Creative Strategy

Reframing Failure: The Opportunity for Growth

May 29, 2020by ShannonLeave a Comment

“Life is amazing. And then it’s awful. And then it’s amazing again. And in between the amazing and awful it’s ordinary and mundane and routine. Breathe in the amazing, hold on through the awful, and relax and exhale during the ordinary. That’s just living heartbreaking, soul-healing, amazing, awful, ordinary life. And it’s breathtakingly beautiful.”
―L.R. Knost

Our lives have their own seasons, like the growth, inspiration and clarity of Spring, the energy, excitement and adventure that Summer brings, followed by the cool respite of Fall and then Winter, the season of darkness, rest and introspection.

All of the seasons of our lives are here to serve us and give us deeper insight and wisdom into who we are and what our soul-mission is.

Life has a natural ebb and flow, but when we hit a low-point, often caused by perceived failure, it’s easy to hold onto that sense of lack and loose sight of the incredible growth that can emerge from destruction. We all experience the season of quick growth, hustle, and inspiration, but this season cannot last forever, it’s just life’s funny way of slapping you in the face and telling you to wake up!

When we move into the season of rest and introspection, this is often caused by a breakdown in our work or personal lives. Dwelling in the past, yearning for more energetic, inspirational days and over-analyzing what went wrong is a natural way of coping with uninvited change. Failure is inherent to life, yet we are almost always working to avoid it a any cost. Once we come to fully embrace failure as an opportunity, we have overcome probably one of the most challenging dilemmas that we experience as humans.

When we reframe our mindset around failure, we invite new insight that would never had arisen without the fall. We can see this as a full reset-button, an opportunity for you to honor the growth you’ve made and move forward with intention.

Busy isn’t always better.

Interestingly, the season of hustle and deep work can manifest it’s own set of challenges. Often when we are so busy, that keeping our heads above water is the only goal, we can become distracted from our ultimate intention and mission. It can be challenging to maintain clarity when we don’t have time to breathe, to step back and take a look at the bigger picture.

Find the opportunity hiding in your slow season, hit the reset and find clarity and intention in your work and life. Take the feedback that your received through your ‘failure’ and find growth in your new insights.

The real challenge is tied to all of the fears that start to creep back in when you’ve hit the season of rest. It is an incredible thing to have the space and time to focus on yourself and your soul-mission. Unfortunately, our fear wants to keep safe, and keep us small, it works incessantly at risk-avoidance and will try to convince you that the unknown is a risk that you just can’t take.

The unknown, the space in which all new creative ideas emerge, the limitless potential that hides within, is ultimately the most precious gift that we have as individuals.

If you take a deeper look at fear, it is almost always tied to what is most important to us, that thing that matters so deeply to us that we must protect it from uncertainty. There is a sense of vulnerability tied to pursuing an idea that is so deeply important to us, but we cannot protect our wildest dreams without stifling them at the same time.

It is natural for us to avoid the challenge that is the unknown, it is a physical and mental response in our bodies to avoid failure. But ultimately, the safe and easy route won’t ever lead you in the direction of incredible success and passion.

Honor Your Unique Journey

Finding an un-shakable sense of belonging, no matter what stage of life that your’e in right now, will show you that you are exactly where you’re meant to be. Honoring your journey, requires that we find compassion and wisdom in the challenges that we’ve faced. We always do the best that we can under the circumstances that we are given. Period. You are an anomaly, the fact that you exist in the time and place that you do, is an incredible gift. Embrace your journey, even if it’s been a rough one, you have a unique perspective that literally no-one else has or will ever have again, that is a gift that your challenges have given you.

