Take Pride in Your Creative Quirks

Below are eight phrases that have been used to describe me. They all come from family, friends, and professionals who hold me in high esteem despite my quirks!

• "refreshingly not normal"
• "an imp"
• "a rebel"
• "not exactly demure and submissive"
• "a dreamer"
• "easily distracted"
• "ornery as cat sh#@"
• "hard headed"

I appreciate the fact that the important people in my life honor me with these descriptors. These are some of the characteristics that make me who I am as an actively creative person and coach!

I encourage you to take pride in your quirks, too! Please share them with us in the comments section. And remember, I'm the only one who's allowed to swear on this site! :-)

Proudly,

Susan

Around the Globe and Around the Corner.... Upcoming Events

Spring Cleaning Dig-In Tele-Party ~~ Wednesday, May 14, 2008, 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm

It's time to roll up our sleeves and clear decks before the "lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer," as the song says. (Yes, I'm old enough to remember that song!)

Call in from your home or office, wherever that may be! Brief check-ins via teleconference technology will take place at 6:00, 7:00, 8:00, and 9:00 pm (Eastern Daylight Savings Time). During the calls we will share our clean-out goals and progress for each hour. The 9:00 call is for celebrating!

Your only expense is your long-distance charges for calling into the teleconference service. I'm facilitating the tele-party free of charge! Just email me at scleaver@dejazzd.com by Tuesday, May 13, 2008, and I'll make sure you get the access numbers.

Even if it's not spring in your part of the world, join us anyway. Clearing out the old to make room for the new feels great at any season of the year!

Stress-Less Evening ~~ Friday, May 30, 2008, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm, Eastern DST

For those of you in the greater Philadelphia and Reading, PA, areas....

Kick back and relax while I provide Reiki, soothing music, guided imagery, pampering snacks, and more!

Email me at scleaver@dejazzd.com soon for details, because you'll need to get your registration fee of $20 US to me by Wednesday, May 21, 2008. I hope you can join us!

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

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Networking for Creative Folks

Do you hate networking meetings? Do they feel forced and unnatural to you? Would you rather spend your time coming up with five leads for yourself instead of your leads group?

I think that creative types in particular often don't find these groups to be a good fit for them. So, what other avenues are open to us? We can try...

*Cultivating our patrons as cheerleaders, and giving them lots of value in return.

*Blogging regularly.

*Commenting on the blogs of others that genuinely interest us.

*Teaching workshops.

*Writing a newsletter.

*Starting a website, and writing articles for other websites.

*Alerting friend, students, and colleagues that we are looking for connections.

*Building a community around a common interest (on the web and/or locally).

*Volunteering in related fields.

*Providing referral incentives.

*Writing ebooks.

*Providing truly helpful freebies and resources.


Please add to the list by leaving a comment!

Thanks,

Susan

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

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

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Great Leadership Resources!

You Don't Need a Title to Be a Leader: How Anyone, Anywhere, Can Make a Positive Difference, by Mark Sanborn

Don't get hung up on labels and official titles. It just takes some thinking outside the box to be the kind of leader you want to be to make the positive change you want to make. (See my April 18, 2008, post on creative leadership.)

As I mentioned last week, a title will not sustain you if do not have the true heart of a leader. This book will help you get past the window dressing of leadership and into its core meaning for you. Sanborn has modeled this beautifully for us by writing this book!


The Leadership Resources of Steven R. Covey

Here are the ones I'm most familiar with:

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (book or audio)

In last week's post, I talked about building a strong foundation for your leadership. This is an excellent resource for doing that.


Beyond the 7 Habits (audio of a live workshop; includes a CD-ROM video with stories to drive home the important messages)

This audio expands on the 7 Habits in an engaging format.


The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness (audio or book)

I recommend that you get the full-length version of the book or CD. The short version doesn't do justice to Covey's ideas.

This book is about two very important aspects of leadership: developing your voice as a leader, and showing others how to develop theirs!

