I know it probably sounds quite melodramatic when I say that doing Art Every Day Month in November 2007 changed my life, but hey I really believe it did!


By giving myself permission to create every day, the concept for the Right-Brain Business Plan® intuitively came to me at my kitchen table. Since that fateful day the RBBP has helped me grow my business in exciting ways and has helped tens of thousands of creative entrepreneurs around the world launch and grow their businesses (which totally blows my mind).

While I’d like to create every day, I must admit that I don’t always make the time to do so. Although I have been painting in my studio at least once a week and that’s been a lifesaver for me. When November rolls around, though, I love knowing that I’ve got the structure and community of AEDM to help me create my daily doodles.

Here are some of my creative life and creative business learnings from doing AEDM for the past several years:

• Start small. While I absolutely looove working big when I’m doing intuitive painting, there’s something about the structure of my small 3″x3″ daily doodles that feels completely doable. I started doing these itty bitty sketches in 2009 because I wanted a low-pressure way to participate while I was writing my first book. When I’m sitting down to work on an “important” project in front of the computer or on a blank page, I can get intimated or stuck. But with the contained space of my tiny journal I know that I can just get something done pretty quickly. When you’re moving toward your big visions, start with small steps and enjoy those quick wins.
• Provide parameters. The first couple of times I did AEDM I played with different mediums each day. While the variety was great and it eventually sparked my first RBBP, after awhile it started to become challenging for me to think of the next cool supply or format to try. When I decided to just focus on my small daily doodles, I felt relief because I had one less thing to worry about. Surprisingly, limits and guidelines can actually stimulate creative freedom.
• Create consistency. In my last newsletter I shared some tips around enhancing your masculine energy through discipline and follow-through. A daily challenge like AEDM encourages me to practice having consistency and helps me form a nice, productive habit.
• Capture ideas early, even if they’re not fully formed. When I wait until end of day to do my doodle, I struggle to come up with what to create. But if I start doodling earlier in the day when ideas come to me (even if it’s not intended for the final product) my mind and muse begin to subconsciously sculpt the idea. Then when I do sit down to do the work, I’m able to tap into more ease and inspiration and the doodle flows. I apply that take-away to my business business by jotting down my half-baked thoughts and doodling ideas for future projects. They’re fodder for when I’m ready to develop and implement the next exciting thing.
• Find the stories and anecdotes. Throughout the day I’m constantly looking for a story or message to inspire my doodle. Sometimes they’re mundane things but often times I discover hidden meaning for myself that helps me explore an emotion or a life lesson. Plus, sharing the stories helps to increase connection, since people can often times relate to my foibles or the funny everyday situations I find myself in.
• Think visually. I challenge myself to tell the story in pictures not just words. Doing this daily helps me to strengthen my visual thinking muscle. And that muscle sure comes in handy while running a creative business. For example, when I’m trying to articulate a new idea or strategy often times metaphors and diagrams help me wrap my head around new concepts or plans.

Whether you participate in AEDM or not, I encourage you to dedicate some time on a semi-regular basis to explore your creativity. You never know when your next great idea will emerge. I’ll be sharing my daily doodles on Instagram using the hashtags #aedm2015 and #jennleeittybittysketch. Hope you’ll join in the fun!

To celebrate the launch of her wonderful new book, The Book of SHE, my dear friend Sara Avant Stover will be interviewing some of the feminine leaders that inspire her most (I’m honored to be one of them!).

Each will share the stories that live deep within her own feminine soul (which Sara calls one’s SHE). You’ll be hearing from coaches, yoga teachers, financial therapists, artists, entrepreneurs, nutritionists, astrologers, and even Sara’s own mother!

At the heart of each of our stories is this: as women, we face countless transitions on the pilgrimage from girlhood to womanhood. Menses, love and heartbreak, motherhood, menopause. Devoid of a central narrative, these transitions too often happen in shame and secrecy, leaving us doubting our personal power and self-worth.

Sara saw how women everywhere erroneously view these rites of passage as neuroses, or even “curses.” Now, through both her new book and this podcast series, she’s encouraging women to speak up and help tell a new tale that reflects the power and wisdom unique to the feminine path of empowerment and Awakening.

In our podcast interview, Sara asks me some deep questions that help me reveal some stories I haven’t shared before and open up about some tender points along my own Heroine’s Journey. I share why I’m risking listening to my body (over ambitiously pursuing rapid business growth alone), and both the struggle and peace that this brings. I also share some of my favorite ways to “embrace ease” during my work week, and how connecting with my muse keeps my creative fire kindled. Enjoy!

Guest post by by Cass Mullane, Accountability Coach, Right-Brain Business Plan® Licensed Facilitator, Prosper Creatively, LLC

Do you notice how often you hear complaints about how there are never enough hours in the day? How there is never enough time to get all the stuff done?

Well, I have to say that I often feel pressed for time and that I’ve made the same complaints on occasion. I’ve even secretly wished for my own personal Cass Clone!
Time for me falls into two buckets, the time that you control and the time that is affected by outside influences.

