Today’s #15minutesaday #artcheckin is nothing more than the simple little banner graphic to the left. Written with walnut ink (the dry powder, NOT the wet stuff that comes in a jar — click here and search for “walnut ink”) and a size 3 Automatic pen. Then scanned and fiddled with in Photoshop to add the type, of course.

I’ve got a lot more than that to show for this past week’s challenge time, but honestly I’m just too tired to upload pics.

So for today it’s just this banner/button/whatever – clean and simple. Feel free to post it on your own site or blog if you like. Let’s show the world what you can do with just a 15 minutes a day commitment!

And what have I been working on so hard, you ask (when not engaged in my 15 minutes a day)? Several things. (Of course, me being the ultimate juggler, though I’ll confess I’m trying hard to get away from that, like the brilliant Tori Deaux.)

The big one being editing the Thriving Artists Project home page, writing a new “join” page, and writing invite emails to my TAP advance notice list, which I just sent off.

Yep, I’m opening the TAP doors again, and offering Spring Special pricing.

But only to advance list subscribers for now. (You can sign up here if you want in.)

And for the everything else that’s going on, you’ll just have to wait til the Weekly Review.

Have a great rest of your week!

xo,
Melissa

PS – (‘Cause of course I can’t keep it that short… Even my short posts are long.) The lovely and talented Sandi suggested that I create a special piece of downloadable art, just for my loyal followers, to celebrate when I reach 100 subscribers. I think this is a fabulous idea, and I wanted to poll you to see what kind of art you would want. If you’re subscribed to my blog, let me know below in the comments.

One of my walnut ink creations? Something calligraphic? Something wild and abstract?

Naturally, as this is a benign dictatorship I reserve the right of veto, but heck, Sandi got me curious!

But you’d better act fast, because I’m only 2 people away from the 100 mark, and when I get a hankering to make the piece, I’m gonna make it, whether I’ve gotten feedback from you or not. So here’s your chance to have some input. ‘Nuff said.

All righty then. LACL Diva now officially signing off.

Remind me next time I even *think* of launching something that everything takes at least TWICE as long as you think it will.

That, and technology ALWAYS conspires to make your life miserable and give you migraines.

It’s a law of nature, I think, kind of like gravity.

Anyway, as you might have gathered, the Thriving Artists Project relaunch is, er, experiencing some delays.

Which means that I won’t be starting the pre-sale until SUNDAY (assuming the technology gods are smiling — cross your fingers).

I know Sunday is a sucky day to hold a sale on the computer, but you’ll have until I open the doors to the public on Tuesday to get in on it, so no excuses.

Though I’ll give you a little heads up: the first few buyers will get a special bonus that will NOT be available to anyone else, so you might want to be near your computer on Sunday. Just sayin’…

All of this also means that the contests are still going on, so you still have time to win.

Yep, my launch pain means you just got yourself another couple of days to tweet, email, blog post and comment your way to WINNING.

See this post for all the details.

Now I’m going to bed so I can get up and tackle the technology gremlins again tomorrow.

xo,
Melissa

PS – Thank you to everyone who commented on the post so far! You’re all going to get a special prezzie just for commenting, even if you don’t win (but shhhhhhh… don’t tell anyone!)

Finally, you’ll be able to get access to:

• weekly interviews with thriving artists
• weekly lessons that demystify marketing and business (and make it fun!) and deprogram you of the “starving artist” mindset
• the members forum, where current members connect with me and each other, get support and encouragement, even create challenges to push everyone forward!
• monthly live Q&As and webinars (including NEW seminars with experts on a variety of topics to help you make more money from your art)
• special bonuses from several partners
• discounts on One-on-One coaching/consulting and group coaching masterminds with me

Membership will be by subscription, $27/month, and the doors will only be open for 72 hours. BUT, I’ll be holding a pre-sale for advance notice subscribers starting on Friday, and you’ll be able to buy 3, 6 or 12 months for a super-discount rate.

