Posts by Jessica Abel
The transformational reframe that will unlock your visibility
The simple formula and the 180º flip that make sharing your work feel easy.
Read MoreHow to create clear and compelling messaging about your creative work
Talk about your work in a way that’s true to who you are and what you do
Read MoreThe missing piece to connecting with your audience:
Here’s what they don’t teach you in art school
Read MoreThe problem with “getting noticed” as an artist or writer
For artists, writers, and creatives who want to build a passionate audience without pandering or pushing
Read MoreHow to silence your inner critic: Embrace it.
Does your inner critic launch an attack on you every time you get close to finishing, or sharing, your creative work? “Ugh, seriously? You are such an idiot. Who would ever want to read such garbage! Now, sit down and shut up, before someone notices you.” Sound familiar? That’s the loop that plays on endless…
Read MoreHow to make it as an artist: Stop following the rules
Yeah, that’s me on stage with podcasting stars Roman Mars and Glynn Washington, with my comics projected 20 feet tall onscreen. It was 2015. It was a pinnacle of my artist career. Yet I had no idea how to truly make it as an artist. That’s the problem with looking at the outside of someone’s…
Read MoreRaise your bar for risk: do something scary and don’t die
I’ve got a vulnerability hangover. I recently finished a launch campaign for my new course on building an audience and marketing specifically tailored for creatives who (think they) loathe marketing. You might not know what I mean by a “launch campaign” (I sure didn’t, the first time I found myself running one, back in early…
Read MoreHow to stop trying to do it all — 5 steps to choose the best project (and chuck the rest)
The Autonomous Creative Collective is the community of current students and alumni of the Creative Focus Workshop. Cartoonist, teacher, and graphic recorder Lisa Frühbeis went through a shakeup of how she works and thinks that hit Level 7+ on the Richter scale. The result? Lisa faced down her fears and scarcity thinking to say no…
Read MoreAuthentic Visibility: Growing your audience without selling your soul
The secret to becoming known for the work that you care about most without selling your soul or wasting all your time on humiliating “self-promotion”? Authentic Visibility. Let’s do a little thought experiment. Let’s say you’re working on something big. A nonfiction book about women warriors throughout history. A graphic novel about surviving brain cancer…and…
Read MoreImperfect mortals: What really makes a creative community work
A year ago, I started an online creative community. It was just luck that I took the dive and committed to convening an ongoing online support system (for serious creatives who’ve taken my flagship course, the Creative Focus Workshop) just in time to provide the kind of deep, flexible, empathetic comradeship we all need so…
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