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! :-)