Don't Quit Your Day Job

Creating and Summer Countdown Part 2

Well here it goes. I’m now entering the final week of school. This time next week I’ll be relaxing in Carmel, California, but more about that next time.

Right now I need to gear myself up for that final push. On the surface, this week appears easy. My son has limited days and my daughter is out at 12:30 due to finals. However, I’ve learned not to be fooled.

This coming week will be so crazy. My husband and I will both take vacation time to accommodate the school schedules. I’m sure I’ll have to stay late at work some nights to make up for my upcoming time off. Isn’t it funny how you have to work so many extra hours just to go on vacation? Usually, we go on vacation in July, but I’m happy to start early. The last few months have been brutal for me. I think it’ll be great to start off with relaxation and then dive head first into my “writing summer.”

Although it would be nice to scour exotic location, there’s something to be said for the same annual vacation. Once you’ve seen the sights, you really can just relax, and that’s definitely what I need.

It’s funny though, we seem to bust our asses like crazy just to take some time off. I feel like the house should be spotless. All my work duties should be complete. I should even try to anticipate what might happen at the office while I’m away and take care of that too.

So bring it on crazy week! I can take it. This time next week I’ll be relaxing in hard earned vacation glory and then it’s a couple of months of no school, forms, homework, drop-offs, pick-ups, meetings, bagged lunches, rushing out the door and overall stress overload. I hope dealing with home and work stress will be enough to keep me going until the first day of school in late August. I’m looking forward to a productive summer.

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Sculpting
a Life:
Susan Gallacher-Turner’s turn
in the Pacific Northwest.






Can you live a creative life and make a living? Yes. You can.

“Developing your lifestyle as an art form puts an element of fun and style into living your life,” says Dave. “For us the internal goals of being happy and healthy and having good family life have been our primary drivers.”

Dave and Janice Weitzer have made a living and lived a creative life for over 40 years. They’ve raised 3 children and run several successful businesses: a bamboo farm, a massage therapy practice, yoga school and a custom woodworking shop.

“If you love something, keep studying it, there’s always more to learn. It keeps you inspired and happy,” says Dave. “So, don’t wait, start some small cottage business, something you like doing, you work when you want to. When you’re your own boss, you can’t get fired.”

As an artist, writer and teacher, I’ve been working at making a living for over a decade, now. But during this difficult economic time, Dave and Janice have been an inspiration for me. They showed me that it’s possible to do what you love, what makes you happy and be successful. As I began to see my life in a new light, with new possibilities, I wanted to share this idea with as many people as possible.

Now you can hear interviews with artists and entrepreneurs like the Weitzers on ‘Voices of Living Creatively’ on the new website at http://voicesoflivingcreatively.web.officelive.com
And it's available on iTunes as well at http://ax.itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/browserRedirect?url=itms%253A%252F%252Fax.itunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewPodcast%253Fid%253D319569665


If you’d like more information about me and my sculptural artwork, visit my website at http://www.susangt.com/ or read my other blog, Susan’s Art & Words at http://sculpturepdx.blogspot.com/ Read more!

Wild Woman of Queens: Notes on Urban Creativity from across the East River.

Steven Tyler @ BEA Sandra Lee Schubert 2009

No Books

Today is a short post. I will be spending the day at the Book Expo America (BEA) in NYC. It is my first expo and I could really have used a friend, who knows the convention, to be my guide. People are collecting dozens of books and I only got one. I just can't figure out the trick to it.

Here I am in book hog heaven. There are HUNDREDS of books, there are publishers, authors and editors just swarming the Jacob Javits Center like flies to honey. But I just don't know what to do with this embarrassment of riches. I am both intoxicated and exhausted by the experience.

What would you do if the candy shop door was thrown open and you could take any candy you wanted? Today I have another chance at figuring it out. Next week I will let you know how it goes. By the way the book I got is in galley stage. It is by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith. It is called Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust. His talk was fun and easy going and very helpful. The line was really long to get the galley signed by Chris and Julien so I just snagged a book and went on my way. Here's hoping I can get another book today. Wish me luck.

