The Creative Exponent

You make things. You create this art for people in your life. Maybe it began as a hobby; maybe it was a work you wanted to pursue and you had children, or started a 9 to 5 you cannot walk away from just yet. And you hear it: “You should sell these.” Turning your creativity into a business is often worth the risk, but the choice to take something you love and turn it into an income producing machine does come with responsibility and even pressure.

This week Shaunna and Marian talk through questions to ask yourself before you take the leap. To help you evaluate how ready you are, the negatives that might come along, and the positives that can outweigh pressures that do arise. This is not a checklist. This is a conversation to have with yourself before you step into the world of creative business or encouragement for you as you continue to grow the business you run.

You can find Marian and Shaunna at www.thecreativeexponent.com where they continue their passionate conversation around all things creative.

Snippet 4 - Journal Prompts To Build Creative Resiliance by Marian Parsons & Shaunna West

If we decide we have all the answers in this life, that is then the end of our road. There is nowhere to go, nothing new to do and see and be. There is no wonder. For creatives, there is such rigidity to this way of thinking and our work will suffer. When we remain teachable, it leaves us with a willingness to learn, change, and grow.

This week Shaunna and Marian encourage us to create with curiosity, to recognize there are other ways to look at the world. There is always more to learn. Remaining teachable can truly take our art to interesting and exciting places when we learn to look beyond our own borders.

You can find Marian and Shaunna at www.thecreativeexponent.com where they continue their passionate conversation around all things creative.

Snippet 3 - Our Favorite Ways To Play Creatively by Marian Parsons & Shaunna West

Wounding happens to all of us, in every way. It happens to us at home and at work, and it happens to us creatively. So what is creative wounding? It is anything that deters you from doing something creative you love that is outside of a reason you choose for yourself. It may be a word spoken over you as a child. It may be blatantly negative or incredibly subtle. And when it happens, we sometimes give over the ability to choose that “this” is something that we will even try to do.

This week Marian and Shaunna talk about what creative wounding is, how we see it show up in our lives, and the ways we can overcome it as we pursue our creative work.

You can find Marian and Shaunna at www.thecreativeexponent.com

where they continue their passionate conversation around all things creative.

Observing and creativity go hand in hand. There is such importance in slowing down and being observant. This week Shaunna and Marian talk about how much harder this is due to all the digital distractions we have at our fingertips. They still contend there is power in sitting on a bench to enjoy being outside, or to watch a couple walk through a park. To simply be. We all need to just be able to sit, to breathe deeply, to be truly present. To revel in Intentional quiet.

The gift of bring present brings is experiencing life, which breathes just that into your creative work: life. It gives us the chance to reside in a place of flow versus tension. This practice will make a huge difference in the way we view the world and THAT makes a huge difference in the way we create art.

You can find Marian and Shaunna at www.thecreativeexponent.com where they continue their passionate conversation around all things creative.

Creative Snippet 2 - Journal Prompt - What's Your Why by Marian Parsons & Shaunna West

This week’s episode of The Creative Exponent welcomes its first guest, Artist, Author and Workshop Connoisseur, Jeanne Oliver. Shaunna and Marian ask her questions surrounding her own creative journey, and find out what makes this creative entrepreneur and teacher tick. Jeanne shares her first creative memories painting on the carpet as a child, protecting herself from her inner critic, and the impact of words spoken over us that can become a part of our own narrative that limits us. She addresses us all, and leaves us with words of wisdom to start ameteur, to pursue what we feel drawn to, and to leave our mark on the world in our own unique way, through practicing, over and over again.

You can find Marian and Shaunna at www.thecreativeexponent.com

where they continue their passionate conversation around all things creative.

You can find Jeanne at https://jeanneoliver.com where she sells her own original art, leads and facilitates loads of digital and physical creative workshops, and shares her own creative journey with her audience.

entrepreneur

Asking why is important. The “why” matters. But what if asking “why not?” is equally important? Asking why not forces you to face the fears and insecurities behind why you don’t do it...because often the why not is just that: fear.

This week Shaunna and Marian talk about finding a balanced approach to asking ALL the questions we need to when trying something new creatively or for our creative work. Asking why not is not flippant or reckless. Looking at the answers to our “why not” does, though, bring awareness.

To help us look at the worst case scenario in our minds and decide if we will face it anyway. Making decisions from a place of fear in our creative work is just as emotional as making them from over-excitement. We are looking for the balance...where fear turns into caution and dreams turn into vision.