On Being Creative, Innovative, and Failing (Or Not)

June 1, 2011 by 2 Comments

I had the pleasure of attending Andrea J. Lee‘s Wealthy Thought Leader event via simulcast over the weekend.

Many of the talks were right up my alley, focusing on creativity, innovation, and getting your message to the world.

Here are a few highlights you’ll enjoy. It’s a bit jam-packed with power thoughts, but I know you’ll find just the right bits that will inspire you.

Nurture Your Creativity

One of the brilliant speakers was Michael Port, author of Book Yourself Solid and three other books. Michael emphasized how important it is for us to nurture our creativity.

He mentioned, “the more creative you perceive yourself to be, the more creative you will be.”

Love that.

Some of my other favorite takeaways from his talk:

  1. “An artist’s job is to break the rules, to look at what is and to say, ‘What if?'”
  2. “What’s more important to you: Approval? Or results?” Your desire to be liked can kill your creativity.
  3. Articulate first what it is that you want to do, then recofigure what already exists. That’s innovation. (This reminds me of my recent article about pants and trains.)
  4. Michael also talked about failing spectacularly and seeing it not as a failure but rather as evidence of moving closer and closer to his dreams.

Push Your Creative Edge

Another favorite speaker of mine was Michael Bungay Stainer, who seems to fully embody the very essence of creativity. Michael is known on Twitter as Box of Crayons, and is the author of Do More Great Work and Get Unstuck and Get Going.

Stainer was full of brilliance in the realm of innovation and pushing your creative edge.

He pointed out:

  1. The danger of focusing only on the TABO (“True and Bleedingly Obvious”) and instead aiming for making it cool, extraordinary, or truly exceptional. We must be willing to be thought leaders and to be different (no matter how scary that is).
  2. The difference between being scared and scarred, and how our wounds are great sources of strength, wisdom, and stories waiting to be told. (I know you’ve heard me say, “You teach what you are here to learn.”)
  3. “When all is said and done, there’s a lot more said than done.” Or as Sonia Choquette would say, “Too much talking!”
  4. And a long time favorite of mine from Ernest Hemingway, “The first draft of anything is SHIT.”
  5. He gave us a number of tools to play with to push the envelope with our projects, like:
  • How can you cut out 90%? (Think audience, content, size, price, packaging, etc.)
  • How can increase the impact by 100 times? (Think increasing numbers of products, increasing the audience, increasing the distribution.)
  • Break the rules — list out 7 rules that apply to your idea. Pick one, and think of 5 ways you can break it.
  • Using criteria to select which projects to focus on: What’s easiest? What’s the fun thing to do? Which will have the most impact? What do you want to do?

Failure is Not What It Seems

I also loved hearing from photographer and relationship healer Jesh de Rox talk about art, creativity, innovation, and failing:

  1. “An artist is someone who doesn’t wait for someone else’s permission to make decisions that belong to them.”
  2. “An innovator is an artist who embraces business or a business person who embraces art.”
  3. “We are not good at telling whether or not something is a failure.” He made a number of powerful points about why and how failure is NOT what it seems and how it can be such an incredible gift, including:
  • “Easy wins make crummy stories.”
  • “Failing gives you an opportunity to find out who loves you.”
  • “Taking failure personally is crippling.”
  • “ANYTHING that happens to you can be a reason to stop or a reason to continue.” You have a choice. “Our heroes seem to be the ones who consistently choose the latter.”

Brilliant.

Your Turn

I’d love to hear from you about:

  • What this sparks for you.
  • How do you see innovation and creative expression?
  • How have you reframed “failure” or how can you?

 

Coming Attractions

 

 

~> May 31st, 2011. My Artist’s Way Accountability & Support Group completes. Details.

~> June 9th, 16th, and 23rd, 2011. My brand new Life Purpose Breakthrough Group event series. Details.

~> June 16th, 2011. Next broadcast of my Dreamification Radio show on Radio Lightworker. Details. Listen from anywhere in the world to this Internet radio show.

Filed Under: Creativity Tagged With: , , , , ,

It’s All Been Said Before — Or Has It?

May 18, 2011 by 16 Comments

You Think You Have Nothing New to Say?

A big obstacle I hear my clients talk about is fearing that they’ll have nothing new to say on their subject.

“Julia Cameron already wrote The Artist’s Way, what could I possibly have to say about creative recovery that is new or different?” (Except that Steven Pressfield and so many others have too.)

“Anne McCaffrey already wrote the best books about dragons, I can’t possibly approach it from a fresh perspective.” (Except that Patrick Rothfuss, Christopher Paolini, and Naomi Novik have kicked some serious dragon ass lately.)

