Remember "Max Headroom"?

Max was a computer-generated TV character who sounded like he needed a defrag. Sometimes I feel like my head needs a defrag! How can we restore our "maximum headroom" with all that's going on up there?

May I suggest some recycling? For example, process:

• worry into actionable concern
• anger into corrective action
• guilt into remediation
• doubt into reasonable risk
• judgments into observations
• willy-nilly distractions into a queue to be handled during your lower-energy times of the day
• low-priority tasks into delegatable, delayable, or deletable tasks

Please leave us a comment if you're making "headway" with your "headroom", and how that creates space for your creativity to flourish!

Thanks,

Susan

P.S. to folks in Southeastern PA: My workshop topics for the next two weeks are "Simplifying Your Life, "Making Discovery Boards," and "Embracing Imperfection." Follow this link to the Boyertown Arts & Activities Alliance: http://www.boyertownpa.org/News/1-23.AAA-Activities-nwMFT_37.aspx for details!

***All of Susan's creative4life posts are copyright of Susan Cleaver.***

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A Valentine's Gift for Your Creativity

Well, Intrepid Creators, February is here ... the month of hearts and flowers and turning our attention to our romantic relationship if we have one. If so, I hope this relationship supports your creativity. But what if it doesn't, or what if you're between relationships at the moment?

Regardless of your relationship status with another, when it comes to supporting your creativity, how you relate to yourself is always of utmost importance. Ask yourself these questions:

Do I have clarity around my values? Are those values reflected in how I live and what I create?

Do I feel and display a sense of authenticity? If not, why not? Is it because of a fear of criticism? Is it because your persona has hardened into a mask, making difficult for even you to recognize your true self?

Do you allow yourself some solitude each week, when you can meditate, journal, collage, or just stare out the window?

I know these are tough questions, and the needed changes that may be implied by some of your answers could take some work. Hang in there anyway, just as you would with a romantic relationship that's important to you. Your creativity will thank you in ways that will long outlast candy and flowers!

My best to you,
Susan

P.S. to those of you in Southeastern PA: Please check out this site for details about several workshops I'll be teaching in February and March for the Boyertown Arts & Activities Alliance: http://www.boyertownpa.org/News/1-23.AAA-Activities-nwMFT_37.aspx!

***All of Susan's creative4life posts are copyright of Susan Cleaver.***

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The Amazing Dr. Maisel!

Who are the role models for your creative role models? Chances are, one of them is Eric Maisel, Ph.D. He's a creativity coach with a psychotherapist's background who has written over 30 books (fiction and nonfiction). How does he do it? I suspect it has to do with what he calls his "innate wackiness"!

I'll give you a quick look at just three of his many books on creativity. All three of these include great exercises.

The Creativity Book: A Year's Worth of Inspiration and Guidance

For me, following the weekly format of the book would be like eating only one corn chip a week. I gobbled up the whole book within a few weeks!

Here's one of my favorite quotes from the closing paragraph of the book: "I pray that you couple your creative efforts with the other elements of a life worth living: intimate relating and compassionate action in the world."

A Life in the Arts: Practical Guidance and Inspiration for Creative and Performing Artists

This workbook addresses practical considerations that you might see in other creativity books, such as combining art and business, but Maisel also covers the grittier topics that we don't like to think about. These are topics such as depression, anxiety, isolation, and rage. I can tell you from personal experience how grateful many artists will be to see these issues covered so openly!

In this book, Maisel also covers a topic that I haven't seen anywhere else, and that is, how does a person leave (or scale back on) the arts if needed or desired. The reason could be physical, as with an injured dancer, or emotional, as with a case of burn-out. Whatever the reason, Maisel spells out a plan for easing your way out and dealing with the feelings of loss that go with it.

Fearless Creating: A Step-by-Step Guide to Starting and Completing Your Work of Art

The coach in me found Maisel's explanation of appropriate and inappropriate clarity to be of particular interest.

