Discovering what you wanna be when you grow up is a process. There are skills to identify, values to name, responsibilities to consider, questions to ask & get answered, truths to uncover, false beliefs to conquer, and tons of self-reflection to, um, reflect on. It’s no quick fix, which is why I encourage all of my career change clients to work with me for 12 sessions, or 3-4 months of coaching. For some reason, that’s the magic number for most of my clients to not only come to the conclusion of what they want their grown-up career to look like, but to have an action plan in order to make it happen.

Something happens, though, around the halfway point, where my clients develop what I like to lovingly call “The Itch”. They’ve spent almost 2 months figuring out what the pieces of their puzzle consist of, & they’re ready to see The Big Picture. The Dream Career. The Answer. The Key. The pressure is on. The stakes are heightened. They want to know, and they want to know now.

It’s about that time in the process that I annoyingly & purposely ask them to “live in the questions.” But what does that mean? How can you let yourself do that? And why haven’t I been punched in the face yet? Well, “living in the questions” is another way for me to say: (more…)

One Step by Art = Happy.

I feel it. It’s here. I can’t let it linger any longer, or turn my back, or sing “la-la-la” while I stick my fingers in my ears.

It’s a point. It’s turning. It’s a turning point, and I can’t pirouette in reverse. Nor do I want to. I keep moving forward, taking steps, making them baby so I move slow and steady and sure and smiling.

It’s not just me. It’s you, too. You know what I’m talking about. And if you don’t, at least not immediately, then close your eyes. Take a breath. Listen. (more…)

#286 by Things We Forget

“I don’t have all the supplies I need.”

“I need the graphic designer to get back to me.”

“These descriptions have to be rewritten first.” (more…)

Listen by Jess Swift, who is totally the birthday girl today. HAPPY HAPPY JESS! I’m so thankful for you.

Are these tough (questions) getting harder or is it just me? Well, I blame all the Vampire talk that happened last week along with the comments on what it takes for you to trust yourself, because it got me thinking:

How do you know when its your true voice talking or if it’s just those pesky Vampires?

Oh! And for anyone that’s new around these parts, when I talk about your Vampire I’m talking about that voice that’s in your head that sucks the good stuff right out of ya. It usually tells you that your dumb / lazy / unspecial / unimportant and you’ll never amount to anything. So not cool. (more…)

Many months ago, I responded to a comment or a post or a something somewhere in the Interwebs about my Vampire. I decided then & there that his name was Vern, he was a hunchback, spoke like he’s a heavy smoker that has lived on Long Island for his whole life (probably at least 200 years), & had an abundance of ear hair. Funny thing was, when I gave my Vampire a name & these ridiculous attributes, I started seeing him in my head. When he’d try to talk to me, I’d remember what he sounded like, & would immediately (a) smile & (b) dismiss him.

Now you & I both know that I ain’t no artist, but Vern was begging to be created on the page. So, today, I drew him:

And yes, now you have to recipriate, & you can do it by naming your Vampire & describing his/her attributes in the Comments section, or by making your own visual, posting it on your blog, & linking to the post using the widget below. Vampire Ridiculors unite!

Must Believe in You by jenzet

This might be the toughest questions of all tough questions. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were 0 comments, as it would probably leave me running scared if I was a reader here. But yet…this is the point of Tough (Question) Tuesday. To dig. To inquire. To think. To realize. To articulate. To commit. All of that, wrapped up in one tiny question.

And yes, this question is coming from a personal place, as I have less than two handfuls of available appointments for the whole month of August (& it’s only the third of the month!) and yet…yet…something’s telling me to be careful of beginner’s luck, which I feel I had when it came to my short-lived real estate career. While I do feel confident that I’m doing all the “right” things & that coaching will be something that I’ll have success with throughout my career (that is, until I decide to stop working), there’s still that Vampire that’s saying, “Enjoy it while it lasts. The roller coaster has to go up to go down. Watch for the drop.”

