Give Your Ego a Clear Job Description

Here's mine:

TO: My Ego
FROM: Susan
RE: Your Job Description

Position: Reality Coordinator; Your job responsibilities fall into three categories to ensure your successful collaboration with my creative side:

1. Support my creativity by collaborating with it on:

-my self-care.
-my marketing plans.


2. Back off and defer to my creativity while it's:

-brainstorming.
-daydreaming.
-interpreting dreams.
-cross-training in other artistic areas.
-journaling.
-working on projects in the early stages of development.


3. Take the wheel in your areas of expertise, including:

-logistics and technical considerations.
-handling rejection.
-pricing and other financial matters.


In Summary: Please hang this prayer over your desk.

The Ego's Effectiveness Prayer

Please help me to enhance Susan's creativity where I can,

Back off where I can't,

And have the discernment to know the difference.

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Readers,

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Please comment on the role of your ego in your creative work so we all can compare notes!

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A complimentary trial coaching tele-session is available to you on this topic or most others. Set yours up by emailing me at scleaver@dejazzd.com. With the holidays coming, you may also want to inquire about my gift-boxed set of inspirational quote cards on the Law of Attraction ($10 US plus tax and shipping that will depend on where you live).

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Sample Quote:

"What we need is more people who specialize in the impossible."

--Theodore Roethke

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Happy Halloween,

Susan

Shaping Our Lives, Imperfections and All

Being human is like throwing pots...very messy. A beautifully shaped piece on the wheel can turn into a wobbly mess in the blink of an eye. And glazing pots is like getting dressed in the dark. Until they're fired, you don't see the true colors and how they'll blend.

A potter's wisdom is in his body and results from lots of trial and error (on resumes we call it "experience.") We can't learn to throw pots by just reading about it or watching a demo. You have to do it. And at first, you have to do it badly.

As time goes on, the potter will surprise herself with what comes through her, because she has prepared herself as a vessel in order to create amazing vessels on the wheel! She's been shaping herself as she shaped the pots, just as we all shape ourselves through our art and the art of living.

Will others resonate with the art and life you have shaped for yourself? Some will and some won't, of course. But hold your self-styled art and life dearly to your heart anyway! The right companions will find you, and the right patrons will find your art. Love your life and live it to its fullest, imperfections and all.

Imperfectly yours,
Susan

P.S. To sign up for a complimentary trial coaching tele-session or to order my guided journal, The Whispering Heart, email me at scleaver@dejazzd.com.

Tune Into Your Muse

Have you ever felt that you and your muse are on different wavelengths, resulting in a frustrating creative block? From a metaphysical perspective, that's exactly what happens.

The conditions in and around us during a creative breakthrough are those that foster a higher vibration that closely matches what we call the muse...that special blend of creativity and intuition that we've been wanting to tap into. So here are some ways to raise your vibration and that of your environment to reduce the mind static between you and your muse.

• Apply basic Feng Shui principles to your work area and to the area between your ears. Clear out physical, mental, and emotional clutter. If you can do this on your own, great! Go for it. If not, get a friend, coach, or personal organizer to help you with the physical clutter. For the mental clutter (long to-do lists, too much debt, etc.), set aside time to attend to each item, ditch it, or delegate it, as appropriate. If the issue or item looms large, you may need to put a system in place for step-by-step progress. For emotional clutter, try journaling or writing an imagined dialog between you and the issue. If you need help, do yourself a huge favor and find a good therapist to help you sort things out.
• Hug a tree! Communing with nature raises our vibration gently and pleasantly.
• Listen to energizing music. If your energy is really down, start with music that is slightly livelier, then move to progressively more energizing pieces.
• Clear out internal energy bottlenecks with Reiki and/or massage.
• Eat light meals consisting of fresh foods that haven't had the life force energy processed out of them. Bless the meal and express gratitude for it.

If you'd like to explore this idea of rising to meet the muse's frequency further, email me at scleaver@dejazzd.com to set up a complimentary trial coaching tele-session.

As you experiment with these ideas, please post your experiences in the comments section!

Thanks,

Susan

Mission and Motivation

Tying your art to a mission will liven up your motivation and creativity. It'll add a whole new depth to what you're doing, no matter what form your art takes!

Rafael Bejarano, Multi-Cultural Ritualist and Educator, Musician, Artist, and Healer

I saw this amazing guy perform last spring. His mission is to help with the care and feeding of the sacred music traditions and instruments of the indigenous cultures of the world. He has won the respect of those cultures through his sincere interest, and they have taught him what he needs to know to carry out this mission. What a new world this has opened up for him and his audiences, both children and adults alike!

Here's a quote from Rafael's brochure: "Through the use of indigenous instruments from around the world, I feel I become an 'instrument' myself...a messenger for the ancient ones....Together we can co-create a better world for ourselves and our future generations." What an inspiration for the rest of us who are holding missions close to our hearts! You can check out his website at www.soundsofcreation.org.

