006 - The Process of Becoming
It’s the last Monday of January and here I am in your inbox. I love that for us.
Stepping fully into NOW
For those of you who’ve stayed around, it’s because you’re ready to commit to living a deeply in-tuned life outside of just the work you’re putting into the world. I know the feeling because for so long, my identity was wrapped up in my career – in the titles I sought, the agency I launched, and the work I completed. That meant that my value swung based on the perceived success or failure of items tied to those areas.
As creators, we tie so much of our self-worth to the work we do; it wasn’t until I divorced my value from my work that I started to truly understand the connection between seeking validation of self through others and showing up validated through self. The flip switched for me a few years ago when I realized that I was valuable simply because I existed. This changed so much for me, including how I ran my business (& the caliber of clientele), the relationships I attracted, and how I showed up to aid the collective.
The big lesson for me was reaching a place of understanding that there are miles of differences between intrinsic value, meaning it is simply because it is, and putting yourself in situations where you must constantly prove your value. I created The Creative Brink newsletter because I wanted to celebrate more of these moments of recognition and be a catalyst for other people who are traveling similar paths on their creative journeys.
Today, I’m excited to share The Creative Brink Media with you, as a space that will house both the newsletter and the newly rebranded The Creative Brink podcast (formerly Creatives on the Rise), as well as other exciting elements for creative leaders seeking community and spaces where they can come as they are.
Why Now?
One of the toughest parts of launching, growing, and eventually scaling my agency, was finding like-minded agency owners who I could talk to about the things I was facing – from how to hire a team, to transitioning from selling $1K packages to $10K packages to now having a minimum commitment of $100K and the mindset shifts that had to take place as an individual and a leader. I’ve been there. I’ve also experienced crushing blows like losing $175K in billings in one hour when a prominent festival was postponed in 2020, the cost of hiring wrong, and having to start over with nothing but a dim hope of getting it right, and bootstrapping all of it while having a full-time role. My hope is that we can create the space to share these tough moments, talk through the compromises, acknowledge the impact, then move forward together with the help of the Creative Brink community.
I’m still preparing the space. Like most people, I had HIGH hopes of what January would be for me, but after spending a month out of the country, starting a new role, and shifting daily priorities – this project fell to the side. I’ve decided to take my own advice and share this idea with my community as imperfect as it is because starting is better than delaying.
My Challenge to You
This week, I want to challenge you to think about the following things:
What are the passion projects you've let fall to the side because of your relationship with perfectionism?
How can you build a habit over the next 28 days to put your personal projects in better positions?
How are you showing up for yourself outside of the work you're doing?
What are the ways you bring value to the world that have nothing to do with the work you're doing?
After you think about it, take a few moments to write down the answers to those questions, then choose an area to focus on for the next 28 days.
In my next post, I'll share my answers to these questions and how I'm choosing to show up for myself outside of just the work. Hint: It has a lot to do with meditation, running, and being active.
This week’s episode of the podcast will provide even greater detail of the reason for this shift, a recap of my life-affirming trip to Rio at the end of last year, and a commitment to building this new space for creators who are ready to show up as their full selves and put great things out into the world.
Be sure to subscribe to the podcast for updates to receive updates as soon as they are published and direct access to even more goodies that will be available for followers of both. Let’s glow together and manifest some shit.
Love + Light,
LT
LaTecia Johnson
Twitter | IG | Luma
Sponsored: When you’re running your own business, staying focused and clear-headed is so important; and being a multi-tiered creative working across tech, agency, and venture, means clarity is also a commodity – that’s why I am so happy I found Open – a mindfulness studio designing a new way to practice wellbeing. They offer live and on-demand classes on their app for breathwork, meditation, yoga, and Pilates. USING THE OPEN APP HAS MADE SUCH A DIFFERENCE IN MY DAILY ROUTINE, and I’m excited to share OPEN with you and invite you to start your ritual today.
Join me in 2022 for a New Year Reset using the open app.
Want more? Follow @lateciarising and let me know how I can help you scale as a creator. Want to support this newsletter and get featured? Drop me a line & I’ll be happy to collaborate.