This is what I say to my clients:

“You have a specific audience that will only hear this message from you. They may have heard it 100 times before, but they will not hear it in exactly this way until YOU are the one that says it to them.

“Plus, you have your own unique perspective and take on what it is that you are sharing. Your work is a magical amalgamation of everything you have learned, with a twist that is just your own, pulled together in a way that only you can do. That makes your voice worth hearing.”

“And besides,” I add, “if you don’t say it (or write it or share it), your audience will never receive it. They are waiting to hear it from you.”

The Missing Piece

Today I found the perfect add-on antidote to this fear from French Romantic artist Eugène Delacroix (noted in the sidebar of the Artist’s Way no less):

“What moves men of genius, or rather what inspires their work, is not new ideas, but their obsession with the idea that what has already been said is still not enough.”

My heart said, “YES! That’s it!”

There IS a missing piece here, and this touches it.

Somehow you know there is more to say on your subject, and that is why you are drawn to it. So rather than doubting that you have important words to add to the conversation, just do it.

Lend your voice to the conversation.

Speak your mind.

Share your thoughts.

Good grief, I’m writing an ebook about creative blocks. Aren’t there enough of those already?

Apparently not, or I would not be drawn to write one.

Choosing A Niche

We know that choosing a specific niche is a more powerful way to position yourself in a market and therefore attract more clients and be more successful.

And yet choosing a niche is often triggers this very obstacle: “So-and-so is already ‘The’ Coach/Consultant/Expert/Writer/? on this topic, how can I possibly add more?” etc. etc.

The solution?

Pants.

And trains.

Read on…

The Wonderful World of Pants

In my Artist’s Way Accountability and Support Group today Mary shared a funny perspective on pants:

Just because one person once-upon-a-time made pants, that didn’t deter the second person from coming along and having a go at making their own kind of pants. She added, “I’m just the second pants maker.”

There are so many different kinds of pants, why would we ever think we couldn’t make our own contribution to the marketplace? In the case of pants, we could aim to fit other body types, to try another style, to specialize in particular kind of pants (dress, maternity, casual, work, jeans, dress jeans), etc.

Taken a step farther, one could have thought that Levi’s had cornered the market on jeans back-when, and for a while they did. But then pretty soon someone thought they could take another crack at it.

It goes to show you that there is always room to innovate, to do better, and to ‘say’ more.

The Ultra Specific British Train Niche

Similarly, I’ve been recently exposed to a new perspective on niche in the ultra specific case of British train series for kids.

My 3-1/2 year old loves the trains, shows, and characters from Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends. Through the course of exploring around, we somehow happened upon another British train series, Chuggington, that is also great fun.

How audacious for someone to take a stab at a new British train franchise with the huge success of Thomas already! Who knew the world would need (or want) two British train series for kids?

So Why Not You, Too?

So when you think about your specific expertise and lending your voice to the topic you’re most passionate about, can you find the courage to be innovative and step out with your fresh perspective and voice, trusting that you’ll have something new to say, no matter who else might “already” be doing it?

I’d love to hear from you about:

  • How this resonates for you?
  • Other examples you might have of innovations that inspire you to speak up or write about your topic.
  • Anything else this sparks for you.
  • Post your comments on my blog.

 

Coming Attractions

~> May 17th and 24th, 2011. My Artist’s Way Accountability & Support Group continues. Details.

~>May 26th to May 28th, 2011. Attending Andrea J. Lee’s Wealthy Thought Leader event via simulcast.

~>May 28th, 2011. Next broadcast of my Dreamification Radio show on Radio Lightworker. Details. Listen from anywhere in the world to this Internet radio show.

~>June 9th, 16th, and 23rd, 2011. My brand new Life Purpose Breakthrough Group event series. Details.

 

Filed Under: Creativity, Find Your Voice Tagged With: , , , ,

Ending the Struggle and Facing the Fear

May 11, 2011 by 5 Comments

I’ve been thinking a lot about “ending the struggle against yourself” and “not being so hard on yourself” because that ranked so highly in my recent poll.

And as I was reviewing my morning pages today as part of an Artist’s Way exercise, it struck me that the struggle against ourselves is really all about avoiding our fears.

And from there I saw the massively, insanely clear connection between the ways I struggle with myself and my own life lesson, which is “Trusting my Creativity.”

The same thing is true with ALL the ways I struggle with myself. I struggle with myself around behaviors I wish I wouldn’t do — but they are all just creative blocks in disguise.

