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How To Get Started With A Creative Routine – Step 3

Welcome back to my series on how to get started with a creative routine.

In step 1, I mentioned the illusion of time.clock_time

I’m going to expand on that because it is SO very important when you’re getting started.

Think back on a time when you met someone new and had a crush, or started dating.

If you were really interested, it began taking up a lot of your time and thought, right?

Because you met them, did it give you more time? No, but somehow you made time for them, even if you were already super busy.

You probably had to give up something else in your life in order to make room for them.

Less time with your besties, or less time watching TV, or less time getting your work done.

We always make time for what we love, want and are excited about!

At some point, when you make the decision to get serious about your art, you will need to place your creative time in a high priority slot.

It will need to go from playing with the paints when the mood strikes you, to spending time each day painting.

There is something in your life that you’ll need to give less attention to in order to give more attention to your creativity.

What will it be?

This is your first phase of discipline and responsibility to your work. When you commit to this, things have to change.

It’s like starting a new job. You have to be there at 8 a.m. You can’t stay up until 3 a.m. anymore. You have to rearrange your schedule.

Just as you need to put in the effort to keep a relationship going, you will need to put in the effort to stay focused on your creative work.

Because it is ‘creative’ work and it seems to bubble up whenever it wants to, doesn’t mean that you only wait to be inspired to work.

This is why training your brain to be productive at the very beginning is so important. When you sit at your desk to write, or get out your paints or sit in your favorite chair with special music on to write a poem, you set the intention to be productive – even if you don’t feel inspired beforehand. You’re telling your creative muse that you’re ready.

One of the difficult things you might experience once you begin a routine is in setting boundaries with those you live with and are close to.

Unless you go somewhere to work, you’re probably going to be working from home.

Those you live with are going to need to know that your time “working” is just the same as if you were in an office or workplace somewhere else. It can be hard for them to take your time seriously, when you’re sitting on the couch, or in your bedroom or at the kitchen table. Interruptions and expectations for your time might be frequent because others don’t realize that this is serious work for you – especially if you work in the evenings, or on the weekends.

This means you’ll need to clearly communicate to others that when you are working, you need that time to be respected and not interrupted unless… (and you need to set the parameter for what interruptions are OK).

As with any commitment to a new dream, if others don’t know about it or understand it, they won’t see it as having the importance that you know it has.

You might need help from a spouse or kids in order to carve out some extra time in your day.

I’ve experienced and seen this part of setting up a routine hi-jack a commitment to serious creative work.

Why?

Because we’re afraid to tell those we love that we’ve decided to go for it. We don’t want to rock the boat or seem as if we’re being rude when we can’t go out with friends or we ask a spouse to cook dinner or we tell our kids to leave us alone. Sadly, it can turn into battles we’d rather not deal with, so we put it off.

Don’t wait until you have time to get serious, because trust me, it will never show up.

You have to make the time, and clearly communicate to those around you what you are doing, what you need and to honor the time you will be spending.

If YOU aren’t serious and respecting the time, no one else will either.

This doesn’t mean you become a hermit!

As a creative, you need time to relax, to have fun, to be inspired and to refill your creative juices.

  • What needs to change in your schedule?
  • What do you need to let those around you know?
  • What boundaries do you need to set in order to not be interrupted when you are working?
  • What do you need to let go of in order to create a ‘space’ energetically, time-wise and physically, so you can get serious about your work?

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8 Ways to Fail Effectively and Never Feel Like a Loser Again

8 Ways to Fail Effectively and Never Feel Like a Loser Again

 Are you feeling a sense of failure because your book isn’t finished, or your art work is still just sitting in your studio?

Failure is a Creative’s worst nightmare.chalkboard_failure

We live with an abundance of ideas, visions and the urge to try new things. It is what allows us to create new worlds in our stories, new images in our art and new ways of expressing what is in our souls.

But what if our idea, or new vision flops big time?

What if we can’t seem to get anywhere with what we originally thought was a great novel idea?

Should we just call it a failure and quit?

 

Failure is actually our best friend. It is an important part of any endeavor.

If you’re not failing, you’re not trying.

Failure can affect your state of mind or you can chose to take advantage of it.

The most successful people take advantage of it. That is why they are successful!

Use failure to your benefit.

