Maria Brophy » Guest Post

Have Faith in your Stupidly Brilliant Ideas

Maria — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 21:34:23 +0000

“There isn’t a shortage of ideas. There’s a shortage of execution.”

Seth Godin, bestselling author

The post below is written by Christine Kane, a brilliant creative woman who sends a newsletter chock full of great stuff every month:

How to Have Unwavering Faith in Your Own Ideas

by Christine Kane
Have you ever said something like this to a friend:

“Okay – I have this idea…

[You then spend a good three minutes explaining your idea - and you finish off by asking,]

“…Is that a good idea? Or am I just, like, COMPLETELY freakin’ NUTS?”

So, let’s talk about this little habit for a moment, okay?

Here’s why.

Because #1: The IDEA is not the problem.

And #2: YOU are!

If you recognize yourself in that above example, it’s okay. But please understand the REAL ISSUE.

The real issue is not about the idea. The real issue is about DOING IT.

And the even realer issue is about fear. As Seth Godin says: “There isn’t a shortage of ideas. There’s a shortage of execution.”

So here’s a few simple ways to begin creating unwavering faith in your ideas – so you can (gasp!) DO something about them.

1. Consider HOW you share your ideas.

Say you’re sharing your idea with a friend. And say you add the self-deprecating “finisher.” (ie, “…or is that the stupidest thing you’ve ever heard?”)

This is the “smoke and mirrors” approach to sharing an idea. The share-ee, rather than getting to help you with your idea – now has to deal with the QUESTION you’ve presented – which is dramatic, self-defacing, and has nothing at all to do with your idea.

Imagine you’re sitting in front of Donald Trump, and he’s considering investing in your idea. Would he even give you a second of his time if you closed with one of your self-deprecating questions?

No way!

Your friend has the same dilemma.

When it comes right down to it, people read your energy MORE THAN they absorb your idea. If your energy is all over the place, it’s hard for them to take your idea seriously.

2 – “Procrastination-by-Inquiry.”

One night I caught an MTV video with an electric guitar player surrounded by women clad in nothing but plastic thongs. I got an idea for a song.

Rather than pick up my guitar and begin writing, I did the next best thing.

I waited.

Later, I called my friend Kathy. I explained about the video and about my song idea- and shared a list of reasons my idea was boring, and should I just give up on everything in my life?

After a long pause, Kathy said, “Tell you what Christine. You write the song. Then we’ll decide if it’s good.”

Face it. There’s absolutely NO way to know if an idea is going to be “a good idea.” In fact, there’s at least 10 good reasons it’s NOT going to work. Asking people about your idea is often just “Procrastination-by-Inquiry.” You aren’t going to know if it’s good until you start DOING something about it.

(By the way, that song I mentioned became my most requested song ever.)

3 – Be careful WHO you share your idea with.

I’m guessing there’s at least five people in your life with one common trait:

They’re the WORST people you could EVER share a new idea with. They’ll tell you it’s a terrible idea – and that yes you ARE, in fact, insane.

So, then, why are we compelled to share our ideas with these five folks?

Well, they provide an amazing service. In fact, we secretly LOVE these people!

Why?

Because then we never have to do anything! We don’t have to take action. After all, if Uncle Richie says that your idea for a vegetarian catering service stinks – then hey, good news! You don’t have to face your fears! Now you get to head home and dive headlong into a bag of Cheeto’s and watch reruns of The Biggest Loser!

Do yourself a favor. For the sake of your spirit and your ability to take action – be mindful of who gets to hear about ANY of your ideas.

4 – The most crucial question of all.

Here’s a question that will end all questioning and make you the most productive kid on your block.

“What is the very next step I need to take?”

When I knew I wanted to be a songwriter, I bought a guitar. I’d sit in my apartment and learn riffs while a metronome ticked along in the background.

At no time, during the implementing of these steps could anyone say to me: “Are you INSANE? You’re playing SCALES? Have you LOST YOUR MIND?”

No. Because I was simply taking the next step.

