The Creative Journey by michaelehenson

The Creative Journey Starterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Guide

Michael Henson

contents •••

3 // introduction • 4 // embrace your identity • 8 // unashamedly creative • 11 // sustainable creativity • 14 // we’re all schizophrenic • 16 // conclusion •••

Introduction Humanity powers through life at frantic pace as if fueled by some competition to see who can be the busiest. In this mad rush, a different breed struggles against the flow. Though connected to others of similar makeup by the thread of common struggle, they often feel misunderstood and disconnected from the “regulars” (Those happy with the same routine, the same job, car, and route to work each day). The world is jam packed with these undercover creatives, “UC’s” for short. Unfortunately, it’s possible for some to live their entire lives failing to break out of their boxes to impact the world. If you desire to break out from the “regular,” this is your book! Its purpose is to encourage you to embrace your innate creativity, to defy the negative voices in your head, and to strike out on a lifelong journey with your dreams as your escort. It’s the starting point, a guide to break you out of your mental boxes and let your creative energy communicate itself as art. The world needs more like you! You are bright enough to shine. Are you bold enough to break away? While this is hardly a normal process, freedom still begins as normal by scaling the walls holding you captive. These walls keep your creativity and expression internalized, hidden from the world. If your creative light is ever going to shine, it must first shine within your soul and psyche. This is a simple truth that is very difficult for some to internalize and incorporate. There are countless obstacles to overcome. Some obstacles are internal, others are external, and your obstacles, while very similar to those that other UC’s face, will be uniquely yours. As a result, you need to internalize the information on these pages, compare it to your circumstance, and make adjustments as needed. You will be provided with a map but it is your job to personalize the journey. The first step is to embrace your identity as a creative. Regardless of progress or accomplishment you still need to take this step. The funny thing is, you might have done so years ago and been derailed and distracted at some point along the way. For that matter, you could have been on the ball yesterday and be struggling to embrace it today! It has happened to me more than I’d care to admit. I have year long stretches of distraction in my history, so you are certainly not alone. The important thing to remember is that accepting yourself as a creative with art and beauty to share with the world is VITAL. How should you begin? 3

Embrace Your Identity There is no plan so flawless, no dream so noble that it will be immune to outside criticism. You could dream of being the next Mother Theresa and someone would find something wrong with it. This is a reality that you have to make peace with. No matter what you want to accomplish in life, you will face trials and obstacles along with your fair share of trolls. When you decide that you are going to make a change in your life and chase those dreams you’ve quietly harbored for years, you are going to face conflict. Your trolls will be much like those populating fairy and folk lore. We’re talking intense, grotesque, scary Lord of the Rings type stuff. There will be small hairy ones and larger balding ones. They’ll come at you with questions (disguised as concern) that are meant to throw you off course. They will glance at you sideways and dust the ceiling with their eyebrows. Your closest friends and family will make comments that hurt, discourage, and frustrate you. People that masquerade as mentors will make calculated statements to derail and distract you. Many will rise up to speak life into your vision, but the noise of the naysayers will attempt to drown them out. When you say that you are going to write that book, paint your masterpiece, record that album, start that YouTube channel, or build that business you’ve been thinking about, you may experience funny looks from those you love. They may even laugh. Expect this particularly if you have struggled with getting started in the past. Rise above it. You may have some initial hurdles to overcome, but if you truly want this you CAN do it! Let me “nutshell” the concept for you - The difference between those that are successful and those that aren’t is simple: The successful embrace their purpose and their identity while moving forward. Those that are not successful question everything, obsess about popular opinion, and find excuses to keep themselves from accomplishing their goals. The sooner you embrace your identity and start moving through life in that context, the sooner you will begin to make strides. You’ll achieve and surpass your goals more quickly than you expect and develop new ones to provide your next challenge! If you never fully embrace your identity, you might get lucky and eventually attain your goals. More likely, you will end up looking back over your life wondering where the time went and wishing

you could go back and change. I will never forget a short video clip I saw a few months back. When asked for the best advice he could provide in three words or less Gary Vee simply responded: “You’re gonna die.” Harsh truth! The end is ultimately coming. You can approach that final destination harboring the bitterness and regret of dreams unlived, or you can finish with passion while you do what you love. It is entirely up to you! If you are determined to live your dreams, your first step is to embrace your identity as an artist. How? The process is simple to discuss, but very difficult to live.

