Testimonials
“My mentor-ship with Patricia has reinforced the value of my own creative nature and has enhanced the ways in which I allow that creative spirit to find a voice or form of creative expression. I have been reminded in so many ways of the value of staying connected to a supportive and creative community.” - Mary Mayer – Graphic Designer, Photographer, Founder of Breakthrough Change (TM)
“The Inner Fire, Outer Light program was a breath of fresh air in my over-booked life. I found Patricia to be a skilled, creative, and thoughtful facilitator. She is extremely supportive and encouraging…” - Janet Scott – Writer, Photographer, Musician
“Can I tell you how gratifying that is? Wow. Just had to share this monumental shift in my body – the gratification of asking what you are truly worth! It feels all warm and fuzzy…I can feel a dynamic change in my physical chemistry of someone understanding the worth of our performances.” - Marnie Ward – Performing Artist, Pageant Coach, Voice Trainer
“Wow! Wow!…That’s where I was going…without knowing it. Patricia has a real gift! I’m amazed at how she can help hatch an idea. She listens so well and then suggests exciting new possibilities I hadn’t seen.” - Betsy Blake Bennett – Writer, Spirtual Director
“Ummmm…WOW…you’re pretty amazing, this is the most progress in the shortest amount of time I have had with anyone!” - Jentana Dabbs – Founder of On Fire, Focused & Fearless: From Chaos to Joyful Creation…
“I recently had the good fortune to stumble into a songwriting workshop that completely changed my life. The way that Patricia facilitated was brilliant, asking the right questions while creating the right tone and space for us each to unravel the inner thread of creativity that I’d been searching for for so long.” - Anna – Filmmaker, Writer, Musician
........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
May
9
The Virtue of Change & Stability For Your Creativity
Posted by admin
on 09 May 2013
Leave a Comment
Since I’ve spent the past month and a half in a mad dash to move across country and help my fiancé open a spice and tea store, I’ve been thinking a lot about change, stability and how they relate to our creative lives. If you are in the midst of upheaval or, on the opposite end of the spectrum, worried that your life is too predictable, journey with me this week through the virtues of change AND stability.
|
|
INSPIRATION
As a kid, I never understood how someone could want to live in the same town their entire lives. We moved several times, both in and out of town, and I found it stimulating, exciting and educational- perhaps a testament to my parents’ approach. That said, the town in which I mostly grew up was just such a place that people lived out their entire lives quite happily. Even a number of my friends who went away to college ended up back there afterward.
I took a very different path, headed to college half-way across the country, then moving from place to place, in and out of the country. I discovered stories, wrote songs, met new friends, and stayed inspired. It seemed like the ideal milieu for a rich and productive creative life and, having little if no rent to pay made it possible for me to live as an artist. Only years later, while touring full-time around the country, not spending more than a few days in each place, that I discovered the virtue of stability.
One of the joys of touring as a solo artist is long stretches of quiet in the car. I found myself turning to audio-books. This one, I accidentally discovered in a discount book store in North Carolina. It was Kathleen Norris’ book, Acedia & Me. In this unexpected exploration of an archaic relative of depression, I ran into the monastic virtue of stability. This was not the stagnation of a life lived by others’ expectations that I deplored. It was a kind of quiet rebellion, a commitment to one’s callings despite what the world demands and a groundedness my life was sorely lacking. Something deep within me leaped up in recognition and longing.
It would be a while yet until I began to understand the power of stability for creativity, however. In fact, while I have seen that in the lives of some of my favorite musicians, artists, and writers, it is only now, in the midst of incredible change and transition that I see myself moving into a calm still place, the kind of stability that will allow me to connect to the source of creativity every single day, with a joyous predictability that turns my craft from happy accident to profession. I have had glimpses of this and notice my songwriting increase exponentially during these periods of stability.
The key, then, is stability without stagnation. New research is emerging on how to prevent, if not Alzheimer’s, then at least standard dementia, and going outside of one’s routine, getting together with friends regularly and learning new things are keys to staying mentally fit as a fiddle. These are also the keys to staying inspired and having plenty of mulch out of which your creative seeds can grow strong, tall and beautiful.
|
|
CREATIVE ACTION
You don’t need to move every 9 months or change relationships like outfits to have plenty of good material, though. This is an invitation to go deep.
