Secret #12: Planning to Achieve Your Goals

12 weeks dedicated to your creativity - Congratulations!
Every step you took, whatever the size, was a gift to your creative spirit.
(I'm sure she's creating a thank you card for you right now!)

We have one more secret to cover and I'm jumping to the end of the chapter and inviting you to celebrate! I hope you'll join us on the Celebration Call and mark being a part of this magnificent, creative, sensitive, courageous group of remarkable women. Just add your name to the sign-up box above. And if you can't, I hope that next Friday at 2:00 EST you will take a moment to celebrate the group, your muses and yourself as a creative being. Give yourself a gold star. Smile at the sky. Take yourself out for coffee. Call up a friend and celebrate how amazing you both are! And stop by here later in the day. I'm going to record the call and will post it as soon as its available. (There's also going to be a special offer on Your Creative Spark, the collection of interviews, so you'll want to check that out)

Now to the first part of the secret - planning to achieve your goals. I love how Gail starts out the chapter with asking us to develop our own creative creed. It feels like such a wonderful culmination, a chance for us to come up with a collection of our own secrets as highly creative women. This whole journey, we have been doing that. You have shared your wisdom, experience, fears, humour, vulnerability, creativity and courage - and it has been extraordinary. Thank you for so generously sharing yourselves.

The video I'm sharing with you today is one of the ways that I plan. It holds my vision for this year and reminds me each day to stay focused on my goals and my dreams. I wonder what creative goals you will set for yourself. I hope you will share them not only this week but in the weeks to come, that we will stay connected and continue to grow together, making the world a brighter place by being the stars we are.

With love and deep appreciation,
Jamie

Highly Creative Blogger Interview #12: Laini Taylor

I hope you enjoyed our interview with Laini Taylor. A creative power e-pack of all 12 inspiring interviews plus over 122 pages of accompanying transcripts and bonuses are now available at Your Creative Spark.

Laini Taylor is a writer and artist living in Portland, Oregon. Her first novel, Faeries of Dreamdark: Blackbringer, was published in 2007, and 2009 will see the release of its sequel, Silksinger, as well as her third book, Lips Touch, a trio of supernatural tales about kissing!

Though Laini had always wanted to be a writer, a patch of *writer's block* after college (a symptom of staring at a computer screen all day at her first *real job* as an editor) led her on a winding path to art school in her mid-20s. She now designs a licensed product line, Laini's Ladies, that is sold throughout the country and beyond. She lives with her husband, illustrator Jim Di Bartolo, and their old dog Leroy, and spends her days writing and designing.

More about Laini...

Website - Laini Taylor
Blog - Grow Wings
Blog about writing - Not for Robots
Along with the magnificent Megg, Laini hosts - Sunday Scribblings

The Vault ~ Week of March 27

Over the course of this journey, you'll be claiming, exploring and expressing your creativity. You're going to grow and share and stretch. And we know when that starts happening all those inner voices come out. You know the ones. You're hearing them already. "Who do you think you are?" "You'll never be an artist." "Grow up." "That's not really creative." Ouch!

So, here's what I want you to do. Over the course of our journey together, any time you hear one of those soul-sucking, creativity-thwarting, heart-hurting phrases in your life, your mind or your memories, come and put it here in the vault. Leave it in the comments and let it stay there. Put it in every time it shows up. Leave it anonymously, if that's easier. Put it out of your mind and into the vault. Know that when you put it in the vault you are saying that limiting belief is GARBAGE and you don't need it anymore!

Let all these trouble-making thoughts keep each other company while we get on with loving up our creative selves!

Secret #11: Subtracting Serenity Stealers

"The first step in starting an enterprise is to clear the space for it or till the ground."
Barrie Dolnick, Simple Spells for Success

I love that this particular secret is coming up just in time for spring! Let's make way for yumminess to bloom into our lives. This week Gail's encouraging us to "get rid of everything you neither need or want in your life." What disturbs your serenity?

