Saying that, however, makes me wonder. Why did I ever believe she did not have that right? Did she always have it, and I just didn’t acknowledge it? That part of me has always felt ostracized and therefore, rebellious. But when I self-identify with that “alternative” part and place myself against the mainstream, am I potentially doing myself and my creativity a disservice?

When I call myself “artist” or “creative” am I by default denying the creativity inherent in others who have not yet discovered it for themselves? Who do I exclude in my need to rebel? In my frustration at not feeling “accepted”, who do I repel?

Current brain research seems to be validating the power of the creativity within all of us. What, then, becomes of the rebellious creative within me? Within you?

If we accept as true that we are all capable of creativity in a variety of forms, then perhaps a part of the paradigm shift will come in the form of all people identifying themselves as artists. Because in order to progress to the next stage of human development, we must embrace the Creative in all of us, not just a select few.

How will you choose to recognize and celebrate your own creativity? How will you recognize and celebrate it in others?

Imagine that. Creativity improves the brain.

Take THAT, all you gremlins and old myths that have told us for so long that art is not important or that creativity has no real value.

Take THAT, my high school Algebra teacher who criticized the fact that I was studying poetry, saying “What’s that gonna getcha?” all those years ago.

“A BETTER FUNCTIONING BRAIN!” I can now say!

Recently, I attended a marketing workshop where, for the first time in public, I confessed that it is my BIG DREAM to be a part of the paradigm shift towards valuing creativity in all its forms, towards the belief that YOU can, I can, WE ALL can do what we love in the world, do what we are passionate about, what matters to us AND be valued for it. No more, “you can’t make a living doing that”. No more, “if you’re an artist you’ll have to starve.” No more of that. I reject it.

And, apparently, neuroscience does, too.

Our ancestors knew that art and creativity had value. Why else would they have ensured that future leaders were trained not only in diplomacy, war, science and math but ALSO in dance, art, languages, poetry? They knew: the more creative you are, the better you will function. The better leader you will make.

In this emerging New Economy, in our 21^st Century “Brave New World,” those of us who value the capacity for creativity will lead the way.

What will enable you to step up and take the lead?

Inspired by a fellow coach’s practice of creating Vision Boards each year, I created my own Vision Board for 2009. (If you don’t know, a Vision Board is a homemade collage on poster-board with words and images that are inspiring to you and your vision for yourself.) My theme for 2009 has been “Being in Flow”. It hangs on the wall to the left of my desk, and each time I look at it, I am reminded to “cherish the moment”, “ creative a life you love”, “follow your path” and “choose a positive thought”. The images I chose reflect water in a variety of locales, such as a waterfall in a garden, the ocean, water flowing around rocks, a bridge over water, etc. Throughout the year, I’ve found myself glancing at these images and remembering to be in flow with myself and what life presents.

A Vision Board is an excellent way to stay inspired throughout the year. Of course, you can make a Vision Board for any occasion – mainly it’s a visual cue or reminder of your goals and dreams for yourself – how you envision your life. Whether you make one to help you envision a new home, a new (or improved) romantic relationship or a new job, a Vision Board is a fun, creative and meaningful picture of where you want to be.

So, what will your Vision Board look like for 2010? Grab a bunch of old catalogs, magazines, greeting cards, etc. and go to work collecting those words and images that inspire you. You don’t have to know ahead of time what your theme is. Sometimes the theme becomes apparent as you find yourself drawn to certain images.

My theme for my Vision Board this year is “Receive & Allow”. Like many of you I can find myself giving – till it hurts. I want to consciously practice receiving – with grace and gratitude. Also, I want to “allow” – to let things happen as they may, rather than constantly struggling to “make” things go the way I want. While I am a firm believer in taking action to achieve your goals and aspirations, I know I can fall prey to the desire to grip my goals by the throat in a vain attempt to control the outcome. Which, then, leads me to feel let down when things don’t go the way I want. Which, subsequently leads to me beating myself up for not “doing it right” – whatever that’s supposed to be.

So, in 2010, I consciously Receive & Allow. My Vision Board will be a supportive reminder to me, helping me to not only remember what my theme is, but to feel inspired to return to the theme when I get off track.

Have fun creating your Vision Board for 2010 and I wish you a very Happy, Healthy and Creative New Year!

Many of us in the alternative/creative/helping professions find ourselves constantly bumping up against some old myths:

“You can’t make a living doing what you love.”

“If you’re an artist/helper you have to take a vow of poverty.”

I’ve believed these myths myself for a long time. But that’s starting to change.

For many of us, our creativity is something we cherish, that’s precious to us. And “work” or our “job” is something we have to do in order to get to pursue our creative endeavors. This bargain works for a lot of people. However, for those of us who take the risk to birth our creative endeavors into the world as entrepreneurs, the challenge to make what we LOVE into our WORK can be paralyzing.

To bridge the gap between Work and Creativity, we must be willing to let our creativity come out and play more. Invite your creativity to sit down at the computer with you when you’re working on your business – whether it’s working on marketing materials or business taxes! When you sit down to do “work”, ask yourself: “What’s my motivation? What is the goal of this business task?” It’s likely, if you follow your own line of thinking long enough, that you will come to an answer that brings you back to your creativity, your joy, your raison d’etre. “I’m doing this to attract clients, because I love coaching clients!” or “I’m working on this spreadsheet to understand how many pieces of jewelry I need to make in order to earn a living, so that I can MAKE MORE jewelry – cause that’s what I LOVE to do!”

