photo credit: neilslorance via photopin.com

There are two types of creative people.  Some are in a state of flow.  For them ideas and inspiration come easily.   Creations seem to will themselves into being with little or no effort from the creator.

For other creative people the road is much rockier.  No matter how hard they work, they can’t seem to produce much of anything.  They strain and toil and at the end of the day (which seemed to stretch on for weeks) they have little or nothing to show for it.

Actually, I lied.

There is only one kind of creative person and she experiences both creative conditions.

When you are in the flow state all is right with the world.  Also, you probably aren’t online looking for articles about how to restart your creativity, so let’s talk about what to do when all of your ideas suck and don’t know what to do about it.

Don’t Panic

You will write again.  You have not forgotten how paint interacts with brushes and canvas.  You are every bit as brilliant, gorgeous and talented as you were last week.  Everyone experiences these low spots, but the only thing giving way to panic and fear accomplishes is to extend your time in the hole.  When you start to feel overtaken by worry, stop what you are doing and just breathe until you can proceed with a clear head.

Don’t Push

I’m not suggesting you give up without an effort.  If you are feeling stuck, by all means try to unblock yourself.  Do some free writing.  Enjoy a cup of coffee away from your desk.  Take a walk around the block. Play with the cat.  Go through the motions of your craft even if the work produced goes straight in the garbage.

If after running through your usual set of gentle noodges, (and trying a new one or two) you still aren’t feeling it, don’t sit at your desk staring at a blank screen forcing yourself to work.  Creativity does not respond to threats.

Do Procrastinate

If the creative ideas aren’t coming they aren’t coming.  You might as well make good use of the time.

Do the laundry. Scrub a toilet. Clean out your e-mail. Do your filing. Go to the zoo.  Window shop in the mall. Make chicken noodle soup from scratch. Knit yourself a new pair of socks.  Take a nap.

Try to avoid tasks that feel like regular work to your body and brain but don’t actually accomplish much.  Playing Angry Birds, Words with Friends, or Farmville fit in this category.  As does spending hour after hour on Facebook, or even reading articles and blogs on-line.

Don’t skimp on your procrastination time.  When you get to this point, it’s time to spend at least an hour not working on your project.  After your enforced procrastination time go back to the creative task at hand.  If after 20 minutes you are still spinning your wheels, you aren’t done procrastinating.  Pick a new task–this time go for something more fun than the first one and try again.

You’ll be flowing again in no time.

Your Turn

What do you do when your creative brain goes on strike?

Many life lessons were learned inside this nondescript building.

I had two professors in undergrad whose shared guidance let me to exceptional growth in the four years I spent with them.  Either of them on their own would have been a benefit to my education, but the power of their mentorship styles combined was amazing.

The first professor was the theatre department chair and taught many of my classes.  Because I worked in the Speech/Theatre Office as well as served as the House and Box Office Manager for department productions, I spent a lot of time with Jeff.  Every time I saw him (it seemed) he had a new project, and that project’s success usually required my attention.  Often, it also required skills I didn’t have (yet).

As far as I could tell it never occurred to Jeff that I might not know how to do the work he asked me to do.  He assigned it and crossed it off his list as done–in full confidence that I’d figure it out.

He was almost always right.  There were certainly a couple of embarrassing mistakes, (beautiful audition posters with the wrong date on them come immediately to mind) as well as a project or two I just didn’t do in hopes he’d forget about them.  In those cases he never yelled.  He just insisted I personally fix each resulting problem.  It was exhausting–and exhilarating.

I could not have asked for more opportunities to do “real” work as an undergraduate.  Because of his unreasonable levels of confidence in what I could do I finished my baccalaureate degree with work experience that rivaled some graduate students.

And yet, all that pushing to continually do more might have been too much on its own.  Luckily I had another mentor with a completely different approach.

Stan taught my Intro to Theatre class and because he was also the department’s Technical Director counted on me to turn his purchase orders into actual supplies in a timely manner.  I never worked in the shop for Stan, nor did I take any of the design or technical classes he taught.  And yet, for one reason or another, Stan decided that I was an amazing student with great potential as a future theatre professional.  When ever I needed an ego boost, I went to talk to Stan.  When the latest assignment from Jeff had me doubting myself, Stan would remind me of what’ I’d already accomplished.  That well placed bit of encouragement was often exactly what I needed to push through to the next level.

You Need Both

I am intensely grateful to the life and theatre lessons I learned from both of these men, but the part of this trip down memory lane that is important to you is that  both kinds of motivation are required to do your best work.

You need people and experiences that challenge you to keep going, to never be satisfied with what you’ve already accomplished, to keep pushing beyond where you ever imagined was possible.  But if that’s the only kind of motivation in your life, eventually you will push so hard you break.

Therefore, you also need to be loved and admired just as you are.  You need to be reminded of your past accomplishments and be able to see yourself in the best possible light.  But all that support–without a force to push you to keep moving–makes it very tempting to stop trying new things all together.

