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Start Where You Are

Lesson 2 from: Fulfill Your Creative Purpose

Ann Rea

Start Where You Are

Lesson 2 from: Fulfill Your Creative Purpose

Ann Rea

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Lesson Info

2. Start Where You Are

Next Lesson: Purging Projects

Lesson Info

Start Where You Are

We're going to start off this morning with an introduction tio this students here in studio we had an opportunity to interview them and get to know a little bit about them in a little bit about their hopes, their dreams, their aspirations and their fears so let's start over here so this is, um john muldoon actually, I'm gonna let you introduce yourselves because you're going to need practice doing this so one of the things that happens there's a little primer to this little mini lesson. Little bonus, extra credit. Ah lot of times creative people, they introduce themselves by describing their medium no pun intended, felix. Unfortunately, though, that doesn't really tell us the value proposition that you offer doesn't really tell us whatyou dio and it's hard for people to connect. So, um just give it your best shot and we'll start with john so I'm john alden and I run something called the monthly experiments project, which helps people make changes in their life in a fun way instead of a...

hard way sounds good, pretty good. All right? Okay. And so we're gonna we're gonna learn a little bit but more about you and about your enterprise in about how that aligns with your mission and your your purpose, okay? And next time yoni mary and I'm a digital artist and a teacher so I notice is your introduction has changed so you are introducing yourself by the multitude of mediums that you actually explore and you've tightened it up so that's actually that's a sign that you're gaining some more focus already definitely so just for the folks watching everybody in studio has had a week to work on some assignments there about a week ahead of you but your organ is you're going to notice they're already starting to gain some insights their perspectives air starting to shift would you guys am I overstating it and I'm making overstated claim or is that true definitely true okay all right well good I'm doing my job all right next beautiful color that's a good color on you thank you yeah thank you I'm jen baxter on dh I loved capture people's essence through my photography and writing to help them get their blog's and webb starts sites started well okay jen has tightened it up already too okay and the other thing that I noticed jen is that your statement when you introduce yourself is now more about what you do for others versus what you d'oh right and that's the only way we can connect with the market is if we explain the value we offer others not what we due to express our creativity alone ok the next I I'm kathy holden and ho I encourage creativity through projects that I designed for the handmade from handmade projects trying to tighten this up that's ok, you know what this is all practice were to classroom so go ahead and please screw out everybody including myself yeah, no, we're so we're so go ahead and just mumble through it if you need to die and I do that through a blawg gray just something I made dot com I teach and um and through publications magazines in a book okay, great. All right, now how does that that feels different from the first time you introduced yourself? Oh, yeah. Okay, what changed? Well before it was kind of maybe listing tasks and things that I do you're gonna start your to do list before I mean in a way and you know, I think I'm leaving out that I do this thing that I do that how did you conclude everything is not so much the point? I think people just want to know you want to get the essence of who you are and what you offer they don't they don't want to hear everything that they wanted so they can ask questions and you would have lied with how they might be able to connect with you and if they can't if it's not obvious that they can connect with you, you lied in a way that maybe they know someone who can connect with you, so I'm not a crafter but I obviously I talked to a lot of artists so who knows? Maybe now that I know more about you I can direct them your way I don't you know, like maybe I know people who want to start blog's on dh who are stumbling around a bit maybe I can direct them your way so even though I may not respond to your particular offering I can I will know now how to connect to you two others does that make sense it's very important because this introduction is actually going to lead to most of your business. All right. Last but not least hi, my name is felix lee larma and I am a psychic medium and teacher and so what is a psychic medium uh medium is someone who connects to the spirit world I should say the spirit world connects to me people sit in front of me and I get information about them uh so I'm also concerned myself a teacher I realized in taking this course that I am a teacher and I forgot that yeah cause I'm helping people to open up themselves because we all have access I believe to this great divine right right see what an eclectic mix we have here it's wonderful. So creativity comes in all shapes and forms and, um this is yeah and it all can actually sir, you can really serve your purpose with whatever shape or form your creativity takes and turn a profit and be sustainable and of course that's necessary so now we had an opportunity to meet the students and give them an opportunity to introduce themselves let's cut to the video and let's watch how way started this journey one week ago let's take a look at our how we started this journey one of the big things that I feel holds me back is my my physical appearance I I'm carrying extra pounds and I feel like it's been a struggle my whole life so three top obstacles I've noticed it myself lately because I have really been paying attention is that I have a tendency to self sabotage I'll get into a moment with an artist who will say oh why don't you send me something to take a look at and I will not send the right thing being self employed I take on so many different jobs and I try to play so many different people on dh I tryto try so many different projects that it's just not all coming together as one cohesive thing for me do you see the discipline of the discipline of mediumship then there is the discipline of sales and marketing right great way you just clam up when I hear that because a lot of people think oh he's in it for the money and I'm not really thinking about that because I need to make a living doing the kind of work. Okay, so I'm gonna say, I'm gonna stop you right there because I hear this tape loop going all the time like, oh, no, it's, I'm not a greedy person, right? Okay, here's the thing, if you really wanna have an impact on and really complete your mission at the end of this run on this earth, right, you're gonna have to master a sales and marketing. I'm not the breadwinner of the family, so I've been I've had the opportunity to do a lot of creative things. A lot of people wouldn't have to take a lot of chances and do a lot of fun things that didn't necessarily make money, but it's coming to a point for my family that I really do need to step up and actually justify my time away from them. Um, my three kids going into college in the next year, they'll all be there, and I'd like to really participate more and funding that, so it has come husband, you know, any retirement can enjoy that time, so I do. There is such a crossover for me right now that I feel like there's gotta be a way to do both to enjoy that freedom of all the creativity and all these ideas that I have, and I've dabbled in so many things with them, but I just feel like there's something greater out there that I can get the best of both of those I think more than money port is actually probably my achilles heel little bit and then I won't have the grit and the confidence to stick with it because I won't feel supported fulfilling my creative purpose has been something that I have been searching for for many, many years I'm definitely afraid that there will be either no response a lot of the time and negative response, which there I know there will be right and I think I'm afraid of getting that on my own and then quitting john, how would you describe what you're creative endeavor is? What do you what do you call yourself or call what you d'oh? Um it's? I don't know actually think that that's something maybe we can figure out so being in a craft industry do you take that a serious some of the other artist that you work with it's all creativity, it's all wonderful. I see that because I know that when I wasn't added she and I would tell people did say, what do you do for a living? You know, I designed wine labels or something like that and they understood what that wass when someone asked me the same people would ask me today it's really hard for me to say it without um almost apologizing for it because I'm in the craft industry it feels more soft or um you know sweet and nice and not legitimate perfectionism gets in the way of creating because I have self doubt when I'm creating something you know that I look at it and I'm like is this really good is doesn't have any value with what would other people think of it I need to sketch the blueprints for what I'm building and right now all I can do is imagine bits and pieces of them I can't and I have it I do have like clarity around I know that there's going to be such and such a piece to this in the future and I can't even imagine like backtracking howto build that but I don't have the whole picture I don't know what it's all gonna look like and some of it I don't need to know right now some of that I can figure out along the way but if I would help for me to know what I'm going toward a bit more what kind of reaction am I gonna have to this image um how can I make it better you know? So all of those questions that you go through when you're creating something stifles you from just doing it and putting it out there and being willing to accept critiques from others or um yourself so I'm curious if we have any questions from the chat room if anyone out there identifies with some of these really common themes which one of them that I heard and that I hear is around money that somehow there's a conflict that somehow there's a tension between fulfilling a purpose and actually generating a profit. I hear that same a lot the other theme I heard and I hear a lot I'm wondering if this is also coming up in the chat room is around a lack of support because a lot of creativity generally happens in isolation generally and a lot of creative people feel really lonely and