Find Wisdom in the Feedback

Failure and success go hand in hand, you cannot have one without the other. Through failure, we receive feedback and new insights into ourselves and our mission. When we release the meanings and stories that we create around a perceived failure, we allow for new wisdom and a deeper sense of self-awareness and emotional intelligence to emerge. The avoidance of failure and discomfort will keep you small; protecting ourselves from pain is a futile effort, so move toward your fear, move toward the work that brings you the most excitement and inspiration. There is not a scenario in which everyone will always like you, or agree with you; you WILL receive feedback from the people on the side-lines that don’t understand your work. Ask yourself – Do I want to water-down my ideas or work to suit those people? Nope. Move toward your passion for you, and for those out there that will love what you do. Gather insight from the feedback, and keep moving forward.

If your’e not failing, your not trying hard enough.

Embrase The Challenge

We are constantly presented opportunities that challenge our current state of being; with an understanding that we will grow through these obstacles, move toward what you fear most. When our current state is being challenged to grow, we experience a breakdown, but through the breakdown we have the opportunity for an incredible breakthrough. We must challenge our fears and the comfort of safety to grow and evolve as individuals, the breakdown is expected, and it is uncomfortable. But what arrises from the death of the old is infinite possibility. Knowing that challenge is inherent to growth, we have no other choice than to embrace it and know the our discomfort is a sure sign that we are growing.

Commit to taking aligned action toward your soul-mission.

Be in pursuit of magic.

Creative Strategy, Lifestyle

What is Your Enneagram Type? And Why it Matters.

May 28, 2020May 28, 2020by ShannonLeave a Comment

The Enneagram is a personality test that has gained a lot of momentum in recent years due to its personal and professional applications. But why is it important and could it really have a broader impact on individuals and businesses? The answer is YES! Knowing ourselves on a deeper level, allows us to gain insight into our motivations, fears and creates space for individuals and businesses to create a more collaborative and creative environment.

Having a deeper understanding of yourself as an individual gives you power.

As individuals, we are all incredibly complex and unique, our true strength comes from owning our individuality and embracing that which sets us apart from everyone else.

The Enneagram Types (in a nut-shell)

I would suggest that you visit this site to truly gauge your ‘type’ but also know that individuals can have sub-types since we all have our own complex set of experiences and motivations! The Enneagram quiz in linked below!

A note on ‘wings’: Individuals hardly ever fit perfectly into a ‘type,’ in the enneagram, you can have a sub-type, called a ‘wing.’ Your wing will often be adjacent to your core number on the Enneagram diagram. Find links below post for more information!

Type 1 – The Perfectionist

Ones seek balance, they are intentional, self-controlled, perfectionistic and find calm in reliability. They value integrity and discernment for themselves and the world around them and can tend to avoid fault and blame due to their moralistic point of view. Ones can see life in terms of the extremes- black and white, right and wrong. This perception can lead to judgmental-ness and an uncompromising perspective when left unchecked. Ones can tend toward criticalness and have an astute awareness of their own imperfections which can lead to feelings of inadequacy.

Type 2 – The Giver

Type Two’s are generous and people-pleasing, they desire acceptance and contribution. They tend to be idealists, focused on the best possible outcome and are genuinely engaged in working toward a better world. They are givers and nurturers, and want to be needed, this can lead to a sense of co-dependance and potential manipulative qualities when they don’t feel needed, this is a core fear of Two’s.

Type 3 – The Performer

Type Three’s are driven and image-conscious, they are charismatic and inspirational, and often take on leadership roles as they are great at motivating those around them. They are motivated to achieve through competence and productivity but also desire recognition for their work, which can challenge their core fears if not met. Three’s often mold themselves into what they think they should be, and keep themselves busy to appear productive, which can lead to a lost sense of self.

Type 4 – The Individualist

Image Credit: João Paulo de Souza Oliveira

Type Fours are expressive, creative and value uniqueness. They don’t want to be like everyone else and tend toward self-conscious individuality. Four’s are self-conscious and insightful, and seek meaning and purpose. The desire to be gifted, intuitive and unique can lead to an over-analytical mind and a sense of elitism. Four’s can become sensitive, self-absorbed and dramatic at their worst.