Dub Yourself

When the queen knights someone, she uses the expression, “I dub thee…” This is an old school phrase that simply means to name or apply a title to someone. Call yourself a writer. Stake claim to the title you would like to hold. Years ago, I read a book about dieting that recommended that you claim your status as a skinny person. The thinking behind this approach is that, if you begin to think about yourself in that context, you’ll eventually visualize yourself into skinny jeans and muscle shirts. It didn’t work for me. Probably because my internal dialogue went something like this, “Would a skinny person eat that last square of Imo’s pizza? I mean, you’ve had like the whole pizza already. Plus, you know you’re going to want some ice cream and brownies later. A skinny person would probably leave the square beyond compare in the garbage and go for a jog or do some P90x or something and then just sniff the open container of ice cream while standing at the open freezer door and lovingly glancing at the brownies without actually touching them. Then they would put the ice cream away and get 8 hours of sleep so they can get up for a workout before work in the morning.” I listened to the dialogue and then promptly ignored it. I understood the concept, but I didn’t actually embrace it. I thought it, but thinking something and making it a part of your being are two different things. If you want to be something, you have to start thinking of yourself in that context. It is similar to becoming a method actor. You must eat, sleep, and breathe your new identity so completely even your unconscious thoughts and responses are those of the person you want to be. If you’ll do this and commit to making the changes your new identity requires, you will start making progress. (For more on this, check out Jeff Goins book, “I Am a Writer” - it’s a great resource on visualizing what you want to become.)

Embrace Conflict

You know that sensation when you get bopped on the nose and the world goes all wonky and your eyes start watering like crazy? Get used to it! There will be conflict that smacks you right in the nose on a regular basis. Conflict will arise all around you. In fact, the more you work to improve yourself and embrace your creative identity, the more conflict you will experience. Life is fraught with conflict, but you are defined by the way you manage it. Persevere and understand that you will come out on the other side of conflict stronger.

Tangibly Change

Next, you need to embrace change. You don’t need to change who you are or what you are working towards, but you need to embrace changes in approach. Stick to the principles of consistency, excellence, and patience, but remain on the lookout for ways to improve your work, social media presence, skills, and knowledge. For instance, let’s say that you have loved painting since you were a child, but you haven’t “done anything with it” other than dabbling as a hobby here and there. Find some painting courses online or at a local school or studio. Invest a little bit in your equipment. Find things that inspire you and surround yourself with them. If it’s painting on canvas that really gets you jazzed, go pick up several canvases and get to work! Find yourself a local artist and go buy them some coffee in exchange for a chat about art, the world, and their story. If you’re a writer, then start writing. Start reading books, brainstorming topics, researching ideas, and connecting with communities that will encourage and challenge you to grow. The concept is the same regardless of your area of interest. Work to learn more, create more, and connect more than you ever have before. The point isn’t that you do any one specific thing, it’s just that you do something.

Announce It

There’s just something about putting yourself out there. Have you ever gone public with a New Year’s Resolution? I have. Sometimes when I have boatloads of good intentions and theoretical discipline I’ll make a bold statement on social media or at a gathering with friends. I’ll have every intention of living it out too. Then Monday rolls around and roughhouses with me. Tuesday tries to help me up but just ends up saying the wrong thing and hurting my feelings, and by the time I finally get to Friday I’m too distracted to even care! Just like that, another resolution is lying on the floor waiting for its chalk outline. I’ll forget about it and move on. Dead resolutions are shockingly active. It’s like a case of the body snatchers or something! I keep hearing about that resolution months later. People walk up to me, “Hey! How’s that resolution coming?” So annoying... Public declarations hold us accountable. Once stated, they’re out there. You will either have to be focused on achieving what you said you were going to or prepare yourself to answer questions. That’s the beauty of accountability. It’s challenging, but ultimately it’s challenging you to work towards your dreams. So, put it out there! Allow yourself to be pushed and challenged a bit. Your dreams are worth it!

