Join the 30-Day Blog Challenge!
Join Me with Soft Sell Marketers Association!
Connect on Facebook
Spark It With Danielle LaPorte
Connect on Facebook @ Networked Blogs
Dreamhost Green Web Hosting
TAG | Creative project
For the many soul-preneurs, writers, authors, artists, therapists, healing professionals, coaches, and consultants who hate marketing, I pose one question: Why?
Share with this community what bothers you about marketing. I really want to understand. If I understand better, maybe I can help you.
From my own perspective (as writer, marketing strategist, copywriter), it seems more like the shoemaker’s children getting their shoes last.
Maybe it’s not exactly that for you. We’re curious. I’m curious. I’ve talked about building bridges from your creation or business or venture out to meet the tribe or community you are here to serve.
That bridge is marketing. That bridge encompasses the two-way path of the relationships that you develop with your perfect-just-right clients and customers. It opens the way for them to get to you and you to connect with them.
What is it about marketing your services or your creations or creative projects that simply stops you cold? You have gifts to give to the world in a balanced energy exchange. Don’t you think that it’s beneficial for people to know about who you are, what you do, and the gifts you have to offer?
Really. Curious minds want to know. Why do you hate marketing — really?
Molly Gordon wrote in her ezine today about how we don’t have to be superheroes and how to address our tendency to think we need to be. Using the power of daily ritual is one way to keep the stress of superheroine roles out of our bodies. Molly is expressing from her own deep truth of experience a great wisdom here — with a wink of fun tossed in for good measure. (Keep the crown, Molly. You deserve it!)
Seth Godin’s post today on “winning” ended with this sentence: “What if the win is the ability to give a true gift?” It was one of those phrases that raised goosebumps, often for me an indicator of a powerful truth.
The gifts and creations (books, businesses, ventures, artworks, practices, creative projects) that you are bringing out to the world are created from the deepest heart of you. Coming from this fiery heart of creation, fueled by your passion for expressing your gift, you have a sacred trust to this, your creation and brainchild.
How can you maintain the purity of your intent as your creative project makes its way in the world? How can you preserve authenticity and integrity? How do you prevent it from becoming corrupted by the eddies and currents of the everyday and the toxic approaches that seem the common currencies?
This was one of the most powerful lessons from my recent retreat with the Dreams Alive and Relax-Online partners, Paul Bauer and Susan Castle. This powerful circle embodied the sacred and gave each of us the impetus to embrace our own sacred truth and creation while bringing it to life.
Your creations come from the heart and carry a sacred message. To speak that message in a way that connects with your perfect people (tribe, community, readers, clients, customers) requires a similarly sacred approach. Isn’t it time for sharing the sacred stories in a way that your people can really get it?
“Love is the continuous birth of creativity within and between us.”
–John O’Donohue, Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom
On the near side of the bridge, where you are looking across and seeing your circle or community across the gap of where the bridge needs to be, there with you, on your side of the bridge, is your creation.
How is it doing? How is your book coming? How is your business thriving? Are the paintings being painted? Are you teaching the classes, connecting with the clients, creating from the heart?
Does your creation have your full commitment behind it?
Yes, it’s two more Cs for the near side of the bridge. Are you creating your creation, your creative project? And are you fully committed to creating it and imbuing it fully with your gifts?
Fully committing to your creation means nurturing it with love, with passion, and with dogged determination sometimes.
I just watched The Road
Somehow the sense of commitment to his child, even in the midst of a flat, colorless and sometimes horrific world, is the level of commitment that we too are called to bring to our creations.
We create out of love, because creation is the nature of love. We commit to create, then we love and nurture our creation into manifestation. The act of creation strengthens us, as creators. It strengthens our community. It draws forth the creation itself, as it sings into the world something new.
Have you measured your commitment to your creation today?
Several years ago, two separate teachers informed me that I was a healer. “But I’m a writer,” I said. “And without a doubt, you’re a healer,” they both insisted. I was surprised. At least in this lifetime, I’ve stayed as far away from the healing arts as I possibly could, except when I insisted on natural, unmedicated childbirth with midwives. Twice. I credited my long-time meditation teachers, Rosita and Sandy at Arche International, with giving me the inner knowledge and training to make such feats possible. Them and the Bradley Method.
I have come to define healing in the broad terms my teachers must have meant. We are all healers at some level. It is that underlying healing intention that I uncover and magnify with my perfect clients, both in our conversations and in writing projects. The transformational visionaries determined to shift this hinge-historical moment in a positive direction — the conscious creators, heart-based venturers, soul-preneurs, soft sell marketers, the healing visionaries and authors with intentions on a planetary or systemic level — are indeed weaving the healing with every word they (we) publish and client they (we) interact with.
