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This review originally appeared in my 2nd newsletter, released on June 2nd. If you haven't seen this before, sign up here & be part of the cool crowd that doesn't read book reviews a month after they're written. Because nobody cool reads old book reviews. Y'think Prom Queens read old book reviews? Hell no.
Are you a Renaissance Soul? To find out, answer the following questions with a “Yes” or a “No”:
- Do you find a lot of different things interesting/worthwhile?
- When you really understand how something works, where it fits, &/or how to do it, do you lose interest?
- Do you hate that there's an expectation for just one answer to the question, “What do you want to do when you grow up?”
- Do you find it almost impossible to describe what you're going to be doing in 5 years in singular?
- Do you have a tough time choosing?
- After a year or two at working in one place, do you get the itch to move on?
Answered “Yes” to at least 4 of these questions? Then you're a Renaissance Soul - just like me & a ton of other Creatives!
I give The Renassiance Soul: Life Design for People with Too Many Passions to Pick Just One by Margaret Lobenstine an A+ and a smiley face sticker. It was so refreshing to finally find someone who accepts - no, encourages! - those with many passions to incorporate them all into their life on their own terms. That's one of the foundations of my coaching practice, so I obviously ate this book right up, and subsequently have recommended it to almost every one of my creative clients.
Ms. Lobenstine starts the book off by acknowledging the fact, from the time we're young, most of us have had the message of “get a stable, steady, singular job” drilled into our heads over & over & over again by our parents, our teachers, our mentors & even our friends. It's the norm, the status quo, the end all & be all to a “successful” life. Even if you come from a family that supports hoofing it to Broadway or opening a virtual store to sell the dog sweaters you knit, there's usually still a voice in our ear telling us to find “something to fall back on” or to “find a plan & stick with it.” The consensus is that you'll be a failure if you decide to split your focus, or you don't pursue one straight path. But what if the dog sweater knitter was also a great art teacher? Or loved yoga? Or had a super green thumb? Should she, because she decided to open her own Etsy shop, cut off the other passions in her life? Or should she close up shop & pursue the passion that would provide the biggest, most stable income?
The author says, “No”, & to that I say, “Amen”! But what rocks is that she doesn't say it in an idealistic way - thus encouraging this particular woman to be a dog sweater knitter/art teacher/yogi/botanist all at the same damn time. Instead, she leads you through exercises to see what you might want to enjoy as a hobby and what you might want to pursue for financial value. She offers time management suggestions, like picking only four Focal Points so you don't get overwhelmed or scattered or bored. She explores many different career options for Creative Souls, like an umbrella job that encompasses your many interests, or two jobs that can be pursued simultaneously but compliment each other. Possible roadblocks are acknowledged (perfectionism anyone?) & then knocked down. There are also exercises for you to differentiate your values to the ones that have been bestowed on you, to set your intentions, to figure out your Focal Points & manage your schedule, etc.
Think you might be a Renaissance Soul like me? Take the full quiz here & read a follow- up article by the author here. You can also read the first chapter of the book here & purchase the book here. Also, a big Congrats to Caitlin Donohue for winning a copy of the book through my Blogoversary Booty Giveaway!
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Tags: Rousing Reviews
“Our job in this lifetime is not to shape ourselves into some ideal we imagine we ought to be, but to find out who we already are & become it.” – Steven Pressfield
It's the first in my monthly Rousing Reviews series! OK, it's technically the second (I reviewed The Renaissance Soul in June of ‘09, so that totally counts, right?), but it's the first on a consistent basis. Let's face it, our lives sometimes get in the way, & it's tough to sit down with a book that you know will do ya a world of good, both for yourself & your fans/readers/followers/clients. So yes, this series is absolutely a structure I set-up for myself to make me accountable to read the books that I've been tagging along the way. See, I life coach myself sometimes! And duh – obviously I do this for you kids, too (say it with me: “Awwwwww!”).
I wanted to start off the series with The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks & Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield because it's really a hell of a title. What artist wouldn't want to go into battle, break through their creative roadblocks, & emerge victorious with the Writer's Block Vampire's head on a stick? And while I'd like to say that that's what this book does, I can't. Not to say it won't help slay that Vampire, but it's more about discovering all the ways the Vampire's likely to attack you & instilling yourself with the mojo to make it not only not bite you, but to get it to leave you the hell alone, at least until tomorrow.