Here’s what I mean:

In my own case, a lot of my struggles with myself are around falling into feeling apathetic — a classic creative block. I feel like, “I don’t care,” or “It doesn’t matter,” or “I don’t really want to do it anyway,” so… I get stuck on taking action on my creative dreams.

But what’s really going on when I feel apathetic is that I am actually feeling the raw, naked fear — which to my body feels like a core survival fear — of going into my creativity and seeing what happens.

My fear has a lot of stories about what that might look like. (They aren’t pretty.)

But my heart and spirit have an entirely different story.

(I’m reminded here of my teacher Sonia saying, “Get a new story.”)

The story of my heart and spirit is this:

You are a writer.

You are an artist.

You are here to express yourself creatively and to be received for your creative expression.

You were born to do this.

If you are a creative soul struggling with creative blocks, perhaps you’ll take heart from my Artist’s Way and True Spirit Work inspired affirmation, “I courageously pursue my artistic passions, no matter what, pain, doubt, or terror I might face in the process.”

How Does This Play Out For You?

I’d love to hear from you about:

  • How do you struggle against yourself?
  • What fear are you avoiding facing?
  • What’s the new story you want to be telling yourself?

If you think you might just be in the eensy teensy tiniest bit of struggle against yourself, come and find out what your life lesson is (and your purpose!), once and for all. It’s like having the secret code that will help you unlock and unleash yourself from the inside out. Amen to that, sistah! Join one of my Life Purpose Breakthrough Groups (only one spot left in the Big Vision Group) and get your head on straight with what’s really going on so you can bust yourself on your blocks and get a move on with your Big Dreams. Finally. What a relief! Registration ends May 12th (that’s this Thursday, people).

 

Coming Attractions

~> May 10th, 2011. My Artist’s Way Accountability & Support Group continues. Details.

~>May 26th to May 28th, 2011. Attending Andrea J. Lee’s Wealthy Thought Leader event via simulcast.

~>May 28th, 2011. Next broadcast of my Dreamification Radio show on Radio Lightworker. Details. Listen from anywhere in the world to this Internet radio show.

~>June 9th, 16th, and 23rd, 2011. My brand new Life Purpose Breakthrough Group event series for getting you back on track with what you were put here to do will be happening on June 9th, 16th, and 23rd — but you have to register now (by May 12th). Three groups are available: Intuition & Inner Wisdom, Creativity and Big Vision. Only 4 spots available in each group. Is one of them yours? Find out more here.

 

Filed Under: Creativity, Life Purpose Tagged With: , , ,

Resistance Is Futile

April 26, 2011 by 4 Comments

Resistance is swirling all around us this week.

Are You Resisting Success?

Danielle LaPorte recently posted a powerful article called “How to Resist Success” on her blog about how we self-sabotage to avoid success.

In it, she quoted Steven Pressfield, one of my heros and the author of The War of Art, from his new book Do The Work: “The more important a call or action is to our soul’s evolution, the more Resistance we will feel toward pursuing it.” (Great news — you can get the Kindle version of his new book for free for a limited time.)

All the more reason to go for it, n’est-ce pas?

How to Choose Which Idea to Pursue First

I also spotted Marie Forleo’s online video interview with Steven Pressfield. My favorite piece of advice from him was about how to choose which one of your ideas to pursue first: The one that scares you the most.

The Many, Many Forms of Resistance

Then today as I was preparing for my Artist’s Way Accountability and Support Group, and reading “Week 8: Recovering a Sense of Strength” in The Artist’s Way, I found the concept of Resistance coming up big time. Julia Cameron talks about the creative blocks we come up with to avoid our art:

  • I’m too old. (age block)
  • What am I going to get out of it? (finished product block)
  • I’m too busy. (workaholism)
  • I have more important things to do first. (workaholism)
  • I have to overhaul my whole life first. (drama)

Taking Action to Overcome Resistance

Julia makes the point that we must take small, daily, creative actions to accomplish our creative goals rather than looking for one big sweeping gesture. This is one of my biggest pitfalls.

Steven Pressfield makes a similar point about showing up every day, to do the work.

Jennifer Louden says, “Just. Do. The. Writing.”

Sonia Choquette taught us, “Suit up. Shut up. Show Up.” (I’m fairly certain she attributes this teaching to Julia Cameron herself.)

What To Do With All This

At the end of our session today, we outlined our Secret [Big] Dreams. “In a perfect world, I would secretly love to be a ______________.” My answer: A published author.

Then we identified our “true north” for that dream — the how-you-know-when-you-get-there goal. Mine: A real physical book published with a core group 0f raving fans.

We picked a mentor for that dream. (Mine: Steven Pressfield. Seems obvious!)