disconnected. Another theme that I heard was perfection itis which is the killer of creativity it actually kills creativity and if I could recommend a book, I'd recommend art and fear to everyone and go right to the chapter on perfection itis right, we actually had one of our viewers, christine says her fear is failure so should definitely resonate with that one. So and but what isthe failure? I mean really failure is is a learning process and you know there's a maid can you should have seen my paintings in art school they were horrid, muddy paintings I learned no, really not there I didn't learn color theory role well and we had a studio and there wasn't a lot of ventilation and they were horrible. I mean, I actually wish I would have saved one of them because they were so bad yet that's now how I working living so it's part of the process is just making a hot mess all and then butt and learning from it. Um so how was it for you guys to hear yourselves one just a week ago? All right, so what? I want to do it I understand it. I want to check in with you and I want to ask you to describe in one word how you felt one week ago and then if you could choose one word to describe how you're feeling right now so we'll start with john how do you feel one week ago? I mean, watching that it's so clear I felt unfocused, unfocused and now I feel focused you feel focused and that's pretty good opposite that's pretty good. That's focuses a huge theme that I hear um and a lot of artists are also the other theme I hear is a lack of confidence and while tell you is if you get focused and you work and take consistent action towards that focus, you will earn confidence you will build confidence and it's not one before the other a lot of people think they have to be confident and then they'll gain focus and it's the other way around, okay, so yoni how did you feel when we take that? I didn't I was a little bit uncertain about the process what was gonna happen and now I feel much more self assured self assured yes so it's along the lines of confidence and focus and tokyo actually okay got another focus I love focus okay jen how would you describe how you felt in one word one week ago I've remember feeling confused confused okay and if you had to choose one word for how you feel today I feel clearer clearer d'oh okay and that's a little bit of focus a little bit of confidence. Okay, great kathy how did you feel one week ago? Yeah, pretty fuzzy fuzzy yeah and I do I have a lot more clarity I think just even in the first week in the first okay. That's pretty good, I believe connected with kathy a little bit art spirit says I so identify um with the situation of, you know, kids going to college and it seems like you do a lot of different crafts and how to get a cohesive business out of it and that's very similar to her situation well and it into a dress that, um it's a fundamental mindset shift, you know, not having to earn a living and doing you know what you want to dio and double here in double there is a very different orientation I think that comes a lot a lot of us decided to give up the job you know, the career stay home with our kids and that crafting sort of came out of that a lot of that creativity came out of that because right? So it's an algerian you're going off to college and here we are like with what we've done, what can we do with it? How could we monetize this? You know right now is that that's where you're at now, okay? And you can there's no doubt it is no doubt in my mind that everybody here couldn't succeed or I would have invited you into the studio there's no way so I have confidence you will then you'll gained more and more focus as this course progresses and then after this course you will also gain focus and you'll make shifts and um yeah and you'll reach out to your mastermind group I'm sure you don't do this by yourself, kathy none ofyou don't don't even try it. I don't do it by myself I have mentors, I have advisors I can't figure I can't do this by myself I'm not that smart, felix how did you feel? We tape that a week ago I felt nervous and probably terrified that I was about to expose my inner self and things that I think about but how brave of you and how and how many people identify with this? You know, even people you think are all pretty and put together let me tell you they're all having the same challenges everybody I don't know if you're lying if you tell me you're not one hundred percent confident about your physical appearance and about how you're perceived everybody's insecure about it and so now how do you feel? I feel more confident I feel more focused just like these guys. Good. Okay, totally really okay. Wow, I got me some focus I love focused it's all about focus and whenever I speak to mentors that's usually the just of the conversation where my where my focusing it's all about focus? Yes. Can you explain more about your mastermind thing that you keep talking of being asked her my sister grow? Yeah, sure. So I created a private facebook group for everyone watching or enrolling in this creative life course. If you go to join dot artists who thrived up dot com, you can ask to join the mastermind group and that's because I know that these are relatively new concepts and it's a pretty ah it's a very different approach than what most artists are most creative zehr hearing so I created this group so that I can help provides some further guidance but you can connect with the tribe who's on a similar path because I, as I said before being feeling isolated and lonely is one of the challenges I mean do you identify with that? Yeah absolutely I mean your pride your most the time you're probably in your craft studio you're either making something or you're blogging that's that's all isolated time right? And I really do enjoy the time alone but there is a tournament of loneliness to it but wouldn't it be nice to say you know I have the ability to go check in on a daily or weekly basis or whatever it is that you need with a tribe of others who are on a state the same path and you could say you know they can they could encourage you or you can ask them for resource is or you can offer resource is and so I just read this book I just saw this interview like that's you know a little thing like that a little exchange like that khun brighten your whole day and it confirm your resolve so that you know you're you could keep going I mean, a lot of this is just keep going it's about never accepting quitting and realize you were going to fall on your ass along the way and you will have to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and figure out what the lesson wass and sometimes that it's just so much easier if you have someone supportive who can say you know, listen to you area area grievance or airier fears and turned the conversation around so that it's constructive so success is definitely it is this is this is a team contact sport it's not you can't do it by yourself and being with clients is not the same even though I know felix you have very intimate contact with people on ongoing basis that's that's very different than having a community or group that's going to help you build your business yeah different people all together and so that's what's gonna happen you know different people stepping into your life so let's take a look at our exercise shall we start where you are? Let me just take a little survey because a lot of you addressed focus and if you had to look if you say well it's just one week ago what were you thinking? Your do you think your happiness and contentment level has risen a bit as a result of that focus raise your hand if that's the case okay everybody nobody hesitated it's everything it's like if you know where you're going you know it's just like I don't adam it's like magic really all right so let's take a look at our books and our exercises you guys had an opportunity to do some work on this um start where you are now I want to acknowledge that the inspiration for this lesson title um craig swanson, who is the co founder at creative life on die we're having a conversation every mentoring conversation on the phone and we were talking about the subject of failure and um and feeling distant and feeling disempowered has anyone ever felt that so he made it really brew I thought was a brilliant insight he said that the two times that would cause two things that would cause him to feel disempowered were if he was doing one of two things if he wasn't in the present moment you know, just thinking of the future or if he was comparing himself to others I mean, what is thie what what good could come out of comparing yourself to others? Really we have but we have a tendency to do this a lot and artists have a tendency to do this a lot creative people do this it's like a competitive it's like I don't know what it is but I want to address I want to address one of the elephants in the living room amongst artists is envy and competition have you ever felt that well envy in competition I mean do we even start? We were oriented to enter competitions that's no good why we started the mastermind group it's not about competing there is room for everybody there is money on the table for everyone it's not about competition it's about just you know, really reaching deep and finding out who you are and what you stand for and being really honest about where you are today so if where you are today is you don't understand sales, you have no idea about sales and you've got an attitude that's bad about sales will then maybe one thing you could do today is learn about sales, you know, like write read a book so I recommend the sandler sale system, by the way, right? So it's, this is about starting where you are and figuring out what you need to do next. One of things I talk about in the workbook is, um and that's another issue, but it's related I went to go see an author uhm named marsha scimitar because she wrote a book called do what you love and the money will follow. And when I was working in a corporate cubicle that sounds really good to me. So I did only went and got the book and read the book. I went to go see her and have her sign it so she did two things. She gave one piece of wise advice when she autographed my book and what she wrote in my book was know thy self that was bureau that was a good piece of advice from this author, but there is something really flawed about her title do what you love and the money will follow the money is not just going to follow do what you love starting with that is absolutely true but the money will only follow if you master sales and marketing that's it just like any other business so I want you to really take an honest assessment of where you are when it comes to the subject of sales and marketing