You gotta be on the advance list to get in on the pre-sale, so sign up below if you haven’t already.

Plus, two lucky people will actually win a year-long membership!

There are two ways you can win. Here’s the deal:

How to Win: Way 1

Tell everyone about tTAP!

Use Twitter, email and/or your own blog. For each of the following, you’ll be entered into a drawing to win:

• Tweet about the Thriving Artists Project! Send people to the TAP site by including this URL http://bit.ly/g3QnvM and the hashtag #wintap in your tweet. You’ll earn 1 entry for each tweet, up to 6 tweets per day. (One Twitter account only, please. I don’t want any spam here.) Some possible tweets:

I’m deprogramming myself of the starving artist mindset, & you can too! Thriving Artists Project http://bit.ly/g3QnvM #wintap

“Starving” & “artist” do NOT have to go together. Learn how: Thriving Artists Project http://bit.ly/g3QnvM #wintap

I’m learning to THRIVE with the Thriving Artists Project. Inspiring & FUN! Join me! http://bit.ly/g3QnvM
#wintap

Finally, the tools & inspiration I need to THRIVE as an artist! Thriving Artists Project http://bit.ly/g3QnvM #wintap

Connect with other artists &  learn to THRIVE with the Thriving Artists Project http://bit.ly/g3QnvM #wintap

AND/OR

• Tweet about this post, using the URL http://bit.ly/dSEyTr and the hashtag #wintap in your tweet. You’ll earn 1 entry for each tweet, up to 6 tweets per day. (One Twitter account only, please.) Some possible tweets:

Want to win the Thriving Artists Project for FREE? Here’s how: http://bit.ly/dSEyTr #wintap

I entered to win the Thriving Artists Project and you can too – it’s easy! http://bit.ly/dSEyTr #wintap

Learn to thrive from your art – win the Thriving Artists Project http://bit.ly/dSEyTr #wintap

If you do tweet multiple times a day, be sure to mix your tweets up.

• Email your list about the Thriving Artists Project

Your email must include one or both of the URLs above, and must mention this contest. Your email will earn you 10 entries to win.

Make sure to forward me the email – send it to melissa (at) livingacreativelife (dot) com

• Write a blog post about the Thriving Artists Project

Again, your post must include one or both of the URLs above, and must mention this contest. Each blog post will earn you 10 entries to win.

Make sure to email a link to the post to me at melissa (at) livingacreativelife (dot) com

How to Win: Way 2

Tell me why you think you should win.

Just leave a comment below, telling me:

• why you want membership in the Thriving Artists Project
• what you hope to get from it
• and why my panel of partial judges should pick you as the winner

My panel of partial judges and I will pick one lucky commenter to win a year-long membership in tTAP.

That’s it!

Easy, breezy. In the meantime, to get in on the pre-sale (starting Friday!) be sure to sign up on the advance notice list if you’re not already on it. I’ve even included a form below to make it easy for you (I’m nice that way).

Looking forward to reading your comments, tweets, blog posts and emails, and good luck!

xo,
Melissa

Don’t worry – I’ve got a solution.

If you’re ready to be rescued from your Christmas-gift woes and have no time for entertainment, scroll down right now to get to the point.

Hurry! Time’s a-wasting!

———-

For the rest of you, the organized ones with the already-checked-off gift lists (or the procrastinators and lazy people who just don’t have sense of urgency, god bless ‘em), I didn’t want to leave you out, so here’s a little story:

My Family’s Crazy-Wild Christmas Party

Back in the day, my family used to make a huge deal about Christmas. Tree, ornaments, Advent calendars, stockings, presents.. the whole shebang.

(Yes, I’m Jewish, but that’s from my mom’s side; my dad comes from a line of Protestant Brits, Scots and Germans, so Santa Claus definitely came to our house.)

It was all so exciting I couldn’t stand it

My dad used these crazy-bright lights to take home movies, so my memories of Christmas morning are of magic and sparkly brightness.