You may discover that change, while an important virtue to a rich creative life, might not need to be drastic to be powerful.
Oh, and let us know what you discover on my Facebook Page, won’t you?
|
Feb
22
5 Ways To Recharge Your Creativity
Posted by admin
on 22 Feb 2013
Leave a Comment
Whether your creative work is “just” for fun or whether it is your livelihood, you know that making things, whether that is writing, painting, ceramics, jewelry, theater, cooking, or any other creative act is something that RENEWS your energy, REFRESHES your senses and REFUELS your life.
So, what happens when you just can’t find the oomph, the time, the energy, the ideas, the space, the income, the recognition, the fans, the meaning, the impact or the reasons to create? What happens, in short, when February hits?
If you know, right now, that you could use a recharge to re-spark and renew your creative life, move projects along, leap over blocks and get yourself going again, click here to register for the Dream To Done Deep Dive Retreat in Tucson on Saturday, March 2nd. We’ve even created a very affordable rate that’s good through this weekend. Read on for details.
And, read on for ways to loosen up and exercise those creative muscles right now.
5 Ways To Recharge Your Creativity
5. PLAY
Especially if you are a professional creative, but also if you are an expert amateur, it is easy to get into a routine with your work. Regain your sense of play by trying something new, working outside of your medium, looking at it from a new perspective. In short, be a child. Do the unexpected, the silly. Make the beginner’s mistakes. Regain your naive audacity, as one of my wonderful clients calls it.
We will take time to play together during the Dream To Done Deep Dive Retreat!
4. PERMISSION
If you’ll believe yourself, give yourself permission to create. If you won’t believe yourself, call someone and have them give you permission. Some of us know, after hard experience, that we will very nearly go mad (and drive everyone around us crazy) if we don’t create something on a regular basis (at least weekly). If it’s been more than a week, make something! If you’re having trouble, do something completely different than “the project” on which you have been working. If you are a musician, collage a card. If you are a visual artist, choreograph a dance to a favorite song. If you are a parent, write an article on a grown-up subject. It may just refresh you enough to get back to “your” work and, as a bonus, give you a new take on it.
It is so much easier to feel we have permission when we are together! At the retreat, we will give each other permission, celebration, encouragement and move from crazy to creating together.
3. SUN & HEALTH
It’s pretty hard to muster energy for anything if you’re not healthy and winter can be a tricky time for that. Here are some ways to stay healthy, energetic and inspired to create.
Get outside and soak up the sun. Also, be sure to take a well-made Vitamin-D supplement, especially all winter. Eat lots of fruits, vegetables, plant proteins, and whole grains. And, supplement wisely every day. Sleep enough (most people need 7-9 hours every single night). Move your body. Even a short daily walk can keep you healthy, and your ideas flowing. Wash your hands with soap and water. Drink lots of hot tea, water, and other healthy beverages.
We will be practicing these wonderful healthy habits together as well as having lots of fun at the Dream To Done Deep Dive Retreat.
2. SUPPORT
Enough toiling in your tower all alone!! While solo time is invaluable for creative work (and we’ll have plenty of time and space for that at the retreat), having a supportive creative community beyond friends and family is the KEY to keeping going when things get tough, to having folks around who understand you and to getting your work out, increasing your income, fans, recognition and all of that joyfully. Oh, and it also helps to have mentors who can share strategies for getting through the sticky icky tough times and give you tool to take home and use again and again. So, come find your community and your mentors in Tucson. Or, if you can’t make it, click here to claim a chat with me about getting the support you need wherever you are.
1. TIME & SPACE
We have arrived at the number one way to recharge your creativity this spring. It is simple, but not always easy. Claiming the time and space to do your work can often feel like it’s competing with family, other work, relationships, housework, and more. But, without that time and space, there won’t be any creative work. Your voice will be silenced. Your message will not be heard. Your vision won’t be seen. And, perhaps more importantly, your health, relationships, productivity and income will all be negatively impacted.
So, this is important! Convert a spare bedroom or closet into a creative space. Get away to a local library or coffeehouse. Set aside a chunk of time on your calendar every week. Take regular retreats in which you get out of your space and focus on your work. Of course, you are encouraged to join us for the Dream To Done Deep Dive Retreat in Tucson, but I fully endorse lots of other retreat options, including solo and self-created ones. I’ve been building my own retreats for years and there is nothing quite like leaving home, leaving town, and getting time, space and perspective without your family, to-do list and electronic interruptions following you. I’m happy to recommend my favorite retreat locations if you’d like.