I'm going to assume that you've mastered your craft or you're well on your way but that is only one half of the equation after that it's about sales and marketing I got good news for you marketing is fun because in essence it's just creative problem solving in sales is not what it's been portrayed to be it's just a conversation or you could make it that way or you could make it something you can you know decide in your mind it's manipulation so I want to take a little survey of where you feel you're at in terms of sales and marketing what your attitude is that where your attitude's out with it so john what's your attitude about sales and marketing just be honest because the truth will set you free I mean I'm a marketing consultant so you're pretty good on that one but but I'm better at doing for other people I'm not a cz good at selling myself doing my own marketing okay? So that's honest yeah and I think we talked about that briefly that you have this enormous skill set for marketing online and yet have not applied it to your being channelled outward instead of inward but do you have us does that does that? Um is that clear now as a result of yeah that you have this huge resource in your back pocket that everybody here would kill for yeah, it feels it honestly it feels it feels bad to think about what a waste I mean, it feels bad if I think about how much time I've wasted it feels good to think about here is a resource I can use that I haven't taking advantage of. All right? Let me address this issue of wasted time because of anybody wasted time I wasted time right at a decade where it didn't paint or draw anything and he worked for corporations and hated it the whole damn time but it's all about how you frame it without that long walk in the sad, ugly desert, I would have not had the resolve that I had when I decided to move to san francisco and paint for a living so I would encourage you to frame it that way and also I don't also encourage you to frame it in the end with a with a view of you about all this time to practise with other people, so now you can now you've got your you know your knife sharpened right? You can really use it on yourself you'll be even more effective you know it's it's about the story you tell yourself okay and now you worked in sales uni right? Yes I did and so I understand the sales process I feel confident in that and same thing with marketing I understand how it works I about it when it comes to you and your artistic enterprise a lot like john and so I think that has to do with confidence and motivation teo just apply that and put it into action so lack of focus again has gotten in the way of me doing that but I have started to do that and seeing the success of it so I know how important sales and marketing are so I'm about committing to small bite size actions what are you willing to do by the end of next week to further your sales what's one thing you could d'oh I have some leads that I have hesitated to follow upon can you think in your mind now of one of the leads that is the most likely to convert into a sale yes you got in your head got it? Are you willing to report back to everyone here that you followed up on that lead? Yes. Okay, easy how do you feel about that now that you've committed to the small action stuff it's easy when you break it down into small little bits it's not this overwhelming cloud of sales and marketing it's like in a trice scary day at a time that's really scary it's all about bite size one one step at a time and being consistent taking that step every day that's it okay so you do everyone here her did everyone out there here she says you're going to do it you're accountable to a worldwide audience no problem thanks ann you're welcome gen which your attitude about sales and marketing and the truth will set you free be honest please because you're representing all the people watching so I I was in sales when I had a court when I worked for a corporate corporation so I have a pretty healthy attitude towards sales I feel it's all relationship building and I am not intimidated by it market is about relationship building so I'm glad you said that it is about that people buy from people who they like and they trust and they genuinely like and they trust yeah it's not that complicated okay so you have a sale you have that skill set how does that translate to your own sales? Do you follow up on your own leads? Do you keep track of your own leads? Do you do you guide the conversation towards our clothes to qualify your prospects so I definitely follow up okay I definitely start conversations and then I'm actually great keeper in toucher even if someone's not ready I'm not ready or were like were constant I actually go back and forth of people a lot ok checking into another doing I'm good at that um I'm not ah right now well right now that's I'm not closing anything and I'm not tracking anything I'm only tracking it in my head or maybe in my address book so when you worked in a corporate environment and you worked in sales would you would you would you keep your job very long if you just tracked it in your head oh god I mean we had somebody spreadsheets and we're accountable for so many things that I get the system and no I'm not doing it e could be really honest about that so good all right so one of things I talked about a lot is the realization that you are both your boss and your employees so um how do you rate yourself as a boss of the sales department I'm like a temp you're acting like a town boss how are you acting like an employee which your were yet um like he did a sort of an administrative assistant sort of like doing what I think I need to do just to get by during the day. Okay, so how profitable do you think your enterprise is going to be with that management system in place go down in flame all right, but the thing is you can't fire you can't quit and you can't fire your boss there's nobody else right now, right so what conversation could you have where you're at right now again the theme of this exercise is starting where you are now let's just deal with where you're at now deal with your employees what is deal with your boss so what is your employees need to hear about sales from the boss so the employees needs to hear that you actually need to be motivated to generate your own leads you actually do some research to figure out okay who can I contact who needs this? Who can I talk teo and come up with a list actually in contact addresses so this just pretend we'll do a little role play you're the boss you can't fire this employee although you would if you could write kick her out the door right now I'm not doing anything. I'm following up and she knows how to do it right? What would you say to her what would I favor? Yeah she's filing her nails and drinking coffee what should you not doing anything? No spreadsheet anywhere we need to pay the red good. Okay, all right, we need no we need you need like we need to work together here and you actually need thio uh get more motivated and generates police and at least start small and come up with a list of a list of people that you could reach out to you that we could start to follow up on all right so good good management is really specific yeah, well, how many leads find my nails? We'll start with twenty and and start from there and say today all today no in like a month a month well, I wanna work twenty leagues. What is that kind of like your attitude right? But you see you said by saying you have to come a police like I'm already not motivated so that's going to go anywhere um right felix but if you say give me something bite size tell me what I don't tell me what I have to do in a month because I might quit in a month I'm gonna go get a massage in a minute anyway, right? I'm just gonna I'm just gonna get this office. So if you might want to say something like all right by the intended end of today I want to see some kind of tracking system you know, the one we were using before that's in place and I want you to follow it off on three leads or something very specific so isn't it easier direction for that employees to follow and this isn't this is bite size I'm going back to the bite size action step all right, well let's talk to that boss let's talk the book has the boss yeah, what is the employees need to say to her boss uh this is she's gonna wear it around an improvement plan we're looking at her performance today so she says you know what I really do want to pay the rent and I really do want to be motivated and if I don't enjoy it here I'm gonna go look for something else so how about if you since you're the boss you give me some clear direction no idea yeah and you actually give me some ideas and and a deadline and then I will do what you need and we could talk about it and see what I can come up with after that that's a pretty good employee and I'm a pretty good employee like I just have never been you know, taking it further and that is the thing most of us are you good employees but the boss thanks and we actually have someone who is tuning in and would really like to know what questions do you or can you ask yourself in order to figure out your elevator speech or introduction of who you are what you d'oh um it looks they say I am and do too many things to narrow it down so how can you get started? Thiss whole course is designed to answer that question to fulfill your creative purpose and it's very difficult and awkward to introduce yourself when you yourself do not know your purpose when you yourself do not know which target market you serve or what value offer the markets a place so what will generally happen is creative people will just describe the medium they use and so that's I'm gonna guess that's probably where that listeners at so the I'd like to give you a short answer but there is no short answer to what is your purpose mission value proposition and target market you need to take the whole course and at the end of the course if you're during the course jump into the mastermind group uh I mean really get help get some feedback and one thing I'll tell you all everybody listening your purpose your mission is not related to your art, its value above and beyond your arts if you come up with something that's talking about your art I'm telling you're not doing it the right way hang in there and go through the whole course and you have the best chance ever to make a very clear and confident and focused introduction best chance ever this is what this whole this whole course is going to break down had someone asking um from our online audience as well and we had a couple votes on this one how do I overcome a fear of success well sets a pretty general question so I'm gonna go back to my tick bite bite size