However, I think my issues with insomnia started during childhood Christmas season. I’d go to bed on Christmas Eve and be totally unable to sleep from excitement. (Hmmm… Could be a good thing to bring up in a co-counseling session…)

Then it got stressful

And as I got older, Christmas meant multiple trips to the shopping mall, scrambling (and lots of impatient waiting) to find parking, elbowing my way through the crowds to try and find the perfect (or face it, just adequate) gift for the last few people on the list.

Oh, the stress. You could cut it with a knife.

Then we got smart

Eventually, we wised up and scaled back. Perhaps assisted by the fact that my parents got more involved at my synagogue, and Pop actually converted a few years back, much to the surprise of the rest of us.

None of us, though, is what anyone would call an “observant Jew.”

In fact, my mom was probably the most reluctant to “give up Christmas,” and today, my family does what I refer to as a “residual Christmas.”

The only tree is the stuffed one my mom made when I was in 6th grade, which sits on the piano, trimmed with ric-rac and little red glass balls. The more interesting ornaments we collected throughout the years adorn the household furniture in sprightly little clusters. (My mom really knows how to do the decorating-for-the-season thing.)

Enter the infamous “gift exchange”

Our celebration has shrunk to a dinner potluck on the evening of the 25th (with probably more Jews in attendance than actual Christmas-celebrators) and the gift-giving has been pared down to the following: each person brings one gift, valued at not more than about $15. Said gift must be wrapped, and not tagged in any way, so as to be anonymous.

After we’ve stuffed ourselves on the potluck feast, we gather in a big circle and the “crazy-ass gift exchange game” commences.

Though it’s not technically accurate to call it a gift exchange. More like a battle to the death.

Where stealing is condoned and encouraged

It works like this: everyone gets a number, and one at a time gets to either open a gift on the table, or steal an already opened gift from someone else. If your gift is stolen, you get to then either open a wrapped gift, or steal one from somebody else, and so on. Ad nauseum.

The rule is, the gift rests after the 3rd steal. (Or is it the 2nd steal? The rules are the subject of great debate every year, which frequently takes almost as much time as the game itself.)

This is no “white elephant” game, either; the goal here is to be the supplier of the gift that is stolen the most, and you can sense the pride of those who manage to tap that magical je ne sais quoi that makes for a much-fought-over gift.

Food and wine usually go over very well (especially when they involve chocolate), though one memorable year a mini-umbrella almost broke up some lifelong friendships.

You’d be amazed at the lengths people are willing to go to snag their coveted $15 gift of choice. Voices are raised. Alliances are formed and broken and formed again.

It’s the E-ticket of the season.

So what’s the point of all this?

Your family probably celebrates Christmas in a much more “normal” manner, in which case you probably have a lot of people to get gifts for, and I know there’s somebody on your list that still has you stymied. (Maybe even yourself!)

Or maybe you’ve procrastinated, or you’re just a lazy-ass kinda person who couldn’t be bothered to fight your way through the crowds at the mall (or get your lazy butt in front of your computer screen back when Christmas delivery was a viable option).

Whatever. I pass no judgment.

I am, however, about to save your butt, lazy or not.

How?

With my extra-special Holiday Promo!

–>(Procrastinators, lazy people, and anyone else interested, here’s where you stop scrolling and start reading again.)<–

What, you ask, is my extra-special Holiday Promo? It’s actually two different things:

Thing 1:

An amazing half off all consulting services through the end of the year.

Thing 2:

Special Thriving Artists Project full-year membership for less than what a basic 18-week membership will cost when I officially open the doors again in a few week.

Yep, that’s right! Here’s the deal:

Thing 1: Half Off Consulting Services

Sign up for consulting for yourself or someone else by December 31, and you get half off my current prices.

That’s a half hour session of “Whip Your Website Into Shape” Consulting, or “Master the Internet” Technology Mentoring, or “Get Unstuck” Creative Consulting — or any combination thereof — for $85 only $42.50

Or a full hour session for $150 only $75

Or a package of four hour-long sessions for (egad, I can’t believe I’m doing this!) $500 only $250

Why, pray tell, am I making such a crazy offer?