Deploy Consistency & Patience

One of my newest mantras is stolen directly from the social media mastermind himself, Gary Vee, and it simply says “Deploy Patience.” This is one of the most difficult aspects of the journey for me. Since I was a teenager, my dreams have been huge. Life has kicked them around a bit and reshaped parts of them, but I still have dreams so big they scare me. Despite these facts, I want my dreams to be accomplished now. Or yesterday… But life doesn’t work like that.

If you want to accomplish your dreams, you must be patient while consistently working toward your goals. Every single day you have to understand your purpose. Wake up and drink in your identity with your morning coffee. Face your day with passion and focus. Do it again the day after. And then again the next day. If you do this every day you’ll eventually look up from your work and realize that you are living your dreams.

Keep on Keeping On

There’s no magic formula to take you from here to there. You have to start thinking like a writer, musician, singer, poet, artist, painter, entrepreneur, etc. Mentally accepting that you already are what you want to be is the first step in the process. Like Michelangelo said, “I saw the angel in the marble and I carved until I set him free.” You must consistently see yourself as the artist you want to be and then carve, practice, learn, and refine yourself and your craft until you set yourself free!

Unashamedly creative Once you finally embrace your inner creativity, life unfortunately still fails to become this blissful creative utopia. In fact, once you accept that you are an artist and that you have the right to express yourself creatively, you will begin to experience new internal struggles. You are not alone in this! There is a thread. It runs from creative to creative, from artist to artist, writer to writer. An invisible web that connects us all regardless of location, artistic pursuit, language, creed, age, political viewpoint, or nationality. When we encounter another creative, this invisible web forges a bond between us. It’s a shared paradigm, a common history, the entry code to the secret society of artists. It’s subtle, it’s powerful, and it’s trapping us all. One evening I was browsing through Instagram, and I stumbled upon two posts by two incredible writers that echoed the same sentiment that I’ve felt for my entire life. A sentiment I’ve heard repeated by countless successful writers, photographers, and artists/creatives over the years. A sentiment that outlines the thread that connects us all, the voice inside that manufactures an overwhelming fear of vulnerability. Like a hook-nosed witch working tirelessly over her cauldron it whispers, cackles, and coughs into the psyche of every creative I’ve met. It’s the scratchy voice that says, “Your efforts aren’t worth it, your skills are lacking, your approach is all wrong, you’re crazy for leaving the safety and security of the status quo, and you’ll never actually succeed at pursuing the dream that’s gripping your heart and driving you to create. As a matter of fact, you’re actually completely delusional, you lunatic. There’s something wrong with you. Your best course of action is to freak out, get scared, stay up all night worrying, and second guess everything you ever create. Just quit, quit, QUIT!” There is evidence of this voice in almost every creative around me. Unaddressed, it leads to depression as the dreams and passion inside begin to dwindle like a campfire just before sunrise. If you are lucky, that’s as far as it goes - the death of a dream and its slow decay. If you aren’t lucky, and most aren’t, it goes much further than this. The dream dies and leaves you empty but longing for something more. You’ve tasted the fire of creation, felt the thrill

of your artistic expression as it bursts forth like the sun through storm clouds and you just can’t forget it! That emptiness and despair gather themselves like something evil and begin spearing your insides with pangs of bitterness and jealousy. Before long, you can no longer celebrate others successes. Instead, you pass them off with an, “I could do that if I wanted to,” and move on all the while crying and raging inside because you feel you have missed out on your chance. It’s an epidemic and it’s real, I’ve been there and approach the brink from time to time still. I just don’t stay there. You don’t have to either. There is hope! You don’t have to live with bitterness over missed opportunities or quake in the shadow of vulnerability. You can break through the walls of the box you’ve constructed, gather the pieces of those dreams that you’ve harbored deep inside, and begin to massage them back to life. The overwhelming irony is that in order to break out of your self-constructed box, you have to do the very thing that frightens you the most. You have to jump. Jump out of your internal dialogue, jump into the projects and creation of art and content, and revel in the rush of adrenaline that follows. Just like taking your first leap off the high dive, as you begin to open your eyes you will notice that it’s not as bad as you expected. Things are still moving along, you are still alive, and your creations are receiving positive affirmation or valuable constructive feedback that will enable you to be successful with more practice. Fellow artists and creatives, this is my request: Take that leap!