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Sandra's e-course leads people to be their creative best through telling their stories and talking to interesting people on her online radio show-
Wild Woman Network: Radio for Creative Vagabonds, Thinkers and Innovators..

She is a creative vagabond, a poet, and a writer who co-facilitates the Wild Angels Poets and Writers Group at the historic Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine.Writing for Life: Creating a Story of Your Own. Visit her blog: Email her sandraleeschubert(at)gmail.com or @writing4life via twitter.

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Don't Quit Your Day Job

Creating and Summer Countdown

Summer equates to a lot more free time for me. Once my kids are out of school, I’m released from homework duty and the constant tirade of meetings, forms and errands that seem to go hand in hand with the cyclical school year.

My plans for summer accomplishments usually lean toward unrealistic, but I can’t help it. I’m so excited to have my evenings and weekends free I think it’s important to hope I can cram as much writing as possible in the two and half months that lay before me.

So what’s on tap for this summer? Well, last summer I was a newbie to this whole blog thing. I became a regular contributor to this blog and launched my own blog entitled Colleenie’s Couch. I recently started a third blog called the Urban Suburban. I have found that I love being a blogster. The brief, time-oriented writing has proven to be a good fit for my already hectic life. I feel I’ve had enough time to get my feet wet and now this summer will be a full BOLGGING EXTRAVAGANZA!” I want to try to incorporate my own videos, maybe podcasting and promote my sites on a grander scale. Then there’s my book. Man, this book has been on the back burner forever. Last year I finally started to make some head-way, but now, it’s been months such I’ve worked on it. It’s easy to get wrapped up in the daily grind. That seems to be the constant challenge. How do I keep up with all my commitments and add writing to the mix? More importantly, how do I write regularly? I’m still working on it. Instead of beating myself up for not accomplishing my unrealistic goals, I’ve tried to reward myself for writing more than I did last year, last month or last year.

Summertime means I don’t have to drive to two different schools before arriving at the office. The plan is to write for one hour every morning before I leave. I’m not a morning person so this will take some willpower on my part. I even have some writing rules in place. No e-mail, no blogging and no internet. One hour strictly working on my book should allow me to really make progress. It is possible to have that rough draft before the first day of school in late August.

Evenings are for blogging, reading, visiting the never-ending tutorials to aid the techo-challenged and my trial and click method for attempting all new wigets and programming updates.

I’ll be happily busy. Hurry up and ring that last day of school bell. I have things to do! Read more!

Wild Woman of Queens: Notes on Urban Creativity from across the East River.

Flags by Sandra Lee Schubert @2009

The Right To Create

The other day I posted a poem I had on a very unused blog to Twitter. The post had a footer to sign up for a defunct newsletter. I got five sign up notices within a couple of hours. Who knew that poetry could be popular? Now I am debating resurrecting the blog.

It just takes just a little interest to wake me back up from a creative dark hole. It feels like that sometimes. My inspired ideas seem to disappear into a void. The ideas become ethereal and hard to hold.

Yesterday, I worked with a coach on getting past some serious blocks. I was a clogged drain of impossibility. Really, there was some old rotting stuff blocking me from EVERYTHING. There are artists who suck it up and create. And, then are artists who need. Part of becoming a healthy creator is getting past the neediness. The landscape is littered with failed artistic potential.

My mantra is now, "Today holds new possibilities." Are you a healthy creator? What do you need to do to get there? I work all the time on attaining good artistic vibes . And, I must balance that with creating. Otherwise I am a writer who perpetually researches a book that is never written.

I believe we all have the right to create. Some of us create art, some create happy families, while others create boatloads of money. Get help if you need it. Then go create something.

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Sandra's e-course leads people to be their creative best through telling their stories and talking to interesting people on her online radio show-
Wild Woman Network: Radio for Creative Vagabonds, Thinkers and Innovators..