Because I’m feeling extra generous. Because it’s the holiday season, and I’m so phenomenally happy with my life and how I’m thriving that I want to pass that feeling on to you, and help you thrive without something silly like money getting in the way.

Want more info? Check out my services page and click through for details on the particular consulting you’re interested in. Then come back here to select your service and sign up.

Unless you want to pay me full price, which is okay by me, but kinda silly when you don’t have to.

Remember, these special prices go away on January 1 (and no, you don’t have to actually schedule your session before Jan 1, I probably won’t have time anyway; you just have to pay for it.)

Oh, and I’ll even throw in a special downloadable gift certificate, which you can print out and give to your giftee (or email them if you’re really short on time)

Sign me up!

Yes, I want consulting services for HALF PRICE!
(for me or as a gift for someone else)

Choose your package

1/2 hour session $42.50Full hour session $75.00Four hour-long sessions $250.00

Thing 2: Full-Year Membership in the Thriving Artists Project for hella cheap!

Buy a membership — for yourself or someone else — in the Thriving Artists Project by December 24, and get a full year of access to all content for only $67.

When I open the doors to the public in a few weeks, this level of membership access will be over four times this price, so if you’re considering buying in, now’s the time. There will not be an offer like this again.

What’s included? You can get full details here, but in a nutshell:

• 20 MP3 audio interviews with: artists and creatives who are making their living from their creative thing; artist business coaches; and other professionals with great info to share
• Video and PDF lessons with useful tips, marketing secrets, business basics, information, resources and inspiration
• Worksheets and checklists to help you deprogram yourself of the “starving artist” mentality, to help you set clear goals and to keep you moving forward
• Resource lists of useful tools, products & services for artists and creatives (plus updates!)
• Periodic additional email updates & reminders to keep you inspired, motivated and thriving into the future
• Exclusive Members Forum where you can ask questions (the best of which I use to create new lessons), share how things are going and connect with other creatives
• Exclusive “Website Makeover” & Q+A webinar to whip a lucky member’s website into shape and address whatever questions come up for you during the course ($27 value)

Plus bonuses:

• Additional audio interviews delivered over the course of the entire year
• Four free Sandbox Sessions with me to help you get unstuck. These 3-hour productivity sessions offer support, accountability and (gentle) butt-kicking, and are the perfect way to get your projects done ($40 value)
• Automatic affiliate membership and a generous commission (up to 51% after the official launch), means that you can make back what you paid for the course!
• Special pricing on One-on-One Consulting and Mentoring with me — 25% off for the duration of your membership
• Additional partner bonuses TBD, special discounts on products and services from my partners

Plus:

• I’ll even throw in a special downloadable gift certificate, which you can print out and give to your giftee (or email them if you’re really short on time)

When I open the doors to the public, a full-year membership in the Thriving Artists Project will start off at $297 (and probably go up from there), but if you buy by midnight on December 24, you get it all for $67.

Just sayin’.

Why so cheap?

Again, ’cause I’m in the holiday spirit. And I want to help you thrive without a silly thing like money getting in the way.

And also because I’m still in the process of creating content for the course, and I want you to be one of the guinea pigs in my test laboratory (mwah-ha-ha-ha!!) The initial group of Thriving Artists Project members actually has the power to set the course of the course (as it were) so it delivers exactly what you need to grow your own thriving creative business.

Sign me up!

Yes, I want the Thriving Artists Project!
(for me or as a gift for someone else)

[Sorry, this offer is no longer available.]

Want more info? Click here to read more about the Thriving Artists Project, but be sure to come back, because this page right here is the only place where you’ll have access to this offer.

‘Nuff said. Happy Holidays!

Stories of intense weeks of long hours, of all-nighters to push through to make the deadline.