Let me explain. The War of Art is split into three books: Resistance (Defining the Enemy) Combating Resistance (Turning Pro) & Beyond Resistance (Higher Realm). As you can tell, Resistance is the Vampire here. The long & short of it is that every single thing that causes a creative person to shelve their creativity – whether it's perfectionism, addiction, procrastination, or the million other excuses a creative person gives themselves to not do – is a direct weapon of Resistance. For me, Book One was eye-opening, powerful, & worth the price of the book a few times over. When I flipped the page to Book Two, I may or may not have clutched it to my chest & said to myself, “You will be beaten & dog-eared when I'm through with you.” And then I may or may not have kissed it. I couldn't help it – hearing about all the different Vampires that get in the way of making Art, why, it was a wonder that any Art exists at all! The whole reason Resistance exists is to “shove us away, distract us, prevent us from doing our work” & “the more call or action is to our soul's evolution, the more Resistance we will feel towards pursuing it.” How evil is that? It's so evil that the more we discover something that's authentically us, that's calling us to do it, the more it attempts to stop us! That is so, so evil that I not only wanted it's head on a stick, I wanted to chop it up into pieces & then stomp it to double death! Seriously, it pissed me off.
I'm ready, then, to find my weapon. How do I stop this evil monster? I must need a gun, an axe, a dagger, a…..wait, what? The only thing I need to do is do my work every day? That's it? And not worry about how good it'll turn out to be, or how much of it will get done, or where it's gonna take me….I just need to sit down & do it? And then the Resistance Vampire is dead, at least until tomorrow? Well, that's pretty awesome. I thought I'd have to lift iron or something & get big Buffy muscles….
In Books Two & Three, the author (who wrote The Leggend of Bagger Vance, amongst other things) goes into what we should be doing to get our work done (show up every day, stay there all day, be committed in the long-term, make money from it), how to be a professional about it (be prepared, ask for help, don't show off), & how the angels get called around us when we do our work to empower us (it's written less hippy-dippy than that, but it's still fairly hippy-dippy stuff). It's totally valid & worthwhile & really good stuff. But what I wanted, both as a Creative & as a life coach, was more tangible stuff to do. I wanted homework! I wanted to read about exercises & things I could do to help me not only change my mindset (which Mr Pressfield already helped me do), but to break my bad habits & allow me to get to work, strong enough to slay a fresh Vampire daily & beat that big bitch, Resistance.
Since I am that life coach, I'll take this into my own hands & offer you these exercises, whether you read the book or not (but seriously, read the book. It would be an extremely worthwhile afternoon for you, as the book takes about 2-3 hours to read cover to cover):
- If you're having trouble self-motivating & want the support of being part of a group that vows to be creative every day, then join, uh, Creative Every Day! While mostly geared towards artists, you could also write around the topics that are suggested every month, or write songs about them, or dance to ‘em…you get the point. You can also make a commitment to blog every month by joining NaBloPoMo (join anytime!) or mark your calendars for November & resolve to write that novel that's in your head by joining NaNoWriMo!
- Go easy on yourself. If being creative every day is too daunting (Mama's gotta put food on the table, after all!), then let yourself off the hook & commit to X amount of time every week to your Art, even if it's 15 minutes. I have a client who committed to doing 15-20 minutes of music each week, & when I asked her about how it went, she laughed at me. “15 minutes?! I did twice that the first day!” Yup, you might get swept away and/or find your groove & blow that number out of the water, but even if you don't, you're taking baby steps to get there. And even better – figure out a prize to give yourself every week that goal gets met. Kindergarden teachers have it right – those gold stars are really motivating!
- Answer this: How does Resistance work it's evil way into your life? Write down all the weapons it throws at ya, & write down all the antidotes you can think of to slay it. Or draw what the Resistance Vampire looks like, labeling all of it's evil bits & pieces, & then draw you, all Buffy-fied & kicking it's ass. Sweet revenge.
- The author writes, “The years have taught me one skill: How to be miserable. I know how to shut up & keep humping.” Well, I write: “Screw that!” Make your creativity session as awesome as possible. Put on your favorite music. Light the orange ginger scented candle you love. Kiss that photo of your hot husband before you start. Seriously – you are not being tortured here! Find the fun & why you're called to do this in the first place.
- On a sheet of paper, write “I am a ___________” 25 times, & then write “I'm meant to _______________” ten times. In a stream of consciousness exercise, fill in the blanks. No censoring! When every line is full, go through them one by one. If something doesn't feel like it's coming from you, or isn't aligned with your values, strengths or passions, cross it out. What's left? That's a start to help you discover “who you are & become it”, like the quote at the top of the review says.
Have you read the book? If not, do you wanna? Do you agree with my Rousing Review, or should I go shove it? Please share your thoughts, insights, suggestions & awesomeness in the comments section. I'll give you a topic: “Steven Pressfield is neither a printing press nor a field – discuss!”