Here’s a secret:

Getting the idea is step one. The rest of the steps are all about tricking your ego into shutting up so you can get stuff done. The ego would prefer it if you’d just continue getting big ideas. The ego LOVES your big ideas because then it can reach into its arsenal of big fears and big dramas – and it can MATCH your big idea.

The ego doesn’t have much to say when you sit down and do some work for 30 minutes. That’s not nearly dramatic enough.

So, what’s the next step you need to take?

5 – Give it Legs.

The most successful people make decisions quickly.

Even if that doesn’t apply to every single decision, it makes perfect sense. Many of us let our emotions, our hooks, and our drama become the perfect excuse for procrastination and fear.

Wanna know the exactly how to have faith in your idea? Decide to do it.

Decision gives legs to intentions.

Make a decision. Tell someone you’re going to do it. Move forward. Then wake up tomorrow and decide again.

Anytime your faith wavers, decide again.

Repeat until successful.

Written by Christine Kane – the Mentor to Women Who are Changing the World. She helps women uplevel their lives, their businesses and their success. Her weekly LiveCreative eZine goes out to over 12,000 subscribers. If you are ready to take your life and your world to the next level, you can sign up for a F.R.E.E. subscription at http://christinekane.com.

Note From Me: I loved this article, because it is a common problem I see every day, and Christine explains it so eloquently, and gives you tools to remedy the “killing” of great ideas.

A few years ago, I made the decision to stop sharing my “brilliantly stupid” ideas with certain family members and friends who just don’t get the big picture. Now, I don’t tell them anything until AFTER I’ve made the idea happen. Sometimes it takes years to “spill the beans” – but the benefit of not telling the nay-sayers is this: they can’t put doubt in my mind and talk me out of it.

Some of my craziest ideas have been my best. Like when I left a very lucrative job to work for myself, starting out making NOTHING. And three years ago, I came up with an idea for a tv show. Both crazy, both HUGE risks, and both have turned out to be great decisions.

Please, SHARE IN THE COMMENTS some of your CRAZY Ideas! I promise I won’t talk you out of it! Instead, I’ll be your cheerleader…

Maria xxoo

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HOW TO CREATE ANYTHING Even when you’re scared, inexperienced and don’t believe in yourself

Maria — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 01:02:17 +0000

Written by Christine Kane

Let’s say you had a baby.

Congratulations! Your baby is the best human ever!

You love your baby. You celebrate as it starts to crawl. You delight in this baby’s every new adventure.

Then, one day, the baby stands up on her own. “Yaaaaay!” you cheer. You think, “Wow. She’s gonna learn how to walk. Isn’t that great?”

One evening, your perfect child stands up again. She braces herself on the coffee table. Your partner grabs the movie camera. You call your parents in Idaho so they can listen to the play-by-play.

Your child lurches forward. Then, CLUNK. She falls onto her butt on the carpet.

“Awwwww,” you say. ”Dang,” your partner says.

“Well, I guess that’s it. This one just wasn’t cut out for walking,” your parents say from their home in Boise. ”Oh well,” you say. “It just wasn’t meant to be. Bummer.”

You hang up the phone. You turn off the camera. Tomorrow you’ll begin the search for a bigger stroller because your kid’s obviously gonna have to get through life on wheels.

Get the idea?

And yet, how many of us are already acting like this with our plans for the coming year or with our own new beginnings?

Your project, your dream, or your goal is your baby. If we all gave up on our kids as much as we give up on ourselves, then we’d have a race of humans with big calluses on their knees!

The Best Way to Create Anything: Baby Steps

Every big project or goal can be broken down into baby steps. Little lurches forward. Sometimes they’re clumsy. Sometimes they don’t even seem to make an impact. But this is how anything gets done.

Years and years of built up clutter get sorted and thrown away one drawer at a time. (Plan for 30-minutes a day in one zone of the house – not “Get rid of clutter.”)
Years and years of reckless eating and unhealthy habits get shifted one work-out at a time. (Plan a 45-minute work-out 5 days a week, and a once a month visit to an acupuncturist for a year – not “Lose 50 pounds by June.”)
A song gets written in fits and starts. Hour by hour. Moment by moment. A flash of an idea. Then an edit. (Schedule in an hour of writing time in the morning. Start with scales to warm up. Not “Write Lots of Songs.”)
A coach builds her practice one client at a time. (Schedule a daily system for authentic marketing. Not “Get 50 new clients by March.”)