I’ve always nodded in sympathy, but until now I only had an intellectual understanding of what was involved. Kinda like, oh, cramming for final exams in college, maybe..?

Well, now I’ve joined the ranks of Product Launchers everywhere, and I’m here to tell you, it is an insane amount of work!

Particularly when your entire R&D team, Sales & Marketing team, Tech team, Customer Support team, and every other team there is is composed of you, and you alone.

Um, yeah.

But the beautiful thing is that the launch, err.. pre-launch/soft launch/whatever launch of the Thriving Artists Project is going swimmingly! Yes, there’s been the usual share of technical SNAFUs and frustrations, but orders have been coming in, both for the Basic membership and for the Basic membership + One-on-One consulting packages. A community is being born!

If you build it, they will come

When you put something out there in the world, you never know what the response will be. The fear, of course, is nothing but *cricket*cricket*. It sucks to throw a party and have nobody show up.

But people are showing up — people I’ve known for years (which is hugely flattering), and total strangers too (which tells me I must have done a pretty good job with my copy and my promo!)

The responses have also been gratifying.

From Amy Crook, of Antemortem Arts:

The things, they are like mushrooms! You look under one pile and there’s mooooore hiding in the corners! <3

From Mike Davenport, of Stick Figure Simple:

Had a chance to listen to the Ann Rea mp3. Rocked

From photographer Dianne Poinski (who does amazing hand-colored b&w photos):

So excited! This looks great! Thanks for putting this all together.

From Nelly:

Melissa this looks great! I can’t wait to really dive into the content.

From Kim:

Very glad to be here, Melissa, in this community of thriving artists. I know it will be an inspiring place. Thanks for all the work you put into it.

Yes, I’m exhausted, but very, very pleased, and very, very excited about what I’m creating. As with anything creative, the more you do, the more ideas you get, and that’s definitely the case here.

Just 6 months ago this course was no more than a glimmer in my eye, and now it’s walking on its own! And because it will be shaped by the Ground Floor Inner Circle Members who join during this launch, it will be fun to see what kind of adult this toddler grows into.

Still time… but not much

If you’re interested in signing up yourself, or buying a membership as a holiday gift for someone, I recommend you skeedaddle over to the Thriving Artists Project site right now, because the doors on this pre-launch/soft launch/whatever launch thingy are only open until 9am PST tomorrow. After that, nobody gets in until I re-launch next year (at over twice the price).

Just sayin’…

Oh, and tell your friends too! You can score big points with an artist or creative type by showing them you believe in them and what they do, and pointing them to a course like this is a great way to do that.

And now back to work. I’ve got MP3 interviews to edit!

Creating this course has been an incredibly fun and exciting journey (when I haven’t been tearing my hair out over technical issues). But there have been a lot of late nights, and I have to say I am going to be so happy to get some more sleep soon…

If my aching post-surgery knee will let me, that is, which is another story entirely.

But this post is not about my aching knee. (Will you get on with it, already, Melissa? People are waiting for details!)

Okay, so here’s everything you need to know:

How to Get the Thriving Artists Project

• Tomorrow at 9am, anyone who is signed up on the Ground Floor Inner Circle advance notice list will get an email with a link to the secret Thriving Artists Project buy page. Just click through, make your selection, and you’re in as an official Ground Floor Inner Circle Member! How cool is that?

• The doors to the Thriving Artists Project will stay open for 72 hours only (through 9am Saturday, December 4).

• Anyone who signs up on the Ground Floor Inner Circle advance notice list between now and Saturday will also receive an email with a link to the Thriving Artists Project buy page (But be forewarned, if you wait til the last minute you run the risk of your GFIC subscription not getting confirmed in time to get in the doors to buy the course before they close. I am not responsible for lags in list subscription confirmation times. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!)

• At 9am Saturday, December 4, the doors to the Thriving Artists Project will close until further notice. Nobody will be allowed in (no matter how much they whine) until I re-open the course sometime next year, at more than twice the price.

