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Why I'm changing my approach to my creative business.

I’d rather be honest and authentic and disappoint some people, than to exhaust myself trying to keep up the facade of perfection
– Crystal Paine

I haven’t written anything for a long time.

You see, I’m feeling restless. I’m feeling a bit lost, while paradoxically feeling clearer than I have in a long time.

I can sense a change in the air. Maybe it’s the fact that I’m giving birth in about ten weeks – eek! – or maybe it’s a greater change coming about in general. In thinking about my business, I know I want to make some changes moving forward – but then, I also know that changes are coming in my life as a whole, in who I am and how I live.

Whatever it is, I know that things are shifting for me in big and little ways.

I can feel the old falling away and the new beckoning me to move forward. For me, the old looks like:

Worrying about what others think
Trying to please everyone
Hiding parts of myself and my life
Trying to portray a certain image or brand
Overwhelm, confusion, being stretched too thin
Trying to fit myself within a specific box (or in business terms, niche)
Competing and feeling not enough
Fear that others will not like who I really am
Trying to do things perfectly, correctly, by the book

These are not things I’ve consciously chosen to do in the past – in fact, I’ve actively tried to avoid most of them. But now that I stop to think about it, on some level, these things have still been present in my life. They show up in the way I censor myself on social media, in the way I’m afraid to step in front of the camera to make videos, in the feelings of stress and the procrastination that follows, in the loss of interest in my work, in the deep sense that I don’t have what it takes to write a book, in feeling stifled when I think about my business.

But when I think about the new, the ways I’m being pulled to move forward, I feel such a deep sense of lightness, ease, relief and excitement.

The new looks like:

Sharing more of my life in my work – that means writing about things beyond journaling and creativity (such as motherhood, simplicity, tiny living, self care, introversion, sensitivity etc)
Letting myself be more vulnerable, more easily seen – sharing more of my fears, my imperfections, my mistakes – and my face!
No longer listening to the business ‘experts’ but rather allowing my own inner compass to guide my business
Simplifying, getting rid of things that don’t bring me joy – including possessions, beliefs, digital clutter (unfollowing, unfriending, releasing)
Trusting that I still have a lot to offer people even if it doesn’t clearly fit within an obvious brand or niche
A deep sense that my soul is guiding me forward in just the right way
A knowing that in sharing who I am, vulnerably and authentically, I can help others to heal parts of themselves and shine brighter in their own lives
An acceptance that I can’t please everyone – that people will unfollow me, unsubscribe from me, maybe even lash out at me – but that as long as I’m listening to my own inner guidance I’m on the right path
An excitement that as I am more myself and more openly authentic, I’m going to connect with the right people in the right way at the right time

Maybe that sounds a bit vague. It sort of does to me when I read it over, but at the same time it makes me feel like I know what I want going forward, like I know how I want to feel.

Listen to the voice inside.

My business will be changing. Sure, there will still be the same journaling goodness (journaling will always be my number one tool for personal growth and soul connection) but there will be other things mixed in there too – things I feel called to share, for whatever reason. In building this little online business, I’ve struggled with the boundaries around being authentic and also being professional – with staying ‘on brand’ but also infusing myself into my work. It’s quite exhausting and limiting. I don’t want to present a certain image – I want to share me.

My deep belief is that all women, regardless of race, religion, size, social standing or anything else, have within them something valuable to share with the world.

But so many of us need to be reminded that we are enough, that who we are, as we are right now, is enough. That we have gifts to share and offer the world, that the world needs each and every one of us to share our voices, our experiences, our truths – no matter how insignificant they may seem to us. That we need to find the power within and the courage to be ourselves without apology, if we are to live a life that light us up and makes the world a better place.

I believe the best way to help women do this – to remember the great power and courage they hold within themselves – is to step into my own power, recognise my own enoughness, live my own life boldly, without apology and be an example for others.

And currently, I’m feeling stifled – by my online ‘brand’, by my work (my blogging, writing, social media etc), by the old ways of doing things. I’m sensing parts of myself just dying to be heard, expressed and shared, but instead being pushed down as I fear they aren’t ‘on brand’, or might offend someone, or just plain aren’t enough.

No more.