Type 5 – The Observer

Type Fives are perceptive and intuitive, they can tend toward secretiveness and isolation. Five’s tend to live a minimalistic lifestyle and value knowledge and insight over material items. They are self-sufficient and can tend to isolate themselves in intellectual thought. The true voyeurs of the Enneagram, Five’s prioritize self-development and intellect over most social interactions. They fear being useless or incapable, which can lead them to retract into themselves and detach emotionally.

Type 6 – The Loyalist

Type Six’s seek security and certainty through structure, they are courageous, loyal and committed. They are responsible, trustworthy and engaged and are great collaborators. Six’s are great at foreseeing possible outcomes, but can also tend toward paranoia, which stems from their awareness of outside threats. Six’s can tend toward skepticism, which speaks to their interest in understanding other’s motivations and perspectives, but this can also lead to distrust and an overly-paranoid point of view.

Type 7 – The Enthusiastic Visionary

Type Seven’s are pleasure seekers, they are adventurous, optimistic and seek self-discovery and personal growth. They tend to be extroverted and seek a life of excitement. Seven’s have an entrepreneurial spirit and are great at self-promotion and enthusiastic communication. Seven’s often avidly avoid negativity and commonly seek distractions as an avoidance technique. Seven’s have a difficulty in acknowledging the darker sides of themselves, and tend to disconnect emotionally from internal or external negativity.

Type 8 – The Protector

Type Eight’s are strong-willed, energetic leaders that take charge of their circumstances. They have strong instincts and make decisions with an unwavering trust in themselves. Eight’s have strong, protective instincts towards friends and family, but likewise have an immense disdain for betrayal and can act harshly when they perceive disloyalty. They seek independence and control, which can cause difficulties in allowing for emotional vulnerability and deep connections in Eight’s personal relationships.

Type 9 – The Peacemaker

Type Nine’s are optimistic, trusting and seek balance. They desire connection and are great moderators as they tend to be empathetic, caring individuals. Nine’s seek harmony and peace overall, often times through avoidance of conflict and change. To type nine’s, change can signify a sense of un-balance and can create anxiety, however nine’s tend to be more adaptive then they give themselves credit for. When unbalanced, nine’s tend to internalize their emotions, which can lead to passive-aggressiveness and expositions of anger. Because they avoid conflict, they often suppress their true feelings which can often arise abruptly and without warning.

Resources:

Find Your Enneagram “Type” with this easy online-quiz:

Enneagram Test

Find more In-Depth Information on each Enneagram Type:

Enneagram Institute

Creative Strategy

Best Cameras for Content Creators in 2020

May 24, 2020by ShannonLeave a Comment

Content Creators come in all shapes and sizes, whether you’re posting to Instagram, YouTube or your blog, creative content is king! Let’s take a look at some cameras for anyone looking to step up the quality of their content within every budget!

No Matter What You Have, Just Start!

Whether you already own a camera or not, you can start creating NOW. We convince ourselves that we need top of the line equipment to start, but it’s simply untrue! Even if you only own a smart phone, you can shoot incredible content! The most important thing is just to start, wherever you are and what ever you have is enough!

Your unique, creative perspective is the absolute most important piece of equipment you could ever own.

+ Image Credit: Lilly Rum on Unsplash

At some point, you may decide that it is time to invest and upgrade your equipment in order to have more control and flexibility when shooting.

Here is a range of great options for every budget:

Best for YouTubers/Vloggers: Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark II $499

This is an incredible, mid-range option for anyone looking to shoot high quality videos. The Canon G7X has been the go-to camera for YouTubers and Vloggers for years now, and for a reason! This camera has a 20.1MP 1″ CMOS Sensor, and a built in 4.2x Optical Zoom f/1.8-f/2.8 Lens. The auto focus is top-notch, which can come in handy when filming yourself or shooting moving subjects!

