Challenge #8: Just Say No - Protecting Your Creative Space

Hi my name is Kadie and I suffer from something known as "The Yes Addiction."  

If you’re a creative, there are major risks involved in engaging in "The Yes Addiction". Research shows that often abstinence from saying yes is the safest option for creatives. “No” can’t protect them from every risk, but it can lessen the odds of creative block, depression, burn out and anxiety significantly. 

We all know the major issues associated with "The Yes Addiction":

• More than 360,000 creatives will never get around to finishing their art projects
• Half of those creatives will suffer severe depression over the lack of progress they make in their work
• An estimated 8,300 creative ideas will never be thought of each week due to "The Yes Addiction."
• Every 11 seconds, a creative will give into "The Yes Addiction."

*All stats came from the mind of Kadie Pangburn and are completely made up, but probably true.  "The Yes Addiction" is also not yet clinically recognized but might as well be.

Grab your nifty challenge badge to share with your
friends online and inspire them to join in on the fun!

Your creative space is like a precious flower.  You have to protect it from all those who may try to steal it away from you.  Many times society may not understand and think you are selfish for keeping your flower all to yourself.  But at those moments you have to stand firm, take action and just say no.  Giving your flower away to anyone and everyone will only cause you grief and heartache and leave you frustrated. 

Your creative space is what fuels your creative mind.  It is your time to work and play and grow and inspire your creative self.  Without it, most creatives burn out and suffer from creative blocks.

It's hard to protect our creative space because we often are made to feel selfish by doing so.  We don't have "The Man" telling us we need to buckle down and work because we are "The Man" and it's hard for society to understand that at times.

If an accountant is asked to do something and replies: "I wish I could but I have to stay late at work this week."  Society gets it, they understand, they don't hold it against the guy.  If a creative person is asked the same question and they reply: "I wish I could but I need get in some time at my studio this week." Society often replies with "well couldn't you just put that off and do it some other time?"

For years I've lived with the bad habit of treating no like a dirty word.  I didn't want to disappoint people, or have them not like me anymore by saying no to them.  So I gave in and said yes, thinking "what could it hurt?"  Turns out a lot.

I ended up giving away all my creative space.  My projects didn't get finished, I didn't have the time to gain the inspiration I needed to fuel my creativity, and I worked on projects I wasn't passionate about and only served to harm my creative spirit.

It has only been in the last year or so I have really come to understand the beauty and power of the word no.

No is not selfish.  No is self empowerment.

No means that you are recognizing your needs as a human being, especially as a creative human being and listening to them.  You know what's best for you and you are giving yourself the authority to act on it.

So your challenge this week is to work up the gumption and empower yourself with the ability to say no and protect your creative space!

Some people may not understand, and that's ok.  You need to give yourself the authority to know what is best for you and what is not and when you know what that thing is to hold on to it dearly and never let it go.  And that my friends will get you further in life that simply always saying "yes" ever will.  

Don't forget this week we are giving away FREE STUFF!  All you have to do is share your own #something awesome on our Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest to enter!  We'll be picking one lucky winner at the end of the week!

Challenge #4: With A Little Help From Our Friends

From day one this website has been about keeping it real with other artists and creatives about the ups, the downs and all the in-betweens of living a creative life.  So let me just say straight out that last week was really rough for me emotionally.

I found myself feeling like everything I did was crap, like none of this “creative” stuff I do really matters and that nobody even cares that I do it at all. How could I have been foolish enough to think that anybody would really care about my work let alone want to pay me money for it!?  Basically I sat around having a pity party for myself wondering why I wasn't like a “normal” person, with a “normal” degree and a “normal” job where life would be so much much much less complicated.

But I don’t have to explain this to you guys, you know exactly what I mean I’m sure.  We’ve all been there at one time or another.

Sometimes in this creative life I lead I feel as if I am essentially drudging my way through some dark, murky and infinite abyss.  I keep flailing my arms about around me as I go, hoping to find some sort of hand rail, or wall, or defined pathway, to let me know I’m heading the right direction and not simply around in circles but all I ever seem to come up with is air.  So without any other recourse I simply keep plugging along in the darkness, hoping the direction I set out on will eventually get me to where I want to be and not into some bottomless pit, or off a cliff along the way.  Sounds enticing doesn’t it?

The beauty and the curse of a creative life is that it has no boundaries, it has no rules, it has no predecessors to simply follow along behind.  The course for everyone is their own, they get to make up their own rules, their own path and their own way to travel the distance to get to their goals.

I always find myself looking around at other creatives and thinking that their paths are so pretty, clearly labeled and that they look like they are traversing them so effortlessly.  While mine on the other hand resembles more of a swampland, combined with a mine field, and maybe a few ravenous wild zombies chasing me while I run around like a crazy person trying not to get blown up or drown in a pool of goo.

