Blog - Melissa Dinwiddie | Create the Impossible™ | Innovation Keynote Speaker & Consultant

November 28, 2010

Weekly Review #34: All-Thriving-Artists-Project-All-the-Time

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?

You know that Looney Toons character the Tasmanian Devil? The one who spins around like a tornado, kicking up dust and generally driving everyone crazy?

I kinda feel like him right now.

Except that I’ve barely moved a muscle all week, being camped out in a computer chair in front of a monitor nearly 24/7.

Okay, that’s a slight exaggeration, but only slightly.

The truth is, I’ve been working like mad to get the Thriving Artists Project ready for pre-launch/soft launch/whatever this coming week, and it’s a bit of a Herculean task.

(If anything can be called a “bit” of a Herculean task. That’s a bit of a paradox, to say the least. But that’s what happens when I’m seriously sleep-deprived.)

There’s a ton to do, it turns out, to create a membership site. (And of course, because it involves technology, that means bugs, along with the inevitable tearing of hair and gnashing of teeth.) And that’s in addition to creating the obvious content. Of which there is a lot to edit, and a lot more to still create.

But this week I went into Tasmanian Devil mode. I threw up a website on who-can-remember which day, tweaked it over the next X days (if it’s Tuesday it must be Belgium), and made some banner graphics for my affiliates to use down the road (you can see one in the sidebar to the right). I made a promo video yesterday (which came out kinda cool, if I do say so myself – watch it here on the home page), and spent the rest of yesterday and today wrangling with web code and the membership site plugin.

I can feel myself spreading into the internet-geek version of the Couch Potato: the Computer Chair Potato. Obsession will do that.

But it’s gradually coming together. And just the other day I realized that my original goal – back in May or April, or whenever I first dreamed up the concept for the Thriving Artists Project – was to ship around Thanksgiving.

Well I’ll be!

I’d long ago given up on that Thanksgiving-ish goal, but thanks to LaVonne Ellis‘s Customer Love challenge, and a butt-kicking free consult with Lee Stranahan, I revved up to make it happen. And I think I’m gonna make it.

I’m exhausted. Cranky from fighting software bugs. (And from gaining weight, vain creature that I am.) Achey from the knee surgery. Blurry-eyed. Underslept from the excruciating pain that most fascinatingly continues to wake me up in the middle of the night, even though the pain is actually pretty mild during the days.

And yet, I’m incredibly happy.

I love this!

I love charging forward with a project.

I love being excited about something, and the vigorous onslaught of ideas that always brings on.

I love using my creativity in a zillion different ways – both artistic and technical – to make this thing come together.

I love feeling that I’m creating something of value that will really help and inspire people to live their dreams.

I love feeling the energy snowball as more people are signing up to get in on the pre-launch (or soft launch, or whatever). (Yesterday someone emailed to say she wants to buy 3 memberships – for her, her 17-year old stepdaughter, and a friend – and she wants coaching for her and her stepdaughter.)

I love the hope I feel that this crazy dream to sell a “digital product” might actually come true. (Never give up on your dreams, people. If you dream it, you can do it.)

I’m in my element, really. (Though I sure would love a bit more sleep. Okay, a lot more sleep.)

The Quest for Balance

I see my life as an ever-elusive quest for balance, but one thing I’ve learned is that part of a balanced life is periods of extreme imbalance. This seems to be part of my personal way of being as well.

Not always easy, but I’m okay with that.

Right now, it’s All-Thriving-Artists-Project-All-The-Time around here, but by the end of the week the energy will have shifted, and I’ll be able to get back to equilibrium (and hopefully sleep) for awhile.

Until the next flight of fancy grabs me by the collar.

I can’t wait!

—

If you’re interested in the Thriving Artists Project, you’ll want to sign up on the Ground Floor Inner Circle advance notice list ASAP. Only subscribers to that list will have access to the course when the doors open later this week, and it won’t be available again until sometime next year… for a much higher price. You can also enter win the Thriving Artists Project – read details here.