Take the Leap

These days it’s crazy difficult to put yourself out there. The amount of irony in the universe is reaching dangerously elevated levels. We live in a world where people share every single aspect of their lives on social media. We are inundated with images of food and fashion. Selfie after selfie, and all other manner of ridiculousness march across our screens making up the mundane daily lives of hundreds of millions of people. Still, we hesitate to share our art. Why? Well, part of the issue is that we forget that those hundreds of millions of people aren’t truly sharing themselves. They are sharing a minuscule percentage of their essence. Not only that, but the tiny little bit of themselves that they share is most likely fraudulent. It’s staged to look “just so” or it has some level of meddling going on where we aren’t truly seeing reality. They aren’t being authentic or vulnerable. It’s much safer than it appears… The very thing that makes it easy for a social media icon to share their detergent choices is the thing that makes it so difficult for us to share our creative pursuits - exposure. In order to truly create something worthwhile, you pour yourself into it. Whether it’s a song, a book, a blog post, a painting, or a poem, efforts to bring your art to life inevitably leave behind a piece of yourself in every creation. Sometimes, you might not even recognize the depth of your sacrifice until it’s time to share it. Only then do you begin to feel nervous and vulnerable. Suddenly, you are scared to let your creation out into the world because you can’t ignore the risk that vulnerability entails. People might not like it or even worse, they might ignore it! You are sharing your most intimate, personal thoughts and emotions in the most authentic manner possible and it is only natural that you hesitate. There’s nothing wrong with this hesitation, it’s a hurdle that all artists must overcome. Once you take that leap and clear that hurdle, never stop! The world needs your creativity to be unleashed! You have stories, insights, creativity, and knowledge that only you hold. I and the rest of the creatives

around the world beg of you, KEEP CREATING!!

Live Authentic

This process of embracing creativity involves changing the way that I live my life. As I get further along in my journey, I realize the importance of being authentic, recognizing the creativity I have, and allowing it to shine. For so long, I’ve locked the bulk of my creative interests and thoughts in a dusty little box in the attic of my mind. I’ve hidden it from friends and family because it’s scary to let it out. I worry what others will think, and don’t want to be labeled as a dork or goofy. The list for keeping that box in it’s corner goes on forever...the voices in my head screaming at me to quit trying to break free are tireless. However, I’ve made the decision that my creativity is worth the risk. The words I write, the photos I take, the videos I make, the letters and artwork I sketch, and the deep conversations I have are worth the risks associated with “life outside the box.” I’ve been blessed beyond measure with creativity and the passion to pursue it. I would be out of my mind to continue to allow the pressures of this life, my environment, and my own aversion to vulnerability to keep me from doing so. It’s a movement that I’m starting in my life and a paradigm shift that I’m sharing with every creative that I know - be Unashamedly Creative. Embrace your creativity, love it, live it, and let it shine like the sun every single chance you get. I am doing this personally, and encourage you to do the same. As you do so, momentum will begin to build. You will get better at your craft. Positive feedback will begin to roll in, and your mind will be overwhelmed with new ideas and projects to work on. It’s an exciting part of the journey! Lean into it and allow all of those ideas to crash around inside your head. Be sure to record them somewhere so you don’t forget them and as you begin to the planning process to bring these incredible concepts to life, listen to this advice.