But that’s the thing, our paths never look as pretty to us as they do to others.  They never look as clear to us as others seem to perceive they are from the outside.  While we can get lost in a maze of our own making, others can look at our lives and see the beauty in the path we’ve followed.

I found myself thinking a lot about this while I was aimlessly wandering around my creative path, avoiding the ravenous zombies, this past week.

When I am lost in my head so deep that I can’t even see which way is up (like this past week), my friends are always there to offer that outside perspective and let me know which way is up again.  It’s so easy to loose track of where we are and how far we have come as creatives, that being given the gift of understanding how others see you from their perspective is one of the most amazing gifts that can be given to another artistic soul.

Creative people tend to be so insecure about their work and assume, no matter how many time you may tell them, that nobody likes what they do, or that nobody cares.  Hearing the contrary from another human being can be life altering.  It can literally mean the difference between someone throwing in the towel for good on their work or continuing to pursue their passions no matter the challenges they face.  A simple “Hey, I think what you do is amazing,” can literally be that important in the life of a creative person.

So on that note, the challenge I put to you this week is to encourage as many of your creative friends as possible!  Send them a hand written note, post a comment on their website, shoot them a message on Facebook, invite them to coffee, whatever, just let them know that you care and that you think they and their work are amazing and of great value.  You have no idea how much something that simple could change their life. If you can’t think of what to write or say, feel free to grab this weeks challenge badge to share with them!

Now, on the flip side of the coin, maybe YOU are the creative person who could really use this bit of encouragement in your life.  Maybe YOU need to hear that what you do matters, and that your work is of value and importance.  I learned a long time ago that there is nothing wrong with admitting that you need a little encouragement! (In fact, I think I pretty much told Kate point blank that I needed a pep talk last Monday at our weekly meeting) If that is the case, we have something special just for you!  Shoot us an e-mail at: theartabyss@gmail.com with your home mailing address and get ready to receive a little something special from us to you. (We promise your info will stay secure and that you won’t get on some weird mailing list.)  Make sure you get your address to us ASAP since we have a limited number of special somethings we can send out!

So there you have it lovely people, mission encourage a creative is officially a go!

If you’ve ever been creatively lost along your own path we’d love to hear about it! Drop us a line in the comment section below to share your story!

Take Umm… 40? With Hugh MacLeod

Image © Hugh Macleod and gapingvoid.com

This Thursday, instead of our normal take five post, I wanted to share some amazing advice from cartoonist Hugh MacLeod. I recently got the chance to read his book: Ignore Everybody And 39 Other Keys to Creativity and was blown away by some of the really powerful observations he made about living a creative life. I'll be posting up all 40 of his key points below, but I highly suggest you pick up a copy of the book itself because it is definitely worth the read!!!  Hugh even lets you read the first 25% of the book for free if you click here!

Ignore everybody.

“The more original your idea is, the less good advice other people will be able to give you. When I first started with the cartoon-on-the-back-of-bizcard format, people thought I was nuts. Why wasn’t I trying to do something that was easier for markets to digest, like cutie-pie greeting cards or whatever?”

The idea doesn’t have to be big. It just has to be yours.

“The sovereignty you have over your work will inspire far more people than the actual content ever will.”

Put the hours in.

“Doing anything worthwhile takes forever. Ninety percent of what separates successful people and failed people is time, effort and stamina.”

Good ideas have lonely childhoods.

“This is the price you pay, every time. There is no way of avoiding it.”

If your business plan depends on suddenly being “discovered” by some big shot, your plan will probably fail.

“Nobody suddenly discovers anything. Things are made slowly and in pain.”

You are responsible for your own experience.

“Nobody can tell you if what you are doing is good, meaningful, or worthwhile. The more compelling the path, the more lonely it is.”

Everyone is born creative; everyone is given a box of crayons in kindergarten.

“Then when you hit puberty, they take the crayons away and replace them with dry, uninspiring books on algebra, history, etc. Being suddenly hit years later with the “creative bug” is just a weak voice telling you, “I’d like my crayons back please.”

Keep your day job.

“I’m not just saying that for the usual reason – that is, because I think your idea will fail. I’m saying it because to suddenly quit one’s job in a big ol’ creative drama-queen moment is always, always, always a direct conflict with what I call “The Sex & Cash Theory.”

Companies that squelch creativity can no longer compete with companies that champion creativity.

“Nor can you bully a subordinate into becoming a genius.”

Everybody has their own private Mount Everest they were put on this earth to climb.

“You may never reach the summit; for that you will be forgiven. But if you don’t make at least one serious attempt to get above the snow line, years later you will find yourself lying on your deathbed, and all you will feel is emptiness.”

The more talented somebody is, the less they need props.

