My client are all bright, seasoned, multi-talented, and often eclectic, professionals.

And, as Martha Stewart is oft quoted as saying, "that’s a good thing!"

And, like so many ‘good things’ it has a down side.

Here’s the conundrum.

When people go looking for help they tend to want a specialist.

For example, we bought a new stove for our house and needed a range hood and fan installed. So, I asked the fellow who had installed our dishwasher if he could do the job (cause he did really, really excellent work). He said no but gave me a referral to Marty "The Vent Guy". Marty came and did an absolutely marvelous job. He was easy to deal with, clearly knew what he was doing, consulted with me during the installation to discuss possible problems and solutions, and (my wife loved this) cleaned up after himself!

Being the curious sort I asked him what else he does. His response, "Well. I install bathroom fans." Seriously, all this guy does is install vent fans! And, he’s really, really, really good at it. Talk about specializing.

And, specializing is a good thing Martha.

BUT, it too has its downside.

When it comes to things like vents, you want a specialist.

But, when it comes to more complex challenges, say like "what you want to be when you grow up" or "what do I do about my money problems" you want help from someone with a broad range of experience, talent, and knowledge — in other words a generalist.

Now here’s the problem faced by guys like me and by my seasoned, eclectic clients.

We have to promote ourselves as if we are SPECIALISTS, but our power and the results we can acheive for our clients comes from the fact that we are GENERALISTS.

How do we do that?

By creating a speciality.

For example, it took me years to conceive my specialty was helping creative, eclectic, multi-talented, independent professionals get unstuck! So, I coined a term for what I do.

I’m The Unsticking Coach(TM)!

That label encompasses my eclecticism, my extensive expertise as a generalist, and yet sounds like one speciality!

So, is there a way to make your eclectic abilities seem like a specialty?

Creative types love ideas and newness.

Ideas are easy, fun, exciting, enervating. Bringing them to fruition is hard, bloody work.

And, when faced with challenges, bumps in the road, we have a tendency to "throw the baby out with the bath water!" Interestingly, I just learned this expression was originally a German proverb.

Back to the point.

I think that as creatives we have this optimistic hope that we can find the Ideal Solution that will magically solve all our problems. That ONE thing, one Big Idea will fix it all.

Probably not. Hasn’t happened yet for me in 59+ years.

So, when we start implementing a new idea and run up against challenges. We CHUCK the whole thing. And, out goes ‘the baby with the bath water!’

What I’ve been trying to do is resist this temptation. When I feel the urge to chuck it and look for a Big New Idea… I take a breath. Look to see exactly what’s not working. What IS the problem? And, then see if i can TWEAK something.

That way the dirty water gets chucked and my baby, my great idea, gets saved!

Please join me Tuesday, June 26^th for the FINAL Genre Busters^(TM) Podcast of this season.   
 

You won’t want to miss my special guest, Andy Wibbels.

Andy is the author of Blogwild! A Guide for Small Business Blogging. Andy’s been blogging for more than 6 years, is "The Original Blogging Evangelist", and as far as I’m concerned knows more about blogging than most anyone else! 
 

Andy
is funny, frank, rambunctious, and smart! I know you’ll enjoy the call
and learn tons about blogging and other things media wise. I’m looking
forward to hearing the story of his Genre Busting^(TM) career and to Andy’s insights into the future of blogging.

You can get the inside scoop on Andy’s book at www.GOblogwild.com

DATE: Tuesday, June 26^th

TIME: 3:00 pm MDT, 2:00 pm PDT, 4:00 pm CDT, 5:00 pm EDT

     Find your time here: http://worldtimezone.com/

For call in details send a blank email here

It’s been a rainy "Spring" here in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies.

We’re just rearranging the flower gardens in our back yard, making room for a new garden shed. The rain is a blessing — it  means I don’t have to water them.

But, in a couple of months, if we have our usual hot, dry prairie Summer, I’ll be out every few days watering the plants. If don’t they”ll wither and die!

How come I know that about plants BUT I forget that principle when it comes to my Creative Garden?

I’m reading Julia Cameron’s latest masterpiece, "Finding Water". I was struck by this quote from Abraham Maslow, "A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be at peace with himself. What a man can be, he must be."

Yet, when pressed for time what do I give up? My writing!

And, I see that in my friends who are writers and eclectic creatives.

And, then they get SICK. They WITHER.

If I am to flourish I must DO my ART!

I must water my Creative Garden.

One way to do that is Blogging.

What will you do to Water Your Garden?

;

My best buddy is, among many other things, a writer and aspiring novelist.

Like many would be novelists and other creative eclectics she does not currently ‘make her living’ doing her passion.

What to I mean "doing her passion’?

I mean actually making a living, paying the rent, financing her lifestyle, by working as a writer and novelist!

It’s not that she doesn’t write. She does. She writes articles — and gives them away. She ‘pays the rent’ by working as a policy analyst, writing policy briefs.

Like many of my clients she yearns to live a life filled to the brim with work that isn’t work — the work of her creative self expression.

But, the rent must be paid. The food purchased. The car fueled. So, she works at a job that meets some of her creative needs, with people that she likes and that fills her belly BUT not her soul.

And, like so many others she pours her energy into her JOB. She pours the water of her creativity onto what I think of as the Vegetable Garden. It feeds her belly. It sustains her body.

But, she forgets to water the Garden of Her Soul.

NO! All the water of creativity is poured in sustaining the body — BUT not the soul and spirit.

Is the same true for you?

Do you pour all the Water of your Creativity onto your "Job"?

When you don’t water the Garden of Your Soul your spirit withers. My friend finds that she gets SICK! And, her first reaction is to pour even more into her JOB — into the basics. To say, "Oh! I’ll just give up the writing for now. I can’t do it all. I can do the writing later when I feel better!"

WRONG!

She is ILL because she is not watering the RIGHT garden.

What she needs to do is to water her Soul Garden. To sit in front of the computer and write. To pick up a brush and paint. To grab some coloured tiles and make mosaics.

She needs to CREATE.

Only when she waters her Soul Garden will her energy return. Only then will the illness leave.

A new series from Time magazine about new careers, new jobs – unconventional jobs for unconventional professionals. Via Barbara Winter

It’s almost here!

Yep! My brand, spanking-new, interview series STARTS November 8, 2006.

BUT, I think the name of the series SUCKS!

So, I’m running a little contest.

The series will feature in-depth interviews with creative, eclectic, &/or multitalented, independent professionals who are "Slightly Famous" — to borrow the title of Steven Van Yoder’s wonderful book Get Slightly Famous

Currently the title of the series is "The Slightly Famous Touring Road Show".

But, I think it could be better!

Here’s the prize: I’m cleaning out my library. So, here’s what I’m going to do.

1st Place - 5 of my used-to-be favourite books  (all in excellent condition), e.g. "The 30th Edition of What Color Is Your Parachute".

2nd Place - 3 of my used-to-be favourite books, e.g. Radical Joy by Todd Allen Pressman.

3rd Place - 1 of my used-to-be favourite books — e.g. Working With Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman.

Prizes will be awarded based on quantity and quality.

Send your suggestions here or simply comment on this post.