Amazing Breakthrough

I want to share an amazing experience I had in my meditation yesterday morning.

The night before, I’d been thinking about finances and why we’re doing such good work, yet we seem to struggle each month to pay the bills. So, as I was nearing the end of the evening practice, I asked a few questions to stimulate my subconscious mind while sleeping. One of the questions I asked was: What are the blocks that are standing in the way of infinite abundance (my Authentic Self)?

I must also interject here an experience earlier that day: Viv and I were driving home from the Art of the Song studio/office. She was driving and I was in a crabby mood for some reason or another. We pulled up behind a car at a stop light and I read aloud the bumper sticker on the car in front of me which said: “My Inner Child is a Mean Little f#*%er.” Viv didn’t see the bumper sticker and thought that I was just responding in our discussion about why I was in a crabby mood. We had a good laugh over that one!

Anyway, as I was meditating the next morning, I found myself in third grade on the elementary school steps, and a recurring memory came to life. One of my classmates, Donna, was teasing me, calling me “dill pickle” and making fun of the fact that I came from a “rich” family, like that was a bad thing. I’ve been aware of this memory for some time now and know that it has had an effect on my ability to earn money… my prosperity consciousness. In other words this has been a major block for me. I’ve done hypnotherapy around it, written about it, but it wasn’t until this experience that I feel that I’ve really transformed and dissolved the block.

Continuing on with the meditation experience… This time instead of withdrawing and feeling bad about myself, I tapped into my mean little inner child and stood up to her saying, “F*%k off Donna, I’m not a dill pickle and I’m proud of my family! Did you know that people with money can help a lot of people and make a big difference in the world? I don’t know what’s wrong with you, but I love my family and I’m proud that my great grandfather started a business that now gives employment to over a hundred families in this town!”

Woo hoo! I finally worked through that one paving the way for a truly prosperous 2011!!! It’s amazing how the Universe conspires to bring us exactly what we need at the right time. If I hadn’t been in a crabby mood… If we hadn’t pulled up behind the car with the bumper sticker… If I hadn’t been musing about our financial situation in the evening practice… this breakthrough might not have happened in such a meaningful way.

I’m filled with awe and gratitude!

 

Nice Review for the 20-20 Creativity Solution

We recently received a nice review at a very cool blog site called Creative Liberty. Please check it out here! Also, I invite any of you who’ve read The 20-20 Creativity Solution to post comments, reviews, etc. here on this blog. Thanks for reading, and my your creativity always expand!

Greetings from San Francisco

I’m writing from a hotel near the San Francisco airport where I’m attending Brendon Burchard’s Expert’s academy. It was here last October that I realized I must write a book. And Brendon gave me some clues about how to do it, stressing that it was important to use what he called a “framework” to teach my expertise to readers. This percolated in my brain in the weeks that followed, and the 20-20 Practice was born.

It’s so cool to be here among 400 other teachers and experts in their fields… and especially to be returning with a book that didn’t exist when I was here in October! I’m meeting lots of great people many of whom offered to help spread the word about the 20-20 in the coming months.

Monday, I’ll drive out to Pt. Reyes Station in Marin County and visit KWMR, one of the stations that airs Art of the Song. We’ll talk about hosting a book signing when Viv and I come out again in October.

My Book, My Life

I just finished writing a book. My very first book, The 20-20 Creativity Solution. I’m not exactly sure how it happened. I just woke up one morning after being told that having a book would help my speaking career, I and started. I signed up for a coaching program on how to write a book in 60 days. I was told to simply write a list of chapter titles and break those chapters down into subchapters heading. Then just write a subchapter each day. sounds pretty simple, right? Simple, but not easy. However, that was all I needed to get started… and perhaps getting started is the hardest thing. Once I got going, the book seemed to take on a life of it’s own.

