Creative Thursday

LOVE - your inner critic

Deadlines met and a new one ahead. One final push- I am officially reviewing the entire book in the next couple of weeks. It's written. Seriously. It's very exciting.

Also on my way to Seattle for a long weekend. While away, I am going to leave you with an article by Sarah. She's right, I do trust her to write for you so I will leave the intro, explaining the intent behind this post to her. 

What I will say is that the inner critic is something we all have to find a way to cohabitate with, maybe even love? Why push against something that when embraced can transform us, making us grow and become better in ways we hadn't thought possible. The trick is finding your own way to embrace this little fellow and I really enjoyed reading about how Sarah has made peace with her Inner Critic.

The Inner Critic by Sarah Stevenson

When I first approached Marisa about writing a post for her blog, it was as part of an email to let her know that my new website would be going live and that I would love for her to take a look at it. As part of the email, I also asked if she would be interested in me writing a post for her readers called: Don’t Let Your 9 to 5 Steal Your Creativity. I almost deleted this portion of the email as, you see, I did not want Marisa to think that I was pushy or wanted yet another thing from her. My inner critic was loud and clear and it took me some time to figure out how to deal with it regarding writing this piece.

 Consider this idea from Tara Mohr, a friend and life coach, “We are hardwired to have the voice of the inner critic. No matter, how good we are at something, how far along we are on our own creative journeys, or even how famous we are; the inner critic is alive and well inside us all. It is part of our safety, security and survival and is a device that is used by our brains to help keep us in our safety zone.”

 So how as entrepreneurs and creatives do we learn to tackle the inner critic and use the inner critic to help propel our projects, business and creative lives into action?

 First, you must give a name to your own inner critic. By naming the critic it will enable you to disarm it when it arises, helping to separate it from yourself. My critics name is Freddy Two-Tone. He is a creative type-wears tennis shoes, sweater and jeans and has a cape. I don’t know how the cape came about but I think it has something to do with being super man or expecting me to be super woman.

 After naming the critic, you must also get to know it. What does it say to you about doing the work, or leaving your job to start your own creative business? Or launching into that next creative project? Who does the inner critic echo? For me it was a combination of an old boss and other people I had known throughout my creative career that always seemed to want to derail me or at least that is what I thought. In addition, he was the same age as I am now, so I could truly identify with my current situation as a new creative business owner.

Once you name and get to know your inner critic, what do you do then? You need to realize that the critic will always be with you but by being able to recognize the different voices that speak to you, you are able to determine who is in charge. Note here, YOU are always in charge not some crazy critic named Freddy Two-Tone. We need to also, realize that the inner critic is actually not the enemy but in fact someone we need to learn to coexist with and not fight. Freddy is cynical: a glass is half empty kind of guy; not at all how I am as a creative person or how I choose to live my own life. So, you see, the inner critic is not the same as our own best thinking but a voice created to question our own intentions and our own way of doing things.

 Once we realize this and only then are we able to move into a relationship with our inner critic. One way of doing this is with humor. By saying something like: “Hi, inner critic...I hear you...?” or taking it by the hand and walking it out of the room, you are placing yourself back in control of the situation. While writing this piece, I had to literally, remove Freddy from my shoulder, say I can do this, I’ve got it covered and I’m going to the library to write, so please leave me to it! Otherwise, I would still be sitting at home with a blank page in front of me, wondering why I could not fill a page with words.

By doing this we are able to move to the final step of checking out what the inner critic is trying to tell you. What ever scenario you are questioning, don’t argue with the critic.  Instead, ask yourself if what the voice is saying is true, and what you are most worried about in regard to the situation at hand. Learn to live lightheartedly with your critic and over time you will be able to say...”I’ve got this situation covered and I am going to be OK.” For me, it was saying, Marisa trusts me enough to write for her audience, I need to trust myself enough to know that I can write for her audience and what I have to say is funny and lighthearted and a step outside of my comfort zone. But I am willing to do it to share a message and to help others grow in their own creative journeys. So thanks Marisa, for trusting me and my inner critic and for having me share with you here today.

 

Sarah Stevenson is a registered interior designer who worked with some of the top design and architecture firms in Chicago. Like so many artists just starting out, she craved a challenging and collaborative environment -- one where her creative would blossom.

 While she certainly worked on creative projects -- one of which was photographed by the the architectural photographer, Hedrich Blessing -- the long hours took their toll. 

 That’s why Sarah now dedicates her work to helping artists and creative people in all fields carve out space in their day. She helps them find time for their own creative explorations — no matter how many hours a week they work.

