Other Things to Love About Creative Community

• companionship
• advice and mentoring
• circulation of information, methods, ideas, and techniques
• feedback
• encouragement
• inspiration
• intuitive input from others
• a safety net
• a venue for beta testing
• sounding boards

Dig-In Days

My friend and fellow entrepreneur, Mary Beth Krawchuk and I set several hours a week aside to "dig in" to our work while supplying structure, accountability, focus, and support for each other by phone at the beginning and end of each work hour. Many months ago when we first began, Mary Beth said, "I got more done on this project in this hour than I have in the past month!"

Give it a try with a friend or email me at scleaver@dejazzd.com. I can always use another accountability buddy!

Start Our Own Community? Why Not?!

Please scan this post again to see what kinds of support you need and how you might support others. Please leave a comment or email me at scleaver@dejazzd.com with your ideas, questions, quandaries, etc. My goal is to have creative4life become a nurturing community for those of us in any creative arena. (That is, just about all of us!)

Thank you,

Susan

Why Do We Resist Creating Our Art?

See if you recognize any of these culprits:

Confusion
We have a lack of clarity about what we really want from our work. This can be the result of conflicts between what we consciously want and what our limiting paradymes and beliefs are telling us unconsciously. These limitations are passed down from many aspects of society, and as kids we take them right in without a thought. We need to clean out our mental closets of such phrases as "starving artists," "artists are flakes," etc., and replace them with positive beliefs that will better serve us. Which brings us to the next culprit....

Lack of Knowledge of the Law of Attraction
Please check out my 6/11/07 post on how I created my products using this law. With a little faith, combined with positive thinking and inspired action, we can use the Law of Attraction to get into the creative flow. If you haven't seen the movie "The Secret" yet, check it out at www.thesecret.tv.

Fear
This is big one for all of us. Author Susan Jeffers tells us to "Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway," because if we wait for it to go away before we start anything...well, we simply won't start anything! Our fears can include stage fright, fear of change, risk, criticism, and/or jealousy. And the fear of jealousy can lead to feelings of...

Guilt
Even if others don't act negatively out of jealousy, we may still feel guilty about outshining our peers. But if we all felt that way, who would be our mentors...and how might we inspire others by our examples? Mature individuals will learn from us rather than despise us for the trails we are blazing.

Perfectionism
I have heard that glamour is a function of distance. We are all out there putting our best foot forward, so sometimes we forget that other people's paths have been just as curvy and messy as ours have been. This can even make us feel like frauds at times. But we're not; we're just human! What's more, perfectionism leads to...

Overthinking
We want to cover all the bases (not to mention our butts!). Overthinking is time-consuming, exhausting, confusing, and very unwelcoming to our creativity and intuition. When we get used to using the Law of Attraction, we find it easier to let go of overthinking, so don't forget to check that out, as I mentioned above.

To your productivity and success,
Susan

P.S. Email me at scleaver@dejazzd.com for a complimentary exploratory coaching tele-session on this topic or most any other!

Giving What You Love, Loving What You Give

To my mind, it's the highest of honors to be able to help others using my creativity. The best jobs I've had in my life have allowed me to do this, and it's certainly true for the creativity coaching I'm doing now. Even more general personal coaching, which I also do, is greatly enhanced by using my creativity.

Have you ever come to this wonderful intersection where the world benefits from what you love to do? If so, please tell us about it in the comments section!

Perhaps you contribute in this way as a gardener, parent, teacher, writer, artist, therapist, designer, or creative problem solver. Even toddlers and kids brighten our world with their amazing creativity!

Do you see a need that's calling to be filled? What solutions are you uniquely prepared to provide? What help and resources will you need? Do you recognize the resources that are right under your nose? What other questions do you need to ask for your particular situation?

If you are contributing or planning to contribute in this way, I want to say this to you: thank you! The world is changing very rapidly, and the old quick-fix solutions to many of our issues just don't cut it anymore. We need you! This is not marketing hype; it is our reality. Look and see for yourself.

Your creativity is a sacred trust. If you would like guidance on delivering on that trust in a way that will be fulfilling to you, please email me at scleaver@dejazzd.com to set up an initial complimentary coaching tele-session.

To your success,
Susan

P.S. Looking for an accountability buddy to work with as you share your gifts with the world? Email me at scleaver@dejazzd.com so we can nudge each other along by phone. Coaches have been using this method with each other for years...because it works! :-)