The countdown is officially ON…!
Just one more week until the new website reveal and the launch of my new monthly subscription, Color Your Soul. I’m practically bursting at the seams to invite you guys in and see what you think!
But, as with any big project launch or unveiling, I’m starting to notice those doubt-inducing jitters creeping in. I have enough experience creating by now to know that the Fear voices only get louder the closer you get to putting something new out into the world.
This time though, I’ll admit these jitters have reached a whole new level, mainly because Color Your Soul is unlike anything I’ve ever made before. In fact, it’s kind of unlike anything I’ve everSEEN before.
And the truth is, that fact has me pretty nervous.
When I dreamt the whole thing up last year, I had this vision for a creative hybrid subscription of sorts. I wanted it to be part magazine with rotating content around a central theme; part online learning hub with new classes added on a monthly basis; and part exclusive art gallery where I could make a collection of art with a central message and share it to a group of art lovers that would appreciate it.
The only problem is...
What do you call a thing like that? How do you EXPLAIN a thing like that? And finally, the doozy-of-a-doubt that shows up for me on the regular:
Will anyone even WANT a thing like that?
Those are the questions that continue to bubble up as I stare down this massive to-do listing sitting between me and the launch on September 1st.
Has this feeling ever happened to you?
Have you ever fallen in love with an idea that feels unprecedented in a way? Maybe it’s a weird business idea that you just can’t shake, or a really specific niche audience you want to reach, or your own hacked together way of designing something, or an art style that feels strange but also kind of wonderful…
The feeling is like you’re floating out in the middle of the ocean -- no one’s paper to glance at, no one to ask for advice, no one to walk ten steps ahead and make sure you don’t fall down a well… it’s just YOU.
Well here’s what I’ve learned about that feeling.
Even though it can feel vulnerable and risky and kinda lonely and TOTALLY scary… it can also be a beautiful sign that you’re actually creating from your most authentic voice.
I forget sometimes that I actually live with the king of crazy himself, Mr. Jason Zook, who among other things has sold ad space on his chest, sold his last name, and most recently has sold his future.
In response to each one of those ideas, multiple people told Jason they either a) didn’t understand the idea or b) knew the idea would never work.
And you know what? He did them anyway. Why? Because that’s who he is. Jason’s authenticity lies in constantly doing things that push the boundaries and that challenge convention.
When I feel myself doubting this idea that I’ve come to love so deeply even for one second just because it feels new and different and weird, I think of Jason and I’m reminded that different is memorable. Different is authentic. Different is original.
So let this week’s letter be a permission slip to you (and really, to MYSELF):
Create the thing that only YOU can create.
“Create the thing that only YOU can create. ”
Create the thing that is so true to who you are and what your gifts are and what you feel compelled to make that it's impossible for it to exist because YOU haven't made it yet.
Go after your unique vision even if it feels weird and scary and completely unknown because that just means that the payoff of creating it will be that much greater when you see your vision come to life.
Not only will you have the distinct pleasure of making something you’ve been dreaming of and following through on your idea, but chances are that it’ll be the idea that makes people sit up and pay attention because it will be 100% YOU.
Creating is a scary and exciting thing, and I, for one, wouldn’t have it any other way. :)
I’m hoping that when my own labor of love finally reaches you next week, that you’ll be able to see the ME-ness in every inch of it. Wishing you all a wonderful week!
