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Friday 30th November 2018
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Hello Gentle Reader
Let's start with a few thank yous.
Firstly to those that wrote in after last week's newsletter in which I talked about death. Natasha, Honey, Matthew, Kerry, Linda, Gary, Cath, Susan, Gianni and Sue, and no fewer than Three Alisons. THREE! What's the only thing better than one or two Alisons? Yes, you've guessed it - three of them.
Secondly, One of those Alisons sent me an angel through the post. The angel says:
"In these times of stress and struggle, two things stand as stone; kindness in another's trouble, courage in your own. Not all angels have wings; some look just like YOU!"
I have that little angel on my desk now, thank you Alison Knox, you are an angel yourself.
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The Courage to Create
As so often, the things I write about today are inspired by you, my readers, colleagues and clients.
All of us are creators, whether or not we realise it. And you don't even need to be self-employed or an entrepreneur to see yourself as creative. To me, creativity means bringing something into the world which wasn't here before and wouldn't be if it wasn't for you, or me. In that sense, a parent is a creator. Creation can be quite small or as big as you want. It doesn't come much bigger than committing to be a parent. That's one of the reasons why I am not one although I do think of all my businesses as my babies.
As a direct result of a mahoosive cosmic order I sent up more than six years ago, my clients have become spectacularly creator-biased over recent years and I couldn't be happier about that. I couldn't be happier either about the day I realised I was creative and not "just" an accountant. My creations have been my businesses. And my book, my blogs and my newsletters. I look forward to creating many more things, although I have no idea what they are yet. Don't need to. I trust I will feel the creative urge and honour it.
But being artistic and creative brings more baggage than (say) being an accountant. Are accountants riddled with self-doubt? I can't think of one but I guess there are a few in the dark back offices somewhere. But sums can be so reassuring, they are neat, they are either right or wrong, not much room for opinion and that's comforting.
Not so when it comes to being a writer, an artist, or a creator of anything. That seems to come with loads of "issues" like am I good enough, will anyone like my stuff, will anyone buy my stuff, who am I to call myself a creator? And more. I'd love to hear yours if you want to send it in. I can add it to my useful list.
I LOVE helping clients with this stuff. It happens endlessly, with those who are already creating and selling and with those who haven't even started yet, too stymied by precisely those questions. And I have a theory that the self-doubt and fear never go away. This goes with the territory of being a creator. We just get used to it.
This is borne out by a marvellous quote artist Rhian Wyn Harrison sent for my book:
“One of the constants is when every painting goes through that “Oh God, this is shit” moment. Every. Single. Time. In the beginning, I used to just throw them away, but now I just push on past those thoughts, and on, until suddenly the painting works! I don’t give up any more, but I am aware that I still think the work is no good. I think it is SO normal for creatives to self-judge and self-sabotage. I even believe that the edge of your seat tension between “it’s fine” and “it’s shit” is quite thrilling and ultimately breathes life into your creation. Does that make sense? I’m not sure if this is even a question now… but I would think it comes under the heading of “Am I good enough?”
My favourite story this week comes from an artist who is showing her work in Edinburgh. She told us that "a man was jogging past the gallery and drawn in by the colours. He bought two. One for himself and one for his son." BRILLIANT. Not only the courage to create, but the courage to exhibit and the courage to offer creative output for money. I LOVE that jogger for surrendering to his desire to own my clients paintings.
- Do you have the courage to create?
- What are you creating?
- What do you really want to be creating?
- How can I help?
When you think about it, all outcomes are uncertain. Even when it comes to sums. If anything, I think this is what I find so seductive about creativity. A preparedness to enter into that unknown. And I don't think we have a choice, we MUST create.
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A footnote about Liz Gilbert who had the NERVE to call her book #Big Magic a full eighteen months after I'd already been using that name in my business - Small Business Big Magic. You see, that's another thing that can put us off. Nothing's new. Somebody's done it already. Get over it. It's just another one of those barriers we put in our own way. That's precisely what her advice is encouraging us to do.
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Gang Awry
Do you know your Robert Burns? No, me either. But I did know he wrote something about things gang awry. He was Scottish, you see. I have lovely Scottish friends, clients and readers of this weekly newsletter so I am going to be careful what I say here.