I was at a dinner party the other evening and Joanne asked me how writing the book had changed my life. Well, that was an interesting question. I hadn’t really thought much about it, and I began to blurt out my thoughts. First of all, I said, the sense of accomplishment was major. I really feel good about myself having set a goal and completed it. But the real impact was how writing the book has helped me to put my whole life in perspective… to make some sense out of a life of divergent careers, hobbies, hometowns, and partners. And, finally it does make sense.

The book is about creativity. Imagine that! I took the knowledge that we’d gained from the hundreds of Art of the Song interviews we’ve done over the last six years, and wove it in and around the story of my own creativity. How it started, where it was lost, and how I got it back.

The major impact of writing the book was coming to understand that all of my varied occupations over the years were involved with creativity in some way, whether it was exploring my own creativity or providing tools for others to express their creativity. My first career as an electrician was basically running wires and installing lights and appliances to take very powerful and potentially dangerous electrical energy and making it useful, much in the same way an artist takes the creative energy and channels it into a work of art. I was always interested in music and guitar playing, but had a hard time figuring out how to make a living at it. So, I learned how to build guitars and made a living at that for a number of years. Guitar making was both a creative endeavor for me, and I was able to provide instruments for other players to express their creativity. I also spent a decade or so in my family’s wholesale floral business. Through the process of writing the book, I realized that I was actually providing materials and support for floral designers to express themselves creatively. Then, of course, Art of the Song was and is a more direct way of both expressing my own creativity and of helping listeners like you to learn and develop your creativity.

So what I learned explaining this to friends around the dinner table was that, hey, my life does make some kind of sense! And that is a wonderful thing to know.

Writing my First Book

You may be wondering about the long silence. I’ve been spending all my writing time on my new book and have recently finished the first draft. I’m really excited as it is a major accomplishment to attempt something of the magnitude of a book, let alone finish the first draft. So, here I am back to blogging, and I’ll continue to post updates here on the progress of the book. By the way, the title is Art of the Song: Life Lessons from Songwriters to Empower Your Natural Creativity, and my goal is to have it (self) published by my birthday on January 27.

The cool thing about writing a book is that it is very similar to songwriting, the difference obviously being the length and the absence of music. When I write a song at some point during the process, the song takes on a life of its own. That is, the song begins to speak to me and tell me what comes next. The same thing happened as I wrote the first draft of this book. I found myself waking up in the middle of the night with ideas and topics to write about in various chapters. This is when I knew I was on the right track, and the creative process was truly working through me.

Creative Renaissance

Can you imagine what the world would be like if everyone were a little more creative? If we all added just a little more creativity into our lives?

 

I see that world. I see a renaissance in the arts, a flourishing of socially conscious business, a world where people are fulfilled and happy and more in touch with their higher selves. A world where people are contributing their own unique gifts and talents with passion and grace… a world that “works!”

 

When we engage in a creative activity and lose ourselves in that “creative flow,” we are accessing the spiritual part of ourselves, our soul, our creator, God, Holy Spirit, or whatever you want to call it. And, If more and more people make this connection more often, things can’t help but get better in our world!

 

We at Art of the Song are dedicated to this vision. Through radio, presentations, workshops, and individual coaching, we help people express their creativity. We remind them that they are creative individuals at heart. Yes, some of us may have forgotten that basic truth, but with a little guidance and inspiration, it’s easy to get in touch with our creative selves. This is what we do; this is our mission.

 

Some people may be drawn to the arts, some may be inclined towards business or law, but whatever we do––if we do it with passion––we access that creative side of our selves. It’s really about integrating right and left brain thinking, bringing the “soul” into the analytical. Bringing our whole consciousness to bear in whatever we do.

 

We’re going through a transition in our world right now. The economic situation is forcing us to re-examine our priorities. Old ideas and forms are breaking down, slipping away. Businesses that operate on the old paradigm of greed and success at the expense of others will not survive. If you look at history, you’ll see that many great civilizations were preceded by a very dark period. This is where we are right now. Things may be difficult for many, but there has never been greater opportunity, greater hope.

 

Creativity is contagious. Just like laughter. The benefits are real. Join us in spreading the creative message. Help us all move into the Creative Renaissance!

