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00:00:01
Do you Struggle with Harmonising Structure & Flow, in your Professional Creative Pursuits?
12 Plays4 days ago
In this episode I want to speak to this a little more with the intention to support those taking the 14 day content creation challenge and for those who have not yet started but felt like it may be too late to join.
It’s not, and I will share more on that later in the episode, for now I want to offer permission to not feel the need to be perfect or do things exactly by the rules, by sharing my own journey and struggle with the challenge… and some of ideas around how to move forward from this if you can relate to what I am about to share.
By participating in the 14 Day Challenge you can receive a 30min coaching session with me or a full page feature in the Autumn Edition of THE Rural Woman e-Mag if you participate as a part of the Digital Solutions Program.
Find out more by listening to the episode.
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We respect and honour Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders past, present, and future. We acknowledge the stories, traditions, and living cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on this land and commit to building a brighter future together.
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Transcript
Introduction to Harmonizing Structure and Flow
00:00:00
Speaker
Welcome back to the Alive by Design podcast. Do you struggle with harmonizing structure and flow in your professional creative pursuits? In this episode, I want to speak to this a little more with the intention to support those taking the 14-day content creation challenge.
00:00:18
Speaker
And for those who have not yet started but felt like it may be too late to join, It's not, and I will share more on that later in the episode. But for now, I want to offer permission to not feel the need to be perfect or do things exactly by the rules, by sharing my own journey and struggle with the challenge.
Balancing Structure and Creativity: Marie's Journey
00:00:37
Speaker
And some of the ideas around how to move forward from this And if you can relate to what I'm about to share. You desire to live a life that supports you in thriving, a life based on understanding your unique design while engaging more in your passions.
00:00:53
Speaker
I'm Marie Nicole and I am devoted to combining beauty, uniqueness and connection in everyday living experiences. As a creative professional and embodiment coach, I facilitate others in embodying their uniqueness and help them connect to their inner essence and let that be their outer expression.
00:01:12
Speaker
I'm also a mother of two precious young men and with children in tow have established and run unique businesses over the last 25 years, and embraced opportunities that have created magical memories along the way.
00:01:24
Speaker
This journey has certainly not been without its challenges, but overcoming these challenges is what has led me to focus more deeply on living my life by design and provides me with the wisdom to draw from in supporting others to do so too.
00:01:40
Speaker
It's my hope this podcast inspires you to live your life on your terms, and earn your income through being uniquely you. Whether that's working for yourself or someone else, the key here is living in alignment with your unique design.
00:01:55
Speaker
After all, it's the unique thread that we each contribute to the collective tapestry that creates the whole.
Rule-Breaking vs. System Creation: Lessons from Cooking and Fashion
00:02:05
Speaker
Now this contemplation of being a rule breaker and a systems creator, the balance between feminine and masculine, free-flowing expression, setting boundaries and structures to work within, was sparked by a conversation with a friend who asked for the recipe of the olive tapenade I had made for her.
00:02:24
Speaker
I gave her the original recipe but followed up with, that's not how I make it though, and then tried to give her the details of my adaptation To make the tapenade in the way that delivered that same result as what she was eating, I really needed to write her a new method, even a list of ingredients.
00:02:43
Speaker
I have really stuck to a recipe exactly the way that it reads. I make it as per instructions to begin with and then I play around making adjustments often writing them in the recipe book.
00:02:55
Speaker
But sometimes I just keep a mental note of the changes that I have made and keep making changes until I reach a result that offers the taste and texture experience that I wish to deliver.
00:03:07
Speaker
So after this conversation, realized I realised i'd do the same thing with commercially produced garment patterns. I don't remember the last time, if ever, that I made a garment exactly the way the pattern instructed.
00:03:21
Speaker
I often trace out the pattern, make my adjustments and then I use that version to recreate the garment from there, often continuing to tweak and adjust until I reach an outcome that meets my desire.
