You’ve got to have stellar time management skills to succeed as a creative solo-preneur.

THIS IS A MYTH.

Here’s the truth:

You’ve got to have stellar ENERGY management skills to succeed as a creative being.

Developing stellar energy management skills is all about self-care, be-friending-of-the-self, discovering + activating your creative genius so you can do what you want to do from a place of true creative and spiritual power – all the stuff of Creative Dream Incubation.

Time is both limited and unlimited.

Limited in that you can’t actually create more time, so any time you try to manage the time you’ve got, you’re dealing in lack, trying to make the most of your measly slice of the pie.

Unlimited in that all you ever actually have is this moment, but this moment is infinite and contains infinite possibilities.? So even though you’ve only ever got this moment, this moment is plenty.

Energy is Unlimited.? But kind of complicated.

As a Highly Sensitive Person managing my energy seems like a pretty complex thing, but really it’s just about understanding what is good for me, and then doing that.

I don’t function at my highest creative potential when I’m not properly nurturing my energy.

I can easily get twice as much done in a morning, as I can in an afternoon.

The later I go to bed, the less I’ll be able to accomplish the next day.

If I go to bed after midnight – I simply will NOT be functioning from my creative genius the next day.? The energy won’t be there for that.? And sometimes it may take a few days to get back into my creative flow.

If I have alcohol I am putting my creative genius to sleep for at least 24 hours.

Etc, etc, etc. I discovered that I am an HSP about 15 years ago.? Since then I have learned a lot about what I need to flourish – it started by not trying to do what “everyone else is doing” and embracing the fact that if I want to be able to access my creative genius, I have to take care of myself.

This is the trick: When you function from your Creative Genius you don’t need anywhere near as much time to get shit done.

Plus, obviously, when you work from your Creative Genius your work is better.? You’re not just getting shit done, you’re making magic.

As a creative solo-preneur everything is easier when you are consistently doing your best work.

And you can’t access your best work if you’re not doing what you need to do to nurture your energy. ?You just end up running on a treadmill of to-do lists that you’re never going to catch up on.

The way off the treadmill is to focus on energy-nurturing instead of time-managing.

1. Make a list of the things that fill you up. For me, this list includes: beach days, creative journaling, sewing, aromatherapy, mineral spa days, crystal healing meditations.
2. Make a commitment to do some of those things every day.? No exceptions.

The fill-up is the most important part!

How far would you get if you kept driving your car and never stopped to fill it up?

Time management is all about trying to make the most of your empty tank of gas.

Energy management is all about filling the tank with the highest quality fuel and keeping it full, so your engine purrs happily all the way along the path to your dream come true.

 

 

We live in amazing times.? Closed doors have been opened, the playing field has been leveled.

We live in a time when any creative person can turn their creative joy into their livelihood.

Maybe, technically, this was always true.? But not really.

When I graduated from university, with a degree in fashion design, I wanted to be an artist.

My fourth year of university had been a time of creative flourishing for me.? I was expanding creatively while exploring the world of textile art.? And my work showed a lot of promise.? I made the top 10 list for Designer of the Year.? And I remember my surface design teacher asking me to not give up, to find a way to keep doing the art I was doing.

And I told her I would.? And I did.? I mean, to the best of my ability.? And I’m only 39, but still – but still the world was very different than it is today.

To sell my work I had to approach galleries.? I had to spend hours and hours and hours preparing to present my work to each gallery.? And then, even when they did want to represent me – everything about it was entirely under their control, which meant my career was under their control.? As I kept showing my work I did start to build up a very small following, and was lucky enough to start to get some commissions but still, it was a long, hard road.

The traditional gallery system serves gallery owners far more than it serves artists.? This isn’t news.

The internet has changed that.? As creatives, we can market and promote ourselves, build our own audience and be empowered in our creative careers.

In fact, the internet has made it so easy that with $100 or less you can set yourself up to sell your art online.

This is good. And bad.

While there used to be too many barriers to entry, now there sometimes too few.

It’s MUCH easier to set up a blog and an etsy shop than it is to master your art.? This means it’s possible to set up your online art business before you’ve really developed your work.