pick one thing that intimidates you pick one thing that, um you know you need to dio and I'm gonna tell you something this whole thing about I'm afraid of success I'm gonna call b s on that that is not true people are not afraid of success that's like saying I'm afraid of happiness I don't want any happiness you know what they're afraid of when they say I'm afraid of success what they're really afraid of is the responsibility that success demands that's what they're afraid ofthe so let's be real honest about that nobody doesn't want success nobody are you afraid of success are afraid of it okay, but the responsibility of it is that sometimes feels a bit daunting you know? Right. Okay. All right. So kathy right marketing and sales marketing a sales love marketing you love my god and the concept of marketing and branding and I think I have that nailed on. The thing is is I've been marketing my own brand for so long with nothing to sell so right that's right? You had no you've got built up a following and yet there's no, I mean at one point I had a book I mean, I still have a book but the book is not huge it's, your book is usually a mechanism to sell other things like that would that would have been the only actual physical thing I ever had to sell. Okay, so part of this journey is to help me focus on what do I have to sell? Okay? And what in my brand? So make that a goal and we'll talk. We'll talk about that during our one on one. You know what? What? That could be. Okay, you're still gonna have to identify your purpose in your mission first before you get into, um, you know, developing additional revenue streams follow, follow the process. I wouldn't make a comment about sales and marketing. Typically, people who are really good at sales are not quite as good at marketing and vice versa. And I'm an example that love, marketing, love, love, love, marketing because it's creative problem solving I'm much weaker in sales, much better marketing, so I have to learn to get better in sales. And yeah, so none of us are perfect. Be frank, be frank, be teaching in tuning in. You know what? I'm not sure, but it looks like we have a very wide range of audience sted ok, he says it seems the assumption for the courses that participants you are well on their way to mastering their respective crafts so what if one person were even partial? Mastery is not yet present, so they don't really have a clear vision of what it is that they want to dio so can an address how to navigate the situation in which a person recognizes the undeniable need to pursue the creative path without having much clarity about witchcraft or practice or master well, you have to get to a certain level of mastery over a craft of over whether it's writing or photography or painting you have to get there because there's there's no point you know you could have some you have to have some talent before he starts selling it, you know you have to do that so I would say, um, you know, experiment have fun follow, you know that they're at a place where that opportunity just, you know, feel it and follow their bliss and yeah, but they're not ready to go in business yet exactly, um, we have someone else wondering how do you stay passionate about serving when you're not making any money and this could either come from you or from maybe any of the students who are here today and want provided they're not making any money they're not serving okay it's just that simple they're not yet serving, so figure out how you conserve and then you'll start making money and you want to serve more and more and more and more great person nothing more inspiring than selling a painting and selling an article than booking a group reading right? I mean does anything fill you with more inspiration? It's the most inspiring thing it's great it's very affirming someone has, you know values what you do and they've received joy and whatever it is that you offer it's fantastic it's the best form of inspiration you're looking for a muse sell something that's a great muse all right, so um sales were yet cathy what's your what's your attitude about sales I think I'd have to have that defined because the kneejerk reaction is you know, let's have that the kneejerk reaction a sales person selling a product and that's what comes into your mind a sales person selling a product and so and a product of service oh, and what does that mean? It's typically ah hard sell and it's not always a comfortable being on the receiving end of sales and I'm asking you about your attitude like well, how do you show up when it comes to a sale? It sounds like your general perception of sales being honest is negative is that fair? I don't know if it's not so much negative I I'm not sure I think it's such a broad's word, so I'm not I'm not thinking of it as to how it pertains that that's a good point, it is a broad word. One of the books I'll recommend is daniel pinks book to sell is human and also recommend that you tune into the good life project and watch jonathan feels interview with daniel pink about to sell us human because we're all selling, um, so in trouble understand that the difference between marketing and sales well, they're very different disciplines like so marketing is basically making a target market aware of your value proposition if your goods and services and how it can solve a problem for them or alleviate the pain and then the sale is an individual, um, conversation or transaction. Okay, then I would say it's probably an awkward situation awkward you feel or can you recall the last time? But you managed to sail? When was the last time? Well, I just put something on etsy recently, and I talked it up and it's selling really well, so I guess I'm not that afraid of it, but I guess I would have thought of that morris marketing so well, yeah, so that's a different thing because you're actually just you're putting on online and you don't have to deal with the individual seaming face to face a face to face. Yeah because if you think it's gonna all happened by putting it online and you're just never gonna have to talk to anyone or have a relationship with anyone I'm gonna turn to our in house expert on this which is john because john helps a lot of creators sell online right has over the years so john can they just sell online and never have to have a conversation or develop a relationship with a strategic partner our client no I mean you can't sell anything without a relationship because the currency that drive sales isn't money it's trust and that's what that's like you have to create that and like that takes some kind of interaction without doing that you're never going to sell anything I can't just do that online sorry I just have no interest you I just can't email or prince press send you can't there's no magic copyrighting there's no magic thing that will replace trust that's what that's what making money is I mean in addition to creating value if you have to create value and trust to make money everybody here that I mean don't we all know that for ourselves gonna buy from someone you don't trust anybody I mean let's maybe you're stuck in the middle of the desert and you needed a camel there's only one person with water in the ocean maybe you'd say all right but the internet's pretty big so yeah well a lot of choices were a lot of ways to do things right so yeah that's excellent yeah you have to build relationships and you get comfortable of that conversation it's just a conversation and you want to find out you don't want to manipulate anyone because what would happen if you manipulated someone you will lose everything so my experience in building trust and sales is it's really about listening it's about listening to what the person needs it's about listening to what they say it's about hearing actually what their problem is and then offering a genuine solution to excellent point that you actually follow through on and provide excellent excellent point and you may not have the solution right and if you want to keep trust then you have to admit that and say it's just not a good fit that's where your network comes in so handy in my experiences because then you say but you know actually I know someone maybe who would help you write and then your building that night work you came to me looking for a dog portrait what am I going to say you know I can't help you I might know someone who can just not my area of expertise so I do get request every now and then things like that which kind of leads me to a question that one of our audience is it a dog portrait person no it's not there wondering what if we have the mastery of the medium we use but still hesitating with the specific stout to adopt so maybe in correlation with that means so maybe in correlation with you you knew that you loved painting right? How did you know that you didn't want to paint dogs or how did how do you find what aspect of the business you're trying to go and if you really have no I said so what painting various landscapes it has to do with my artistic curiosity and interest which is color and called and light which is actually light is just color and that is best represented in the natural landscape nature reflects color so a dog on ly reflect so much color it's really that simple it's not would not be the highest and fullest expression of what I'm interested in artistically it doesn't it's incongruent with my artistic interests so there's no I'm there's no point in me pursuing painting dogs but someone who's really interested dogs they should be paying dogs right? So what would you suggest to someone who knows exactly what they want to dio but maybe not what specific and detailed kind of narrow it down so they wanted so they want to be a painter but they don't know what their target objective if they say they want to be a painter and that's all they're saying they don't know exactly what they want to dio uh that's not it that's that's pretty broad go looking you know, go to the art museum there's a pretty broad representation of painters it's going to come back to take the entire course and understand your purpose understand your mission take a really honest inventory of yourself, get a deep connection with your own values and that and your interests and start with who you are and do do you and you have two marshals? Scimitar was right when she's autographed my book do what you love and the money will follow no, they self you have to know that you have to know yourself particularly as a creative because we are thought leaders we are thought leaders so you have to know who you are and what you stand for and that demands a certain brutal honesty, vulnerability and emotional maturity in order to know who you are and what you stand for and to be able to stand confidently