Category: inspiration for makers

How to Motivate Yourself to Start Again if You’ve Given Up as a Maker

Leave a comment

Have you ever felt like giving up as a Maker?

Maybe you’ve tried to pick up that woodworking or sewing hobby you used to really enjoy, but got distracted and suddenly stopped.

Or perhaps, you had a new idea you wanted to try, but got overwhelmed and discouraged by all the new things that you needed to learn and it stopped you in your tracks.

I get it. I’ve been overwhelmed, discouraged and at the point of giving up many times in my own work. (You can read more about my journey here).

So, if you’ve given up(or been on the verge of giving up) read on. I hope some of  the ideas below, inspire you to keep going.

2 Ways to Motivate Yourself to Start again as a Maker…

In the past few weeks, I’ve struggled to begin the next book in the romance series I’m currently writing. I’m not sure why I’ve struggled exactly.

But, I sense that the root of it has been a lack of motivation.

All of us as Makers face moments — or days or weeks — where we get stuck, face fear or lack motivation.

Today, I want to offer a couple of ideas on how to inspire and motivate yourself to begin again, if you’ve either felt stuck as a Maker or if you’ve felt like giving up completely.

These ideas are what has helped me to push past barriers or hindrances so that I can begin creating again and to finish the next project.

I hope you find inspiration to begin CREATING again…

1.Be Inspired By Other Makers, who despite setbacks and difficulties, kept going.

Maybe you are reading this and you don’t think you can really do this. Perhaps you believe you’re too old to make the art projects you’ve enjoyed creating. Maybe you feel like you’ve had too many failures and you feel like you might as well quit.

If that’s you, I hope these stories from well-known makers encourage you:

  • James Dyson, went through 5, 126 prototypes and 16 years of life savings – but the 5, 127th prototype finally worked and today the Dyson Vacuum is one of the top selling vacuums in North America.
  • Colonel Sanders was 65 years old and reliant on a $105 a month social security check when he finally setup and incorporated his new business, Kentucky Fried Chicken.

So, despite setbacks, if you are truly passionate about being a maker, keep trying. You never know, when what you create will start to be successful.

2. Imagine and Write down what you want your life to look like in the next year – or next five years.

I needed to do this when I first started writing fiction. I knew from watching other fiction authors, that this writing journey might take a few years before it had the potential to become a full time income.

So I began to imagine what I wanted my life to look like.

Some ideas I wrote down were:

  • I wanted location independence(the ability to work from anywhere).
  • I wanted to earn my income from projects where I was the one responsible for creative control.
  • If my family had a vacation or special event, I could choose to take time off without worrying about loss of income.

The process of learning how to write and self-publish my novels(under a pen name for now) and finding an audience of readers has admittedly taken a lot longer than I originally thought(just ask my hubby… he would agree ;).

However, I’ve been encouraged as I’ve looked back at the past year to realize that I’ve really begun to find my niche in writing. I’m doing what I love and and consistently earning 4 figures a month from my work as a Maker. As part of my process I continue to work hard at bettering my writing craft and to develop greater discipline in my productivity and in different aspects of running a business.

These details do not come naturally to me. I am not an organized person by nature nor have I had experience at managing a business.

What changed for me, was when I imagined and wrote down what I truly wanted my life to look like, I had an aha moment.

I realized that in order for the vision I had for my life to become a reality, I needed to consistently 1)write down my vision and goals everyday and 2)Take small actionable steps towards reaching my goals everyday.

This has truly inspired and motivated me to press through discouraging days or times when I’ve felt overwhelmed by the huge project in front of me.  If I break it down into small steps, suddenly in my mind it seems do-able.

It’s like my mind finally relaxes and says: Okay, now this is figure-out-able. It’s time to begin.

I want to encourage you to Imagine what you want your life to look like in the next year. Expand that and picture what you’d like your life to look like in the next five years.

Now write down what you would like your life to look like in a year or in five years.

Write down your yearly goal and then break that down into actionable steps to take every month and then break that down into smaller goals to what you need to do every week and then every day to reach your goals.