She is a creative vagabond, a poet, and a writer who co-facilitates the Wild Angels Poets and Writers Group at the historic Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine.Writing for Life: Creating a Story of Your Own. Visit her blog: Email her sandraleeschubert(at)gmail.com or @writing4life via twitter.

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Sculpting a Life:
Susan Gallacher-Turner’s turn in the Pacific Northwest.

(Shapeshifter-Bear)

Life & The Art of Collaboration.

If you’d asked me last week if I did much collaborating, I’d say no. As a studio artist, I work alone in my studio and I wouldn’t call the clay, metal or paint collaborators. As a writer, I write alone on my laptop and even though I do interviews and articles, I would say it was more like collecting information than collaborating. As a teacher, although I’m working with students, I wouldn’t have called it collaborating. But I’d be wrong.

This week, I went to the Oregon Arts Summit, a gathering of businesses, artists, educators and arts organizations. The theme of the meeting was, ‘The Art of Collaboration’.

After the summit, I realize I collaborate all the time. I just didn’t know it. I can see that I had a very narrow view of collaborating. In my view, collaborating would involve two or more people sitting down and working on a single project.

According to jazz saxophone player and speaker, Mike Phillips, “Collaboration begins with a relationship between you and your gift.”

Although my studio work looks like a solitary activity, I realize now, that isn’t true. When I sit outside, watch the birds fly, see faces in the leaves on the trees and use the spirit of nature in my copper repousse’, clay or metal mesh, I’ve collaborated from within myself and with my environment.

Of course, teaching a group of students is, indeed, an act of collaboration. I may come in with a basic idea for the class, but the way the class flows and grows is all about getting over fear, learning to trust and working toward an art piece together.


My writing is, also, a collaboration. In an interview situation, especially, the person and I have to trust each other enough to share information. I may be asking the questions, but the depth of the answers depend on the person’s willingness to open up about their life, work and process.

According to writer, Barry Lopez, “We gave up community in order to get the individual. We need to rediscover what it means to be community oriented.”

For many years, I longed to belong to a community of artists. Joining Portland Open Studios has given me that opportunity. But collaborating can be tricky. A few weeks ago, another artist asked me to collaborate with her and although I could see the benefit for both of us, I was concerned. I worried that she just wanted to find out my process, so she could use it to her advantage. So I tiptoed around it and she stopped asking. I can see, now, I was wrong.

Because life is all about collaborating, from the air we breathe, food we eat, work we do and, yes, the art we make. Of course, there’s fear. Especially right now, with the state of the economy but maybe that focus needs to change.

Lopez says, “It’s not about the money. It’s about love. It can be done and the money will turn up.”

If I can do it, so can you. Yes, it takes trust, patience and heart to live a good life in an artful collaboration. But isn’t that what it’s all about?

I think Barry Lopez said it best when he ended the day with this, “Let’s make something beautiful. Whatever you do, try to make it helpful. Show us what we fear and give us the reason to believe we do not need to be afraid.”

If you’d like to view my sculptures visit my blog at http://www.susangt.com/ or read my other blog, Susan’s Art & Words at http://sculpturepdx.blogspot.com/

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moon, light in the darkness by Sandra Lee Schubert @2009

Sandra Lee Schubert

blah, blah, blah

My head is spinning. Really, I am a little dizzy. I am trying to create a life here and the world keeps intruding on it with banality. OK, people want to be paid. The landlord would like the rent. The phone company tells me, if you want to talk, cough up the bucks lady.

I am searching for some good information on how to have a good life and make enough money to pay bills. I mean I don't want a job that just gives me money. I want my good life to provide me the money. I could work at Starbucks. Or, some other fast food joint and eat. Again, I am trying to create a life here.