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“Venturing out of your comfort zone may be dangerous, yet you do it anyway because our ability to grow is directly proportional to an ability to entertain the uncomfortable.” -Twyla Tharp
When I decided to read The Creative Habit right after The War of Art, I have to admit I gave myself a great big pat on the back. The War of Art was great in helping artists recognize & identify where & why Resistance (that pesky Vampire!) stops you from doing That Creative Thing You Do, but the phrase “A Practical Guide” at the bottom of the cover of The Creative Habit made me think that it would address the “how.” Sure, The War of Art really hit home with that beloved phrase, “Just do it (Every day. No matter what),” & while that's simplistic & powerful in so many ways, the artist & life coach in me wanted more. I was hoping The Creative Habit would deliver it, and it did – to a point.
The Creative Habit is divided into chapters that formulate a foundation for Tharp (Spine, Memory, Accidents, etc). She delves into personal anecdotes & advice, always followed by a suggestion of different exercises to further you along in your discovery & personal interpretation of that idea. For example, Twyla speaks often of “scratching”, or the process of “digging through everything to find something” – an idea, an image, anything that'll turn into a tangible idea that'll spark your creative endeavor. One of the most memorable exercises comes at the end of the chapter, where she encourages the reader to take a handful of coins in any number & denomination & toss them onto a table to see how they fall, & then rearrange them into a pattern again & again & again, like “a musical chord resolving.” I can see how it helps her, a world-renowed choreographer, come up with new configurations for her dancers. I can see, also, how it helps me, a creative person looking for a new perspective, to see infinite possibilities in something that I usually wouldn't look twice at.
Tharp also offers great stake-wielding stuff to slay the Vampires that hunt all of us Creatives. She lays it out on the table (i.e. “Somebody's done this before!”) & then knocks it down (i.e. “Honey, it's all been done before. Get over yourself”). She also speaks of the joy of planning (not overplanning!) & imperfection, how to determine if you're in a rut, how to keep your groove going & how to deal with failure. Her advice is comforting & inspiring, all the while giving me new perspective & allowing me to feel that I wasn't alone. It's no mistake that rarely do 2 pages flip by that aren't marked by my highlighter.
I mentioned to someone (I forget who, & it's bothering me!) a while ago that I was reading the book, & she mentioned that it's tough to get through it as someone who is more of a Renaissance Soul, & is unable and/or unwilling to just throw themselves into their work. Tharp talks often about how she'll rid herself of all distractions (no music! no clocks! no numbers (yes, really – numbers)! no speaking!) & just live, breathe, think, talk & think the gym & the rehearsal studio – for weeks. She also encourages artists to “pick” a talent if they excel at more than one, as it's a curse to have a 50% chance of being wrong about their true calling. The life coach & Renaissance Soul in me super dislikes this sentiment, but I understand her stance if you're someone that wants to Master & Excel in their field – & is willing & able to chuck the rest of Life.
That said, here are my favorite exercises from the book, just waiting for journaling!:
- Tharp poses 33 questions for you to answer in Your Creative Autobiography. Get out your journal & answer some of my faves (seriously – you'll totally want to):
- What is the first creative moment you remember? Was anyone there to witness or appreciate it?
- What is the best idea you've ever had? What made it great in your mind?
- What is your creative ambition? What are the obstacles to this ambition? What are the vital steps to this ambition?
- What are your habits? What patters do you repeat?
- What do you & your role models have in common?
- At what moments do you feel your reach exceed your grasp?
- When you work, do you love the process or the result?
- Pick a new name. What would you want it to say about you? What would it be? Why?
- Take a field trip. Give a walk into purpose by saying that you won't return home until you have something inspiring in your hand, whether it's visual, intellectual or tangible.
- For one day, be completely contrary. Pick a fight with everything you do – your wake-up routine, your rituals, your habits, your first creative impulse.
- Figure out Your Perfect World. What are the rules & conditions? What's essential & what can be compromised on? Who is with you & what's surrounding you?
Bottom Line? The Creative Habit is a great book from a world-renowned artist who divulges her secrets in creating a new piece, building on it, sticking with it (both the piece as a singular unit & the career as a whole), & climbing the artistic ladder. But if you're looking for an interactive program of sorts, or something that's really gonna kick your ass into gear, I'd take a pass.
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1 person. 12 session. $0. Announcing the 2nd Annual When I Grow Up Scholarship!
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“I thought about how easily we are all brainwashed by our society and culture to stop thinking and just assume by default that more money equals more success and more happiness, when ultimately happiness is really just about enjoying life.” -Tony Hsieh, Delivering Happiness
Yay hooray – it's a new Rousing Review! This month I'm reviewing Delivering Happiness, the new book by Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh. I know it's a bit of a deviation from my usual creative career books, but I was interested in it because (a) I've always been intrigued by the stories I heard about Zappos, from offering their trainees $2000 to quit to sending a client flowers when they heard that her mother passed away(b) I was sent an advance copy of the book with the promise that I'd review it on my blog. But, the former is what lead to the latter, & I'm so glad to have gotten my hands on a kick-ass book that might've taken me some time to pick up otherwise.
