Creative growth lightbulb moments!
You know those moments when you are reading a book and it’s like the author is talking to YOU! Looking for creative growth, the writer just seems to know what you are missing and need to know. A lightbulb moment, critical pieces immediately fall into place. You see something more clearly, as you step into a new way of seeing or thinking. One that helps you move and grow.
I enjoyed LOTS of moments like that reading Chillpreneur by Denise Duffield Thomas. But three practical insights for creative growth made a huge difference to how I work as a creative entrepreneur. And as the title, suggest, they helped me to chill and relax into working in line with my purpose and personality.
So here they are, my three top practical insights for creative growth and entrepreneurship from Chillpreneur:
1. Know your business model
The Chillpreneur solution to finding the perfect business model for you is: Know thyself.
Chillpreneur, Denise Duffield Thomas
Knowing your business model might not sound like the sexiest advice. But this insight was truly game-changing for me. Denise DT outlines four business models:
- Maker Model – making physical things eg art, jewellery, clothing.
- Service Model – solving problems, doing work for clients eg photography, graphic design, editing.
- Consultant Model – helping others achieve transformation via“high- to medium’ touch” ways eg coaching, healing, consulting, advising.
- Teacher Model – instructing people in a “low- to medium-touch way” eg authors, bloggers, podcasters, online course creators.
Mixing and matching business model elements helps you find the unique best blend for you. And importantly, aligning your business model to your personality helps you work in a way that is fulfilling and relaxed.
My business model story
Why was this so game-changing for me? It helped me make sense of my identity as a creative entrepreneur and where to focus my energies. It tapped back into my why, passions and body of work over time. Let me explain.
I trained to become a certified life coach in 2016 but I have been a teacher for most of my life. Working in the adult vocational education sector (TAFE) for over 30 years, I’m highly skilled at teaching and facilitating both in-person and online. So I am a teacher at heart. I love to: share my knowledge and resources, structure and shape learning experiences, and make a difference in people’s lives. I love coaching too for overlapping reasons and for how I can foster transformative experiences, listen intuitively, help people find their truth and be in action towards what’s important.
But when I blend that CONSULTANT model/Coaching + TEACHER model together WHAM! Sparks fly as my zone of genius comes together. I’ve blended them together to create the Sacred Creative Collective Group Coaching program. And powerful personal transformations are the result. I love curating, creating and sharing my wisdom in chunks of practical lessons for others. And I can shape and reshape this material in different forms as a teacher in low- to medium-touch ways. This includes blogging, writing books, speaking, creating online courses such as the Personality Stories Coaching program.
This is all in line with my introverted INTJ personality type which has a natural preference for visioning what could be, creating, curating, organising and structuring into practical frameworks for others. So I am working in a way that aligns with my heart and skills. And that feels so much more chilled and satisfying!
Your business model story
So what’s your business model story? There are plenty of examples in Chillpreneur to consider including the story of Nicola Newman, creative mentor for the Sacred Creative Collective. Nicola blends Maker, Consultant and Teacher in a beautiful creative mix aligned to her heart and skills.
TIPS: Find the blend that makes you sing! Check out Chillpreneur Chapter 4 and see which model or blend suits you and the life and creative growth you desire. The mindset it creates makes all the difference!
2. Be a contributor not a guru
As soon as I gave myself permission to contribute to the conversation about women and money, and not have to be a guru or expert on it, my business became fun.
Chillpreneur, Denise Duffield Thomas
How freeing is that thought? How much time do we spend feeling we have to be experts? And how much pressure does that put on us? When we just need to show up and contribute to the dialogue in our areas of expertise or interest.
What’s our unique take? What do we know? What is our experience? How can we share what we know to help others?
Being a contributor means:
- learning and sharing what we know along the way.
- being a work in progress, valuing our point of view and experience.
- not wanting things to be perfect or more complete.
- defining ourselves by what we can give, not by what is lacking.
- supporting others by sharing what you know.
- co-creating with others and tapping into the power of emerging.
It’s valuable to be knowledgeable, experienced and skilled, but let’s not allow that quest to stop us contributing along the way. Be authentic, contribute and share your process and behind the scenes. You never know how your path or learning can help others.
