creativity + art + design articles

what do you call yourself?

Are you...
girlfriend, or lover?
husband, or partner?
teacher, or trainer?
leader, or director?
decorator, or designer?
advisor, or counselor?
blogger, or writer?
crafter, or artist?

What you call yourself matters.
Words send signals, labels are magnetic.
Your soul deserves accuracy.

MedicinalMarzipan recently asked me:

You distinguish yourself as a writer vs. blogger, can you elaborate on that point? And I said:

I loath the word blog. It’s not pretty. But we’re stuck with it. That’s an aside, really.

Most specifically, I philosophize, and I mostly do that in writing, and I mostly present that on the internet. That’s the Big Real of what I do, and what so many of us do. We’re bigger than our “posts” and “tweets” and when you keep your eye on that, when you let your definitions of yourself be deeply accurate, it influences your creative approach.

I'm a philosopher, which for me, is more accurate than teacher, because "philosopher" connotes both sagacity + continuing exploration.
I'm a strategist, 'cause I sure as hell am too opinionated to be a coach. (Not that brilliant coaches don't have mighty opinions. And BTW, I think everyone should have a coach.)
I'm a mama, which is just mo' fun and sexy than mother, and it's more specific than parent, because my parenting is distinctly, pronouncedly feminine.
I'm a writer. It doesn't matter where my stuff is published - pixelated on the internet, printed in books, or stamped on notecards. I write. For a living/loving even.

I'm as fascinated by what someone does as by what they say they do.

Like this sweet guy at a workshop, "By day I'm a Refuse Manager, which is just a fancy title the city gives me for Garbage Man. I actually prefer Garbage Man, you know? By night I'm a stock trader and student of eastern mythology. I'm a seeker, really. Yeah, a Seeker." Clearly, he's seeking treasures, not garbage.

Labels are a necessary and unavoidable function of most cultures. We need them like we need traffic lights and handshakes.

Recognize if you've outgrown your "title".
Deepen your claim, or lighten it right up.
Carve out your own personal lexicon. Snug, and radiant.
Educate people in who you are.
We want to know, for real.

. . . . . .

INTERVIEWS

Read the full Medicinal Marzipan interview here.

COOL STUFF!
Missed the live version of the World Changing Writing Workshop? CLICK HERE, because now you can get it In-A-Box! And pssst...I got voted the #1 Speaker from the series! Yay!

GET STOKED!

True Strengths + The Metrics of Ease is Session 3 in THE FIRE STARTER SESSIONS. One of the most popular chapters, you can get it now as a mini-media sparklet, a warm up for the mondo inferno.

"This chapter is a BEAUTY — such a kick start.
Your words give me permission to be awesome."
- Sas Lockey

$20 bucks, baby. And when you're hot for more, you can put the cost of the chapter toward the full-tilt FIRE STARTER SESSIONS program.

>> CLICK HERE to BUY True Strengths + The Metrics of Ease

>> or click here for more details

 

making space for creative credo

My palms are a bit sweaty. I'm taking deep breaths. I feel a bit misty, and, I'm smiling. This is a monumental decision for a bloggity being like me…here goes:

I'm putting the comment function on WhiteHotTruth out to pasture.
Comments are hereby closed.
Gulp. Sigh. Namaste.

I need to heed my own creative credo:
1. Keep it pointed to where you want it to go.
2. Pay close attention to your creative fantasies.
3. Keep it lean and keep it clean.
4. Art involves risk.
5. Form informs feeling.

1. Keep it pointed to where you want it to go.

If we've had a beer or walked the Sea Wall together (I know, only two of my friends are putting their hands up - I'm reclusive,) then you've heard me say, "All I want to do is write and speak. Write and speak. Write and speak." Pretty clear. For flavour, I've been adding in, "You know, I just wanna work like Hunter S. Thompson, but without all the bad drugs. Or guns. Or ex-wives. Or..." Okay, the point is, I neeeed to Write and Speak.