in your truth even if someone wants to throw a spitball at you that's where you have to get teo and that takes time and it's never ending do you mind if I address that? Um there was a time when I I knew I like graphic design I knew like crafting but I liked so many different things and I had trouble nearing down what do I want to do so pinchers you energy is one way to address this question yeah, well actually pinterest help me with that a lot in that um I would spend saturday mornings with coffee and I would just kind of go through the internet and I would only post things into my boards that they hadn't gave that I had a reaction to not just that I thought was pretty but did I was like, oh no, no, that feels really good I love it so after a few months I would just look at my boards and I go wow, I'm really into you know this, but I really saw this pattern and decided that's really what I love and I'm going to stay focus as an excellent suggestion just start following your interests just start following that thread, you know, there's no should in any of these conversations it's just do you do follow your bliss follow you're interested in I don't care how wacky it may sound to other people doesn't matter, you know, if you're into cowboy hats and I don't talk to it, I talked to a painter in canada and she was really into like a western something or another this like pretty you know this particular niche and she was kind of doing something that was incongruent with that particular passionate interests, so what do you do that for? This is what you love, go, go do that. Marcia senator was right in that part of her book. Just the other part she got stop that's, why I'm here, wei don't always know what that is until we like for me, that was a great way to catalog this so I could stand back and violate your matters. You have to feel it, right? You felt it when you saw the pinterest board, you felt it right when I would see individual pictures, and then I would put them all together. I could see this common you thought you hunting through it and said, I see now what it is that I do love, because if I just walked through the day thinking these things, um, I'll forget tomorrow think other stuff, but this is a real visual kind of a visual board for me to see it right all at once, that this is the this is why that was reflecting a pattern back to you is because you felt it, so we can't like here's how we're different from people who are unmet saying that people who code computers are dispassionate, unfeeling people. I'm just saying that we have to lead our currency is emotion, and so you think I started that said that in the promo video, we deal with emotion you have to feel what you feel the viewer who asked questions about finding out what their passion is, where their focus is feel it I mean, your heart will tell you didn't your heart tell you, felix basically that you got a giant smackdown from the universe and I was listening and when you listen it all flowing started flowing started coming together beyond my control I knew was what I wanted to convey and what I wanted to share and you felt it yes, I just knew it felt it right your hand's been up? Go ahead. I just wanted a second on that. Um when I was a young photographer, I was shooting all different kinds of things, but I knew I was intuitively drawn to certain types of photography and not to others because they didn't fit with mai, right? Um and so I thought I started following that path of, like, what do I really love to shoot? And when you ask yourself those questions when you're in the moment of creating, you know what really brings you joy and what do you feel most comfortable with? Your intuition will lead you to those things and that's what you should practice and that's what that person should develop and become an expert at because you do have to focus on a topic or specific genre tickling you needed fifty and american idol. Exactly. And then when you're doing it, you will know, and you will become an expert at it. Right? Exactly. That's excellent advice. Yeah, excellent advice. You have to feel even what is your make? Your heart flutter like I'll see. I live right across in the ocean and I am in bliss when I look out and I see colors, layers of colors on the ocean early in the morning or when the sun is setting, I feel like I'm looking at a big rothko painting every day, and I am in love with that view. I get so much energy out of looking out my window or and it made sounds wacky, maybe to other people, but I'll see a shadow in a room and I'll see colors in that shadow, and I'll see colors vibrating, and it I'm I just love it absolutely love it not going to turn john on right, but but I'm gonna get really excited about that relate to that and because color and light is so important to me, too. And I can understand your emotions going through those kinds of experiences because, ah lot of people look at the sunset and they think it's beautiful, but they don't necessarily respond the way an artist might, right right? It doesn't just let her do this sunset it could be like a thick fog on one of my one of my favorite paintings I did was the fog was that barely see anything? One of my favorite paintings of monet raises his snow siri's where it's just white on white and I am in love absolutely in love with the subtlety of color in a vibration of color that is what makes me very happy and blissed out so that's what you do we figure out what you love and then you know what? Someone else probably love it too and whoever in and who in and everybody else doesn't matter it just doesn't matter. I think one of the things another pattern that I see another universal fame is a lot of artists creatives think that they have to solve everybody's problem or have everyone like them it is just that is your that's the fastest path to failure is trying to please everybody that's not gonna happen so it's so ass backwards can't look at it that way all right last but not least felix so when we were interviewing you talked about sales and marketing, you kind of shrink up are you right now with it? Well, I had experience in sales before college I stole books from door to door and that was the first time I got, you know, door slammed on me no and I learned that the ref gave more knows the better because it was leading to a yes so in that way I respect and understand sales but with this work that I'm doing now it's kind of like I don't focus on that I do know that as I tell as I read someone and it's a good experience for them they will share it with other people I'm not even focused on that so in that way it's kind of self generating when it comes to marketing I really I have no idea like I'm just not a sales marketing kind of a guy okay, so you feel pretty comfortable with sales um and if you've done door to door work that's debts and brutal stuff I learned early on right? And it really helped me now but let's let me just pride a little bit further about sales as it relates to, um you're a current your enterprise not selling the encyclopedias for someone else what's your comfort level in making a sale for your own services I feel very comfortable and it's I don't really focus too much on it people know my rates, they know what a group rate costs yes, they're fine with that that's it I don't talk about it or we don't really discuss services have been selling themselves too because you get so many referrals sure however you want to take it up a notch well I wantto I want to be able to have I want to be able to reach more people because I'm only just one person and I have so much energy in my day and I do see with a lot of one on ones allow that energy gets zach yeah and so I know there is another way right that's why I'm here okay good all right well you're in the right place and you may win a conversation with john because jon is from re willing to have a conversation with felix about talking to felix okay because he's helped a lot of content creators build their platforms online expand their presence their footprint online and there's many ways to do that right and he could talk to you about some of the options group that would actually extend your extend your platform considerably and help you can you come up with some ideas help him leverage is time so he's not trading time for money every day six days a week five days a week thanks for selling me you're welcome e says it is how it is how it's done right well I know you know like so it's again it's about relationships and it's about like I have conversation with john I know what he does he's told us what he does and now I can look I'm already referring business back and forth, right? It's just that simple it's about having a conversation that's thie that's it say we just did sales just now are there any comments from the chat room? I said anybody else have a haven't admission about their attitude about sales and marketing because you know what? It's okay you know if you say you don't if you don't like it so you don't like it own it let's work through it we actually have a lot of engagement amongst each other with our viewers but we have a question in particular from frida lin who's asking can and talk more about the fear of responsibility so knowing that you just have to get something done but you have this fear that it's just kind of lingering there and you kind of have to get to it and can you touch base a little bit? So what is there a specific question or just so similar to some students? She says I'm good at building relationships but I'm afraid of following through for some reason I don't think she's afraid of following through I don't I'm not sure I believe that if you're asked her she's really afraid of following through or if she just maybe hasn't set up a system to follow through you stick it on your calendar, stick it on your calendar and say I'm gonna do this at one o'clock or something like that and if she's struggling she's not alone go to join dot artist who thrive dot com joined the mastermind group or find a friend say look you know what? I'm kind of struggling with this I'm not always following through and I know I need to is that frida frida join the mastermind group and find somebody who will who make sure that you start to develop a habit of following through so steady easy you know loan frieda because all of us sometimes don't want to do stuff we need to dio is there anybody in the room who doesn't like never ever just always wants to do what they're supposed to dio anybody you want to give an example, yoni well, I was just relating to that because I certainly have had that experience and I think it's more a fear of failure and I think you're right not wanting to you know, you know, just being afraid that if you make that first step