If you've been actively creative for any length of time, you know that anxiety can't be ignored; it must be dealt with. The Appendix on "Anxiety Management Strategies" in this book provides many useful techniques for dealing with anxiety before, during, and after the creative process.

Check Out Dr. Maisel's site at http://www.ericmaisel.com/!

My best to you,
Susan

P.S. Last call for complimentary email support (once a week for four weeks) for your 2008 resolutions! Email me at scleaver@dejazzd.com to get started.

***All of Susan's creative4life posts are copyright of Susan Cleaver***

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Check Out This Beautiful New Site!

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about a very talented and savvy photographer, Kylene Cleaver. (Yes, she is related to me!) I've been saving it to post upon the launch of her new site, www.leaveittomephotography.com. And now is the time!

Blogger puts my posts in the order I write them rather than the order that I post them. So please go back a few weeks to my January 8 post called, "Featured Artist: Kylene Cleaver."

Emerging artists of every stripe will find both Kylene's story and her site to be inspiring!

Congratulations, Kylene!

My best to all of you,

Susan

***All of Susan's posts are copyright of Susan Cleaver.***

More Inspiring Resources

Check these out:

Falter-Barns, Suzanne: "How Much Joy Can You Stand? A Creative Guide to Facing Your Fears and Making Your Dreams Come True"

I love seeing the word "joy" in the title of a book about creativity! Thank goodness the "no pain, no gain" myth around creativity has been replaced by not only the possibility of joy, but the very real benefits of it in the creative process.

Falter-Barnes includes many exercises in the book. One of my favorites poses some very thought-provoking topics for the reader to make lists about, including "What I'm Afraid of Finding Out about My Dream," and "What Will Change If I Succeed at My Dream."

One of my favorite quotes from the book is, "Most failure is not an end in itself but a beginning disguised as an end."


Goleman, Daniel; Kaufman, Paul; Ray, Michael: "The Creative Spirit"

This book covers the inner workings of creativity, creativity in children and at work, and how creativity builds and benefits communities.

My favorite quotes from the book: "When both managers and workers adopt a creative outlook, a subtle but powerful change begins to occur in the workplace," and "Ultimately, a renaissance in creativity will depend on the actions of individuals." (That's us!)


The Imagineers: "The Imagineering Way: Ideas to Ignite Your Creativity"

Who better to learn about creativity from than the team that conceives and creates rides and displays that thousands enjoy at the Disney parks? Even the design of the book is exceptionally creative, inspiring, and fun!

Contributor Michael Sprout cuts to the chase about what we need to be creative: enthusiasm and faith. Another contributor, Bruce Vaughn, advises us to clearly define the creative challenge, and then to "...let go of all the possible solutions you are considering." This way we are not limited by pre-conceived ideas.


McMeekin, Gail: "Twelve Secrets of Highly Creative Women: A Portable Mentor"

McMeekin has divided her book into three "gateways:" "Engaging Your Creativity," "Mastering Your Challenges as a Creative Woman," and "Actualizing Creative Results: The Power of Positive Priorities." In the section on results, she provides two helpful worksheets. The first one is for planning, and the second is for curing procrastination.

The author has interviewed 45 well-known creative women for this book. No wonder she calls it "A Portable Mentor." And this mentor is on call 24/7!


To your success,

Susan

P.S. Slots are still available for my personalized complimentary email support, once a week for four weeks. So if you'd like assistance with staying on track with your resolutions, email me at scleaver@dejazzd.com!

***All of Susan's creative4life posts are copyright of Susan Cleaver.***

Resolution Check-In

"Mistakes are the portals of discovery." --James Joyce

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Sweet Victories or Sour Grapes?

Are you on your way to manifesting your resolutions, or is your enthusiasm sagging? Either way, I'd suggest that you go back to my December 11 post and brush up on the basics of carrying out creative resolutions. Then check out the common pitfalls discussed below.

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Pitfall #1: Trying to Swim Upstream

Have you ever seen the ads for a space-saving exercise pool? They are only about 8 ft. long, 5 ft. wide, and operate on the principle that if you try to swim upstream, you will likely end up staying in the same place. The pool sends a current of water forward and you swim against it.