That’s right: anyone who buys in now gets the Thriving Artists Project at less than half the “official launch” price (and fyi, I expect that the price will go up from there as I add more content and value to the course).

A few things to keep in mind:

All Ground Floor Inner Circle Members (ie, those who buy in between tomorrow 9am and Saturday 9am) will have lifetime access to all content in the course. This includes content that may at a later date only be available to Premium members.

In other words, if you buy during this 72-hour pre-launch/soft launch/whatever thingy, you’ll get the lowest price the course will ever be offered at, and you’ll get lifetime access to all content I ever create for the Thriving Artists Project, including content that’s off-limits or time-restricted for everyone but Premium members down the road.

You’ll be getting, like, mucho mucho value for dinero muy pequeño.

That’s “a whole lotta value for very little money” in case your Spanish is as nonexistent as mine. Seriously, I had to translate it on Babelfish. Which is a really cool site, btw, if you aren’t aware of it. And in fact, the actual translation, at least according to Babelfish, would be una porción entera de valor para el dinero muy pequeño.

Anyway, to recap:

The Thriving Artists Project will be made available for 72 hours, starting tomorrow at 9am, to Ground Floor Inner Circle advance notice subscribers only, and if you buy now, you’ll get the best deal that will ever be available. Period.

That’s it for now! I’ve got to get back to work on the course, so I’m outta here.

xo,
Melissa

PS – If you haven’t entered the contest to win the Thriving Artists Project, there’s still time! Find out how here.

(Don’t know about the Thriving Artists Project? In short, it’s a cool course I’m creating, the heart of which is interviews with a bunch of successful artists and creatives in a variety of different fields, all of whom are making a living from their creative thing. Want more info? Just click on the Thriving Artists Project link for a full explanation.)

I’ve been working hard on this course, and want to make it the best it can be, but I need your help. In order to make the Thriving Artists Project a course that will help inspire and motivate you to live your dreams, I need to hear directly from you what speaks to you, and what would help you most.

So here’s the deal: sign up on the ground floor inner circle advance notification list (if you haven’t already), and in the next few days I’ll send all ground floor inner circle peeps a link to a short questionnaire.

Not only will your answers help me create the best course possible, but everyone who fills out the questionnaire will automatically be entered in a drawing to win the full version of the Thriving Artists Project when it’s done!

Sound cool?

If you haven’t signed up yet, do it right now so you don’t forget. Then watch your mailbox for the link to the questionnaire.

~Melissa

PS – All ground floor insiders also get a free bonus interview, just for signing up on the advance notification list.

Get in on the ground floor of the Thriving Artists Project! (Plus free stuff!)

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Ann went from zero to profitable in one year of painting full time, and has been profiled by none other than Fortune Magazine. I interviewed her awhile back for my Thriving Artists Project, and I already knew she was one sharp cookie, but in person she’s even more impressive.

Ann takes no prisoners. She’s as creative about business and marketing as she is with her art. She thinks outside the box. She coaches other artists on how to make their own art careers financially successful, and of all the things we talked about over lunch, one thing really stood out:

The number one problem most artists have is not setting their goals high enough.

Think about it.

How do you achieve something remarkable? First, you pretty much have to imagine that it’s possible, and set a goal to achieve it.

If you don’t allow yourself to believe that something is even possible, how can you expect to make it happen?

Reality check: guilty as charged

Um, yeah. Confession time.

Case in point: I realized maybe a year or so ago that, without any conscious thought on my part, I had installed a glass ceiling over my earning power for my entire adult life.

In other words, I realized that somehow I was operating under the belief system that I was incapable of earning a lot of money.

I never actually articulated this thought to myself, but that didn’t make it any less powerful. The belief was still there: other people made a lot of money, not me. Making a lot of money just seemed … beyond me.

From a purely logical standpoint this belief is patently ridiculous. I’m intelligent, capable, multi-talented, good with people, driven — surely at least as much if not more than a good chunk of the global population. If other people could make a lot of money, there was no logical reason why I couldn’t, too.