Happy reading and listening,
Susan

P.S. Email me at scleaver@dejazzd.com with your US snail-mail address to receive Susan, Unplugged, my new complimentary newsletter that will brighten your day the old-fashioned way...via snail-back!

For those of you already on my mailing list, Susan, Unplugged will come crawling to you automatically!

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

Creative Leadership Is...

Vision Driven

As a visionary, you are aiming at a target that others don't see yet, so you'll need to be inner directed, patient, and persistent. Also, you'll need to create a scene of the vision in the hearts and minds of your early adopters. (I prefer that term over the word "followers.") Be sure they can see, hear, and feel it in their imaginations. This is the basis for creative leadership that is...

Integrative

Genuine holistic concern for your early adopters is essential in order for them to be 100% "there" (i.e. "whole") for you. Get their minds, bodies, spirits, and emotions on board. Offer them access to coaching, and hire one for yourself. You may even consider coach training for yourself and/or others. Coaching skills are wonderful tools for the creative leader!

Give your early adopters compelling reasons to develop their own intrinsic motivation to stay with you in body, mind, and spirit. If you try to lean on just your credentials or, worse yet, just a title, these crutches will snap like dry twigs and leave you sitting in the dust! Help your early adopters grow, and they will return the favor, because creative leadership is...

Inter-Developmental

Through working with your early adopters, you will change and benefit from the synergy of the group. See them as your partners. Model behaviors for them that they can take out into the world on behalf of your vision.

Positive regard, support, and affirmation should be allowed to flow freely from you and to you within the group. Seek out the valuable resources of your early adopters for manifesting your vision.

Learn to read the energy of your team in action, and use this information for morale maintenance. Tune in so you'll know when the energy of the group is dragging. Change the pace or tone of the group's activity accordingly, and reframe vague or uninspiring aspects of the project at hand.

Encourage buy-in from your early adopters by getting them involved in the development of goals, strategies, mission statements, and the like. If you've empowered your team sufficiently, you won't fall into the trap of micro-managing. Save your shepherding for the...

Sacred Stewardship of Your Vision

Your early adopters will help you with this stewardship if you let them. You and your team are a collective, protective vessel for your precious, embryonic vision!

Keep the vessel sound by maintaining and encouraging impeccable integrity (yes, "wholeness" again) and authenticity. Nurture your vision by providing it with a firm foundation for the collective vessel...physically, emotionally, spiritually, and environmentally. Coaching can help tremendously with this, too. Email me at scleaver@dejazzd.com for details about a complimentary session!

Once this foundation is in place, you are free to be...

Flexible

You'll be ready to turn on a dime when you need to. (See my April 1, 2008 post.)

If you and your team act on your inspired ideas at the point of 75% certainty, you'll need to be ready for rapid course adjustments as the actions bring you closer and closer to 100% manifestation. It will also keep you out of the trap of waiting around for 100% certainty, which is a much bigger risk, because you just can't get there from here without inspired action. So go ahead and follow your intuition to the fullest manifestation of your vision!

My best to you,
Susan

P.S. To those in the greater Philly, PA, area: Registration closes on Monday, April 28, for my Advanced Journaling Workshop that will be taking place on Sunday, May 4. Please email me at scleaver@dejazzd.com for details.

If you're a journaling fanatic like me, but you can't be at the workshop, email me at scleaver@dejazzd.com for details about ordering my guided journal, "The Whispering Heart." Thanks!

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

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When Opportunity Knocks....

Will you have the flexibility to turn on a dime when opportunity knocks? Check your supplies of these resources:

• Time
• Space
• Energy
• Attention
• Enthusiasm
• Clear-Headedness
• Money
• Personal Boundaries
• Self-Confidence
• Self-Esteem
• Willingness to Move Forward Through Fear
• Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Health
• Tolerance for Ambiguity
• Environmental Support Systems, Including People
• Awareness of Opportunities
• Patience
• Inner-Directedness, for Deflecting Nay-Sayers and Stereotypes

I suggest that you print this list out and review it often, so you are always prepared when great opportunities come along. If you can think of more resources that I missed, please add them in the comments section!

