Creative Mornings: Because Coffee Is Best Served With a Shot of Inspiration

I have been meaning to write a blog post about this for quite some time. Creative Mornings is one of my favourite gatherings and one of my favourite concepts: it's a lecture series for the creative community, it's a place to meet like minded people and a great way to get inspired over a cup of coffee on a Friday morning. 

Image source : http://bit.ly/1N1O4sn

Image source : http://bit.ly/1N1O4sn

Creative Mornings was started in New York by TIna Ross Eisenberg, or Swissmiss, a designer from Brooklyn, a blogger and the mind behind several business endeavours. She wanted to create an accessible event where you can meet like-minded people, get a quick dose of inspiration and then go on with your day. The first event took place in 2008 but since then it grew to a global movement taking place in 128 cities and counting around the world, usually on the last Friday of every month at 8-8:30 in the morning.  To participate, get your ticket online at the beginning of that week  (check the details with your local chapter, but if you're from Montreal, Monday of that last week of the month, set an alarm at 11 am to book your ticket). It's all free, it's on a first-come first-served basis. Once those tickets are "sold out", you can register on a waiting list for an extra number of tickets. Each month there is a different theme, the same all over the world, and each chapter has their own speaker giving a 20 min inspirational talk. And it's all Non profit. It's put together by passionate people, fuelled by sponsors and kept alive by the increasing number of participants. It's truly a great concept. I've only been to a few of the Montreal gatherings and what i found is this great welcoming vibe, awesome people, inspirational talks (in French, at least I get to practice), and tasty breakfasts. It always takes place in different locations around Montreal (i've seen in other cities it's in the same venues), which is cool, you always see something different. It was brought here "by a small band of creativity aficionados" in May 2013. (I actually found the first blog post about how Creative Mornings Montreal was "born" and about the first event. Click here. Cool to read).

Creative Mornings Montreal, June 2015, Tora Chirila Phorography

The first time I heard about Creative Mornings was from this Chase Jarvis LIVE interview with Swissmiss. At that time I was a soon to be graduate from photo school, so I was about to lose my networking environment with other creatives, and I was pretty sad about it. And I was looking for a way, a place, something...where I can meet other creatives and get inspired. Obviously my first reaction when I heard about Creative Mornings was something like: "No way!!! And this thing is every month!?!?" And then disappointment: "Nooo...it's Friday at 8 am...I'll never make it". At the time I was working in a corporate job with a very strict 8-5 schedule so really no way for me to make it there. They do have a boss-convincing guide on the Creative Mornings website, which might actually work for some. 

The first Creative Mornings I attended was in June 2015, and I kept going since, and I'll keep going, as much as I can. Actually, next time I go to Romania I'll go check out a CM event in Bucharest. The last Creative Mornings I attended was this last Friday, at Rialto Theatre, and, under the theme "Empathy", we got to meet and hear the stories of Patsy Van Roost, an artist known as the Mile End Fairy for her urban projects directed towards raising connectivity and solidarity in her local community. I suggest reading about her projects on her website. We need more people like her in this world.

And if Creative Mornings is all about creativity and inspiration, then that's my way of staying active and creative: coffee in one hand, camera in the other, all while listening to inspirational stories. 

3 Creative Struggles and How You Can Overcome Them

Some of the biggest challenges I had to face with my creative career did not come from the outside world, but from the inside. Vulnerability, resistance and fear have been and are some of the biggest threats I (and any creative or anyone pursuing a calling) have to overcome. For me at least, it has been quite a struggle, so I've decided to write a blog post about it, maybe give some good/inspirational advice in the process.

Vulnerability (or "creative vulnerability" as I like to call it)…Uh! I've had some hard time with this one! Anyone who has been with me at Dawson knows how much of a hard time I've had. To me, opening up about my photos and my art was the most vulnerable position I could put myself in. And putting my photos in front of the class and having to stay there and watch as everyone dissects them seemed like a piece of a nightmare. I felt completely naked and exposed. 

Vulnerability - Brene Brown

But then I found this Chase Jarvis LIVE talk with  Brené Brown, a research professor at University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work (check out this Ted Talk as well). One of the things Brené said was a complete eye opener for me: "There is no creativity without vulnerability". It's so true…You have to allow yourself to be in that position in order to be truly creative. "Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity and change. To create is to make something that has never existed before and there's nothing more vulnerable than that." And we are taught as a society that vulnerability is a weakness. It's not at all. Surrendering in the face of vulnerability is weakness. Acknowledging vulnerability, accepting it and pushing through is true bravery. 