sustainable creativity It was your typical late December morning in the Midwest - kind of wet and coldish. Excitement, anxiety, and nerves slapped out high fives as they passed each other on their way up and down my spine. I hustled from my parking spot along the street in front of a long row of historic homes and ducked into the welcoming warmth of MoKaBe’s Coffeehouse. I ordered some coffee and began the hunt for a seat. I was finally getting to meet with a longtime inspiration of mine, Elizabeth Wiseman, a St. Louis based fashion photographer that totally ROCKS. We met and discussed fashion, photography, careers within the industry, ways to grow professionally and creatively, and all manner of topics over the course of about an hour and half. It was incredible in a way that only a meeting of creative minds can be. Common thought processes and pursuits formed a quick bond that kept conversation lively and exciting. I learned a lot and have forgotten a lot, but one thought stuck with me. We were discussing creative portfolios, photography projects, and using them to break into the fashion and commercial photography industry. She explained that when she and her team brainstormed and began planning a project, they would take the concept and all of the pieces as far as they absolutely could creatively. “Then, once we explore the furthest reaches of the idea, we bring it back a step or two.” It’s simple, but incredibly profound, and something that most artists don’t consider. How many creatives are blindsided by the “sinewy right hand” of their Muse, brainstorm like a fiend for hours or days, finally step away from their frantic planning and begin to try to put their plan into place only to have it fail spectacularly? I know this has happened to me more times than I can count! I knew there had to be a better way, but until that moment, I couldn’t uncover it. When Elizabeth said that, it was like light bulbs burst to life and balloons started falling from the ceiling or something. It was exciting and very much an “aha!” moment. I work diligently with every “aha” moment in order to understand what it means “in real life” so I can apply it. All too frequently, we hear catchy quotes or advice that don’t really take us anywhere and I hate that. So I try to make those pithy sayings into applicable steps

that I can implement today. If I can’t, frequently I’ll move on. In this case, however, I can make it practical. Here are my three huge tips for fostering sustainable creativity in your work:

Brainstorm

Let’s face it. This is the fun part of the creative process - where the dreaming, ideas, and creativity are allowed to soar through the air like Superman on a lark. During this stage, don’t restrain it! Let your ideas fly. Write them in mad scribbles across the pages of your journal, record them neatly in Evernote, or spit them lovingly into the voice memo app on your smartphone. Plan everything! Let your creativity know no bounds during this stage. This is the part where you stretch yourself as an artist, where you practice creating. It is the foundation that every creative pursuit is built upon.

Pull Back

Once you’ve brainstormed your heart out, now is the time that you begin to take some steps back from your idea. Look at it critically and examine the idea at every level. Think about things like: Social media - Can your project be used to grow your platform? What kinds of content can you create from it? If you’re a writer, can you find compelling photography to go along with the piece? A photographer, can you write a blog post to go with your images? Maybe some video? Spend some time thinking about this! What are the moving pieces that are involved? Are you having to work with others? This can add stress and difficulty in pulling something off successfully. Take that into account! How much volume of work are you looking at for this project? Is there a deadline? Is it seasonal or is there a particular time/date that you’d like to have it accomplished? Is it requiring a creative skill outside your normal skillset? You’ll have to allow yourself time to learn or find someone to work with to make it happen. Is there fabrication or additional resources needed? All of these items “level up” the difficulty of your project. While stretching your creative muscles isn’t a bad thing AT ALL, it’s something that you want to be intentional and conscientious about. Being aware and taking the time to map out the processes involved, skills needed, and resources required will not hinder creativity as many creatives fear. It will actually enhance creativity, making your creations better!

Refine

Bodybuilders and strongmen don’t workout with their maximum weight. Their personal best is just that, a best. It’s not their working rate. Runners don’t sprint at 100% effort every single time they run. Pitchers don’t throw the ball as hard as they can every single repetition. So why do artists and creatives feel we must complete every single project at maximum levels of complexity? Like an athlete, you must learn when it is appropriate and effective to give 100%. You must also learn to find the “groove” that inspires sustainable excellence while not burning yourself out before reaching the finish line. The next step is to refine your brainstormed project and nail down the details. Carve away