Some places to look:

• clutter
• toxic people
• toxic situations
• limiting beliefs
• activities you dread
• over-committing
• over-scheduling
  
• over-stimulation
  
• perfectionism
• the outdated
• the "undone"
• habits that aren't serving you
  

In service of your joy, your art, your heart, your body, your serenity, your dreams and your spirit, pick one stealer this week make the cut. You can do it!

Highly Creative Blogger Interview #11: Sunny Schlenger

I hope you enjoyed our interview with Sunny Schlenger. A creative power e-pack of all 12 inspiring interviews plus over 122 pages of accompanying transcripts and bonuses are now available at Your Creative Spark.

Sunny Schlenger is a professional organizer, author and mentor with over 30 years of experience as a pioneer in her field. She helped launch the “custom-tailored” approach to getting organized in the 90’s with her best-selling book, How To Be Organized In Spite Of Yourself, whose approach was licensed by Harvard University’s training and development program. She then took the concept of organizing to the next level by integrating it with spirituality. The result, Organizing For The Spirit was published in 2004.

In addition, Sunny has also been named as a “flow master” by Charlene Belitz and Meg Lundstrom, authors of The Power of Flow (New York: Random House, 1997). The title designates someone who is one of a group of people “highly engaged in the natural, effortless, unfolding of life in a way that moves them towards wholeness and harmony.” As a consultant, author, coach and mentor, Sunny has worked with thousands of people, assisting them in their quest for self-realization, productivity and peace.

You can find Sunny's website here and her blog here.

Sunny is currently offering a new course: My New Year How to Set Intentions That Stick
From the Big Picture Scrapbooking introductory page:

"We know that January is long gone, but 2009 is still fresh and new and with Sunny's techniques, you could even start a new year on December 31st! Regardless of what the calendar says, this could be the first day of a new year filled with potential-just like you! Come take part in this fascinating and FUN process and make this the year you feel like a winner!

Sunny's class includes: Five voice messages available as streaming audio, downloadable MP3 files and transcripts Inspirational and instructional messages and handouts to coach you through the intention-making process Bonus handouts with layouts by Big Picture Scrapbooking's Featured Teachers: Georgana Hall, Lisa Damrosh and Elizabeth Dillow Email access to Sunny Gallery to share your work and view the work of your classmates

Registration

The Vault ~ Week of March 20

Over the course of this journey, you'll be claiming, exploring and expressing your creativity. You're going to grow and share and stretch. And we know when that starts happening all those inner voices come out. You know the ones. You're hearing them already. "Who do you think you are?" "You'll never be an artist." "Grow up." "That's not really creative." Ouch!

So, here's what I want you to do. Over the course of our journey together, any time you hear one of those soul-sucking, creativity-thwarting, heart-hurting phrases in your life, your mind or your memories, come and put it here in the vault. Leave it in the comments and let it stay there. Put it in every time it shows up. Leave it anonymously, if that's easier. Put it out of your mind and into the vault. Know that when you put it in the vault you are saying that limiting belief is GARBAGE and you don't need it anymore!

Let all these trouble-making thoughts keep each other company while we get on with loving up our creative selves!

Secret #10: Living in Abundance with Positive Priorities

This week's secret is full of deliciousness. We consider our personal definition of abundance and what it means to live according to our own unique spirit. Gail points us to the role that gratitude plays in prosperity. She encourages us to identify our scarcity thinking so that we can move beyond it. We're to pay attention to our self-care and identify what lights us up and energizes our spirits. Yes! What if we did this every week?

Are you looking forward to this one? I hope this will give you even more to look forward to: an official invitation to the first ever The Next Chapter Celebration Call. It will be a time for us to acknowledge ourselves and each other for all that we've accomplished and enjoyed during our time together.

You are invited to... The Next Chapter: 12 Secrets Celebration Call

Date: Friday April 3
Time: 2:00 EST
Special Guests: Jennifer Lee, Melba McMullin, Jessie Marianiello, Suzie Ridler, Darlene Kreutzer, Sunny Schlenger, Leah Piken Kolidas and Andrea Scher!
RSVP:


When you sign up, you will receive an email with the all the call-in details. The call is free but your long-distance charges apply.