Then we identified a 5 year vision and a 1 year action plan. My one year action plan looked like this: Write regularly. Get clear on what to focus on.

So I asked myself, “Of all my ideas, what would scare me the most?” The answer: A creativity book. (Holy shit, Batman.)

My participants asked why — my “Who do I think I am?” stories come up fast. But I’m ready to go there anyway. So now I know what my book is about, and I can get to work on it along with my screenplay (which I’ve been working on this week, hurrah!). Yowza.

What’s your secret Big Dream?

I’d love it if you’d share it with me, and the action you can take TODAY to move toward it. Mine: Writing this blog post.

 

 

Coming Up

~> May 3rd, 2011. My Artist’s Way Accountability & Support Group continues. Details.

~>May 26th, 2011. Mark your calendar! My brand new event for getting you back on track with what you were put here to do will be happening on May 26th — only 4 spots available. Stay tuned for details.

~>May 28th, 2011. Next broadcast of my Dreamification Radio show on Radio Lightworker. Details. Listen from anywhere in the world to this Internet radio show.

Filed Under: Creativity Tagged With: , , , ,

With Creativity Comes Confidence: A Lesson from a Sci Fi Genius

April 20, 2011 by 2 Comments

In working with my Artist’s Way Accountability & Support Group today, I was reminded of a novel I read recently called Agent to the Stars by John Scalzi.

The book is a fun, lighthearted romp about a film agent who ends up being the P.R. guy for a group of ugly aliens wanting to be accepted by the earthlings despite their extremely off-putting appearance and odor. A highly entertaining read and clever story, to say the least.

Practice, Practice, Practice

Beyond the unusual plot line, what particularly endeared me to the book was that it was Scalzi’s very first novel and one he wrote as a “practice” novel just so he could say that he had done it (and to impress his classmates at his 10 year high school reunion :) ).

Here’s what he has to say about it on his website (where, by the way, you can read the whole novel):

“In sitting down to write the novel, I decided to make it easy on myself. I decided first that I wasn’t going to try to write something near and dear to my heart, just a fun story. That way, if I screwed it up (which was a real possibility), it wasn’t like I was screwing up the One Story That Mattered To Me. I decided also that the goal of writing the novel was the actual writing of it — not the selling of it, which is usually the goal of a novelist. I didn’t want to worry about whether it was good enough to sell; I just wanted to have the experience of writing a story over the length of a novel, and see what I thought about it. Not every writer is a novelist; I wanted to see if I was.

“Making these two decisions freed me from a lot of the usual angst and pain that comes from writing a first novel. This was in all respects a ‘practice’ novel — a setting for me to play with the form to see what worked, and what didn’t, and what I’d need to do to make the next novel worth selling.”

The genius of this was that it freed him from the zeitgeist of perfectionism (a trap many of us, including me, know only too well) and allowed him to loosen up, have some fun, and get into action with Doing The Writing.

He made some attempts at selling it, but wasn’t able to, so he ended up posting it online for donations from people if they liked it on a kind of “shareware” basis. (Love that!) He was later invited to do a limited edition hardcover release of the book in 2005 and then in paperback in 2008.

Build Your Confidence

Magically, he says, “…between the writing of this novel and the publication of [my second novel], five other books slipped out of my brain, due in some measure to my confidence that I could write book-length works, be they fiction or non-fiction.”

Love that, too.

Isn’t it fascinating how simply Doing The Writing (or Doing The Work) helps us to build the confidence we think we need “before” we can do it “for real.” This clever guy found a way to do both at once.

(On a similar note, funny how this often comes up for entrepreneurs, coaches, and artists around having enough “credibility” to do what we want to do. So often I hear people talking about getting “certified” first, taking one more training,  getting the “right” website designed, or crafting the “right” progam. I make those mistakes too — my coach just busted me on this very thing this very morning, hello!)

So.

There is nothing like finding small ways to get started to help build your confidence around new skills.

For instance, I took a screenwriting class last summer and then signed myself up for a short screenplay writing competition to put my skills to the test. And my first script came in 3rd place in my group! My two subsequent scripts did not “score” in quite the same way, but simply the act of creating all of them gave me a sense of confidence and comfort around putting the pieces together to make a plausible script.

Since I have never written any fiction before this, I was so pleased with gaining the sense of, “Oh, yes, I can do this!” Even if I have more to learn (there’s always more), I’m off to a good start.

Reminds me of what a numerologist told me about my Life Lesson once upon a time, “With creativity comes confidence.”

~~~~~

How does this inspire you?

I’d love to have you share your comments on the blog.

~~~~~

What’s Jenna Up To?

