Tag: creativity

Cultivating Creativity

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I was one of 7 nervous faces sitting round a kitchen table. There were notebooks of varying shapes and sizes and a random assortment of pens. I have arrived at a creative writing course to learn how to “Banish the Blank Page”.

I’m not writing this post to announce my forthcoming literary masterpiece, but to share my unexpected learnings from the day.

Observation is the key to creativity in any discipline (whether music, art or literature). Inspiration comes from getting out there and finding it, of tuning in to your environment to see the beauty there. You can’t think anything into creation.

Practice is everything. If you want to write, find time in your day to write (and there is enough time). It doesn’t have to be a long time. Most of the exercises we did were no longer than 15 minutes but by consistent practice, your writing will improve and you will get better at finding the time. To quote Marcel Moyse from “De le Sonorite”, his method for developing flute playing: “It is all a question of time, patience and intelligent work”

Don’t try and make it perfect. It’s rare that the first draft of anything is the final offering, but there always has to be a first draft. Experiment and see what happens, enjoy the evolution and build up a back catalogue of outtakes to mark your improvement.

Seek feedback from other people. We are our own worst critic and it’s unlikely that you will say anything favourable about your own work. If you can find a tutor or a trusted circle of friends (This is known as workshopping in the literary world.) you will get some fair feedback. Learn to be a critic – this isn’t to belittle your or your competitors’ efforts, but to learn from them: why does that phrase work? Why don’t I believe in that character?

At the end of the day do I find myself transformed into a creative writer? Probably not, at least not right now and not without a lot more practice.

So was the day wasted? No, everything I learnt can be applied to help me move forward in doing my dreams.

Finding like-minded people, seeking inspiration and trying things out are all the ingredients for success. Giving something a go takes away that nervous face, replacing it with a confident smile.

Leave a comment if you’ve had a similar experience of trying something new, or practising till you get it right. 

I attended “Banish the Blank Page” with Melanie Whipman, You can find out about her and other creative writing courses here.

I could never…be a freelancer

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I love my job, but I just can’t get on with working for this person/in this company. Has anyone else thought this, but then immediately told themselves how lucky they are to have a job and how hard it would be to go freelance?

Meet Lizzie Davey, who has successfully made the leap and shared her experience with me.

How would you describe what you do?

In the most basic sense, I’m a freelance writer. But, more specifically, I create long-form content for marketing brands and tech companies that help them connect with their audience and convert more readers into buyers.

I also help brands put together engaging content strategies that help them reach their goals and get their brands out there.

Have you always done this? When/why did you make a change?

No! I started my freelance career as a travel writer, because I was living abroad and travel was my biggest love. I soon realised that the pay in that sector is pretty shoddy, and the writing became repetitive.

I have a background in marketing and I love reading up on current trends, so it made sense to make the switch. I made the change about a year and a half into my freelance career (I wish I’d done it sooner, though!).

Was there a particular trigger for changing your work/lifestyle?

Yes. My ex-boyfriend was an English teacher and we’d discussed living abroad so he could earn more money and I could get to see some fun places. He landed a job in Spain that started a month later, so I kinda had to get my stuff together pretty quickly.

I think if I hadn’t have had that complete cut from normal life, I wouldn’t have gone all in with freelancing.

How did you feel when you made the decision to go freelance?

Absolutely terrified! I was convinced that it wasn’t a viable way to make money and I thought I’d be struggling to earn enough each month to pay my bills. It was also pretty liberating though, and I was proud of myself for finally taking the plunge on something I’d wanted to do for a LONG time.

What are the highlights and lowlights of a freelance career?

The highlights are definitely working with some amazing brands and seeing their stories come to life. On a more personal, selfish level, the freedom I have to work with who I want, when I want, and do what I want is a huge high.

But it’s not all fun, fun, fun! There were months at the start of my career where I didn’t make enough money and I didn’t think I’d ever be able to make a consistent income. Now? There aren’t as many lows, but I do often wonder what’s next – like, whether I’ll still be doing the similar work for similar clients this time in ten years.

Do you have any advice or tips for someone considering a freelance career?

Yes! It’s totally possible if it’s something you really want, but it’s really not the right lifestyle for everyone.

You have to be incredibly persistent and cut yourself some slack when you think things aren’t moving quickly enough. It took me almost two years to find the balance in my business that I craved, and there were so many points along the way where I was ready to pack it all in and go back to full-time employment.

I think a sensible place to start is to plan everything meticulously. Where do you want to be next month? Next year? In the next five years? And be realistic, too. Freelancing isn’t an overnight thing. It takes time to create and build a business you’re happy with.

Is there one piece of advice you would give your younger self?

Great question! There is absolutely tonnes of things I’d love to have known when I was younger.

Career-wise, I think I would have told myself that things will work out because they have to. Nobody knows what they’re doing most of the time, so just keep being curious, keep asking questions, and keep creating connections.

What new challenges/plans are in the pipeline?

I’m currently re-working my packages this summer to include more strategy-based offerings. I LOVE helping brands figure out the message they want to put out there and then putting that into action through really juicy content.

I’m also writing a new course for prospects who can’t afford my full services, but still want help creating an engaging content strategy.

As for Creative Freelancing Freedom (my course for freelancers), I’ll be closing that up soon and re-opening it two times a year for a more focused approach.

You can find out more about Lizzie and her work at wanderful-world.com

If you know what you want to do, but can’t seem to make it happen – get in touch for a chat about how I can help you start doing your dreams.

Going slow to go fast

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We all know the story of the tortoise and the hare. About how if we set off too fast we may feel like we’re winning, but then we get tired and need to take a nap – we wake up disoriented and then can’t quite pick ourselves up again to get going in the right direction and the race is lost.

I know this to be true when running races, but it’s often how my days feel like to me. I get up with a flourish, start attacking my to do list and am exhausted by lunch time. In a drive to shoe I’m being productive, I battle on and then call it quits early because I’m not achieving anything. As well as being tiring, it can be frustrating.

For the last couple of weeks, I’ve been taking a different approach. My mornings have been slower to get started “properly” (as I would have described it). My first activity has been creative – writing – not for business but for pleasure. A challenge to write a short story – no limits as to how long or by when – meant I had to find time to do it, to write at least a few words. And some mornings it’s been lots of words, which has been great, and when I run out I can stop and pick it up again the next morning.

Sometimes you’ve got to force yourself to find the time to do the things that you enjoy and once you start it’s amazing how time can get away from you, and how you can forget about any stresses or anxieties whilst you’re doing it. My mornings feel like they’ve been extended and this in turn makes it feel as if the daily routine has shifted, with a later lunch (coinciding with my slump time) and picking up again later.

By owning my mornings a bit more – whether by exercising, stretching or creating – and by starting the day more slowly it can set the tone to be more deliberate about what I do, feels more productive and may get me to my goals faster.

Any significant change will take daily actions. Agree a daily action with yourself and every day you make it happen put a visible mark in your calendar. That way, you won’t want to break the chain and it will give you an extra incentive to keep going.

Can I help you to get to your goals faster? If you’re feeling overwhelmed and too busy to do the things you want, send me a message to arrange a chat about how I can help you feel calmer and see the actions you need to take to start doing your dreams.