Life Design for Creative Souls

 

Attention: Artists, Social Entrepreneurs, Holistic Health Practitioners, Coaches and Activists

 

Are you tired of trying to fit in with a conventional lifestyle of one job and passion, while denying yourself the full range of your talents and interests?

 

Are you struggling with overwhelm, trying to do too many things and not getting anything done?

 

Do you also feel the urgent need for all of us to participate in making positive planetary changes?

 

If so, read on and let me share with you my secrets to designing a  juicy, creative lifestyle, while serving the planet…

 

 

From the desk of Katie Curtin:

 

Let me tell you a secret….

It might be important.

 

There’s this way that we typically assume that our lives have to be designed. It goes something like this:  Find a career, get a full time job, settle down, buy a house, and have a family.

 

But for some of us that model is an absolute impossibility. Doing the same job all day everyday, however interesting, drives us bananas. Even when we have a family, we just can’t seem to settle down. There’s always a part of us that wants to move on, that craves adventure, creative activities and something new.

 

Life full of consumerism, without any social purpose also seems very empty to us. We want our lives to serve the community and a deeper purpose, and we are shocked by the inhuman values that drive our society.

 

But it’s not so easy to figure out how to do it differently. And over the long haul, this can be demoralizing.

 

I know…I have been there many times.

 

I’m Katie Curtin, and I could never show my full resume to any employer because there were too many different fields and interests that I have pursued- from railway worker and journalist,  to community organizer and history researcher, to artist. (And that’s just to name a few!)

 

I would think I had found the ultimate job or career that would fulfill me, only to get bored and move on to something else.  It seemed like I was advancing horizontally, starting out again at zero, getting to a certain point and then feeling the itch to move on.

 

 

Does any of this sound familiar?

 

* You suffer from overwhelm, of not knowing what to focus on because you have a diversity of passions and interests.

* You like the steady income of a regular job, but can’t stand the routine, lack of variety, or not being able to follow your own drummer.

* You have a long list of creative projects that you either haven’t started or have never finished.

* You love freedom, new adventures and travel but you can’t seem to figure out how to make it happen.

* You wonder if you will ever get it together enough to make full use of your talents and have an impact in the world.

 

If any of these resonate with you, you’re not the only one. In fact there’s millions who struggle  daily with not fitting into the predominant cultural paradigm, who feel like their creative talents are not being fully tapped, who would like to make this world a better place but don’t know where to start.

 

 

Would you believe the real reason you’re struggling may not be your fault at all?

 

Believe it or not, society’s emphasis on specialization and finding one field to excel in, doesn’t work for a lot of people, and leaves them feeling frustrated and inadequate.

 

We live in a culture that wants to monoculture everything from our farmers’ fields, to religion to jobs, branding celebrities so that you can sum them up in a catch phrase.

 

But life isn’t like that. It’s sticky.  It’s muddy.

 

So not only do people feel lost and confused- they feel ashamed of themselves for feeling lost and confused, and this feeling of shame is the core of the problem.  The problem is not that we want wonderful, juicy, diverse and creative lives, it’s that we have come to believe that this is unrealistic, selfish, idealistic, impractical and crazy.

 

I wrestled with this myself for many years. Then after becoming a life coach, and working with a lot of creative people with similar stories, I discovered it wasn’t just my problem. Many of my clients had the same issues and challenges.

 

Not only did my clients feel at a loss about how to realize their own creative dreams and projects like me, they also struggled with how they could best serve the world. 

 

I began to pay attention and suddenly, everywhere I looked, I saw examples of artists, activists, and spiritually minded people who are just now beginning to break down the barriers and find a multitude of ways to foster social change…

 

 

How Real, Radical Activism, Arts, and Spirituality Have Been Profitably Mixed

1. Green Arts Barns Project – A local example in Toronto is the involvement of artists and activists in the Green Arts Barns Project, which will provide eco- friendly living and studio space for artists, programming and facilities for community art and environmental education, and a central market place where artists and local and organic farmers can sell their produce.
2. The recent efforts of musicians like Bono and U2 who held huge worldwide music concerts to raise money and consciousness around global climate change are another example of how artists use their talents to foster change.
3. Artists, over the years, have broken the silence and taboos around AIDS, they’ve written plays, produced films, and created paintings and sculptures to bring home the human suffering and issues raised.
4. Patch Adams, a wonderful doctor, clown and social activist, who has devoted over 30 years to changing the healthcare system. He brings a prescription of humor and joy to healing ourselves and the planet.
5. Thich Nhat Hanh – Budhist Monk, Master of Budhist Temple and Founder of Plum Village Community. Author of more than one hundred books of poetry, fiction and philosophy  he was also nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.        

I know dozens of artists who combine careers in the arts with being community organizers, teachers, doctors, scientists, or serving as holistic practitioners and healers. Many of them are also green and social entrepreneurs. What’s more, contrary to conventional wisdom, they do it well, and their different passions feed each other.