Don't you feel hungry for good conversation? I am. I know people are afraid right now. There is massive belt tightening going on. McMansions are being traded in for simple cottages. Oh aren't we sorry for our excesses? Nope not me. I have not had enough excess yet. I am not interested in the nickel and dime kind life. What makes for a good life? My idea is doing things that I love to do. I would like the kind of financial freedom that allows me to take chances and do even bigger things.

Let me tell you a story. My friend and I were at dinner talking about the idea of creating bigger lives. He is in the stone business. Apparently most people in the industry knew it was beginning to decline almost five years ago. His friend Joe was receiving the same number of spam emails from China that my friend was getting. Joe looked at these emails and said, "hey, something is going on over there." While my friend was deleting them, Joe bought a ticket to China and discovered a profit center for himself. The difference between Joe and my friend? Where my friend didn't even bother to look at what might be an opportunity, Joe saw possibility.

Joe had no guarantee his trip to China would amount to anything. It didn't matter. He had a curious nature and followed its lead. Dr. Richard Wiseman, of The Luck Factor, says one of the differences between lucky and unlucky people is the ability to find opportunity everywhere.

So where does this leave me? My friend and I have both decided full time jobs, unless they were really fabulous, were not for us. We agreed that we need to get our mojo back. We also both agreed that we would no longer belittle ourselves in conversations. We are in a rough patch right now. There is no need to hurt ourselves further in the process.

Create your life. Ignore the people who want you to become smaller. Find successful people and let their radiant light shine on you a bit until you have your own to shine.

I will look for you in the darkness. You will see me. I'll leave my light on for you.

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Sandra's e-course leads people to be their creative best through telling their stories and talking to interesting people on her online radios show-
Wild Woman Network: Radio for Creative Vagabonds, Thinkers and Innovators..

She is a creative vagabond, a poet, and a writer who co-facilitates the Wild Angels Poets and Writers Group at the historic Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine. Her course is Writing for Life: Creating a Story of Your Own. Visit her blog.
Email her sandraleeschubert(at)gmail.com or @writing4life via twitter.

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Wild Woman of Queens: Notes on Urban Creativity from across the East River.

Blurry Angels by Sandra Lee Schubert 2009

Sandra Lee Schubert

Wild Angels

Here is a short tribute to the Wild Angels. On May 7 we held our ninth reading of our collective works. I have facilitated the group for the whole nine years. Next year will be the last for the group. It will be a perfect ten year run. The group has hard core members who come back year after year.

We first met on Sunday after Church service. It was more free flowing back then. It has evolved to a series of classes led by an instructor with a yearly theme. There is a focus, lessons to learn and homework to do. A couple of the writers chafe at the structure, while others revel in it. The structure helps. The best part is watching writers who have not written before blossom. Or, writers taking up their pens again after a hiatus. The work is authentic. It comes from the heart and that transcends style and technique.

This past season our instructor, Kathleen Cromwell, had us begin each session with fifteen minutes of proprioceptive writing with Baroque music playing. The technique both infuriated and inspired the Wild Angels. We ventured into monologues, plays, prose, political writing and poetry.

At the end we were gifters of words. We shared our work with each other and our corner of the world.

Some people our prolific writers without the support of other writers. But some of us love the community of sharing our work. A good group will keep you focused and inspired. Most of all write and share your work. I look forward to reading it.

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Sandra's e-course leads people to be their creative best through telling their stories. She is a creative vagabond, a poet, writer who co-facilitates the Wild Angels Poets and Writers Group at the historic Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine.Writing for Life: Creating a Story of Your Own. Visit her blog: Email her sandraleeschubert(at)gmail.com or @writing4life via twitter.

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Monday Morning Motivators to Slay Your Creative Dragons

PASSION by CJ Lyons

I'm one of the many people who are spending a month with Eric talking about our Obsessions--and making those obsessions productive.

To me, a productive obsession is a passion. I've long believed that the keys to any successful creative endeavor are three ingrediants: Passion, Vision, and Commitment.

Passion--it's what gets you out of bed in the morning, what excites you, what gives you the energy to push through the hard parts, it keeps you alive….