So, be here with me & ask: (more…)

Lately, I’ve been seeing something repeatedly that scared me, shocked me, shook me to the core as both a person & as a creative career coach. During talks with clients, & in their written responses to the question, “What are you passionate about?”, I started getting answers like these:

“I like a lot of random things but I’m not passionate about anything in particular. I think.”

“Is it OK to not feel Passionate? I don’t think I’m passionate about anything.”

“ ” (Michelle’s note: Yes, it’s blank!)

“I always get stuck when it comes to questions about my passion. I guess I never really understood what it means.”

“Passion is a really loaded word for me. I don’t like to use it.” (more…)

Today is the day by The BIG Harumph

It was a huge a-ha moment for my client. So much so that she pronounced she was done with “research” & “preparation” & “ideas” – she was sick of ‘em, sick of working on that & only that for days, weeks, months, years at a time.

“I’m getting out of my head and into my hands, literally!”

It’s a statement that life coaches like me live for, & it’s now The Motivating Statement of All Motivating Statements  for this client to start (& continue!) putting one foot in front of the other. I made her post it where she can see it often, & might even make her tattoo it on her forehead backwards. (more…)

Ask For What You Want by NayArts

I’m on vacation early this week, & my clients are doing some Show & Tell! It’s time now to hear from Juliana Finch, a glorious (yes, glorious) singer/songwriter whose music will make you melt (yes, melt). If you like what you hear, help her make her new album (& have her play in your home! yes, really!) by being a backer. I became one already. Yes, the music ’s that glorious. I wasn’t kidding.

When I first discovered Michelle’s coaching practice and blog, I had one of those “Aha!” moments that Oprah talks about. Here was someone who was telling people that it is not only totally ok to be a creative person out in the world, but that your creativity is possibly integral to your well-being and can help you thrive! That idea is almost my religion, so it was immediately clear that Michelle was my kinda gal. For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been getting some excellent group coaching with Michelle and it has helped me push past a plateau I’d reached regarding the business side of my creative work.

For most artists I know, the terms “business” and “money” might as well be four-letter words. Our creative work is a labor of love, so mixing it with money can feel dirty. We’re all familiar with the idea of the starving artist, right? Somehow, we’ve gotten the idea that a real artist has to be suffering and toiling in obscurity. If you’re financially secure and marketable, it must mean that you’re a sell-out. (more…)

Last month, I attended a pretty fantabulus webinar where Seth Godin, marketing genius guru extraordinaire deity, was interviewed about career stability in relation to the launch of his new book, Linchpin. While I’ve yet to read the book, I knew that the overall message was that you need to make yourself indespensible by becoming an expert (read: forsake all other things besides the One Thing). As a Creative, my ears perked up & my brows furrowed when I heard this. Many Creatives are also Renaissance Souls, & not only do they not want to be put in a box, but they experience major Sophie’s Choice-itis when forced to do so. With myself, my clients, & poor Jewish Meryl Streep in mind, I pounced on the opportunity to ask Seth a question:

What if I have so many interests that I can’t decide which to devote expert status to?

His response included some tough love. He immediately mentioned The War of Art, & all the excuses we make that feed Resistance. “It’s the Resistance talking, which is trying to keep you safe! Write down all the things you’re interested in, circle one to do, & do it until you get through it. That’s the purpose of our lives!” Easier said than done, right fellow Creative Renaissance Soul? Well, here are my ideas for becoming an expert while honoring your many loves:

• Find out the ideal conditions for your Renaissance Soul to be happy. For example, I have a client who learned recently that her Renaissance Soul is happiest immersing herself in one project until completion, but only if that project has an end date no more than 3 months in the future – & she knows in advance the next project to switch to. Because of those quarterly goals, she knows she’ll complete 4 projects every year, which is a high (& motivating/exciting!) number for her. Personally, I enjoy having my hands in 2 or 3 projects at a time, working on them each for about an hour a day or longer (when inspiration strikes). If I had to work on 1 project continuously until it’s done, I might go insane. To figure out how you work best, ask yourself: (more…)