 Sarah leads group explorations and founded the Create Explore Discover Art Retreat, an annual getaway that brings together women for creative workshops, fresh, local food and nature walks in the Lake Tahoe area. {note from Marisa - I really loved my time at this retreat, held for the first time last year. I highly recommend adding it to your 'retreats to attend' list. Sarah's opening registration June 1st!}

 You can find more about her work at www.sarahgstevenson.com

thank you Sarah for sharing this with us.

'Love' the original is available here

The In's and Out's of Textile Design - by Creative House

A chance meeting while both teaching at the Squam Art Workshops, plus 2 separate moments, 1 year apart when Lizzy told Marisa "YOU need to be designing fabric" has become a friendship and now a collaboration called Creative House.

Super excited about and really proud of this newest collaboration with my friend Lizzy. We love what we do. We want to help people find their way on their path to happiness and we believe that a large part of that has to do with finding fulfilling work that you love. We are creating products that we wish we had when we were trying to find our way. If you remember Lizzy wrote this e-book and {lucky for me when I tried to get into the industry I had Lizzy's book and her guidance} Now we've added on to that knowledge and experience with this podcast. So if you're interested in getting into the world of textile design as well as learning from two creative entrepreneurs who are always cheering you on, this new podcast might be for you. You can learn more about it, and watch us chat in a little video at our new site! The first of more collaborations to come for Creative House, so stay tuned.

{thank you again to Jo for the beautiful site design} 

Lisa's art workshop this Sunday in L.A.

Love this lady! Her art and her spirit. 

Lisa's a fantastic teacher too, so I have to share with you that she's having a very special one time only workshop this Sunday,  'Out of Bounds: Book Assemblage' April 15 from 1 - 5 pm at the Craft And Folk Art Museum for $65 and $55 for CAFAM members. To register online just go to www.cafam.org or email workshops@cafam.org.

I have been meaning to share a post on Lisa's book since it first came out last fall, so now's the perfect time to tell you about it too.  'The Re-purposed Library' is beautiful down to every last detail. It's one of those books that you will make you happy just by  having it in your space and you will be inspired to think outside of the box creatively by re-purposing some of those books you have sitting on your shelf - or seek out some very special vintage ones on your next thrift store or flea market outing. 

Another favorite is the trailer that Lisa's brother Nate helped her produce. Pretty much sums up the vibe of Lisa and her work. She just moved to Southern California almost 2 years ago now, all the way from New Hampshire. Courage and a quest for adventure, that's what it takes to start over and build a brand new life for yourself especially in Venice CA.  It's been great to see Lisa jump in and get acclamated so quickly with so much bravery and enthusiasm to boot. And those of us  who knew Lisa before her move out west, are so lucky to have her creative spirit here to spend time with as often as we can.  You should definitely join her at her workshop if you can! Oh and! you might want to take home one of her bookmobiles too~

 

permission to be introverts - and be 'Quiet'

This book arrived yesterday. It came highly recommended to Sean by Jan, his step mom. Even though he is a comedic performer, improvising and teaching  Improv in a front of a room full of people, Sean definitely considers himself more of an introvert.

Even though I've barely cracked open the cover, I'm already intrigued and I'm already going to recommend this book to you. 

The cover and the title alone totally caught my eye. I especially like the subtitle "the power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking".  {sometimes I just want to tell people to please stop talking, especially our neighbor who insists upon talking on his cell on speaker phone right outside our window}

And then we watched the TED video by Susan this morning and now I am completely fascinated.

 

I insta/tweeted a picture of the cover this morning and already the people responding with comments saying that they are reading this right now, tells me that we creatives were in need of some validation and permission to be the introverts that I personally think is necessary to do any kind of creative work.

It got me thinking about how introverted I am, really? I was definitely way more introverted as a child. Also being an only means that having a lot of  quiet and alone time is just part of the package.  Somewhere along the way I decided to develop my extrovert muscle and found that I also get energy from socializing. Listening to Susan's talk makes me wonder if I develped that muscle because society applauds that quality more?

I don't do crowds. One reason, I find attending and participating in art fairs particularly challenging. When I go to yoga class, or most classes actually I do not want to socialize. I just want to be quiet and learn. Teaching at larger art retreats and attending conferences, as fun and rewarding as it is can wollop me. I've always been more comfortable in smaller groups or one on one. Probably one of the reasons I've always enjoyed podcasting. A quiet way for me to get a message to many. 

I've discovered that an ideal week for me is an almost equal balance of inward and outward time. Actually I'd say leaning much more with an emphasis on inward time. It's true what Susan says about needing quiet time and unplugging to come up with ideas. How will we ever get our own ideas if we are constantly experiencing a barrage of other people's voices? We won't. And there will just be more of the same. Something that many of us artists think about, how to keep our unique voice evolving and not looking like someone else's vision, or conforming to creating work that is solely inspired by trend.