Vision--gives you direction, a star to steer by, guides you into tomorrow, gives you a glimpse of the big picture, of what your simple words on the page could mean to someone else, how what we struggle with inside ourselves can help us connect with others, help them to find their own passion and vision, by sharing ours….Without either a writer fails.

It takes passion to endure, to provide the strength and stamina to finish a book, to give you the courage to share it with others.

Vision guides you through the book and beyond, helps you see the "more" that most people miss, too immersed in their own lives and problems, never bothering to look up.

Where's your passion? What's your vision? Why are you writing this piece, right here and now?

And, for the final piece of the puzzle: commitment.

Commitment is how you get the job done. Finish this page, this scene, this chapter, this book. Find the courage to submit it and go on to the next.

If you're lacking any one of the three--from yourself or the team you're working with--then you're going to have to struggle so much harder to achieve any kind of success. You may still fulfill your creative vision, but it will be much more difficult.

But, combine all three ingredients--Passion, Vision, and Commitment--and it's a perfect storm!

Think what you could accomplish if everyone on your team had the Passion, Vision, and Commitment to make your project a success! How could you fail?

Thanks for reading,
CJ

As a pediatric ER doctor, CJ Lyons has lived the life she writes about in her cutting edge suspense novels. Her debut, LIFELINES (Berkley, March 2008), became a national bestseller and Publishers Weekly proclaimed it a "breathtakingly fast-paced medical thriller." The second in the series, WARNING SIGNS, is due out January, 2009. Contact her at http://www.cjlyons.net

Margie Lawson -- presenter, psychotherapist, writer -- lives at the top of a Colorado mountain west of Denver. Margie merged her two worlds, psychology and writing, to develop psychologically anchored editing systems and techniques that teach writers how to write page turners. A former college professor, Margie works as a psychotherapist, writes fiction and nonfiction, and presents full day master classes for writers internationally. Go to http://www.margielawson.com for more information.


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Don't Quit Your Day Job

Creating and the Scary Calendar

April was a tough month for me. I had to work overtime at my day job and I had some personal stress that made working, writing and everything in-between a bit of a challenge.

What kept me going was that I could see an end in sight. My kids’ school year is almost over, which opens up a lot of extra time and things at work should begin to ease up soon. Also, I have a vacation scheduled for early June. It was all looking up until I ripped off my April calendar page and exposed May.
Already, I see ten days with appointments or events inked in. The end of the school year also means cramming in many last minute engagements and large projects. I have several days for writing related matters. While these events do not involve writing, they are some of the social things you should do to nurture future endeavors.

Add in Mother’s Day, my 20th Wedding Anniversary and a concert I won tickets to, and I’m exhausted just thinking about the month that lies in front of me. I’m also anticipating some unexpected things to challenge my time this month. Can you really expect the unexpected? Believe me, a busy Mom can smell it a mile away!

Since this was the only “open” weekend in May, I had a battle between my practical side and my ever exhausted Mom side. The one side of me faced the perfect opportunity to get a jump on the month: clean the house from top to bottom, have all the laundry and ironing done, grocery shop and most importantly, get some writing done now before it’s too late.

The Mom side felt differently. Maybe I should take it easy and rest up. No sense burning the candle from both ends, right? What good will I be for anyone if I wear myself down before the month even starts? Yes, I should stay on the sofa and veg out! Oh, I can even take a nap! I haven’t done that in awhile. I could read my library book and stay in my pajamas.

Which side do you think won? Well, as usual it was a bit of a hybrid. I stayed home most of the day. You could call it “Sloth Saturday,” and I’m not apologizing for it. I woke up with the intention of going into the office for a few hours. Then I looked at the rain coming down outside and I said “no.” Instead, I made a second cup of joe and sat my butt down. As the day unfolded, however, I did my grocery shopping and four loads of laundry! For the most part, though, I just sat around watching bad TV and chatting up my family.