~> April 20, 2011. Speaking at the Thriving Practice Workshop Series in Berkeley, California on creating a web presence and using social media to reach clients.

~>April 23, 2011. Next broadcast of my Radio Lightworker radio show “Dreamification” on “Visioning and Moving Ahead With Your Dreams Even in the Face of Fear.” Details. Listen from anywhere in the world to this Internet radio show.

~> April 26th, 2011. My Artist’s Way Accountability & Support Group continues. Details.

Filed Under: Creativity Tagged With: , , ,

I Can See Clearly Now, The Rain Is Gone

April 14, 2011 by 3 Comments

One of my Life Lessons is confusion. I can easily fall into confusion and uncertainty about what I want to Do or how I want to do It or if I even want to do It at all.

I can end up spinning in circles pretty easily. So I thought I’d remind us all about what confusion looks like and how to get out of it.

Confusion shows up when:

  • You aren’t listening to your deeper self.
  • You aren’t speaking the highest truth you know.
  • You’ve lost touch with your Big Dream or Big Idea.
  • You aren’t taking Right Action on making your Big Dreams real.
  • You aren’t in connection with your Big Dream Believers — the people that believe in you even when you can’t believe in yourself.
  • You’ve bumped into an unexpected obstacle and you aren’t sure what to do next.
  • You have lots of ideas and you don’t know where to start.
  • Your creative fears are masquerading as confusion or apathy (jackpot!).

Here’s what you can do to find your way out of the fog to the rainbow of clarity you’re looking for:

  • Tap into your deeper self — visualizations, coaching with a spiritual coach, or automatic writing are all powerful tools to help you get there.
  • Speak your truth until you can’t think of a single other thing to say. 
  • Write like your life depends on it. Write morning pages, write words, write articles.
  • Remind yourself of your Big Idea and what it is that you were put here to do. I have my clients craft Vision Intention statements so they can go back to their ideas when they lose their way. Get your hands analyzed if you haven’t already so you know your life purpose.
  • Take action. “Sometimes you have to make the right decision and sometimes you have to make the decision right,” as Dr. Phil likes to say. If you find out you’ve taken the wrong action, try something else.
  • Put yourself in a safe situation where like minded folks (other Big Dream Believers) can truly support you to find your clarity (come to my Voice Your Vision retreat in 2 weeks if you’re wanting this kind of support).
  • Take an objective look at your obstacles. Is there a way around them you haven’t already considered? Some radical or risky step you’ve not allowed yourself to consider but might actually be the exact solution you need? (Sell the house. Move to another area. Quit the crappy job. Ask for a loan. Tell off your grouchy cousin. Find a way to forgive yourself.)
  • Pick a place to start. You can always change your mind. If you had to pick one idea to start with right now, what would it be?
  • Core dump your fears onto paper until they lose their power.

One of the funny things I’ve noticed is that deeper down inside the quiet that is my higher, Essential Self, the truth is consistently there, reminding me of what I really want despite all my head spinning to the contrary. My deeper self ALWAYS knows what the Real Plan is, even when I’m thinking I’m I have no idea what to do. And if I just give her a chance to show up, she does.

Then I find out that I’m a lot less confused than I thought I was.

What about you?