Be Your Own Mentor

Finding other people to fill these mentorship roles is amazingly valuable– especially early in your career, but since you are the one person you’ll spend your whole life with, it’s very beneficial to learn to provide yourself with both kinds of motivation.

The first step is to reflect upon your natural motivational style.  Do you tend to push yourself no matter what you’ve already accomplished?  Or are you secretly (or not so secretly) already pretty impressed with how awesome you are?  Which ever style you tend toward, recognize that quality as a gift–chances are it’s working pretty well for you.

If you are a “pusher” keep that part of your personality and add some regular affirmations to remind yourself of how much you have already accomplished.  For extra credit, set aside (at least) one day per week for play, self-care, and general celebration of the week’s accomplishments.

If your natural tendency leans more toward the “I’m awesome” camp, but you would like to learn to push yourself a bit harder, simply reverse the process.  Don’t cut out the self-care, just add new projects with hard deadlines* to your schedule.  Audition for a Play.  Submit a proposal to speak at a local conference.  Start a blog and commit to a weekly posting schedule.  The more opportunities you provide yourself to stretch your skills–especially when you aren’t sure you will be successful, the faster your existing skills will develop beyond what you can currently conceive.

Your Turn

Do you have a mentor whose support has helped make you who you are today?  Tell us who she/he is and how your life is better thanks to her/his influence in the comments!

*The deadline is important when you start out because without it your new project is likely to sit on your “someday” pile indefinitely.  

If you work with people, eventually some of them are going to make suggestions.  Most of the time, those suggestions will be made with the best of intentions.  And yet, sometimes following said advice will be the best thing that ever happened to you or your organization, and sometimes it will lead to unmitigated disaster.*  So how do you determine when to listen and adapt and when to smile and nod?

Bring on the Baby Groundhogs!

The groundhogs in this video live in my backyard.  As you can see, I’m pretty excited about it.  When they first showed up I called two moms to tell them about it.

My partner’s mom was as (or more) excited about my backyard residents than I.  She wanted to see them (which is why I took the video), had all kinds of suggestions for how to get them to come closer to the house.  She continues to ask about their well being every time I talk to her, and sometimes calls just to ask about them.

My mom’s reaction** was “Are you sure you want groundhogs living in your yard?  They’ll eat your plants and might dig holes.  It’s not a good situation.”

It’s not About being Right

It’s important to note this is not a case of determining who is right and who is wrong.  Both women have groundhog experience and based their advice on what they had learned.  They both also had good intentions; wanting only the best for me and my back yard.  Finally, they are both right:  groundhogs are adorable, fun to watch creatures and they eat plants including one’s grass, flowers and vegetable garden.

And yet their advice is completely contradictory, so I can’t really do both.   Therein lies the dilemma.

It’s About Being Aligned

The answer is to figure out which mom’s advice comes from a value set most aligned with my own.

J.’s mom is a life-long animal lover.  She’s had pets her whole life and there are no furry animals, including (pet) rats she doesn’t love.

See what I mean? This woman loves plants

My mother is a gardener.  She has a beautiful yard full of flowers specifically chosen to provide color throughout the spring, summer and fall.  She also grows fruits and vegetables.

I, (as you might have guessed) am an animal person.  Until the grass in my back yard started attracting wildlife, I thought of it only as something my neighborhood’s social contract dictated I mow on a weekly basis.  Its well-being is not high on my priority list.  As far as I am concerned, there is nothing back there that the groundhogs are not welcome to call breakfast.

How does this apply to my Organization?

As the leader of a nonprofit organization (or anyone trying to spread a message) you will be offered unsolicited advice on how to improve your work.  Here’s how you can use the “baby groundhog method” to decide what to do.

Know what you stand for

Nonprofit work is hard, and nonprofit leaders are buried in advice about how to do it better.  Sometimes you will make decisions based on what’s convenient, or popular, or what everyone else is doing.  When you get really big, you may even make decisions based on what you need to keep your organization solvent, rather than what you need to achieve your goals.

But your best decisions?  Those will be made when you follow advice that resonates with why you started to do the work in the first place.

Learn to identify your people

The best way to know who to listen to is to have a crystal clear vision of what the people most connected to your cause care  most about.  If you don’t have a clear picture of who your people are, or are using demographics to pick them, This perfect supporter worksheet  will help.

Only follow advice that. . .

moves your closer to your mission or closer to your perfect people.

This is yet another reason marketing to the general public doesn’t work. If “everyone” is your perfect supporter, you have to try to meet everyone’s needs.  Since people’s needs are so varied, the very decisions that delight one person will offend another.

In other words, you can’t please all of the people all of the time, so decide who you want to please and ignore everyone else.

