Creativity Coaching - Lesson 14

I want to explore all the different aspects mentioned by Eric Maisel in this week’s lesson.

Private Clients

- This is something that I want to develop but I haven’t so far.  People have approached me but I haven’t done much with the opportunities.

Workshops

I taught a number of workshops this year. Some were very successful and some not as successful.

Art/Yoga Fusion – Gratitude Yantra for Thanksgiving

New Years Day Intention Yoga  (this was highly successful)

Be Your Own Valentine Restorative Chakra Yoga (this was highly successful)

Art/Yoga Fusion – Heart Mandala for Self Esteem

4 Quadrant Goal Setting Mandala

8 week Discovering Your Life Purpose Program

40 Days to Transformation Program

Monthly New Moon Goddess Women’s Circle (the attendance on this monthly workshop has gone up and down)

Art/Yoga Fusion – Dream Exploration

1 month Artist’s Way

Starting August 1 – 8 week Chakra Series

Articles:

I have been writing on my blog but haven’t published anything.  I want to work on that.

Support Group:

I like the idea of a continuing support group for creativity.  I have been hosting a bi-monthly People of Color Yoga and Meditation Group.

Talks:

I have only talked in my workshops.

A Self Created Product

I would like to do that.  I am especially interested in making oracle cards.

A Book Published or Self Published

- I would like to write a book on the symbolism and archetypes of animals in Yin Yoga

Will I maintain an office

- I have the yoga studio with a small room for privates so having a space is not a problem. I would like to have some skype sessions.

How will you advertise

- I have a lot of meet-up groups that’s the main way I have advertised so far.  I need to have a website. I bought an domain name but haven’t done anything with it.  I know I need to tweet more and do more on facebook.  I tried a newspaper ad but it seemed worthless.  I did do some postcards when I started.  I would like to do a monthly newsletter.

Charging

- I have problems charging for private sessions.  I feel more comfortable charging at the yoga studio.

Who are my clients so far 

My ideal client is: #2 and #7.  I have to find them by having more of a presence on social media and by word of mouth.

1) Self-identified creative and performing artists have taken my workshops
2) People who sometimes create and but who are not careerists also have come to my workshops
3)  I haven’t tapped into the people like “creativity for lawyers” or other professional market for my art/yoga fusion workshops.  I have had some of the people in New Moon Goddess Women’s Circle and Life Purpose
4) People with a large dream were in the Exploring Life Purpose series
5) Active professionals – I haven’t attracted many of these
6) People interested in creativity as a concept – I haven’t tapped into these
7) People who can be helped through the use of the creative arts – These are the people I am most interested in but I don’t think I really have found them.

What in a creativity coach’s pitch would attract you and cause you to think about becoming a client

- Referral from someone I trust
- Aligned with my world view and interests in art, yoga and meditation
- Proven results
- Caring attitude
- Feels like someone I can trust
- Seems legitimate because of written articles, professional worksplace, website

MY BUSINESS PLAN

- Become certified as a Yoga  Therapist and Creativity Coach.  Become an ERYT 500 Yoga Teacher so I can offer continuing education credits and lead Yoga Teacher Trainings.
- Develop a presence online – online courses on Udemy or another platform, website, twitter, Instagram. - Trademark Nyasa Yoga Nidra and develop an online training
- Continue giving workshops at the Yogi Tree moving toward some teacher trainings.
- Publish some articles and continue writing on my blog
- Develop some products like oracle cards
- Write Yin Yoga Book and the symbolize and animal energy

Creativity Coaching - Lesson 13 -

If you feel that you want a career in your art discipline, describe what an acceptable career would look like:

1) Finishing the first chapter of my graphic novel, Hymn of the Pearl, and publishing it as a comic
2) Having 6 to 12 students in most classes at the Yogi Tree
3) Teaching Art/Yoga Fusion workshops at the Yogi Tree every other month
4) Consistently making my sacred art (Mandala, Yantras, etc.)
5) Producing online courses in Yin Yoga and Yoga Nidra
6) Having teacher trainings at The Yogi Tree
7) Becoming a creativity coach and a yoga therapist that has clients
8) Having a consistent following in my yoga classes
9) Continuing to develop as an artist and yogini with a consistent practice
10) Healing myself and others

If you feel that you want a career in your art discipline, describe what an excellent career would look like:

An excellent career in my art/yoga fusion career would look like:
1) Having my studio, The Yogi Tree, thrive (meaning 6 to 12 people in every class) with sold out workshops, teacher trainings and great teachers.
2) Teaching Art/Yoga Fusion nationally and internationally
3) Showing my sacred art in galleries and museums
4) Publishing my graphic novel – “The Hymn of the Pearl” which is a journey toward enlightenment with critical acclaim.
5) Having a couple on line courses that give me passive income: Taoist Yin Yoga, Nyasa Yoga Nidra to start with
6) Writing a Book on the Symbolism of Animals and the Elements in Yin Yoga
7) Making oracle cards having to do with Yin Yoga and other Goddess materials
8) Drawing, painting and doing yoga at least 5 days a week
9) Teaching private sessions in Creativity, Yoga and Meditation
10) Continuing to develop my yoga practice
11) Continuing to develop my meditation practice
12) Continuing to develop as an artist
13) Having the ability to live anywhere in the world I want
14) Healing others and myself

Creativity Coaching - Lesson 12 - Doubt

This was the self-coaching question this week I chose in Eric Maisel's Creativity Coaching Training Program:

Is it possible to never doubt yourself?  If not, what does that imply?