Thanks,

Susan

P.S. To those in the greater Philadelphia, PA, area: I'll be leading an Advanced Journaling Workshop on Sunday, May 4, from 10:00am to 2:00pm. Please email me at scleaver@dejazzd.com for more details.

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

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What's Holding You Back?

Check out these creativity squashers and their corresponding remedies:

Creativity Squashers-----------------Creativity Accelerators

"Yeah, but...."--------------------------"What if...."

"It hasn't been done before...."-------"Then I'll have to be first!"

"It's all been done before."-----------------"I'll find a new twist!"

Motivation from outside you.--------------Motivation from inside.

Too much or too little structure.-----------Just enough structure to-----------------------------------------------------hang your thoughts on.

Depression.-------------------------------Strong emotional health.

Anger or resentment.---------------------Forgiveness and letting go.

Fear.-------------------------------------Do it anyway.

Trying to please everyone.------------Being authentic.

Hidden pay-offs for staying stuck.-----Expose them and weigh them------------------------------------------------against the pay-offs-----------------------------------------------------------for letting yourself be creative.

Burn-out.--------------------------------Self-care.

Ignore your intuition.-------------------Invite your intuition.

Standard outlining.---------------------Tony Buzan's Mind Maps (R).

Perfectionism.--------------------------Self-acceptance.

Striving.---------------------------------Playfulness.

Having something to prove.-----------Having something to discover.


So go out and discover! What if...?

Please keep my other readers and me posted on your progress!

Be well,
Susan

P.S. To those in the greater Philadelphia, PA, area:

On Saturday, April 12, I'll be exhibiting and offering free Reiki samples at the Boyertown Community Health and Wellness Fair from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. The fair will be held at the Boyertown Area Sr. High School, 120 Monroe Street. And there is no charge to attend! Stop by my table to chat, pick up some info on "stressing less," and try some Reiki!

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

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Two Great Books for the Creativity in All of Us

Both of these books remind us, right on their back covers, that you don't have to be an Artist with a capital "A" to benefit from these books. I'm pleased to recommend them here because I feel the same way about this blog!

Living Your Life Out Loud: How to Unlock Your Creativity and Unleash Your Joy by Salli Rasberry and Padi Selwyn

Specifically, the back cover says, "Creativity is not just for artists--it's everyone's birthright." I agree!

Who could resist a book with such chapter subtitles as, "Write Yourself a Play Prescription Today," and "The Thirty-Minute Breakation"? Here's my favorite quote from the book:

"The path to joy comes from creative expression. When you make the time and space to harness the energy in your life, you can begin to express your unique creativity. Your joy will increase. Your confidence will grow. Your life will be transformed. You will be living your life out loud."

Marry Your Muse: Making a Lasting Commitment to Your Creativity by Jan Phillips

The back cover says, "...everyone who wants to live life as a work of art will find inspiration and practical suggestions in this joyous book."

Here are a few of the inspiring chapter titles:

• You Are Worth the Time
• Giving the Artist Within Half a Chance
• Start Anyway
• The Little Wise Ones
• The Art of Activism
• Pass the Stardust, Please

And from this book, my favorite quote:

"To live creatively is to live from the soul, to shape our circumstances out of our deepest desires instead of conforming our dreams to the circumstances in which we find ourselves. Once we experience the joy and power of creating our own lives, we find that creating in other arenas comes naturally, an outflow of the abundant energy that comes with being true to our essence."

Please comment on your experiences with these books, with living creatively, or with other relevant resources you have found useful. Thanks!

Happy reading,

Susan

P.S. I offer complimentary trial tele-coaching sessions by phone, one per person. To set one up, contact me at scleaver@dejazzd.com. Creativity is my specialty, but most other topics are welcome, too, such as dealing with transitions, starting a new project, etc.

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

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