by Laura West
One of the things I’m passionate about is Courageous Creativity. I’m fascinated by how it shows up in my life and in other creative entrepreneurs. I created this interview series starting with one of the Guest Business Muses of my Business Fusion Studio.
Next in the Courageous Creativity in Business Interview Series is Jennifer Lee of Artizen Coaching. She is the award-winning author of The Right-Brain Business Plan.
Tell us a little more about your business.
I’m the founder of Artizen Coaching, and I’m a best-selling author and business coach for creative entrepreneurs. My first book The Right-Brain Business Plan has helped tens of thousands of entrepreneurs around the world grow their business authentically and creatively. We have more than 70 facilitators who lead workshops worldwide based on my unique and visual approach to business and life coaching. I also led an 8-month mentorship program for right-brain entrepreneurs.
How does creativity show up for you in business?
Photo credit: Rebecca StumpfMy business (and my life) is an expression of my creativity. My brand, writing, content, products and programs are all extensions of what brings me joy. When I learned to fully embrace my creativity in my business, I brought in way more visuals, fun, and playfulness into my work and that authenticity and permission has made all of the difference for me. Plus, creativity helps me come up with innovative solutions and new ways of approaching my work, like being a pioneer in doing video summits (instead of telesummits) since I’m such a visual person.
What do you do to prime your creative pump?
Having lots of white space is probably the single most important way that I prime my creative pump. When I’m too exhausted, overworked, or busy, my creativity wanes. So I make it a point to carve out quiet alone time throughout the day (I journal in the morning, go for walks with my dog in nature, and take breaks just sitting in my back yard). Plus, every week I also practice what I call Self-Care Friday, where I don’t have any meetings and I get to do things just for me whether that be getting a massage or allowing myself to dive into my own creative projects (sometimes work related or sometimes personal). This white space helps me connect with my own inner muse and listen to my intuition. I also enjoy intuitive painting and doodling to get my creative juices flowing.
What do you do when you feel stuck or blocked on a project?
When I’m feeling stuck or blocked on a project I give myself permission to step away. Sometimes a little distance helps me come back with a fresh perspective. I’ll usually just move on to something else that is small so I can get a quick win and build momentum. In fact the launch of my short 9-page illustrated Right-Brain Business Plan® e-Book back in 2008 was actually the result of me being very, very stuck on my first tangible product idea, The Unfolding Your Life Vision® Kit. I was getting nowhere with my kit project and felt very overwhelmed and frustrated. Instead of continuing to bang my head against the wall, I decided that I wanted to complete a simple and do-able project and the idea for my first e-Book was born. I was able to get it up for sale in about a month and that felt great! Plus it paved the way for many other opportunities in my business (and gave me the confidence to finish the kit project soon after).
What would you consider your bigger Passion Project? What do you feel you are here to create?
I’d say that my bigger Passion Project is to help people embrace their right-brain genius and create the lives and businesses that they dream of. The “how” I do that continues to evolve through the years, but the core message of inspiring people to embrace their creativity in life and business remains the same.
Where do you see the next edge of your Courageous Creativity? Where are you being called to go that feels like a brave journey?
The last several years I’ve focused so much time growing my business that the edge for me right now actually feels like giving myself permission to tend more fully to my personal life and health & well-being. My husband and I moved into a new house this fall. We didn’t take very good care of our first house because we were always so busy with work, but with this house we’re excited to really make it home (who knows, I may even start to garden??! Well, that may be pushing my domestic skills!). What feels brave about it for me is I had been operating before like it was one or the other. But with a lot of life transitions that happened this year and with the business doing even better than it has before, I am forming a new belief that I do have capacity for a rich home AND work life.
What encouraging words can you offer to our community about claiming their Courageous Creativity in Business?
Being an entrepreneur is a courageous act. You’re constantly putting your passions and gifts out there in the world and that can feel scary and vulnerable. The more that you can bring your authentic, creative self into your work, though, the more you will stand out from the crowd and attract your right peeps. You’re actually doing your people a disservice when you’re not allowing yourself to shine as brightly as possible, so please, please step into and own your courageous creativity. The world needs you and your gifts.
Where can our creative community find out more about you and your business? (Give us your website and a description for any free gift you may have to offer. 🙂
You can visit http://www.rightbrainbusinessplan.com for more information and resources to help your creative business. And if you’re a right-brain entrepreneur who feels befuddled by the left-brain details, join me for a free video class (http://www.rightbrainbusinessplan.com/free-video-class) where you’ll learn you’ll learn a simple and easy approach for Assessing Your Left-Brain Business Know-How: What Right-Brain Entrepreneurs Can’t Overlook and How to Get Started.