00:03:34
Speaker
This originally stemmed from a need as patterns are not designed for my unique physique and then adjustments started to expand into ways that the design would better suit my style and lifestyle.
00:03:46
Speaker
This rule breaker aspect of my way of being really hit home when I was struggling to keep up with my own rules when it came to the 14-day content creation challenge that I had set for webinar participants and podcast listeners.
00:04:01
Speaker
At first, I thought it was just the fact that I have so much on my plate at the moment that I couldn't keep up with the timeline.
Masculine vs. Feminine Energy in Life and Work
00:04:08
Speaker
Then I realized the way my creative inspiration is sparked and expanded is by setting a container to create within but allowing for creative expression to flow through within those boundaries.
00:04:22
Speaker
This is the balance between masculine and feminine energy. At the moment as a single mum, after most of my adult life operating in partnership, now being responsible for so much on my own, I have really noticed the importance of creating structure for myself,
00:04:40
Speaker
as well as allowing for creative flow. If I feel too restricted in a structure, I rebel and just want to escape the confines and unexpressed creativity then spills out over the edges of the container.
00:04:54
Speaker
But water without boundaries does not flow in a particular direction. It disperses out everywhere and ends up spreading so thin that No longer a pool or a puddle, just a smear of moisture across a surface or it seeps into the surface that it's spread across.
00:05:10
Speaker
Having boundaries allows for flow in a specific direction, fostering effortless creative expression towards an outcome. But how do you create that for yourself when you're the one setting the rules and breaking the rules?
00:05:25
Speaker
This is not about being male or female. It's about masculine and feminine energy. which we each have within us. Masculine energy is associated with structure, discipline and boundaries. It's about setting goals, creating systems and focusing on outcomes.
00:05:43
Speaker
Feminine energy is linked with creativity, intuition and fluidity. And it's about embracing spontaneity, being receptive to new ideas and allowing for adaptability.
00:05:55
Speaker
Another way to look at it is from the perspective of discipline and devotion. Discipline to set the boundaries for what's essential and devotion to living an inspired, passionate existence is what helps us use our intuitive feminine gifts to recognize when the container is too small, too tight, too restricting.
00:06:15
Speaker
It is not about just doing what has to be done regardless of the impact on our well-being, operating only from our masculine energy and suppressing the needs of our feminine. It is about tuning in to what is in fact in service of our highest expression, while also recognising when we need to reel our creative expression back in and set the container a little tighter, putting a little extra pressure on reaching an objective.
00:06:44
Speaker
Without that, we are likely not to complete a task or achieve our desired outcomes. Because we're being carried off with the next inspired project, Idea flowing down a stream blissfully unaware that we've left a trail of incomplete projects behind us.
Partnership, Independence, and Gene Keys Insights
00:07:01
Speaker
Going it alone is not easy, especially if you know your design is such that thrives in partnership. For those who know anything about the Gene Keys, in my culture sphere I have a line too, which means I operate best in partnership.
00:07:16
Speaker
I am not here to operate like a lone wolf, I am here to collaborate and co-create. That said, this experience of learning to stand on my own two feet is teaching me where my strengths really lie and where I could do is support, learn new ways of achieving what needs to be done in order to meet commitments and reach desired outcomes.
00:07:38
Speaker
Which is why I set myself systems and structures to support me. in doing things effectively and bringing them to a completion stage. If I were just to let myself go with the flow and have no boundaries set for my days, I'd spread myself in several directions, keeping busy, but come the end of the day, would I have reached the outcome that enables me to pay the bills as well as live a life of inspiration and passion?
00:08:04
Speaker
I'm not sure I would.
Discipline in Creative Projects and Goal Achievement
00:08:06
Speaker
Now, I have always tapped into my masculine energy in order for that to be the outcome and have actually had to remind myself at times the importance of relaxing into my feminine, receptive, creative energy.