A word of Caution

Don’t confuse your organizational habits, traditions, or preferences with your mission.  Just because a change will be annoying, doesn’t mean it doesn’t move you closer to your goals and remove barriers between you and your perfect supporters.

Your Turn

What well intentioned,  but inappropriate advice have you left on the table recently?

*It’s actually more of a spectrum, but you get my drift.

**It was also my mom who suggested I find a blog post in the groundhog story, which turned out to be great advice, so it’s not like I never listen to her. . .

Image via Wikipedia

In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Nancy Schwartz asked the Nonprofit Blog Carnival community to spend time in January reflecting on our own dreams and how we intend to bring them to fruition.

As is evidenced by my 11th hour submission, I found this assignment daunting.  Who am I to declare the future direction of the not-for-profit sector?  What difference does my work make in the grand scheme of the universe?  How can I solve problems large agencies with million dollar budgets have yet to tackle?

And then I realized–that’s the whole point.

Unless those of us whose hearts break in the face of injustice feel brave enough, powerful enough, worthy enough, to stand up and do what is ours to do–even when we can’t imagine how our contribution will matter, nothing will change.

On the other hand, every time one small voice finds the strength to speak, she makes it easier for the next voice to be heard.  Eventually our voices will be too loud to ignore.

So my dream is to get the crowd on its feet.  To provide passionate souls with the inspiration, encouragement, support, and tools they need to take their first steps toward the bright future they envision.  To walk with them when the path gets rocky, to provide counsel when there is  an easier way–and support when pushing through is the only option.  To make sure every change-maker knows she is not alone.

Are you ready to stand up and walk with me?

If you want to use social media to build your audience, attract new volunteers, sell your artwork, or change the world, there is one thing you can do to make your campaigns more dynamic, interesting and effective.

Use social media personally.

I don’t mean create a personal account from which you do work things.  I mean use Facebook to reconnect with your college friends and “like” photos of your nieces and nephews.  Use Pinterest* to design your dream home and look at photos of food and shoes.  Use Twitter to meet new people who get excited about the same subjects about which you care.  Sign-up for Google+ to see if any of your friends are there–and to get a sneak peek at how people who love new stuff do social media before the general population shows up.

Don’t Skip This Step

People who are influenced by social media use it because it’s fun.  Because their our lives are brighter when we can log into websites and see what our friends are doing and what they care about.  Because social media sites are places where we make new friends.  We don’t force ourselves to use it for 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the afternoon because we read somewhere we needed to be “present” before people would start listening to us.

No matter how dedicated you are to your cause, until you really understand social media from the perspective of people who like it, your heart-felt messages about why people should follow you will be as effective as a used car sales pitch at a cocktail party.

On the other hand, once you grok  the intrinsic value of social media, your tone will shift, “social media success” articles will start making sense, and you’ll begin to understand how, when, and with whom  to connect so your messages are not only accepted, they are welcomed–and spread throughout the network.

In other words, everyone wins.

*Pinterest is invitation only right now.  If you want an invite, leave a comment and I’ll send you one.

 Over the last six months, first as part of the summer of small voices series, and more recently as I’ve been sharing the LHF Greenhouse invitation I’ve noticed a  disturbing trend–a large number of you believe “you don’t have any ideas.”

This worries me because we need people like you–and the ideas that come from your smart, kind, generous, and determined souls– to create a future for our universe that is brighter than our past.

I’m also highly suspicious.   I suppose there might be some people in the world who are genuinely idea-free.  But they don’t feel the longing you feel to make the world a better place.  That longing is a sure sign of blocked ideas trying to get your attention.

Let’s see what we can do to let them out.

Have Bad Ideas

www.nataliessentiments.com

The main difference between people with lots of good ideas and people who struggle is that idea generators don’t let fear of bad ideas get in their way.  In other words, the fastest way to ensure your good ideas stay locked in your heart is to ridicule yourself for bad ones.  There will be plenty of time for judgement later, and there is no law that says you have to finish everything you start.  Let the terrible ideas flow and before long you’ll start to notice the diamonds that come a long for the ride.

Get a Running Start

Some people may be inspired on demand.  I do not know those people.  Sure there are days when the words just come to me, or when I have more ideas than I can handle.  But there are just as many days when the well seems dry.  Every sentence I start seems cheesy, obvious–or both.  Sometimes that’s a sign that I need to back off (see “create space” below.)  When that’s not an option, or when I’ve been in a slump for awhile, I sneak up on genius instead. As a writer this means I set a timer for 50 minutes and just start typing.  I can’t tell you how many documents I’ve started with “What if I never write another decent sentence again. . .”  Once I work through the abject fear, I start to focus on the subject at hand, just writing what I know as it comes to me.  I don’t worry about how bad the writing is–it’s supposed to be.  I don’t worry about how the ideas fit together–they don’t.  When time is up, I save my work and walk away.