Now it’s Sunday and I have to pay the price for my slothly ways. I still need to go into my office and the house is a mess. The laundry is done for the most part, but it still needs to be folded and put away. Today, I really can’t waste any time. However, I don’t want to regret yesterday. Why do we feel it’s important to be productive all the time? Sometimes it should okay to kick back and ruminate the day away. Days of relaxation help us to recharge and give our brains a chance to let new things soak in. When everything is work, even creating, doesn’t the imagination begin to stifle itself? I know the brain needs regular exercise, but in weight training you have to give your muscles a break. I did not waste my weekend. On the contrary, I provided my brain and body with much needed rest and re-fueling. I can now conquer the challenges for the month ahead with a clear head and healthy body. Anyway, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

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Wild Woman of Queens: Notes on Urban Creativity from across the East River.

Spring flowers by Sandra Lee Schubert

An Artist Date

I have been a spring maniac. The season has not made my mood better; but I have taken advantage of the photo opportunities. Every where I look there are flowers, trees and even people blooming. Finally we can shed our winter garments, come out of our caves and see what the world is offering up. What can I do?

I have been thinking about Julia Cameron's suggestion for artists dates. The idea is to take yourself out on adventure. You could visit a museum, see a play or meet a friend for a writing date. The dates should stimulate your creative juices. After such a date you can hit your project with renewed vigor.

Take at least an hour each week for your date. Try something you wouldn't normally do, as well as, the things you do enjoy. While the flowers are blooming; go see what you can discover.

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Sandra's e-course leads people to be their creative best through telling their stories. She is a creative vagabond, a poet, writer who co-facilitates the Wild Angels Poets and Writers Group at the historic Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine.Writing for Life: Creating a Story of Your Own. Visit her blog: Email her sandraleeschubert(at)gmail.com or @writing4life via twitter.

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Sculpting a Life:
Susan Gallacher-Turner’s turn in the Pacific Northwest.

(Thunderbird -copper mask)

Why do I get in my own way?

I want to say that I’ve had a peaceful, productive week in the studio. But I’d be lying.

My three screening sculptures are still sitting where they were last week. My two copper pieces are still waiting for patina solutions. My two clay pieces are covered with plastic, untouched.

Truth be told, it’s been a week of copy editing, emailing, classes to schedule and reschedule, a meeting and a funeral. Midweek, I got a sore throat, headache and that fuzzy feeling that comes with a cold.

I managed to squeeze in some nap time. Ok, I’ll admit it, I tried to nap, unsuccessfully. I drank many, many cups of tea. Sitting in bed with my laptop, I kept up my emailing. I read blogs. I watched one movie while glancing through a magazine and chatting with my husband. Looking at this list, it doesn’t feel like I was really resting, does it? Nope.

If I were looking at someone else’s life, I’d say, this person has a hard time relaxing. And that’s probably why they’ve got a cold. I’d suggest that the solution is to allow themselves to rest more and work less. Easy to say. Hard to do.

Which brings me to the question above: Why do I get in my own way? Why am I running from the very thing I crave? Peaceful, productive days in the studio with the music playing, my fingers moving happily from clay to paint to metal. Or sitting on the couch with my feet on a pillow writing away as I am now? Then after days of creative solitude, I come out of my cocoon to teach workshops and show my work. Sigh. The perfect life.

Maybe that’s the problem. No life is perfect. I’m not perfect. But maybe that’s the answer, too. I get in my own way so I won’t feel the pressure to be perfect. So I won’t have to face my own limitations. Or the guilt that I’m not good enough for such a good life.

If someone else said that, I’d say, “Of course, you’re good enough. Nobody’s perfect. You just have to be who you are and do what you love, everyday in your own way.”

Maybe the best way to get out of my own way, is to listen to what I’ve got to say.

To see some of my sculptures that I have gotten done, visit my website at http://www.susangt.com/ or read my other blog, Susan's Art & Words at http://sculpturepdx.blogspot.com/

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