For the next 7 days, take 5 minutes to write down at least one answer to every question, although a small list is better. After a few days you’ll probably notice some trends in your answers, especially answers you’ve put down multiple times over the 7 day period. These trends are what we’re looking for.
I would encourage you to journal about your thoughts afterwards, if you’re moved to do so.
Avoid putting too much thought into this; we want the first answers that come to mind. Try to be as authentic as possible without judgement. For example, avoid answers you think you “should” put down that are not authentic. Answer truthfully and dismiss thoughts about what others may think. You don’t have to show this to anyone. This is only for you.
Have fun with this!
Questions:
What gives me energy? List both nouns or verbs (things or activities). What are some things that makes me happy the most? List both nouns or verbs. What do I find boring? What don’t I want to do, no matter the payoff? What activities allow me to lose track of time? What have I been interested in since childhood? What do you find interesting? What skills am I attracted to? What would I like to do for no money? What am I willing to do for a lot of money? What would I love to do for a lot of money?
What makes me feel good?
What things do I do that I tend to regret later? What do I need to do more of that would make me feel better about myself?
What do I want to be remembered for? What contributions can I make to society that I would be most proud of? What do I want to make sure people never say about me? What are three words I want people to think of me?
Who are the three successful people I admire? What are those people doing that I admire? What do those I admire have in common with one another? What do I have in common with that list of people? Who is the most supportive person in my life?
What would I do if I had less time? What truths are you holding inside? If you had one opportunity to tell the world one thing, what would your most important message be?
Maybe “Wholistic Goal Getters” is better since we believe there is no separation between your life and your profession – it’s all part of your life, and therefore should be chosen carefully, and that it should fit in with your values and your personal “why” mission in life.
This is a group that is focused on taking action first and talking 2nd. We want the meeting to be between 60 and 90 minutes. Absolutely no more than that. 60 minutes is preferable to 90 minutes.
The following rules are experiments. We can tweak or change the rules or the time limits as we gain more experience. Each member is showing up for themselves AND for the other members. This might get intense, we’ll find out.
Rules for the group
each person is required to bring a notebook and write down everyone else’s goals, as well as weekly goals.
The chat is not for chatting. Chat can be used for resource links and other information, but chatting is antithetical to the purpose of the group.
This is not the format for personal coaching. You may invite a person to talk after the meeting if you like.
There will be a facebook messenger group for us. This is not for chatting. This is for disseminating information and announcements only. Therefore, we may decide we like an email list better.
Your attendance is required. We need you! If you can’t make a meeting, you’re responsible to put your report in the group’s facebook messenger. If you miss two in a row, you may be asked to leave the group.
Meeting Flow
A person will be chosen at random by the moderator to give their report:
30 second time limit. Give 3 to 5 words on your mental state (tired, depressed, excited). No discussion on this.
2 minute time limit. A 2nd person will be chosen at random by the moderator to refer to their notes from last week and iterate through the first person’s list of goals. We want to know what the first person accomplished and what they did not accomplish, and why.
5 minute time limit. The first person can discuss with the group about the things they did not get done, what went wrong, what they can learn from the failure, how to avoid that failure in the future, etc. If you have something to contribute, please raise your hand (hand icon) and wait for the moderator to call on you. Please make your comment as succinct as possible since we only have 5 minutes for this part.
1 minute time limit. List your goals for the upcoming week. Identify your 3 or 4 top priorities. There is no minimum. It can be only 1 goal for the week. Everyone else is required to write down your goals for the upcoming week.
If a goal is not clear, members can spend an additional two minutes to help clear that goal up. After that the person must clear it up outside of the meeting and report back at the next meeting.
The next person will be chosen at random by the moderator to give their report.
After all reports, there will be 5 minutes to wrap things up or talk about pertinent topics.
Other Notes:
The maximum number of people in the group is 7.
There might be competing suggestions on how to avoid failure. It is up to you to evaluate suggestions you receive for yourself. Do they fit you? You decide what to try.
