Tag: process

When Your Creative Intuition Says Make it Anyway

On By Alice StrathernIn Mindset

What if you followed your creative intuition wherever it led you? Imagine if you did so fearlessly and without overthinking your every step.

An aspect of the creative process involves dealing with self-doubt. “What if I fail?” “What if this doesn’t make me any money?” In an attempt to make those questions go away, it’s common to talk to peers or mentors and seek their approval. While this action in itself is alright, it’s also important to validate your own voice and instincts. Otherwise, it’s someone else deciding your next moves.

Even after getting feedback, the doubts are still there. “What if what I’m creating is irrelevant on social media?” “What if no one interacts with my content?” There’s that need for external validation again.

It happens to me too.

As an author, I keep an eye on newly released books. I can’t help but notice that there are some genres that get more attention than others. Sometimes I wonder if it’d be a “safer” bet to embrace one of those hot genres and see how that goes. My struggle sounds like this:

“Wow, other authors are making it big in that genre. Should I go for it too? Nobody else seems to be writing in the genre I do. Would switching to popular trends be beneficial? I could also get more engagement on social media. But still…I’m not so sure.”

It’s exactly in the middle of that inner debate that creative intuition kicks in. That’s when I need to be real and ask myself: “does this genre truly align with the type of story I want to tell?” Most of the time, I find that I’m more excited to work on a book idea that wouldn’t fit into any of the popular trends.

When doubts get the worst out of you, I want you to remember that…

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Create for You First

On By Alice StrathernIn Mindset

For all creators out there.

Remember: Create for YOU first.

The beauty of creation lies not in universal acceptance, but in the courage to express what is uniquely yours.

The value of your work is not measured by the number of eyes that behold it, but by the depth of feeling it stir in you and, eventually, in those who find a reflection of their own untold stories within it.

Create. Repeat.

 

Happy leap day!

20 great things about 2023

On By Alice StrathernIn Inspiration

A great year is ending. Since 2020, I’ve been posting 20 things that have been making my year wonderful.

I’m really pleased to see that there’s a little bit of everything. This time, even food made it. Whoa. At the end of the day, experiences are what matters most. I’m glad I could capture most of them.

So here’s 20 great things about 2023.

  1. Celebrating my son’s second birthday
  2. Having my mom around for two months
  3. Creating art with my mom
  4. Playing my mom’s favourite childhood game with her
  5. Writing 100 pages of my new book
  6. Having fun in my writing classes and meeting some great and inspiring women.
  7. Seeing Depeche Mode live for the third time in my lifetime.
  8. This specific video from the concert. You can actually hear me scream!
  9. Enjoying Memento Mori, especially My Favourite Stranger and Soul with Me.
  10. Reading Eva Luna by Isabel Allende
  11. Reading Untamed by Glennon Doyle
  12. Getting to know Kurt Kobain through his personal diaries
  13. Trips to the zoo on Sundays
  14. Paul McCartney’s lyrics
  15. Tuna and salmon poke bowl
  16. Janet Jackson’s music
  17. Rediscovering some old songs I’ve always loved: Happy Together, Kiss the Rain, I Can Dream About You, The Hustle, Reasons, Hold Me Now, Don’t You Forget About Me.
  18. Sade’s music. Anything she sings is powerful.
  19. Alicia Keys’ music
  20. Discovering Neo Soul and Nu Urban Jazz.

Failure Culture: Reframing Mistakes to Grow As a Professional

On By Alice StrathernIn Inspiration, Mindset

Failure culture is an uncomfortable topic in any professional setting. Even if you are an entrepreneur. There’s an inner voice that constantly says “you can’t afford mistakes”, “defeat is not an option.” There’s a constant pressure to succeed almost flawlessly.

If you were to reframe failure, though, your work would gain more depth. In any creative process, missteps, ups and downs, and losses are bound to happen. That’s the nature of any initiative.

I remember the time when I was discussing marketing strategies with a former manager. We were going to launch a new product, and we had clear goals to reach. As we were wrapping up our meeting, I said: “If some parts of the strategy don’t go as planned, then we’ll learn a lot.” His response was unforgettable: “Yeah, but let’s try not to make any mistakes. We can’t do that.”

Failure culture is almost taboo. After careful planning and investment of time and resources into a business, why would you welcome it? You are aiming for great results. However, it’s worth reflecting on two key factors: the input that learning experiences can provide and the idea of embracing discomfort to grow as a person and as a professional.

As President Franklin D. Roosevelt once said: “a smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.”

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The Habit of Side Hustling: Start with Two Minutes

On By Alice StrathernIn Mindset

The habit of side hustling is exciting to start, but challenging to maintain. On the one hand, there’s joy in creating something meaningful in any form; on the other hand, at times it feels like there’s so much that can be do but so little time.

It’s still worth the try.

When thinking about habits that develop around side hustling, one specific friend comes to mind. She would say that every day, no matter what, she would sit at her desk and write for three straight hours. She committed herself to do that without skipping a day. Eventually she wrote a book, and it got published.

Her dedication was outstanding. When she told me about her writing process, I hoped to be like her someday.

There’s another case that comes to mind. I once read a series of tweets from an indie writer who shared one of his habits: hitting a thousand words every single day. He would always carve time to reach his goal.

I thought his discipline was impressive. I know for a fact that a lot of writers set goals based on word count and results can be satisfying.