November 24, 2010

The Thriving Artists Project is Pre-Launching!

Finally, just in time for Thanksgiving, I bring you the latest update on the Thriving Artists Project! Hooray hooray!

Much to be thankful for, indeed.

Yes, the Thriving Artists Project is pre-launching.

Or soft-launching.

Or something.

Basically, all that is just a fancy way of saying that I’m gonna start letting people buy it. Like, next week, in conjunction with the end of Customer Love.

But only people who are signed up on the Ground Floor Inner Circle advance notice list.

I’ll give my Ground Floor Inner Circle subscribers first dibs to try it out, and it will be their feedback that I incorporate into the official launch (in January… I think.)

Ground Floor Inner Circle subscribers (you know who you are!) will get to work out the kinks and help me make the Thriving Artists Project even better, and in exchange you’ll get ridiculously low pricing, plus the opportunity to participate in an exclusive, free webinar where I’ll do my best to answer any questions you have.

Want to learn more? Check out the brand-spankin’ new Thriving Artists Project website!

And now, a moment to say Thank you!

Thank you to all of the Ground Floor Inner Circle advance notification peeps who took the time to answer the survey I sent out a coupla weeks back. You ROCK!

Here are the results:

You said you wanted:

Inspiration, support, encouragement
Stories/a behind-the-scenes view of actual thriving artists
Business fundamentals/practical steps/info for how to set up a business
Resources for ways to sell art
Resources for how to gain patrons/clients/customers
Connections with other artists who are challenging the starving artist’s mindset

..and the interviews cover all of these things, and more.

—

You asked for the following to be included with the course:

Notes with highlights of the interviews – 70%
Follow-up inspirational emails – 60%
One-on-one mentoring sessions – 50%
Transcripts of the interviews – 30%
Tutorials on creating your own website or blog – 30%
Follow-up inspirational videos – 30%
Group mentoring phone calls – 30%
A user forum – 20%

For the pre-launch, I will be including annotated indexes of each interview, follow-up emails (in fact, the interviews themselves will be delivered, via a web link, 3 per week over a 5-week period), and an exclusive free webinar to answer your questions. Pre-launch buyers will also have access to special pricing on one-on-one mentoring sessions, to help you get unstuck and charging forward after your evolving Bliss. You can pick my brain about anything you like (from WordPress tutorials, to social media, to color theory, to the meaning of life [yeah, I know it]), or get my laser-sharp creative thinking focused on something you need help with.

Transcripts, video tutorials and a user forum might be down the road, but given limited resources of time and energy, I had to pick and choose what to focus on first.

—

You asked for interviews with specific thriving artists, some of whom I knew of already, and some of whom I didn’t (so THANK YOU for turning me onto them!) Of the people you recommended, some never replied to my query, and one was only interested in my “reach” (which was apparently not up to his standards, because he never got back to me).

However, I was able to score interviews with:

Flora Bowley, painter (what a blast that interview was!)
Carol Marine, painter (ditto!)
John T. Unger, artist/designer/metal worker/digital guru <-my label (his interview was so fun we couldn’t stop talking, and it went on for an hour and half! Oops… And btw, the deal he made with me was that he’d be a guest for the Thriving Artists Project, if I would be a guest on his Art Heroes Radio. Score!)

Add these to the existing list of interviews with cool thrivers:

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
Deborah “DJ” Hamouris, musician & teacher (who figured out how to make a full-time living from her music in her 50s!)
Michael Nobbs, artist/blogger
Phil Johnson, comedian/musician
Verity Price, singer/songwriter
Will Edwards, singer/songwriter/web designer

Plus bonus interviews with:

That’s fifteen interviews, plus a number of additional interviews and bonus tracks that simply haven’t been scheduled yet. (In other words, stay tuned! And whenever you buy in, you’ll have access to all content, old and new.)

—

You asked to pay $97 for the course…

And because I like to make you happy, that’s the price the course will start off at when it’s officially launched. (Since I’ll be adding additional content over time, I expect the price to go up over time too.) However, for the pre-launch only, I will be offering a steep discount.

