“There is no one harder to live with than an artist. Therefore an artist is a real gift because he or she raises the sanctity of everyone else in the community.”
David Steindl-Rast
No wonder artists are hard to live with — after all, we often have a hard time living with ourselves! We struggle with marshaling our creative ideas, with the discipline to bring them to fruition, with fallow periods in which nothing seems to happen, and with limiting beliefs about our talent and ability. Any and all of these can get in our way. And once we do our inner work and bring our artistic endeavor to life, there’s the outer work we have to do: taking the practical steps to get that work out into the world in a way that’s authentic and satisfying. None of this is easy.
That’s why it was so inspiring to spend an evening with Joanne Zippel, a compassionate advocate who’s developed a creative coaching practice based on her long experience in theatre, literary management, and the entertainment industry. In thinking about our creative careers, Joanne encouraged us to:
Be intentional: When we get clarity about what we want and move toward it confidently but without attachment to a specific outcome, we invite support and synchronicity.
Identify the ideal qualities of people we want as collaborators and take concrete, practical steps to create relationships with those who share our aesthetic and can support us.
Step out of our comfort zone in a way that’s authentic by expressing our passion. Genuine enthusiasm is infectious: people want to work with people who are excited.
Remember that networking isn’t selling, it’s creating and nurturing relationships with people: It’s about finding out what you have in common, listening, and asking questions.
Always think of ourselves as someone with talent who has something to share.
Plenty to ponder here. For more information, check out http://www.zipcreative.net. And write on!