I wrote about the value of journaling almost a year ago. Since then, I have had many of my clients journal to kick-start our work together. The results are always astonishing and incredibly informative.
The purpose of the journal is to give voice to your inner voice. It is not there to solve the issues confronting your creative business as much as it is there to provide insight as to what you might be missing. What you perceive yourself and your creative business to be is a function of your conscious mind. If you permit it to, your journal can allow your subconscious mind to speak its truth. Too often your perceptions and your subconscious truth do not match, with the result being that your creative business is more a reflection of what you think it “should” be rather than an authentic expression of you and your art. And once you go down the path of “shoulds” you become derivative and, ultimately, boring to you, your clients and your staff.
An example. Many of my clients have business backgrounds and want their creative businesses to be businesses first, creators of art, second. Yet, when I have them journal with the topic being goals for their art, their business and their clients, they journal what is most important to them as artists first, businesspeople second. They would rather a design, installation or production reflect who and what they believe in as artists than make them a lot of money. Ironic, coming from a group of MBA’s, accountants and lawyers who, when you ask them, will tell you that making a profit is their number one priority.
To be specific, for the next ten days, I would suggest that you write for ten to twenty minutes when you first wake up. I had said that it could be any time of day, but I have found that if it is not first thing in the morning, we get in our own way. The length of time is up to you (not less than ten minutes or more than twenty though), but once you choose, commit to it. Give yourself your topic before you go to sleep and then just write whatever comes to mind on the topic when you wake up. You can ask yourself whether it is time to hire an assistant, what you think is most important about your art and how it is reflected in your business, whether your website looks good, whether you should open a new office, what color your new logo should be. The topics are entirely up to you. However, what you MUST do is just write. You cannot think as you do and you have to let go of the idea that ANYONE will be reading it (even you). You cannot read what you have written until you have finished journaling for the ten days. Once it is on the paper it is done. After you have written your journal for ten days, give yourself the time to read back what you have written. Hopefully, you will see what you have been missing in your perception of things. Then, find someone you really trust (REALLY TRUST) to give you feedback on what is in the journal versus their perception of what you, your art and your creative business are all about. I am quite certain you will discover the disconnects almost immediately.
Your highest priority should then set out to correct the disconnect between your perceived voice and your inner voice. Issues confronting you are often symptoms of the disconnect over and above the issue itself. Your journal will expose where you are being inauthentic. All of the value in your creative business is in your authenticity. The more authentic your creative business is as a reflection of you and your art, the more value you will be able to offer and receive from your clients.
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I started doing this when you wrote about it last year and found it incredibly helpful, but for whatever reason got out of the habit. With so many changes taking place and even more change on the horizon, there’s no better time to start this again. I’m taking the challenge for 10 days, and Day 1 has already proven enlightening. But perhaps the biggest challenge will be how to harness these thoughts and make the changes that will have a positive impact. Do you recommend a topic for every day, or would you leave some days open for free flow journaling to see what rises to the top? Thanks Sean!!!
Thanks Lindsey. Topics are up to you, but you have to choose a different one every day. The free flow is once you have chosen the topic to let your mind go. You might find other things bubbling up that are not on topic and that is more than ok. Of course, the challenge will be integrating what you discover into your business, but it will be worth it. I did not say in the post that one strategy can be to journal for 10 days once every 3 or 4 months and then look to integrate what you find each time into your business. That way you don’t have to be journaling every day — which, for some, is too much of a burden.
This is all super helpful, Sean. I’m excited to see what comes of it. I know that it’s important for me to do, even if it’s just getting thoughts out on the paper as a starter!
Okay, okay!! Stop nagging…I’ll do it! 😉
love this! i have been writing as well for the last year or so and have also found that talking into my iphone into a recorder app is also very useful. later on I then transfer it onto paper for reference. sometimes when I write I tend to filter things (damn business school writing training) but if it’s coming right out of my mouth it tends to be more real.
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