+ Image Credit: Ahmad Mohammed

2. Best for Up and Coming Filmmakers: Sony a6500 Mirrorless Camera $798 (Body Only)

Sony has been dominating the mirrorless camera game for years now, and due to the small, portable size of this camera and the amazing sensor inside, this is a go-to for creative filmmakers! This camera boasts a tilting LCD touchscreen, and with its 24.2MP Exmor CMOS APS-C (crop frame) sensor and BIONZ X image processor your image quality will be top notch. It also has and external audio jack built in giving you the ability to record audio on a higher quality mic, which can significantly improve your videos! You also have the ability to change out lenses, which can be an additional expense, but will give you a huge range of creative options to work with!

+ Image Credit: Rico Reutimann

3. Best for Serious Filmmakers/Photographers Looking for a Portable Camera Body: Sony A7iii Mirrorless Camera $1,998 (Body Only)

This camera body rivals many of the professional grade cameras out there – the auto-focus capabilities, full frame 24mp sensor and UHD 4K30p Video with HLG & S-Log3 capabilities make this compact camera body perfect for anyone looking for a serious camera upgrade. Also, the 693-Point Hybrid Auto Focus System is one of the best on the market!

+Image Credit: Daniel Korpai

4. Professional Level Photographer/ Filmmaker: Nikon D850 (Which I own!) $2,996 (Body Only)

Arguably, the best (accessible) camera on the market today, the Nikon D850 is unbeatable with its 4K shooting capabilities, LCD tilting touchscreen, 45.7MP sensor and the ability to shoot 60fps (slow motion) video. This is the camera that I own, personally, and cannot recommend it enough! This camera is meant for the serious, professional photographer and recently Nikon has incorporated technological advancements to make this a noteworthy option for filmmakers as well!

+ Image Credit: Cam DiCecca

Creative Strategy, Lifestyle

5 Creative Practices to Ignite your Inspiration

May 8, 2020May 9, 2020by ShannonLeave a Comment

Image Credit to Jeff Sheldon

We all find ourselves experiencing creative block at one time or another – inspiration and creative flow are somewhat illusive to even the most seasoned creator, but incorporating some of these creative practices into your everyday can help re-ignite that passion!

1. Wake Up Early + Engage Your Brain

Many creatives tend toward the night-owl lifestyle, and I understand that personally! The seemingly simple practice of waking up an hour or two earlier than you normally do can make a huge impact! I feel my most creative and productive if I wake up around sunrise, get some coffee brewing and have a glass of warm lemon water – not only does this ignite your metabolism, but this allows your body to release toxins (Delish!). Yes, this practice has a physical effect on your body, but what I’m interested in is the impact that this has on us mentally.

“A large-scale genetics study found that being biologically programmed to wake up early is linked to greater happiness and a lower risk of schizophrenia and depression. Those who naturally want to go to bed late and wake up late are at greater risk from the mental toll of having to fight their natural body clock.” -sleepcouncil.org/uk

While sipping my coffee, I try to find a space to allow myself to awaken gently – I find that allowing more sunlight into my home, and even finding a space to get direct sunlight onto my face and body can be extremely energizing. We are naturally meant to arise with the sun, and allowing more light into our homes can enlighten our creative space and mind. When I’m really feeling really tired or lethargic, I try to do some simple stretches to loosen up and awaken my body.

2. Journaling Creative Ideas + Gratitude

Whether you’re feeling overwhelmed with creative ideas or a complete inspiration block, writing down these thoughts and ideas can be immensely impactful. It can be hard to journal when you feel stuck, but many times this can be the most freeing. If writing isn’t you thing, try doodling or creating a thought map. Don’t censor yourself, this practice is for you. Hell, if you feel the need to burn after writing, that can be another great release! Here are some prompts to get you going:

What is on my mind? Why is this weighing on me? Where is this coming from and what core belief is driving my feelings around this?
What am I grateful for today? What gifts do I have that are unique to me?
What is challenging me today? How can I reframe this challenge to see it as a growth opportunity?
Have I been procrastinating? What fear is driving me to put this off?
Make a To-Do list of actionable items for today, this week, this month. Make these items attainable and physically write them down so you can eagerly scratch them off later – Oh, so satisfying!
What creative practice makes me feel fulfilled and connected? How can I incorporate this into my every-day?