My colleague in the 30-day blog challenge, Kazi (on Twitter as @50andFit) recently wrote about entrepreneurship as path to self-healing. It’s a post full of common sense and practical tips. Kazi said, “…ensure you get the personal outer and inner cultivation you need to remain healthy and on top of your game. Your attention, time, energy and creativity are all aspects of your Chi. Your Chi is your very life force. It is the very basis of your health, wealth and wisdom. If you allow your chi to diminish, you allow your life to diminish.”
Like Kazi, I advise care of the life force, the Chi. For my tribe, writing is the very means for that inner and outer cultivation and balancing of Chi. Writing is a way of strengthening the inner, of mining the inner gold of your own thoughts and feelings, many times discovering what you think and feel as you write. One client (who never really liked writing much even from school days) reported that she discovered things about herself that she never knew when she put herself into the process of writing.
From this inner cultivation and strengthening comes the outer development and presentations of our messages and our creations. The outer manifestation of our creation and its outreach message are all the stronger by being forged from the inner fires first.
Words and writing are the tools for the personal inner healing journey. They are metaphysical and alchemical agents of change. They are also the tools for manifesting written creations (books, blogs, brochures, articles, e-courses, even tweets); and they are the raw materials that go into creating the message that will then connect to the people who need to hear it.
Remember: Your creation, book, project, or venture cannot begin to do its healing of the heart of the world until it is out there, full and strong. YOU have to be a strong enough vessel from the inside out, without cracks, to bring your creation all the way into the world. You have to be healed and strong enough to go on helping it grow into the full flowering of the message and healing it is here to do.
Oh, yes. Words are powerful. One colleague recently received a serious wounding by words. Others came in and used words, attempting to mitigate and transform the pain, using their love in words as healing. Writing is healing when healing and wholeness are the intentions.
#Blog30 on Twitter.
5
Write Synergies: What It Means — Blog Challenge Post 25
4 Comments | Posted by Bobbye in Synergies, Writing
Write Synergies. It’s the name of this blog. (Oh yes, along with copywriting. We’re getting to that tomorrow…with the case of the missing keyword…Watch for it!)
Write Synergies: It’s the name of the book that’s under construction, the process, the sub-processes, even the author, who calls herself (for heaven’s sake) the Write Synergies Guru. More on gurus coming too.
Needing to write a blog post to explain what Write Synergies means indicates that the name isn’t ideal. Maybe the people in the #blog30 challenge have been especially kind and have kept an open mind to explore such a non-keyword-named blog. (thank you.)
As I pondered how to reinvent myself once again –to rename this body of work, at one coach’s suggestion — (I’ve been doing reinventing rather regularly. To hear about my lifelong commitment to reset, listen to my BlogTalkRadio interview with Nina Price on her show, Push the Reset Button.) — What happened? A client said, “You know, that word synergies, it’s a perfect description of how it was, what happened, what you did, when you worked with me.” Whoa.
For the moment, I’m back to this word that no one understands–Synergies.
So, for the down and dirty explanation: Synergies = Energies + Synthesis. Synergies means energetically putting something together that’s greater than the sum of the parts. It encompasses the energies around bringing things together in new ways. (Remember the equation: thesis –>antithesis–>synthesis.) It brings together the opposites to create something brand new.
Bottling up the synergies magic through and with words.
Those hidden (or not so hidden) synergies are what I help people uncover in their own creative vision. Sometimes it’s something they didn’t even know was there.
The Write Synergies process supports conscious creators at any place along the spectrum of the creative process: in tapping their vision; in writing and polishing up their creations; with their copy, the message of the creation, so it connects; in their communicating and outreach to their tribes; even in finding and connecting to the tribes…And to do that, I write. I listen and write. Write and listen.
For people looking for the courage to call themselves writers and authors, who want help, mentoring, support, inspiration, and encouragement in their own writing process, I serve as coach, teacher, and guide.
I write for people and about their projects and creations. We collaborate on writing so my conscious creator clients build the strong inner foundation that will support their outer work of bringing their creation, book, web site, newsletter, or healing venture fully into the world.
I use words, written words primarily, to help my people generate results greater than the sum of the parts. I help people bring their creations to life and to light. I listen and write souls (and their gifts) into authentic expression. (To do this, I have an extensive toolkit of expertise and experience. Again, a topic for another day.)
No matter where you are in a process of writing and conscious creation, you may need support, a sounding board, someone whose expertise resides in all the many manifestations of the written word.
Write Synergies is an alchemical, transformative process that moves with you along the path of your heart and soul, to where you really want to go. I love being your guide, joining you on your creative journey.
And for my new friends from the 30-day blog challenge, #blog30 on Twitter, I want to acknowledge all the gifts and greatness of your expressions and messages in the conversations over this past month. Thank you. You are truly owning your greatness in the world with the unique manifestation of YOU!