We have to learn how to tune out and tune in.

This becomes challenging in the world we live in where the noise has become more, not necessarily in decibles or in person socializing, but the social activity around social media. And the panic that ensues when we are not on it, feeling like we are going to be forgotten or left behind. Seriously, this is a myth that needs to be stopped before it gets started. If you do great, meaningful work you will not be forgotten, especially not by the the people who are truly your people.

I know much of my feelings about the quiet time I need are heavily influenced by the city I live in. The sound of the squeaking breaks on the garbage truck that is outside my window RIGHT NOW is SO loud. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate that someone comes so consistently to pick up the trash, but the amount of leaf blowing I hear on any given week has GOT to stop. We live in Los Angeles - I mean really how many leaves are there? 

What I want to say is that living in a big city already calls for much more inward time to balance the energy involved just in getting from point a to point b. And if you happen to be more introverted,  you can only imagine how much more quiet time you might need.

After watching this video I know that both Sean and I, are breathing a big sigh of relief. We feel like we've been given permission to indulge in what comes natural to us. We feel like we want to honor our quiet time more, even when we are together in the same space, Thank you Susan for writing your book and for adding equal value to those who live and create from a softer, quieter space.

How about you? Where do you think you are on the introvert/extrovert scale?

ten rules for a perfect day

Thought you might enjoy this to kick off your week. Found via Matt and Kim from a vintage magazine. Seems like we've all been trying to find that 'elusive' balance for some time now. And personally, I think this list is totally applicable for today. We just need to add  an addendum about the use your personal electronic devices.

Eames, Pearl Jam Twenty and Amy Butler

Learning more about the people who inspire me and hearing their stories is something I've always been passionate about. Certain that I've mentioned this before, but studying these stories - it's how I made it here, and hung on to the dream of doing creative work I loved, especially on the days when I felt like giving up.  One of the reasons I love interviews and I LOVE Documentaries. As you know when I find good ones, I can't wait to share them with you.

Since we plowed through the latest seasons of our newest obsessions, Breaking Bad and Downton Abbey {could these be more polar opposite?} this weekend was spent catching up on and devouring documentaries that have newly been released. I've got two really good ones for you and both of these are available on instant streaming via Netflix. Meaning you could walk away from this blog post and start watching them RIGHT NOW. Which I highly recommend.

 

 

Eames: The Architect and the Painter. See the trailer above. Oh, seriously I think you're going to love this one especially if you are a multidisciplinary artist like me. 

 

 

Pearl Jam Twenty. A favorite band and vocalist of mine since they officially hit the scene in 1992, made by one of my all time favorite filmmakers Cameron Crowe.

And! I also listened to this wonderful interview with Amy Butler hosted by Monica Lee. Amy was one of the very first artists I found online in 2005. I just fell head over heels for her beautiful designs and lifestyle photography that is her brand. I finally had a chance to meet her briefly at Alt this year and she could not be a more gracious, nice, lovely person. It's so nice when the brand matches the person isn't it? After hearing this interview you will know why.  And Monica {spirited and lovely, who I've also had the pleasure of meeting several times} did a great job. It's going to be exciting to see where she takes her new project Smart Creative Women.

Hope you enjoy all of these links. Seriously. So inspiring. I am totally, creatively, fired up right now!

dear blog ~ have I left you for Instagram?

I miss you! Every time I think I have a moment to post from the growing list of ideas I keep meaning to share here, or plan a re-design of you that I've had on my to do list forever, another deadline approaches. Seems like this is becoming business as usual over here {actually a very good thing} also an important reminder of my next step that I have been putting off for far too long...

In the meantime I  think I have temporarily replaced you with Instagram. Honestly some days I think... if Instagram was my blog?! That might just be perfect?! After the two hours plus {versus two minutes} it has taken me to create this one post, because I keep coming back to edit it - maybe I need to become a faster blogger? the sound of an 'Instagram in place of a blog' is sounding really appealing right now. So fun {and so easy} to shoot a pretty photo on my Iphone {the new 4S camera pretty incredible btw} and post it. Very few words, if any to describe the shot {forcing me into brevity and less constant editing} A snapshot of my life shared in a second mixed in with so many gorgeous photos. In mere moments I'm in touch with everyone, traveling with them, enjoying the beauty of every day details, and leaving inspired and then some. Are you sure we can't all just live in Instagram land?

