*Collaboration for Creatives Masterclass
+ Dyed-in-the-Wool Lone Wolf Creatrixes & Lifelong DIYers
Welcome (back) to The Creatrix Coterie, a special addition to “The Creatrix Experience” experience which I created as a free-flowing membership for my readers.
Each month I lead a Creatrix Coterie Call just for you, my loyal Reader, designed to share with you some of the skills, tools & insight you need to do business like a Creatrix. The next is on Wednesday, July 17 at 5 pm (PARIS time).
In July, I’m switching things up a little & offering a Creatrix Masterclass – Collaboration for Creatives. As usual, I’m opening the call to just a handful of women so we can go deep & you’ll come away with everything you need to finally enjoy collaborating again!
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I was in grade school during the 70’s when the hottest new educational tactic was “group work”. They sat us in “pods” with our desks arranged in clever geometric shapes, we were told to give each other “feedback” & wanting to be alone was openly frowned upon.
How I delighted when my teacher announced that we were beginning a new Project.
How that delicious feeling turned to dread the moment she told us that we’d be working as a “team”.
Here’s why--
I was at the head of my class, in terms of marks & enthusiasm for learning. Give me something to research & I’d be clicking my heels all the way to the library!
My friends knew this & leapt at the chance to work with me.
If you were grouped with me, you were bound to get a good mark, maybe even an amazing mark AND you could get away with doing much less than your share. Inevitably, I’d create an outline, assign everyone jobs & keep tabs on who was doing what & when.
My love of gathering information, synthesizing & then presenting it beautifully was in my bones. (Still is…). I simply couldn’t help taking the reins & frankly, nobody objected. I always enjoyed a job well done but also began to feel used & taken for granted as I sat at the last minute filling in the gaps for those who hadn’t done their share of the work.
Totally natural I suppose for a pre-teen, but those feelings stuck with me.
As you can imagine, these early experiences led me to steer clear of collaborating with others for decades unless I could be the boss.
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I was (am) the quintessential leader, born to lead.
(Plus, I’m a Capricorn…)
In the last few years, I’ve realized that I prefer a different type of leadership. First, I get an idea, next I create a rich environment then invite others to show up with their unique gifts, skills & knowledge. We each add what we wish to the experience. In the end, we’re inspired, fired up & ready to put what we’ve gathered to good use in our businesses (& lives).
If you’re a DIYer & love to do things on your own timeline in your own way, we’re definitely on the same wavelength! There are so many benefits to rolling up your sleeves & taking your projects from vision to reality all by yourself.
AND, as I’ve discovered, some real drawbacks.
Like luxuriating in your Ivory Tower as you create your Masterpiece, only to realize that you’ve gone so deep into your work, nobody else can understand what you’re talking about.
Or, getting so tangled up in the tiny details, that your work never graduates from “in progress” to “completed”. I call this the “Never-Ending-Project” challenge.
And the one which is a particular favourite of mine -- gathering loads of ideas from so many people you spend all your time trying to organize & process them so that you can finally decide what suits you instead of simply tuning in & doing your own work. (I still get tangled up in this one…)
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I wish my teachers taught me the Art of Collaboration along with Math, English & History.
They had the best intentions when they repeatedly matched me with kids who they thought I could catalyze & inspire. Looking back, I actually appreciate the years I spent guiding & inspiring my peers.
How many people can say they started teaching at the age of 8 !?!
It would have been amazing though if they’d taught me what I’ve spent the last few decades learning. Things like :
how to read the energy of a group so I know who wants to come forward & who wants to hang back a little, to allow everyone to contribute in their own way & perhaps most importantly, that true collaboration is not structured as a pyramid with the leader teetering at the top!
Yes, there is a way to collaborate specifically designed for Creatrix Lone Wolves, Powerful Visionaries & “Dyed-in-the-wool” DIYers !
Want to explore it with me?
The Art of Collaboration for Creatives
On July 17, we’ll dive into everything you ever wanted to know…
The many benefits of a great collaboration & how it can help grow your business
Why collaborating matters - now more than ever
Who you should (not) collaborate with - this is a BIGGIE!
How collaborating can feel - when you do it right
Things to do before, during & after a collaboration - for increased happiness & success!
As they say, cities aren’t built in a day (nor are they built by one person) & that goes as well for your business. Trying to do everything yourself takes so much longer & can make things harder than necessary. You’re here to create, have fun & evolve — so do yourself a favour & let others join you once in a while.
Plus, if you never work with other people, than what you’ve got is a fancy hobby. Which is absolutely fine but staying holed up away from the world won’t spread your unique creations nor provide you with ways to receive money for your brilliance.
* NEW DATE *
The Collaboration for Creatives Masterclass is on July 24 at 5 pm Paris = (8am Vancouver, 11am Toronto, 4pm London).
Come and enjoy some playful exploration, great conversation with other women who know what I’m talking about here AND share your interest in creativity, simple business design and weaving your own path in life.
I'm offering limited space for this FREE Masterclass to ensure everyone enjoys & benefits from the conversation. If you know someone who would like to join us, please forward this email to her & ask her to register directly via the link below.
We’ll be a small group, the conversation is always lively & there are only SEVEN THREE places available. This is a participatory hands-on experience = no long slideshow with me reading off the screen, no sales pitch & no sea of faces in little zoom boxes...
To reserve your free spot for the Creatrix Masterclass on July 24, click HERE.
Bring an open mind, your business, spiritual & energetic questions along with your tea/coffee/cacao, pen(s) crystals, tarot(s) & journal and let’s play!
You're a lady of taste. You enjoy life.