And live -- and living means making up stories with my six-year-old magic boy. And eating fresh food with friends. And interviewing Rabbis and Lamas and waiters about the nature of desire...So that I have more stuff to write and speak about.

When people start calling you a "power blogger" (I love the label, don't stop, seriously,) you're tempted to think that power = blogging. And it can. You just need to keep your eye on your real power source, or you get all fancy and you start wearing sunglasses when you sit down at the computer.

And here's the thing with being "in touch" with thousands of people everyday: it can fuck with your head, not in a Howard Hughes go-looney kind of way, but in a "there are a whole lotta of people in my living room, and my bed, and my car-kind of way." You see, I THINK about YOU a LOT. I want to be the best damn hostess on the Internet. I want everyone to know that I read every word that is sent my way. I want to be loved, darling, loved!

Which brings me to…

2. Pay close attention to your creative fantasies.

I've been romanticizing the old days of authorship. You bled on typewriter keys, couriered your six inch-high stack of manuscript papers to your editor; and your book came out four years later. If someone wanted to send you love letters or hate mail, they wrote to your publisher, and your publisher asked you if you wanted your mail forwarded to you that year.

That Jurassic and gruelling process is everything I work counter to. I take publishing into my own hands and ship my art ASAP. Howevah...this imagery (I can even smell the dusty dust of old paperbacks, and the ink of typewriter ribbon,) has been surfacing in my thoughts these past weeks and it's telling me to make the space I need to create more.

If I have more psychic space, I can write more, and write mo' better. And THAT's where I want my vocation to go. All good things (like affluence) will come from honouring that core desire. (Quicky clarity on that: affluence = fluid ideas + influencing positive happenings + cash flow.)

3. Keep it lean and keep it clean.

I was reading the Communicatrix's latest newsletter (Colleen Wainwright slams down the wisdom on a monthly basis and I take in every word.) "Everyone now knows that social-media creep is just as dangerous as TV-creep..." And she advises us to "review your landscape, trim your reel...so I we can be…100% available to the moment."

And then it hit me: Let go. More. Which is scary, but…

4. Art involves risk.

Seth doesn't have blog comments. Havi doesn't even do email. When Leo at Zen Habits asked some of his blog-migos what we thought about him closing comments on his site, I was like, "Dude, 'Zen' connotes comment–free, you need to let go and let it flow." But it's different when it comes your turn to "burn down the barn so you can see the moon" as the poet, Masahide put it.

You start fretting about people calling you a narcissist (wouldn't be the first time I've been misunderstood,) or your readership plummeting (which, uh, couldn't possibly happen because my material is just going to get HOTTER…promise,) and about being lonely (I still have those two friends to drink beer and walk the sea wall with.)

And…I worry that my new artistic format might come across as ungrateful. And that would suck hard, because I am so deeply, madly, appreciative of every heart that clicks my way and gives some extra meaning to all of this. The value of being recognized as useful cannot be overstated.

5. Form informs feeling.

I want to foster a quality of spaciousness here. Like sitting around a campfire, under a big sky. We need room in order to hear, to be with our thoughts. We banter and converse and show up enough "out there," don't we?

I pray that the new spaciousness is appreciated, even savored. Like a paperback book that you can hold close for a few minutes while you make your way through the world.

Ever true and always grateful,

 

embracing creativity + our longing for narrative: Francesco Clemente with Charlie Rose

Charlie: How do you find your voice as a painter?
Francesco: You have to make room.

This interview reads like a meditation -- at least it does for me. Clemente's longing for a sense of wholeness and completion; the struggle to find his voice and break away from the order of things; the surrender to one's desire. "Painting is not so much about decisions, it's more about acceptance." Ahhh...

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE INTERVIEW ON CharlieRose.com

thanks to Natasha Lakoš, one of my favourite graphic designers, for sending this to me at just the right time. xo

 

art + cash, truth + freedom: recent interviews

I've been asked some great questions lately by lovely seekers and servants of entrepreneurship. Please dig in.