“Meeting a person who wrote a masterpiece on the back of a deli menu would not surprise me. Meeting a person who wrote a masterpiece with a silver Cartier fountain pen on an antique writing table in an airy SoHo loft would seriously surprise me.”

Don't try and stand out from the crowd; avoid crowds altogether.

“Your plan for getting your work out there has to be as original as the actual work, perhaps even more so. The work has to create a totally new market. There’s no point trying to do the same thing as 250,000 other young hopefuls, waiting for a miracle. All existing business models are wrong. Find a new one.”

If you accept the pain, it cannot hurt you.

"The pain of making the necessary sacrifices always hurts more than you think it’s going to. I know. It sucks. The being said, doing something seriously creative is one of the most amazing experiences one can have, in this or any other lifetime. If you can pull it off, it’s worth it. Even if you don’t end up pulling it off, you’ll learn many incredible, magical, valuable things. It’s not doing it – when you know full well you had the opportunity – that hurts far more than any failure."

Never compare your inside with somebody else’s outside.

“The more you practice your craft, the less you confuse worldly rewards with spiritual rewards, and vice-versa. Even if your path never makes any money or furthers your career, that’s still worth a ton.”

Dying young is overrated.

“I’ve seen so many young people take the “Gotta do the drugs and booze thing to make me a better artist” route over the years. A choice that wasn’t smart, original, effective, healthy, or ended happily.”

The most important thing a creative person can learn professionally is where to draw the red line that separates what you are willing to do from what you are not.

“Art suffers the moment other people start paying for it. The more you need the money, the more people will tell you what to do. The less control you will have. The more bullshit you will have to swallow. The less joy it will bring. Know this and plan accordingly.”

The world is changing.

“Some people are hip to it, others are not. If you want to be able to afford groceries in five years, I’d recommend listening closely to the former and avoiding the latter. Just my two cents.”

Merit can be bought. Passion can’t.

“The only people who can change the world are people who want to. And not everybody does.”

Avoid the Watercooler Gang.

“They’re a well meaning bunch, but they get in the way eventually.”

Sing in your own voice.

“Picasso was a terrible colorist. Turner couldn’t paint human beings worth a damn. Saul Steinberg’s formal drafting skills were appalling. T.S. Eliot had a full-time day job. Henry Miller was a wildly uneven writer. Bob Dylan can’t sing or play guitar.”

The choice of media is irrelevant.

“Every medium’s greatest strength is also it’s greatest weakness. Every form of media is a set of fundamental compromises. One is not “higher” than the others. A painting doesn’t do much, it just sits there on a wall. That’s the best and worst thing about it. Film combines sound, movement, photography, music, acting. That’s the best and worst thing about it. Prose just uses words arranged in linear form to get its point across. That’s the best and worst thing about it, etc.”

Selling out is harder than it looks.

“Diluting your product to make it more “commercial” will just make people like it less.”

Nobody cares. Do it for yourself.

“Everybody is too busy with their own lives to give a damn about your book, painting, screenplay, etc., especially if you haven’t finished it yet. And the ones who aren’t too busy you don’t want in your life anyway.”

Worrying about “Commercial vs. Artistic” is a complete waste of time.

“You can argue about “Selling Out” versus “Artistic Purity” till the cows come home. People were kvetching about it in 1850, and they’ll be kvetching about it in 2150.”

Don’t worry about finding inspiration. It comes eventually.

“Inspiration precedes the desire to create, not the other way round.”

You have to find your own shtick.

“A Picasso always looks like Picasso painted it. Hemingway always sounds like Hemingway. A Beethoven symphony always sounds like a Beethoven symphony. Part of being a master is learning how to sing in nobody else’s voice but your own.”

Write from the heart.

“There is no silver bullet. There is only the love God gave you.”

The best way to get approval is not to need it.

“This is equally true in art and business. And love. And sex. And just about everything else worth having.”

Power is never given. Power is taken.

“People who are 'ready' give off a different vibe from people who aren’t. Animals can smell fear. And the lack thereof.”

Whatever choice you make, the Devil gets his due eventually.

“Selling out to Hollywood comes with a price. So does not selling out. Either way, you pay in full, and yes, it invariably hurts like hell.”

The hardest part of being creative is getting used to it.

“If you have the creative urge, it isn’t going to go away. But sometimes it takes a while before you accept the fact.”

Remain frugal.

“The less you can live on, the more chance your idea will succeed. This is true even after you’ve 'made it.'”

Allow your work to age with you.

“You become older faster than you think. Be ready for it when it happens.”

Being poor sucks.

“The biggest mistake young people make is underestimating how competitive the world is out there.”

Beware of turning hobbies into jobs.

“It sounds great, but there is a downside.”

Savor obscurity while it lass.

“Once you 'make it,' your work is never the same.

Start blogging.