Create and Implement: Sounds simple. And it’s the heart of the matter, isn’t it? If you are a visionary author, writer, messenger, thought leader, or conscious creator with a mission to heal, the idea is to get the work (and its healing results) out there into the world, to start serving the people you came here to serve.
I just read a review for a creativity process book over at Amazon, and there are now comments on the comments. One of those subcomments really struck home. Do these creativity process books help you take action on making your art (whatever it may be)? Or does the process lull you into endless loops of reflecting on the process?
It’s a fine line, I think. Because the inner journey, as discussed in prior posts, is important to building a strong foundation for the outer expression of your work and gifts and greatness in the world. But at a certain point, it’s time to just do the work, to build the house, write the book, call the clients. How can you use these “process” approaches to launch you into the doing of the actual work (art) you came here to do (make) — and not as an excuse for endless procrastination and preparation?
Note to self: Is this a potential danger of the Write Synergies Path work that I am creating? How may I structure this “process” so it’s more about moving my people forward with doing whatever is the important work/art/creation/venture? How do I prevent myself and others from falling into the thrall of something completely impractical and tail-chasing as an excuse to avoid the work of creating? How can I make sure there is practical traction?
My personal challenge IS in doing my “own work,” whatever that may look like. It looked for a time like poetry. And for time it looked a lot like collage/assemblage. Then photography. Now it seems to want to shape itself into a book. Or several. And collaborating with visionary thought leader clients to support and mentor them in creating their most important writing projects.
This post, “create and implement,” is really all about encouraging you in the doing of your work. To do full justice to “create and implement,” it really calls for more detail than a single blog post here.
You ask, “Do I just start creating?” Yes. Sometimes you just start. Sometimes, instead, the creation “starts” you–its call is so persistent that it seeps out of your pores and your pen or across the keyboard without your even being full aware of it. This is the luscious process of what I call “divine dictation.” Something comes out, flows out the pen and onto the page. I know I wrote it, but I don’t have a clue where it came from. These are the moments of the gift. It’s important to grab the gift moments, treasure them, and build on them. They are the gold.
Then there are the other moments, when the engine is cold and it’s tough to start. These are the times when the “Just do it,” motto comes in handy. Times that call for the admonishment to be willing to write what Anne Lamott calls, the “shitty first draft.” Get something out there. Pen to paper even when you don’t really “feel like it.” (And here, a perfect time for acknowledging the gift of the 30 day blog challenge, to get stuff done and out in spite of resistance, procrastination. So thanks #blog30 community!)
Remember: It’s a stronger house with a foundation, and it’s a stronger creation when it has the grounding and foundation of having done the inner work first, tapping into the vision and building on your authenticity, gifts, and greatness.
Be grateful for the gifts and moments of golden flow. But keep on writing (creating) anyway, even if you feel like you are plugging along up a steep incline. Think of the view when you get to the top. Just make sure you are climbing the right mountain!
16
Grow the Momentum of Your Creative Project–Blog Challenge Day 7
5 Comments | Posted by Bobbye in Synergies
Tailored and edited for a public community,
these thoughts to build the momentum for your creative project
are adapted from a piece I wrote this week to encourage a friend.
So you, my conscious creator friend,
are in a total creative mode at the moment.
Your vision and creation are being nurtured.
You are cutting to the bone of living your purpose and giving your gifts.
Consider you are in a kind of birthing process.
It’s an inner path and inner process, the river you dive into alone.
And yet…
In this deep dive, realize that a lifeline to the surface is just a best safety practice.
Do you have people in your circle, community, or tribe?
If so, let them know, especially if you’ve been out of touch.
Keep your people apprised of the new energy and excitement.
You’re sharing part of your new creative cycle.
Make it a sort of a “stay tuned” message.
Bring them into the excitement.
Let them know something big is in process.
Take your time.
Remember if you rush out with your creative brainchild, there’s a risk:
That it will not be formed enough or strong enough to maintain its momentum.
So NOW, in this pre-birth process, is the moment to take the time you need.
Ask for the support you need — so that the new brainchild can grow to its fullest potential.
Know that followers of your message really love you, your energy, your presence.
Invite your community of friends and colleagues to the pre-party.
Invite and invest your people into the process.
Request good thoughts, mental, emotional, and spiritual encouragement.
Create safe and sacred space around you, your creation, your community.
It works on the same principle as prayers and energy healing from a distance.
There is no distance. That’s just illusion.
Best of all, this creates a true two-way community –
as you invite people to support you in this exquisite time of creativity.
Strengthen the vessel of you.
Put into practice all the good intentions for all the good new habits. Do it!
The vessel of you–body, mind, spirit– is your means for delivering the gifts of consciousness into the world.
From the inner path to the outer expression, it is like a birth process.
Ponder the apparent “gap” between the dream-creation you are nurturing –
and the challenge of bringing it whole, strong, healthy, and long-lived into the manifest world.