Most of all, remember to create, make, envision, bring to life, and share your gifts, your art, your creativity! The world needs it and your life will be better for it.
Happy creating!
PS- That lovely rate I mentioned is only $97 for TWO (you and a friend, love, colleague, neighbor), which includes your lunch, snacks, materials, guidance, space, and a bonus evening session. But, it will go up as of Monday, the 25th, so be sure to register today and claim your spot (because there are limited spaces available).
There is an absolutely stellar group of creatives gathering and I know you’ll want to be among them, soaking up their inspiring, funny, wise, and quirky vibe and sharing yours. You’ll go home refreshed, renewed, excited, connected, supported, celebrated, focused, and with a whole lot done on a creative project or business.
Jan
29
Snoopy On Overcoming Creative Blocks
Posted by admin
on 29 Jan 2013
Leave a Comment
So, we’ve nearly come to February. The shine of New Year’s Resolutions is wearing thin and the primal grizzly bear urge to hide on the couch under a blanket until Spring is going strong. I’ve been feeling it, too, and not for the first time!
What do we DO when we feel worn out, hopeless, and discouraged?
I shared some wisdom with my Inner Fire, Outer Light posse earlier this week and wanted to pass along the love to you as I know we’re not the only ones suffering from the urge to hibernate! Let me know how it goes by sharing on the Facebook Page, won’t you?
It is tempting to enter the downward spiral of self-blame, TV, and chocolate, but there is another way. Read on for practical and simple ways to move back into our joyous, creating selves even before the spring.
“Remember that keeping your SELF fueled and aflame is the most important thing.
“You cannot allow yourself to get overtired, underfed or to lose your sense of humor. If you do, the whole thing will fall apart.
“So even though it might seem backwards, you must rest MORE now, OK?” -Samantha Bennett
CREATIVE ACTION
The key here is micro-action, then celebration. Nothing is too small.
1. Begin with the basics
Eat, sleep, exercise. Don’t neglect any of these. Again, micro-action. If you’ve suddenly become a couch potato, don’t plan to run 5 miles a day. Simply get out of the house a talk a short walk once a day to start. Then, celebrate!
2. Celebrate every action
Find small ways to celebrate. Post it on Facebook or email a friend. Make yourself your favorite kind of tea. Call a good friend. Pet your cat or dog for a few minutes. Say nice things to yourself. Get a good hug. Dance around the living room to your favorite song.
3. Creative Diversion
If you want to lounge and watch TV, instead, try taking down the instrument or pen or needle and make something for 5 minutes. I’m serious, just five minutes. Play one song. Write a stream-of-consciousness poem. Stitch one seam. Then, celebrate!
You may continue if you wish.
4. Micro-burst of Action
If you’re working on the business end of your creative life, it may seem ideal to make a list of 30 potential clients, then pick up the phone and call all of them. Truth be told, you will mostly leave messages, so this might only take 60-90 minutes and if you can do it that way, bravo!
But, for the rest of us mortals, here’s another path.
Make one call.
That’s it. Keep it simple. Use a script and leave that voicemail. Then, celebrate.
If you want to continue, go right ahead, but not before doing a little happy dance 
.
I don’t say this to be silly, but because, just in order to pick up that phone in the first place, I want to acknowledge those of you who had to wriggle your way out of the straight-jacket of your fears, self-criticisms, external messages, and so much more. Just to pick up that phone and dial (and then not hang up until you left a message) was a victory! And, victories ought to be celebrated!
Plus, then you know you can do it again and that’s pretty helpful when your goal is to actually SHARE your creative gifts with a world hungry for them.
Ready to share your struggles and micro-celebrations in a Creative Community?
Ready for an advocate and guide for your creative work to finally produce the income, recognition, fans, and impact you’ve been longing after?
I have opened up a few spaces this week (they vanish February 1st!) to help you gain clarity, direction and connection to the resources you need to move your creative life forward. Click here to claim yours today!