After at least four hours, I come back and read what I’ve written with fresh eyes.  Some of it is absolutely terrible, but there are usually some sections that work, some parts may even be brilliant.  From there I can  craft a finished product out of the nuggets of inspiration I wasn’t able to recognize as I wrote them.

Create Space

Creative ideas need space to grow.  Virginia Woolf covered the importance of physical and economic space quite thoroughly in 1929, but there is one other place to create space before creative ideas take root–your mind.  When your days are filled with busyness, and your nights are filled with mentally absorbing, but not creative, pursuits like television, FarmVille, or my personal favorite, Angry Birds,  there is no space left for your own work to emerge.

If, however, you set aside time in which you purposely limit the in flow of ideas, you create a path for your own ideas to flow out.  If the idea of sitting around and waiting to have an idea is unappealing, try this instead:  spend more time each day doing work that engages part of your body, but not your mind–showering, driving, and washing dishes are personal favorites.  Instead of listening to music or watching TV while you work, let your mind wander.  In less than 30 minutes you’ll wish you had a notepad to capture the thoughts coming out of your brain.

Your Turn

Spill it!  Leave a comment below with your best ideas for igniting the creative part of your brain.

Image via Wikipedia

I’m sure you’ve noticed I’m very excited about the LHF Greenhouse, and want to make sure everyone who can benefit from becoming a member has the information they need to make a decision about joining.

So when my engineer boyfriend pointed out the invitation page does a great job of explaining what the greenhouse will feel like, but not such a great job outlining the “what exactly will we be doing” part, I was a little worried.

I tried to write a post to fill in that information gap.  I thought about making a list of the books we would read, and the sort of assignments we’d do.  I tried to create a calendar of events, and to share a schedule for group conversations.

Luckily for both of us I gave up on that post.  Not only was it really, really boring–it wasn’t very accurate.  There is not a good way to tell you what the LHF Greenhouse will be like for the first group of members because we’ll be discovering what works and what doesn’t as we go along.  Which is all well and good, but isn’t very helpful if you are trying to decide if you should join.

Since I can’t really tell you what to expect inside, I decided to show you.

The LHF Greenhouse and The Artist’s Way

I love working with people right before and right after they discover what ignites their passion.  In that moment, when they first realize what they are called to give back to the world, people exude a life force that is amazing to behold.  Sadly, for many that bright light burns for just a moment, and then gets dampened by the stress of everyday life.  It never goes out, but it’s easy to miss–until you go looking for it.

I created the LHF Greenhouse to help people find that light–and then to protect and nurture it until it grows strong enough to face the pressures of the world on its own.

Because The Artist’s Way played a crucial role in helping me rediscover my own life’s passion, our work in the LHF Greenhouse starts there.  The following mini-lesson, designed to supplement the introductory chapters of the book (“Introduction, “Spiritual Electricity:  The Basic Principles,” and “The Basic Tools”), may be a little confusing if you’ve not done the reading.  Still, it should give you enough of a taste of what’s inside for you to decide if the LHF Greenhouse is a good fit for you and your buried dream.

If you like what you see here, come join us inside!

Same Ideas, Different Voice

As an interesting example of serendipity, this TED video about the creative process was shared with me on Facebook last week.  If the religious overtones of “The Great Creator” don’t resonate with you, Elizabeth Gilbert’s “Dobby the House Elf” metaphor might work better.

A Note about Your “Inner Censor”

Julia Cameron writes about the inner censor as a mean, nasty voice that needs to be torn out.  If that metaphor works for you, skip on to the next heading.  If, however, your inner censor feels like too big a part of you to ignore completely, or if the idea of tearing out part of who you are is jarring, it might help to think of your inner censor as a monster who is little, sad, and afraid.

Desire Trumps Doubt

If you’ve read the introductory chapters and have come up with a long list of reasons why this process has absolutely no chance of working for you, welcome to the club.  The first time I worked through the book, I, too, was pretty sure it wasn’t going to work.  But the book came with a strong recommendation from a trusted friend, and I desperately wanted to believe that I was a creative person–even though I’d spent most of my life insisting I was not an artist.  So I did the exercises anyway, just to see what happened.  It turns out, Julia’s insistence that you don’t have to believe in the process for the process to work is true.  That having been said, if your doubt is overwhelming, and your view of what can be gained is foggy, it will be hard to find the motivation to move forward.

Assignment:  What if it’s true?

The following assignment is designed to help pump up your desire to unblock your creativity to the point where it dampens the voice of your doubt.

Take a moment to imagine what your life might be like in 12 weeks if it turns out you are a deeply creative person capable of bringing new paintings, designs, ad campaigns, stories, jewelry, information products, websites and/or social movements into the world.  What does it feel like to be that person?  How does that version of you spend your time?  What do the people in your life start to notice about you?  Take a moment to write (or draw, or create a collage) about your reflections.

Note:  This assignment does not require you believe the vision you’ve created will come true.  In fact, the more you doubt the future you’ve described is possible, the more important it is to complete the lesson.