 

~~~~~

What’s Jenna Up To?

~> April 19th, 2011. My Artist’s Way Accountability & Support Group continues. Details.

~> April 20, 2011. Speaking at the Thriving Practice Workshop Series in Berkeley, California on creating a web presence and using social media to reach clients.

~>April 23, 2011. Next broadcast of my Radio Lightworker radio show “Dreamification” on “Visioning and Moving Ahead With Your Dreams Even in the Face of Fear.” Details. Listen from anywhere in the world to this Internet radio show.

~> April 29th & 30th, 2011. My next Voice Your Vision retreat in Berkeley, California. Registration CLOSES APRIL 18th . Special savings if you’ve already had your hands analyzed. Check out this video to get a sense of what it’s like to work with me in this way.

~> May 26th, 2011. My first Life Purpose Breakthrough Group. The special focus is: Intuition & Inner Wisdom — discover how your intuition shows up in the gifts markings in your hands. Registration CLOSES APRIL 28th .

Filed Under: Creativity, Life Purpose Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Commitment + Synchronicity = Magic

March 23, 2011 by 17 Comments

I’m re-reading The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron while I’m running my Artist’s Way Accountability and Support Group.

I’m reminded once again of Julia’s brilliance and insight about the power of committing ourselves to our Big Dreams, and how the Universe supports us through seemingly magical occurrences when we do so.

I, for one, am both continually astonished by how well this works and remarkably resistant to it at the same time. These massive doubts and fears always seem to come up when it comes to the question of commitment:

  • But how will I know if it’s the right thing?
  • And how can I even just pick one thing to focus on?
  • What if I get bored with it?
  • What if I don’t have anything new or valuable to say?
  • What if I can’t make any money doing it?
  • What if I suck at it?
  • What if no one likes it?
  • If I love it so much, why am I not taking action on it?
  • But how will I do it?
  • But I can’t decide!

I’ve learned to see these as no more than temporary obstacles, personality traits (I’m a scanner), hidden fears and shoulds, and stealthy inner critic messages. In other words, I try not to give them too much attention or take them too seriously.

I’ve also learned to prioritize and pick something to work on first, but not to worry if I put something down and come back to it later. Elaine tells me she likes to have at least 3 creative projects going at once so she can move from one to the next as she feels called.

Move the Universe With Your Commitment

Julia quotes this passage from The Scottish Himalayan Expedition by W. H. Murray:

“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (or creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too.

“All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of incidents and meetings and material assistance which no man would have believed would have come his way.”

She separately quotes Goethe:

“Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has magic, grace and power in it.”

(I’ve quoted both of these directly from The Artist’s Way. I’ve seen other variations.)

But How Will I?

Once you’ve committed, figuring out how really isn’t your job. Really.

Julia reminds me of this critical bit as well:

“The Universe falls in with worthy plans and most especially with festive and expansive ones. I have seldom conceived of a delicious plan without being given the means to accomplish it. Understand that the what must come before the how. First choose what you will do. The how usually falls into place of itself.“

Our inner critic and the fears that drive those anxious commitment questions make us think we have to answer the HOW question first. We do feasibility studies, shop our dreams around to our critical friends and enemies, and dismantle our cherished secret hopes before we ever give them a chance to take root, let alone blossom.

It makes me want to cry.

I want to cry when I think of all the beautiful, cherished, lovely dreams that will change the world, heal our broken systems and hearts, and help people grow and become better human beings, but that are being left unexplored, unexpressed, and undiscovered because we are more concerned with staying “safe” and not rocking the boat. These are just smokescreens, people. Smokescreens.

Let’s Be Honest With Each Other

Because really, deep down, “Anyone honest will tell you that possibility is far more frightening than impossibility, that freedom is far more terrifying than any prison.”

What Are You Willing To Allow?

The truly fascinating aspect of all this is the energetic flow of giving and receiving. Peter and Marcia taught me about the divine flow of Universal energy — the möbius of energy that moves out and returns back — an unending cycle of exchange. IF we allow it.

As Julia says, “The Universe is prodigal in its support. We are miserly in what we accept.”

We are miserly in what we accept.

Oh man.

She continues: “All gift horses are looked in the mouth and returned to sender. We say we are scared by failure, but what frightens us more is the possibility of success.”

What frightens us more is the possibility of success.

Could it be?

Could it be that what keeps me paralyzed from taking action on key Big Dreams is not that I’m too busy, have too much email, need a break, or just have to “get through this one thing,” but that I am simply: 1) unwilling to accept the limitless possibilities and gifts of the Universe and 2) terrified that I might actually succeed?

Holy shit, Batman. The jig is up.

I’m reminded of what Sonia always says: “How good can you stand it?”

