Hi friend!
It's been awhile since I last wrote to you and I'm happy to be back! With the constant stream of headlines lately, I've found moments of reflection refreshing. I'm here to share what's been on my mind about creative work through it all. More on what I've been up to at the end of this email.
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“My style comes from my limitations.”
A few weeks ago, a coaching client said this wonderful phrase and I’ve been thinking about it ever since.
It’s so easy to think of our limitations as bad and that they’re in need of fixing.
But as creative professionals… what if those limitations are the very things that make me, me, and you, you?
And what if embracing and accepting our limitations bring us closer to understanding ourselves and guide us to where we could head next? Not toward a path of fixing what’s broken in ourselves, but towards a path of discovering who we are and what energizes us… all while being a contribution to the world?
And I’m not just talking about limitations in a particular skill or resource, but even our limiting beliefs.
I started my career as a graphic designer with major creative anxiety.
I had anxiety every time I received a brief for a project because I felt like I didn’t have enough information to create a great solution.
My default belief and thought was… “I don’t have enough information.” Which then led to… “I can’t do this.”
I had SO many questions, so many more than the other designers I worked with had. They seemed to get a brief and were able to go on their merry creative way… researching, creating, and coming up with ideas.
But me? I believed I didn’t have enough information. I was constantly confused, cloudy, and anxious.
“Why was I so stuck?” I thought. “Why couldn’t I work like the other designers around me?”
Now, some would say that I needed to change my limiting belief, and that that’s what was really holding me back.
That’s great… if I wanted to be like everyone else and do things the way everyone else does them.
But I didn’t. And I still don’t.
I want to be me… 'limitations' and all.
As I continued on in my career and life, I realized that my limitations were the very things that became my super power and shaped my style.
Accepting my confusion led me to embrace my curiosity and use it as a compass…. which then led me to discovering my love of strategy (and no, this isn’t a plug to be a strategist ;)
Accepting that I don’t need to work like other strategists led me to embrace how I go about doing the work I do… my style… even if it looks different from ‘industry standards’ or what the next guru is saying we ‘should’ do.
What if our limitations (whether real or imagined) are the creative constraints we need to be ourselves and do our very best, most fulfilling, and valuable work?
What if they’re like nature’s boundaries for us?
What if trying to fix or overcome our limitations is like repotting a plant in too big a pot? (If you’re not into plants, trust me, this isn’t a good thing).
And what if…
You’re ok as you are, how you naturally show up?
What might that mean?
Warmly,
Melinda
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It’s been a while! Here are a few things I’ve been up to…
Working with Made by James
Over the past year I’ve been working with my friend, James Martin (aka Made by James) in, and on his business.
2 on 1 Coaching
I’ve still been coaching creative business owners (and starting to do 2 on 1 coaching with James!)
New Strategy Course
I’m working on a new strategy course that shows behind-the-scenes of a recent client strategy call from the Made by James studio.
Design Residency
I was a part of a Design Residency earlier this year! We stayed onsite to rebrand an event / rental property outside of Seattle, WA. It was a DREAM! More to come about that.
But for now… here are some pics...