You don’t need to avoid failure.  It is a wonderful way to learn and stretch yourself.

All creative acts require failure in the development process. Failing regularly gives you the best chance of long-term success.

Here are 8 Ways to Fail Effectively and Never Feel Like a Loser Again:

 

  1. Fail quickly. If an idea isn’t going to work out, realize it sooner rather than later. Avoid spending too much time on a faulty premise. It doesn’t make sense to invest your mental thought and energy for months only to realize that an idea won’t work.
  • At the same time, don’t give up too quickly. Give an idea a fair chance to be successful. Some things take more time than others do.
  • A story idea might not be going well, but it might not be the idea. The structure, perspective or angle might be the problem. Switch it up instead of feeling like it’s a failed idea.
  • Switch medias for a bit to free your mind and allow your creativity to resolve whatever mistake you made.
  1. Make sure you’re failing for the right reason. Did you put in the necessary time and resources? If something has gone wrong, determine carefully if it was the idea or the execution.
  • Have you considered every possible need of your project?
  • Is there something you need to learn how to do for a particular project?
  • Can your idea work if you change your approach?

 

When I was in art class in high school, several of my best pieces were created because I corrected something that wasn’t going as I wanted. What I saw in my mind’s eye wasn’t how it was turning out, but I let what was being created continue.

  1. Fail differently each time. Many people keep making the same mistakes over…and over. Failing loses all of its value if you fail to learn from it. Each time you fail in a new way, you have the opportunity to improve your work.
  2. Keep a Failure Journal. While I don’t believe in keeping my attention on what went wrong or feeling bad after a failure, when we keep notes on what came out of what we tired, we can learn from it. How can you apply that information in the future? Sometimes a failure shows us something new about ourselves that we had not noticed before. Was the failure about technique? Or your lack of confidence? Sometimes a failure can be the best fodder for our art! Did the new medium or method go awry? Did something else come out of it?

 

Can you use the new information for a future piece of work? Did the mistake give you a new idea for a different style to try out?

 

  1. Keep an accurate perspective. What is failure? It is simply an undesired result. That is all. It’s not about your intelligence, worth, or future. There is absolutely NO reason to take it personally. It was an idea that didn’t work out as you thought it would. Stay detached from your results and keep moving forward.
  • The great coach, John Wooden, stated that he hoped no one would be able to tell if his team had won or lost based on the team’s demeanor after a game. That’s detachment.
  • Be resilient. Your feelings of self-worth aren’t dependent on your results. You can feel good about yourself even when you don’t achieve your desired outcome. Be proud that you were brave enough to fail and continue.
  • If you find yourself constantly beating yourself up over mistakes, then work on “acting successful.” As you work, imagine friends and fans telling you how much it moves them. Imagine the people who will want to buy it. Pretend and the feelings will follow. Those feelings will then help you successfully accomplish your goals.
    1. Keep failure and fault separate. We learned in childhood that admitting to mistakes resulted in taking the blame. Whether you’re working on your own project or one with others, keep blame out of it. A group mistake can be a gold mine opportunity for a brainstorming session that leads to something even better than the original idea!
    1. Failure should bring you closer to an optimal solution. The more challenging the goal, the more times you can expect to fail before achieving success. Write that down. Post it where you work. Make yourself feel PROUD for taking on a big project! Know up front that the bigger the project, the more possible failures!
    1. Effective failing creates new opportunities. Many of the most important inventions resulted from mistakes. For example, the glue used in post-it notes resulted from an attempt to create a super-strong adhesive.

     

    Avoid feeling down about failing. View each failure as a step in the right direction. There is much to take advantage of through failure. Embrace failure. Just be certain to fail effectively. You will never lose if you fail effectively!

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How Cardology Changed My Life

Within our playing cards is a system to allow us a better understanding of who we are authentically.

I truly believe that when we are in need and we ask for help, we always get an answer.

We’re suddenly drawn to something and it leads us down a path that happens to hold what we need.

 

Let’s face it – I was a weird kid. I was very shy and always felt that I was in the wrong place – that I didn’t belong.

Add to that was the fact that I grew up on the Navajo reservation and was the only blonde, white girl in my class at school.

I bugged my parents by telling them my dreams each morning and I would gather up all of my Dad’s theology/Bible study books and study. Picture a 6 year old sitting out under a tree with piles of thick bible books all around her.

I had this intense desire to gather information about deep stuff. I also suffered from intense anxiety and depression as a small child. I still have a suicide note from when I was seven.

I’m not telling you this so you’ll feel sorry for me. It is merely to set the scene for what was a very long, lonely journey at trying to figure out who I was and why I felt as I did.

There was a point in my life where I knew I needed to start a spiritual journey that was mine-not what my parents thought best, not what I was raised to do, not what society saw as best, but my own personal journey. Because of my depression, I was searching for anything to help me out of the very dark pit I lived in.

I won’t go into the long story of that journey, but one thing led to another and I began studying my dreams, then creative journaling, the Runes, then the Tarot.

I discovered that metaphysics was my passion. I devoured all the various topics and was the constant seeker.

Studying Astrology and Numerology let me get a glimpse into my soul stats and it helped a lot.

But I noticed that I was very drawn to the deck of regular playing cards. I wasn’t sure why I found them so intriguing (I’m talking about beyond playing fun card games). I actually saw each one as a person with certain traits.

Fast forward many years and I had an online friend who ‘read’ playing cards. It was my first introduction to the art of reading them in the same way someone would read the tarot.

I began to study them by corresponding them to the tarot.

I found my first book about how we each have a birth card and something opened up for me. My study of Astrology and Numerology came together in the system of the cards.

Suddenly, so much made sense. When I looked at my Birth card, the 6♣, and added that to my Life path number 11….I understood why I thought I was so weird!

I won’t bore you with the deets of the core of me, but it all made sense. I could own who I was and see that the very deep, hidden desire I’d had since childhood about being a spiritual teacher was indeed who I am.

Another push of the fast forward button and at another very dark time in my life, I sequestered myself and decided to draw a single card each day and see what message it had for me. This began my work with using the cards to tap into what was really going on at a deeper, spiritual level. I created my own system and exercises to understand what I needed to let go of, heal and change in order to get through the dark space I was in and to create the life I really wanted.

My study of the cards went deeper and I made discoveries about myself that opened new paths, brought new friends into my life, information and opportunities that helped me out of that dark space.

This was prior to learning that we each have a spread of cards that changes on each birthday and is part of a very in-depth ancient system that acts as a guide, a roadmap, a pattern of energies that helps us navigate each year and make the best of it.

I began a new study – I called it Soulmancing, then later discovered others who were Readers and Teachers and that there was even an Association for it and it is being called Cardology .  In the system we have a Life Path spread, a Yearly Forecast and even daily cards to navigate, plan and reach our goals. It helped me to understand why certain things were happening, to no longer feel like a victim and to benefit from what was going on.

It changed my life.

It helped me to understand why certain relationships in my life were as they were, why I felt certain challenges and how I could make what seemed like a disaster into something helpful and rewarding.

It reduced my anxiety, gave me skills to combat confusing situations and allowed me to heal things I had been struggling with my whole life.

I no longer suffer from depression or anxiety and I’ve found my path, my purpose and I am genuinely happy!

Not a day goes by that I don’t refer to the cards in some way- by seeing what someone’s birth card is so I get a better understanding of them, to planning my next steps, or even as an inspirational prompt for my creative journaling.

They might seem so simple and insignificant since we all have used them at some point for games, but their history is fascinating and the layers and depth of wisdom within this system is truly amazing!

Within our playing cards is a system to allow us a better understanding of who we are authentically.

This is the key to changing your life and feeling that you’re on the right path and that it has meaning and purpose.

Change always begins from the inside. Living a life with meaning and fulfillment starts when you live as YOU – authentically.

I’m still weird. I love the woo-woo stuff. But now I know that I DO belong and my weirdness is not a curse; I know why I went through the dark times. It has led me here to work I love, to living in a place I love and to knowing how to see life with new eyes.

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Do You Want To Feel Empowered?

Do you want to feel empowered?

I spent most of my life feeling disempowered. When I did my core values exercise I discovered that empowerment was on my list.

Weird, I thought.

But then it made sense. Those issues that we struggle with become what matters to us the most.

You grow up in poverty; you work hard to make money.