But again, that’s only for Ground Floor Inner Circle advance notice subscribers.

Interested? Check out the Thriving Artists Project in Technicolor detail and sign up for Ground Floor Inner Circle access here.

I’ll send notice to everyone who’s on the list, with details about the pre-launch—when, where and how much.

Coolness!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving, shine your light, and onward ho!

November 21, 2010

Weekly Review #33: What I Didn’t Do, and What I Did

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?

Big news: I’m home!

Just a week ago I was quite dependent on the kindness of family, but today I’m back, ready to tackle the enormous piles of work that have been lying fallow. (And ironically, suddenly missing my week of “carefree convalescence.” The grass is always greener. Even my own.)

In my great naivete, I had expected to be home from surgery on Monday (ha!) and buzz through my projects like the Tasmanian Devil through the weekend, so spending the entire week convalescing was something of a disappointment.

Kinda excruciating, really. After all:

I didn’t get interviews edited for the Thriving Artists Project.

I didn’t get blog posts written for 365 Days of Genius (launching in—ack!—40 days! Ack!)

I didn’t get hours and hours of ukulele practice in.

I didn’t write any new songs.

I didn’t write any lessons for my Guide to Happiness E-course.

No.

However, it turns out that a week of full-time convalescing has its own gifts. It’s just a matter of adjusting expectations to appreciate them.

Here’s some stuff I learned/figured out/accomplished this week:

Heating Vent

After a week of freezing my butt off in my parents’ guest room, my Biggest Fan & Roadie noticed on Friday night that the heating vent was closed. !!!

Doh!

Needless to say, my last two nights there were significantly more comfortable.

Extra Blanket

Last night, or maybe Friday, I also figured out that I could cover my right leg (the one being bent and straightened in the Continuous Passive Motion machine all night) with its own blanket. That way the rest of me stays warm when the CPM bends my knee and creates a big air pocket.

Again, doh!

The fact that this took me an entire week to figure out really makes me question the accuracy of that much-vaunted IQ test they gave me back in 2nd grade that established me as officially “really smart.” Maybe the tester was on drugs.

Or maybe I can just blame it on the pain meds (I just won’t mention that I’ve only been on Tylenol for days).

An Actual, Real, Honest-to-Goodness Resting Moment

Perhaps my biggest accomplishment all week was yesterday, when I spent an hour just sitting on the sofa listening to This American Life on the radio and knitting.

Okay, I was knitting, and my leg was in the CPM, so I was still sorta multi-tasking, but the fact that I was knitting, as opposed to my usual M.O. of attempting to do something at least mildly work-related while listening to the radio was significant.

First of all, it meant I actually heard This American Life.

This is rare.

And even more significant, I was actually taking a real chunk of Chill Time! Yay me!

I even dozed for a bit on the couch after TAL was over (sleep deprivation from being woken up by pain having left me in a permanently nap-craving state).

Chill Time is nice! Maybe I can work on creating more of it…

Bending By Degrees

The CPM machine is intended to gradually increase my range of motion, and yesterday I got the CPM machine up to 90°! (Though after several hours in the brace yesterday I had to set it back down to 80° when I went to sleep, and that only after working up to it.)

My doctor said to aim for 5 to 10 degrees improvement per day, so of course, me being the overachiever that I am, I latched onto 10 degrees per day as my personal goal. At that rate I “should” have gotten to the max goal of 110° by Friday (or yesterday, if we count last Saturday as Day 1).

Naturally, then, I feel behind.

Underachiever! Oh no!

But in fact, when I saw the doctor for my follow-up visit on Thursday he said I was way ahead of the curve, so I guess I’m probably still fine.

As if it’s a race, anyway. Just me being impatient to get my body back.

As a yogini who’s used to being a less-green version of Gumby, it’s very weird having a knee that won’t bend as far as I’m used to. The pain is, well, a pain, but the stiffness is just weird. I’m very eager to get my range of motion back, though I know it will take time.

