People who want to work with me often say they’re ashamed to spend money on coaching.

“I’m ashamed that I have to spend all this money on coaching to get my writing done. Other people can just do it. I feel like I should just be like them.”

Yes, it would be nice to write and write, paint and paint–no resistance, no blocks, lalala.

But if that’s not you, it’s not.

You are exactly who you are in this moment. You need what you need to thrive. There is no shame in this. In fact, it’s part of the beauty of who you are.

Beauty, you say? Yes, beauty.

For example… There are all kinds of flowers in the world. Daisies, buttercups, dandelions, tulips, hothouse roses, orchids. Some of them thrive with no special care, sprouting up on roadsides while exhaust-spewing cars roar past. Others need really specific amounts of humidity, sunlight, or soil acidity.

If you find it hard to create because you grew up with negative family beliefs about the value of creative work… or took on the story that you’re not good enough… or you’re trying to balance creative work with family or money-making responsibilities… that’s part of who you are.

It’s one piece of the human experience that you embody. It’s a source of your uniqueness and brilliance and artist’s view of the world.

So, if you’re an orchid, own it. Give yourself all the support and coaching you need to thrive.

Be your beautiful self.

P.S. For those of you who want support in doing your creative work, I’ve put together the CREATE! Mastermind.

This is a circle of ambitious, talented writers/ artists/ creatives who are committed to completing a high-level, career-changing piece of work–a breakthrough masterpiece.

In this community and with my support, here’s what else you’ll do:

Set up your life so you have the time, space and money to create. Dissolve resistance and anxieties. Get into the flow of regular creative work. Bring out your most profound and brilliant work. Find the people and resources to take your craft to the next level. Discover—and transcend—the hidden barriers to doing your best work. And keep going until you’re done.

Interested? (Email me and I’ll tell you more.)

As creative people, it’s easy to think what we create depends on us. But, the truth is, the people around us can have just as big an effect.

If you’re writing, painting, designing… there are times when you’ll get stuck in your head. You fall into thinking there’s not enough time, despair that you can’t fix the structure of your novel, resent your kids and husband for taking time away from your screenplay, feel crappy when your more-successful MFA friend puts on another big show (while there you are, still “emerging,” still “promising,” and still not there), and see another year passing…

At those times, the people around you can make all the difference. They can get caught in the stress and negativity spiral with you. They can commiserate with you.

Or, they can inspire you and call forward the biggest and best in you.

Even better, if they are creative people on the same path–up to big things like you–their insights, challenges, vulnerable moments, successes, and celebrations can feed your own transformation and success.

So… for those of you who want a community that lifts you up–a group of fellow artists who get what you’re doing and bring out the best in you, I’ve put together the CREATE! Mastermind.

This is a circle of ambitious, talented writers/ artists/ creatives who are committed to completing a high-level, career-changing piece of work–a breakthrough masterpiece.

In this community and with my support, here’s what else you’ll do:

Set up your life so you have the time, space and money to create. Dissolve resistance and anxieties. Get into the flow of regular creative work. Bring out your most profound and brilliant work. Find the people and resources to take your craft to the next level. Discover—and transcend—the hidden barriers to doing your best work. And keep going until you’re done.

Interested? Email me and I’ll tell you more!

For those of you who want to finish a creative work that’s important to you—at a level that will establish you professionally–I’m bringing together a group of talented, ambitious people to do this over the next year.

(Without moving to a mountaintop cabin, living on rice and beans, or giving up your life!)

You choose a creative goal or project you want to complete, and in the group, we handle what you need to get it done: You’ll set up your life so you have the time, space and money to create. Dissolve resistance and anxieties. Get into the flow of regular creative work. Bring out your most profound and brilliant work. Find the people and resources to take your craft to the next level. Discover—and transcend—the hidden barriers to doing your best work. And keep going until you’re done.

Interested? Get in touch and I’ll send you the deets.

I had an amazing writers’ group. But for years, I still had trouble doing my creative work.

