thriving artists project Archives - Page 3 of 5 - Melissa Dinwiddie | Create the Impossible™

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 12, 2010

Fear

Normally in a post about fear I think I’d be writing about creative fears:

Fear of failure.

Fear of success.

Fear that makes you resist what you know you want more than anything.

Today, however, I’m dealing with a more visceral kind of fear:

Fear of dying.

That’s at its most extreme, granted. It’s also fear of pain. Fear of maiming.

Fear of something really bad happening.

I think this is a pretty “normal” kind of fear to have when one is about to go into surgery. Most people don’t like the idea of sharp instruments cutting them open, and other sharp instruments sewing things to bones and stuff, which is what is about to happen to my right knee in 2 hours and 20 minutes.

Can I just say, “Ack!”

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!

Okay, I feel a little better now.

I’ve been wanting to share all the cool stuff that’s been going on with the Thriving Artists Project, but the inevitable enforced downtime that this knee surgery is going to, well, enforce on me, meant a lot of scrambling to tie up a lot of loose ends to allow myself some rest.

Rest? What’s that?

Apparently I need something like a dislocated knee to get me to rest for more than a few minutes at time.

So, I sit here with my tensed-up back and neck, waiting out the last few moments before I get picked up to go to the hospital, anxious and scared.

And at the same time, I have to admit, kinda looking forward to my little “break.”

For which, by the way, I’ve packed an entire grocery bag full of library books on happiness (research for my Guide to Happiness e-course); plus my ukulele; a knitting bag with a 15-year-old partially-finished sweater; several journals to write in; and a borrowed laptop.

Someone apparently doesn’t know the meaning of the word “rest.”

I have, however, also packed a few DVDs, and will have minions at my beck and call to fetch me more, should I desire to just be entertained.

It could happen.

So, dear readers, enjoy your weekend. I’ll do my best to enjoy mine (thank GOD for pain meds!)

And next week I promise to share the latest exciting news about the Thriving Artists Project, which is charging ahead at full speed!

August 21, 2010

The Number One Problem Most Artists Have, Plus the Unveiling of My Debt Elimination Project

Last week I had the pleasure of lunching with Ann Rea, successful painter, artist business coach and owner of ArtistsWhoTHRIVE.

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…

July 31, 2010

Weekly Review #18: The back spasm edition

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?

Timing is everything.

I started writing this through a lens of back spasm pain. I was sitting at my computer, and except for being tired (as usual) from staying up too late (as usual), I was feeling pretty okay.

Then wham. Sudden spasm up and down the entire right side of my back. You know those big muscles that parallel your spine (the name of which I really should know, since I did go through basic anatomy during yoga teacher training…)? Yeah, that one, on the right. Oy.

Suffice it to say that this week, this sits squarely in the What’s Hard category. A back spasm, and a gig in a few hours. Not good.

My chiropractor was fully booked all day with a hard leave-by time, so no help from that arena. However, my fantabulous samurai massage (ie, serious deep-tissue massage) guru, Cindy, who was just about to leave for the day, was available for one more massage.

Hot damn!

Timing is everything.

I’ve been saying for ages that when money isn’t so tight the first item on my agenda is to book regular massages with Cindy, who makes me quite literally groan and sometimes even cry in pain (“what is going on in that room…?” the people in the waiting room must wonder), but who has solved many an “unsolvable” physical problem, starting with a torn hamstring a few years back.

The Universe’s 2x4s

Once again I’m reminded that things frequently don’t change or move much until the Universe whacks me upside the head with a 2×4.

Have I been wanting regular massages with Cindy? Hell yes!

Have I been getting regular massages with Cindy? Hell no. Because they cost $80 a pop, and money’s tight, and I’m highly, highly motivated to pay down my mountain of debt as soon as possible, rather than growing it any higher.

But sometimes the Universe decides that it’s time for you to shell out $80 for a much-needed massage, goddammit, and so you do.

Or at least I did. And though I’m not totally up to par, I am dramatically better. Maybe even enough to attempt to varnish my naked toenails. (Must look the diva part, after all!)

But on to other things. Though it’s always hard to come back to real life after a week at music camp, there are lots of things going well.

What’s going well

: Another Thriving Artists Project interview

On Tuesday: what a wonderful interview with Michael Nobbs of Sustainably Creative! I want to put him in my pocket and take him home. I learned a lot. Great addition to my Thriving Artists Project. (Sign up here to get on the advance notification list.)

: I made a ketubah!

Which I’m posting here again, even though it already appeared in yesterday’s post. Finished it in time, got it scanned (next up: adding it to my line on Ketubahworks), and most important, the clients were happy. Always a great sense of accomplishment.

: Music

I played my ukulele every day, and even found myself in The Zone once or twice, experimenting and discovering, and just having fun. This is good!

Plus, after a dry spell of several months I started writing a new song. We’ll see if it evolves — I seem to be accumulating several unfinished ones.

The important thing is that I’m back in the mode of thinking about music, rather than having it be sitting untended on the back burner.

: Inspiration

Robert, whom I’ve never met, sent me a link to a TEDx talk by Verity Price, which inspired the hell out of me. (Thank you Robert!)

South African artist Verity did what I did — pre-selling her CD before it was made — but with the benefit of wider name recognition than little ‘ol yours truly, she sold 2,000 units (at $20 a pop), not just $2,000. (You do the math.)

What a score it would be to interview her for my Thriving Artists Project! I sent an email, but no response yet. Ah, well. I’m still inspired.

: Self-care: time for friends

After my bout of 80-hour weeks before and between music camps, I’m enjoying a somewhat more relaxed pace, taking time for friends, allowing Happiness to take the wheel for awhile, while Greatness takes a breather.

What’s hard

Aside from the aforementioned back spasm, it’s the usual hard stuff around here: too much to do, and not enough time to do it. Plus, oh yeah, money. (Which is, in fact, dramatically better than last year at this time, but until I get this debt paid off I’m still living like frugal Freida.)

Things are moving way more slowly than I’d like, but then, at least they’re moving. I’m doing my best to take a page from Michael Nobbs’ book, and be kind to myself.

And rather than delve further into this pit of kvetching, I’m going to excuse myself to diva-up for my gig.

‘Til next time, over and out.