Patience…

Bathing

Speaking of range of motion, it’s now good enough that I can actually sit on the bath bench and get my leg in the bathtub, foot on the floor, rather than having to rest it on the side of the tub.

Progress!

And can I just take a moment to express my extreme gratitude to the person who invented the telephone shower head? I have no idea who you are, and if you’re alive or dead, but seriously, thank you.

Walking

I am walking! Without crutches! Without even one crutch!

Around the house, that is—not in public, where the crutches serve the very crucial function of not just helping me keep my balance, but of making it very obvious to those around me that I’m a gimp, and they should get the hell out of my way. (Kinda too bad I’m not flying anywhere over the next 5 weeks, because the crutches would get me special treatment on the airlines, too…)

Just yesterday morning I was hobbling around with one crutch, but by last night I was able to get around the house relatively comfortably without the aid of my arms!

This is huge, people.

My right knee is safely ensconced in an enormous Robo-Cop brace (one week down; five weeks to go), which makes my gait very zombie-like, but hell, I’ve got both hands free!

This means I can function in a way that more closely resembles my regular, fully-functional self, and makes me very happy.

Writing

Though I didn’t meet my ridiculous fantasy goal of one (or oh, two, or three) blog posts a day (I must’ve been on drugs a lot stronger than my pain meds to think that was possible), I still managed to get four posts done and posted this week (including a guest post for Customer Love, complete with mini video clip of my canine nursemaid, Chloe).

And don’t miss my interview with LaVonne Ellis, where we talked about:

How deadlines help fight procrastination.
The usefulness of fear as motivation.
My Sandbox Sessions and accountability.
How Customer Love helps us take the focus off ourselves.
My exciting plans to inspire creatives to take their art more seriously.
Why LaVonne and I are both Terry Gross groupies.

Onward ho!

I even got out to see some live music, Thursday (where I sang a couple of songs with the band), Friday and Saturday. Hot dang!

All in all, I’ve made huge progress this week, all things considered, just not necessarily the progress I was most eager to make. Sometimes, though, the Universe forces your hand, and you’ve got to take time out to deal with other stuff.

Hopefully now the Universe will let me get back to the Thriving Artists Project and all my other deadlines, ’cause they’re looming fast and furious! (Did I mention that my goal is to do a pre-launch for the Thriving Artists Project done by the end of this month? That means if you want in on the pre-launch [with super-special pricing, let it be noted], you’ll want to sign up now.)

And now that I think of it, my experience this week is really just a more dramatic example of the way a typical week goes. As John Lennon famously said,

Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.

Small or large, ain’t that the way it is?

So: moving forward, let’s see if I can just enjoy and appreciate all the accomplishments, and maybe not focus so much on what I didn’t manage to do.

What do you think? Wanna join me?

Have a great week!

November 20, 2010

And We Have a Winner: Thriving Artists Project Update

I’ve got all kinds o’ news about the Thriving Artists Project—survey results, new interviews scheduled, pre-launch info (hint: sign up now if you want in on the pre-launch, because it’s coming up very soon, and only those on the list will have access)—but I already posted today, and want to keep this short and sweet so you don’t get overloaded.

So let’s get right to it, shall we?

A Winner! A Winner!

I sent out a survey a couple of weeks ago to the ground floor inner circle thrivers, and everyone who answered the survey by the deadline was entered into a drawing to win the Thriving Artists Project. (When it’s done, of course.)

We’re super hi-tech over here at LACL Headquarters, so let me give you a snapshot of our snazzy, hi-tech drawing methodology:

Write names of all survey-answerers on sheet of scrap paper
Cut names into separate strips
Put paper strips with names in hat (yes, I used an actual hat. It felt important that I adhere to strict “drawing names out of a hat” procedures)
Draw name of winner (after much stirring, of course)

All seems rather foolproof, no?