LifeDev.net with @Glen Stansberry

Glen: Money and Art seem to always be at odds. This is a massive deal for MANY wanting to stay true to themselves, but still make money. Good money, even.So here’s the Million Dollar Question: How do you create a personal brand, without selling out?

Danielle:...If you create a personal brand that isn’t deeply personal, you’ve already sold out.

The vast majority of artists I know (from writers and craftspeople, to software developers and designers) don’t have any quams with making money – and lot’s of it if possible. What makes them all weird is the marketing of their stuff, they don’t want to sell out and become an infomercial. It understandable, because we live in a culture of false advertising and the slick, hard sell. It’s dangerous turf for sure. But this is where you need to diligently carry your personality forward. It’s not enough to have an authentic, integrity-driven offering, you need to sell it in a way that is true for you. If you’re slick, be slick. If you’re subtle, be subtle. Just be consistent. And above all, be passionately proud of what you’re bringing to the world.

>> READ THE FULL INTERVIEW HERE

AuthenticatiKate.com with @katenorthrup

Kate: I find that, often, people (meaning myself) are unaccustomed to telling the truth. And my question is, what do you suggest for those of us who’ve been raised to be afraid of the truth, if we want to start to peel back the layers and start telling it like it is?

Danielle: Hang out with people who do tell the truth. Learn from example. Get interviewed. Start telling the truth to yourself.

Here’s a formula: Start telling the truth to yourself in as many ways as possible. And then start telling the truth to a few more people. Extend. I see it as concentric circles. So, you can tell yourself the truth when you look in the mirror. You can tell yourself the truth when you’re journaling. You can tell yourself the truth when you’re getting dressed, when you’re dancing, when you’re getting yourself off, when you’re going shopping. There’s lots of ways to tell yourself the truth. You can tell yourself the truth by drawing it out. Yeah, it’s about expression. And then tell one good friend, and then tell two good friends. And then start telling the people you work with, and then start telling strangers.

>> READ THE FULL INTERVIEW HERE

PurposefulProduct.com with @samrosen

Integrity branding, stripping it down to your truth, and as Sam calls it, "the mystical fog of creating product."

>> LISTEN TO THE RECORDING HERE

 

21.5.800: yoga, writing, life living

Hey hey, today (June 8) begins Bindu Wiles' (aka my fav Brooklyn-based Buddhist) way cool "21.5.800" community project. I'm all over it (and it's taking off like wild fire already.) It's just the right kind of creative crazy for me now.

For 21 days, we’ll be doing 5 days of yoga a week and 800 words of writing per day.

THE WRITING: The writing can be ANYTHING. Memoir, blogs, business plans, essays, fiction, free-writing, letters……ANYTHING. The point is to get writing again daily and to have the boundaries and challenge of a daily word count to reach.

THE YOGA: There are several options for you to do the yoga portion of 21.5.800 5 times in 7 days. Here are the options: 1. Go to a yoga class in your ‘hood. 2. Do a yoga dvd at home. 3. Take a 20-40 minute savasana* at home on the floor.

JOIN IN THE BEAUTY (and a bit of the brawn.) CHECK IT OUT HERE. SIGN UP. DO IT.

Follower Bindu on Twitter: @binduwiles

 

it’s pay what you can day. happy birthday to…us!

It's my birthday on Tuesday May 25. (I'm 41. No need to lie about it because: a) I look great, and b) I feel...41 some days, 111 on others, and usually, about 30.)

You could send: orchids, fine milk chocolate or cashmere. Or some Pinion incense from Taos, or Amber oil from Bali. I'm also partial to gold hoop earrings and mystical poetry.

But if you send some cash - on May 25 - I'll give you a prezzie back, because until midnight Pacific Standard Time, May 25, it's:

PAY WHAT YOU CAN DAY FOR THE FIRE STARTER SESSIONS!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US!

This offer applies to my Fire Starter Sessions digital extravaganza e-book (not my 1-on-1 consults. I'm not that beatific.) This could be a total snafuzzle but what the hey, it worked for Naomi...