Which means you put it out there too soon, before you really know what you’re saying as an artist.? And your potential customers don’t buy because they also don’t really know what you’re saying as an artist.? And you give up and decide that you’re not good enough.

But really, you just needed more time to find your creative voice.

It’s possible.? I promise.? But it may take more time than you want it to.

Spend more time creating.? Don’t start to sell your work because you want to start making money from it.? Start to sell your work because it really honestly truly feels like it’s time to share it.

And when it’s time, spend more time learning about business than you think you need to.? Remember that anyone can set up a blog and an etsy shop.? If you want to succeed you’ve got to go deeper.

And as I’ve already talked about, once you get the hang of marketing – bring your creative genius to it.? Play with it.? Have fun growing your business!

Learn from as many different people as you can.

I’ve had a lot of different business teachers/coaches.? It’s really helpful to get different perspectives and ideas.

That’s why I’m so happy about the Don’t Lost Your Shit sale.

$1500 worth of business products for $97?? This is what I mean about how it’s getting easier and easier to bring your creative business dream to life.? There is so much help available!

Most importantly: Don’t Give Up.

It doesn’t happen overnight.? But it will happen as long as you don’t give up.

It’s important to seek out different teachers and mentors to get different kinds of help.

And to create support systems for your dream.

Because it’s not going to be easy and you’re going to want to give up and it’s important that you don’t.

Why is this important?

All of my adult life I have felt driven to create a meaningful soulful creative life for myself.

I was never able to find a job that really fit that.

Some came close, but I needed the wild creative abandon that I can only get from being my own boss and crafting my own unique flavour of success.

It’s NOT about BUSINESS.

It’s about creating a life that is true to who you are.? And the simple reality that money has to come into play there somewhere and somehow.

While some time and energy are needed to figure things out and to create the structure of your business, ultimately you don’t have to spend any more time than you want to doing “business stuff”.

You can built it in a way that fits your skills and preferences.

You can leave out the parts you don’t like.

You can hire out the parts you don’t like.

There are a lot of options.

The main thing is to be true to yourself.

This is what I’m “working” on right now: DELIGHTING IN DOING THINGS MY WAY.

Even when, especially when, this is different from how “The Experts” say to do it.

And it feels GOOD.

I am so grateful that my life is so GREAT FULL!

And a huuuuuge piece of that is my work.

Getting to do the creative work that lights me up and feels congruent with my purpose and truth and soul.? Sharing my creative essence with the world.? Working with people that inspire me like crazy.

There were many many many many many many times along the way when I was sure I wouldn’t get here.

I am so grateful that I didn’t get up.

 

Next week only, my Creative With Money Kit is a part of the epic Don’t Lose Your Shit Sale – awesometastic offerings from 30+ experts wrangled into one mind-bogglingly valuable package worth $1,500.

Each product helps with either productivity and organization, health and wellness, general business improvement, or some combination of the three.

 

To celebrate, I’m writing about Creative Business every day next week, and then on Friday we’re having a Creative Biz Facebook Party!

 

You’re invited: Creative Biz Facebook Par Tay!

On Friday, August 9 at 2pm Central (click for to see what time this is in YOUR time zone).

We’re meeting on the Creative Dream Incubator Facebook Page (make sure to follow that link and “like” the page so that you can participate in the party!).

When the party starts, I’ll post the photo above of the unicorn and the party will happen in the comments on that photo.

You can:

• Share links to your creative business, or tell us about your creative business dream!
• Meet + chat with other inspiring creative business owners.
• Ask me your questions about turning your dream into your business, or anything to do with creativity + business.? I’ll be there until 2:30 answering live!

It’s going to be superfun!

For now: Like the Creative Dream Incubator Facebook Page? so that you can participate in the party next Friday.

This series isn’t really about business, it’s about the inner process of bringing a dream to life.? It just so happens that my current dream is to bring more of my creative genius into how I promote and grow my business.? So the first part of this post has more business stuff that may bore you if you’re not into business – just skip ahead to the last part, that is still relevant for any kind of dream-growing.

