Welcome to a new blog series called Steps on the Creative Path. This is the first post that explains the story behind the series. 
So many of us are coming alive to creative dreams, paying attention to the whispers in our heart which urge us to an authentic, creative life. Some of us have been on that path a long time, others of us have stepped onto it more recently. With the burgeoning of technology we also have the opportunity to express and grow our creative dreams within global communities of connection, bringing a host of ‘techie’ jobs new to all of us, no matter how long you have been using your hands, pen or voice to create.
I stepped away from a 20 year career in social work into life as a mosaic artist just 18 short months ago, finally giving my my artistic calling the attention it deserves. I duly launched myself into a whole host of projects, initiatives and ‘to do’ lists to develop myself as an artist and sell my art.
Then, five weeks ago, I began Kelly Rae’s Flying Lessons e-course on developing your creative business. The first lesson encouraged us to get our journals out and let the creative dreams and goals unfold. At that moment when my pen was poised, something in me decided to pause and list what I had already done before listing my goals and what I wanted to do. This was a light bulb moment…the list was long and took me by surprise, so little had I acknowledged these landmarks in my determination to get on with the next thing! I decided at that point that I would blog about significant steps I was taking as a way of celebrating them. The following week, my excitement for establishing my business office spilled onto a blog page and I cannot tell you how meaningful it was for me to read the comments of others celebrating this landmark with me. As if to underline the importance of building celebration into our lives, Kelly Rae talked about this very subject in Flying Lessons this week (telling us how she and her husband now make a point of chinking glasses and naming something to celebrate…as there is always something to celebrate, however small).
And so I have decided to do a short blog series to intentionally set out the steps I have taken and encourage others to do the same.
I hope this series will help us creative bloggers to step back, reflect, acknowledge what we have got done as a way of balancing the growing list of what is still to do. It can be that you set up a facebook page, mastered online newsletters or a new art technique, did your tax return, ran a great class, booked onto a course to develop yourself, did your morning pages, tidied your studio or craft space, reached out to connect with other makers, gave up your day job, got a commission, sold some of your work, set up your online shop, learnt from something you did wrong on a piece, got some business cards printed, managed to squeeze in 15 minutes of making whilst caring for little ones, coped with feeling overwhelmed, called yourself an artist when someone asked you what you did….
Stop and look back for a moment….what have you done? What have you achieved? What steps do you want to celebrate?
Cool idea!
This week I am proud of the fact that I wrote my artists pages every day and gained inspiration from it in a big way. I spoke to Mel Larsen about the idea for a creative retreat and she was really positive and excited about it. I feel momentum growing and I am very excited about it. I am proud that I did pretty much everything on my goals list for the week!
I'm excited to be having my first solo art show this month. I almost wished I could do it under the radar, but then, they are having an opening reception. which meant I had to let my friends know, otherwise no one would come. Some of my friends don't even know what I do.
I took a big step and sent out an email inviting them to the opening. I've had great responses and it should go well.
This is a great idea, I will be checking back to see other people's achievements. I'm sure it will be inspirational
Today is exactly 4 years since I lost my mum to cancer and I've been feeling sad for the last few days because of this. But each time I felt sadness I went back to my art and my spirit would lift and I would feel happy each time I drew or painted something. Discovering and just creating art has been my biggest achievement so far, it's made my life so much happier and I will always be so grateful for discovering once again, after more than 20 years, just how wonderful it is to just create.
Wow Moyra – so exciting to hear about the energy and momentum going on in your life. Well done on achieving all your goals this week – very inspiring!
'Jasper' that's a huge step and achievement! I am so glad that you got such a positive response from being vulnerable and telling friends and family. Looking forward to hearing how it goes.
Hi NT, great to see you here. Thanks for the encouragement. Just been to see Cleo Mussi's new exhibition…do you want some pics for MAN? It was great!
Hello Veronika, warm warm thoughts to you on such a hard day. What a gift to re-discover your creativity on the back of grief and loss. Big respect to you for such a huge achievement and transformation of pain into goodness.
I love this Concetta. Thanks for starting a place for all to come and celebrate together! So for myself I am proud that I have begun/finished some collage paintings, I have researched a ton, learned how to stitch an image in Photoshop, posted another great interview on my blog with an art biz mama, and oh yeah, did this with two little ones in my care.
Congratulations to everyone else who has accomplished so much. Cheers!
go us!
Just had to comment. Do you think it's a coincidence that so many artists ended up in the social work field? Maybe it's because I have been a social worker for 25 years and I just notice other social workers, but it seems like I see this theme over and over.
Hi Anjellz…such a good question. I think creativity and (good) social work are both about transformation, healing and developing as people and societies. So its not so far apart as it looks maybe? I guess its also about the path of us individual (ex) social workers – why we were pulled to social work and why we are drawn to art. For me its all part of the journey, just another phase of it I guess? Howabout you?
Dearest Concetta, this is such a wonderful wonderful idea and thanks so much for sharing a space where we could all come to celebrate! I love reading your story! Very inspiring. So far for me i have researched a ton on where would be the best place for me to set up my newsletter and also i've been crafting my email for a submittion to Artful Blogging ~ hoping to get it done this week. I guess it's no harm just to send it in and try my luck? 🙂 Have a lovely merry happy week and love to you!
Finished a drawing yesterday and hope to upload some new work to my gallery and etsy shop tomorrow.
I've got quite a few new drawings going on at the same time which is not easy for me- but i've found it's easy to jump from one to the other and i actually see progress!!! also, hope to find some freelance work here soon to supplement my more creative endeavors.
Congratulations on all your success this year, Concetta! I think it's soon time for your studio's first birthday?! 🙂
Hi Concetta, What a great new column! Well, I created a new banner for my blog and did a bit of a blog makeover. I also created a new fan page. I've also been doing some decluttering. I'm clearing the way for a new phase of my life!! 🙂
Concetta, this is a fabulous idea. I can see you are totally flying right now – how great!
I think I set myself too much and launch into overload generally. I have managed to set up a facebook page, a newsletter subscribe form on my blog, then have written and sent out the first newsletter today (you will probably have got it! 😉 and finally awarded the first ever gift grant in the last few weeks, and you know what? I feel totally, totally overwhelmed right now. Serves me right probably – house and kids too? me? . . . . . .
Look forward to your sunday sharing space to remind me of what I have achieved instead of where I feel out of control with too much going on! 🙂
Thank you.
Amelia.x
ps. just tweeted this wonderful idea too x
Gosh, haven't we all done soooo much! And with all our other family responsibilities too! Thanks so much all for posting – its so exciting reading what everyone is up to! I feel so privelaged to be connected to such an amazing community. Opening up this space is really making me think about taking time to reflect and also about pacing to avoid the overwhelm. My friend has suggested to only have 3 things on my to do list at one time! I think I need to spend some time scheduling tasks so that I don't panic about EVERYTHING that needs doing, but just focus on what is for now. Looking forward to hearing how we all got on at the end of the week!
My first solo show opened this past sat. It was great to walk through the gallery and see my work, and only mine hanging on every wall.
Lovely to see you here Kim (stil hugging those beautiful spirit poles!). Enjoy that feeling when you walk through the gallery – so cool! Where can we see pics? x
Terrific idea, Concetta! We'd never get anywhere without our small steps! This week, I'm celebrating turning my dining room into my art studio. I'm calling it the "dudio" and I just love the space now. It makes this journey as an emerging artist much more real! I posted about it with pics here: http://bit.ly/9nYRk6
Fantastic, inspirational idea…I shall put my thinking hat on….. X