00:08:21
Speaker
Does this ring a bell for you? Do you find yourself so caught up in doing what needs to be done that you forget to allow yourself to flow with creative inspiration and let magic unfold?
00:08:33
Speaker
that you could not have planned for? Or the other way around, do you spend more time enjoying the free flowing creative expression that you feel guilty because it's not leading to any kind of result that you feel justifies the amount of time that you're devoting to your creative play and expression?
00:08:50
Speaker
So you force yourself to take on work to pay the bills and make up for the fact that you've not found that balance between setting the container and structure that allows you to engage in your creative expression and still be able to call that the work you do to earn your income.
00:09:07
Speaker
I have always loved the saying, do what you love and the money will follow. But what that saying does not capture is that we still require some form of discipline to bring things to completion Having clarity around our objective provides the drive and holds us accountable, which is why the 14-day challenge was something I felt was important to set and even take part in myself.
00:09:33
Speaker
Because we can come up with all manner of excuses as to why we can't reach our desired outcomes based on all of the demands on our time. But if our objective is to live our life by design, do what we love to earn our income, then we still need some structure to ensure that we are taking aligned action towards our goals.
00:09:55
Speaker
On the flip side, as creatives, we can't shackle ourselves to tasks in order to just get things done. and expect our creative juices to flow, which is why finding that balance between our own masculine and feminine energy is so important.
Self-Awareness: Balancing Creativity with Structure
00:10:13
Speaker
Overstructuring, we run the risk of stifling creativity by adhering to rigidity, to plans and to rules. Undestructuring leads to the potential to become scattered and unfocused without some boundaries or objectives.
00:10:28
Speaker
This is where self-awareness plays an important role. In personal growth, reflecting on our tendency towards either just being or doing and how that is impacting our lives and career aspirations?
00:10:42
Speaker
After recognising our tendencies, the next step is to strategise how to adapt those tendencies towards reaching our desired outcomes. Do you need to tighten or loosen boundaries? Optimise productivity and creativity?
00:10:57
Speaker
This is where taking aligned action comes into play. leaning into either the need for more discipline or devotion. Discipline, necessary for setting and achieving goals, ensuring creative endeavours reach completion, and devotion, maintaining passion and inspiration in pursuits, ensuring the process remains fulfilling and aligned with our personal values.
Embodiment Coaching and Moon Cycles for Self-Awareness
00:11:21
Speaker
You may have heard me speak about cyclical living and working with the moon cycle in previous episodes which is a method I use in my own life and embodiment coaching service.
00:11:32
Speaker
Once you are self-aware and recognize your natural tendencies you can support yourself in taking aligned action by working with the energy of each phase of the moon cycle but and with the support of a coach which is where I can come in and help you Develop the practice of moving through tasks, living your life by design in a way that supports your thriving and enables you to reach your desired outcomes.
00:11:59
Speaker
Now there's a link in the show notes for my embodiment coaching service. So reach out if you feel like support in this area of your life is something that could serve you right now. Coaching offers a form of partnership.
00:12:12
Speaker
If you are someone who is working predominantly on your own and find it difficult balancing your masculine and feminine energy, then that's where a coach can guide you in reconnecting with the energy that will best serve your objective. Even as a coach in the Digital Solutions program, I help clients with this by asking a series of questions that lead them to the realization that their creative expression is a superpower.
00:12:37
Speaker
And it's not just about having tools and tactics, but other times it's focusing on creating structure and processes to support them in setting the container required to direct their creativity towards their desired outcome.
Digital Solutions for Australian Small Businesses
00:12:52
Speaker
I know you're enjoying the episode, but I just want to take a moment to share some information with you about the Digital Solutions Program, which is one of the ways you can work with me as a coach, in this case as your digital guide.