Once I’d finished exploring the last step, Find The Places Of Clarity, the next step was: Now You Can See The Path.

I sat with that and realised – well, yes I did see the path.? Things feel clear now.? Finally! My Treasure Map Provided me with a list of practical THINGS TO DO.

Before I share the list I just want to say that it’s not about the list!? It’s about the process that brought me to the list… which is what makes the list so magic and right for me.? The beautiful part of Creative Dreaming is that each of us has to create our own unique path, at times this is also the frustrating and complicated part.

I’m working with my Create A Map That Leads To Your Dream kit to make the map and using the CrazySmart Wisdom Council in the Creative Dream Circle to get the map to talk to me.? So far I’ve followed the Treasure Map from:

1. Be Present
2. You Have To Trust The Path Before The Path Will Appear
3. Deal With Major Freakouts (Fears, Doubts, Inner Critics, etc)
4. Find The Places of Clarity
5. Now You Can See The Path

And here it is, the very simple plan:

1. Blog more.? Aim for 3 times a week.? But put quality over quantity.? Pay attention to what you are doing that gets the most attention from people and write in more detail about that.
2. Be more consistent about posting inspiring things on Facebook.
3. Create a new free program.? Some kind of Dream Journal thing on the blog.? And do some free calls.
4. Accept that being introverted, even online, means you need recovery time built into your outreach program.? You just can’t do as much as you want to do.

Obviously, the first advice I received about this still stands: Be in the magic and enchantment of your work and share the amazing-ness of it all: openly, brightly and honestly.? This is your work now.? That is the foundation I stand on in this work.

It’s kind of funny how simple and obvious all of this is.? But that usually is the way with Creative Dreaming, but once you start doing those simple and obvious things it all turns into magic.

Blog more.? Pay attention to what you are doing that gets the most attention from people and write in more detail about that.

This one comes with a small caveat: don’t pay attention to what everyone is saying? Pay attention to:

1. The kind of people you want to work with
2. The kind of people who are already buying your stuff

It can take a while to get a sense of who your Right People are, and who they aren’t.

Talking to your Wrong People will only wear you out.? And if you’re writing to your Wrong People you’re going to draw in more Wrong People (I have been guilty of this).

For the past year or so, my blog has been “my journal”.? I turned comments off (because who allows commenting on their JOURNAL?) and just wrote about me and my process of living with my creative dreams.? I needed the outlet to write things out.? And I didn’t have energy for writing blog posts, I was giving all of my creativity to my programs.

Now I’ll be directing more of my creativity to writing inspiring + helpful blog posts.? And by paying attention to what is getting the most attention, I write more about what you’re interested in right now – which will (hopefully!) make my blog posts are even more inspiring + helpful.

Be more consistent about posting inspiring things on Facebook.

I don’t like Twitter (though try to visit regularly), I don’t understand Google + and LinkedIn seems like a foreign country.? But I like Facebook, so I am going to concentrate on Facebook for social media.

There have been times when I would schedule a week’s worth of posts in advance.? This meant I was always consistent but I didn’t like doing it – entering all those posts in felt like a job.? Hiring someone to do it feels obnoxious.? Having things go out that don’t match my mood feels weird.? And the Treasure Map told me to only work with ideas from the I LIKE THIS pile, so weekly scheduling is not going to work.

I also don’t like feeling like I’m supposed to be sharing something, and not knowing what to share, so some kind of plan is needed.? Looking just at the I LIKE THIS pile, my plan is to share something from my morning creativespiritual practice time where mega-inspiring things always happen.

Then, afterwards schedule a few other things just for that day… look inside my heart for what ideas I’d like to put out into the world that day.? I can make this a part of my morning practice fairly easy.? Though I’ll probably miss some days, that’s ok.

Create a new free program.? Some kind of Dream Journal thing on the blog.? And do some free calls.

I’ve already got the Creative Dream Starter Kit as a free thing that introduces people to my ideas and gives them a ton of ideas, inspiration + fuel for walking along their Creative Dream Path.? What I want to create is something new that happens on my blog that draws new people in and gets them engaged.