No more apologies, disclaimers, worrying about what someone might think. No more holding back, hiding parts of myself, trying to fit within a certain box or image to appeal to some ‘target audience’ out there. No more worrying about what label best fits me – artist, coach, writer, teacher… who cares? No more trying to have it all figured out.

It’s time for rawness, authenticity, vulnerability and courage. It’s time for mistakes, mess and imperfection.

Watch this space!

Self Empowerment

Why you should guard your alone time

August 16, 2016December 11, 2018 Jen Morris

The word ‘introvert’ used to really freak me out. I would picture someone at home alone, with no one to love, no one to share things with. It made me think of lonely people. So I wanted to be an extrovert – socialising often, partying with friends on the weekend, always looking to extend my social circle. Choosing time out with others over time alone, regardless of how tired I was, regardless of whether or not I felt a true connection with them.

No wonder I was unhappy. I was disconnected from myself, acting against my true nature.

Since developing my creative journaling practice and my online business, I have opened a creative channel inside me that longs to be expressed. When I’m out with others I often find my mind drifting to my creative projects – the things I’m truly excited about. Things I tend to work on alone. discover yourself

When I started to dive deep in my journal, I realised that I am very much an introvert at heart – and I love it. I felt the pressure of socialising all the time fall away. It turns out that spending time alone with myself is awesome.

But this can also present a problem. I often get invited to social engagements, catch-ups, parties and so on. Now I find myself carefully guarding my alone time. I want to turn down a lot of these events to be alone and work on my creative projects, but it’s hard. It’s hard to explain to people.

Most often I just say I’m busy. Because I am busy. With myself.

It’s funny how bad we feel turning down others or cancelling on friends when we regularly do it to ourselves. It’s something I’m really working on – if I want to spend time alone instead of going out, then I say no. Brene Brown has this fantastic saying:

Choose discomfort over resentment.

Choose the discomfort of saying no at that moment, rather than the resentment you will feel later if you agree to something you don’t really want to do.

For me it used to be about what my friend calls ‘FOMO’ – fear of missing out. I used to worry that friends would have an amazing night out without me. So I would go along, just in case, even though most of the time I would be longing to come home well before the others.

I’ve now realised that years of missing out on spending time with myself has been more damaging than missing out on one or two great nights out.

By embracing my inner introvert and indulging in alone time, I’ve reconnected with myself. I’ve learnt things about myself that I never knew. I’ve stopped worrying about offending people if I turn them down – those that really love me understand.

I find using Brene’s mantra helps me to say no to the things I don’t want to do. I’m working on not feeling guilty if I choose time with myself over others, allowing myself the time and space I need to unwind, create and dream.

And it’s lovely.

Creativity

The power of journaling

August 1, 2016December 11, 2018 Jen Morris

I’m excited to announce that I’m opening registration for my new online class, Journaling Into the Deep. Why am I so excited? Because in this class I’m teaching you the prompts and techniques that literally changed my life.

Wild inspiration

June 25, 2016December 11, 2018 Jen Morris

Sometimes I like to share posts, pages or links that have inspired me recently. Hopefully there’s something here to inspire you too!

If you love journaling and you’re interested in starting your own business, then I hope you’ll sign up for Heidi’s free 3 Day Business Journaling Challenge!

Lisa shares some simple ways to get creating when you’re feeling stuck

I love this list of self-care ideas – might be good to stick a copy in the back of your journal for quick reference on the not-so-good days

This article explores the bullet-journaling craze – have you tried it yet?

I love Andrea’s take on the idea of balance (hint: it’s not realistic!)

If you’re stuck with your journaling, why not try one of these journaling prompts

Or, if you’re feeling creatively blocked, you might want to try some of Akiyo’s journaling prompts to heal your art wounds

* * *

That’s all from me, I hope you have a relaxing and creative weekend!

Creativity

6 ways to get out of a creative slump

June 7, 2016December 11, 2018 Jen Morris

Lately, I’ve been in a real creative slump.

It began when I finished running my first course, Wild Intuitive Journaling, and I noticed my creative well was dry. I’d poured so much into the creation of the course that I had little left by the end of it.