“The ease with which a blog (or whatever social medium you prefer) can circumvent the gatekeepers is staggering.”

Meaning scales, people don’t.

"It may be modest, it may not be. It could be a little candle shop; it could be a software company with the GNP of Sweden. It doesn't matter. Meaning Scales."

When your dreams become reality, they are no longer your dreams.

“If you are successful, it’ll never come from the direction you predicted. Same is true if you fail.”

If this hit home with you, make sure to pick up a copy of Hugh's Book Ignore Everybody And 39 Other Keys to Creativity so you can get the full story behind each of these amazing statements!

Hugh Macleod is a cartoonist, author and creator of gapingvoid.com and Social Object Factory.  He currently has three amazing books for sale: Ignore Everybody And 39 Other Keys to Creativity, Evil Plans, and Freedom is Blogging in Your Underwear.

Challenge Number 2: Getting It On

You heard me… this week we are challenging you to hook up and get it on with a friend.  Well, your ideas that is.

Living human brain by Rutger Hauer

My life recently has been a bit all over the place.  I’ve been uprooted, dragged all across the country and now find myself living in Huntsville Alabama… and let’s just say the creative arts capitol of the USA, it is not.  When we first got here I felt totally out of my element.  I even told my husband that I thought I was suffering from hipster withdrawal syndrome.  I swear that is a thing…  I felt miserable for weeks and I kept growing more and more depressed.  I also started doubting myself and my ideas.  Every time I would sit down to work I felt like I was hitting a brick wall and then I would tell myself how silly my idea had been and how it would never work out.  

Turns out my husband is the most brilliant man ever and in a very manly fix-it moment told me that what I needed was a good long Skype date with my friend Kate.

We talked my art, her art, my life, her life, dreams, passions, goals and at the end of the conversation I felt amazing, empowered and energized to get to work on my ideas.  It was a conjugal date of ideas if you will, and it was what had been missing in my life. Here’s why:

1) Dreams need to be said to be seen.

2) Ideas need to play in order to grow.

3) Passions need to be shared in order to spread.

In the words of Matt Ridley our ideas need to have sex.  Our creativity flourishes best when shared with others, we need that exchange of ideas to grow our knowledge base and form new and varied connections we may not have seen on our own.  And to be honest, often times we just need the affirmation and excitement from another intelligent human being who isn’t our spouse to tell us that our ideas aren’t stupid or crazy.

Grab your challenge badge to share!

So your challenge this week, if you choose to accept it (sorry I had to say it just once), is to get your idea swapping on with a friend, over coffee, over Skype, over the phone, over drinks, I don’t care where or in what position.

Go now, spread your seed, and be fertile my friends!

* Wanna help share the love and inspire you friends to join in on the fun?  Grab this weeks challenge badge to post on your Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or other social media feeds then hashtag it with #bravetheabyss 

Braving The Abyss

Before the world was shaped there was the abyss; a primal chaos of thoughts, actions and ideas that had yet to be formed into the existence we see around us today. This abyss wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t organized and it was far from perfect, yet from that mess, from that chaos emerged one of the most magnificent and complex creations to ever come into being.

I’ll let you in on a little secret, being creative is hard.  As creative people, we rarely have roadmaps to help us on our journeys; there are no guidebooks, no road signs to let us know that we are headed in the right direction.  Instead, we are simply left to wander around in the darkness alone, our fingers crossed, hoping that our dreams and passions are leading us where we want to go and not just simply around in circles.

Along this journey, every now and again, we get lost along the way.  We get anxious, we get depressed and we loose hope of ever finding our way again.

Welcome to The Art Abyss.

The Art Abyss was formed as a place for creative people of all backgrounds to come together and share in a journey, our journey.   While some creative journals chronicle the accomplishments of brilliant minds, ours has taken on the challenge of chronicling the people themselves, the “hows” and the “whys” behind their actions over the “whats” that they produce.

The Art Abyss is a conversation, a journey and a place to stand together.

As a creative community we are great at teaching technique, we can teach you how to hold a paintbrush, dance a tango, visually balance space and bake a cake.  What we so often fail at is communicating with each other how to go about actually living a creative life and enduring the hardships when they come.  How do you handle receiving your 10^th rejection letter, or not knowing where your next pay check is going to come from?  How do you keep yourself from getting burnt out, depressed and blocked?  How do you emotionally and physically survive as a creative person?  How do you brave the abyss?

That is the question that is on our hearts.  We are passionate about creative people and we want to create a space where they can not only be empowered and inspired but educated and encouraged on their own journeys by others who have already gone before them.  Each week we will challenge your hearts as a well as your minds as we journey together through the abyss.  It may not always be pretty, it may not be perfect and it will most likely be just a chaotic jumble of passion but we’re learning perfect isn’t always progress and that is ok with us.

So my question to you now is, how will you brave the abyss?