 

In countries like Bali, everybody is an artist, and either dances or paints, sculpts, or plays music. A rice farmer may be dancer, a teacher may be a member of a Gamelan orchestra, and a Bed and Breakfast owner may be a painter. And art is integrated into every aspect of daily life and spiritual practice.

 

 

“Take altitude pills if you are coaching with Katie. She really gets her clients flying!”

— Cathleen Fillmore, “The Six Figure Speaker,”  President of Speakers Gold Bureau,

Author, Toronto

 

 

 

Some of the world’s most brilliant people have had a range of interests and passions which they’ve excelled in, not just one area of specialization:

 

• Leonardo Da Vinci, renaissance painter, scientist and engineer.
• Albert Einstein, theoretical physicist, violinist, and political activist.
• Benjamin Franklin, US Founding Father, writer, printer, satirist, politician, scientist, inventor and diplomat. Composed music and played the violin, harp and guitar.

 

Five critical principles I’ve discovered after working with dozens of people just like you…

 

1. Create a new mold.

Whether you are 26 or 86, stop blaming yourself for not fitting in!  There are in fact an unlimited number of ways in which you can design life to suit your particular talents and personality make-up.  You simply haven’t been shown what they are. Later in this letter, I’ll tell you some of the secret tricks I use to help get my clients unstuck.

 

Most people have never gotten clear about who they are and what their nature is. Or they’ve been trained for so many years to deny or ignore it that they can’t see it anymore.

 

So, the first step is to accept who you are.

 

2.  Model creative people who have led successful and fulfilling multifaceted lives, while serving the planet.

Instead of seeing all the examples of people who seem to be perfectly satisfied with one career and passion, search for role models who have led lives with the variety and excitement you secretly yearn for.  

 

Instead of thinking that social change can only be helped by a certain kind of activism, look at all the ways creative people help make this world a better place.  Once you start looking with fresh eyes you will find an amazing number of examples! 

 

3. Keep experimenting.

Some ideas from your creative mentors may work for you.  Others may not.  Have the courage to use, adapt or discard what doesn’t fit.  It takes awhile to figure out what works best.

 

Get past the “shoulds” and then you can see the key things to focus on for the moment as well as what can be left for another time, or dropped entirely. Lifestyle design changes over time, and is constantly adapted to what life brings you, as well as what you plan for.  

 

4.  Get support.

Whether it be through a buddy, a group, or through working with a coach or mentor, it’s important not to go it alone. It’s incredibly helpful and reassuring to bounce ideas off others, to brainstorm, to share resources, and to be held accountable.  This is particularly the case for those who have many passions.

 

It’s often difficult to figure out on your own what’s more important or how best to shape your life according your deepest values and needs.

 

5.  Relax, Celebrate and Appreciate.

Because you constantly juggle multiple interest and projects, you sometimes don’t schedule enough time to recuperate or relax. Things that you love start becoming a burden instead.

 

Well, part of the trick is to schedule in between time, time to breathe and look around, time to let your creative, playful self have space and freedom. Yes, and it’s also important to find ways to appreciate the projects you complete, the milestones you reach, savoring and enjoying your accomplishments.

 

Otherwise you become like a machine running on empty.

 

 

Follow your Own Life Design Model and Watch Your Energy Skyrocket!

 

When you stop warring with yourself and begin living in sync with your deepest yearnings and needs, then a huge amount of energy is released, permeating every aspect of your life. Think, being in the flow of life vs. swimming against the current.

 

By focusing most of your energy on the things you love best you will …

 

* Have a heightened sense of freedom and joy.

* Tap into a creative wellspring that will constantly thrill and amaze you.

* Access opportunities to adventures and creative projects that before you only dreamed of.

* Discover hidden time pockets for creative pursuits

* Give to the world from a joyful and creative place enhancing your impact

 

 

 

“After returning home from Europe about 2 years ago, I had the post-traveling blues, feeling as if I had ‘nothing’ in my life. In my initial session with Catharine, she helped unlock that part of myself that was able to remember and embrace my gifts and reconnect with an earlier vision I had for my life… Her passion and support for birthing a new part of my life journey has been fundamental in my ability to move forward, and I am most grateful for all the rich gifts and new friends that have come into my life through my work and play with her. Catharine has an incredible passion for her coaching practice and her deep desire to see other people reach their fullest potential is truly an inspiration.”

–Wende Bartley, Composer, Sound Healer, Toronto

 

 

 

Are you ready to walk away from the Traditional Road to Spiritual Death?

 

If you already have a life chock full of adventure, fun, creativity, and social purpose, then that’s wonderful. Congratulations.

 

But if you’re ready to get a lot more creative about your life, and create a whole load more joy and richness in world, here’s a way you can jumpstart that!

 

Click here and send an email to instantly receive your FREE Special Report, The Top 10 Traps That Modern Renaissance Souls Fall Into and How to Avoid Them.

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Go for It!

 

Katie Curtin

Creative Life Style Designs Coach

 

PS: Not ready yet or want to know more whether you are a person I can help?  Click here first to find out.