But for whatever reason, the belief was there (no doubt installed very early in life [yay, something else to work on...]) As a result, I set my money-earning goals way, way too low.

How low? “All I want,” I remember thinking during my divorce, “is to make enough money to get by, and to have time to do the things I love to do.”

That’s right, just enough money to get by.

And guess what? I built a business around my art that made just enough money to get by.

In Silicon Valley, granted, which is nothing to sneeze at in the scheme of things, but just enough is not a high enough goal for me anymore — I want to pay off my debt. I want more security. I want the option of taking time off to travel more. I want to be able to buy things I want without agonizing over every purchase.

Call me un-zen, but I want more!

(As for time to do the things I love to do? Well, yes and no. It depends what day you catch me on. I’m still working on that one.)

Time for a reset: the Debt Elimination Project

Building a business around my art was no small accomplishment, and it’s something I’m still proud of. But now it’s time to change the picture, and allow myself to believe that I can make a lot of money. From my art, and other things I love to do.

It’s time to set my goals even higher.

Which brings me back to lunch the other day. Ann suggested that it’s always a good idea to tie a project to a concrete goal. When I mentioned that I have a big goal of paying off my enormous mountain of debt and being debt free again, Ann didn’t skip a beat.

“Then why don’t you make your Thriving Artists Project your Debt Elimination Project?”

[Shocked pause.]

But… but… but… my enormous mountain of debt is… well… enormous. Making enough money to pay off my personal debt from one project? — my first big information product? — surely that cannot be done.

My overactive brain went into overdrive, thinking of reasons why eliminating my personal debt with the Thriving Artists Project is impossible.

Enough with the excuses, already

Now, I’m too embarrassed to state an actual number, but when I stopped panicking long enough to think about it a little, I realized that the truth is, if I were to create something really successful, if I put into practice the marketing lessons I’ve been studying hard to learn, it’s not inconceivable that I could make enough money from a single project to pay off my debt.

But my list is tiny, and the idea that my first big project could be that successful is, well, hard to imagine. So I said, sure, great idea — maybe the second or third or fourth information product could be my Debt Elimination Project…

“Hell no!” retorted Ann. “I don’t want to wait around for the next project! It’s this one, or none at all!”

Clearly I could benefit from some regular coaching, because Ann made me realize I was doing it again: not setting my goals high enough.

And so I thought, why not?

Why not make the Thriving Artists’ Project my personal Debt Elimination Project?

Why not set a really big goal, and go for it?

What’s the worst that could happen? Sure, I could fail. (Indeed, I still need to work on allowing myself to believe it’s even possible!)

But here’s the thing: if I seriously make the effort to make the Thriving Artists Project earn enough to eliminate my personal debt, I’ll sure as hell be working hard on it! A helluva lot harder than if I didn’t tie the Thriving Artists Project to the Debt Elimination Project. I’ve got a concrete goal to reach, after all, and a big one at that.

Brilliant.

The official unveiling

So it is with a fair amount of trepidation that I unveil for you my Debt Elimination Project.

Bold indeed, especially since I’m still in the process of creating the Thriving Artists Project, and don’t even have a launch date yet.

What I do have, though, is interviews completed, scheduled with, or agreed to by a whole slew of fascinating, creative people, including:

• Aimee Golant, metal artist
• Anna Kuperberg, photographer
• Chris Guillebeau, writer/traveler/fighter of the status quo (and owner of The Art of Non-Conformity)
• Cosy Sheridan, singer/songwriter
• Derick Sebastian, ukulele virtuoso
• Kristin Korb, jazz musician/singer
• Michael Nobbs, artist/blogger
• Phil Johnson, comedian/musician
• Verity Price, singer/songwriter
• Will Edwards, singer/songwriter/web designer

… and the list is growing.