00:13:05
Speaker
If you'd like support in your digital presence as a micro or small business owner in New South Wales, Australia, running a for-profit business, you can take advantage of this heavily government-funded program that I contribute to as a digital guide, where you pay a small one-off fee of $45 plus GST and receive up to four hours of one-to-one coaching to support you in your digital journey.
00:13:31
Speaker
focusing specifically on your needs in the digital space, which does not have to be as daunting for you when you establish systems and processes and use easily accessible digital tools to support you in expanding your reach to connect with potential customers, either in your community or way beyond the boundaries of your LGA.
00:13:50
Speaker
In the show notes, you'll find my affiliate link to register for the program. And when you do, you'll automatically be assigned to me as your guide. During our initial session, we worked together on ascertaining exactly what it is that would be best for you to receive support with, and then we take it from there.
00:14:08
Speaker
If you wish to read the testimonials of some of the clients I have helped through this program, I'll also include a link to the page on my website where you'll find those. Now back to the episode.
Supporting Creative Professionals Across Industries
00:14:20
Speaker
It is my desire to support creative professionals in thriving, earn their income through engaging in their unique gifts, We are all creative beings. I don't see creativity as just reserved for the arts.
00:14:33
Speaker
It takes creative problem-solving skills to run a business, whatever industry you are in. However, my focus on creative industries has come from my lived experience and not fitting into any pre-existing role, job description or career path.
00:14:49
Speaker
Having to find that balance in my own masculine and feminine energy in order to sustain my creative-based businesses while supporting others in theirs, it brings me so much joy to see someone lit up because they are engaging in the work that they are here to do in this lifetime.
00:15:07
Speaker
And it also saddens me to see creatives suffer trying to squash their square peg into a round hole. In order to make ends meet, we all benefit from the magic creative professionals sprinkle across the globe when they find that balance between doing and being.
00:15:25
Speaker
Can you imagine a world without creative expression? I know I can't. I don't believe that the objective of life on this planet is to live in resistance, constriction, limitation.
00:15:37
Speaker
You just need to spend time in wild nature to see that the objective of this planet is to support expansiveness, abundance, thriving and beauty. This also includes a human race, which is why it serves the whole when we allow ourselves individually to live in a way that supports our thriving.
00:15:59
Speaker
You also need only to look to wild nature to see that what supports thriving is the balance of structure and flow, masculine and feminine. So I hope today's episode helps you see that you engaging in your magic is your contribution to the collective.
00:16:17
Speaker
And to live out your highest expression, it does serve you to become self-aware and put strategies into place that enable you to operate within some structure that supports your creative flow and leads you towards your desired outcomes, which is your gift to the world.
00:16:35
Speaker
So on that note, don't forget.
Joining the 14-Day Challenge and Free Coaching Opportunities
00:16:37
Speaker
that if you would like to join the 14-day challenge, you can still do so. You can simply catch up on the days you miss by increasing your daily posts.
00:16:46
Speaker
And if you're in the Digital Solutions Program, reach out to find out how to engage in that challenge so that you get a chance to be featured in the autumn issue of the Rural Woman e-magazine.
00:16:57
Speaker
If you are not in the Digital Solutions program, you can join in on the A Life by Design challenge and have the chance to receive a 30-minute coaching session with me for free.
00:17:08
Speaker
You'll find a link for that in the show notes to register and receive the challenge structure. So until next week, enjoy the process of creating your life by design in a way that supports your thriving.
Call to Action: Connect and Share
00:17:21
Speaker
Thank you so much for staying all the way to the end of this episode. I hope it provided you with the insights and inspiration that you need right now on your quest of fostering thriving. If you are looking for a coach to support and guide you through your own unique journey of creating a life by design, reach out for a connection call. You'll find a link in the show notes.
00:17:42
Speaker
Also, please do pass this on to someone you think could get value out of it. And I'd really appreciate if you left a review for this podcast or comment on YouTube.
00:17:52
Speaker
I'd love to hear any insights or inspirations it activated in you. And I look forward to soaring alongside of you too.