maybe it won't come happened so if you don't make it your perfectionism is stifling if you don't make it then you don't have to fail exactly you know great anywhere though so then you feel better go ahead and fail we're all here for you it's how your hand go up? Yeah, just into the question it's a really good question and it's it comes from not knowing how you serve people because once you know exactly how you serve people then you're going to find people everywhere it's not online or in person you're you're going to see opportunity every everywhere you look yeah this is a this question may be the cart before the horse which I'm famous for saying to my artist clients all the time please don't put that part before the horse please stop it stop it stop it I understand who you are and what you stand for understand your purpose understand what your mission is what typically artists want to do first thing they wanna do is put up their website maybe get some business cards printed but we don't know what business during yet does anyone recognize that pattern right but we in it so it's confused so let's talk about starting where you are today and the ugly monster of envy and comparison so who's compared themselves to other people in this class not necessarily tell each other but to other people okay alright who's willing to volunteer who they compared themselves too nobody john who did you compare yourself tio I don't have a person that I compare myself to the physical person isn't me I actually compare myself to unimagined version of myself it's made better choices so you can like go back in time and say here's a turning point where I could have made a certain choice that would have left me in a different place probably a better place and I compare myself to that and for one that's not helpful if I'm just feeling crappy about how this guy making how much really awesome that guy could be than me and hopefully I mean the value I hope to get from doing that is learning how to make better choices when I see another opportunity come up because they're always be another choice to make so that I can hopefully make a better choice which I don't always but great so it's pretty fruitless yeah, but that's that's how I compare myself to some like fantasy version of myself that feeling pain going way smarter braver that leads to depression you when you when you um look back on the past and however have regret you're gonna get depressed there's no doubt and if you fixate on the future and you're not present you're gonna get anxious and I know because of experience both of those conditions clinically for a number of years and thank god I don't any more intimately familiar with this head trip I wantto also mentioned something that cracks once and said in passing but I thought it was brilliant um he said if he had met you know who he is now ten years ago he'd be very intimidated by him what interesting honest admission he'd be kind of scared mrs guy, right? So but remember he was where he was, you know, ten years ago or before that where was a so you're exactly where you're supposed to be and you all have the potential to go where you want to go and it's only going to hurt you to compare yourself to others if you wanna look at others for a sort a sources of inspiration that's great, but just be really careful that you're not getting into competition or jealousy those air feelings of resentment and they're very negative and they're very destructive and they're not going to help you build relationships, you know? But it's common artists are bad at this in traditional, um, business community it's like really much more natural to network find mentors and build advisory boards? I don't see that happening with artists and it needs to stop we need to change it and that's one of the reasons why it created at least started with the facebook group is a mastermind group, so you can all connect with one another. All right, I think you're probably more in tune with where you are now. I think if you do, you feel like you've made a more honest assessment of where you are as a result of this past week do you have? Do you have a more honest baseline of where you are? You don't have all the puzzle pieces, pieces, right, but a little bit more honest, maybe about where what you needed to d'oh okay so what I'd like you to do now is just volunteer and tell me where you think you are like pretend that you have a solid mentor, you're going to your own mentor right now and you're gonna be very honest in very supportive and you're gonna say, look, this is where you're at and this is your next best step, I'll give you example, where did things that craig said to me is? And you need to start a podcast like a man podcast that so, so complicated what I do, I drag my butt to the podcast in class and the night drag my butt to the other podcasting class, so you know, he's smarter than me don't listen to him, but that's, what I gotta do next, I know that's what I gotta do next, right? And I'm I am they were, so let me describe how I feel about it. I feel excited about it and then I feel overwhelmed about it, and then I feel like I don't do that right now I got this other stuff to do and then I think, you know, but that would be really good, so I'm having this little ping pong match in my head, but regardless of those thoughts, I'm going to start a podcast great let's go do it anyway, because it's, what makes sense someone smarter said that was a good idea I listen to him all right? But we don't all have somebody right now, coach us along but oftentimes you already have our own answer we don't actually need someone to tell us we already kind of know we need to dio is just that when someone else tells us what to do now we feel like a rattle listen and we'd be embarrassed if he didn't do it because I just said it to a worldwide audience now I really have to do it so felix where you stand today, okay? And do you want to increase your platform? I know you wanna leverage your time you're maxed out you know what your next best move iss where are you today and what do you need to do next? I am at a pretty good place in terms ofthe how things have been going but I know things can get better and so there's a tendency for me to be complacent. This is helping me to look at those things I need to change. So the first thing I need to do is so I want to stop because what you did recognize is you have a tendency to be complacent you made a little honest assessment of one of your weaknesses you can overcome yes, absolutely overcome all right and so go ahead, start doing more allowing myself to do more video because people have asked me and I've always said no because I'm just not sure I don't you know, I like I said confidence issues with being in front of the camera and I feel like I've kind of jumped some hurdles in that well, you were on video, you're on video now you're bravely on video when we were interviewing you and I'm just going to ask you to think about this question I know that you have an incredible impact on people's lives and the people around them okay? So you can entertain this issue and let it stop you or keep jogging in golden gate park and get yourself in front of camera and help more people so what's more important to entertain this issue that you can fix and you will fix or to get in front of that camera and go help more people and be of more services broader audience what's more important, that bullshit or helping people helping people done? Absolutely okay, so what's your next move, what are you going to do? And you're going to talk to john okay, and what do you see is the next milestone that you would like to reach when it comes to your business? What would be a great milestone for you to strive for an online presence? Video blogging, okay, right about my day experiences please pick would pick one milestone okay so when I let me let me let me to find a milestone okay a milestone is launched a new website is a milestone okay or get one hundred people on the email list is a milestone and action is to you know talk to done or teo bright some content that's an action item so there's a number of action items that you have to complete in order to reach a milestone so what's the milestone you really really want next what launch a new and improved interactive website okay got it everyone here um everyone to support felix can can I ask people all around help felix just invites um you know like go visit his website go help him out like go talk you know you open to that you get some help absolutely yes okay. Thank you all right, kathy where are you now and what do you know? You got your giant you've got your all knowing mentor sitting right beside you she's got your back she wants you to succeed. She knows you have potential she's going to have an honest moment with you right now and say cathy this is where you're at what would she say? She'd say clear your plate which clear your plate clear your plate what does that mean? Get rid some project get rid of projects that are just you know someone will ask me would you like to contribute to this? And I'll say, sure, I'll go work up something for that. And I just kind of keep doing it's a little bit some money, it's, just nothing. Um, clear your plate stopped taking on extra tasks and start focusing on. And I would say my milestone would be video. What do you mean? Video video? To what end? Um, creating a line of videos where I demonstrate how to make things vs the state just just put any videos. Oh, one two followed. Very serious. And I think would be an ongoing that would be my new platform, not law. Give me specifics. Maybe I need a good boss. So I need specifics. You have to figure out how to actually do that first. But if I let's say, I had that established okay, so I'm gonna get specific then for you. So creative lives. An amazing resource goal. Look through the catalog. There are courses on how to create a video. Presents go by that course and start with that. Okay, unless you already took it. Did you take? No, I didn't. But I don't know that I want to actually learn. That end of it I feel like that I know one thing that you become the video production person I understand how you create a video siri's or video marketing to understand more about that and choose a specific goal like I'm going to have ten done in the can or whatever it is that you really want just help your employees with some specific direction about what her next backs best step is your life change your mind by the way you're allowed to revise these things but the more speak you can't head towards a goal if it's fuzzy you need to know what city you're traveling too when you get in the car can't say, you know, just generally this way where you going? So be a good boss so