But then I think about how I love sharing here in this space, my long, sometimes very long thoughts on things ~ the chance to archive my creative journey - sharing it with, and hearing from those of you who are interested in following along ~ and I know the blog, my first online home, will always be. I love this blog. And I also love Instagram. I know I don't have to choose. Do I? I can do both ~ something I'm working out, as I'm sure we all are, in today's technical world {in between deadlines}

Remember the days when we just had blogs? One day will I be saying, remember when we just had blogs and Instagram? But for now, I say again, are you sure we can't all live in Instagram land?

photos:

• pretty petals
• morning latte - had to have {just} one in my new Paris cafe cup that was calling out for a coffee
• color on a cloudy day - can you spot Garbo in the photo?
• tiny houses by thelittlereddoor.etsy.com - growing my collection
• the beginnings of my book cover {!!}
• new LOVE stamp that I LOVE
• painting ceramics {just a few that will be available in the shop soon!}
• farmer's market flowers for you
• morning light
• gardening
• drawing in the garden 
• so sometimes I dress like my characters -what can I say- it comes with the job

Now fly

You know those days when you actually stop to notice and appreciate the treasures in your home?

Well just this week I was looking at this painting again given to me by my friend Cathy. It is hanging in my kitchen so I see it multiple times everyday. And not only do I love it for it's imagery but the words get me every time.

Those two words make me think about becoming all that I'm meant to be in this life. Am I doing it? or am I holding myself back {for any number of reasons {that don't really matter}}?  Don't you just want to be free and soar? and become all that you are meant to be? And doesn't it seem like it should be that easy. Just a decision: to fly.

In case this sentiment might speak to you too today, I thought I'd share it here.

'Now fly'

 

happy 2012

 

One of my favorite gifts I received. I love this little thing. It makes me happy every time I look at it.

So you know I had to share it with you.

At the start of this new year, it's become especially clear just how much choosing to focus on more happiness in my every day adds up to a life well lived and excited anticipation for a really good year ahead. 

And if it takes a small solar powered flower that salutes the sun to remind me of that, I'll take it!

happy, happy new year to you xo

Art and Autism

What would you create if you stepped out of the box that you and/or society has put you in? 

How might you see the world around you differently? How might you express what you see? Sean teaches a comedy writing sketch class out of our home. One of his students May brought over these incredible sculptures and gave one to Sean as a gift from her nephew, Brian. Made entirely out of bag ties and paint, these are Brian's sculptures, or twisting as Brian calls it. SERIOUSLY. Can you believe the intricacy and detail with which these are created? I mean just look at that Converse high top.

Oh and on a side note, Brian has autism. I hesitated to even use the word Autism in the title of this post, as I know that Brian wants to be known for his art and not his autism. But I chose to title it this way, to make the point that if someone can pursue their gift within a challenging condition that many do not understand, then the rest of us really have no excuse. I have very little experience with this condition, other than having one friend who's young son is on the high spectrum of Autism and responding really well to therapy, and watching the movie Temple Grandin about Temple Grandin which was a beautiful film by the way. What Temple has accomplished with her life ~ incredible. My understanding is that many of the children coming into the world today are being diagnosed as Autistic, and that there is a lot of research being done and confusion about what exactly causes it? 

As May and I were talking more about her experience raising Brian, as she is his full time care taker, what came up again and again is how the school system could not support him. I know that autism presents it share of challenges but if we can't have an education system that knows how to support someone who is different?

Clearly Brian is a thoughtful, incredibly talented artistic person.  Each of the characters he sculpts are created from his imagination and I think May was telling me that they all have their own backstory.  When you take one home with you, they come carefully encased in this translucent cases, so you can see them in full action.

Looking at work like this, from someone that society does not seem to know how to support,  got me thinking about why everyone still needs to be in the same mold. It seems like we are only comfortable with people when they fit in the box that we've all decided is NORMAL. What is normal anyway? And if we aren't there yet, embracing the differences in others, we need to be soon.  I think that the world and many of the people in it are trying to teach us, slowly but surely, that normal exists within the uniqueness of each one of us. 

 

As artists we know this. That is why we've chosen this path. I'm honestly not interested in being like everyone else or following what everyone else is doing. I want to make my own way and explore territory i.e. thought that hasn't been explored yet. However the tendency for me to want to be accepted and conform into the 'normal' that society set for me growing up, still exists. I have to remind myself daily that I am whole and good pursuing my path on my own terms. 

{I love the little guy on the left, holding up his leg ~ that is what they look like before they are painted}

When I saw Brian's art I knew I had to share it with you, not only because it is amazing but because it is the perfect symbol for what might be possible when we embrace who we are, just as we are and create anyway...when we step out of the box.

If you are interested in learning more about Brian and his work you can visit his facebook page. He does sell his sculptures. To purchase one or find out when and where he will be showing next you can contact Brian via email: Brian.Tolley[at}yahoo.com. Last we spoke he was having a regular booth on Sundays at the Hollywood Farmer's Market here in L.A. 

Here's to a lot of continued success for Brian and his art!!