Add to that the fact that I’ve been feeling unwell for about a month and I’ve had no interest or energy to create anything at all. I barely picked up my journal, struggled to write any blog posts or share on social media.

Yep, I was well and truly in a creative slump.

I did what I usually do at this point – panic that all my creativity and inspiration had left me for good. That I would never write or paint again. That, it turns out, I’m not an inherently creative being – that was just a front I’ve kept up for a few years – and really I’m this sad and hopeless person underneath.

But I’ve been through enough creative slumps now to realise that none of that is true. More than that, I’ve realised that creativity is cyclical – like anything else. It waxes and wanes. It made sense that after a period of intense creativity, coupled with needing to look after my unwell self, that I didn’t have the energy or inclination to create.

I’ve realised that creativity is cyclical – like anything else. It waxes and wanes.

So I allowed myself the time to do nothing. To step back and be gentle.

But as the weeks turned into a month, and I found myself feeling better, I wondered how, exactly, I could get my creative mojo back. I was ready to jump back in but had no idea where to start.

Here’s what I’ve found helpful as I carefully step back into the creative arena.

1. Go easy on yourself

First of all, don’t beat yourself up for not creating. Don’t add blame and guilt to fire. If you’ve found yourself in a bit of a creative slump, chances are there is a good reason you are there. For me, that reason was illness and needing to refill my creative well.

And you know what? Even if there isn’t a ‘good’ reason that you can identify – that doesn’t matter. Don’t make yourself feel worse by adding guilt or shame – let yourself off the hook. You’re allowed to take a break.

2. Seek out inspiration

This, honestly, has been my favourite part. I’ve taken it as a chance to soak up the work of others, to seek out what excites me. I’m scouring the blogs of my favourite journalers, I’m going back through my Pinterest boards to see images that fill me with inspiration. I’m watching YouTube videos and going back through materials from past journaling courses I’ve taken.

I have certain journalers whose work I love, who never fail to inspire me. Looking at their work sparks a little inspiration inside, and the more I look through it, the more it fans the flames. Before long I’m grabbing my paints and scribbling in my journal.

3. Join a challenge or group

There are so many free art groups and challenges out there. The best thing about joining something like this is the accountability. You feel you need to show up and participate – especially if you’ve declared publicly that you’re doing it.

Not only that, but there is so much support from other creatives. The more you share, the more people will cheer you on. That feels really good. And when you hit a wall, if you share that with the group, you’ll be amazed to find others are feeling the same. Sometimes we think we are alone in our struggles, but when we share them with others we quickly learn we aren’t.

Another good thing about joining a challenge is that it can be a good way to jump-start your practice. Often a challenge will have a theme or prompts, or other guiding material which can help guide you as you step back into your creativity.

Here are some of my favourite art/journaling challenges and groups – all of them are free. Some of these have time frames and some are ongoing:

Journaling Dangerously challenge and Journaling Dangerously group

15 Minute Practice challenge and 15 Minute Practice group

Index-Card-A-Day challenge and ICAD-2016 group

Inner Excavate Along challenge and Inner Excavation Group

Journal 52 challenge and Journal 52 group

30 Day Journal Project

100 Days Project

4. Treat yourself to new supplies

This can be a really fun way to get out of a creative slump. And let’s face it – who among us doesn’t have a massive list of dream art supplies? Don’t break the bank, but it surely wouldn’t hurt to allow yourself to grab a few pots of that paint you’ve always wanted to try, or some new brushes, or a few balls of that gorgeous yarn.

Sometimes the excitement of trying a new material, colour or tool can be enough to get us creating again.

5. Sign up for a course

Is there an online course you’ve been eyeing for ages but never allowed yourself to sign up for? Now’s the time. Find an artist or teacher you love or whom you’ve always wanted to learn from, and indulge.

A word of warning – this can be an easy way to waste money, if you’re not careful. Obviously, signing up for the course alone won’t get you out of the slump – you’ll need to show up and do the work. But, if you sign up for a course that truly inspires you, one that ignites that creative spark inside, then that should certainly be a good investment.

Another thing to consider here is to take baby steps – don’t sign up for the six month intensive, maybe just start with the four week introductory course and go from there. The last thing we want is for you to feel overwhelmed, and then guilty for not following through!