That’s how it works.

Stinks, doesn’t it?

Actually, no.

This is the good news that no one ever tells you.

When you get this concept, you’ll never be afraid of failure again. When you learn how to break a goal down into baby steps, and how to complete something fantastic using this method, then you have the key to doing anything.

When you understand that everyone falls down and gets back up again (some of us on an hourly basis!), then you need only to trust in your strength to get back up again.

The only block is your ego.

Your ego wants it to be done now. Your ego wants to move through life risk-free, foolish-free, discouragement-free, mistake-free, tired-free. And the best way to trick your ego (and yourself) into letting go a little bit is to take baby steps.

I’m in the middle of coaching people in my Uplevel Your Business Program & Blueprint. These entrepreneurs are the most courageous clients I can imagine having. That’s because they are taking the biggest risk of all. They are taking Baby Steps!

Baby steps take courage. Baby steps are a huge risk to your ego because they are so easy. SO easy! The ego wants big deals, major accomplishments, huge weight-loss, and fast results. In other words, the ego likes adjectives, not nouns. Those adjectives guarantee that you’ll stay stuck and never try anything new. Over time you’ll get that deals, accomplishments, weight-loss, and results feel pretty good — even without adjectives.

Now, try this:

Take a goal you want to accomplish by the end of this year, and ask yourself, “What is one baby step could I take every day to complete this goal?” And then (and this is the big challenge) get out your calendar and schedule it in there daily for the rest of 2010.

Christine Kane is the Mentor to Women Who are Changing the World. She helps women uplevel their lives, their businesses and their success. Her weekly Live Creative eZine goes out to over 12,000 subscribers. If you are ready to take your life and your world to the next level, you can sign up for a F.R.E.E. subscription at http://christinekane.com.

WANT TO SEE HUNDREDS MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS ONE? Visit Christine’s blog at ChristineKane.com/blog.

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What Exactly do you Need to Get Started – Art Licensing Part 3

Maria — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 14:41:46 +0000

Visitation by Amy Turner

This article is the third in a Three-Part Series written by art licensing expert J’net Smith.

One of the top experts in art licensing is J’Net Smith, founder of All Art Licensing. J’net was kind enough to share some of her art licensing secrets in three articles.

(Photo: Image by Amy Turner)

Guest Post By J’Net Smith:

Once you have decided that art licensing is for you, there are several things to make sure you have done before beginning to pitch either agents or manufacturers.

First, choose your goal and commit to it. Are you determined to find an art licensing agent or build a business where you are representing your own art for licensing?

When that decision is made, the following steps will be the same for either path, but you will want to vary your materials slightly to target them for the audience and purpose you have chosen.

Next, spend some time learning as much as you can about the art licensing business. Read the trade magazines and all the art licensing blogs, join the art licensing social media groups, and take classes, as well as attend trade shows in your areas…or even check out the trade show web sites thoroughly to learn details.

Then you will be ready to create your art licensing materials and begin selling yourself to manufacturers and/or agents.

As I mentioned in Part 2 of this series, the same materials will be necessary whether you choose to pursue an art licensing agent or represent yourself. So while learning about the industry, start creating these key art licensing materials:

Art Licensing Key Materials List

Business identity (logo) and business cards
Marketing and licensing plan
- It can be short and sweet, but this road map for the year-and each year-is critical
- Art collections
  - Design your collections specifically for the needs of manufacturers
  - Make sure your portfolio has enough volume to be taken seriously
  - Web site
    - Needs to be targeted to manufacturers and oriented toward your art licensing business
    - Sales presentations
      - Succinct pitch letter for agents or manufacturers
      - Collection presentations which include product mock-ups
      - Lead list of agents or manufacturers to pursue

Once you have these materials completed or nearly done, your business has been started. The preparation will take some time, and you may need guidance along the way, but it will be worth it.

