1 say no with love story
Saying no with love is not just about ... saying no. It's also about receiving no. How does the no sit with you? What happens in your body when you receive the no? How do you respond to it? How does this change over time?
Rewind a decade, and any "no" I received would have made me react. I'd probably say things like "oh this is typical!" or "This always happens to me!" I used to float into victim mode at the snap of a finger. I'd make excuses too. I can't work on my writing. I can't do this. I can't do that. But the more we notice, the more we work on ourselves, the more receiving a no becomes ... creative opportunity.
The no I received last month changed the shape of my next two seasons. It threw a big ol' metal wrench in everything. I experienced a fleeting (and I mean fleeting) moment of panic. But instead of moving into victim mode as I would have in the past, I slipped into creative solution-mode. Wait a minute ... there's a big opportunity here, if I choose to look at it that way.
I had a conversation with one of the most important people in my life ... I shared all the vulnerable pieces of that no. I mapped out the potential consequences. We both stared at the page. We sat in silence or a minute.
I stayed open.
What could I fill the space with?
What have I been too protective of and why?
The other day I posted on Instagram about how I had been avoiding launching a new program. A program that I'd only HINT about here and there. I realized that this program I put so much time, energy, and money into is the most valuable thing I've ever built. It's been a long time coming. I've been training for this. And yet ... I kept avoiding selecting a launch date. The no I received was a huge message: Do the thing already. It became clear. My body relaxed.
If I wouldn't have received the no I received, I would have continued to push back the launch date. I would have forever kept it tucked into my heart. Launching ANYTHING is a massive creative risk.
Sometimes a no is the universe's way of saying "Umm, this is a sign for you to do that other thing already!"
So, I'm doing that thing. The Creative Ecosystem Launchpad is going to open this fall. The dates are literally going to be announced next week. I've picked the date and it has a very meaningful story behind it which I will share with the folks on the waitlist next week. Next week. I said it! No going back now!
And I know what you're thinking ... Chelene why the heck didn't you tell us what the "no" was? Aha! Well, I'll be unpacking this no in week 5 (of 12)of the Ecosystem Launchpad. My no is going to be splayed out on the virtual table for all to see, and it will definitely have you thinking differently about your creative life, that much I will say.
In the Ecosystem launchpad you will follow a clear roadmap over the course of 12 weeks. Near the last leg of the program, when we get to the creative net worth section, you will get to see real numbers (my financials, I'm talkin' royalties, grant trends, workshop income) ... oh it's going to be eye-opening. We'll talk about to to make good use of the stuff writers often throw away. But you won't start there.
You will build a foundation first (the part the industry under values/skips/forgets ... you pick the language). I'll get to know YOU. Your values, your message, how you show up in the world. What do YOU want from your creative life? Then I will taper things in and get to the nitty gritty. You'll see inside my processes, you find ways to alter it for you based on what you are learning about yourself.
You'll hear from some of the writers I've worked with in the past and they will share their own values and message. The discussions in the room will be valuable. Life changing.
You'll be in discussion with other writers in real time. You will have what you need to build a creative life you never want to drop no matter now many damn no's you get or who tells you this is all a pipe dream.
You will transform the way you feel inside your creative practice. And when life whips a massive curveball your way and it grazes you, you'll be so nimble it will barely leave a scratch.
2 creative risks to try
Creative risk 1: This October take a look at what resides in the liminal space between the craft of writing and the business of writing. Join me and the Saskatchewan Writers' Guild for a powerful 2-hour workshop/creative experiment! Sign up here.
Creative risk 2: forward this letter to a friend with recently received a big "no" you never know how a simple story might spark something in someone else.
3 writing process refinements
aka 3 things to do ... differently
process refinement 1: What genre intimidates you and why? Brainstorm three low stakes ways to enter into that genre.
process refinement 2: Start swapping writing challenges with a friend by text. A friend and I do a challenge every Sunday and it's something I look forward to. One of the challenges was to share a write up about our "mentor text"
process refinement 3: Find some way to include sketching/drawing/mind mapping into the early stages of your writing project. Why? This encourages you to play and make a mess. There's a lot of time for the neat and tidy word counts to increase! Play, dammit! Have fun.
Studio Delights
To accommodate the fall launch of the Ecosystem Launchpad, I will be reducing the number of writers I take into my 1:1 mentorships (aka turning down the volume). If you want to get on the list for 2027, read more here.
with love, Chelene
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