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!