Listen to artists and art licensors in the industry and they will tell you that approaching agents or manufacturers unprepared set them back, rather than moved their business ahead. It’s a very competitive marketplace today.

Take the time to learn and plan…but also remember that if you never actually execute your plan and develop these materials, it’s all for naught.

Also, don’t spread yourself too thin, or again, nothing will be accomplished.

Jeanette Smith has more than 25 years experience in the licensing industry, including building the Dilbert™ brand from its infancy to a global corporate icon.

J’net created All Art Licensing to share her knowledge through coaching, training, advising and licensing all types of creators to maximize the power of their talents worldwide, while saving time and money! www.allartlicensing.com offers online classes, audio downloads, e-books, workshops and free resources including a monthly newsletter, live Q&A and blog. J’net will be a featured speaker atSURTEX® 2010, May 17^that the Jacob Javits Convention Center, NYC.

You want answers? Here’s a few more helpful resources that J’Net has created for artists:

Check out J’Net’s Art Licensing Blog here. You can also get frequent tips from J’Net on her Facebook Page.

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Agent or No Agent? How to get Started in Art Licensing Part 2

Maria — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 11:37:15 +0000

This article is the second in a Three-Part Series written by art licensing expert J’net Smith.

One of the top experts in art licensing is J’Net Smith, founder of All Art Licensing. J’net was kind enough to share some of her art licensing secrets in three articles.

Art to the left by Besty Cordes (c) February 13 Creative

Guest Post By J’Net Smith:

In our last segment, I provided serious questions to help you determine if art licensing is a good fit for you. When considering whether to agent yourself or find art licensing representation, I believe that the most important aspects will be to determine:

1) Do you have the skill sets to pursue, sell and close licensing deals?

2) Can you manage marketing and sales, while creating art and running the general aspects of a growing business?

3) Are you willing to share 50% of your licensing revenue (approximately) with your agent for their services?

So if sharing half of your licensing revenue is more appealing than spending 60-70% of your time in sales and marketing mode, then finding an agent is probably the right decision for you.

My advice is to look for an agent in the same professional manner in which you would pitch the biggest account you’ve ever tried to nail and won! Of course, any initial sales you can make will help bring an agent on board, but it doesn’t mean you can’t get one if you’ve never had a licensing deal.

While agents involved in art licensing tend to be art-lovers, or they probably wouldn’t be in this industry, the bottom line is they are in business to make money. Artists tend to forget this key point.

An artist’s objective should then be to sell an agent on how they can make money from your art. Furthermore, in today’s economy, few agents can afford to help an artist start from scratch.

Artists need to prepare to work with an agent and approach them after having:

1) Studied and learned all you can about the art licensing industry.

2) Spent time organizing their art, building a portfolio of collections and a viable art licensing web site.

3) Prepared an agent presentation with a letter of introduction and art samples.

Those artists who allow agents to get started selling right away, will have a great advantage over other artists—no matter what their talents.

So if you truly want an agent, then approach the process of researching and pitching agents as your full time business. And the exciting news is that, if you want to represent yourself, you need to tackle the same things to get started.

In Part 3: What Exactly Do You Need to Get Start in Art Licensing, I’ll review the list of materials you’ll want to have in place before pitching agents and manufacturers. (Will be posted Friday April 23)

Jeanette Smith has more than 25 years experience in the licensing industry, including building the Dilbert™ brand from its infancy to a global corporate icon.

J’net created All Art Licensing to share her knowledge through coaching, training, advising and licensing all types of creators to maximize the power of their talents worldwide, while saving time and money! www.allartlicensing.com offers online classes, audio downloads, e-books, workshops and free resources including a monthly newsletter, live Q&A and blog. J’net will be a featured speaker at SURTEX® 2010, May 17^that the Jacob Javits Convention Center, NYC.

You want answers? Here’s a few more helpful resources that J’Net has created for artists:

Check out J’Net’s Art Licensing Blog here. You can also get frequent tips from J’Net on her Facebook Page.

ALSO:

Artist Tara Reed recently released this ebook chock-full of information on getting an Art Licensing Agent. For more info, click here.

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How to get Started in Art Licensing Part 1 – Is it Right for you?