You grow up being bullied; you work hard to empower yourself.

And, as a mentor/teacher, we tend to want to help others overcome and conquer what we had to overcome and conquer.

This is why learning about the cards and discovering who I really was meant so much to me.

The tool of Soulmancing revealed what I call my ‘soul stats’ and when I started living who I was authentically, the things, people and situations that were not me left my life and the things, people and situations that were me came into my life.

You naturally become empowered when you are living who you really are.

That doesn’t mean we don’t still have moments of feeling scared, or jealous, or sad or angry. It means that when we do experience those low emotions, we know what to do with them. We know what they’re showing us and we can then use them to point out what we need to do next.

That alone is worth it.

But I made another awesome discovery when I started living via my true self-

Living the real you means you’re emitting a very strong signal to the Universe of your desires – naturally.

The Universe doesn’t need repeated words, begging or pleading from us to bring us what we want. That goes nowhere. Our vibrations are what sends out the signal.

And our vibrations are what we are feeling & being in each moment.

When we’re disempowered, confused and unsure, we tend to absorb everything around us. It’s natural to want to fit in and belong, so we attach ourselves to people and beliefs that make us feel we’re somebody because we’re just like everybody. But that way of living disempowers you. It disempowers you because you aren’t emitting a strong signal of you—instead you’re absorbing all the stuff of others.

empowered

Picture a wet blanket being thrown over you and that is how you walk through your life. All of the stuff around you ends up sticking to that wet blanket and soon people think that is you.

You start thinking that is you and when stuff comes into your life that you don’t really want or like, you wonder, why is this happening?

If you’re absorbing the reality of someone else who has a constant fear of being attacked, or of losing all they own in a financial crisis or never finding a life partner or romance because all men are bad or…or…or…

What will your life start looking like?

That is a disempowered life.

If, instead, you know who you are and what you want and you start emitting those signals loud and clear (because that is what you’ll do naturally), what will your life look like?

Empowered.

focus on being you

An Interview With Author Randi Janelle On Releasing Her Book!

The journey for a writer is a long, laborious one. From idea, to the courage to start a novel, to refining the craft of writing, to finishing the book, learning to market, and being brave enough to put it out in the world.

Damn. It is hard soul-wrenching work!

I interviewed Randi when she was in the throes of getting her book finished. You can read that here.Randi_pic

Now, that her book is finished and she is planning her release party, I wanted to ask her a few more questions about her journey.

Me:  Last time we talked, you were in the throes of just writing! Secluded, all-in and typing away.

What are you in the midst of now?

Randi: Party preparations!  The release is a little more than two weeks away.  I’m working on getting some publicity for it, as well as finishing up some more publishing-related tasks, such as formatting for ebook release, setting up an order page, etc.

Me: How do you feel now compared to the all-in writing?

Randi: I feel wonderful.  Bouyant and satisfied, achieving a life-long dream!  I’m happy I’m meeting my deadline.  Reading the printed book proof was surreal, as if it wasn’t me who wrote it, as if the book exists on its own now, as it always wanted to be.

Me: One of the things that I work on with my clients is to help them get their inner stuff aligned so they can actually manifest the ways and means for getting their work exposed and to create a platform.

Did this happen for you?

Randi: Yes!

Me: In what way?

Randi: I  met a guy in a very random way and started working for him. He knows many locally and he has supported this journey. He’s read the book and is determined to help me sell it.  We’re opening an escape game business together, and we want to design a game to include parts of my book. 

Me: What happened that you would’ve never been able to plan out?

Randi: I would’ve never guessed I would meet someone like that, and that he would think so highly of my work that he would want to help get the word out!

Me: You have a big release party coming up in several weeks, what are your desires for that?

Randi: Basically, I want it to be a celebration.  Of course I want to sell the book, and I’m hoping that those who have told me they’d like to read my book over the years will now cash in on their promise (no pun intended!).  I want it to be an attraction for those who don’t already follow me, and to get a few more people interested in the book (and my Story Creates business), and for those that come, they have an event/story to share with their friends so the book travels via word of mouth.

Me: Is there anything in this process that you had to learn from scratch and/or surprised you?