The responsibility for landing in a time crunch is usually mine because of choices that I’ve made. It’s my responsibility because I said yes and added something to my plate. It’s my responsibility because I chose to procrastinate. It’s my responsibility because I did not delegate as well as I should have.
So instead of lamenting my perceived lack of time, I step up to the mirror, say, yep, I chose this, and I make a plan to keep moving ahead with something productive. I slide things in and move tasks around to make sure I always know what’s next and then I give myself a kick in the pants and get back to work.
There are also occasions when your time is affected by outside influences. What happens when you’ve got everything lined up and planned out and then someone throws in a wrench? Is your response, “But wait, I have deadlines! I have a big show to finish prepping for, I have a Board meeting to run, I have appointments, travel, clients, family, friends all depending on me to do what I said I was going to do!!!”
Here are a couple of scenarios:
I’m in my studio waiting for my client to arrive. I’ve had a busy morning, a quick lunch and I’ve prepped for our session. Then I receive a text that he’s going to have to cancel. … Ok, that’s an hour.
I’ve cleared the books for a three day workshop, lined up the travel arrangements and I’m working on a few details before I head out at the end of the week. Then I receive an email saying the workshop is postponed for a couple of months. … Grrr, sigh… hmmm, that’s a gift of three days.
I’m cleaning up my space and moving things around because I’ve got a lot of work to do and I need things to be put away before I start a big project. I pick up a box, turn to put it back in the closet and, POP! my meniscus tears and that means surgery. … Seriously?! … Well, that’s a gift of couple of weeks (ok, a week since there will be a LOT of sleeping time)!
What should I do with all this unexpected free time? Complain about it because it is not what I planned or make the most of it and treat it as a bonus? If you add up the three examples above, I suddenly have almost two weeks of free time sitting there grinning at me.
So the question becomes, how do you look at your unexpected free time? Is it a burden… or is it a bonus?
My vote is: It’s a BONUS!
A final note: Because we tend to work so hard on so many projects we tend to forget a crucial element: Celebrating! Instead of focusing only on what’s remaining on the never ending To Do List, remember to make sure you acknowledge what you did get done today, move it to your “Ta Da” List and drop a note into your Cool Stuff Jar™ to celebrate!

Cass Mullane is an artist with an MBA. Cass’ calm, comfortable approach consistently yields positive results for clients. Her business and personal coaching practice, www.ProsperCreatively.com, specializes in delivering solid left brain business skills to right brainers and creatives in a fun, visual way. She’s a best selling author, textile and mixed media artist and creator of the Cool Stuff Jar™ coaching program. You can also visit Cass on Facebook!

In our world of right-brain business here we often talk about right-brain and left-brain and how we need to get them to work better together for sustained success.

We can also look at this balance through the lens of the feminine and masculine energies.

I have a hunch, if you’re attracted to my work, you probably have a natural tendency toward more right-brain and feminine attributes such as creativity, passion, emotion, and flow.

And if you’re on the sensitive/intuitive side you might rebel against or feel stifled by the more left-brain and masculine qualities such as structure, linear thinking, and doing/action. Heck, you might even feel burnt out from forcing yourself to operate in that masculine mode throughout your educational and/or professional life. I certainly powered through my Master’s degree and corporate jobs with sheer ambition and drive.

The thing is, in order for us to fully (and healthily) manifest our creative dreams, we need to find a way to integrate the strengths of both our feminine and masculine energies.

Instead of viewing masculine qualities as rigid, too overbearing, or just “not you,” think of them as your ally in getting your gifts out there.

Here are a few places to start building some muscle around these more masculine qualities:

Follow-Through and Discipline

You can have the most inspiring, meaningful, and exciting big vision ever, but, without taking consistent action your idea will never see the light of day (which breaks my heart). Or maybe you had enough gumption to get your gift out there, but it doesn’t have the reach you want because halfway through your launch plan you started doubting, got deflated from slow sign-ups, and petered out. Cultivating more discipline and follow-through will actually help you keep putting one foot in front of the other (even through those tough spots). If you struggle with follow-through and discipline, outside accountability from a coach, buddy, group, or challenge can help provide structure to keep you on track. You’d be surprised by how those final few actions steps can make all the difference, so please stop self-sabotaging and selling yourself short! It’s a disservice to you AND to the peeps who need what you have to offer.

Boundary Setting

Do you worry so much about being liked or being nice that you let yourself get walked all over? And then you wonder why you don’t have any energy or mental capacity left to work on your business or creative projects? It’s time to stand up for yourself and your dreams and practice saying no when something doesn’t serve you. It’s not about being mean or selfish. It’s about compassionately drawing lines to protect and honor your vital energy. Plus it’s about empowering those around you take responsibility for their own actions. It’s not your job to carry it all.