And What About You?

Of course only you can decide what mission you are passionate about. But for the sake of an example, let's say your mission is to keep the arts alive and fun in the schools. Maybe you win a grant that allows you to run a program in your local schools. You've added another dimension to your work by becoming an important role model for young people!

With that example in mind, take a look at your passions and clarify a mission that will expand the world for yourself and others. If you already have a mission that feeds your creative motivation, please tell us about it in the comments section!

Thanks,
Susan

P.S. Need help clarifying your mission? Email me at scleaver@dejazzd.com to set up a complimentary trial coaching tele-session, and I'll help you get started sorting it out.

Closed Hearts Shut Out Creativity

When Do We Close Our Hearts?
We close our hearts in order to prevent further pain when we have been emotionally injured. But like denial, closing the heart is meant to be only a temporary arrangement while we set up the healing process.

Why Does A Closed Heart Block Creativity?
Over time, a closed heart robs us of our enjoyment of life, our playfulness, our ability to trust, our creativity and our intuition. It leaves us in a state of disconnection from Spirit, other people, and ourselves. We feel empty and tired. It can even lead to depression.

Walling off our hearts is an all-or-nothing deal, like general anesthesia. All welcome sensations are blocked out along with the unwelcome ones. Joy, creativity, and even colors are muted. Negative emotions, which are designed to stay in motion, get stuck. Instead of being the useful messengers they are meant to be, they overstay their welcome and can even make us sick.

How Can We Tear Down The Wall, Open Our Hearts, and Start Feeling Again?
Usually we have to do this brick by brick. Even in the case of a sudden catharsis, it takes time to integrate a new way of being. Coaching can often help with this, but if the problem is deeply entrenched, do yourself a favor and find a great therapist. If you're not sure what kind of help you need, I can help you sort it out in a complimentary trial coaching tele-session; email me at scleaver@dejazzd.com.

Part of opening our hearts is learning to forgive ourselves and others. Forgiveness has been given a bad name because people think it means that we have given in and are going back for more bad treatment. But forgiveness means releasing ourselves from the energy-draining situation in our own minds. It does not always mean reconciliation with the difficult person.

Placing blame leaves us powerless when it leads to feelings of resignation and victimization. We must take responsibility for our responses and for whatever we can do to improve the situation, whether we are to blame or not. As for our own mistakes, we can use the energy they stir up to learn from them and correct them instead of wasting it on beating ourselves up.

As we open our hearts, we can test the creative waters now and then to measure our progress. Here's the good news: Just as the closing off process affects us holistically, so will the opening process! Our general outlooks will improve, along with our energy and creative output levels. Unexplained physical problems may bow out, as well, once we "get" the messages they were sending!

Closing our hearts means closing ourselves off to a full life. What will you do for yourself today to let your heart help you express all of who you are? I'd love to see your answers in the comments section!

To your happiness,
Susan

Wanted: Consultant, Therapist, or Coach?

Confused about who does what? Read on:

You'll Benefit from Hiring a Great Consultant If:

• You want someone to step in and tell you what needs to be done and then to step back and let you do it.

You'll Benefit from Hiring a Great Therapist If:

• The weight of your emotional concerns is preventing you from taking action, being creative, and/or enjoying life. Call one today; you have suffered long enough!

You'll Benefit from Hiring a Great Coach If:

• Aside from the stress of your current situation (transitioning, feeling stuck, etc.), you are in reasonable emotional and physical health so that you can carry out the goals (creative or otherwise) you'll be setting with the guidance of a coach.
• You're not sure what/who you need. A coach can help you sort it out.

If I Can Help...

• Email me at scleaver@dejazzd.com to set up a complimentary trial coaching tele-session!

To your success,

Susan

P.S. From time to time, I would like to feature some great role models for the creative life on this blog. To nominate someone, please check with them first, and then email me at scleaver@dejazzd.com. Thanks!

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!

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

Let Your Creative Spirit Shine!

"Did you know that the best part of learning to see the spirit in all things is that it makes your world come alive and makes your heart and imagination kick into full-time creativity?" --Sonia Choquette

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Last weekend I had the privilege of attending one of Sonia Choquette's workshops. Wow! What a powerful woman! Dr. Choquette (www.soniachoquette.com) is a well-known intuitive, teacher, and author.

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Most of us in the audience were balancing notebooks on our laps with pens poised to take notes. But Sonia had a better idea. She asked us to put our notebooks away and give our intellects the day off. This workshop, she said, would be about reconnecting with our spirit! This reminded me of one of my favorite quotes (author unknown): "No matter what our attempts to inform, it is our ability to inspire that will turn the tides." So true!