Randi: Because I self-published, I had to learn copyediting and publishing techniques.  I know what a gutter is now and how to wrangle page numbers on odd/even pages, and not on chapter headings. I’ve learned a bit about proofing, and how important it is to have the printed book in my hands (more than once it turned out!) in order to see how a digital file translates to the page.  Earlier on, I had to learn how to design emails and newsletters and how to use Mailchimp (I’m still learning some more complicated features, like how to update an email address when someone changes theirs!)  I had to have tutorials on Pinterest and Twitter, because I don’t use them, and the fine line of becoming noticed, but not sounding too “salesy” was a perhaps obvious conversation, but I found it difficult.  Because of the escape game business opening, I was prompted to write a press release and contact the papers sooner than I was perhaps ready to, but I jumped in  the deep end and so far so good.

Energetically, though, I suppose I haven’t had too many surprises.  I always expected success, which is why I’ve gotten it! 🙂

Me: What will you do differently with your next book?

Randi: Give myself more time!  I’m looking forward to maintaining a better work/life balance. I’m sure the next book will expand just as the first one did, so I hold no illusions about the dedication and energy it will require.  I’m manifesting a writing retreat so that I can focus on drafting for one chunk of time, rather than trying to juggle several things at once.

Me: What did you learn in writing/publishing this first book that you will use for the next one?

Randi: Staying in touch with my readers.  It’s been fun, it keeps me on track, and it documents my journey.  The support has helped me get through some long, lonely hours of writing!  And again the time frame.  I’ll allow myself more time to sit back and take breaks, which is crucial for editing and sanity.

Me: Did you discover what type of platform suits you best? Are you using it and what is it?

Randi: Yes. My platform is a combination of emails for a list, local readings, and Facebook.  I enjoy the face to face connection of the local readings, and the emails allow me to share a lot more than other types of social media.  It feels more like a letter than “selling.”  I tend to use Facebook to share events, and give the breaking news bits to those on my list as a type of reward.  I like knowing I have that fan base who are dedicated to following my project, rather than just generally supportive on Facebook (though I appreciate ALL support!).  I’m learning to do more in Pinterest and Twitter.  I’m enjoying the former, because I can play with images, which is another treasured art form of mine. 

Me: Thinking of the entirety of the project, what have been the greatest challenges and greatest rewards?

Randi: The biggest challenge was time, and sacrifice of social life, and the dedication required.  Another was learning new promotional techniques and getting the knack of sharing without sounding/feeling like a spammer.  (Pinterest & Twitter were foreign to me). The rewards are feeling like this is my destiny, that the book is well and truly alive, and I’m able to share ideas and start discussions on a larger scope.  Another reward is simply seeing a castle of book boxes, knowing that I’ve done it!  Those times I thought to take a break or extend my deadline to level my head were mitigated by the support and confidence in myself and those providing it around me, to remind me it’s worth it.  Now, my dream is realized!  Woohoo!

 

Randi Janelle is releasing her first novel on Halloween with a big release party in her town of Asheville, North Carolina.  The book will also be available from her at http://randijanelle.com/story-creates.

The book is titled The Story: Deviation and is the first in a series titled The Story.

When Dan encounters The Anger, he supplements his day job as a high school math teacher with writing a novel. The Anger, a product of feeling enslaved to his job, recedes as the inspiration for his story emerges, but little does he know.

He’s not in control.

Neither are his characters.

This rich and complex novel, populated with intriguing characters of differing nationalities and beliefs and orientations, takes the reader deep into the world of “What if?”

What if you were transported to a time and space to learn the story of a person outside his or her stereotypes?

If you had to relive a series of moments, would you continue in habitual patterns, or would you deviate from them?

Who’s is in control?

Are you?

About Randi Janelle
Randi Janelle is a “Jackie of Many Trades” as a performance poet, photographer, yoga instructor, to name a few; publishing her novel has been a life long goal.  She’s a UNCA alumna, and after living overseas for a few years, she returned to Asheville to finish her book, open a business, and enjoy the beer.  She performs regular readings at Battery Park Book Exchange on Wednesday evenings from 6-7pm.  Her work can be found at randijanelle.com, and her story can be followed by signing up at randijanelle.com/story-creates.

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Ready to build a platform YOUR way? Join Randi other fun and passionate creatives to discover new ideas each day to build a business with your creative work.  It’s FREE!