Except that among the survey respondents were two Thriving Artists Project interviewees, whom I’d already determined should receive a complimentary membership, in thanks for their awesome interviews. For some reason (possibly extreme dorkiness), I threw their names in the hat without thinking.

And wouldn’t you know it, the first name I drew was one of these: equine and animal artist Fiona Purdy.

Now, I am well aware that I could have awarded Fiona the winner and nobody would be the wiser. But I am all about transparency and fairness, people. So no go—I’d have to just draw again.

And guess whose name I drew next?

You got it, my other special bonus interviewee: Kirsty Hall, artist and purveyor of mad, obsessive projects.

Meh.

So, one more try, and we had our official winner.

(Drumroll, please.)

The winner of the Thriving Artists Project survey drawing is:

Amy Crook!

Congratulations, Amy! I’ll send you your super-premium VIP access as soon as it’s available.

Check out Amy’s cool sites, Antemortem Arts and Not Dead Yet Studios. (And maybe if we’re all really nice to her she’ll agree to be interviewed for the Thriving Artists Project herself. Seems she may have a a thing or two to add…)

Okay folks, I’m outta here. But I’ll be back soon with survey results and details about the upcoming pre-launch!

Have a great weekend.

November 20, 2010

The Girl Effect: How to Change the World, One Girl at a Time

Damn, I’m lucky.

I’m awake way too early, with less than 4 hours’ sleep because my knee hurts like hell; I’d take more Percocet but it makes me itch like a mother$%@#%; I feel the edge of a migraine coming on from lack of sleep; my butt is sore from days on end of sitting on beds and sofas with my leg in the CPM; and now I can’t get comfortable to save my life.

Plus did I mention my knee hurts like hell?

But damn, I’m lucky.

Why?

Everything, as they say, is relative. My temporary discomfort (and uncomfortable as it is right now, it is temporary) is framed by a life of incredible privilege and opportunity.

I grew up in a wealthy part of the world, in a home where I never wanted for food or clothing. Where it was assumed I’d not only graduate from high school but of course I would go to college (and this would be funded). (And I did not have to go on a hunger strike to make this happen.)

Where the trajectory of my life was dictated largely by my own choices.

Where I had choices.

I got to choose when (and if) I got married. And to whom. I got to choose when (and if) I would have children. And how many.

Not all girls have it so good. Like Kidan, who will never realize her dream of going to school and becoming a doctor.

Like Addis, who desperately wanted to go to school, but was married off at age 11 to a husband who refused to let her attend (even though there was a school right near their house).

The stories break your heart.

I wish all girls had the choices I was blessed with. The reality, though, is that when a girl turns 12 and lives in poverty, her future is out of her control.

I could quote you statistics, but this very short video from The Girl Effect does a much better job of illustrating the situation than any numbers I might spew. I encourage you to take a moment and watch it right now.

Did you get through that without crying? I didn’t.

What can you do? Check out the Girl Effect website. Blog about it. Tell your friends and family. Donate.

$60 to buy a cow, or $37 to start a hair salon (yes, literally) will dramatically improve not just a girl’s life, but the lives and future of her entire family and her entire village.

As one of the Girl Effect videos says,

This is the power of the Girl Effect. An effect that starts with a 12-year old girl, and impacts the world.

Today is Universal Children’s Day. What better way to mark the occasion than to make one small step toward improving the life of a girl.

—

Thank you to Tara Mohr for telling me about the Girl Effect and her Girl Effect blogging campaign.

So here’s something weird and delightful: Tara was a ketubah client of mine about 4 years ago. Just yesterday she noticed my name on a comment I’d made some time ago on Hiro Boga’s blog. Wondering if this was the same Melissa Dinwiddie who’d made her ketubah (how many of us are there? actually, a few), she clicked through to my site and sent me a hello.

How cool to discover that Tara is now blogging about personal growth, writing for the Huffington Post and doing coaching work. Check out her beautiful site at www.taramohr.com. And watch for a feature spot on Tara on 365 Days of Genius (launching in January) in 2011.

This is why I love the internet.