Next, put your goals somewhere where you will see them every single day.

This will not only bring you clarity, but will inspire you to action.

Reminding yourself of your goals everyday will motivate you to begin those creative projects. Soon your imagination will spark new ideas and you’ll push past what was keeping you stuck in the first place.

Next time you’re stuck or on the verge of giving up, listen to stories of other Makers and then imagine what you want your life to be like in a year(or five years) and write down the steps you need to take to get there.

You might be surprised to discover your motivation has returned in full force… and that’s an incredible feeling.

Question: Have you felt like giving up on making your creative projects?  Are there steps you’ve taken that have helped you find motivation to begin again?  Please do comment below, we’d love to hear from you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Start From Where You Are

Leave a comment

As you’ve thought about that creative project or that Maker’s business you are ready to begin, it’s possible you’ve had many doubts or fears about getting started.

I can relate in so many ways to those feelings of doubt, intimidation and fear of starting something new.

All sorts of doubts, fears and intimidation surrounded both Murray and I as we began to make the creative projects we were passionate to share with the world.

It seemed each day began with a new list of questions that would pop up to discourage us or try to stop us from getting the work done.

A couple of questions both of us had in the beginning were:

  • Are people going to like the creative pieces I make? There are so many skilled people in the world who are making similar art projects, how will mine be unique?
  • I don’t have all the proper tools to make this right now. Could I get started and make those creative projects without having all the professional tools on hand?

These thoughts went around and around in our heads and hindered our progress for a little while, until we understood the importance of starting from where you are.

Start From Where You Are

Learning the truth of this statement, took each of us in different directions.

For myself, the passion to write brought me to a passion to learn. So I began reading many blogposts, listening to podcasts and reading books on the subject I was excited to begin. Writing was both exciting and terrifying for me all at the same time.

I’ve shared before of my insecurities and fears when I began learning to write. I had a huge need for someone to validate me and tell me I was good enough to be a writer.

Perfectionism and the Procrastination were trying to stop me from writing. And I discovered I was using both of them as my excuse to either slow down or stop writing completely.

Finally, the day came when I realized I didn’t need someone to pick me — when I had an aha moment that I could choose myself and that my writing didn’t need to be perfect to begin — that was when I had my first big breakthrough in my writing journey.

That was the first time I learned what it really meant to start from where you are.

The following quote has often encouraged me and helped me say no to excuses that have consistently tried to slow me down.

 

“Start from wherever you are and with whatever you’ve got.” Jim Rohn

 

My husband Murray learned the truth of starting from wherever you are also, but his journey took him in a different direction.

His search began as he watched videos on Leather and Wood design projects other makers were working on.

As Murray began to find topics he was interested in, often there were tools or software programs that he saw that he was convinced would make a better product.

One day as he was watching videos on YouTube of people building guitars. The one builder made an great product. This guy had a shop that had professional tools that my husband didn’t even know existed. There were vacuum clamps that would hold the guitars while he worked on details of the pieces he built… it was impressive.

After watching that video, Murray was left thinking that he would need a whole lot of tools to build a proper guitar.

Later, my hubby found another video of a guy making a guitar. This one however was quite different. He watched a guy in a refugee camp in Africa using a hand saw and a hammer and you guessed it… he was making a guitar.

He made the guitar and it played.

The guy in the refugee camp built a guitar with two simple tools and it got the job done.

Murray said watching that video, reminded him to stop whining and to work with what he had on hand. He could always grow from there.

Now, when he gets discouraged thinking about what he doesn’t have, he remembers the guy in the refugee camp building a guitar with only two tools and is thankful for the many blessings in his life.

No matter where you are right now, you can start working on your creative project.

Always start with where you are and with what you’ve got. Don’t be focused on what you don’t have. Rather, think about what you do have on hand in this moment.

Fall in love with your idea and begin it today.

Question: What are some thoughts that are holding you back from beginning to build your project?  Please do comment below, we’d love to hear from you! 🙂

 

 

What You Create Tells a Story

Leave a comment

As a Maker, whatever you create, tells a story.