6. Take time out from other things

It might be that you’re in a creative slump because you haven’t had the time or energy to create – your life has been too full. Maybe you’ve found yourself working extra shifts at work. Maybe you’re taking on more responsibilities around the house, or helping a friend or family member with something. Perhaps you’ve signed up for a new exercise programme at the gym.

Whatever it is, if you want to have the time and energy to create again, you might need to make some sacrifices somewhere else. I’m not suggesting you quit the gym or leave your job, but you might need to ask for help from someone else to allow you a little time to create. Ask your spouse to watch the kids one night a week so you can journal. Take your knitting to work and use your lunch break as a chance to knit. Wake up a little earlier to get 15 minutes of writing in.

Try to find a way to allow more time and energy in your life to get creative, even if that means taking some time or energy out from another area of your life. Chances are, you’ll feel better for it.

* * *

I’m now finding myself taking careful and gentle steps back into my creative self-expression. Writing this post is one of the first ways of doing that, and I hope it helps even one person find their creative footing again.

Remember, you’re not alone and your inspiration isn’t gone forever – it will come back around when the time is right.

Creativity, Spirituality

Depression, journaling and your soul

May 25, 2016December 11, 2018 Jen Morris

Depression and your soul

A friend of mine – who is also a coach and healer – recently said to me that depression is simply when we become disconnected from our soul.

My first response to this was to feel a little angry. As someone who has experienced depression on and off for nearly two decades and isn’t afraid to get help in the form of medication and therapy when necessary, I felt that comment was a little unfair.

I know I’m not alone in experiencing depression – I’ve watched family members and many friends experience it too, and I know all too well how painful it can be when we are in the midst of it.

I nodded along with her comment, unwilling to rock the boat. In my graduate diploma in psychology we looked at various causes for depression, primarily chemical and behavioural – but not once did ‘disconnection from soul’ come up. Unsurprising, really.

A few days of letting that comment sink in and I began to wonder – what if it could be true? Western Medicine has many chemical, mechanical, logical, scientific and rational explanations for depression (although there still exists debate within the scientific community around what causes depression). But what our Westernised culture fails to take into account is spiritual explanations.

In fact, our culture in general keeps the spiritual at a distance, because it can’t be ‘proven’.

And we are more depressed than ever. Could it be that connection with spirit – in whatever form – is the missing puzzle piece?

Here’s my experience: the more I listen to my soul, through journaling, meditation, being in nature and just turning inward more often that I turn outward, the less I experience depression. The more I act on what my soul guides me to do – that is, moving towards my purpose by sharing more of my true self with the world, expressing my creativity and letting go of what no longer serves me, the more I begin to forget what depression even felt like.

For me, this always starts in my journal. On the page I can let out all my worries, concerns, fears, hopes and dreams – and my soul responds with wisdom, guidance and support. I’ve been doing this steadily for two years now and I have never felt more on purpose, in alignment and Divinely supported in my life.

For two years I have not had a depressive episode and I attribute this to regularly connecting with my soul and letting it guide me in living my life ‘on purpose’.

I’m not saying that a disconnection from our soul is what causes depression – I’m no expert. Even the experts can’t agree on what causes it. I’ve also not ruled out other more conventional forms of treatment for depression – namely medication and therapy.

But of all the things I’ve done in the past, this feels like the ultimate remedy, for me at least: daily connection with my soul in my journal.

Meaningful Work, Spirituality

Owning my spiritual truth

April 29, 2016December 11, 2018 Jen Morris

I haven’t been entirely honest with you.

Or rather, there are some things I just don’t mention all that much.

You see, I’m a hippie. And I don’t just mean in a let’s-love-each-other-and-save-the-planet kind of way, although I definitely am that kind of hippie too.

No, I mean in the incense-burning, crystal-holding, oracle-card-pulling, dream-manifesting, inner-Divine-connecting, meditating, chakra-balancing, energy-clearing, past-life-regressing, kind of way. The ‘woo-woo’ kind of way.

I have sort of alluded to these things before. I’ve talked about my belief that we can connect to the Divine within us through journaling. I’ve mentioned manifesting and using oracle cards. But…

I’ve always kind of watered this side of myself down. I’m very aware that everyone has their own belief system, their own understanding of the truth. I don’t want to be someone who says that what I believe is the one truth, that my beliefs are the only right thing. Because I think it’s important that each and every one of us finds our own understanding of what rings true for us.