Each person’s goal is as valid as everyone else’s, and we respect each member’s individual journey. We aren’t here to judge another members goal, we are here to help them achieve them.
How to find an effective coach that fits your individual needs.
An effective coach is all about helping you, and not about using you to grow their own platform.
If you scroll through Facebook, there’s no doubt you’ll see ad after ad promising that you’ll become your best self if only you buy their e-book or subscribe to a newsletter. There’s usually a photo of a beautiful smiling person promising that all you have to do to achieve self actualization is download their audio or join their Facebook group. People are doing Facebook lives, or instagram videos, or selling workshops. Simply join their community to learn the secrets of success.
Coaching is a booming business, for sure, but in many ways is still the Wild West.
You’ll find some snake-oil salesmen, but you’ll also find many authentic, effective, well trained coaches to guide you through your needs. It’s up to you to figure out which is the right one for you. Don’t fret. There are ways to tell the difference between an honest, effective coach and one that is simply interested in growing their own platform. Here are a few tips for weeding out the bad apples so you can find a coach that fits your needs.
Notice if they ask questions about you before they prescribe solutions.
Do they listen to you before dolling out advice? If not, it’s a big red flag. An effective coach can help you clarify your goals only by meeting with you and asking questions. No one can help you come up with ideas and solutions without understanding your individual needs, or how far along you are developing your individual goals. Everyone is in different places in their career. An effective coach will first take the time to ascertain your skill level, your desires, your context, your journey.
Imagine someone telling you how to get to the Grand Canyon without asking you where you’re starting point is. Someone starting from California will require a different route than someone traveling from Florida.
Most coaches will offer a free first meeting or consultation. Take the time to meet with the coach and get to know them. In that meeting, the coach should be asking questions about you. The coach should be doing more listening than talking. If the coach habitually interrupts you, or worse, if the whole meeting feels like a sales pitch, move on.
An effective coach should have experience in the field.
This should be a no brainer. A coach that focuses on artists (whatever level that artist is at) should be an artist themselves. How many years of practical experience in the arts do they have? Do they continue to work on that career? Have they achieved some success? A successful writer who has made a career in writing will be better able to advise you on your writing career than someone just out of college who is pushing an an e-book about how write. You’ll save a lot of time and heartache if you first qualify this person by looking at how active they are in the area in which you want to improve.
Don’t confuse certification with qualification.
Remember, coaching is in many ways still the Wild West. Just because someone says he is certified doesn’t mean they are qualified. Take a look at the organization that has provided the certification. Are they reputable? Does the organization have good reviews? By what authority do they present certification, and what training do they require to achieve it.
An effective coach will expect you to work for your success, but will give you clear, actionable solutions to specific dilemmas along the way.
An effective coach should not flat out tell you what you should do, even if you want them to. The coach can offer the benefit of his experience, or communicate knowledge she has learned. Sometimes a coach will just listen. Sometimes a coach will participate in brainstorming options. Sometimes it involves teaching. Everything a coach says and does should be in service of helping you figure it out for yourself.
Furthermore, an effective coach should not do the work for you. You must do the good work to in order to reap the good rewards. You will never get in shape if someone else completes your workout for you.
A coach should be in it for the duration
A coach should be committed to your success, and a coach should be in it with you for the long run. If you ever feel that a coach has abandoned you in your journey, count your blessing that they’re gone, find someone new, and never look back.
An effective coach is there to support you, not the other way around.
This is your career. This is your life. A coach should be committed to helping you achieve fulfillment in your art and your career, not to simply take you on as an aid or an acolyte. There’s nothing wrong with becoming an assistant, as long as the goal is for your own leaning and growth with the intention of using what you learn to enhance your own art and exercise your own voice.
If you find that you’ve become an acolyte instead of a peer or colleague, fire that coach immediately and never look back.
A coach will always act professionally, and treat you the same way.