There’s power in sharing your story. From an early age,  stories have been used to warn you of coming danger, to teach you right from wrong, and to inspire you to action.

Stories bind all of us together and help us make sense of the world around us. Stories help each of us make sense of our personal experiences. Stories give us deeper insight into who we truly are.

It’s this kind of storytelling that captures the imagination of the person listening to(or viewing and experiencing) your story.

The beautiful thing is, your unique story can be shared with others in whatever art medium you choose to tell it.

Whether you are writing, taking photos, woodworking, leather-making, painting, creating a sculpture, sewing, or something else… what you create tells a story.

what you Create Captures the imagination

As a Maker, the story you share through your art, captures the imagination of the person experiencing it.

The key to capturing others imagination with what you create, is to understand that authenticity rules when it comes to storytelling.

Why? Because sharing the real you in everything you create, comes from the heart. Being open, honest and transparent will help others connect with you.

Think of your own life experiences. Your own story. Do you share those stories, or do you keep them to yourself?

For most of us, we dismiss our stories as being irrelevant, embarrassing or boring. Yet, it’s those same stories that are vital in helping others understand who we really are.

When you share something real – your truth – you create connection.

When you share your authentic story, you capture the imagination of others and they are drawn to experience your art.

Imagination builds a memory stone

As you make your art, your creative work stems from your imagination. 

According to the University of Chicago, the word imagination comes from the Latin verb imaginari  which means: “to picture oneself.”

In other words, each piece you create is literally coming from core of who you are. What you make is telling your own story.

In this way, the origin of your creative work comes from your imagination… from the heart of who you are.

You are truly making a Memory Stone with every piece you build and every project you create.

You might be asking, what is a Memory Stone? It’s similar to a Memorial Stone(which you’ve likely seen at a cemetery) which is a structure built to commemorate a person or an event.

In much the same way, a Memory Stone is  something you build or create as a way of capturing a meaningful memory.

Memory Stones Are the Building Blocks of a Persons Life

As you use your imagination to create each project, you are pulling from the snapshots of your life. You are drawing inspiration and making art from your memory stones.

Each of these snapshots are like Highlight Reels of important memories from your life which you draw from in those pieces you create.

This is the reason why it’s important to share something meaningful about yourself… this creates connection with others who will experience your work.

What you build is so meaningful, because it stems from your true identity.

We can lose our truest selves when we hold back from sharing who we really are.

This is a mistake.

I made this mistake myself when I first started writing. I held myself back from sharing who I really was for the longest time as I wrote my books, because I didn’t really want to be seen. I wanted to be invisible and stay hidden.

The result? Readers didn’t really connect with who I truly was and I didn’t have much connection with them. I didn’t allow myself to be seen.

As I began to be vulnerable in my writing, that’s when my stories began to resonate with readers. They started to relate to the main characters in a greater way, because they were real.

People who are drawn to what you create, are interested in the highs and lows of your life. They want to experience life with you.

This requires allowing yourself to be seen, which can seem scary at times. However, with vulnerability comes the power of sharing your story and a greater connection to your audience.

When you give your story a voice, you allow them to resonate in the hearts of the people you interact with every art project you make. It exists in the imagination of both the teller and the listener.

It has momentum.

Sharing the story of you with the art you create, allows you to do more than simply document your experiences. Stories allow you to imagine and create what is yet to come.

From the traces of your past you shape the narrative of your future, which in turn continues to influence the stories you will tell with every piece of art you create.

I want to encourage you to take one small step outside your comfort zone as you create your projects this week.

Build a memory stone with what you make by sharing something real and authentic about your truest self.

Giving of yourself through each project you create, is an act of love and generosity that will form instant connection.

People will be drawn to what you make and resonate with the story you are telling, because each piece comes from who you really are… it comes from your heart.

 

Question: What is one way you can share your truest self and build a memory stone in the project you create today?  Please, comment below. We would love to hear more about you and what you’re making! 🙂