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Sonia certainly fits the definition of a lightworker, as defined by fellow metaphysician Dr. Doreen Virture (www.angeltherapy.com): "A living human who feels called to help Earth and her inhabitants in a way that uses spiritual energy. For instance, a lightworker might feel called upon to engage in healing, teaching, or artistic work to help make the planet a better place." My guess is that many of you reading this are in that category, too!

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In the workshop, we used laughter, music, singing, dancing, and partner exercises that invited our spirits to shine. It was great fun and very inspiring to me in all areas of my life, and it was a quantum leap for my personal development!

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In my Reiki training, I learned that the earth's energy is shifting, causing discomfort for many of us as we adjust. Not only does reconnecting with our spirit make us more creative, but it also helps us to raise our own vibratory frequency so we can better function on our changing planet. And here's a bonus: Doing this for yourself helps others to do the same!

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If you would like some coaching around this topic, email me at scleaver@dejazzd.com for a complimentary trial coaching tele-session.

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Plato said, "If the head and body are to be well, you must begin by curing the soul." Sonia and many other metaphysicians believe that our physical and emotional illnesses are often (if not always) a result of cutting ourselves off from our spirit, and therefore from our creativity.

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Doreen Virtue intuited the following quote from Diana of Ephesus, a Roman moon goddess: "The moon isn't afraid to shine, nor does it fear attention, ridicule, or rejection. These lower fears sink Earthlings into despair and depression because the soul knows that it's capable of so much more! The soul doesn't like to be harnessed or restrained--oh, no! Unleash yourself completely..." So let you spirit out to play!

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Shine on,

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Susan

Fast-Forward to Motivation, Passion, and Flow

Feeling Stuck? Do you know what the next step is, but you just can't seem to get there from here? We can miss a lot of great opportunities by getting bogged down in what we think "should" come next.

When possible, fast-forward to the part that ignites your passion, then go back and do that other step. You will be amazed at how much easier it will seem, if indeed it needs to be done at all!

When you feel resistance to your work, it's often a sign that you're not going with the flow. Remember Dr. Charles Emerson Winchester III from the TV series, M*A*S*H? His mantra was, "I do one thing, I do it well, and then I move on." That may have worked well for him back in Boston, but in war-torn Korea his rigidity was out of place. Despite the pleading of his co-workers, he simply refused to go with the flow, causing problems for himself and others.

Fast-Forwarding: Why You'll Love It...

Fast-forwarding to another step can help by:

• allowing incubation time for one part of your project while you move ahead to another.
• helping you flow around temporary obstacles such as fear, a creative block, procrastination, or having to wait for another person to respond in some way.
• engaging the Law of Attraction on your behalf. (See http://www.thesecret.tv/.)
• helping you get a fresh perspective on something. This may motivate you and stir the passion you need for the more difficult parts of the project. On the other hand, it may help you see that this is not a project you're passionate about, which will free you up to move on to something that really makes your heart sing.

Take Einstein for Example...

Remember, Einstein intuited the Law of Relativity, and then went back and did the math! We are in good company when we use fast-forwarding!

Suppose you are job-hunting and have been taught that updating your resume is the first step. Sounds easy enough, so why can't you seem to make yourself do it? It's because the passion isn't there. You might try fast-forwarding past that step and do some informal networking instead. If you hear of a job that stirs your passion, you will breeze through that update in no time. Also, you'll have a better idea of what experience will be most relevant to include.

Maybe you need to do some writing that requires an outline, and you've been taught that the outline must come first. But your creativity cowers in the corner at the sight of those Roman numerals! Fast-forward over that step. Write the piece and create your outline from that. It's OK, really!

When coach Winston Connor was a beginning trainee at my alma mater, Coach U, he wanted to get involved in the coaching community as quickly as possible. He ended up starting an alumni group long before he was an alumnus himself. His willingness to reach out without saying, "But first I have to graduate..." paid great dividends for him in this situation and others during his coaching career.

Suppose you want to be a potter. Maybe you're thinking, "But first I have to learn to make my pieces perfectly symmetrical." Maybe not! I attended a craft show where a clever potter was selling very wobbly-looking mugs called "Bad-Day Mugs"!

Maybe you want to write a book, but you hate to do traditional research. You could replace that step with interviews, questionnaires, and/or teaching classes about the subject.

OK, now your book is done, but you're concerned that the information will be outdated by the time it makes it way around the New York publishers' circuit. You could skip that step and self-publish, especially if you have access to your niche market. And you will if you continue to teach the class!

You Get the Idea...

Give fast-forwarding a try the next time you feel stuck, and let us know what happens by stopping by to leave a comment.

Need a lift for your fast-forward leap? Email me at scleaver@dejazzd.com to set up a complimentary trial coaching tele-session.

May the flow be with you,

Susan