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This is fine for space-saving exercise, but I don't think it's what you had in mind for your resolutions! The Universe can't help us if we are struggling to go the other way. We've heard it a million times because it's true: go with the flow.

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You'll have to decide what this means for you in relation to your own resolutions, but here's an example. Did you set up a resolution that forces you to focus on your weaknesses and fix them? Instead, rework it so that you are building on your strengths. It's easier, it makes you feel better about yourself, and it attracts more strengths, because that's what you're focusing on!

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Pitfall #2: Believing It Has to Be Difficult

We've been trying to swim upstream for so long, we've come to believe that where there's no pain there's no gain. Sure, you need to take action, but check in with your intuition first for help with your decisions and timing. It'll help you sail right around those pesky boulders in the river of life.

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Pitfall #3: Blaming Others

So, are you going to sail around the boulder, or are you going to blame nature for putting it in your way? Blaming others or blaming institutions or circumstances puts us in a powerless mindset, because it follows that we think there's nothing we can do to change the situation.

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This doesn't mean we have to blame ourselves, it just means that we have to accept responsibility for doing what is needed to get our resolutions back on the right track.

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Pitfall #4: Lack of a Support Structure on Which to Build Your Goal

Can your current life circumstances support the personal growth it'll take to get to your goal? How are your finances, health, relationships, etc.? Do you have accountability and moral support in place?

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I'm offering personalized complimentary email support, once a week for four weeks to the first ten people who request it. If you're interested, email me at scleaver@dejazzd.com.

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To your success,

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Susan

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***All of Susan's creative4life posts are copyright of Susan Cleaver.***

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Featured Artist: Kylene Cleaver

Photographer Kylene Cleaver is the amazing talent that has brought Leave It to Me Photography (TM) to life in Elkton, MD, and surrounding areas. Yes, she is my daughter-in-law, so if you think I'm biased, see for yourself at http://www.leaveittomephotography.com/!


Kylene is a great role model for other entrepreneurial creatives who want to work primarily from home while their kids are small and beyond.


Her intuition tugged at her sleeve about four years ago when she realized that capturing moods and telling stories with her photos were in her blood. Two years later, her son was born, and
many of her friends were also starting families. Her intuition nudged her again as she took photos of moms-to-be and later their babies, as well as her own son.


Kylene has branched out into other types of photography while remaining true to her own style. I feel that this is one of the keys to her success. Once you have developed your style, competition is not much of a concern. You may be working in the same medium of creative expression as many others, but it's how you express yourself through that medium that clients are attracted to.


As you peruse Kylene's beautiful site at http://www.leaveittomephotography.com/, notice how she sets herself apart from other photographers. Her creative thumbprint is on everything she does!


An important strength I see in Kylene is that she truly enjoys her work. Her enthusiasm is contagious, making the client's experience a pleasant one from beginning to end.


Another cue you can take from Kylene is knowing when to ask for help. She belongs to Internet forums and meet-up groups to give and receive tips, support, and feedback. Kylene also asks for help and feedback from family and friends, and we are glad to be involved in her creative process!


Then she takes the step that a lot of creatives forget. She uses the feedback that resonates with her to improve her work!


Another strength I've watched Kylene develop is that she clearly spells out her policies, deadlines, etc., so that her clients know what to expect up front. It shows respect for her clients while helping her to set boundaries that prevent her from getting burned out or just plain "burned."


Please check out Kylene Cleaver's site at http://www.leaveittomephotography.com/ for a great example of an artist who has found a way to see with her heart ... and translate it for the rest of us with her beautiful photos!


My best to all of you,


Susan


P.S. Regardless of your medium of expression, I can help you smooth out the rough spots on your creative journey. Email me at scleaver@dejazzd.com to set up a complimentary coaching tele-session!

***All of Susan's creative4life posts are copyright of Susan Cleaver.***