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Starting a brand? Stop asking other people to tell you who you are.

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Starting a brand? Stop asking other people to tell you who you are.

I was listening to a particularly vivifying speech by Simon Sinek.

You know the one... he's one of the big rebels, who says we should start with WHY, not with WHAT. He's the one who says the words purpose and fulfillment a lot. He doesn't apologize for it and he doesn't teach leaders to be perfect. He teaches us all to be human, vulnerable, and humble. 

Which is WHY I like him...

He doesn't BS, he always stands firmly by his truth, no matter the consequence. (Which is what true creative rebels do, by the way.)

So I was listening to one of his motivational speeches in a compilation called "The 10 Rules of Success According to Simon Sinek" or something. And although I never click these clickbaity things, this time I did, and I was happy for it. 

How to set goals and not become completely overwhelmed.

How to set goals and not become completely overwhelmed.

I will share an insight I've had with a client recently because I believe it is of the utmost importance to creatives.

So you you're doing what you love, you're hustling, living the dream.

Naturally, the dream looks and feels more like being at an endless party - fun at first but eventually it wears down on ya, and you just want to rest, dammit! Which is where the word sustainable comes from. We all feel like once we can sustain our blogs, brands, and businesses, we can rest and relax and have fun.

Weeeeeell, I won't argue with you cos we have bigger fish to fry.

To get to the sustainable part, we each have our systems we mostly devised ourselves, because let's face it, we hate other people telling us what to do, and when they do, some of the time it works but most of the time it doesn't because we are all different individuals with different strengths.

But our systems don't always work either. Sometimes they backfire.

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Are you a creative with no style and no confidence in your work? Read this.

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Are you a creative with no style and no confidence in your work? Read this.

I hear this everywhere...

I'm a writer/artist with no identifiable style. How do I find it?
My style of writing/etc. is boring/underwhelming/not very good. How can I write/create more like you/her/him?

Etc.

We're going to take on these (really) common limiting beliefs among the creative community and figure out how to get past them once and for all. Because on the other side of these lies your personal creative freedom. 

In this case, the grass is greener on the other side.

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Do you want to turn your bad creative habits into better ones? Hell yes!

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Do you want to turn your bad creative habits into better ones? Hell yes!

The free training is here!

So when I asked on twitter what you guys wanted to learn about, the answer was loud and clear - better creative habits. :)

And it's totally normal for us all to want that seeing as creatives aren't famous for being super productive, how, are we? What we are famous about is being moody and cutting our ears off. Or becoming alcoholics.

If you think about it, creativity can drive some people to madness, but it can also drive other people to success. I believe it's a choice, in the end.

So today I am answering your request and digging into your creative habits. 

We'll discuss how habits work, where to find the answers we are looking for, how to dig deeper to the root cause instead of just treating the symptom, and finally, discuss something I like to call a tipping (or avalanche) habit.

At the end of the article, you'll also be able to sign up for the training!

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How exactly can you "find" your purpose and why would you want to?

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How exactly can you "find" your purpose and why would you want to?

Confession time.

A lot of the time I worry if people understand what I mean by "find your purpose" because I used to be someone who was confused by that.

What does she mean my purpose! I make my destiny. This is crapola.

What does she mean find it? I need to make it, not find it, duh.

I'm with you on the whole "make your destiny" pitch and following your passions instead of something so ephemeral that a lot of people can't even explain. 

But the question here isn't what you call it. It's whether you want to infuse your life - and creative career - with meaning. It's whether you need to focus all of your efforts in one direction, so that you're less scattered. And it's whether you want something so big, so personal, that will last you throughout all of your crazy creative ideas, and you'll love it, and it will motivate you like crazy. 

One way to get all those things is to "find" your purpose.

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When you get tired of your own BS, that's when the magic happens.

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When you get tired of your own BS, that's when the magic happens.

There have been many times in my life I had tired of my BS and done something about it. There was the time when I tired of depression and went to a therapist to get diagnosed so I could finally lead a better, happier life. There was the time when I tired of flailing about trying to find "jobs" because that's what I was "supposed to do," even though I hated it, so I started my business then.

And now I have reached the limit of another BS point...

How to free your creativity from your self-imposed limitations.

How to free your creativity from your self-imposed limitations.

Hey there rebel!

You know how I always say we should go with our natural ways?

Well... turns out there IS an exception and I have just found it. And since I promised myself to always share my lessons with you in my emails, today I'll tell you how I had to go against my Natural Way this summer! *gasp*

I know, I know... it's like REBELASHPEMY.

Let me explain...

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How to be more productive and work fewer hours.

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How to be more productive and work fewer hours.

hey, this is no clickbait... 

I just wanted to share my progress from procrastination and distraction to productive and getting sh*t done. Seeing as we all struggle to get things done and not lose our minds in the process (did you know that hustling is bad for you), I thought this could be helpful for all of us to reflect on.

Don't get me wrong, I still struggle, always will, but progress matters. Even if it's just small progress, that's much more than many people get.

So let me share my 3-step Plan to Progress & Productivity with ya. :)

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Looking for a coach? Make sure they understand your creative rebel needs.

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Looking for a coach? Make sure they understand your creative rebel needs.

you've hit a bump in the road.

You feel stuck, uninspired, and frustrated with everything that used to be fun.

Usually, at this point I recommend to people to get some perspective by introducing another person to the equation. It could be a loved one (though they are subjective) or an accountability buddy (though they can only give you their opinion, not guide you), or a coach (who do not have the answers, but know how to gently guide you to your truth, or at least the good ones do). 

If you think you're ready to hire a coach, I just want you to make sure that you're hiring someone who understands your needs as a creative rebel.

Otherwise you'll have wasted your money and ended up even more frustrated.

I hope you still write fiction.

I hope you still write fiction.

There's a song I always go back to.

It's a country song, called I Hope You Dance, performed by Lee Ann Womack.

Here are some of the words that touched me:

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Livin' might mean takin' chances, but they're worth takin'
Lovin' might be a mistake, but it's worth makin'
Don't let some Hellbent heart leave you bitter
When you come close to sellin' out, reconsider
Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

I hope you dance