Understanding all these was essential in overcoming my struggle with vulnerability and in my growth as an artist. When i had found those Brene Brown talks, at that point in time I was really struggling. I was preparing for my graduation portfolio critique. Really brutal stuff!!! Lol. There's a panel of photographers outside the college critiquing (Ahm! Judging) your photos and the whole photography department (teachers and students) is watching. And then you display your portfolio, and you stay and listen to the critique…To me that was the pure definition of vulnerability and it terrified me to the bones. But Brene's advice was really inspirational and empowering to me. I realized then that if there's one thing I know about me is that I am brave. And yes, I have those feelings, maybe stronger than other people….So what? I'll just be that much braver overcoming them. So I just went to my critique, my palms were sweaty and my heart was pounding. But I pushed through. And I learned a valuable lesson and overcame a big fear. 

And while vulnerability doesn't really go away…it's the way of life of the artist…learning to accept it and be brave and get over it is a lesson that must be learned in order to grow. 

Another hurdle I (and we, creatives,innovators and freelancers) have to deal with (this one is less personal but just as vicious) is what Steven Pressfield calls "resistance" (in his book that i'm reading now The War of Art). Resistance is a sort of mental block; it's a sort of universal force that he claims acts against creativity. Resistance is the way we self-sabotage ourselves from reaching our own potential. 

And I was dealing with that a lot lately and I knew I have a problem, and I couldn't really pinpoint what it was. I was procrastinating a lot lately, but it was procrastination disguised as work (I have to do that tutorial, I have to call my bank, I have to reply to that email etc.). Every time I would actually sit down to do my work, I would somehow find myself working on something else, which seems important, but does not add to my bottom line. I end up spending hours in front of my computer with low productivity. And I think Pressfiled perfectly defined the mental process I was going through: 

First unhappiness. We feel like hell. A low-grade misery pervades everything. We’re bored, we’re restless. We can’t get no satisfaction. There’s guilt, but we can’t put our finger on the source. We want to go back to bed; we want to get up and party. We feel unloved and unlovable. We’re disgusted. We hate our lives. We hate ourselves.
Inspiration - Pablo Picasso

I was indeed going through this mental struggle recently. I still am in a way. But Pressfield's book is another eye opener and I find is filled with great advice. The solution that Pressfield gives to combating resistance is (long story short) seriosity, professionalism and dedication. It's basically that quote from Picasso: "Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working". Basically, you don't have to have the perfect idea, the perfect circumstances, your room doesn't have to be spick and span for you to be able to create. It's the other way around. Just put in the hours, pay your dues, do things over and over again, learn new things and ideas and opportunities will come. 

And another hurdle I have to deal with (and this one is strictly correlated with resistance and vulnerability) is fear. Anyone trying something even remotely outside their comfort zone has to deal with fear. Any entrepreneur, anyone changing careers, any artist performing on a stage or not to mention extreme situations of soldiers going to war, has to face fear. Fear comes from dealing with uncertainty and risk. What fear does to me is it fills my head with what ifs and my stomach with those bad anxiety butterflies and just leaves me there paralyzed in anxiety. And I've had a lot of a hard time dealing with it. And I've gotten over it so far because I like to see myself push through situations, and I'm not comfortable lingering in my comfort zone for too long. But I still have to learn to deal with it, because it keeps me from putting myself out there and taking chances as much as I would want to. What Pressfield says in his book is that fear is actually a good thing "it tells us what we have to do." His rule of thumb: "the more scared we are of a work or calling, the more sure we can be that we have to do it". If you are comfortable doing something, it means that you are not exploring unchartered territories, and therefore it does not lead to growth. And what makes the difference between a professional and an amateur is one's reaction in front of fear: an amateur will stay in his comfort zone and try to first overcome fear before doing his work, while a professional will do his work in spite of that fear. He will push through. He knows that fear is part of the game, accepts it, and goes on with it. No matter how accomplished you are, fear will still be there (Pressfield tells us about Henry Fonda how he was throwing up before every show but then cleaned himself up and marched on stage). 