I want it to be FUN + HELPFUL.? I? want the people who play along to get immediate benefits.? I want them to be having so much fun with it that they tell their friends and write about it on their blogs.? I want me to have fun with it too!? I did something like this when I first started blogging (a year of Creating Dreams Come True posts) and I loved doing it and I loved the community that gathered around it.

And I want to do free calls once in a while.? I have done this in the past and it’s super fun.? The calls can be tied into this new thing, or they can be separate, I’m not sure that matters.? I’ve also been thinking about including a Livestream element to the calls.

Since creating products is in the I LIKE THIS pile I am really looking forward to working on this.

Accept that being introverted, even online, means you need recovery time built into your outreach program.? You just can’t do as much as you want to do.

This one is more important than it sounds!? That voice that keeps saying “OMG What have you even accomplished this week?” SUCKS ENERGY.

Permission to work at a healthy pace CONSERVES ENERGY.

It actually makes it possible to get MORE work done.

This list feels simple, do-able and complete – for now.

At this time, my Creative Outreach Strategy does NOT include anything to do with SALES.

How sales work for me is that people decide for themselves when they want to COME PLAY WITH ME.? I have done a lot of work around creating clear offerings and creating a nicely-lit path that leads my Right People to them (while deflecting my Wrong People so they can go off to find their Right Thing).

My sales are steady, and enough to comfortably support myself.? I trust that more people coming in is going to equal more sales… eventually.

Creative Dreaming is vulnerable work.? Some people come to my website and immediately feel called to work with me.? Others read my stuff for years before signing up for anything.? The timing has to feel right for them, I have no control over that.

How Will I Know If My Strategy Is A Success?

If I’m not counting on seeing an increase in sales right away, what am I going to measure to know if this is working?

The honest answer is that I want to feel inspired + alive in what I am doing with my Creative Outreach Program.? So I’ll know by how I feel.

If you don’t have enough money coming in, it’s likely that if you follow this process your intuition is going to lead you to start with that piece.? Again, I highly recommend this and also have a Creative Business Incubator in my Creative Dream Circle if you want to learn more about my approach to business.

So this is not my End All Be All Final Plan, just a framework to get me started bringing my Creative Genius into how I promote + grow my business, and to wrap my head around what it means for me to be focusing my time and energy on promoting my work instead of creating new programs.

I’m sure my plan will change as I start working with it.? I’ll keep having meetings with the Treasure Map to make sure I stay on the right path.

The Important part is NOT the plan.

The important part is what lead to the creation of the plan: dealing with inner stucks, listening to my inner creative genius, following my intuition and building my path based on all of that.

This works because there is ALWAYS a way to get to where you want to be.? It’s just that that way is usually not the way you think it will be.? So you’re looking at how you think it’s supposed to be, and all you see are obstacles, so you decide there is no way.

Always always always.? Always!

There is ALWAYS a way IF you put the inner work FIRST.

PS: Since I’m going to be blogging more I am looking for blog topics!? If there’s something you’d like me to blog about, leave a comment below and let me know!

This post is inspired by seeing so many crazy-talented creatives struggle to fill online classes or sell their work, and by where I’m currently at in my business.

April, May + June of this year I was in a self-imposed creative cocoon. I was re-visioning and re-creating my Creative Dream Circle.? I cut back on blogging and social media to give more energy and attention to the Circle.

It’s July and I am coming out of that cocoon.? The new Circle is done, and it’s even more amazing than I’d hoped.

Normally this is where I?d take a week or two off to let my creative juices marinate and then dive back in and create my next thing.? I?m not doing that this time.

Instead, I’m going to spend the next 3 months using my creative energy to market + promote my work as my main Creative Project.

But not in the way you think.

NOT by screaming “buy! buy! buy!” to anyone with ears, NOT by putting ads everywhere and NOT by using any of the sales techniques I’ve learned in the last 3 years of taking business classes.

I’m going to do something totally different.

If you know anything about what I teach, then you know that you have to get to know the Heart and Soul of your Dream before you can even begin to understand how to bring it to life, and how the path to your dream is almost never what you think it will be.