Internalizing Success

What a wonderful gig last night! I feel whole and complete. I am now a full-body performer. I sing with my whole body and it resonates throughout the room. I am truly present and in the moment. I am relaxed and confident as I deliver my message through song and story.

Lately I’ve been looking at my life in the context of meaning. I reflect on what is important: full self-expression, my good works, my family, my love in the world. What do I contribute that is meaningful? Am I a good father, husband, son, business partner?

My clear focus these days is bringing Art of the Song into financial sustainability. This is meaningful work… a legacy of making the world a better place. As I step into the role as leader I see that I can make a difference in the world and in my family. This is my commitment: to turn Art of the Song into a profitable business, and therefore serve others and provide for my family.

I have done the inner work. I have changed my “financial blueprint” for success. This is evidenced in my performing last night. As we discussed in our interview with the Rhythm Angels the other day, there are two parallel paths: self-development and the voice. As I work on my voice, my self-esteem increases… and as I work on my self through reading, meditating, prayer, therapy, etc., my voice gets stronger. This is what I experienced last night.

My breakthrough came a few days ago while doing the exercises in Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Eker. I realized that my whole way of being around money was tied up in a childhood “program” of kids not liking me because I came from a family that had money and a successful business. However real or imagined, I internalized the message that it wasn’t good to have money (or a successful business, for that matter). This patterning has manifested in a life of not earning enough to pay my bills, and when I did earn well, I would squander the money on frivolous things.

I have now tracked my whole teen-age rebellion as a desperate attempt to find my true self. It was impossible for me to have an identity that was tangled up in this vision that people didn’t like me because of my family. I see that my whole rebellion was to shed this identity that (I thought) people didn’t like. I had no choice but to rebel.

The good news is that I now see with clarity what was subconsciously driving my whole way of being around money. I choose to let go of the “old program” and reaffirm that I love money and there is nothing wrong with having money. I can do good with money, and people will in fact like me whether I have money or not. I love my parents and truly respect them for nurturing a successful business and managing their money wisely. I now choose to see them as role models.

The bottom line is there is now nothing holding back my true success! I have re-created my inner patterning to earn and manage money wisely. Now, let’s get Art of the Song rolling into a successful business model!

Here’s an “affi-rhythm” that expresses my new identity as an alchemist:

I offer my talents

I’m rewarded seven-fold

Because I hold the perfect pattern

To turn lead into gold

 

I’m working on recording it, and will make available when ready!

Recognizing the Gift of Leadership

As mentioned in an earlier post, I’m enrolled in a leadership training and mentorship program. Recently I learned that my father has cancer. While I remain very positive, and hopeful for his recovery, it’s natural to think about his life and his many accomplishments in the context of a very full life lived.

Douglas Dillon is a great leader and businessman. He took the reins of the family wholesale floral business at a young age when his father passed. Facing many challenges along the way, he grew the business into one of the most successful rose growing operations in the eastern United States. In his maturity as a leader he chose to give back to his industry and community by serving as president of two national trade associations. He also served on and rose to the position of chairman of the boards of the local bank and a national florists insurance company. Now he faces a new challenge with the grace and dignity of a true leader.

I woke up the other day with a deeply felt insight into my own leadership ability in the context of my relationship with my father. Having worked for him in the family business for 15 years in a couple of stretches, our relationship has had ups and downs. Communication has been difficult at times. The relationship has indeed improved over the last decade, and as I reconcile with him through prayer and forgiveness (forgiving myself for my part in the relationship), I find that I am awakening his best qualities in me. Not so much that I have “learned” those qualities from him, but that they are already lying dormant in me ready to awaken. The cool thing is that I recognize that I have everything I need within me… all I need to do is access it. I’m now beginning to feel my father’s strength rising within me as I step into a more powerful leadership role in my own life. I’m blessed with a new sense of gratitude and appreciation for my father and all his accomplishments.