you've got a lot to teach you've already got a great platform so I'm also going toe, you know, is it that you need maur or do you need to create some products to sell? I mean and I think that would be my next step, I think that's why I didn't want to throw on both together and so just line them out, prioritize no, I would like them to kind of work hand in hand but I can only do one task at a time only do one thing and focus on figuring out great how I can get into video, right? Okay you're gonna learn more about that right? Everybody here cathy anyone could help cathy help cathy please okay, jen, what is where you at right now being really honest so that tell me if this is too basic if I'm being really honest myself, I need to get really clear about who I am, what I stand for and who my tribe is that is an absolutely brilliant spot on insight that's exactly what you need, teo, in my opinion that's exactly where you need to be a good yep. Yeah, and so what you gonna do next to help you get that clarity? I couldn't leave the course, of course. So I really, um, something sparked with creating my creed, okay, to actually do the homework a little more. Okay? Like, I know really that is all you need to do. So that is your next objective. You just this is all designed to serve what you need to do next, so you just need to do this work. Yeah, and I mean, do it again actually began do it do it again. You need to do it again. Yeah, he's that's why these workbooks are great because you'll do this, and then you'll realize, you know what? I didn't really figure that one out need to go back and do that again, yeah that's how I feel okay I mean I feel like it was a good start absolutely and that's the hardest part you know get a good start yeah okay so everyone here what she said we're going to check in with you see how things were going see if you're gaining clarity and remember your purpose in your mission and not related to your art okay it's not about you it's about them when you make it about them then it will be about you all right yoni your your sage you're you're wise version of yourself has sat down beside you move john over a bit and said here's where you stand here's react right now what does she say? Well I was thinking about that while everybody else was talking of your mind yeah comes from a good I'm a little conflicted because I have two things going on in other people's teo I'll give you well they're both really important to me but in one of them I know the direction it's going in and I feel confident about it that's my iphone are iffy workshop siri's I've been able to sell that to lots of places so I'm busy with that but I also create art all the time and were they two different things so I'm gonna bust you right here okay why are they in two different categories in your head because I want makes money and one does eh yes, yes I want to find a better target market my god for the artwork it's not it's not selling the way I wanted teo and so I feel like I don't have the target market for the art that I make because maybe it's not serving anybody but you I don't believe that. Well then then I have sought been then prove that proposition but I'm telling you I'm sorry if you just like the color if you'd just like to play with clay go ahead and do that have a good time that's called a hobby okay you want to make money it's gotta solve problem it's gotta serve someone that's it there's no getting around it that's the way it is that's life that's it no one's gonna pay you to entertain yourself into satisfy your own creative curiosity no one is coming to pay you no one's coming to save you you have to serve a target market. We have a question from brittany she say she says please explain why my purpose and mission is not related to my heart it's and I'm kind of winging it in here because I thought it maybe had a little coralie because you have to create because there's a lot of art in the world there's a lot of talent and they're more talented than you britney and they're more talented than me and the on ly way we stand a chance to sell our art is to create value above and beyond it that's the only way we stand a chance that's it and I'm going to go through a little art history lesson and I'm gonna prove to you that every famous artist in history did just that and that's why they were famous in history every single one of them okay, so because it's not about you that's that's the short answer we have one viewer who is saying my age is a huge roadblock now I'm not sure they didn't specify what their ages but have any of you had insecurities in this way? Um how do I over how do I overcome the rage? We could tell that smile audio so maybe let's take it and you know what? No, I'm not you're still live it, you know? Or maybe you're you think you're too young? No, I just don't believe I don't buy that I just don't buy it. Can anyone in the audience relate? I mean, I can feel if you're insane if you feel insecure about I understand it but that's just that's just not true uh this viewers wondering my age is a huge roadblock on dh they don't specify how old they are, but have any of you had insecurities in this way and how do I overcome this I don't know if they mean their two young of their tools, but I I know that in my industry I think my audiences a lot younger than I am, but then again I'm wrong when I teach classes they're actually a lot older than me, so I don't know if that's really true or just a misconception they're something that they've told themselves I guess you'd have to have more if you you know, I appreciate and respect if someone feels insecure about their age about their way about their whatever it is, but we're stuck with it okay? What's the alternative way don't get another birthday there's no alternative so it's okay every people accomplish things at very young ages and people accomplished things in advance stages and so it's just moved through it and she just let us know she's thirty seven so really yeah, but I think I think that just might be I mean, I I don't know this person, but I'm a beacon imagine that they're probably thinking that, you know, there at that point where maybe they should be clear so if she thinks she's too old and I don't know if she thinks she's too old or she thinks she's too young, but I started my business is a full time artist when I was forty does that help get that helps? Okay, all right all right, who wait oh, john I need to hear from your wise herself real quick only call him get him down here all right. What is he going to say about where you're at right now yeah where I'm at right now or what I need to do I need to relaunch the monthly experiments project so when I started monthly experiments it was for me and that's the thing that I didn't have focus around and so there's all kinds of different really cool stuff that I've done and it's just not organized so in order for it to be of better service to people I need to organize it in a way where it's easier to use so that's that's my thing I need to re launch monthly experiments dot com okay, so what are you specifically going to do next? And by when? Because bree launched the monthly that's a big that's a big um vague assessment of what you did need to do next can you identify one action you'll take within the next week? Within next week we talk a little bit about it a little bit about this so I haven't I actually like I'm sorry not the action tell me the next milestone the next milestone is the re launch so that will be what does that mean though? What is break it down for me kind of a real little minor redesign and then mostly just reorganizing so I have all kinds of content up there and it's not it's, not it's presented sequentially which is not helpful because if someone if I've done an experiment about fitness or something like that but I did it a year ago and someone wants to take a doo a fitness challenge today that's buried under a year's worth of stuff yeah, so it's just it's just an organization issue. Okay, all right said everyone here john we're going to support you in getting that done looking forward to seeing this thanks, guys. What's it so where can people find this web site of yours what's it called again it's the mostly experiments project monthly experiments dot com okay, somebody invite everyone to go check it out now and watch for changing watch for it to look better. Yeah, use your tears will subscribe the email now, so get on his email if you could see what it's gonna be like whenever that milestone due date is within a month within a month? Yeah, everyone here um within a month. Okay, all right, so how we doing? How's everyone feeling group good focused. You feel a little more focused having taken an honest assessment of where you are and just briefly, you know, we talked about business, but if there is situations in your life that pertain to your health you need to take care off we need to go to dentist I don't know what it whatever you like take care of this stuff your money you can't don't don't do what I did quit your day job and moved to san francisco where you don't know anyone and paint for a living I don't recommend it I mean it worked for me but it was very stressful and um I mean I suppose you could if you really want to but I'm just saying make an honest assessment of your ability to tolerate stress and manage that because that's gonna be what's gonna undermine most of your success it's how stressed out your homework assignment right for all of our audience yes, I have I have a homework assignment here in your book okay don't touch base a little bit about what it is yes so this is an excellent survey and it's proust questionnaire and was actually actually got this out of a uh interview that was on the website brain pickings so I'm gonna recommend that you complete this because it's really gonna be a first action step to take to really know yourself you're gonna ask yourself questions answer honestly and it's gonna help you really take a nice interesting inventory of yourself and then the next thing I want you to dio is again if you're feeling isolated, reach out to someone you know and do this with them. Asked two friends to join you. If you don't have anybody in your current network who you feel like you can connect with about this stuff than go to join dot artist who thrive, dot com and reach out to somebody, go ask for help. Ask someone to if they'd be willing to share this exercise. You know, get on the phone, get on skype, go make a friend soon it by yourself. So, that's, what I recommend that you do next. Lesson three is about purging projects, so we talked about kathy. You talked about your projects and how many you have and it's not really serving you. So lesson three is gonna be about purging projects.

