Posts Tagged ‘creative’

In Part 2, let me address the issue of the artists who insist that starving is the only way to be a “real” artist.

Let me clarify that by no means do I believe that all art is pure commodity; rather my argument here is geared toward those who dream of making a living with their art, but are holding themselves back through their limiting beliefs about money, selling, success, business, etc.

I’ve heard friends say, “Well, you know, I’m an artist, so I don’t buy into ‘The System’” or, “I haven’t even thought about how much money I could make with my art” or “Real artists don’t care about money.”

These statements leave me feeling sad and frustrated for all artists. In my pursuit of the Art of Coaching I have had to learn that in order to be perceived as valuable by potential clients, I need to deeply understand my own value. What I offer as a Coach is not so different from what many offer through their creative pursuits: I help people come to understand themselves better through my art; I challenge accepted norms in peoples’ lives and encourage them to open up to a different perspective.

If I believe that my art is somehow “above” monetary value, I only distance myself from the people I want to serve. If I do not come to deeply know the value of what I create then what, exactly, am I offering? And who will buy it? How could I possibly make a living from this mindset?

I posit that this type of thinking can be dangerous: it becomes an excuse for not making art. When we prevent ourselves from earning income with our art by refusing to attach a monetary value to it, the process of making art becomes more and more difficult. We end up not having the money to purchase supplies; we take on jobs working for others, thus limiting our time to make art. It can become a downward spiral where we simply reinforce the Myth – that we can’t make a living doing what we love. We end up not making our art, not contributing to the world in the ways we know we can. We remain frustrated and stuck, dreaming of a life we want, but believing we can never have it.

What would it take for you to value your contributions, skills and genius? What if you chose to put a number on that value so that you could make a living? How would it feel to tackle your relationship with money; empower yourself to learn more about what it takes to make a Creative Business work for you?

Don’t give in to the Myth of the Starving Artist and try to convince yourself that art is “superior” to actually making a living. If you’re not fully living (with all your basic needs met) then what becomes of your art?

I work with artists who choose to value themselves, who value their work and their contributions. I support artists who have a passion to make the world a better place through their art. Those artists who are courageous enough to choose to face their own demons, who learn to love and value themselves, those who step into abundance and birth their gifts into this world which so desperately needs them.

If you are an artist who is ready to prove wrong all the people who’ve said “that’s nice but it’s not a real job”, I want to work with you. I want to coach you to create the life you dream of. You deserve it. All artists deserve to become full on the abundance life has to offer them. All artists deserve to make a living doing what they love, what they do best.

I invite you to choose your reality, not the myth.

I recently had a well-meaning person suggest to me that I use words other than “creative” when describing my ideal clients and how I can help them. I usually call myself a “Creative Entrepreneur Coach” when talking with other folks about my practice and I often explain how I am a passionate believer in the innate creativity in each of us. But I am coming to realize that for some people, the very word “creative” generates a negative connotation which I do not intend.

So, I thought I would take this opportunity to clarify my meaning when I use the word “creative”. First let me begin with some definitions, courtesy of www.dictionary.com.

Creative

–adjective

1. having the quality or power of creating.

2. resulting from originality of thought, expression, etc.; imaginative.

3. originative; productive.

Notice how there is no mention in this definition of being “artistic” or a “genius”. I think some people have come to believe that creativity is relegated to the purview of the artist or genius, not to regular, everyday people. However, whenever you find yourself imagining what tomorrow might bring or throwing a new spice into your favorite dish, you are being creative. It doesn’t have to be grandiose or monumental. It can be a simple shift in perspective or experience which leads you to try something new.

Now, I also want to take a moment to tease out the meanings of two other words which are often used instead of the word “creative”. These next two words you will likely hear in your corporate office or on TV. But I think these words are being used too often when what is really called for is “creative”.

Inventive

–adjective

1. apt at inventing, devising, or contriving.

2. apt at creating with the imagination.

3. having the function of inventing.

4. pertaining to, involving, or showing invention.

Innovative

— adj

using or showing new methods, ideas, etc

While it could be argued that “inventive” and “creative” are synonymous based on the above definitions, I feel that “innovative” is somewhat different in that it usually pertains to the adoption of some new method or idea, which is sometimes the creation or invention of someone else.

Now that we have our definitions, it is time for “creative” to come out of the shadows. I want to use this beautiful word fearlessly. I encourage you to do the same.

Let us be clear: “creative” does not mean weird, oddball, unreliable, flaky, unstable or uncontrolled. (It doesn’t even mean artistic.) Those words don’t show up in the definition. Creativity is not something to fear or shy away from, especially when it comes from within ourselves. It simply means having the power of creating, having originality of thought. Every person possesses this power, this originality. Yes, even you.

I like to refer to my ideal clients as “Creatives” with a capital “C”. By this, I mean those people who desire to embrace their creativity, to step more fully into it and let it shine in the world. Yes, this, too, could be you. How seriously are you willing to take the power of creating that you possess, your original thoughts? What is it that you wish to create in the world?

Are you ready to be a “Big C” Creative?