Here’s how it went: Every time it was my turn to submit, I felt the deadline looming. I pushed against all kinds of resistance to get my piece done. Sometimes I succeeded, but sometimes I failed. Sometimes I handed in something that wasn’t fully polished. Other times I didn’t finish and had to offer my spot to someone else.

This cycle repeated itself over and over.

So, even though I had a great group—-insightful readers who were great at seeing and unlocking a piece’s potential, a supportive and incredibly helpful group with great social dynamics–I began to question: Why am I here? If I can’t get enough feedback because I’m not writing enough, is it worth it to stay?

Eventually I left.

This illustrates the limitations of any group–no matter how supportive, insightful, visionary, or helpful.

** You see, an artist’s group only addresses a VERY SMALL part of what you need to do successful creative work. **

Here’s what groups are good at: Giving you an external deadline that may help you create. (If you have very mild resistance or blocks, this may be enough. Any more though… and good luck!) Giving you a peer group for artistic exchange and professional connections. Giving you feedback after you create the work.

(This is assuming you have a good group. Bad groups can mean substandard feedback, unhealthy competition, weird social dynamics, flake-y members, and people who are trying to turn your work into a version of theirs–instead of the best version of itself. They can even wound you creatively.)

Good writers groups are invaluable.

But, here’s what they DON’T do:

* Help you identify and handle internal resistance, procrastination, or anxiety that gets in the way of your creative work.

* Coach you through the emotional and logistical challenges of being an artist

* Help you work through scheduling challenges and develop your optimal creative work schedule

* Help you set up your sources of income so you have more time and money to create

* Identify and heal family stories that get in your way (“People like us can’t be creative” or “You can’t make money doing what you love”)

* Support you in day-to-day efforts to stay in the creative flow and do your work

* Help you create the long-term, intermediate, and short-term creative goals that enable you to create a finished work

* Discover and deal with the unconscious ways your “emotional make-up” limits the quality of your work

* Take you on a deep personal exploration of the “truth” within your work–so you can create a work of incredible complexity, depth, and power

If you’ve been trying to finish a creative project for years, it’s a mistake to think your writers group is the answer. (Your group is not enough. If it were, you’d be finished by now!)

If you regularly deal with procrastination, or you always feel too busy to do your creative work, your writers group will not change that.

If your work feels dry and uninspired, or if your creative work and career have plateaued, you need to go deeper to bring out your inspiration and brilliance. Your group cannot take you there.

Your writers group is not supposed to do these things.

But that 360-degree support is crucial. Without it, your creative work can founder for years.

* Support to make sure you’re “ALL IN”–instead of stymied by internal fears or resistance

* Coaching on how to set up your life so you have the time, money, and space to create

* Guidance and structures to help you actually DO the work

* Support in doing the highest QUALITY of work (including how to find a good artists’ group!)

* Accountability and coaching to keep you going until you FINISH

The CREATE! Mastermind supports you in all the elements necessary to do the “breakout” creative work that will establish you professionally. If you could use that, stay tuned.

P.S. If you know you’re interested, email me with “CREATE! Mastermind” in the subject line. I’ll make sure you don’t miss the announcement!

“If you don’t risk anything, you risk even more.”

~ Erica Jong

Sometimes it’s scary to go for your big creative dream, so you think,

“I’ll play it safe. I’ll wait till I

have more training

get more clarity

save up more money

figure it out

find the courage.”

The truth is, inaction is a decision too.

When you choose

not to write or paint or compose today,

not to submit your work,

not to take on the scary-big opportunity,

not to approach the artist you’ve admired since childhood,

not to get coaching to advance your career,

not to invest in your dreams…

You’re choosing a life where you are

Not doing the work you love

Not building your creative career

Not being seen

Not expanding and growing

Not succeeding

Not getting what you want

Not satisfied with your life.

Is that the life you want?

Be willing to risk.

Be willing to succeed.