// //
Jan
28
Snoopy On Overcoming Creative Blocks
Posted by admin
on 28 Jan 2013
Leave a Comment
So, we’ve nearly come to February. The shine of New Year’s Resolutions is wearing thin and the primal grizzly bear urge to hide on the couch under a blanket until Spring is going strong. I’ve been feeling it, too, and not for the first time!
What do we DO when we feel worn out, hopeless, and discouraged?
I shared some wisdom with my Inner Fire, Outer Light posse earlier this week and wanted to pass along the love to you as I know we’re not the only ones suffering from the urge to hibernate! Let me know how it goes by sharing on the Facebook Page, won’t you?
It is tempting to enter the downward spiral of self-blame, TV, and chocolate, but there is another way. Read on for practical and simple ways to move back into our joyous, creating selves even before the spring.
“Remember that keeping your SELF fueled and aflame is the most important thing.
“You cannot allow yourself to get overtired, underfed or to lose your sense of humor. If you do, the whole thing will fall apart.
“So even though it might seem backwards, you must rest MORE now, OK?” -Samantha Bennett
CREATIVE ACTION
The key here is micro-action, then celebration. Nothing is too small.
1. Begin with the basics
Eat, sleep, exercise. Don’t neglect any of these. Again, micro-action. If you’ve suddenly become a couch potato, don’t plan to run 5 miles a day. Simply get out of the house a talk a short walk once a day to start. Then, celebrate!
2. Celebrate every action
Find small ways to celebrate. Post it on Facebook or email a friend. Make yourself your favorite kind of tea. Call a good friend. Pet your cat or dog for a few minutes. Say nice things to yourself. Get a good hug. Dance around the living room to your favorite song.
3. Creative Diversion
If you want to lounge and watch TV, instead, try taking down the instrument or pen or needle and make something for 5 minutes. I’m serious, just five minutes. Play one song. Write a stream-of-consciousness poem. Stitch one seam. Then, celebrate!
You may continue if you wish.
4. Micro-burst of Action
If you’re working on the business end of your creative life, it may seem ideal to make a list of 30 potential clients, then pick up the phone and call all of them. Truth be told, you will mostly leave messages, so this might only take 60-90 minutes and if you can do it that way, bravo!
But, for the rest of us mortals, here’s another path.
Make one call.
That’s it. Keep it simple. Use a script and leave that voicemail. Then, celebrate.
If you want to continue, go right ahead, but not before doing a little happy dance .
I don’t say this to be silly, but because, just in order to pick up that phone in the first place, I want to acknowledge those of you who had to wriggle your way out of the straight-jacket of your fears, self-criticisms, external messages, and so much more. Just to pick up that phone and dial (and then not hang up until you left a message) was a victory! And, victories ought to be celebrated!
Plus, then you know you can do it again and that’s pretty helpful when your goal is to actually SHARE your creative gifts with a world hungry for them.
Ready to share your struggles and micro-celebrations in a Creative Community?
Ready for an advocate and guide for your creative work to finally produce the income, recognition, fans, and impact you’ve been longing after?
I have opened up a few spaces this week (they vanish February 1st!) to help you gain clarity, direction and connection to the resources you need to move your creative life forward. Click here to claim yours today!
// //
Jan
6
Welcome to Inner Fire Outer Light
Posted by admin
on 06 Jan 2013
Leave a Comment
Blog posts will be coming soon! In the meantime, please visit Take Your Talent To The Bank and learn how to never fear having to “get a job” again.
Jan
1
9 Experts Help You Go From Starving Artist To Creative Rock Star
Posted by admin
on 01 Jan 2013
3 Comments
I’m so excited to officially announce and invite you to join us at:
Take Your Talent To The Bank:
From Starving Artist To Creative Rock Star
A [FREE] Virtual Conference
January 8th- 11th, 2013
Ready to escape the starving artist mentality (and reality) and get the recognition, fans, and income you deserve? Thinking about making the leap from hobby to sharing your gifts in a bigger way?
Never fear having to “get a job” again!
Learn from NINE successful creatives (in all different areas of creativity) who have been where you are now and used their creativity to pull ahead of their peers to earn what they deserve, develop a loyal fanbase, plus get recognized as professionals. They will share their struggles, their secrets and their strategies with you!
