What’s the latest thing? Whether it’s wizards, vampires, or the impending zombie apocalypse–it can be tempting to shift our writing towards the latest hot genre. However, a lot of readers aren’t necessarily searching for yet another version of “Gone Girl” or “50 Shades of Grey”. Most readers are simply looking50
As creative artists and writers, we often have to break the rules. We don’t live our lives the way other people do. We don’t follow the same script as everyone else and that scares the hell out of a lot of people. Our culture is naturally suspicious of those who50
Shiny objects Most people would agree that it’s a great time to be a writer or visual artist. Blogs and social media have allowed us to share our creative work almost instantly with our friends and fans around the world. We are now able to come together and create thriving online creative communities where50
Nobody’s perfect Sometimes we get so wrapped up in what we cannot yet do, that we forget to do what we can. We would prefer to skip the painful apprenticeship of our craft. We want to go straight from beginner to pretty damn good without having to first suffer through50
We think we know where we are going. After all, we’ve got it all planned out. We’re going to start here, do this, and then we are going to end up here–except it doesn’t. Stuff happen, plans change, and we are forced to adjust. Things may not always work out50
Sometimes we forget. Sometimes we are working so hard to get what we think we want, that we lose sight of why we wanted it in the first place. We’ve been told that giving up is failure. We’ve been taught to hold on tightly to everything that we have while50
It’s not (always) your fault As creative artists we tend to blame ourselves. Maybe I’m not talented enough… Maybe I’m not smart enough… Maybe it’s just not meant to be… Now of course there’s something to be said about taking responsibility for your choices and living with the consequences of50
Looking like an idiot Let’s face it, nobody likes to screw up If we had our choice, we would probably avoid it at all costs. Unfortunately that’s not the way the world works. Sooner or later we’re going to make mistakes and things are going to get messy. So the50
We all want to fit in Even though we may not want to admit it, we all want to fit in and be liked. We want to have our creative work noticed and appreciated. In other words, we want to create something that people will like. So we look to50
Haters are gonna hate Let’s face it, we’re never going to make everyone happy. No matter what we create or how we choose to live our life, there will always be somebody out there who doesn’t like what we do. We can’t afford to water down our art in order to make people like50
Hold on! How many times have you been told to “hang in there” until things get better? It seems we are constantly being told that quitting or giving up is only for losers and if we can just hold on a little bit longer, we will achieve all of our50
Too often we try to protect our creative ideas. We don’t feel like they’re ready to go out into the world, or we’re afraid that someone else might run off with them. We don’t know when we may get another good one, so we hold back. We wait and hold our50
Most of us like easy and there’s nothing wrong with that. After all, if I had my choice between easy and hard, I’d take easy every single time. But unfortunately, that’s not how the world usually works. Sure we can always take the easy way out, but that’s probably not50
Nobody likes to screw up. None of us wakes up in the morning and say to ourselves. ‘I really hope today’s the day that I totally ruin this painting or write another blog post that completely sucks!’ We don’t plan to fail, but sometimes it happens and that’s okay. We make mistakes,50
Advice is one of those things that everyone loves to give but nobody likes to take. They also say, however, that there are two ways to learn something — from other people’s experiences or your own. So unless you have the time and energy to make all the mistakes yourself,50
Let’s face it, it’s never a good time to get started. No matter where we are in our life, there will always be a reason to wait. We need more time, more money, more education, more experience. We tell ourselves that when things slow down, we’ll get started. These50
Don’t waste any more time sitting around waiting to be picked or look for someone else to give you permission to do what you want to do. This isn’t your 10th grade gym class, this is your life. If you want to become a writer, an artist, or a musician50
Why are we always so afraid of making mistakes? I don’t know about you, but I still have this tendency to beat myself up whenever I discover that I screwed something up ….again. As much as we would like to think otherwise, we end up creating our life as50
When is enough enough? When is the effort needed to chase the dream no longer worth the price you’ll have to pay? When is it time to start enjoying the things you already have in your life? They say that the best things in life are free. Things such as50