Here's how it works: you pay what you truly can. That's it.

1) Leave a comment in the comments box and tell me what price would make your heart smile. Then we'll send you a PayPal invoice. If you're not inclined to publicly declare that your Mastercard (and Visa) are way maxed and you'd like to send me three postdated cheques for $20 each, over the course of ten years, well then, email whitehottruth [at] mondaymorningva [dot] com, and Dawn will make it happen.
2) Once you pay, we'll zap you the access code to the book. You'll need to download the book within 24 hours of receiving the link.
3) You go light up your life and career.

Some disclaimers and emotionality:
: THE FIRE STARTER SESSIONS retails for $150 USD. A number of people have expressed that they think it's under-priced for the value. I'm cool with that.
: If you already have The Fire Starter Sessions and would like to gift it to someone at a pay-what-you-can rate, let us know who the lucky recipient is.
: This birthday offer is not retroactive.
: I reserve the right to veto ridiculous offers.
: If you feel inclined to pay the full price after you experience The Sessions, feel free.
: If you're independently wealthy and want to pay more than $150 for The Sessions, than that's just brilliant karma.
: I will take multiple payments over time (this works on the honour system. If you want to pay, say $30 in three installments, just let us know what your plan is.)
: For those of you who do not jive with PayPal or credit cards, you can mail a money order or a cheque (that's Canadian for "check") to: Danielle LaPorte, Box 78055, Grandview RPO, Vancouver BC, V5N 5W1

Repeat: this offer expires at midnight PST May 25, just like my birthday does. And I'm serious about it. If you're out of town, if you missed this email in your inbox...then the opportunity will have vanished. I like things, especially money things, elegant and simple (and generous.) So I'm extremely unlikely to do any other gimmicky stunts like this.

Make a wish! And and make me an offer...

With all the love in my heart,

. . . . . . . .

INTERVIEWS

: I'm a big fan of Adam Baker at Man vs. Debt, and after our interview, I'm convinced he needs his own TV show: WATCH HERE

: An interview with Kristin Harad about getting unstuck: LISTEN HERE

 

super hero syndrome + the practical response to crazy ambition

or, "How to Accomplish Great Big Stuff in a Short Amount of Time"

Technically speaking I created THE FIRE STARTER SESSIONS in under twelve weeks. The holy spirit of digital love and audacity entered my soul and MacBook Pro and said: GO FORTH AND CRANK IT, LAPORTE! Maybe it's Catholic residue, but I felt called. So I set an impossible deadline for myself and I declared that the e-book was done--that it actually existed somewhere on the cosmos already, and all I needed to do was pull it down from the ether into pixel form.

I was crazy. Ca-ra-zee. It's a good thing that I revere Crazy. Crazy gets stuff DONE. Crazy eats impossible for her afternoon sugar fix. And if I may use some Kerouac to pat myself on the back, "Here's to the crazy ones."

That said, having been around plenty of start-ups and politicians in my career, I've seen a whole lot of the stupid-kinda-crazy.

STUPID CRAZY is the unrealistic, delusional, (and often inflated) thought that you can accomplish big, fast, amazing professional things while keeping the rest of your life in a state of "balance." Young dudes/dudettes in Silicon Valley and other such wanna be's have this one down--and they get dumped by their fiancees, quietly deal with anxiety, and know little about life outside...their life.

It's the Super Hero syndrome: I can do it all! I can squeeze more hours out of the day; keep up my exercise regime, be romantically attentive; well groomed n' stylin'; AND! launch a brilliant, brain-powered innovative, substantive product in record time. Nothing will change. I'll just fit MORE in.

Of course you have to do MORE. You have to expand in order to reach new heights. But that critical more-ness needs to be poured directly into your project, not spread thin amongst a bunch of pre-existing obligations and habits. Focus your moreness.