Maria — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 16:28:45 +0000

This article is the first in a Three-Part Series written by art licensing expert J’net Smith.

Art licensing seems like one of those mysteries that only a few people have uncovered! But, just like learning a new painting technique, you can learn the ins and outs of the world of licensing, with a little help from an expert.

One of the top experts in art licensing is J’Net Smith, founder of All Art Licensing. J’Net was kind enough to write this series to help unlock some of those mysteries!

Guest Post By J’Net Smith:

When people ask me where to start my art licensing business, my response is “What are your business goals for your art?”

I believe you need to look at your artwork and its audience, as well as your personal desires and abilities, to help determine if licensing is for you.

Ask yourself these three core questions about your target audience:

1. Do you have evidence that your artwork is sellable?

2. Do you have a track record of some kind, whether from prior jobs, such as an art director or designer, juried art shows, etc.?

3. Do you have an audience that is definable and potentially large enough to build a business on?

While most artists create from their own internal desire and inspiration, there are many external factors that will influence your creativity and career path in art licensing

For that reason, you need to search a bit deeper and ask yourself these six hard-hitting questions.

1. Are you motivated to create art for:

a) gaps and niches in the marketplace?

b) current trends?

c) retailers’ needs?

d) manufacturers’ specifications?

Undoubtedly you will be asked to change the color of your art, vary the design, meet deadlines, build certain types of production files and create something new for a client’s exact needs. Are you comfortable with commercial art, its demands and requirements?

2. Do you have the skills, desire and time to run your own business? What can you evaluate about your lifestyle— time restraints, personal responsibilities, educational needs, goals and priorities—that will help you determine what you can put into an art licensing business?

3. Do you have enough money or income to sustain you while getting the business off the ground? (Note: most businesses take 1-2 or more years to be profitable; this industry is no different and varies widely by these variables: talent, sales efforts, time spent, and the economic climate!)

4. Do you have the technical abilities to provide artwork digitally, develop a web site and create sales presentations?

5. Can you make the art changes required by manufacturers and create production-ready files? If not, are you willing to learn how or partner with someone who can assist you in these areas on a frequent basis?

6. Are you passionate about seeing your art on product, across the nation and around the world?

If you have answered a resounding “yes” to all or most of these questions, then art licensing may be a great option for you.

If you believe that building an art licensing business is what you want to do, then the first thing you must do is to learn enough about the business to make an educated guess as to whether you are interested in representing yourself or finding an agent.

In Part 2: Agent or No Agent? That is the Question, I’ll talk about how to determine to which representation is right for you. (Will be posted on Friday, April 16th)

Jeanette Smith has more than 25 years experience in the licensing industry, including building the Dilbert™ brand from its infancy to a global corporate icon. J’net created All Art Licensing to share her knowledge through coaching, training, advising and licensing all types of creators to maximize the power of their talents worldwide, while saving time and money! www.allartlicensing.com offers online classes, audio downloads, e-books, workshops and free resources including a monthly newsletter, live Q&A and blog. J’net will be a featured speaker at SURTEX® 2010, May 17^th at the Jacob Javits Convention Center, NYC.

You want answers? Here’s a few more helpful resources that J’Net has created for artists:

Check out J’Net’s Art Licensing Blog here. You can also get frequent tips from J’Net on her Facebook Page.

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Are You An Artist? Poem by Guest Writer Archan Mehta

Maria — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 16:01:44 +0000

A beautiful poem written by guest writer Archan Mehta:

Are you an artist?
Does your spirit soar
Like an eagle in the sky?
Do you often wonder why
The sky is blue?
Well, me too.

Are you an artist?
Do you get bored easily
By trivial, mundane things?
Are you a wandering being?

Are you an artist?
Do you sing in the shower?
Oh, the horror of your voice,
Although, you secretly rejoice!

Are you an artist?
Do you feel like
Dancing for no reason?
Or maybe just to celebrate
The changing of the seasons?

Are you an artist?
Do you kiss adorable toddlers,
Cute cheek to sweet cheek?
Do you like to meet perfect
Strangers at odd hours?
Do you love
The smell of tender flowers?