You have to let go of ego-logic-thinky stuff and embrace the creative-intuitive-spiritual-feely stuff.

So it should come as no surprise that when I was sorting out what to do next with my business, I spoke to:

• the Heart + Soul of the Creative Dream Circle
• the Heart + Soul of my Business
• the?Heart + Soul of my Dream for What Happens Next In My Business

… and they all say the same thing.? Be in the magic and enchantment of your work and share the amazing-ness of it all: openly, brightly and honestly.? This is your work now.

In the last three years, I’ve been taking a LOT of online business classes.? I know all of the tips and strategies.? But whenever I move towards that kind of approach I step out of the magic and the enchantment.? And it stops feeling right.

The Internet Marketing People Are Right About Some Things Though:

1. People are not paying attention when they’re surfing online. So you need to put your offer out there CLEARLY and OFTEN.? Much more OFTEN than us sensitive creative types find comfortable.? So you have to learn how to stretch your comfort zone around promoting yourself (more on that soon).
2. Most people in your audience, even people who really super totally love you and your work, are NOT going to buy from you.? This is not about you, this is just how the internet is.? Think about how many people you know online that you like – do you buy stuff from ALL of them?? A low conversion rate is not a sign of failure.? It means to go back to #1 and put it out there CLEARLY and MORE OFTEN.

Really – most of us sensitive creative types put our work out with kind of a whisper (I know it FEELS like you’re screaming it from the rooftops because self-promotion is so heart-breakingly uncomfortable, but trust me – you’re whispering) and then feel like failures when that doesn’t work.

This is painful and it’s no wonder marketing, promotions and sales get a bad rap in the creative community.? But really – marketing, promotions and sales are not the problem, it’s just the approach that is the problem.

The #1 Thing That Internet Marketing People Are Wrong About:

You don’t need to push so much – pushing the pain buttons to trigger a sale, pushing your people into high pressure situations, testing which colour pushes people to hit that BUY NOW button… yes these things can generate MORE sales, FASTER.? And for almost everyone – building a solid foundation, step-by-step is worth more in the long run than making as many sales as possible, right now.

There is always a way to make some cash without being a sleazeball.? <click to tweet!>

Pushing gets quick sales but it’s short-sighted.? Do you want a classroom full of people who were coerced into being there, or people who are excited to be there?? Or a bunch of clients who aren’t in it 110%?? Or customers who don’t appreciate or understand the beauty and magic of what you have to offer?

I remember, years ago, sitting in a coffee shop with a friend “I don’t want to be a sleazeball!” I said, almost in tears.? He laughed and said I’m not a sleazeball so why would I worry about it?

I had been leading creativity workshops, healing + meditation circles and doing spiritual counseling/coaching part-time for 3 years.? I was just starting out online.? I was 100% committed to growing my business and turning it into a full-time thing.

I thought to make that happen I had to get better at marketing and do these sleazeball things that seem to work for other people.

And this is the #1 thing that no one talks about when it comes to creatives and business:

Because you’re creative – you actually have an advantage over any and all sleazeball tactics.

You can promote yourself and your work in ways that are as elegant and inspiring as your art is.

When you bring your creative genius into how you approach your promotion, sales and marketing – magic happens.

And I mean bring as much of your creative genius into your promotion, sales and marketing as you bring into the creation of your work.

All that love and attention you give to every detail of your work – give it to every detail of how you promote your work.

All that TIME you give to your work – give equal time to promoting and selling it.? Or maybe even MORE – because you’ve probably got a lot of time to make up for.

THAT is when you’ll see results.

If you have no clue what to, like, DO to market, promote and sell – read some business books, take some business classes.? Start with this one.? You’ll thank me later.

Think of how long it took you to perfect your art, how hard you worked, and how much you sucked when you started.? Know that getting good at selling your art is a similar journey.

You need to learn about the basics and then PLAY with them.? CREATE with them.?? Explore and discover how to do them YOUR way (yes this part gets mighty awkward at times).

You need to not give up just because it’s hard.? Of course it’s hard.? Everything is hard when you’re still learning your way with it.