“The worst enemy of creativity is self-doubt,” Sylvia Plath 

I don't see how it could be possible for me not to NEVER doubt myself.  But I think I can doubt myself less. I am very good at doubting but I am thinking now about how to  trust intuition more and feelings instead of all the reasons I am not good enough and being overcome with doubt.

I feel vulnerable and insecure about being an artist and I have an incredible amount of doubt.  My doubt can be paralyzing.  I know I need to re-frame the doubt.

The thought "I am not good enough" perhaps can become :

"I am exploring"
"I am discovering my voice"
"I need to work on some tangible things that I am weak at."

One example is that I am having a hard time drawing shoes in my costume drawing class.  I am finding the task difficult every week.  I would like to take some time tomorrow and look online and in my art books about how to draw shoes.  I would like to do some master copies of shoes and see how people like Gibson dealt with shoes. Taking the time to address my weakness and figure out solutions to my drawings problems one by one I believe would help me build my confidence and alleviate some doubt.

Instead of "I am not good enough" I would like to say, this "xyz is not working right now, what can I do to fix it" or "what small tangible thing can I bring attention to."

Creativity Coaching - Lesson 11

1. Ask for something you want.

I want the discipline and the time to work on my creative projects.

2. How do anger, envy, disappointment, and similar feeling color the way you communicate.

Anger makes my communication harsh and irrational. When I get angry I start to shake and my genetic tremor becomes with large.   Finally, I become upset with myself for losing my cool and becoming angry and then I start to punish myself with thoughts about lack of self worth. In the end my self esteem becomes very low.

Envy makes me small minded and sullen and my communication becomes inauthentic. Envy also brings out the martyr in me. I question why someone got something I didn't.  Then I go through a laundry lost of all my faults and become depressed.

Disappointment makes me sad and isolated and leads to lack of communication with me just wanting to hide myself or roll up in a ball. Disappointment can lead to depression. It can also stifle my voice and make me not want to try anymore.  When I get disappointed I lose my clarity and lose track of my intentions and larger goals. 

Creativity Coach Training - Negative Self Talk

2.  Try to notice your self-talk this week.  Write down any self-statements that you find interesting, perplexing, particularly negative, etc.  You don't have to "do" anything with them, just become better aware of them.


I had a very challenging week at work.  On Friday night I got to look at an empty loft space in downtown Los Angeles that I was to make into an art studio for Thursday filming.  The director and producers were adamant that the place look like an artist/professor of painting had lived there for 30 years.  They were also insistent that it look like one artist had made all the paintings.   This artist was supposed to mainly paint his college female students. In addition, there were very specific paintings mentioned in the script: a fat black woman, a hairy man with a large penis, and two paintings that when one was turned upside down looked like the yin yang symbol.

 I wasn't sure how I was going to pull off this enormous task. I didn't panic but I knew it was going to take a lot of work and I also had about ten other sets to dress for different characters before Thursday (a bar, a 2nd grade classroom, a school hallway, a boy's room, a single mom's house, etc. ).  I started to remember artists that I knew and began making calls as we were driving to the next locations to scout for filming.

I worked all weekend for free to find the art and furniture.  I found the perfect artist who had lots of painting who charged a decent price because I also had to function within a small budget.  I decorated all the other sets on the schedule too and by Wednesday afternoon I was completely exhausted.

On Thursday,  when I opened the set.  My expectation was lots of compliments.  That set (I believed) looked fantastic.  But when the director walked in, all that was on her mind, was specific paintings she now wanted, that were never discussed as being needed.  In all the meetings I had attended there were only 4 hero paintings.  Now she wanted miraculously every painting that was mentioned in the dialogue (which before she didn't need to see).  She also wanted to see a bedroom and kitchen dressed, which before she told me when would never see. So I scrambled, moved things around, and got very angry.  My thoughts were, thoughts I have many times:

I hate being a set decorator.

I hate this career why am I still doing after 20 years?

I hate the film and television industry the people in it are cruel and sadistic.

Why did I give up my whole weekend and work for free when I could have been working on my own art or even just relaxing?

Why am I not making a living as an artist?

I can't handle all this stress.

I am terrible under pressure.

I am terrible under stress.

Why do I let these assholes get to me?

Why did I think anyone would be pleased?

Why am I expecting compliments?

Why do I need to be affirmed?

Why did I get attached to this product when I know to stay detached?

Why did I believe the director when she said she wouldn't see the bedroom or the kitchen when experience tells me not trust anything said in the meetings?

Why did I take on finding the scripted paintings when in fact that is job of the prop master.  And now I was wild goose chasing and being blamed for being helpful and a team player?  Why did I not just say that it's not my job.

Why do I focus on the negative?  The producers, cinematographer writers and production design thought the set was marvelous.  Why do I need to dwell on the crazy maker director?