AT THE START OF YOUR CRAZY AMBITIOUS PROJECT:

1. Ask yourself what you're going to have to give up in order to pull it off. It's a total downer of a question and Super Heroes hate this part of strategy. In order to launch THE FIRE STARTER SESSIONS on time, I gave up: most all TV, a lot of sunny weekends outside, about a 40% of my monthly income (I had to cut back on clients to have more creative time,) and pretty much all socializing. You cannot pull off energy intensive big-wins in a state of harmony. It happens in bursts and fits and pushing and grooving--innovation by nature is disruptive, not easy going.

Something will have to give so greatness has room to emerge. So give it up before it takes you down.

2. Line up some "multi-dimensional" support. When it's nose-to-the-grindstone time, we tend to get the grindstone kind of people on board--suppliers, designers, editors, marketers, "work/task" people. But this is precisely the time when you need some spiritually-informed intelligence to back you up. Within the first two weeks of starting on the e-book I worked with Bindu Wiles for writing coaching; I signed up with Dyana Valentine; I plugged into a wonderful Naturopath, Dr. Diane Chung, who works virtually; I had a session with Hiro Boga; and then I consulted with astrologer Ophira Edut about the best or worst time to launch. All that woo-woo love and insight helped me navigate the heavy-duty logistics on a daily basis.

3. Declare your intentions as widely as possible. Announce that you're going "away" for a while. When you're proactive about announcing your short term, utter neglect and blatant unavailability to the rest of the world, you solve some problems before they start. I told my friends that I was going into the creative bubble and would be up for air late May. And so when I missed a birthday, and when I had to repeatedly say "no thanks" to tea dates, it was not only cool, but I didn't feel guilty and anti-social. I felt responsible and supported. Bonus!

Half of getting where you want to go is KNOWING WHAT IT TAKES TO GET THERE. Crazy ambition requires radical practicality. Otherwise, it's just stupid.

. . . . . . .

INTERVIEWS

: $11K in 11 Hours, a tell-lot's interview on how I launched with The Launch Coach himself, Dave Navarro. READ HERE
: My take on "burnout", an interview with Rock. Paper Scissors. READ HERE
: The truth never attacks, an interview on My Courageous Life. LISTEN HERE
: The effect of social media on marketing with MacDonald Marketing. READ HERE

. . . . . . .

LOVE FOR THE FIRE STARTER SESSIONS

"Blown away. Energizing, motivating, authentic, relevant."
- Lori Race

"Every page is rich, rich, RICH in intersecting resources, ideas and strategy. Glorious multimedia: audio, videos, workbooks, oh my. And the words….poetry in power. Truth bombs rang in my ears long after I put it down."
- Tanya Geisler

$150 for the full-tilt love.
And! $5 from every copy goes to the charity you choose.

Click here to view the Table of Contents!
Click here to watch the video!

. . . . . . .

GROUP COACHING WITH LIANNE RAYMOND

Lianne Raymond is kicking off a program to support women who are ready to step into the "ring of fire" with a group coaching program designed specifically around THE FIRE STARTER SESSIONS.
GO FIND OUT MORE FROM LIANNE.

 

today is an epic day. hot, happy, epic.

It doesn’t really matter where you are on the scale of entrepreneurial drive, or if you’re in the jungle with a machete or a butter knife. You can call it a hobby, a labor of love, or a world domination plan. You can rival. You can float.

You can call it ambition, hunger, inspiration, drive, avocation, food on the table—whatever. You can crush the competition, unify an industry, or change just one person’s life.

If you want to make lots of really good stuff happen, then that’s really exciting—for all of us. If you want to earn a living by doing meaningful things—then that’s exceptional.

This truth is most evident: we entrepreneurs, artists, and change agents define ourselves on our own terms.

- from THE FIRE STARTER SESSIONS, prelude

Ladies and gentleman, fellow seekers, tribes-people, and lovers of making good stuff happen...

THE FIRE STARTERS SESSIONS IS OFFICIALLY + FULLY LAUNCHED!

