creative focus workshop
How 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 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 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…
Read MoreWorking From Home: Tools for Sanity in Isolation
If you’re like a lot of people I know, you’ve long wished for flex time and the freedom to work from home. But our current situation brings to mind one of those bargains with the devil you see in movies, where you ask for flex time, and then the devil is like: You’ve got it!…
Read MoreOvercome procrastination and anxiety — follow through on your creative habit
Banish the endless self-critical monologue running in your head. Decide what you want to do, what you WILL do, and follow through on your creative habit.
Read MoreFeeling stuck? 6 ways to defeat the blank page✍️
Recently, I wrote about how common it is to feel the impulse to undermine yourself and get derailed just when things are going well. It’s great if you can identify what’s happening in time, and pull back from the brink. But what if you’ve already managed to drive your project into a ditch, and you’re…
Read MoreLosing focus? There are reasons you derail your progress
It happens every time I get about two-thirds of the way through the Creative Focus Workshop with a group of students, and creaky, self-defeating patterns start breaking down. People start to take action on projects that have been back-burnered for ages. Stuff starts to happen. It was happening for Chris, who has wanted for years…
Read MoreSay goodbye to creative burnout: “If it doesn’t fit, it won’t happen.”
When too many projects split your focus, nothing gets done—at least they don’t get done without a panicked scramble, cramming in extra work on evenings and weekends. Find out how screenwriter and film director André Hedetoft broke the pattern and started getting his most important work done on time.
Read MoreWhy do I feel trapped as an artist if creativity is so freeing?
You have a passion. You’re inspired and motivated. So why can’t you manage to do the thing? Feel trapped? Here’s some news: You are. Ready to get out?
Read MoreAgainst grit: Why setting the bar low is the key to making real change in your life
You don’t need a will of iron or a massive supply of “grit” to make real changes in your life. Instead, you need to set the bar low. The secret to hitting those big creative goals is not about waiting for inspiration, it’s taking much smaller steps, much more often.
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