Are you an artist?
Do you like to luxuriate
On a sandy beach?
Would you rather stay away
From those who preach?

Are you an artist?
Do you frequently lose your keys?
How about shooting the breeze?

Are you an artist?
Do people around you
Complain that you are odd?
“Well, go take a hike, Todd.”

Are you an artist?
Do you gaze longingly into the unknown?
How about a date with Sharon Stone?

Are you an artist?
Does “Investment Banking”
Sound too lame?
Why, you are not
Even in that game.

Are you an artist?
Do your feet
Dance to the beat
Of the Rhythm and Blues?
Well, put on your dancing shoes!

Are you an artist?
Do you catch yourself
Saying things like:
Groovy, babe, rock on, dig it, chick and man?
Did you secretly enjoy watching
“The Silence of the Lambs?”

Are you an artist?
Do you think tattoos are cool?
Are you good at breaking rules?

Are you an artist?
Do you fantasize and
Build castles in the air?
Why, even if people stare you down?
Who cares if they put on a frown?

Are you an artist?
Are you obsessed about
Shades, colors and lights?
Do you love to fly kites?
Do you travel very light?

Are you an artist?
Were you the class clown
Who made people laugh?
Did you suck at math?

Are you an artist?
Do you often dream about
Making this world a better place?
And want to achieve that
By demonstrating aesthetic grace?

————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Archan Mehta is a freelance writer, meditator, an outdoor enthusiast, who dreams about waking up at the crack of dawn and starting a blog. Feel free to contact Archan at archanm@hotmail.com at your own convenience. (And be sure to encourage Archan to start that blog, because we want to read more!)Similar Posts:

Create Every Day – A Guest Post from Aileen Holmes

Maria — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 03:12:50 +0000

This is a guest post written by artist Aileen Holmes. Artwork to the left is one of Aileen’s creations.

As artists, many of us dream of creating large masterpieces and gloriously large scale works.

This is a beautiful and wonderful goal to have, but large dreams can also be a burden.

We question ourselves… “Why haven’t I done this already?” Or we procrastinate and the empty canvas haunts our days.

Try looking at creativity as a practice and infuse creativity into everyday life.

Creativity is a muscle that needs to be worked out.

Masterpieces don’t spring out of nowhere (well, sometimes but not often!). Creativity is a lifestyle – It needs to exist in every day life to grow and thrive.

There are simple ways you can exercise your creative muscles:

1. Carry a small sketchbook and a camera: Capture what catches your eye. The more you train your eye to look for creative inspiration, the more you will find.

2. Catalog your inspiration: Whenever I get a new magazine, I go through it and tear out whatever is intriguing. I tear out poses that I’d like to draw or paint later. A reservoir of inspiration becomes a resource to turn to over and over again.

3. Challenge how you approach every day activities: One exercise I like to do is choose a random article of clothing and try to build an all new outfit around it. Pick a neglected sweater or funky scarf and coordinate a fun look! When you force yourself to break out of dressing automatically, you learn to look at color and shapes a new way.

4. Experiment with a new ingredient: Adding spice to your life, whether it’s a new cuisine or learning salsa dancing will open up new avenues of expression. I like to dig in the back of my spice cabinet and invent a new recipe. By adding Kahlua to my horchata and adding a pinch of cinnamon, I invented a drink I like to call a “Mexican Russian!”

Opening your eyes to possibilities, collecting inspiration, challenging your viewpoint and experimenting are all ways to work your creative muscles.

When you approach all aspects of life creatively, you Create Every Day. The more you infuse creativity into every day life, the easier it will be to create your great masterpiece!

Aileen Holmes

________________________________________________________________________________________

Aileen Holmes is an artist, illustrator, and graphic designer inspired by vintage fashion. Her art is feminine, fun, and flirty! Her blog is fun to follow – here’s the link.

The CREATE EVERYDAY artwork shown on this page is available as a print and proceeds go directly to The American Red Cross to help Haiti. I bought mine by clicking here. When I get it, I’ll hang it in my office to remind me daily to Create!

Maria xxooSimilar Posts: