In Your Success Zone Blog

Venturing into the Dark Forest - and Back Again

About 4 months ago, I embarked on "discovering my brand" so that I could serve more Creative Entrepreneurs with my services and products. I began working with a brilliant small business and branding consultant named Whitney Greer. Little did I know what a creative and confronting process this would be!

To me "discovering my brand" is another phrase for going into the "Dark Forest of the Unknown". There are reasons that I haven't gone there before.

Thank goodness Whitney HAS been into the Dark Forest with others before and knows how to get me back home at the end of each conversation. She gives me exercises to do each week and helps me see beyond my blind spots into clarity.

She recently described her process as helping people realize what they do well and talk about it clearly so that it communicates effectively to others. What a gift it is to be seen and valued!

Now that we are fairly deep into the branding process and my "core messages" are becoming clearer, I am stepping up to owning them. I have faced challenges of 

• the fear of being seen and known for my true self,
• clinging to limiting definitions of myself from the past, and  
• judging myself for past disappointments.

As I face these challenges through working with Whitney and on my own to reprogram my limiting beliefs, I find that I

• know more about myself and my work,
• feel more confident about sharing my work with others, and
• am developing some good ideas about how to go about doing that sharing. 

My branding journey perfectly describes the process of being a Creative Entrepreneur - setting off on a journey into an unexplored land; facing challenges with creative instincts; experiencing confusion and doubting success, but perservering anyway; and finally seeing the end goal within reach! 

Here's to each of you who uses your creativity every day in your work and life. I salute your courage, strength, and stamina. Journey on, Creative Entrepreneur!

Architects Take Flying Leap of Creativity

 

The principals of DillerScofidio+Renfro, an innovative and "in the news" architecture firm in New York talked recently to Charlie Rose about their creative process. 

They have completed the Instititute for Contemporary Art on Boston Harbor, a redesign of Alice Tully Hall and the Julliard School at Lincoln Center in New York, and a portion of the new Flyway Park on the Hudson River, also in NYC.

When talking about the Blur Building (pictured above) which the firm designed and built in Switzerland in 2002, principals Elizabeth Diller and Ricardo Scofidio admitted that they wanted to build a cloud. They didn't know how to do that but did their research and eventually built a building "without a skin" (no walls) and 35,000 water jets that disburse fine water spray to create an "inhabitable cloud" on Lake Neuchatel, Switzerland. They also designed a "Braincoat" to help visitors navigate the cloud of fog.

Scofidio explained that they come up with the idea of the space and impact they want to create and then figure out how to execute it. Diller says that it's like jumping off a cliff without a parachute.

Obviously, they are doing something right because not only have they won the first MacArthur (Genius) Award for Architecture, they are becoming well known in international design circles as creative thinkers who use space and building materials to make a statement, create a mood, and invite people into conversation.

In this interview these audacious creatives have described the creative process perfectly - having a vision, taking a leap, figuring out "how" by fits and starts, and landing on your feet in a brand new place. Brava!

What Would YOU Do If You Weren't Afraid?

My dear and talented friend, Whitney Greer, is on to something. She has started asking herself, 

"What would I do if I weren't afraid?"

Kinda rocked me back on my heels - it's such a great question! My brain is scrambling to answer it.

Whitney is currently answering that question with "I'd make a video about my new book and post it on YouTube."

What about you? What would YOU do if you weren't afraid? 

[No, you can't sell your kids and spouse. You probably wouldn't want to stay in Fiji if you could run away there right now. Settle down and think about it.]

I'll be sharing my answer here soon. And I know I'll be seeing Whitney's video on YouTube some day soon. I'll share that too!

Am I a Loser If ... ?

I had a conversation yesterday with an accomplished and brilliant business woman whom I'll call "Mary". She is changing direction from consulting with major corporations to a more entrepreneurial venture of working with individual professionals.

This move is by choice as Mary matures and her interests evolve. She is listening more closely to her passions than to the "have to's" of her younger professional life.

Mary called to discuss a decision about spending money on her new logo and corporate brand. The amount she was talking about is reasonable for professional graphic design. In her past incarnation, the designer's fee would have been a fraction of her anticipated income from corporate clients.

But now her income is not yet certain and her startup resources are finite.In this context the designer's fee represents a big commitment. She said, "In the past, I would have just spent the money. But now I want to make sure this is the best decision for me and my new business. I just don't want to look like a loser." 

What I heard was, "Will I be a loser if I don't spend this money this way?"

In a word, "NO!" 

I responded to Mary that finding another way to get a quality business identity would definitely be in her best interest at this point in her new business. We discussed her options, and she thought of some other options to pursue. 

Our conversation reminded me how easy it is for a Creative Entrepreneur to doubt herself - to take her measure and come up wanting. I find this is a common theme for all the Creative Entrepreneurs I work with, including myself! What's the antidote?

Here are some simple suggestions:

1. Back off the comparisons - with others and with "how it used to be"
2. Remind yourself that you are creative and will find a way to solve the problem in front of you 
3. Realize that business is a progression of challenges - unless you've got them, you aren't in business! 

If you are a Creative, you aren't a loser. You just haven't created the resolution to your present challenge - YET! Get to Creating!

Creativity on the Edge

 

I read Seth Godin's books and blogs. He's a fresh thinker and business guru for our new world (connected, constantly changing, and clamoring for community). 

Today Seth wrote a post that speaks to being creative in every situation. He encourages us to 

• find your edge in the situation
• expand it - a little or a lot  

This strategy works equally well for "Creatives" and "non-Creatives" as Seth explains. You  may find yourself more creative and willing to stretch in some areas of your business and life than others. For instance, you may be eager for new clients and customers and more reticent about changing your products and services 

The key is to find the edge and work it.

I'm noticing the pace of change accelerating. Reading Seth's post confirms that my best approach is to be WILLING TO EXPAND MY EDGES to keep surfing with the rate of change. I think that's the challenge and opportunity of our times.

Where are your edges? Are you willing to stretch them?

You can read Seth's entire post HERE.

Happy Year of the Ox

Today is the Lunar New Year, which the Chinese celebrate as their new year and most important holiday.

Today we begin the Year of the Ox, one of the 12 animals chosen by the Buddha to represent aspects of human nature and the cycle of time. In China it is the beginning of Year 4707. More information is HERE.

The Ox brings us the opportunity to prosper through hard work. Ox people are calm, dependable, and patient. They appreciate order and using proper methods in order to succeed.

In the Year of the Ox, you will achieve success through hard work. 

• What are you working on? 

• How will slow and steady win the day in your world?

• How can you appreciate small daily efforts this year?

Happy New Year and may the Ox be with you!

Shine in 2009 Audio Available

Did you miss our January fr*ee teleclass on "How Will You Shine in '09" yesterday?

No, worries! You can listen to it HERE and download the accompanying worksheet HERE.

The class is 30 minutes long and is a good way to get clear about what you want to create this year and to get going on making it happen.

It's the latest installment in our Create Your Success Studio series. Join us for our February fr*ee teleclass on February 12th at 12 noon ET (US). Our topic is

Stop Stopping Yourself & Reach Higher!

You can register at no cost HERE. Hope you'll join me!

How Will You Shine in '09?

You're invited to our next 

CREATE YOUR SUCCESS STUDIO

held on telephone conference call on 

Thursday, January 15, 2009

12 noon Eastern US Time

Duration: 35 minutes

Led by Adele Michal, Business Coach for Creative Entrepreneurs

Register at no cost here: http://tinyurl.com/89qxch

Are you planning for this SHINY new year?

Want some assistance in getting clear on what’s possible for you this year?

If so, use this teleclass to get more specific about what you intend to create in 2009.

You will learn

• How to make a creative representation of your desires for this year
• How to make your list of intentions for 2009
• How to let your Creative Mind help bring you the opportunities and resources to let you shine in ’09!

Register here for the Fr*ee Teleclass: http://tinyurl.com/89qxch

Falling in Love with Music Again

I am a Boomer and grew up with the Beatles, the Stones, and James Taylor. I followed indie rockers and saw Madonna's first live performance in NYC in 1983. I LOVED popular music of all sorts.

Then about 10 years ago, my connection with the music scene seemed to evaporate. I didn't know who was hot. I didn't have any new faves. I had spun off into my own version of "Oldies" radio.

That ended yesterday, when my fabulous hairdresser, Helen Ingersoll of Haven Salon in Hillsborough, NC, introduced me to Pandora.com.

Pandora asks you for a musician you like and then through magic of the "Music Genome Project" starts playing songs from that musician and others with similar songs. It is FREE streaming music, and you can set up any number of "radio stations" to suit your different moods. Of course, you can purchase the music you like too.

In two days I have discovered and rediscovered artists and music I have been missing for 10 years! I still like the music I grew up with, but I'm also appreciating younger musicians now. They expand my sense of creativity.

Thank you, Pandora and Helen, for helping me get grooving on my music once again!

Creating from Nothing

A Man Named Pearl is a documentary film about Pearl Fryar of Bishopsville, SC. For 15 years he has been growing a garden of plants discarded by the local nursery and shaping them into topiary that attract visitors from all over the world.

When he began, Pearl was not a gardener, horticulturist, or trained in topiary sculpture, yet this is what he has become through his vision and his passion for his garden.

Pearl came from humble beginnings. He is African-American and the son of sharecroppers. He wanted his garden to be awarded "Garden of the Month" by the local garden club. No black gardener had ever won "Garden of the Month" in Bishopville before. 

That didn't stop Pearl. He worked tirelessly after work every night to train and clip his shrubbery and trees into beautiful sculptural shapes. It took 2 years before one bush had grown enough to be shaped into his first topiary. Today his 3 acres is a lush, peaceful garden of sculptured plants born from his creative imagination. 

Bus tours and school groups come to visit Pearl and his garden. He has been in national magazines and on 60 Minutes, the SC Museum of Art owns one of his topiaries, and the town of Bishopville has planted the downtown traffic median with 8 of his topiary to draw more tourists to the small town. Horticulurists wonder at what he has accomplished because they have never seen anything like Pearl's garden before. 

Pearl continues creating his living sculptures and remembers where he came from. He is particularly committed to encouraging young people to believe in themselves and live into their dreams. He has seen what a vision and committed action has done in his garden. That's what he shares with the world. To learn more visit his website HERE.

Can Pearl Fryar inspire you? What will you are envisioning for 2009? What can you "create from nothing" this year?