Inviting our creativity into our business can also show us new ways of tackling things we love to hate. For example, I get anxious when I look at my “To Do” list. Sometimes, I can get so paralyzed by how much is on the list that I end up doing nothing. So recently I came up with a new way of making a To Do list that doesn’t paralyze me. I call it my “Menu of Choices”. I actually took a template for a restaurant menu and simply replaced the categories of “Appetizers, Entrees and Desserts” with things like “Reading & Research”, “Creativity Corner” and “Fun Stuff”. In each category I have a few things listed – some of which I am obliged to do, some of which I simply like to do. When I look at the Menu, I see a variety of things to choose from, rather than a long list of tasks looming in front of me.

The key to keeping our creativity and joy present in our business lies in how we are placing our attention to our intentions. We set intentions all of the time – but we must remember that to set an intention is not like making a New Year’s resolution. If we “fall off the wagon” of our intentions, rather than focusing our attention on what we did “wrong” or berating ourselves, we must cultivate the self-discipline to bring our focus back to the original intention. We can even creatively modify or change our intentions, to meet the needs of the moment.

When setting an intention for ourselves, it’s important to keep it in the present. Rather than saying, “I intend to start practicing Yoga every day,” say “I practice Yoga every day.” The former is easy to put off doing…the latter is more present and more powerful.

One attendee at a recent workshop I held was struggling with what happens when she “falls off the wagon” of her intention. “What if I don’t follow my intention?” she asked. I said, “Then you forgive yourself for falling off the wagon, and start up again.” In response to this, she set a new intention:

“I build a wagon.”

Which was a very creative answer. We can each build the wagons of our creative intentions and hitch them up to our business intentions, in order to break the stranglehold of those negative myths of success in creative entrepreneurship.

Our capacity to achieve our goals and manifest our intentions lies not solely in our skill with a paintbrush, a pen or our training in a specific practice. Our capacity to achieve lies within our hearts.

As Creative Entrepreneurs, we often find ourselves feeling alone in what we do. Whether it’s our art or vocation requiring alone time to pursue or it’s the feeling that no one understands or accepts the choices we’ve made to pursue our art or vocation – we feel alone.

At a workshop I held recently, the feeling of community that the participants generated in the not-quite-2 hours we were together enthralled me. It could be that this group was made up of people uniquely poised to engage with others, but what I’d prefer to believe is that, given the opportunity (as they were) to be authentically themselves and meet each other in a heartfelt, genuine way, their sense of and capacity for community was enriched.

Each of the participants expressed afterwards how much they appreciated the group as a whole. It’s my hope that some true community was begun that day and that at least a few of these folks stayed in touch. Regardless, the experience brought home to me again how important it is to reach out to community. Whether it’s formal or informal, a regular group meeting or a gathering of friends, we are buoyed by community. In community with each other, we remember that we are not alone.

Find a community (or two!) to support you when you feel alone, disconnected or discouraged. Meet up with like-mindeds, or challenge yourself to meet with people you wouldn’t usually choose to know. You may learn something! Or, take a class. Take your dog to the dog park. Go to a workshop or networking event. Most important of all, be yourself. Be who you are at your heart’s core and you will find the community you need.

Seek out that group of genuine people who speak to your heart, mind and spirit.

They’re out there. And they need community, too.

I am ready to start thinking about the New Year. The Winter Solstice period is an ideal time for reflection, soul-searching and germinating the seeds of what will come next…

So, as a preview of what I have planned, please read below!

I’m excited to announce that I will be hosting two new workshop events as well as my ongoing coaching group in the New Year:

• The first is a collaboration between me and Tarot card reader, Amy Goetz www.barefootphoenix.com. Amy is a charming and ebullient presenter grounded in spirit. I first went to her Tarot workshop a couple of months ago and quickly saw the connection between the power of the Tarot and the power of Coaching. Amy and I will be presenting a workshop which will help you set your Intentions for the New Year – a different and more meaningful take on the New Year’s resolution. This workshop will be taking place in the second week of January, date TBD. It will be held in the Northgate area of Seattle.

• Additionally, I am diligently working on a workshop focused on re-connecting with your Creative Joy. In this workshop you will face into what stops you from pursuing your creative dreams and tackle those issues head-on so that you can get your feet back on the path to your true calling. As I finalize this workshop, I’ll be sending out more information on dates & location.

• Finally, I have had the distinct pleasure of facilitating a great coaching group, aptly named “Creatives-n-Tea” each month in the Wallingford neighborhood of Seattle. This group is open to any Creative Entrepreneurs who desire community, networking and some thought-provoking conversation. The next Tea will be held on Wednesday, December 16th from 12:30-2:30PM at Tea House Kuan Yin in Wallingford. Please contact me for more information about the Creatives-n-Tea coaching group!

May Joy abound for you this Holiday Season and may your dreams and goals manifest in the New Year!