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How to Overcome a Creative Motivational Slump

When it comes to motivation, there are two things we tend to focus on: how to find it and how to keep it.  This week, continuing our discussion on the ever-elusive mystery that is motivation, we’re going to talk about both of those points – how we can summon back

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Motivation Station

And just like that, it’s JUNE.  Weren’t we just kicking off 2021?  Time is flying.  Wherever you are in the world, wherever you are in your creative journey, I hope this year is treating you well and you’re finding yourself inspired, productive and motivated.  Speaking of… we’re dedicating this month

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It’s A Process

Happy May! April showers bring May flowers… and the chance to demystify your creative process.  We’re spring cleaning together this month, but it’s going to be so much more fun than dusting behind your furniture.  We’re going to talk all about accepting the responsibility of a creative process, looking at

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The Dreaded Question: “What do you do?”

April has been all about putting ourselves out there. We’ve worked through how we feel about being seen, we’ve built social media accounts to share our work with the world and we’ve talked about the best ways to make those accounts work for us.  To end the month, I want

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Songwriting Challenge

Attention, music lovers! This week, I launched the first installment of my Songwriting Challenge on the Esma Kirim Bravely Original YouTube Channel.  I’m excited to share my first challenge video with you all. Today we will find out… can I write a song in twenty minutes with a handful of

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Expectation vs. Reality: YouTube Edition

It took me a YEAR to start my YouTube channel.  Not for lack of trying, desire or motivation, but because life in 2020 had other things in store. This episode is particularly special to me because I take you behind the scenes and share the ups and downs of how

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What do you NEED?

When is the last time you really thought about what you need?  Being attuned to what you need is one of the keys to success as an artist.   This month, I want to focus on taking the time to recognize what it is we each need and ensure we

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Believe In Your Infinite Potential

I have something to say. I am enough. I bring something unique to the table. My work matters. I have said it before and I’ll say it again.  Actually, I really can’t say it enough.  Those of us who answer creativity’s call know that making a living through our art

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All In Good Time

Today I want to talk about time: how we can use it to best enable our processes and prevent the abstractness of it from creating illusions that inhibit our abilities. Let me start with a confession: I tend to rush to complete things. Taking my time feels tied to my

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Love Your True Colors Challenge: Reflection

And that’s a wrap on the Love Your True Colors Challenge!  Thank you so much to everyone who participated.  I had a great time working alongside you all this week, looking inward and giving ourselves the gift of self-love.  I am so grateful that so many of you decided to

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Love Your True Colors Challenge

I am so excited to introduce the “Love Your True Colors Challenge”, starting tomorrow and continuing throughout the week. In my last post, I talked about how I plan to spend the “month of love” focusing on self-love and how I want you to join me.  My personal rebrand of

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Just Take The First Step

Last week, we dove deep into the process of goal-setting and finding the method that works best for you. Now that we’ve honed in on our goals, it’s time to focus on creating a plan to help us achieve them. When embarking on the journey toward accomplishing a new goal,

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Happy New Year! Now What?

Happy New Year, friends!  Now that the ball has dropped and the champagne has fizzled, it’s time to say an enthusiastic goodbye to 2020 and look ahead to the coming year.  Let’s talk goals.  I think we can all agree that brainstorming our goals tends to be easy. Coming up

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3 Ways Boundaries Help Creatives

Ah, the holiday season is upon us!  Such a wonderfully joyful time, but also a tricky season to navigate.  We constantly have a million things on our minds and there can be tremendous anxiety to show our friends and family our best selves. And I know this holiday season in

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Bravely Original

I Am Me.This strange sentence has become a guiding beacon for me over time. I am me. What does that even mean? I first came across this odd little sentence in a voice class in my acting program a few years ago. We were taught to hum 3 notes on

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Follow Your Joy: Find Your Flavor of Creativity

Creativity; it can feel so elusive. At times, when you need it most, it’s almost like it’s hiding from you. You call out for it but, the longer you do, the further away it seems. If that’s not frustrating, I don’t know what is. I want to make it clear

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