I’ve spent the last six weeks in a creative cocoon. It has been amazing.
Starting in mid-December, I took most client work off my plate. I enjoyed the holidays fully. I spent hours every day thinking about what I wanted to do next. I devoured creative content. I daydreamed. I journaled. I slept in. I went to bed early. I played in the kitchen. I made collages. Vision boards. Cookie boxes. I re-designed this website, updated my two other websites, tweaked my Instagram profile, updated everything a few more times. I signed up for a new email provider and designed a whole new style of emails to send to customers and Worthfull Project fans. My co-host of Think Like a Producer podcast and I started a monthly membership group to coach producers and hosts of podcasts. I window-shopped sales of brands that targeted me through Instagram ads and “tried on” whole new styles of clothes with my eyes. I started writing poetry. I practiced my French skills by following French brands on Instagram and reading all their captions.
And now I’m blogging. For the first time in years.
Where did all this creative energy come from you might ask? I hoped you would. I thought long and deep as the year ended and the new one began about what kind of contribution I want to make going forward. In my work, my relationships, my life, my consumer behavior, my citizenship, my civic influence, my faith community. It’s the kind of thinking that takes its time, spans weeks and months, is impacted by all the little discoveries day to day.
And here’s what I concluded.
I want to be a maker. An actual artist. Visually, orally, aurally, philosophically. I want to be one of the many creators that I follow and am deeply inspired by. And because I’m multi-passionate, I won’t be a maker of just one kind of thing. I’ll be a chef and a stylist and a wordsmith and a speaker and an entrepreneur. I want to be a poet and a hand-letterer and a designer. All at the same time.
Because the one constant source of energy, hope, optimism, and positivity that I’ve held onto during the wild ride of the last 12 months is creation. It is the antidote to all the chaos, grief, disillusionment, fatigue, overwhelm, and depression we’ve all encountered. Here are some examples.
Amanda Gorman wrote her incredible poem, performed at the recent inauguration, just after the insurrection at the capitol. Jamie Beck photographed the stunning Isolation Creation series during France’s two lockdowns. My friend Candice started making jewelry when she got laid off from Disney once production halted. Bia Blooms started her floral arranging business last year, when events were canceled. Mad Dough doughnuts started in her kitchen and hand delivered orders to people’s doors.
I could go on and on but I’m trying not to get sucked into the Instagram rabbit hole as I “remind myself of the cool creators I’m following.” You know how that goes.
Just to be clear, this idea is not my own. I’ve heard it taught again and again by amazing creators that I’ve learned from for years. Chase Jarvis, Gary Vaynerchuk, Sara Blakely, the list goes on. But this is the year that I’m learning it for myself.
So, my intention for the year is to radiate from within. By creating. And sharing. And encouraging you. There’s nothing more worthfull than contributing your gifts and owning the impact you make. Let’s do it together!
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