I know this is the last thing you want to do.? I know you hate marketing and self-promotion makes you itchy.

You’re going to have to get over that if you want to succeed.

It will be easier to get over it if you turn it into a Creative Project – something you can PLAY with.? Make it fun and interesting for you and your right people will feel your vibe and be happy to come play with you.

Yes. Make marketing + promotion a facet of your creative work.

I think of it as CREATIVE OUTREACH.

So, here I am, taking my own advice.

I’m really very good at putting transformational programs together.? I love doing it, I’m confident, I’m in my groove.? In fact, for the last three years I have been constantly creating new programs.? I want to keep doing that.

Instead, I’m taking ALL of my Creative Genius and I’m applying it to marketing and promotion.? I’m committed to spending the next three months doing this, and finding ways to enjoy it.

(Honestly – I’ve already found a lot of ways to enjoy it, it’s really not anywhere near as miserable as it seems.)

This is the work of supporting your work, your vision, your creativity and your purpose.? This is also the work of supporting yourself, and your family.? This is the work of inviting in more flow and ease to all parts of your life.

This is important work.

Bring your best stuff to it (your Creative Genius).

And give it the time, attention and energy it deserves.

If you focus all your time, energy and Creative Genius on making your thing, and none of it on marketing, promoting and selling – you’re selling yourself, and your work, short.

Other people, people with crazy big audiences who sell crazy tons of stuff – got there because they worked, hard, at this part.

There is a fantasy in the creative community that someone will come along and do it for you.? That you’ll be discovered.? That if you get good enough at your art – it will sell itself.

While I clung pretty tightly to that fantasy in my years as a starving artist, I have NEVER heard of that actually happening for anyone.? Counting on it happening for you is the same as KILLING your DREAM.

There is a space between full-on sleazy pushy sales and full-in hiding in your studio and painting all day.

It’s actually a big, beautiful, supportive, expansive, wide open space.? There is room to play.? There is room for you to be YOU.? There is support for you to take charge.? There is possibility and abundance and flow.

Stepping into this space is EMPOWERING.

How I’m Doing It

Monday I wrote about how a session with my Creative Journal transformed my Plans into a Treasure Map.

Now I’m working on the Treasure Map:

 

I’m using my Create A Map That Leads To Your Dream kit to make the map.

And I’ll build the path as I go, as a part of my morning creative/meditation practice.

Today the map told me that I have to trust the path before I can see it.

Well, ahhh, yes, of course.?? I’m sitting with that today.? Letting trust kind of spill all over everything and see what it does… it’s probably easier to turn trust-stained Plans into a Treasure Map than not-trust-stained Plans.

Tomorrow I’ll come back to the map and explore what the next step on the path looks like.

I feel really vulnerable sharing this.

I don’t know where this is going, which is why it feels so vulnerable.?? But I’m also feeling really clear that sharing this process publicly as I work through it is important.

Want to help?

If you enjoyed reading this and want to help me with my mission, I would totally appreciate if you would:

1. Use the buttons below to share on Facebook, Google +, Pinterest and/or Twitter (If you’re reading this in your email, click here to do that)
2. Follow my process over the next three months in whatever way works for you:? Facebook | Twitter | RSS. (This is different from my email list, if you join my email list you get my free Creative Dream Starter Kit and a regular weekly video for several months.)
3. If you know someone who may be interested, or who is learning more about selling their art, please email them this post!

 

And I’d love to hear your thoughts on marketing, selling and promoting your work. Where do you slip up?? Where are you thriving?

Creating ways to successfully share your gifts with the world is an epic, epic journey, I think this is the most important work we do.

This past was part 1 in a series as I was treasure-mapping my way to growing my business, and sharing the honest actual story, AS IT HAPPENS, as I fumble along this path with creativity, heart and soul.

If you want to follow the rest of the adventure:
1. What no one tells you about marketing + creative business

2. Be open to the adventure of being where you are

3. The Path to creative business success.

4.? A plan emerges from the treasure map

5. Why I?ve been stuck, plus exploring EASE and JOY

6. How Ease is the ticket and what that means

7. The End of the Treasure Map