~~~~~

Need help finding, claiming, and committing to your Big Dream? Come to my Voice Your Vision retreat in Berkeley on April 29th and 30th. You can find out all the details here.

~~~~~

What’s Jenna Up To?

~> March 26th, 2011. First broadcast of my brand new Radio Lightworker radio show “Dreamification.” Find out more and submit your questions. Listen from anywhere in the world to this Internet radio show. Listening details available soon!

~> March 29th, 2011. My Artist’s Way Accountability & Support Group continues. Details.

~> April 29th & 30th, 2011. My next Voice Your Vision retreat will be held in Berkeley, California. Early registration is now available through March 31st at midnight Eastern Time. Special savings if you’ve already had your hands analyzed. Contact my assistant Jamie to schedule a private one-to-one chat with me to find out if this program is right for you.

Filed Under: Creativity, Dreamification Tagged With: , , , ,

On Being a Mass of Contradictions & Shrugging Off the Constraints

March 15, 2011 by 12 Comments

I am a mass of contrasts and contradictions – a big shot and a sensitive soul, a hermit in the spotlight, a medieval sorceress in kick-ass sci fi garb, a tech geek and lover of the metaphysical and spiritual realms, and a big picture thinker who knows how to Get Things Done.

I love being “in” at home, and then there are times when I feel so limited and constrained that I just want to rip down the walls of my house to get out.

One of the constraints I’ve been wrestling with lately is being “too nice.” I’ve been “nice” for a long time.

It’s pretty boring.

I’ve been nice because I was told I should be.

I’ve been nice because I thought that’s what it meant to be spiritual. And a coach. And a coach for sensitive souls.

But I’ve also watered myself down in the process.

MYSELF.

Oops.

I’m less full of my selfness than I mean to be. I’m holding back and playing it safe.

I haven’t MEANT to hide or play it safe, exactly, but I have.

I’ve been hiding my critic’s eye, for fear of offending people.

I’ve been hiding expressing my real feelings about things publicly, like the times when I want to give up or the times I lose my way, or the times when I just plain old don’t agree with something someone I admire is doing.

The side effect of all this is that not only am I not sharing things I know will help you and me both, I’m also hold back the part of me that wants to kick ass, take names, tell the TRUTH, and get people into ACTION. Intuitive action — action based in deep inner wisdom and inner guidance — but action nonetheless.

So, I know you’ve seen me doing this already, but I wanted to tell you a little bit more about WHY I’m aiming to embrace my messy, delicious, complicated self so publicly, and how I’m hoping to inspire YOU to do the same. The more real we each are, the more full of our selfness, the more truthful and real and whole the world can become.

What part of yourself are you ready to express more fully?

~~~~~

Related Posts: Band of Misfits, or Voices of Reason? Guest Post by Kristine Carey

~~~~~

What’s Jenna Up To?

~> March 15th, 2011. My Artist’s Way Accountability & Support Group continues. Details.

~> March 26th, 2011. First broadcast of my brand new Radio Lightworker radio show on “Dreamification.” Find out more and submit your questions.

~> April 29th & 30th, 2011. My next Voice Your Vision retreat will be held in Berkeley, California. Early registration is now available. Special savings if you’ve already had your hands analyzed.

Filed Under: Creativity, Find Your Voice Tagged With: , , , ,

If You Love What You Do, Will You Love It ALL the Time?

March 8, 2011 by 12 Comments

Yesterday I went to an art store on my Artist’s Way Artist Date.

I found myself in tears over a 28″ x something stretched canvas that made me remember how much I’ve always wanted to try oil painting. I walked away from it quickly and then turned to go back to see what else there was to “see.”

I remembered my old boyfriend who was a “real” artist (Julia Cameron says shadow artists like to hang out with real artists and project their creativity onto their partners. Um. Here!).

I remembered how he had painted a picture of the girl he was cheating on me with and tried to pretend that it was just a gift for a friend.

On a similar piece of canvas.

I remembered how he had made me a painting a long time before I and I hadn’t liked it and didn’t know what to do about it. He never did give it to me, and I never did know how to handle it.

Double ouch.

And then the tears spiked again over a beautiful “artist’s marker pad” that was a perfect vehicle for the diagrams I’ve been wanting to do. (I brought it home.)

As I walked through the aisles of the art store, I was reminded of all the delicious art tools I already own, but that have been untouched for so long.

I wondered why I stopped doing the watercolors that delighted me so much once upon a time. Did I stop simply because I stopped traveling overseas so often? Had I lost the connection because I’d given up urban design work? Did it just start to feel too much like work?

All around the store I found reminders of my past creative endeavors (fabric dyeing, rug making, drafting and tracing, portfolios, yummy art supply containers) and so many possible future adventures. I thought about how I couldn’t afford to buy all the supplies so there was no point in learning a new craft.

But I also considered how much I love learning the tools of my craft — whatever it is — designing, drafting, drawing, coaching, website making — I am such the perpetual student. A true renaissance soul (or “scanner“). And how I wished I could just simply be a perpetual student (oh, wait a minute, I kind of already am) with a patron who wanted to sponsor all my wild ideas and wonderful projects (well, not so much that part, at least not yet).

Whilst all this transpired, I continued a conversation I’ve been having with myself for the past few days.

If I love what I do, will I love it ALL the time?

Will it ALWAYS feel easy and like I can’t wait to leap out of bed in the morning?

My screenwriting teacher often spoke of the pain of writing, the loneliness of it. That it would feel like swimming in a vast sea, just trying to get to the next “tent pole” in a script as if it were a buoy you could grab hold of to save you from drowning.

There are days when writing feels like a wretched chore. When it feels like I’ll never (ever) succeed at it, that my work will never be any good, and my ideas are not clever or brilliant enough.

But if they are my ideas, are they not enough? Isn’t it enough to write what I’ve been given, unleash my creativity as far as I can and hope for the best?

Plus, as a hand analyst, I’ve come to embrace the truth that our “hard stuff” — our Life Lesson — is the secret to breaking through in our lives. I look for where my fear comes up biggest and loudest, and go there. Is that always going to feel easy and flowing and delightful? I doubt it.

At the same time, there are days when writing feels like the most precious gift I’ve ever experienced.

A freedom to put words on the page and become one with them in the most amazing discovery of story and flow and ideas and energy that I’ve ever seen.

I figure there are good days and there are hard days.

What do you think?

