If you’re fired up about something new you’re creating, chances are your brain will decide at some point it’s a terrible idea. Here are 3 strategies to help keep you going.
Creativity can help lift your experience of life. Read this article to see if you’re suffering from the affliction I’ve renamed “creative hunger”.
People who think of creativity as a mere hobby, and art as a “nice to have”, are missing the point. Creativity iis transformative. It's how we get to the other side. It's the ONLY way we get to the other side. Read on to see the gifts that creativity can offer you.
Are you trapped by an overwhelming schedule and your commitments to everyone else? Are you denying yourself the chance to do something you love? Find out how a creative mindset can help you get unstuck and feeling free, engaged and vibrantly alive.
As I sat down to write this article, I looked up for a moment to appreciate the tranquil view of Lake Ontario that I can see from my favourite writing spot. I stopped typing for a moment to watch a huge flock of black Cormorants glide single file just below the line that marks the intersection of water and sky. I continued to watch as the birds flew by in the hundreds. The Cormorants’ parade continued for over half an hour. I’m guessing that my house must be between these birds’ favourite feeding grounds and their overnight nesting area. As I observed the birds, the coach in me pondered why it is that I love birds/water/sky so much. The first answer that came to mind – and I usually find that the best answers are the ones that come to me immediately, before the active part of my brain tries to “figure it out” and pull me away from a deeper truth - was how peaceful, present and calm I usually feel when [...]
Creativity comes in moments where we stop worrying about the past or future. When we set down our plans. Where we truly understand that we have everything we need in the moment right now.
I was struck by a question posed recently by Susan Hyatt, a leader in the life coaching industry and the passionate and courageous author of Bare, an anti-diet book that focusses the reader on loving her body and living her life. I was listening to Susan teaching a webinar on marketing for coaches. Susan shared her belief with us that a coach’s first step should be to examine who she is. Susan’s question struck me as interesting and novel. Why novel? Because, the typical marketing advice I’ve received since becoming a coach is to start by defining our “client avatar” (an imaginary person meant to represent our ideal client.) The client avatar concept is useful because it helps us imagine how the people we want to serve are feeling and thinking. This allows us to write marketing copy that connects emotionally with our prospective clients. The theory is that we should focus our marketing and our coaching practice on our clients’ needs rather than what we want to offer. After all, we’re in a service business. Coaching is [...]
Every once in a long while, something happens that surprises me by moving me to tears – joyful tears, not the sad kind. Unexpected tears are like my body’s way of getting me to notice that something important has taken place. Something worth paying attention to. I experienced this just the other night. I was participating in a great little trade show hosted by the wonderful Tanya Shapenko at Verity, Toronto’s largest women’s business club. Tanya is a gifted jewelry designer. She specializes in creating exquisitely crafted pieces that feature pearls and diamonds. And she has an ability to create magic. Tanya exceeded herself that night. Just before our show began, Tanya announced that she had a special gift for each participant. Tanya rolled out a dish containing several oysters and she asked each one of us to choose one. Even though the oyster shells appeared to be a brownish grey, on closer inspection I could see that each shell had subtle, iridescent colours. I love colour and became absorbed in my choice. [...]
Do you have a dream about something you’d love to create in the world, but believe it isn’t possible? If that’s you, I hope you will read on. I’m sharing my story of G.R.A.C.E. with you in mind. I intend my story to inspire you to shift your thinking. To cause you to consider letting go of the reasons you’ve been thinking you can’t make your dream happen and to start focussing on the reasons you want to make it happen. And letting those reasons carry you forward into action. I’ve now taken action that commits me 100% to moving forward with my own vision. The realization of my dream is exciting, terrifying and fulfilling. I’m building The George Russell Academy of Creative Expansion on 8.4 acres in Prince Edward County. Construction is proceeding rapidly. G.R.A.C.E. includes a sundrenched meditation and yoga studio that is part of the circa 1866 farmhouse, and a brand new painting studio, art gallery and workshop/classroom space in a 1200 square foot building I designed. Building G.R.A.C.E. is, [...]