Guitar Making and the Creative Process

[Note: Before my present life as producer of the nationally syndicated Art of the Song Creativity Radio, I had a career as a luthier (guitar maker). I’d built over 80 instruments including guitars for Steve Earle, Trisha Yearwood, The Mavericks, and Tish Hinojosa.]

I had never really thought of making guitars as a truly creative act. After all, it was a very linear process of cutting out pieces of wood, shaping them, and gluing them together––a craft. If one knew the sequence and followed instructions (there are many books that describe the process), then one could build a guitar, right?

Last week I had a meeting with my mentor, Jim, who is working with me in a leadership training course. He asked me how the process of building guitars was like being a good leader. This sort of stumped me at first. Then he asked me to describe the process. I started by describing the conversation with the client for whom I was building the instrument, and that the interesting part was designing the “perfect guitar” for that person. It was about finding out what the client wanted in terms of sound, feel and look. Sometimes the client could articulate exactly what he or she was looking for in the ideal guitar, and sometimes it was more a process of me asking a lot of questions and using my experience and intuition to design the instrument. I began to realize as I was describing this process to my mentor that this “design phase” was indeed a very creative, intuitive (right-brain) process. Once the guitar was designed, it was more a matter of following the steps in a logical (left-brain) sequence. Jim responded, “You mean it’s the soul and the brain working together?” “Exactly,” I said.

What this has to do with leadership I’m still not exactly sure, but I did have an aha! moment. For the first time, I truly understood that the creative process is a “whole brain” process… a mixture of right and left brain thinking. You can’t have the one without the other. Building a beautiful and great sounding guitar (not a cookie-cutter factory instrument) requires both the design phase and the assembly. I almost forgot to mention the very intuitive processes of shaving the braces and tapping the top until it sounds just right, and the shaping of the neck until it feels just right.

This understanding of creativity is borne out through the many Art of the Song interviews we’ve had with songwriters who say that songwriting involves both the inspiration (receiving the idea) and the crafting of the song (editing). In the past I’ve thought of the inspiration as the creative part and the crafting as not creative.

The creative process is literally an integration of both left and right brain thinking, a holistic combination of the analytical and the spiritual. I guess I knew this on some level, but relating it to my guitar making really drove the concept home for me.

How does this sit with you? Do you think creativity is a “whole brain” process? I’d love to hear your thoughts…

Creativity through Recording Technology

Recently I’ve discovered a new outlet for my creativity… or should I say a combination of skills (passions) that are resulting in new-found creative expression. Vivian and I have been “working” on a CD recording project for the last several years. It’s about half finished. We’d been working with a producer (an old friend) who lives in Golden, Colorado––a six hour drive from where we live. It has been very difficult to find the time, let alone the money to finish the project.

A few weeks ago at the request of a friend and neighbor, Viv and I decided to record a version of one of her songs called “Seeking Mercy.” We did, and it came out beautifully. It suddenly occurred to me (duhhh!) that the Pro Tools editing skills that I’d been honing through producing our weekly radio show Art of the Song, could be transferred to recording a John & Viv CD. I had been laboring under the misconception that we needed an outside producer to get a good quality recording. With the advancements in technology and new plug-ins, Pro Tools updated version 8 gives me an incredible recording studio in our home. Drum sounds, B3 organ, synth, and guitar amp modeling are but a few of the new tools available to the Pro Tools 8 user. And, I’m learning to be a pretty good producer myself!

This technology and my editing skills combined with with my guitar playing and singing have opened an incredible opportunity for creative expression. I see our collection of guitars (half of which I made) and the Pro Tools sounds as a virtual palette of colors and brushes with which to sonically paint on my digital canvass. Now fully committed to a new John & Viv CD, I find myself working in my digital lab for hours while Vivian goes to her acting classes. Starting at 10:30 in the morning, I often look up and it’s mid afternoon and I hadn’t even taken a lunch break. Time seems to stand still while I am immersed in the recording process. This must be the “flow” spoken of when one is truly engaged in a creative act.

I’m incredibly grateful to have discovered this new passion and expression for music, and will keep you updated as to the progress of the recording project.