During the call I'm going to share a special offer for those of you who want to purchase the collection of amazing interviews with highly creative bloggers. Plus, I'll be announcing the winner of the survey draw. Plus, I'll be announcing our next book! I wish I could give out cupcakes too but I haven't quite figured out how to transport them through the phone line.

In this week of living in abundance and positive priorities, take the time to celebrate all that you have and all that you are. We'll celebrate together soon!

Highly Creative Blogger Interview #10: Darlene

I hope you enjoyed our interview with Darlene. A creative power e-pack of all 12 inspiring interviews plus over 122 pages of accompanying transcripts and bonuses are now available at Your Creative Spark.

Darlene J Kreutzer is a published photographer and poet who lives with her musician husband and sports minded son in the diverse landscape of Western Canada. When she is not scribbling in her notebooks or playing with light, she can usually be found playing with paints, twisting up jewelry designs, creating culinary vegan delights or puttering in her garden which is currently sleeping under a few feet of snow.

She has an English Literature degree and a Secondary Education degree and works full time as a project coordinator in the healthcare sector. She and her husband also started a photography business in 2008 which specializes in artist, lifestyle and wedding photography. She continues to take art, writing and photography classes and workshops when she can and hopes that she will continue to learn, grow and change as the years go by.

She is grateful for: family, the light that casts beauty across shadows, music that lifts emotions, a little house and garden filled with colour and love, friends and inspirations, the beauty of nature, the ocean's cold spray, the soft barnacle skin of the grey whale and the possibilities that exist in life.

Darlene can be found at:

http://www.djkreutzer.com/moments (blog)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/daisies (flickr)

business sites:

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5039622 (etsy)

http://www.dpartistry.com (photography portfolio)

collaborations

http://www.pluckthepetal.com/polaroidgirls

http://www.pluckthepetal.com/thefour (this site is a collaboration between four canadian blogger photogs and will be going live this monday :)

Offer for The Next Chapter participants: Free shipping on all items in my etsy store starting the day my interview airs and for the following two weeks.

Secret #9: Transcending Rejection and Roadblocks

I'm so glad we spent the last 2 weeks looking at our guides and alliances before heading into rejection and roadblock territory. One message seems clear in the blogosphere - the tough stuff is easier when you know you're not alone.

And I want to acknowledge those of you who have been feeling alone. Thank you for showing up and being here even when it's been tough. Thank you for your vulnerability and your courage. Know that whether you have 50 people visit your blog or 5 or none, you are not alone. Your energy is a part of this group. Sometimes things as simple as not posting a direct link can impact whether people find your post. So keep knocking on doors until the right ones open and in between knocks, be gentle with precious you.

And for everyone, as we journey through the last leg of this particular adventure, here's what I'd love each and every one of you to do:

Create!

Let's remember why this creativity stuff is important in the first place. Over the remaining 3 weeks, spend time doing your art or exploring a new one or creatively playing. This week, as we talk about roadblocks and rejection, let's plug into the juice of what brings us alive and makes it worthwhile to get to the other side!

Dance with abandon. Write a poem. Scribble. Play your music and sing along - loud. Buy a colouring book. Get some Playdoh. Go on a photo adventure. Read a sonnet out loud to your honey. Make up a recipe. Call that ally you posted about and make a playdate. Write the first sentence. Play the piano - badly. Bead a necklace to celebrate the season. Scrapbook this moment. Make a card and send it to a new friend. Create the most beautiful day you ever had.

Let's fill March with creative joy and finish The Next Chapter off with delight.

Highly Creative Blogger Interview #9: Jen Lemen

I hope you enjoyed our interview with the the wonderful Jen Lemen. A creative power e-pack of all 12 inspiring interviews plus over 122 pages of accompanying transcripts and bonuses are now available at Your Creative Spark.

Jen Lemen is a writer, artist and independent publisher with a passion for creating community and friendship wherever she goes. Whether she’s telling knock-knock jokes in the kitchen with her two kids Madeleine and Carter or trekking across the Rwandan hillside collecting stories of confidence and hope, Jen believes that ordinary people can do amazing things with whatever they have, wherever they are. You can read more about Jen, her life and her work at jenlemen.com.