So how’m I doing in my quest to re-invent my life, follow my evolving Blisses and create the life I really, really want?
All work and no play makes Melissa a dull girl.
Although it’s after midnight on what is now Monday morning, and I’m finally sitting down to write what was supposed to be Saturday’s review because I have been working like a dog to meet deadlines all weekend and have not had a spare second, I have to take a moment to acknowledge that many things are, in fact, going well.
What’s going well
Work
Ahem, yeah. I have lots of it. Wedding season is in full swing, and my bank account is breathing a little easier, even if I am not. Thank GOD for wedding season!
Plus some of the designs I’m working on are coming out really cool. (Pics to come…)
Thriving Artists Project
A great interview with Cosy Sheridan this week reminded me that, oh, yeah, I’m creating this thing. And it’s fun! And though it’s proceeding at what feels like a snail’s pace, it is proceeding.
New subscribers
For some reason a slew (I use that term loosely) of new people have signed up this week, both here and on my music mailing list. Which is awfully validating.
Thanks guys! You know who you are…
Gigs
I’ve got gigs! Three coming up in July and August, plus my biggest fans are going to host a house concert for me.
Which has me all excited about the prospect of more house concerts. (Yes, you too can compete for the label “Melissa’s Biggest Fan” by hosting a house concert. Impress your friends with a real, live music concert in your home. Email me for more info.)
Which has me all excited about working up that solo show I’ve been wanting to put together, like, forever.
And my looping class with Kid Beyond at Jazz Camp West got me all excited about getting a (3-stack) looper to perform with.
Which brings me to…
What’s hard
Work
Um, yeah.
While I heap mountains of praise on the Wedding Season Gods, because at the moment I could not pay my bills without them (and I am bound and determined to pay off my massive pile o’ debt by 2013), this working-all-day-into-the wee-hours-and-not-getting-nearly-enough-sleep-or-R-&-R thing is really getting tired.
And so am I.
Catch-22: when you’re spending the vast majority of your waking hours scrambling to meet deadlines, you can’t put any time and energy into building the new income streams that will ultimately unlock you from the working-too-hard-all-the-time cycle.
HOWEVER, this craziness won’t last forever. Part of why it’s so crazy right now is that I’m going to California Coast Music Camp next week, where I’ll be blissfully disconnected from email, phone and all things work-related. So I’ve got to work overtime for as long as I need to, to make my disappearance possible while still maintaining a functional business.
Which tells you just how important music camp is to me, because the choice to do so is a no-brainer.
Stupid mistakes
Do you know how many times I’ve printed an entire set of invitations before realizing I forgot to hide the cropping box? (InDesign users may understand; if not, sorry, but I’m too tired to explain.)
Suffice it to say, I did it again. An entire ream of paper is now destined for the recycle bin.
Argh.
No money
Gosh darn it I want a looper to make music with! And a video camera to film my hands making art, and my music performances, and to create video classes! But despite the beneficence of the Wedding Season Gods, they’re not being beneficent enough to fund much more than paying off my debt at the moment. (Donations graciously accepted, however. Just sayin’.)
Patience. (Sometimes in short supply around here.)
Kitty pee
Um, yeah. The girl kitty has decided that my life isn’t exciting enough as it is, and is creating pee treasure hunts in my entry hall. Blech, blech, and blechity blech.
You may want to consider buying stock in Anti-Icky-Poo, as I am single-handedly keeping them in business.
(Hmm… I wonder if the girl kitty is getting kick-backs…)
Despite it all…
I managed to get an hour of either yoga or walking in every day. Yay me!
And now, in an attempt to get to bed before sun-up, I’m going to sign off before my word count hits its usual overly-verbose limit.
Happy Monday. Wish me luck with my deadlines this week!
When Melissa offered coaching, I jumped at the chance. I gained such HUGE insights! Each time I came up with a reason that I couldn't, she came up with a way that I could. In the end, she gave me an assignment, a realistic and doable one.I'm happy to say that not only was my creativity jumpstarted, but that the love and the joy of creativity is back. 
Melissa... has an innate way of not just seeing and creating options for clients, but sparking the creativity you already have within you to come up with your own solutions. Our time flew by... I left inspired and ready to take action. 
In my time with Melissa, I was re-energized, admitted to the things I need to stop doing, found the things I want to be doing and was given easy actionable steps to get me back in the creative swing of things. Simply amazing! She is full of energy and wonderful ideas. 
I absolutely love your daily butt-kicking inspiration. It really pushes my creative button --- makes my socks roll up & down!
Good luck, Melissa.
The schedule is familiar. Good thing we love what we do.
And how’s this for obstacles: My work got rejected by a writer’s workshop I had to pay to attend. A life (mostly) in sales helps make me immune to such things. The sun still came up in the east, and my family still loves me.
Now it’s my turn to say goodnight.
Twitter: a_creative_life
Geez, James! That’s rough! Good thing you’re clear that this rejection has nothing to do with your value. That can be hard to hold onto, but I would imagine a life in sales (ie, rejection!) has made you immune.