And ask for the help you need.
The momentum you add will generate still more synergies — a positive spiral.
Follow the 30 Day Blog Challenge on twitter: #blog30
You want to make a difference. How best to do that?
Pondering this, I came synchronistically to the following quote from Neale Donald Walsch:
“Money is not the issue. Having the courage to give your highest gift is the issue.”
The Write Synergies process starts with the understanding that we all have gifts to give. Most of us still need to fully own (as in acknowledge to ourselves) the greatness of our being, our inner power, as well as the great contributions that we can give — via our creative projects, ventures, books, talks, web presences. We came here to make a difference, to make our corner of the world a better place by expressing the authenticity of our being. The only way we can do that is to step out of our own way. I have trouble with this too, tripping myself up endlessly.
That’s the beauty of using writing to unearth an inner process, to uncover the depths of our capabilities. Then comes the exhilaration of taking the next step and moving the writing into the outer path, following the trail of words out into the manifest world, giving birth to our creative brainchildren and helping them find their place and their people.
There are souls yearning to awaken to share their gifts and greatness. This Write Synergies process is one path to help people get from the “in here” to the “out there” with grace and wisdom. It’s the path for those willing to use words to shine their light and share their gifts. You make a difference just by being who you are, but learning to feel at ease telling your own story lets you magnify your light.
Shine on!
(follow the 30-Day Blog Challenge on Twitter at #blog30)
Creating results greater than the sum of the parts (Synergies) implies that you are making connections.
For part of January, our broadband was down. The disconnection seemed profound at the time. For more than a week, I was more distracted by the disconnect than even the distractions of being connected. I managed to do work by cobbling together time with my laptop at various outlets with WiFi, cafes, the library, until finally home base was back live. So there’s deep gratitude for the connection, but also awareness of just how hooked I am to this world of online connections.
Worried about the disconnect, it seemed overwhelming to give myself over to creating, to the projects that begged for attention. This made me aware of online connection as a kind of addiction. Here are several lessons that arose from the disconnect:
- Be aware of, and wary of, your addictions.
- Learn the backup systems and have several options in place.
- Call for help sooner.
- Don’t worry if you can’t connect. You’re probably not missing much anyway.
- Step out into the real world and do analogue for awhile as a refreshing break.
- Make your connections in other ways. Remember face to face?
Shortly after our outage, I had the great fortune of taking a yoga session for “the seasoned body” with a master teacher and friend. The reconnections that the class sparked within were amazing. How disconnected I had been from my own body, even though it is the vessel for doing things in this world. Going through the stretches, releases, and alignments, I suddenly felt like I’d rediscovered a connection, a vein of creative flow. The body disconnect was not even something that I noticed!
As my friends and mentors, Judith and Jim say, “Because it’s all in the connection.” That’s their email signature, and a profound statement of the soft sell marketing approach that is also their signature.
As I write this on the newly designed blog (the old theme seemed to have a vulnerability and a page of mine was hacked/hijacked), I am happily connected and also reaching out to make connections. It’s better than being disconnected. But that said, it seems like the last lesson needs to be: Make the occasional conscious decision to disconnect so that you can give yourself over to the creative projects and manifesting the gifts and greatness that are the living embodiment of “Living Your Legacy!”
Writers, what’s on your list for 2010? Is this the year you will complete the book, start the novel or memoir, really put your writing self “out there?”
Beware of trying to do everything at once—or biting off a big project only to see it fizzle before it ignites! Many experts recommend that you make changes slowly and work to make positive habits a permanent part of your life.
Try this!
Select your top writing or other creative project. Commit to make small but consistent progress toward a mini-goal. Consider a doable “page a day” to build momentum on your book. (Many days, you’ll continue beyond a page!) If you want to, use the comments here at Write Synergies Copywriting to report on your progress.
You’ll experience permanent shifts by creating new habits in your writing process. By creating do-able positive new habits, over a period of 2-3 months, you’ll see progress. Think of these as baby steps to reach that mini-milestone you’ve identified.
Yes, you do need the big vision goal as the powerhouse and ultimate destination. But tied to that, you need daily do-able actions. These can be most effective when you take a “process” approach. As Dan Millman once said, “A little bit of something is better than a lot of nothing.” With writing, this is more than just a truism.
When you have solidified those habits and made progress toward your milestone, pick the next item to address or create a new mini goal in an area you are already working on. (A blog? A regular ezine? Fiction as well as nonfiction?)
Then repeat the process of introducing simple, do-able steps that will help you make the changes (and your progress toward completion) a permanent and ongoing part of your life. You are installing and creating new long-term writing habits that naturally lead to your desired results.
By developing new habits that inch you toward your writing goals, you are on the path to be able to share your gifts and greatness. This is the journey we are on together, “The Write Synergies Path to Owning Your Greatness.” Safe travels!
