I had a message for Atlanta-area entrepreneurs this month.
In one part of my presentation, “Minding Your Own Business,” I unpacked the process of content creation with questions and tips. (I’ll share several of those content-starters in a future post.) Even writers cannot force inspiration to arrive, but we know how to create a friendly environment for it.
Small steps can create big changes. Sticky notes work for me because they’re easy to fill and satisfying to crumple and discard when appropriate. Use a napkin to capture your unedited musings. Use your phone to record potential content for your website or brochure. (One client scribbled thoughts about her website on a notepad, then emailed a photo to me.)
The photo with this post shows my own scribbles, a snippet of creative words for my presentation that I jotted on a scrap of paper while applying cosmetics one morning.
If I’d waited until I sat down at my computer to “officially write the outline for my upcoming speech,” I would have forgotten my idea for those favorite statements above.
If we’re too focused on getting everything right, we’ll have a hard time getting anything done.
While some attendees are web developers waiting for content from their clients, all business owners need fresh content for their own websites and other online properties, marketing collateral, etc. And whether entrepreneurs or employees, sometimes we find it easier to take care of our customers than ourselves. There’s a human impulse to censor our own creativity, unless we exercise it at the request of someone else. A client. A project manager. A boss.
Ask me how I know this.
For years, I was a full-time freelance writer with nothing to say for herself.
As I said in “Minding My Own Business,” I’m learning to treat myself like a client. And so can you. My website, including this blog, has grown since I established it three years ago after a severe attack of creative laryngitis, and today, I love helping someone unleash his or her true voice. When your marketing is heartfelt and authentic, you’re happy to put it out into the world.
Whether you’re an employee, a business owner or an aspiring entrepreneur, give yourself permission to want something you cannot buy. Invite yourself to dream. Make some space in your life for inspiration, and then… like magic… you’ll start finding the words.
Candace Schilling, publicist, offers PR Communication and Training to spiritual teachers and faith-based communities. For more inspiration as well as tips about marketing and strategic communication, check out her articles or find Candace on LinkedIn.