For those who don't know anything about the Scottish poet Robert Burns, the Scots also call him Rabbie. They celebrate him every January with Burns Night which involves haggis and is celebrated worldwide. I think that's partly because the Scots are such inveterate travellers. Wherever you go, there's always a Scotsman or woman. You can probably say the same these days about every nationality now that I come to think about it.
Anyway, I knew the expression I was looking for today was about things going awry and I knew Mr Burns called it things gang awry. Or I thought I did. The original is even more Scottish than that. Wikipedia calls says my two words are a hybrid of the original and how they are often paraphrased in English.
The two words come from a poem about a mouse and Dear Scots pals, correct me if I am wrong, but doesn't he call that mouse a wee timorous beastie or is that another poem? Poetry is fast becoming my thing, now that I have adopted it for my handwriting practice. I shall add To a Mouse to my copying list.
The line in my mind was about things going wrong. "The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men. Gang aft a-gley, [often go"awry]" and I am fairly sure some of you will have nodded off by now because this is simply a matter of preamble. A cultural trip, no doubt, but a preamble nonetheless. I am a bit of a preambler. #Unrepentant. But it does mean I could re-write the Rolling Stones classic. Now it's called Talking About the Midnight Preambler. I crack myself up sometimes and I love how words make patterns like that in my brain. My writing brain. My musical brain.
This week I was amazed to share with a client that often our big creative projects whistle on through unharmed, unblocked and far easier than we could possibly have imagined. YAY! That's the point of this week's newsletter. Her big creative projects were going swimmingly and she was totally on a roll.
But what often slows us down, what goes awry, is the small stuff.
- The missing courier parcels - grrr!
- The utility company not cutting you off when they were supposed to, or cutting you off when they weren't supposed to.
- People like that (couriers, utility companies) that lie boldly to your face/ears whilst all the while telling us they record our conversations.
My own particular trial by pettifogging tedium this week was Amazon putting me through some content verification process in which they emailed on Sunday to say the content of my book was freely available online and could I answer three questions to explain why that was and meanwhile they'd taken my book offline so no-one could buy it.
The answers to all three questions in an email addressed to Judith Morgan were - er - "Judith Morgan", something you might think to be self-evident, and then they agreed nothing was wrong but could I begin the process of proofing my book all over again. I'm arguing the toss with them but I am not sure it will get me anywhere. In the end, we are obliged to fill out their forms in triplicate and to be compliant - SO not my strong suit as I am sure you can imagine all too easily and the death of creativity. My inclination is to tell them to stick it where the sun don't shine. Currently I am appeasing the great gods of Amazon but honestly, I hope this is A Sign.
Couriers, utility companies, Amazon, people telling porkies and putting us through endless debilitating and unnecessary hassle.
Why does this happen, why do we sweat the small stuff when it gangs awry? I have no idea.
Does it drain my creativity? You bet your sweet bippy it does.
What's to be done about it? I try to rise above but when I am knackered at the end of a long year, that's not as easy as I wish it was. It is draining. Fortunately, my cup is often refilled from the strangest of sources and always by you little squidgers being toptastic lovebuckets and supportive Facebook pals sending me tips and suggestions and things you know I will LOVE. And corresponding with me in response to this weekly Newsy Newsletter. It means more than you can imagine that you read at all, and then write.
Some things are sent to try us. Why? I'm not sure why TBH. But I am glad it is mostly not the big stuff, at least not the big creative stuff you and I are in charge of.
Because, then, there's laundry.
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You Are the Exception to My Rule
Right, it's December tomorrow. Yes, already!
Which means my online diary is offline for the month because my private clients mostly don't get coached in December with a few notable exceptions, those who have been with me since God was a lad and until I remembered to enforce my own rule. Doh.
But I am working for at least the first half, albeit on a much-reduced schedule. Five group calls for SBBM, two podcasts, the last Zoom call for the pre-Christmas Low Carbers, my tax return (have I done that already?), plus another funeral, the Xmas appointment at my beautician and a nice dinner out in London with my besties who I haven't seen since last time I was in London. Lovely. Really looking forward to that.
But there's room for you in there too if you either want to PWYW or talk about becoming a client in January. Let's do it. You can become the exception to my rule. But we have to do it manually. So email me by hitting reply to this if it's in your inbox or using the contact form if you are reading this online.
Until next time...
Judith
x
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