An effective coach will honor your time by being prompt to scheduled meetings. She will prepare for the meetings by reviewing notes from your last session. She should be non-judgmental, and never ever express anger or sarcasm towards you, or in an otherwise disrespectful manner. A professional should never make personal or lude comments. If he or she tries to date you, engages in sexual innuendos, or becomes explicit, leave the session immediately and do not return.
So, what, then, is a creativity coach specifically?
A creativity coach guides you in your growth as a creative person. No matter where you are in your growth, novice or master. It doesn’t matter if you make your living as a professional artist, or if it’s a side hustle, or even a hobby.
He or she will help you clarify your desires and help you set goals.
He or she helps you with practical things, like installing good habits that help you do your work – like exercise, project planning, or maintaining your business.
He or she will guide you in career decisions that will help you grow as an artist and still keep the lights on.
Whatever you need to grow as an artist, or as a creative person, that person will be there to advise you on every step of your own, individual journey.
This will cover computer, microphone, camera, and lighting.
Choose a good room:
Find a quiet place in your house that doesn’t sound too echo-ish, but don’t worry about getting too OCD about this. If you can stay away from walls on the left or right, or just behind you, all the better.
Try to find a room with lots of natural light – near a window or windows. Open the curtains as much as you can.
To make sure your face is well lit, sit facing the window so all that natural light hits your face (especially your eyes). Situate the computer camera between you and the window, and , of course, facing you.
Microphones
You can use bluetooth headset with zoom, but as that will usually sound tinny when recorded, I’d recommend using a USB microphone. Any of these microphones will work just fine for this purpose. If your computer does not have a standard USB port, email me and we’ll figure it out together:
I just purchased this $15 US microphone, and haven’t received it yet. When I do, I’ll test it and see if it will work for this application: Cheap Ass Microphone
I’d like to zoom with each speaker to install and test your microphone, whenever you have it. Don’t wait until august to zoom with me, please.
Try to position your microphone at least 1 foot from your computer screen, and if you can’t do that, position the microphone to the left or right of the computer. Again, set up a time with me to test it.
Lighting
If your in front of a window and there is still not enough light, you’ll need to augment your lighting.
Place lamps to the right and left of your computer screen so that it shines on your face. Experiment with positioning.
You might invest in some lighting instruments. Here are some suggestions:
These are what I use along with three house lamps:
Here is a great youTube video on lighting for zoom: click here
Computer
For best connection, plug in your computer to your router with an ethernet cable. Almost all computers have a jack for this. This will minimize those glitches that you sometimes experience due to a thin WiFi connection.
Avoid using your phone or tablet. These will not be as easy to use for this purpose.
Camera:
If you’re going to use the camera on your computer, get some height on it so that the camera is as close to eye level as you can get it. This will avoid the shots where you are looking down at the audience, or the audience is looking down on you. This will also take advantage of the lighting that you set up to shine on your face.
Look into the camera when speaking. If you’re going to be using text notes, position the text window as close to the camera as you can get it.
Here are some USB web camera suggestions that will work fine for this purpose if you want to use one:
Remember: Your content is more valuable than any of the above. If your camera isn’t perfect or your lighting isn’t fabulous, the audience will forgive it because your content IS fabulous. You are the next wave of empowerment superstars.
Again, don’t forget to message me to set up a time to test all your gear. I’ll even walk you through setting it up if you’re having trouble doing that. Message me on Facebook, or at Tony@creativemindset.org.
I believe everyone has the ability to think creatively, and to think for themselves.
I believe in a world where people have the freedom to express themselves in a way that’s authentic and individual.
Artistic expression begins with a your mindset. Your beliefs about what is possible and what you are capable of. There is a connection between your mindset and creative thought.
At creativemindset.org that’s what we are working for. Anything that will inspire you to produce more work, and produce more meaningful work.
How many times have you read a book or attended a seminar and thought “Okay, that’s great, but what do I do right now? Today? Tomorrow? How do I sustain this motivation. at creative mindset.org, You will learn the skils to think creatively, associate with creative people, find unique solutions to unique problems, get unstuck, unblock yourself so that you can work towards a fullfilling and rich creative life.