But in trying to please everyone, I’ve let myself down. I write a lot about the importance of vulnerability and being authentic, but I’ve not been fully walking my talk.

FullSizeRender (30) — A few of my favourite things

So here goes: I’m coming out of the spiritual closet, so to speak. I’m claiming what I know to be true for myself, I’m owning my own power. I’m no longer watering my message down in an attempt to please everyone, because I know that in doing that I am doing a disservice to those who really need to hear my message.

I don’t want to get lost in the noise of the internet because I’m only offering a luke-warm version of who I am. I want to set the world on fire with my message, with being 100% me – my weirdest and most wonderful self.

Because I believe there is so much more to this world than meets the eye. I believe we each have inner access to the Divine – we are not separate from it but part of it. We can access this inner Divine if we choose to tune into the whispers of our soul and tune out the ranting of our ego.

You might call the Divine something else, for example God, source, spirit, the universe – the language doesn’t matter. I believe we are not separate from it. In fact, most of the great spiritual teachers tell us that the Divine is within.

I believe that we each have a soul – the inner part of us connected to the Divine wisdom, above and beyond what we can logically comprehend. I believe this soul has been through many lifetimes before and will go through more after our body is gone.

And I believe that in connecting to our soul, we can find out our own unique purpose in this world, in this lifetime. That’s certainly what I’ve done, and I’ve seen others do it too. Unsurprisingly, I believe that journaling is one of the best ways to connect with our soul, but there are others – meditation, prayer, guided visualisation (another powerful tool I’ve been using a lot lately), to name a few.

I also believe that we can consciously manifest and create a life that brings us pure joy – if we know how. I always thought manifesting was little more than vision boards and affirmations, but I’ve since learned there’s a lot more to it. I’ve created a lot of wonderful things in my life in the past and with my new-found knowledge I’m excited to create more.

Because lately, I’ve been really diving deep. It’s funny how the universe sends us exactly what we need right when we need it. I’ve somehow stumbled across books, teachers, concepts, situations – you name it – designed to guide me further down my path. I’m letting go of what no longer serves me and committing wholeheartedly to the person I am meant to be and the purpose I am meant to serve in this world.

I believe I am Divinely guided in bringing this message forward (we all are, if we choose to allow ourselves to be).

And I’ve really clarified what the ‘wild’ in Journal Wild stands for: it’s our soul. It’s the wild within us, the part of us that is connected to the greater energy, to the Divine, to the power of the universe. When we tap into our inner wild – our soul – we realise our true power, our true purpose.

I hope I haven’t lost you in this post – it has simply poured out of my heart onto the page. From now on, I’m wearing my heart (or rather, my soul) on my sleeve. I’m being my most authentic self, sharing what I learn and what I know to be true. If my message doesn’t resonate with you, that’s fine. I wish you love and light nonetheless. And if it does resonate with you, I look forward to sharing more wild soul connections with you as I head further down this path.

Thank you for joining me.

What Inspires Me

Wild inspiration

April 10, 2016December 11, 2018 Jen Morris

Things are a little quiet around here because I’m hard at work with my online class, Wild Intuitive Journaling. Here are some things to keep you inspired in the meantime…

I just adore my gorgeous new junk journal from Kassity’s Junk Journals

Can you draw your way to zen?

I could certainly relate to a few of these…

How awesome is this reverse colouring book?

As someone who loves both travelling and journaling in equal measure, I just adore Linda’s travel journals

This post about only taking care of our own baggage really spoke to me

Naomi offers 7 ways to identify your uniqueness

I love seeing inside Tammy’s art journals and reading a bit about her process

What has inspired you lately? Share in the comments below!

Creativity, Self Empowerment

Journal spotlight: Dream journal

March 29, 2016December 11, 2018 Jen Morris

One of my favourite things about journaling is learning more about myself – my values, desires, goals, fears, strengths and weaknesses. For me, journaling is a tool to dig deeper into who I am and what makes me tick.