$150 for the full-tilt love.

And! $5 from every copy goes to the charity you choose:
The Acumen Fund or Women for Women International

Click here to view the Table of Contents!
Click here to watch the video!

It's an inferno. Really. It's epic. I'm thrilled for about 10,000 reasons, but mostly because I stayed true to my intention to just give 'er. I pray you find it useful. I trust that you will.

VERY STOKED READERS

The lovely people who pre-ordered received the full version yesterday. Tweets of love:

"To borrow from my favorite of her notecards, @DanielleLaPorte's FireStarter Sessions are fanfuckingtastic. Blown. Away."
@ealvarezgibson

"have read FSS on a train, a tube, a plane and at two different desks today. am exploding with ideas. thank you thank you"
@saslockey

"OMG! full edition of the Fire Starter Sessions is in my inbox! spending whole day with @daniellelaporte's genius."
@photobird

"Loving it. It's amazing."
@AbbieMood

"LOVING @DanielleLaPorte's Fire Starter Session...glory boardin', ease and mojo. A sublime must-buy."
@TanyaGeisler

"Inspired by the white hot @DanielleLaPorte, I am lighting a fire under my ass w/ her fab new FireStarter worksheets & videos!"
@cherylsorg

"I am pulsing with excitement!"
@nona_jordan

GROUP COACHING WITH LIANNE RAYMOND

Lianne Raymond is kicking off a program to support women who are ready to step into the "ring of fire" with a group coaching program designed specifically around THE FIRE STARTER SESSIONS.

Cool eh?! Her idea! Lianne is a deep, deep, well of perception. Every coaching client I've sent her way has glowed. I can't wait to hear how this goes (and if I'm allowed, I'd like to show up for a session or two!)

The program consists of weekly 90 minute group coaching calls where you'll "address any resistance, ask questions, celebrate successes and dance with whatever else shows up." GO FIND OUT MORE FROM LIANNE.

Blaze your trail!

With a grateful heart,

(HOLY SMOKES! IT'S LAUNCHED!)

 

15 tips for public speaking that apply to shining at work, and just about everywhere else

1. Gratitude is always the best place to begin.
Any and every gig is an honour. Thank the host, and thank the audience for the possible mountains they moved to show up and listen to you.

2. Being prepared is an act of love. And intelligence.
Even if you can improv with the best of them, do a complete run through in advance, and a written key points list of your talk. I like to do a verbal run through in the tub the day before (the tub is my second office, really,) and I do a key points list the morning of the event.

3. Lead with your best stuff.
Make an entrance. Put forth your Big Point right away. Start with your best story, your funniest joke, your guiding theory. Don't make them wait to see you shine. Grab 'em from the get-go.

4. Know who you're talking to.
A co-presenter and I gave a talk to a group of underprivileged single moms. My co-presenter talked about shopping at Tiffany's and Saks. They turned on us. It was ugly. Along this same line…

5. Research your audience.
Guy Kawasaki is great at this. At a presentation in Vancouver last year, he sported a Vancouver Canucks jersey, made some good jokes about the event organizers, and told some personal stories that related to the organization's mission.

6. Actively respect your audience.
A playwright friend of mine commented on an actor's performance: "You could tell she didn't like the character that she was playing. And you've always got to find something to love about who you're playing to make it real." Same goes for your audience. You won't always be presenting or pitching to your tribe, to people you "like"—find the common ground and put your love there.

7. Never, ever admit to fatigue.
I heard a very popular author open his talk, to a packed theatre, with "I'm quite tired, I've been on the road for a few days." Instant downer. It made us feel guilty for keeping him up past his bedtime, or ticked that we spent $50 to hear a jet-lagged psychologist. I've done gigs on two hours of sleep, in the middle of a professional tragedy, stoned on Sinutab. You get up there and you SMILE, no matter what. You can collapse when you get off stage.