While it’s wonderful to hear these stories of productivity and success, let’s be mindful about one crucial point: every person finds their own system to work on their goals. Everybody has different lifestyles and routines. Therefore, it’s not always possible to focus on a creative project for three straight hours. Word counts vary from person to person. If someone decides it going to be less than a thousand per day, it’s still valuable.

When working on the habit of side hustling, it’s okay to start small. It’s okay to not imitate those who seem super productive in your eyes. Small progress is always great progress.

Building a habit while starting small is perfectly doable. You’d be surprised to know that it’s simpler than you think.

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Joy at the Core of Your Creative Work

On By Alice StrathernIn Mindset

Have you ever thought of joy as a core value in your creative work?

It’s worth considering it. Joy isn’t just confetti vibes. It’s the conviction that you’re creating a piece of work that’s important to share. It’s expressing what you feel needs to be expressed.

I’ve been thinking about a few writer friends I’ve met along my journey. I remember they would read my work, and they would give me wonderful feedback. However, when I read theirs, they wouldn’t always take a compliment. Their reaction was actually quite harsh.

“I’m not that great.” “I’m supposed to be good at this, and it sucks. I write pages and pages, and I just end up with garbage.”

To me, these thoughts indicated that they were trying to achieve perfection to feel like their writing was valuable. Sadly, an activity that was meant to bring them joy had the opposite effect.

When you’re working on your creative craft, are you obsessed with how perfect the end result will look like or are you making sure you’re having fun creating it?

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A Fresh Idea for 2023: Your Time is Not a Democracy

On By Alice StrathernIn Beginnings, Mindset

As a new year unfolds, here’s an idea that I think it’s worth reflecting on: your time is not a democracy.

A few weeks ago, I listened to a podcast episode on The Chase Jarvis Live Show entitled “Your Life is Not a Democracy“. I thought about the same idea, but applied to time and how it’s our responsibility to make the most of it to live a fulfilling life.

Time can be tricky. Time can be a blur. There isn’t enough time for everything at once.

Some days, you wish you had more hours to work on as many projects as possible; however, other days, everything just seems to be moving slowly, and momentum fades away. Regardless of what any given day brings, it’s you the one deciding where your focus is.

Then again, your time is not a democracy.

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Things that made my year – 2022 edition

On By Alice StrathernIn Miscellany, Personal

We’re getting closer and closer to the end of 2022. Where did the time go? Funny how time flies when you’re having fun.

Here’s a list of things that made my year:

  1. Celebrating my son’s first birthday.
  2. Having my mom around for two months and celebrating my son’s birthday with her.
  3. Publishing my debut novella Kaleidoscope Eyes.
  4. This interview about my novella.
  5. Realizing that, as independent author, learning takes place every day, and it’s scary and fun at the same time.
  6. That it’s important to focus on the step in front of me, not the entire staircase.
  7. Learning about Amazon Ads for authors.
  8. Writing #LetrasDesnudas.
  9. Joining Té de Querer for some great writing workshops and making new friends.
  10. Publishing three articles on Excélsior (Mexican newspaper, all available in Spanish): Carta para la niña que se convertirá en mujer, Promesas de hoy para un mañana seguro, and Urge modelo de salud con perspectiva de género.
  11. Discovering the Curious Fox podcast.
  12. Rediscovering The Chase Jarvis Live Show.
  13. A great podcast in Spanish, Hablemos Escritoras.
  14. Joining Good Reads as an author.
  15. Learning that Depeche Mode is releasing an album next year.
  16. Finding joy in writing my newsletter.
  17. Listening to some great artists: Neo Soul, Toni Braxton, Sade, Tom Jobim, The Human League, Spice Girls, and Alicia Keys.
  18. Castella tarts.
  19. Tuna and salmon poke bowls.
  20. Janet Jackson’s album “Control”.
  21. Learning the meaning of surrender.
  22. Tara Brach’s talks and meditations.
  23. Waiting Game by Junior Boys.
  24. Toda Tercafeira by Soul Quality Quartet.
  25. Deciding that my new NFL team is the Seattle Seahawks.

 

Grateful for all the lessons learned. Grateful for the wonderful people who walked with me every step of the way. Grateful for all discoveries. Looking forward to 2023!

Creating Habits: Ask Yourself Questions to Move Forward

On By Alice StrathernIn Mindset

If you’re looking for ways to create new habits, especially as we’re getting closer to the end of the year, it’s worth reframing the way we look at this specific action.

You will find a ton of information on the Internet on how to do it. The advice will be useful, without a doubt. You can get information from a variety of sources and make your own plan to proceed and improve your life.

My suggestion: ask yourself questions that require a mindful answer.

This idea comes from James Clear when he was interviewed for The Chase Jarvis Live Show. When Chase asked him about creating habits, James proposed going inwards to develop what you need.

This makes a lot of sense. You are the expert of your life; therefore, you are the only one who can tailor your habits to advance your career, improve your craft or your life quality.

I came up with a list of questions to help you get started.

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What’s the value of your time? Hint: It doesn’t have to do with money

On By Alice StrathernIn Mindset

As you get ready to start a new day, let me ask you: what’s the value of your time?

Something that may come to mind is “I’m worth $25 an hour”, or maybe more dollars depending on your occupation and experience level. While that’s a valid answer, time goes beyond the value of money.

One thing you can’t buy more of in this world and that is time.

Minimalismmadesimple.com

The relationship between money and time is peculiar. When you have some cash in your hands, you can either spend it or save it. The same thing happens with the way you use your time. However, unlike money, you can’t get back the time you’ve spent.

Therefore, the value of your time is higher than you can imagine. How are you currently managing it?

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