One of the best ways to learn more about ourselves is to look into the symbols and themes in our dreams. Keeping a dream journal is a great way to record our dreams so we can better understand what they might mean.

I’ve always wanted to keep a dream journal, but whenever I’ve started one in the past I’ve never kept it up. After writing this post, I think I’m going to have a go, at the very least, at incorporating more dreams into my daily journal.

I have pretty vivid dreams most nights, and I certainly have repeated places, people, events and themes in my dreams. I love the idea of recording them to reread later and interpret some of the deeper meanings.

One of the best description of dreams I’ve ever heard is from one of my favourite movies, The Giver:

Dreams: A combination of reality, fantasy, emotions and what you had for dinner.

So what is a dream journal? Basically, you record the dreams you have at night, when you wake in the morning.

Why keep a dream journal?

There are lots of reasons to do so, but here are a few that resonate with me:

Greater understanding of yourself. You can uncover deeper feelings, desires, concerns and other things about yourself that are usually below the surface of your awareness. Recording them will allow you to dig deeper and possibly figure out what’s happening down there.
Inspiration. There are some really cool things that come up in our dreams due to the fact that our logical mind shuts down at this time. If you’re a creative who’s looking for ideas, you could stumble on some interesting things in your night time adventures!
Get better at lucid dreaming – that awesome state where you know you are dreaming so you can control what happens!

How to start your own dream journal

Choose a journal you want to record your dreams in and keep it beside your bed, or somewhere else you will remember to pick it up first thing.

Set the intention before going to sleep that you will remember your dreams.

First thing upon waking, record whatever you remember. It doesn’t have to make sense, just get it down – even if you have forgotten big portions of the dream, record what you can remember. Be as detailed as possible.

Don’t judge what comes up, just record it.

You can use drawings as well – you don’t have to stick to words! If you want to capture a certain place or feeling, you could draw it or use colour in your dream journal. Combining written and visual elements may also help to stimulate more dream recall.

Give the dream a title or sum it up in a sentence. This is a neat idea I read about here.

Practice – the more you do this, the more you will start to remember your dreams in more detail. Keep going.

And then what?

After you’ve been doing this for a while, you may like to look back through your dreams to get a better understanding of yourself. Certain images, themes, words, colours, events or people may reoccur. You could go through and highlight some of these, then journal about what they could mean.

You could use a dream dictionary for guidance, but personally, I believe that we are the experts on ourselves. You will start to notice patterns in your dreams that you will probably be able to interpret yourself. If you also keep a personal journal, you could possibly match up what has been happening in your life with what has been appearing in your dreams.

Try not to take it too seriously. While I think there most certainly are some deeper meanings we can uncover from our dreams, I also think that some of them are simply, as The Giver says, ‘what you had for dinner’.

Do you keep a dream journal? What do you enjoy about it? Share your thoughts in the comments!

What Inspires Me

Wild inspiration

March 18, 2016December 11, 2018 Jen Morris

Each week I share the things I’ve found to be most inspiring. Here are some of the things I’ve loved lately – feel free to share your own in the comments!

Not sure what to do on the first blank page of your new journal? Try one of these

After all being shown image after image of people living what appear to be perfect lives, it’s so refreshing to read something like this

It’s not too late to develop a good journaling habit this year

How valuable is your daily journaling?

I’m pretty sure I’m going to have to buy one of these…

As someone who regularly practices saying no, I love this

I did 30 life lessons for my 30th, so I loved seeing this series of 30 art journal pages

What has inspired you lately?

Stepping into my power and releasing the old

I’d rather be honest and authentic and disappoint some people, than to exhaust myself trying to keep up the facade of perfection
– Crystal Paine

Whatever it is, I know that things are shifting for me in big and little ways.

But when I think about the new, the ways I’m being pulled to move forward, I feel such a deep sense of lightness, ease, relief and excitement.

My deep belief is that all women, regardless of race, religion, size, social standing or anything else, have within them something valuable to share with the world.

I believe the best way to help women do this – to remember the great power and courage they hold within themselves – is to step into my own power, recognise my own enoughness, live my own life boldly, without apology and be an example for others.

Why you should guard your alone time

No wonder I was unhappy. I was disconnected from myself, acting against my true nature.