Besides me, you’ll hear from:
An internationally touring performer, playwright, screenwriter & more
A best-selling author & photographer
An acclaimed children’s picture book author of nearly a dozen books
A top 5% earning actor with NY & LA careers
A multi-6-figure creative business coach & actor
A celebrated visionary fiber artist and painter, author, editor & more
One of the most sought after Marilyn Tribute artists in the world today
AND MORE!
You are talented. You’ve likely spent years in school and out honing your skills and developing your vision and voice. So, why do you still have to work three jobs (or a mind-numbing corporate job) to make ends meet?
Where is the recognition, the income, and the sense of joy you expected? Perhaps you haven’t yet taken the leap to try to earn income from your creative work, because everyone around you tells you it’s crazy, unrealistic and impossible. Maybe you have and you’re starting to wonder if they were all right.
Are the inner gremlins gaining power? You know the ones that tell you that it’s just that YOU aren’t good enough, talented enough, hard-working enough? Are they keeping you from finishing your projects and sharing them with the world? Have they got you applying to work in soul-sucking jobs, even though you swore you’d never go back?
I have been there and felt ALL of these things. I worked in nonprofits, as a classroom teacher, and teaching creative skills independently. Doing “what I should” exhausted me, literally made me sick, and destroyed my ability to have healthy relationships, because I was tired, bitter, resentful, and jealous of others. I’ve worked SIX different jobs all at once, just to avoid “getting a job” and to continue doing my creative work. I had never made above $30,000 and most years it was a lot less. I got to be an expert at living (happily enough, I thought) on very little, scrimping, and finding a way to do things free or cheap. Sound familiar?
All that changed when I made the leap to honor my creativity and believe in my abilities. I began to treat my creative work as a business and got the mentoring I needed to learn how to run a business, built a creative community, and found a way to combine my talents, skills and loves. Now, I’m in love (and engaged), have rich, rewarding friendships and relationships with family, have a thriving and fun creative business (and no boss!), am healthy, have produced two full-length albums with another in progress, and have toured nationally numerous times.
In short, life is good, really good and full of things that, just a few years ago, I thought I would NEVER be able to have. Things like financial security, professional recognition, the most rewarding and energizing work I’ve ever done, plenty of time and energy for personal creative projects, love, family and stability.
And now, I help other creatives like you to do the same.
This is what we need more of for brilliant creatives like YOU! That is why I am so excited to be hosting NINE creatives from visual, performing, writing and more creative areas who have soared over their peers and taken their talents to the bank! They are generous, funny, brilliant (just like you), and willing to share what works and what doesn’t, the HOW of their journeys so you, too, can go from starving artist to creative rock star!
All it takes is taking the time to learn from all these creatives who have already succeeded and are generously sharing what they’ve learned, so you, too, can move your creative dreams to done, and gain the money, meaning, and recognition you’ve worked so hard for all these years. Take this small step towards a new life.
// //
Jan
1
8 Experts Help You Go From Starving Artist To Creative Rock Star
Posted by admin
on 01 Jan 2013
3 Comments
I’m so excited to officially announce and invite you to join us at:
Take Your Talent To The Bank:
From Starving Artist To Creative Rock Star
A [FREE] Virtual Conference
January 8th- 11th, 2013
Ready to escape the starving artist mentality (and reality) and get the recognition, fans, and income you deserve? Thinking about making the leap from hobby to sharing your gifts in a bigger way?
Never fear having to “get a job” again!
Learn from EIGHT successful creatives (in all different areas of creativity) who have been where you are now and used their creativity to pull ahead of their peers to earn what they deserve, develop a loyal fanbase, plus get recognized as professionals. They will share their struggles, their secrets and their strategies with you!
Besides me, you’ll hear from:
An internationally touring performer, playwright, screenwriter & more
A best-selling author & photographer
An acclaimed children’s picture book author of nearly a dozen books
A top 5% earning actor with NY & LA careers
A multi-6-figure creative business coach & actor
A celebrated visionary fiber artist and painter, author, editor & more
One of the most sought after Marilyn Tribute artists in the world today
You are talented. You’ve likely spent years in school and out honing your skills and developing your vision and voice. So, why do you still have to work three jobs (or a mind-numbing corporate job) to make ends meet?