everything extra, find people to help in the areas you are least proficient, and dial the entire project BACK (read: simplify) by a small margin. This actually helps ensure excellence in every detail. You will produce far more impressive results while also increasing your ability to perform next time. Think about a weight lifter attempting to achieve their personal record (PR), it’s not a pretty sight! They are shaking and grunting. Blood vessels are doing their own version of Dancing with the Stars. There’s a substantial amount of yelling going on. Frankly, it’s downright nerve-wracking. However, if you watch a bodybuilder working out with weight that is lower than their max, you can still see the veins and musculature, but the process is smooth, controlled, and much more impressive to watch. The same is true with your creative process. Trying to do too much is painful. Not just for you, but for everyone you share it with. We have all heard singers that try too hard, read writers that took it a little far, and seen artwork that’s trying really hard, but just isn’t quite “there.” Through persistently refining your approach and demonstrating some discipline, everyone wins! Your art is more consistent, the level of excellence is on point, and you will be happier with your creative pursuits. (I know there are times where maximum effort is needed. Editing your work, doing what you know the best of your ability, etc. Granted...I’m talking about the level of complexity the majority of the time. Think of the weight lifter analogy again. Maximum effort/complexity all the time? Nope! Just some of the time, and those times are not what I’m covering in this book.) So, allow me to recap in the simplest, most formulaic statement possible:

Max Effort + A Reasonable Approach = Excellence & Consistency

I realize this can be incredibly difficult to do. Most of the time, when inspiration hits me, the tangential ideas come rolling in like the last subway car leaving Manhattan before a well forecasted King Kong attack. My mind goes crazy and all of a sudden I’m imagining myself painting epic landscapes while balanced on top of a saucer balanced on top of a stick with a group of reclusive painter monks. That is obviously completely ridiculous! There’s absolutely NO WAY I can balance on top of a saucer on a stick. Prudence and reasonableness help me dial back the complexity level of my projects, acting as friends accompanying me on the way to artistic success. By applying this approach you will begin to not only grow as an artist, but maximize excellence in your work. You’ve likely heard it before. Accomplished artists that have been in the industry making comments that demonstrate their awareness of this reality. For instance, as a musician, I’ve heard countless “old timers” make statements like, “It’s not about the number of notes you play, it’s about the number of notes you don’t play.” Beginners put it all out there regardless of the level of excellence. Experts know to apply the correct amount of effort in the most excellent way possible, and their work shows it. Apply this to your work and you will be surprised at the quality of work you are able to produce. As you continue your journey, you will inevitably have to remind yourself of lessons you learned long ago. It’s all part of the process. You will relearn concepts at different levels of understanding and old lessons that didn’t make sense will suddenly click with a flash of inspiration. One thing, however, that will never leave or forsake you is the voices…

we’re all schizophrenic Voices everywhere. Some are loud, some softer. Some are angry, hateful, and painful to acknowledge. Others are more nagging and frustrating than damaging. They are subtle and, truth be told, you’ve probably learned to function with them. No, I’m not talking about the medical diagnosis of schizophrenia. I’m talking about those voices in your head that rail against ideas, creativity, and progress. If we’re honest, we all would admit to having voices that do their best to talk us out of progress and growth. •You aren’t good enough at (insert ambition here) to be called one. (For example, you aren’t a good enough writer or photographer to call yourself a writer or photographer.) •There are other people with more resources and experience that do the exact same thing you are trying to do, and they do it far better than you ever could. So what’s the point in trying? •You look like such a fake when you act like you’re a writer (again, insert ambition here), you know you aren’t really a writer so just stop already. •Do you have any idea what people are going to think of you when you try to do that? You are going to look so stupid. •The risks and effort you are going to have to put into this are so great it’s really not worth it. •You don’t have the discipline to actually make something work for more than a couple days. Why even start? •If you are going to do it, it must be perfect. If it’s not, you’re a failure. Better not risk it! Your opinions and outlook don’t matter. Don’t waste people’s time. These are thoughts that bounce through my head countless times a day. Left unchecked, they are depressing at best - damaging at worst. If we ever want to accomplish our dreams, we must overcome all of the negative voices we allow to bounce around between our ears.