Plus more ammunition in my arsenal (or whatever)

Not that I’m big on military metaphors, but what I also have is some excellent mentorship, inspiration and motivation along the way, including:

- The Third Tribe, an online resource (regular audio seminars and a rockin’ user forum) for internet marketing strategies that work (without being obnoxious)

- Guest Blogging, Jon Morrow’s brand new apprenticeship course in, you guessed it, guest blogging!

- Dave Navarro (The Launch Coach)’s More Buyers Every Month Group Mentorship

- The Empire Building Kit, Chris Guillebeau’s course and longest-autoresponder-in-history, which delivers an email in my box every single day with inspiration and tools to grow my business. (Plus more courses from Chris Guillebeau’s Unconventional Guides line: The Unconventional Guide to Art + Money, The Unconventional Guide to Freelancing.)

- Question the Rules, Johnny B. Truant and Lee Stranahan‘s audio course, which I return to again and again for inspiration and reminders that there are lots of ways to be a successful entrepreneur (or in my case, ARTrepreneur).

[Note: many of the links above are affiliate links, which means that if you click through and then buy something, I'll make a commission. I'm always grateful to the anonymous purchasers who buy through my affiliate links, but if you don't want your purchase to earn me money, just do a Google search on the thing and click through that way.]

Yup. I’m basically in self-paced grad school for using the internet to reach my Debt Elimination Project goal. Watch and learn.

And the wrap-up

So there you have it: the number one problem most artists (including me) have is not setting their goals high enough. Solution? Set higher goals, and work to achieve them.

Here we go!

And as Ann said at lunch the other day, once I’ve eliminated my debt, I can make the next goal my Mortgage Elimination Project.

Um, yeah. One thing at a time…

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Over the weekend I researched conference call recording options, and after signing up for two (FreeConferenceCall and AudioAcrobat – because I’m a true believer in redundant redundancy, and did I mention I like backups?), I did a dry run with my land line and my cell phone.

(“Hello Melissa-on-cell-phone, how are you today?” “Just fine, Melissa-on-land-line. Thanks for asking!”)

This for some reason made me incredibly anxious (press what button, when??). New technology learning curves under pressure tend to do that I guess. But I’m glad to say that during the interview today, all systems were go — the conference call worked, the recording worked — hurray!

And best of all, I can now add “Interviewer” to my list of titles. (Who knows, maybe soon I’ll pretend to be Ira Glass, and “Radio Producer” will be next. I am Multi-Passionate, remember?)

The Thriving Artists Project in lift-off

A week from today I interview painter Ann Rea (whose artist business and coaching service is appropriately called ArtistsWhoTHRIVE). The Thriving Artists Project, my tool kit for anyone who’s curious about what it takes to make a sustainable living from their creative thing, is moving forward!

I’m excited, and yes, I’ll admit I’m also a bit nervous:

What if the conference call recording doesn’t work?

What if the interviews don’t go very well?

What if nobody else on the planet is interested in this stuff?

What if I land on my face with this thing?

Who do I think I am and who am I kidding?

Those, of course, are the niggling monster voices (as Havi might call them), which don’t want me to take on this big project, but I’m charging forward despite them.

In fact, the project keeps growing in my head, and in my journal notes. In addition to the interviews that I’m lining up with artists and creatives of all sorts (painters, calligraphers, photographers, writers, musicians — you name it!), I’ve been thinking about what else I can include to make this thing kick butt!

Which is where you come in.

If you could ask any question, or get any specific piece of info related to taking your creative thing to the next level, to even making a sustainable income from doing your creative thing, what would it be?

What are you dying to know or learn about? What would inspire you? What would help you move your dreams forward?

I know my imaginary audience isn’t entirely imaginary anymore, so write your questions in the comments section. Tell me what you want to know, and I’ll seek it out for you!

But if you’re shy, it’s okay. I’m doing this thing because it thrills and excites me, and I’m curious to see where it will lead. If you join me on the journey, I’d be delighted, but traveling solo has its perks as well.

And I’ll send postcards along the way.