Share!

Part of the benefit of doing this work as a group is we are able to learn as much from the journeys of our fellow travelers as we are from our own.  To that end, I invite you to  share your thoughts, questions and reflections from the intro chapters with a comment below.   If you’d like to share the results of your “homework” we’d love to see that as well.

Want to receive future lessons and to be part of a community working through The Artist’s Way together?  Join us in the LHF Greenhouse!  Click here for more information.

my office assistant is cute but not helpful

Like many people who run a home-based business, I do most of my work alone in my office save for an office assistant whose main contribution is to sit on the Caps Lock key.  As a person who thrives on the company of others–and who needs the input and perspective only other people can provide to do my best work– one might assume this arrangement is a recipe for disaster.

Actually, it would be, save for one very important technological advancement:  the Internet.

Sure, I rely on it to connect with potential clients, and I teach those clients to use it to connect with their clients, customers, and donors, but that’s just the most obvious benefit.

The Internet also provides me the one thing I need to stay sane, productive and creative while working on my own:  access to other humans.

Thanks to Twitter, I am connected to a huge community of theatre artists and administrators through the #2amt hashtag and some of the most dedicated nonprofit professionals you’ll ever meet though #smNPchat.  Twitter is also the place I “hang out” with some of the smartest and most generous consultants I know including Erica, Pamela, Jenny, and Shoshana.  (I’ve linked to their twitter profiles, but be sure to visit their websites as well!)

Thanks to the Society of the Secret Play Date, I (usually) remember to incorporate a sense of wonder and play into my everyday work.  I also have the pleasure of cheering the accomplishments of other play-daters (and receiving encouragement myself) when we meet in our secret hideout.

Thanks to the Remarkable Marketing Blueprint, I now count some of the internet’s best “third tribe” style marketers among my friends.  I  also have a place to go to test new ideas, get advice, and blow off steam when I worry I’ll never have another good idea.  (Thanks to the blueprint, I’m also just one Kevin Bacon-style step removed from Seth Godin, but I’ll spare you the fan girl moment.)

Finally, thanks to Facebook, I have a way to stay connected to my “real life” communities made up of family, friends, teachers, students, neighbors and colleagues scattered across the United States–and increasingly, the world.

So while my physical space offers only 3 cats and one engineer for company, the Internet provides me a variety of spaces, some public, some private, where I can go to hone my skills, get advice and encouragement, ask silly questions, build relationships and, of course, procrastinate.  Thanks to those communities, and the amazing people who are a part of them, I’m able to pursue a dream that would not have been possible for me 10 years ago.

A New Place to Build Community

Because these online communities have been so crucial to my work, (and because the world will be better when more people start pursuing their dreams) I am building a new private space where smart, kind, generous, and driven people can take the ideas about which they usually only whisper, and give those ideas the nourishment, protection, support, and care they need to grow.

Click here to learn more about the LHF Greenhouse.

In many ways, the greenhouse itself is the “seedling” project I intend to grow along side the seedling projects of other greenhouse members, so those of you who choose to become charter members will play a major role in helping it grow.  If you like the idea of shaping the greenhouse for future members, or just like the idea of getting in for an insanely good price, you should go check it out now.

I hope to see you inside.

I know it can be hard to remember.

You may not be able to see them, or hear them, but there are people around you who love you and want you to be happy.

There are people from your past thinking of you and wishing  you well.

There are new people about to come into your life.  People who will help make your journey a little easier and a little more rewarding.

No matter where you live, no matter what your passion, no matter what you have been called to do, there are people out there who want–who need– what you have been called to create.

There are people who want to help make your dreams come true.

There are people who are waiting for you to let your light shine.

There are people who will listen.

There are people who will understand.

There are people who are waiting for you to ask.

All you have to do is hang on until you find them.  Keep working on your ideas, keep the light in your heart burning.

Find your people.  Do your work.

If you’d like a little more company, come check out the LHF Greenhouse, and meet other passionate people like you looking for nourishment, support, protection and care.

photo credit: flickr user Marvin Kuo

The wait is over.

After six month’s of hints and vague references,  I’m done beating around the bush regarding “the new thing I’ll be unveiling soon.”  Today is the day I tell you what it is.

I’m creating a new online community called the Low Hanging Fruit (LHF) Greenhouse where people with creative, world-changing* ideas will connect with like-minded people and grow their dreams together.

Click here to view your invitation to the LHF Greenhouse.

Watch this space for future blog posts about the greenhouse and how it can help you get where you are going.

In the meantime, I wish you a joyous and peaceful holiday season, and am looking forward to our time together in 2012!

*ideas that change your corner of the world totally count.

visual representation of my creative path

One of the best parts about owning a business called “Low Hanging Fruit Communications” is I get to work with people and organizations who are just starting out.  People at the beginning of their journey are optimistic, joyful, and vibrant.  Often they put off so much positive energy it’s possible to start feeling more hopeful just by standing next to them.  It’s a joy.

Eventually, that first burst of enthusiasm and inspiration wears off and fear and doubt seep in.  Plans that seemed obvious now are riddled with difficulty.  The money doesn’t flow.  No one seems to “get” what you are trying to accomplish.  It’s here that most people start to worry that they’ve “wandered off the path”

Nothing could be further from the truth.

It’s just that for most people the creative path is not an interstate highway–it’s a mountain trail.  Sometimes the walk is easy and beautiful, but more often it’s uphill, windy and a bit dangerous (and amazingly beautiful).

Want to get the most out of your creative journey?  Take some advice from backpackers.

Slow Down

Do your best ideas come to you when you are in the shower or driving to work?  Are those the only bits of “down” time you allow yourself?  If so, you might be missing out on all kinds of brilliant ideas because you are so busy pushing work out into the world, you’ve not left time to let inspiration drift in.  Sometimes all you need to do to get unblocked is to stop long enough for the next idea to come.

If this whole argument sounds vaguely familiar, it might be because I wrote a whole post about it a couple of weeks ago.  Normally I try to wait a little longer before I repeat myself, but in this case, the message is important enough to cover twice.

Pay Attention

The world is full of feedback that’s easy to miss when you’re talking.  Once you’ve slowed down and quieted your own thoughts,  you’ll find yourself immersed  in all kinds of messages, ideas and connections you didn’t notice before.  The key to whatever problem has slowed your progress can often be found in this feedback you weren’t picking up on before.  For some, all you need to do is listen.  If you’re like me and don’t trust that you’ll remember what you’ve learned, a small notebook, a voice recorder and a camera can help you capture key insights.

Take a Break

The more resistant you are to taking time out to play, the more critical it is for you.  Work is important, it can even be fun, but it’s not all there is to life.  If you don’t make time for pleasure, idleness, tinkering, and discovery –without practical application– you will have little to draw on when your work calls for a creative solution.

Not sure how to get started?  If you have children (or know people who will lend you theirs) hanging out with them and following their lead might be all the inspiration you need.  If kids aren’t really your thing, take a look at your adult friends.  Do you have one who would think nothing of choosing to play disc golf when he’s “supposed” to be installing a dishwasher?  Go hang out at his house for awhile.

Not ready for full-court frivolity?  A process that injects an attitude of playfulness into your work might be a better match.  Go visit Maryann Devine  at smarts & culture and ask about the Society of the Secret Play Date.  I’d tell you more, but well it a secret society.

Do it Again

For most people the creative parts of the brain are a little like the plumbing in an old house.  Just because you unblock the flow today, doesn’t mean it will stay unblocked forever.  The key is to notice when the ideas start to slow down, or when work that used to be easy becomes a struggle.  Instead of wallowing in fear that you’ll never have another good idea, focus on opening up the pipes.

One More Thing

I’m putting the finishing touches on another resource for finding and following your path.  Those of you on my “first to know” list will get an e-mail about it on Saturday morning.  If you’d like to receive that e-mail and be among the first to check it out, click here to add yourself to the invite list.

Update:  The wait is over!  Click here to check out the LHF Greenhouse.

Can’t wait to see you there!

Image by Daniel Morris via Flickr

We have a great infatuation with busyness in western culture.  Calling someone “busy” is one of the highest complements we pay (If you want something done, ask a busy person);  it’s also a rock solid excuse for saying no to things you don’t want to do. (Oh, I’d love to help you but I’m just so busy!) In fact, “Busy” is such a popular state, it has replaced “fine” as the standard response to the question “How are you?”

I’m Not Saying Busyness is All Bad

It provides a great adreniline rush. It is incredibly satisfying to look back on a full day and feel  like you’ve really earned your TV or rest-time.   Then there is that deep sense of satisfaction that comes from a completed to-do list.

It’s no wonder so many of us are addicted to the rush of too much to do in too little time.

But. . .

Busy also has a downside.  By holding action in such high regard, we make it difficult to focus on important, but undefined, work.  We also get so used to movement that we keep pushing, even when we aren’t getting anywhere.  (Or am I the only one who sits in front of the computer when the words* won’t come alternating between refreshing Facebook and staring at a blank document?)  By the end of the day we are exhausted–with nothing to show for it.

Then, for me at least, the fear sets in, usually disguised as an overwhelming belief that I’ve written my last useful word, that I’m out of ideas, that I was never a good writer to begin with and I should just go get a job like everyone else because I do not have a creative soul.  This sort of monster talk does not help me write better.

I only know one way to turn this train around.

Do Less

Image via Wikipedia

Stop.  Don’t push harder, don’t try to do more, don’t distract yourself.  Learn to sit.  Learn to play.  Learn to allow yourself empty time and space to think.  Daydream.  Go for a walk.  Color.  Knit.   Call a friend.  Do whatever it takes to back off from the pushing and the guilt. Learn to trust that the words will come back.

Bonus Tip

If you would like to avoid those feelings of doom altogether, build time to recharge your creative batteries– before they run dry.  Pay attention to the kinds of activities that feed your creative spirit,** and make those activities a priority.

If you find you don’t have time for “play” when you are done with your work, schedule the play first, and then plan your work around it.  It sounds counter-intuitive, but if you are the sort of person who already works too hard, you’ll be surprised by how much more you get done this way, and how much better you feel at the end of each day.

Your Turn

What do you do when you fear you’ll never be brilliant again?

* As a writer, when my creativity is dried up, the words stop flowing.  If you create with a different tool, the symptoms of too much busyness will be different, but the feeling will be the same.

**this video is an hour long and worth every minute you spend watching it.

Image by comedy_nose via Flickr

You love your donors, right?  You can’t do your work without their support and you want to make sure they know it.  It’s only natural that you’d like to show your appreciation in a tangible way.

The spirit of that desire is absolutely appropriate, and yet. . .

Will you ever use all the address labels you’ve been sent by nonprofit organizations hoping to woo you onto their donor list?  Do you need the pocket change some organizations send trying to guilt you into a gift?

Even when the gifts are not total crap–do they do what they are meant to do?  Does your collection of $100 tote bags make you feel like an NPR insider?

I didn’t think so.

On the Other Hand. . .

I’m not suggesting giving donors tangible gifts never works.  We are a consumer driven society full of basically selfish people.  We like free stuff so much we are happy to pay for it*.

Donor gifts that are useful and valuable help donors remember how much they love an organization between annual campaigns; well designed, wearable gifts can even help donors spread your key messages to the world.

The problem is, these more valuable gifts can be expensive, and spending too much money on them is good way to be found guilty of wasteful spending in the  court of public opinion.

Plus, as relationship builders, these “one size fits all” gifts are not very effective.

Luckily, there is another option.

Try this instead:  Give Donors the Gift of Access

Image by jastrow75 via Flickr

Most people support your organization because they love the work you are doing and want to be a part of it–so the best way to thank them is to give them a backstage pass.  By letting your donors as far into the actual workings of the organization as is possible, you give them what they really want–a chance to know they are making a difference.

Instead of throwing a traditional donor’s reception, hold a semi-open rehearsal just for donors.  Then host a party after where donors can mingle with the artists whose work they are making possible.

The same idea applies outside the performing arts.  Create opportunities for your donors to meet the people they are helping.  Let them see the faces and hear the stories of the people whose lives will never be the same because of their generosity.

This idea works even if you don’t work for a nonprofit organization.  If you’ve got an idea you want to get off the ground, the best way to start building the momentum you need it to offer ways for your backers to immerse themselves in the project.  Not buying it?  Browse through Kickstarter’s most promising projects.  The rewards at the highest levels almost always include a unique experience.

Don’t Fake It

Please note that I advised “letting people as far into your organization/work “as is possible“–not “as is comfortable.” This concept isn’t too difficult for individuals looking to grow their tribes, or even for new organizations that were formed under the “networked nonprofit” model.  But for old or large organizations used to working under a “give us your money and trust us to do what’s best” paradigm giving donors access is easy to say and hard to do. It is however, worth the extra effort

Need a Bit more Motivation?

Thanking donors with insider experiences instead of physical gifts provides more value to the donor, (which can mean larger gifts in the future),  but it also has another organizational benefit:  Some of the best donor experiences cost you almost nothing.

Your turn:  Share your stories

It’s time to dish!  Tell us about the worst donor gift you’ve received, or the one you are embarrassed to have sent.

Good stories are also welcome, so if you’ve been wowed by a donor experience (or have wowed your donors) share the details in the comment section.

*This statement is bordering on a Yogi-ism, but it’s too true to edit.

I spent the beginning of this week with my fellow arts marketing peeps at the National Arts Marketing Project Conference in Louisville.  For a person who does most of her work in a home office surrounded by cats and books, it was great to be in the same room with so many amazing people with great ideas.  It was also great to be able to tweet at the dinner table without subterfuge, but that’s another post. . .)

Let me explain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up.

I had every intention of coming home from this conference and sharing what I learned in great amounts of detail.

I’ll pause for a moment to give those of you who spend a lot of time at conferences time to stop laughing.

Let’s just say it was amazing, you can get some of the flavor of the event from the  #nampc twitter hashtag, you can download many of the presentations here, and watch the archived versions of the keynote speeches here.

But really, you had to be there.

So instead of the blow-by-blow, I’ll go back to my competitive forensics roots and examine the conference theme, Winning Audiences through three different lenses.