My contributor story
Focusing on being a contributor helped me to share personality type insights as a speaker at the international level. Backing myself, I flew to the UK and presented at the British Association for Psychological Type. In Learned Wisdom: Journeys in Type and Transition I share how I stepped up in my personality work to present to highly-skilled, experienced international type professionals on type and transition.
It put me under pressure but it helped me to invest time to gather the wisdom and learning of my transition experience to help others. By focusing on being a contributor of my unique experience of type and transition, I was able to facilitate new insights for this experienced group of professionals. I received excellent feedback which was heartening. Plus I developed a body of work I can share with others to help their transition through my teaching/coaching blend.
Your contributor story
So what’s your contributor story? Where would it help you to shift your mindset from guru to contributor? What can you share or create that will help others?
TIPS: Reflect on where the need to be an expert is keeping you from growing, emerging and sharing your truth. Journal about the impact of this and how you might change it. Check out Chillpreneur Chapter 1 for further thoughts on this and other mindset shifts for creative growth. Read Denise DT’s 37 Lessons from Becoming a Self-made Millionaire and be reminded: “Who cares if you don’t know everything. You don’t have to be the best to make a difference to someone.“
3. Embrace imperfect action
Embracing imperfect action in your business will reap huge rewards for you.
Chillpreneur, Denise Duffield Thomas
I’m a Virgo like Denise DT so I know all about perfectionism. As Denise says, “we practically invented it!” And Virgos don’t have a mortgage on perfectionism either; your personality type can mean you have a natural preference for “perfect” over “in process” or “imperfect”. This can mean all kinds of over-critiquing, over-doing, procrastination and silence.
Like my mug that says, “Done is better than perfect”, imperfect action is a mindset shift that enables us to move, do, write, create and share without the constant tyranny of self-criticism.
Denise shares the example of “placeholder marketing” – copy or offers she has put out there until she creates the “perfect version”. They end up staying out there and being very much appreciated by her community who don’t see them as imperfect at all. Love that idea!
My imperfect action story
The most freeing aspect of imperfect action has been reminding myself I can update, edit, review, revise and reinvent. Also to recognise when I am doing too much and not expending my energy wisely.
Creating a free resource as an entry point for my community has been a journey in moving away from doing too much and perfectionism. My first opt-in resource was a 26,000-word ebook on the 36 Books that Shaped my Story. I’m proud of it and I am looking to publish it in another way. But it took me ages and was way too much as a first step in connecting with me and my work. For both me and my community.
My Free 10 Tips for Creating more Meaning and Purpose Personal Action Checklist has been the most downloaded free resource I’ve created. Using a spirit of imperfect action and contributing, I distilled wisdom and learning from major life transitions into ten tips. I created this checklist so my community members can craft renewed focus, energy and creativity in their life. Yes, I could easily get put off by thinking about what is not there or if it is enough. But I know these 10 tips worked for me. They’re practical, applicable and I know will work for others. It’s a powerful first step. And if I learn new things or get additional insights, I can always update it.
Your imperfect action story
So what’s your imperfect action story? What could you do now that gets you out there into the world? How could using the idea of “imperfect action” help you? What have you already drafted that you are holding back on? Is there something you want to create but feel a sense of fear about? What would be enough now? How could you save time and energy?
TIPS: Just do it! Enjoy the process of creating and watch out for those inner voices that talk you down. Have responses ready for them. Use the words “imperfect action” in your self-talk to honour being in action. Put your work out there and realise you can always change and improve it later with added experience. Focus on the value of your insights to others.
Share your story!
Love to hear in the comments or via social media – Instagram or Facebook:
- about your business model preference or unique blend.
- how you are leaning into being a contributor.
- and where and how are you choosing to be in imperfect action.
I hope these insights, experiences and tips have been helpful. I’m grateful to Denise Duffield Thomas for the insights gifted via Chillpreneur. It is a book I’ll be revisiting over time to strengthen my creative growth, freedom and abundance. I hope these ideas contribute to your creative growth, freedom and abundance too. Let me know what works for you! And check out Chillpreneur.