Where is the recognition, the income, and the sense of joy you expected? Perhaps you haven’t yet taken the leap to try to earn income from your creative work, because everyone around you tells you it’s crazy, unrealistic and impossible. Maybe you have and you’re starting to wonder if they were all right.
Are the inner gremlins gaining power? You know the ones that tell you that it’s just that YOU aren’t good enough, talented enough, hard-working enough? Are they keeping you from finishing your projects and sharing them with the world? Have they got you applying to work in soul-sucking jobs, even though you swore you’d never go back?
I have been there and felt ALL of these things. I worked in nonprofits, as a classroom teacher, and teaching creative skills independently. Doing “what I should” exhausted me, literally made me sick, and destroyed my ability to have healthy relationships, because I was tired, bitter, resentful, and jealous of others. I’ve worked SIX different jobs all at once, just to avoid “getting a job” and to continue doing my creative work. I had never made above $30,000 and most years it was a lot less. I got to be an expert at living (happily enough, I thought) on very little, scrimping, and finding a way to do things free or cheap. Sound familiar?
All that changed when I made the leap to honor my creativity and believe in my abilities. I began to treat my creative work as a business and got the mentoring I needed to learn how to run a business, built a creative community, and found a way to combine my talents, skills and loves. Now, I’m in love (and engaged), have rich, rewarding friendships and relationships with family, have a thriving and fun creative business (and no boss!), am healthy, have produced two full-length albums with another in progress, and have toured nationally numerous times.
In short, life is good, really good and full of things that, just a few years ago, I thought I would NEVER be able to have. Things like financial security, professional recognition, the most rewarding and energizing work I’ve ever done, plenty of time and energy for personal creative projects, love, family and stability.
And now, I help other creatives like you to do the same.
This is what we need more of for brilliant creatives like YOU! That is why I am so excited to be hosting EIGHT creatives from visual, performing, writing and more creative areas who have soared over their peers and taken their talents to the bank! They are generous, funny, brilliant (just like you), and willing to share what works and what doesn’t, the HOW of their journeys so you, too, can go from starving artist to creative rock star!
All it takes is registering, marking your calendar for the dates and taking the time to learn from all these creatives who have already succeeded and are generously sharing what they’ve learned, so you, too, can move your creative dreams to done, and gain the money, meaning, and recognition you’ve worked so hard for all these years. Take this small step towards a new life.
So, register and join us (from the comfort of your own phone or computer).
PS- Even if you think you’ll be busy, go ahead and register, because all interviews will be available to listen to for at least 24 hours after they air live and recordings will be available, but you’ll miss out if you don’t sign up to receive the details.
// //
// //
// //
Dec
3
Come Play Big! With Me!
Posted by admin
on 03 Dec 2012
Leave a Comment
This weekend, December 7-8, I’ll be in Los Angeles, California at:
Won’t you join me? Click here for the lowest rate possible and more information and let me know if you’re coming. Melissa has been a huge help to me and I adore her kind and expert guidance. Also, I’ll be on her success panel, so I’m excited to have you there, too!
// //
Sep
27
Are You Too Creative?
Posted by admin
on 27 Sep 2012
Leave a Comment
Ready? Join us at Dream To Done In A Day on Saturday, October 27th! Click here to begin your registration process or read the below post for more. If you’d like to join the list I mentioned full of resources to bring your creative projects to life, click here.
// //
// //
Sep
26
Leap Over Creative Blocks In A Single Bound
Posted by admin
on 26 Sep 2012
Leave a Comment
If you are ready to leap over creative blocks in a single bound and get more done than you thought possible on a creative project that your haven’t started, that has gotten stalled, or is simply progressing too slowly, put Saturday, October 27th on your calendar and make plans to join us in Denver, Colorado for Dream To Done In A Day: powerful, playful and perfect for your busy life!
You know that project you haven’t quite started (for 10 years) or that project that’s stalled, or even that project that’s creeping along, but you NEED to finish? Bring it, along with your superhero cape, and we’ll get you flying forward!
Time to register, right? Click here to begin the registration process (payment comes in a subsequent email message). Then, pick up the phone and invite a few friends. You can BRING A FRIEND FOR FREE or split the cost with them to attend. That’s two inspired superheros for the price of one!
Get ready to pack your superhero cape and fly forward to the land of your creative dreams!
Have more questions? Send me a message and I’ll be happy to answer them!
// //