Clear and Conscious Decision Making

One of the biggest drains I see for creative entrepreneurs is how much time and energy they waste hemming and hawing. And to top it off, they judge themselves about how long it takes or how hard it is to make the decision. (BTW, I’m speaking from personal experience here as this is an area I’m still working on!) Your business is built on the decisions you make – deciding who you’re going to serve and how, determining how much to charge, choosing which opportunities or partnerships to go after or where to prioritize your resources. It’s really one decision after another. If you get stuck over thinking, hijacked by your emotional reactions, or you’re just plain ol’ wishy-washy, you’re clogging up your creative flow and frankly just stalling. Instead, tune into your intuition, gather only the essential information to help you make an informed decision, give yourself a time frame, and for goodness sake just pick something! Know that if you’re going into this choice consciously then you’re strong enough and mature enough to own up to the impacts of your decisions. And trust that you have the resourcefulness and resilience to bounce back from a “wrong” decision and that as long as you’re constantly learning, there really is no “wrong” decision.

P.S. – My art journal page shown above illustrates some of the takeaways I had after reading my friend Sara Avant Stover’s new book The Book of SHE. My very personal interview where we discuss how I’m working on integrating my divine feminine and divine masculine airs on her SHE Talks podcast airs this Friday, October 16th.

When I think of action, clarity, and scrappy resilience, I think of my friend and awesome client Tiffany Han. I’ve known Tiffany since gosh maybe 2009 when we were Twitter buddies and have had the honor and pleasure of being her coach since the end of last year.

I’ve watched her raise her hand and say yes to getting 100 Rejection Letters and growing her business like gangbusters in the process (all while raising newborn twins btw!). Tiffany models what happens when you take bold action in your business, embrace creative risk and go after the things you want – even if they’re outside the boundaries of your comfort zone.

Tiffany and I had the chance to chat for a quick bit about what inspired her to seek out rejection (I know sounds a bit crazy, right?). And about how collecting rejection letters has helped her sky-rocket her visibility and income. She also shares more about her signature 100 Rejection Letters program: a year-long coaching and mentorship program where she teaches you how to master the art of making the ask, clarify the story that your brand is trying to tell, achieve focus towards your goals, and create a habit of sustained action towards building a business you love – without letting fear hold you back any longer.

Not only will she be teaching you all of her pitching and branding secrets over the course of the year, she’ll also be sharing a behind-the-scenes look at her own business as she continues her keep getting rejection letters. And she’ll kick your ass into gear as the best bad-cop-cheerleader you didn’t even know you needed!

With a blend of mentorship, structure, support, and accountability, you’ll be able to start doing all of the work you’ve only been thinking about doing up until now. And you’ll walk away with a heaping dose of confidence, a jam-packed toolbox, and a business that is killing it. And the world will finally know what a badass you are!

Are you in?

Early-bird registration is open through October 19th and Tiffany is offering a bonus 45-minute 1-on-1 session to the first 50 registrants! BTW, her top level program is nearly sold out!

The time to start is right now. (No. Really. Now.)

(A quick heads up that, yes, clicking the links here throws some affiliate coin my way, but – as always – I’d never share something with you that I don’t stand behind fully. This woman rocks!)

Do you dream of having your own card deck, kit, e-book, e-course or other creative product to help more people experience your gifts (and finally free yourself from the money-for-time box)?

I hear from so many creatives how they long to extend their reach beyond what they can do working 1:1 with clients or selling handmade pieces. And I also hear how daunting it can feel to venture into the world of Product Development, especially when you have no clue where to start.

That’s why I created my 6-week Product Development Playground – to help creatives just like you understand how to package your ideas into products that help you reach more people and make more moola.

I give you detailed, exclusive inside peeks into the same proven process that has helped me write my 2 books, develop my various tangible kits, and digital products.

Maybe you’ve been spinning your wheels on your product idea for a few months (or years!) but don’t know how to get started. Or you’re soooo busy working with your clients that you can’t find the time to work on your product (hint: You may not realize it, but you actually have been working on your product! I’ll show you how.)

Your next product is ready to be born and your perfect customers are waiting to receive your gifts.

Don’t let them wait any longer!

And, how cool would it be to have your first 2016 offering ready to go before the new year even starts? Or hey, if you’re feeling really ambitious, maybe you’ll launch something just in time for the Holidays. It is possible if you stay focused and take full advantage of the support we provide!

This facilitated e-Course will give you the structure, guidance, and accountability to help you take inspired action to get your product done.

Since taking the course in 2014 artist Jennyann Carthern has launched 3 products with more to come:

“Jenn’s course helped me finally finish something. I no longer spend my days overwhelmed, stuck and confused. I now know how to take an idea, create a prototype for it, and test how it works, to see if it’s worth pursuing. Since I’ve taken Jenn’s course I’ve launched The Monster Chores Coloring Book, A Personal Art Project called Painting Black Faces, and just recently I launched my very first Mini 5 Day E-Course, called Starved Creative. I’m also diving deeply into my other offerings with more confidence & strength now!”

– Jennyann Carthern, Artist. Illustrator. Muralist. paintisthickerthanwater.com

How’s that for inspiration to bring your product idea to life?

Come join us! Early-bird savings end TONIGHT at 9pm PT so sign-up now for the best deal and your special bonus gift (an example of one of my digital products!).