Focus on Being Awesome

photo by Frankie Steele for Americans for the Arts

We’ve all met the sales person who says he can sell “ice to Eskimos” but that trick is getting harder and harder all the time.  Plus, even if you could work it out, do you really want to be that guy?  Do you want customers you’ve tricked into buying your product?  Do you want an audience full of people sitting in seats resenting the money they’ve spent on their tickets?  Especially since those people now have the power to broadcast their unhappiness to the world?

It doesn’t have to be that way.  The same tools that make it easy for unhappy patrons to complain, also make it easy for the people you delight to share their experience with their friends.

So instead of focusing most of your energy on how to make your work look awesome, focus on creating work that is awesome.  Then make it as easy as possible for the people who love you to share with their friends.

For more on the “Be Awesome” theory of marketing, check out Scott Stratten’s opening keynote.

Marketing is a Filter

photo by Frankie Steele for Americans for the Arts

It’s bordering on criminal to distill Oliver Uberti’s amazing presentation* down to this one idea, but this post (and your marketing efforts) won’t be complete without it.  Just promise me you’ll watch his whole speech when we are done here, ok?

Once you’ve got something awesome to share, you need a way to get it to stick in the brains of your people.  Good marketing can be that binding agent, but first you need to filter out the parts that don’t make sense out of context, and highlight the pieces that are most likely to resonate with your audiences.

• Oliver and his design team at National Geographic do it with unusual objects and ideas photographed or drawn in surprising ways.
• Eric Booth does it with entry points.
• Pretty much everyone on the internet does it with infographics.

Your filter will be unique to you, your work, and your audience.  You’ll know you’ve found it when your right people can’t get your work out of their heads.

Zoom Out to Include your Community

If I could only pass on one lesson from this conference it would be this:

To make and share great art** You need more than you.

In the short run, it feels like there isn’t time, money or energy to include outside people and organizations in the creation of your work.  It feels like the audience isn’t big enough to go around, and that there is never enough money.

It turns out, the opposite is true:  We all have more when we share.

photo by Frankie Steele for Americans for the Arts

Because this idea permeated the whole conference, I can’t point you to a particular presentation that teaches this lesson.  I can tell you Shoshana Fanizza at Audience Development Specialists kicked off one of the best breakout sessions of the weekend with examples of collaborations she’s helped arts organizations create, so setting up a time to talk with her is a good place to start.

Also, Sam Read wowed everyone with the work he’s doing with Arts Crush, and David J. Loehr of 2AM Theatre (2AMt)  and I led roundtable discussions about ways artists from different organizations can work together to create vibrant arts communities through the #neverbedark model.

In the end, great partnerships are unique and personal.  You know your people, you know your community, you know yourself.  Give yourself the space, time, and permission you need to imagine new ways to integrate your work into the fabric of your community, then don’t be afraid to ask for help.

You’ll be surprised by who will say yes.

*seriously, we were all speechless, and not just because he’s adorable.  The Uberti Effect was alive and well in Louisville.

**we were talking about art in the conventional sense at the conference, but in terms of this point, Seth Godin’s broader definition might work better.

He only works with cats.

Based on conventional wisdom, Dr. Andy is being naive.  Wouldn’t it be better to serve as many animals as possible?  Why leave all that money on the table from dog owners who need a vet?

Turns out, unless you are a huge organization with tons of money, conventional wisdom is wrong.

By only working with cats, Dr. Andy trades clients who are looking for the vet closest to their house for clients like me.

A good trade

My partner and I chose Dr. Andy to be our vet before we moved to Dayton.  In fact, we decided he would be our vet before we even had cats.

see all those red dots? Those are the vet offices we drive by to get to Dr. Andy's.

We drive 40 minutes across town, with 3 howling cats, past countless  other veterinarian offices, to see him.  We’ve never compared his rates with those of another vet, and we recommend his services to every cat person we know.

If Dr. Andy treated all kinds of small animals, we would probably find a new vet.*  But taking our girls to an office where there are no dogs to add to their stress, filled with staff members who not only love cats in general but also make us believe they secretly love our cats the best, makes the trek to his office worth the extra trouble.

Are you worth the extra trouble?

• Would you like to find customers who drive across town to do business with you?
• Do you want donors who will give up personal luxuries before they stop supporting your cause?
• Are you looking for volunteers who are so committed, you’d swear they were on payroll?

You can’t get there by being everything to everyone.

Before Dr. Andy could be the perfect vet for cat people, he had to decide not to serve dog people.  The same is true for you.  Until you are able and willing to turn away your “wrong” customers, you won’t have the energy and resources to really wow your right people.

How to find your Perfect Supporter

I have a free worksheet designed to help identify your perfect supporter.  You can download it here.  This exercise is powerful, but it also requires a bit of a paradigm shift.  This video tutorial will help you get started.

This is just the first step toward a new kind of marketing plan.  When you are ready for step two, give me a call.

*actually, since we found his office by searching for “cat veterinarian Dayton” it’s unlikely we’d have ever met him in the first place.