Often times, I find myself censoring my writing, or harshly criticizing my artwork before truly giving it time. While I experience this myself, I believe this to be the death of creativity. Man are humans complex. We all hold ourselves to such a high standard, that we won’t allow ourselves to fail. We will quit before we’ve even started. I’m telling this to myself as much as I am to anyone else – We must fail in order to grow. We must create complete shit before we can truly see a path to growth. Not only should we allow ourselves to fail, we should seek out opportunities to push ourselves beyond our current limitations.

We must experience a break-down in order to see the breakthrough.

3. Self-Expression Through Style

Style is a form of self expression. We all make choices as consumers as to what clothing, hair style and accessories resonate with us on a deeply personal level. We have choice in how we present ourselves, this is an inherently creative act even though it is rarely viewed that way. I personally feel my most expressed as an individual when I’ve taken the time to thoughtfully represent myself through my stylistic choices. When I make these decisions passively, is when I end up feeling frumpy, generic or uninspired. I’m trying to choose my words carefully here because I don’t want to suggest that any certain brand or status symbol should or will make you feel more complete as a person. I don’t believe that. What I do believe is that we all must choose to present ourselves in some way, shape or form, and doing so with intention, a sense of creativity and self-expression will make you feel more like you. I am always looking to edit down my personal wardrobe to items that make me feel amazing, self-expressed and sexy (at times). Here’s a great motto to live by, not just in terms of personal-style but in everyday life:

If it’s not a Fuck Yes, then it’s a Fuck No.

Edit down your wardrobe; items that feel dated, warn down or Meh to you should be donated or sold! Allow more space for self-expression and creativity by clearing out space in your closet, surprisingly this will clear out space in your mind as well.

4. Seek-Out a Change in Scenery

Leave your house and explore your city, take a short road trip, actively seek inspiration in an environment that you are unfamiliar with. Simply, a change in scenery can not only take you out of your element but it can ignite creative inspiration. Bring a journal, sketch pad, camera or just simply Be and observe. True creativity is inspired by one’s surroundings and experiences – often times we are scrolling through Instagram or Pinterest, marveling in other’s creativity or their lives, this prompts us to feel a need to emulate this or experience a sense of lack in comparison to others. We have everything that we need in order to find success in our own creativity, we just need to observe, listen and engage more directly in our everyday lives. Open yourself up to inspiration by listening to what’s around you, I don’t just mean the physical act of listening, I mean observing and listening to learn or understand more fully. Oddly, sometimes all we need is to get out of our element in order to feel fully present. There’s something exciting about exploring and creating a sense of adventure for ourselves. Don’t be afraid to do something out of the norm, just shake things up! Go to a show that you wouldn’t normally go to, find an art gallery that you haven’t been to before, go hiking, go shoot street style in an urban setting (get consent too!), plan a road trip that you’ve been wanting to take forever – and just commit to it.

Sometimes all it takes is just a commitment to allowing adventure and uncertainty into your life.

5. Learn Something New

Seeking out a new creative outlet can often help you find a fresh perspective, there are any number of new skills that you can teach yourself (for free!) that will open up a whole new world of opportunities for you. These don’t have to be majorly complicated new skillsets like coding (Agh!), unless that’s what you’re drawn to girl, go for it! Some ideas for creative exploration: painting, creative writing, sewing, design, blogging, photoshop, macrame, gardening, cooking and on and on. Many times we think that we’ve pinpointed our skillset and avoid seeking out new avenues for self-expression, but the challenge is – our world is ever-evolving and changing, we must remain fluid with these changes and intentionally seek out new areas for growth within ourselves.