4 Steps to Press that Mute Button

Recognize them before they speak

The very first step in combatting the subversive voices in your head is to recognize them. Seems a bit too simple, huh? Well, maybe, but if you are anything like me you can spend a solid couple days (or months) in a weird creative, emotional funk before you realize it. Most of the time I realize that I’ve allowed the voices to take control right about the time my wife starts getting tired of my moping around the house. Crazy, I know! It’s a sixth sense I have, kind of like the Force. I’m convinced it’s a self-preservation thing that has helped keep me alive and relatively uninjured for nearly 15 years of marriage. It’s sad, but true. I can be firmly under the control of these negative voices for DAYS before I realize what’s going on. You/I/we have to learn to recognize negativity the second it starts to creep into our minds and root it out. How?

Examine Their Truth

I don’t propose an “ostrich with its head in the sand” approach to life. (Quick side note: There has never been a documented case of an ostrich sticking its head in the sand. Most likely because they would suffocate.) So, when a negative voice makes itself heard, take a moment to see if there’s any truth to it. If it is about something that can be changed or improved upon, accept it as constructive criticism and move on. If it’s a voice that is speaking one of the messages above, don’t dwell on it! Sweep that mess out the door, let the wind carry it away, and move on. Determining whether or not to listen to the voices is something that only you can decide. It’s important to give yourself permission to ignore negativity that exists solely for the purpose of derailing your plans and progress.

Stick Close to Your Community

Community is vital. Within a community you’ll find voices other than your own to provide equilibrium, encouragement, and valuable feedback on your progress. When you are feeling down or lost, these positive, supportive voices can be the difference between continuing your journey and cashing in on the progress you’ve made thus far before tapping out of the game. Engaging in a community might be outside your comfort zone and take a little more effort than going it alone, but the benefits far outweigh the effort!

Use Those Negative Voices for Good

I’ve started training myself to be thankful for every negative thought I think. Why? Because that negative thought is now a trigger that I use to remind me of exactly how blessed I am! It’s counter intuitive and maybe a little odd, but it works! The next time one of your voices start spouting nonsense, turn it around! Replacing negativity with thankfulness and positivity will eventually become a habit that will help you in every aspect of life.

conclusion Wow, we’ve covered a lot of ground in just a few pages! This is a resource that I hope you are able to utilize throughout your journey. I created it with hope it would be encouraging and inspiring. Every UC I know struggles with the exact issues discussed on these pages and the steps I’ve outlined in detail are the exact steps I have taken in order to continue making progress in my personal creative journey. It’s all about internalizing the truth of who you are. You might consider yourself to be an accountant that also writes or an auto mechanic that also draws, but I challenge you to flip that script. You are a writer that does accounting and an artist that works on cars. Give your all to your creativity. It will never stop giving itself to you. Embrace the conflict that comes from life and the struggles that come with living out your art. You are going to have conflict throughout life. Choose the kind of conflict you want. Do you choose the conflict of chasing a dream? Or the conflict of dealing with the bitterness of dreams you’ve given up on? You pick! From there, assuming you decide to embrace the conflict and pursue the dream, you’ll have to make changes to your habits. Leave the sofa and TV screen behind to learn something new about your art. Forgo a night out to spend it practicing your craft. Invest in a class or course from a local school or a content developer online that you respect. Make the changes and you’ll see the dividends. Then, combine patience, consistent creation of content, and the guts to take the leap. Start sharing your work anywhere and everywhere you can. Find the websites that cater to your particular brand of creativity, sign up for an account, and start putting your artwork on display. Fight through the negative voices, both internal and external, and keep your course pointed forward. Eventually, you will wake up living your dream instead of chasing it. You can do it! I believe in you. As we walk this creative journey together, I’d love to connect and hear from you! What information, resources, or topics would you like to see covered? What are you struggling with? What is painful about the creative process for you? How can I help you embrace your creativity and live Unashamedly Creative? I’m here for you. Let’s do this! 16

Like what you read? As you know, the blessing of our Internet society is that content can be shared instantaneuously. As a writer, I live and die based on whether or not my creations are shared. So, if this resonated with you and has given you practical tools that you can use, please share it with your friends, family, and acquaintances. I’d love to hear back from you with a review and feedback as well! Thanks so much for your time and attention! I don’t take it lightly. If there is anything I can do, create, or write about that will assist your journey, please shoot me a message (michael@michaelehenson.com) and I’ll do my best to provide it. Thank you. Michael