Class Materials

bonus material

Discovery Journal
Alex Blumberg Interviews Ann Rea
Find Your Why

Ratings and Reviews

a Creativelive Student
 

I think this course is extremely helpful if you follow her steps and do the work. This course can go through some very intense emotional moments, but it is all towards the greater goal of refocusing you and helping you find your meaning and purpose and most importantly, taking action on that to help others. I had many breakthroughs, but one of the areas that most helped me was to be patient with the process and give yourself the emotional payoff along the journey towards your long term goals. There is a lot of psychology in this course and it is necessary to tie your emotions into the actionable steps to get you past your struggles and focused on what is really truly important to you. I highly recommend this course if you want to get unstuck, want a road map to making a living as an artist from where you are today, and want to fulfill the best life that you can achieve.

Don Diaz
 

“Like all worthwhile pursuits, you will get out of this what you put into it” Ann Rea. I am having a positive life changing experience thanks to this class. Now, I am able to identify much more clearly that my hobby was only fulfilling me and was not providing a service to anyone, therefore it was not allowing me to obtain the financial success that I am after. I expect to continue to mature during this class. I want to thank you, Creativelive and Ann Rea for creating content that will allow us to grow and possibly succeed in life.

John Muldoon
 

I'm so grateful to be a part of this transformational course. I've gotten so much out of it already, and my vision for my creative enterprise has never been more clear. My thinking and vision have become much bigger, as well. I can see so clearly how to use my creative talents to create a profitable business that I can work in with passion and integrity.

Student Work

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