Shows how to be an artist .. of ANY kind! And, the value of persistence!

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Well, not if they’re smart.

Creatives aren’t cut out to work for companies. As a client said today,  and I loosely quote, "companies suck the life out of you!"

Companies are about rules, policies, procedures, mass production.  Very few corporations with the notable exception of Google, Apple, and others provide the RIGHT ENVIRONMENT for creatives.

Artistic types, need to be able to, in fact MUST express their creative urges, in and through their work. For creatives their is no boundary between them and work.

They ARE their work.

And, they need environments that NURTURE, GUIDE, that expression NOT stifle it.

So, if you are a creative professional, don’t language it as a "Job Search". It’s NOT!

It’s a search for a way, a place, where you can DO YOUR WORK.

I get irritated when
people market their books and programs using the word Inspirational. Why? Maybe
it’s me but the feeling I get when I hear these advertisements is that being Inspiring
is enough.

It’s not! Quite simply,
in 30 plus years of working with people, I’ve found that most people are unable
to translate Inspiration into ACTION.
At the very least, what people/you need in addition to Inspiration is:

Strategies/Plans – You may need a path, a set of steps, sometimes a detailed recipe
that will show you the way to get from where you are to where you want to be.

Education/Advice – You may need to acquire new skills in order to navigate your chosen
path.

Support
– You may need someone to ‘hold your hand’, kick you in the butt, or to help
you get you unstuck.

I’ve noticed that a lot
of Motivational Speakers and Authors just do that: speak and write. They don’t help
you make practical plans. They don’t give you the training you need. And, they
don’t provide the support you need.

That’s why you need to
hire a coach.

As a coach I’ve been
told by many that I’m very Inspiring
and I’m delighted to do what I can to help Inspire my clients and motivate them.
But, I’m more interested in helping my clients with practical strategies, providing
proven advice drawn from 37 years of business and life experience, and giving
the on demand support my clients need.

Which do you think will
get you where you want to be? Inspiration? Or, Coaching?

Please add your comments at my blog.

You know the feeling.
You start working on one project only to find yourself thinking about another –
or about half a dozen other things.

How can you get
focused? Here are a few ideas.

Breath

Ideas exist in our
heads and minds. That’s why they can spin and zip around so easily causing us
to feel in a whirl. Close your eyes and take a couple of deep breaths. Breathing
puts us in touch with the realities of our bodies. It calms the mind and brain.
And, it helps us refocus on what we’re doing.

Do it

Often the distracting
thought is about small things we need to remember to do. Sometimes the best
thing to do to get rid of a distracting thought is to simply do it. My rule is that doing it must take less
than 3 minutes. Focusing on the distraction for longer than that can really
destroy our focus on what we were doing. So, if it’s going to take you away
longer just make a note of what you have to do.

Write

When my head’s all in a
whirl and my thoughts are spinning around and clanging like marbles in a
blender, I grab my keyboard and just write. Write till all the ‘stuff’ is out
of me head. Then I can look at what’s on paper and decide what important and
what’s not.

What’s helped you get
focused? Please add your comments at my blog.  

EnglandA young woman I
recently coached had this very problem. So, I asked her what DID interest her
and what WAS appealing. She replied that she enjoyed photography (but had been
put off it by a photography course she took) and had just purchased a new
digital camera. So, my homework assignment to her was to roam the Midlands (she
lives in England) taking photos.

You can use the same
approach. What creative acts DO you enjoy or have you enjoyed? Or, what
creative act would you like to try? Pick one and DO it.
The idea is to actually EXPRESS your creativity. When your creative flows, you
begin to get clarity, and feel less lost. 

What do you think of
this approach? What works for you when you feel lost? Add your comments at my
blog. 

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?

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?

;

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.