Is it fate or simply arrogance? Is it really our destiny to succeed, or is it just our over-developed creative ego talking? When do we know if we’re really the creative artist that we think/hope we are? When exactly does perseverance turn into foolishness, and when does self-confidence become50
Should you or shouldn’t you? How many times have you found yourself in a situation like this, staring at another new opportunity or direction in your life? Now how many times in the past have you backed away from something like this because of the uncertainty it would bring? Why50
When I hear the words “Anything can happen“, I never know exactly what to think. One one hand I hear that little voice inside my head urging me to keep moving forward with my latest project. At the same time, however, I also hear a slightly more menacing voice uttering50
Most of us have been been living our life on auto-pilot for so long that the thought of doing something (anything) different obviously scares the crap out of us. Sure we go through the motions. We say that we want things to change, but we don’t. We want approval. We50
Every time we sit down to practice our art, it changes us. It’s been said that we’re not the same person that we were yesterday, nor the person that we will become tomorrow. So every day that we don’t find the time to practice our art is an opportunity wasted.50
Faith is about taking that first step even when you’re not sure you are on the right path. It’s about having faith in yourself, faith in your abilities, and faith that you are doing what you were meant to do. Having faith doesn’t mean that you are guaranteed success or50
How can we live a more creative life? It’s been said that we learn very little from our successes. After all, it’s really not that difficult to read a gushing review of our work or to deposit that big fat commission check in the bank. So what exactly do we50
We once again welcome a new year that brings with it a message of hope. A dawning of a brand new chapter in our lives that shows us that it’s okay to let go of the past and start again. It’s a reset button. It’s an opportunity to reinvent ourselves50
In our society we are often taught to set goals, visualize our success, and picture the person we would like to become. Be more. Get more. Achieve more. Wherever you are in life — never be satisfied. Never be content with where you are or what you currently have. Living50
Let’s face it failure sucks. One moment we’re all excited about this fantastic new idea or project, and then the next thing we know, we are sitting there picking up the broken pieces of our life. Luckily for us, failure is never final. Even though we may have temporarily fallen,50
Let’s face it, being grateful for what you already have isn’t easy. Everyday we are trained by our society to be dissatisfied. To be dissatisfied with ourselves, our career, our weight, our relationships, and even our laundry detergent. We are told that no matter what we have, it could be50
Just let it go. At some point in our lives we all have to learn how to let go. You would think that this would be easy. It would seem that letting go would be a lot easier than holding on — but it’s not. We cling to the familiar50
So how do you become a better writer? The answer is fairly simple… You write, you write some more, and then just when you reach that point when you think it’s all stupid and pointless — you keep on writing. Despite what some people may tell you, nobody can teach50
Sometimes it seems like we don’t really have a choice. It feels like what we do, where we have to go, and ultimately who we become has already been decided for us. We feel powerless. In the end, however, it’s your life and only you will decide what type of50
In our culture of fame, reality television, and instant celebrity we can sometimes forget that it’s not about getting other people to notice who we are and what we do. It’s about accepting ourselves first. It’s about accepting where we are at this moment and understanding what we can do50
As teachers and parents sometimes we forget how much a simple word of encouragement can mean to a child. When we tell them that what they create or what they have to say matters, we are teaching them to believe in themselves, which is one of the best gifts anyone50
Sometimes all it takes is a smile to change the world 🙂 “Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh
Before we can help others. Before we are able to love someone else, we need to first learn how to accept and love ourself with all of our little imperfections. John Lennon discovered like so many before him, that before we can change the world, we need to first change50
Just because you’re breathing doesn’t mean that you are living the life you were intended to live. Everyone has a story to tell. Maybe it’s time to create yours… “Unbeing dead isn’t being alive.” ~e.e. cummings
Martin Luther King Jr realized that anyone can be great in this life if they are willing to serve and help others achieve their dreams. He knew that everything in this world is interconnected, and whatever you are willing give to others, will eventually come back to you. Have the50