8. Stay in the lead as long as you're on stage.
A few weeks ago I was speaking to a ballroom of university business students at The Four Seasons Hotel. As I was leaving the stage, a woman at the back of the room raised her hand. I'd just handed back my mic, but I gestured to take her question. She proceeded to tell me that I was dressed like a slob and not setting a good example to the students about personal branding. Not kidding. (And I looked HOT, BTW.) You could have heard a pin drop. Heckled! First time for everything.

"And how have you come to be here tonight?" I asked her. I figured she sneaked in. She mumbled something about being a mentor, and then she made a dash for the door, carrying her various tattered shopping bags. "Well," I said to the stunned audience. "Now you have an example of what elegant is and what elegant isn't. And that's branding." I didn't exhale until I got in my car.

9. Plan your finish.
Wrapping up can be the hardest part of a talk because you've either used up all of your good stuff, you've gone over time, or you have space to fill. Hold on to your closing gold nugget so you can leave on a high note either way.

10. Believe that people are rooting for you.
It's vastly true that every single person watching and listening to you wants you to be amazing. They want a great experience. No one likes to see someone bomb. They really do want you to win.

11. Go easy on the apologies.
This is a tricky one, because elegance is the numero uno concerno. But things like, "Sorry to keep you waiting," "My apologies for the technical snafu," can create more snags in your fabric. Sometimes, most of the time, it's better to just keep going. An ice skater doesn’t apologize for slipping. She keeps skating, distracting you with the next great move.

12. Dress up.
When you're on stage being well dressed says, "I cared about you enough to polish it up." Sunday best.

13. Affirm, pray, focus, ommm.
Whether it's a staff meeting you're leading or a concerto performance, a short pre-show ritual pulls your energy into your center. Before I take the stage I say this quickie prayer, "Help us shine." That's it. That covers me, the audience, and the world in one fell swoop.

14. Ask questions.
Frame your stories into questions and you've created a conversation.

15. Know how you want to feel when you're done your presentation.
Ultimately, you can't really control what the audience does and if try to, you're likely to fumble. I've had what I thought were hilarious stories that didn't get so much as a giggle. And I've had low-engagement audiences that swarmed me after I got off stage. You just don't know.

What you can aim for is how you want to feel. And when you anchor into that feeling, your energy gathers a momentum and you get into the magical flow. When I leave the auditorium, I want to feel like I connected, like I was divinely feminine, and innovative--on my personal edge. And if I did my best to be those things, than I can sleep well, even if I forgot to say thank you, or I tripped over a speaker, or got heckled by a bag lady.

PS...
All-important style tips:
Ladies:
: Wear a good bra. You know, 80% of women are wearing the wrong fit of bra, right? Well, when that happens on stage, it's tragic. While we're on the topic...
: Tits up. You heard me. Lift your girls up and your entire posture changes.
: False eyelashes. Don’t be afraid of them. When you're being photographed, the small touch of glam can give you just the right amount of voom voom.
: Always have a back up outfit.
: High heels are a must. Because, it's not how you feel, it's how you tower.

Gentlemen:
: Shave. A 5 o'clock shadow looks great when you roll over in the morning, but in the spotlight or on camera, you do not look suave, you look like a bum. Or like George Michael in 1991.
: The pants. It's all about excellent fitting pants. Get a tailor.

. . . . . .

Hey, did I mention that THE FIRE STARTER SESSIONS FULL EDITION LAUNCHES THIS WEDNESDAY?! Well it does, and let me tell you, it's freaking EPIC. I'm thrilled, jittery, pleased, excited, and ready to get some sunshine.

If you order it now you'll still get the sneak peak chapter pronto, and all 12 of my videos are now loaded into the private, top-secret video-viewing place for the special people who want to set their life ablaze.

CLICK HERE to see the mondo Table of Contents

"I quickly downloaded the first chapter and it's blowing my mind. Amazing. I can't wait to get the rest. This chapter alone is worth way more than $150."
- Tim Murphy

"After The Fire Starter Sessions, you'll stop thinking of yourself as a 'little entrepreneur.'"
- Abby Kerr

"This material is dripping with passion, credibility, and vulnerability."
- Toni Reece, The PEOPLE Academy

. . . . .