Steven Pressfield - Fear - Inspiration

So being an artist or an innovator of any kind, you will have to deal with vulnerability, as you put part of yourself out there, you will have to deal with your own mind's resistance as you put yourself in that vulnerable situation, and you will have to deal with fear, as you face uncertain situations. The solution for all, my friend, is just push through! Laugh in their face, and push through! You are braver than than that, smarter than that, and more amazing and interesting than that! Push through! Get out of that comfort zone! You are a creator and an innovator, the world is waiting for what you have to give! 

And, my dear reader, if you find yourself in any of these struggles, please share your experience with me. Or maybe you know someone who might find my advice useful. Please feel free to send them this blog post.

Hugs!

Tora

 

From 9 to 5 to Freelancing - First Impressions

Doing a career change is not easy and it can be all sorts of confusing. Even though i've been preparing for this for months (mentally, financially etc.) it's still surprising to me how different my circumstances are. To anyone considering such a change, I recommend you read this blog post. As for my fellow freelancers, I'm sure you'll empathize with me.

Tora Chirila Photography - Montreal Commercial Photographer

Before jumping into this career change, I've been reading all over the place, watched videos or listened to podcasts about what it means to be a freelancer, about running your own business and establishing a home office. For months I could only dream of days like my past few weeks when I would get all consumed by photography and business activities. I have a business degree so I do have a passion for business, but I just did not find myself in the corporate world. So I made the change. I was however, careful enough to have enough savings so that my transition is smooth and I had secured some future contracts before making the change. And now yes, I am enjoying the perks of being a freelancer. I set my own hours (I'm a night-bird, so I would trade 9 AM for 9 PM work in a heartbeat), I work when and where I want (I have to admit, it was quite fun editing by the pool this summer), no stress of a boss or office drama, I watch movies or tutorials while editing, my eyes get tired, I go for a run, do some yoga, etc. 

However, I am also dealing with the many challenges of my new profession.

One of my main ones is that it doesn't stop!!! Not to complain, on the contrary: when it's all about photography, I'm having a blast, and when it's time to get down to business I am all in. But that's the problem; I feel most of the time nothing else exists but what I do. But this is borderline workaholism, it's unhealthy and not good for my business (as in, I put in too many hours so my overall hourly rate goes down). But at this stage of my business, my time is my biggest asset. So I need to capitalize on it as much as I can. I do try to keep up the normal workweek, however, and I try to disconnect as much as I can in the weekends. 

However, in spite of what I've been talking about in the above paragraph, another problem I've encountered are distractions. There are so many of them!!! But, you don't understand: SO MANY! From phone calls, to texts and e-mails, from social media, to friends passing by and other random things. And I've been putting my phone away, closing social media tabs and disciplining myself, but it's just not enough! For example, I need new business cards so the other day I was looking for inspiration, fonts etc. I ended up spending two hours on Pinterest, Creative Market and Behance, without any real result. Not to mention if I end up on some Facebook page (for business purposes, I promise)...But there are a number of apps that I've been using to help me better manage my time, such as Pomodoro (it breaks tasks into 25 minutes work sessions with 5 minutes of break in between), or Trello (it's a lists and project management app; I absolutely need it!). I will come back soon, however, with a post on some cool apps that I've found very helpful. 

I know, however, I am exactly where I wanted to be. I have assumed an identity which is truly me, and I am experiencing a feeling I did not have in a while: job satisfaction. And the more I work, the more I want to work (workaholic alert!) But is it really called workaholism when you love so much what you're doing that it doesn't feel like work? I'm actually feeling guilty at times, as I feel I'm not working. I guess this is also something I've been dealing with lately: "I'm having fun, so it doesn't really count as work, right? Let me find the most boring task and overdo it, so I don't feel i didn't do anything the whole day..."

Freelancing is a hard job though, really tough in today's competitive environment, and very time consuming in today's social media environment. And you have to be Jack of all trades, and be master at all, you have to be good at your art, good manager, good PR person, good salesman, good bookkeeper and pro at social media. I know what I got myself into, however, and as long as I don't lose that fire, it's all going to be fine. 

But this is only the beginning...time (and this blog) will tell what will be in the future. Stay tuned!  😊

I'm always inspired by stories, so, my dear reader, what's your startup story? If you're a freelancer, what were your main struggles when you started? Don't be shy, leave me a comment below, we can all learn from each other 😊.

Sincerely,