creative focus workshop
Making better comics: 12 years and 12 hard-won lessons learned
The point of being human is to try things that are incredibly difficult, to reach for heaven, even if it exceeds your grasp. That’s who we are. That’s what makes it all worth it.
Read MoreHow to stop putting off that major project in 6 simple steps
There are projects on your list that have been there a very long time. Everybody has them. I have them. Here’s how to (finally) get them done.
Read More“It’s kind of poised to leap now, and that’s really scary and exciting…”
Liz Schiller had been putting off finishing a years-long project of writing a musical…until she made it her One Goal and got help from her CFW cohort. What can you do when you’re overwhelmed by a giant project?
Read MoreHappiness and Productivity: You need to treat yourself like a dog
If we all agree that punishment and cruelty don’t work on others, why are they your go-tos when it comes to changing your own less-than optimal behaviors?
Read MoreHow do you become who you want to be? Dare to be bad.
Inside your head, there’s a version of you who’s killing it.
That you is working steadily on the novel, the blog, the film, the podcast, the comic, the website. Alternate-you is publishing, going live. And the world is loving it.
But on the outside? You’re barely moving.
You’ve got to take the next step.
How do you know if it’s time to quit?
You’ve worked so hard, gathered so much research, gotten really deep in…and all you feel is overwhelmed. How do you know when it’s time to quit?
Read More“It’s like a fortune cookie” — When you surprise yourself with what you’re capable of
“I was getting closer to my creative life all year. I just didn’t realize it, because it wasn’t a step-by-step “extreme makeover” version where five weeks later I’m like, Now I’m a published author. Or, Now I can quit my day job. But all these other things happened. And now it’s been 14 weeks? And I mean, I’m rolling.”
Read MoreHow to build a sustainable work process that produces results WITHOUT burnout
Jennifer Shiman came back to her career in animation determined to have a better relationship with her work. “This is an opportunity to really create not only a sustainable way to earn a living, but a sustainable work process, which is necessary for my health.”
Read MoreFocused action: The time to act is now
So how does one go from a slow-burn collaborative podcast to putting out a full, cohesive season of a narrative podcast in one year? With a whole lot of extremely focused action, and a laser focus on one goal.
Read MoreThere is no gatekeeper. There is no gate.
A few weeks ago, I assigned my art students a fun project, a “forgery” of an artist they admire and want to learn from. One student picked Michelangelo. (I talked her down from trying a fresco—in two weeks—to imitating his red chalk studies.) She copied his work in her sketchbook every day. She went to…
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