The Freak Revolution ladies, Pace + Kyeli, have pulled together a great roster for the World-Changing Writing Workshop, which will run every Thursday from June 10th to July 15th. I'm going to jam about some creativity + publishing nitty gritty. I'm really excited to get into it.

REGISTRATION OPENS TUESDAY MAY 11th! CHECK IT OUT.

posted 10 May 10 in: business + wealth articles, creativity + art + design articles   ·   tags: communication   ·   34 comments

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the sacred yes we wish for…and warrant

 

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I used to think I was weak n' needy for wanting my "big break." I dreamed of being discovered. I toyed with the willingness to enter some Svengali deal where an agent dude or silver foxy dada would see my raw talent and shape me into a formidable star--a fresh new voice on the scene. I longed for Someone Really Important to give me a Yes that would change my life.

One day, that Yes came.

My first literary agent is one of the most powerful people in the business. With an agency roster like Malcolm Gladwell, Al Gore, Camille Paglia, Michael Moore, Jane Fonda, Anderson Cooper, even Danielle Steel...publishers and producers trip over themselves to take her her call. The day she signed me, my life changed. I was in bed for the teleconference. 10am EST, 7am PST. It was snowing out. She was extolling the merits of the book proposal, and in my state of stunned glee, I had to interrupt. "May I ask a question?" I said. "Does all this meaning that you're taking on the project?"

She laughed. "Yes!"

I had it. It felt like someone had lifted the red velvet curtains to my heart. I hung up the phone and cried. And I thought to myself, "God really wants me to do my work, 'cause this is it."

It's natural to crave the sacred Yes. Ideally, you give yourself the Yes first. That self-love methodology is all neat and tidy and evolved. But I think you still get evolution bonus points even if it takes a dozen power people to convince you that you are fabulous. Neil Young said that he didn't know for sure if he was talented until his albums sold. Fair enough.

It's the kernel of our humanity to want to be seen, recognized, understood--celebrated, even. And when that kernel is watered, magic tends to proliferate.

The sacred yeses you get don't have to be exceptional or prestigious or catapulting. The yeses can be votes of confidence, offerings of counsel, connections, a bitta cash when you need it most.

And you don't need to be a big league power broker to give someone a sacred affirmative.

We are all power brokers. Yes?

. . . . . . .
"If you haven't heard, or you've been on the fence about pre-ordering Danielle LaPorte's FIRE STARTER SESSIONS for entrepreneurs, run, don't walk. You will not be sorry. The first chapter is brilliant and I am sure the rest to come will be. just. as. amazing."
- Nona Jordan, business & life coach

"I quickly downloaded the first chapter and it's blowing my mind. Amazing. I can't wait to get the rest. This chapter alone is worth way more than $150."
- Tim Murphy

"After The Fire Starter Sessions, you'll stop thinking of yourself as a 'little entrepreneur.'"
- Abby Kerr

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ANNOUNCEMENTS
Master speaking coach, Gail Larsen as a spot left in her May 13-17 Transformational Speaking Intensive on Whidby Island. Her work is life-changing.

The very smart chickas at Freak Revolution have pulled together a great roster for the World-Changing Writing Workshop, which will run every Thursday from June 10th through July 15th. I'm going to jam about some creativity + publishing nitty gritty and I'm really excited about it. CLICK HERE to get on the "tell me more list," registration opens May 11th.

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INTERVIEWS
Hiro Boga is a cosmological gem and my favourite find of 2010. We talk about creativity and conscious business: LISTEN HERE.

Alexandra Franzen is the firecracker behind "Unicorns for Socialism" - smart and sassy. We talked about sleazy networking and word association: WATCH HERE.

posted 27 Apr 10 in: White Hot, creativity + art + design articles, inspiration + spirituality articles   ·   tags: motivation, publishing   ·   19 comments

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