~~~~~

In the spirit of Havi Brooks’ “Comment Zen,” I have this request:

Since I am exploring how to be more transparent, raw, vulnerable, and in my full, messy delicious creative energy in my posts, here’s what I would love to hear:

  • Your thoughts about this same subject in your OWN life. <— This is my favorite!
  • If my writing sparks something for you.
  • About your own stories, ideas, musings, and wonderings.

And I would love to skip:

  • You feeling like you need to take care of me, give me useful suggestions, or other well-meaning but unsolicited advice.

Thank you!

~~~~~

What’s Jenna Up To?

~> March 8th, 2011. My Artist’s Way Accountability & Support Group continues. We’ve just gotten started if you’re wishing you had jumped in. Details.

~> March 26th, 2011. First broadcast of my brand new Radio Lightworker radio show on Big Dreams. Stay tuned for details!

~> April 29th & 30th, 2011. My next Voice Your Vision retreat will be held in Berkeley, California. Specific registration details to be announced. A special savings will be available if you’ve already had your hands analyzed.

~~~~~

Filed Under: Creativity Tagged With: , , , , ,

Tapping Your Right Brain Wisdom

March 2, 2011 by 6 Comments

I had the recent pleasure of watching Andrea J. Lee, CEO of Thought Partners International, speaking on Jennifer Lee‘s fabulous Right Brainers in Business Video Summit.

Jennifer is a Certified Life Coach, artist, yogini, “musepreneur” and author of a new Amazon.com bestseller, The Right Brain Business Plan.

 

 

 

 

Andrea is a visionary business and life coach who guides exceptional clients to the success they seek, while championing them to become more and more uniquely themselves.

 

 

 

Jenn and Andrea shared some great insights about tapping into your creative right brain I thought you might enjoy:

Look for the “Hell Yes”

Andrea related that she looks for a “Hell Yes,” a “Maybe,” or a “Hell No” internal response on anything she’s considering. “Hell Yes” means go for it. “Hell No” means don’t do it.

And “maybe” is actually code for “Hell No.”

I love the powerful simplicity of this.

Aim For Two Green Lights

Andrea also spoke about looking for “two green lights” before she goes ahead with a project. One from her left brain — logical, reasoning center — and one from her right brain — her emotional intuitive center.

If she doesn’t get TWO green lights, the answer is no. Even though she might be emotionally or intuitively attached to an idea, if it isn’t also logically doable, it’s better to let it go. There are always more ideas.

Let Go of the Shoulds

I’m a big advocate of not “shoulding” on yourself already, but it’s always good to hear a reminder to Let Go of the Shoulds.

Similarly, Jenn talked about how the minute she starts feeling resentful of something, she knows it’s time to let go.

(For those of us in the School of Service, that’s a biggie. It’s all too easy to slide down the slippery slope of self-sacrifice into resentment, burden, and obligation. Big red flag!)

Reach Outside the Norm to Stay Fresh & Creative

I loved it when Andrea mentioned some of the unusual books she’s been reading to keep her creative mind active and inspired. She says that the foundation of her innovation and unexpected thoughts come from reading from different disciplines. She says she’s “stoking the fire of her intuition with different materials.” She mentioned:

True and False: Heresy and Common Sense for the Actor by David Mamet

The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses by Jesse Shell

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

 

I love these creative, innovative, and yet simple ideas for engaging our creativity and deeper wisdom. If you’d like to see more of Jenn Lee’s Right Brainers in Business Video Summit it’s running through March 11th.

~~~~~

Your Turn

What does this inspire for you? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

 

~~~~~

What’s Jenna Up To?

 

 

~> March 1, 2011. My Artist’s Way Accountability & Support Group starts. Details.

~> March 3, 2011. Attending Jennifer Lee’s Right Brain Business Plan book signing in Oakland, California.

~> April 29th & 30th, 2011. My next Voice Your Vision retreat will be held in Berkeley, California. Specific dates and registration details to be announced. A special savings will be available if you’ve already had your hands analyzed.

~~~~~


Filed Under: Creativity Tagged With: , , ,
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