Delivering Happiness is, essentially, Tony Hsieh's autobiography, despite his young age. I'll admit, it was tough to get through the first half of the book without really wanting to hate the guy, who sold his first business, LinkExchange, to Microsoft for $265 million before his late 20s. But I liked him in spite of myself, as he's a self-made guy who has built his success around creating a life he loves. He walks the walk, talks the talk & even ate $40 million, which Microsoft offered him to stick around for a year as an advisor. At first, he took it (he ain't no idiot), but when it led to multiple weeks of waking up late, heading to the office, checking/sending emails, & going home, he walked. Tony writes:
“I didn't know exactly what I was going to do, but I knew what I wasn't going to do. I wasn't going to sit around letting my life and the world pass me by. People thought I was crazy for giving up all that money. And yes, that decision was scary, but in a good way…I had decided to stop chasing the money, and start chasing the passion.”
The middle part of the book is all about the founding of Zappos – the highs, the lows, the smart decisions, the big mistakes – but it wasn't until they asked themselves the question, “What do we want to be when we grow up?” (yes, really – it's on page 120) that they realized that customer service was the key to not only to the successful growth of Zappos, but to the happiness of Tony & his partners. Once they decided to actually make the changes to offer “the very best customer service” (instead of just talking about it), that's when the magic happened: hiring employees not only for their skills & experience but their weirdness (if your head didn't fit in the door, you weren't hired – despite the money or intelligence that Big Head could bring into the company); making Customer Service be the entire company instead of a department within the company (every new hire goes through training & mans the phones, despite their title or position); not giving their call center reps scripts, but allowing them to use their own skills & personality (& weirdness!) to respond to customers. I can go on & on, but (a) I think you get my drift & (b) I don't wanna ruin the really great stories for ya!
The last third of the book really, truly, awesomely hit home for me. In going into how Zappos became not only a ridiculously successful company, but did it by claiming & staying true to their uniquity (yes, Amazon recently bought ‘em for billions, but they're unallowed to touch Zappos' “weirdness”) & out-of-the-book thinking, it made me think that Corporate America doesn't have to be evil – it just doesn't know any better. Hopefully, with more people like Tony at the helm, the Zappos mindset & culture will become The Rule as opposed to The Exception.
Here are some kick-ass questions, exercises & ideas that Tony used in his own life, both personally & professionally, that I just couldn't not include here:
- Make a list of the happiest periods of your life, & find the connecting threads. For Tony, it meant “building stuff and being creative and inventive(…)connecting with a friend(…)” Once you find the connections, figure out where/how you can go do it. Where's the opportunity for you to live your happiness?
- Ask yourself: What is success? What is happiness? What am I working towards? Make sure that the answer to the last question supports the answers you gave for the first two.
- What is the 1% improvement you can make today? If you make a 1% change each day, that's a 37% improvement by the end of the year.
- A nice chunk of the book is all about Core Values – how Zappos found theirs, the questions that surrounded them (seriously, I can take all those questions & have a Tough (Question) Tuesday every day for a year), & the importance of ‘em. To find your own/your business', bookmark The Delivering Happiness Core Values page & put aside time to go through it. Uh, there's nothing there yet, but since they list this page as a resource in the book, I assume (hope!) it'll be live soon.
In summation (I love saying that), Delivering Happiness not only allows you to see that you can use your happiness to create an extremely successful business (& not screw anyone along the way), but it will make you think about what you wanna do in your own life / biz to deliver happiness in your own way. By the time I was finished, my head was swimming with awesomeness & I ran to book a brainstorming session with Tara Gentile to sort it all out. I'll also be joining the Delivering Happiness movement, which I know will end up being the foundation to not just my business, but my personal life as well. In summation summation, this is really, really good stuff.
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I’ll be on the panel at Blog Out Loud 6 on Monday, June 14th at 7:30p at Tonefarmer (yes, Tonefarmer) in NYC. I’m there, there’s free deliciousness in wine & Fanny & Jane desserts, there are 2 giveaways (one from Effervescence Photography!), there’s a goody bag, & oh – it’s free. You’re so coming.
Get Danielle LaPorte’s Nuggets of Genius in your own home, on your own time. The Digital Firestarter Sessions from my “cult leader” have launched!
What’s your Joy Equation? Find out with Molly Hoyne’s Pay-What-You-Can-Afford Program!
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