Clubhouse Is Changing the Social Networking Game

Listen and Learn Using Clubhouse, Social Networking, New Social Networking App, Clubhouse Rooms, What is Clubhouse, Shannon Sorensen

I miss coffee shops. I miss coworking. I miss traveling and industry meetups and the opportunities to connect and make new art and creative industry friends.

Clubhouse has filled a significant gap in connections that we’ve been craving this past year. It is changing the game for speakers, conferences, Q&As, and dare I say it, podcasts and talk radio?

Before Covid (BC), there were plenty of ways to connect in person. Conventions. Comicons. TED Talks. You could enter a large space full of people, sit down, and listen to industry leaders speak on their areas of expertise. You could go to a Q&A with your favorite author or comic book artist and have a chance to stand up and ask them a question.

I particularly loved New York Comicon (and smaller regional pop culture) conventions, getting to sit and listen to voice actors, screen actors, artists and writers shoot the shit about their work and whatever else might come up in a panel.

The Clubhouse app has removed prohibitive factors such as cost, and the need to travel and be in person, to bring conversations in real time to your ears. It’s accessible. It’s on your phone.

Listen while you work. Listen while you cook dinner. Listen in the shower or while running errands. Hop into the conversation if you want to and the room moderator brings you up to chat.

It’s a fairly simple in concept. No pushing visual content. No “likes” or comments. When a conversation is done, it’s done. No replays.

All the things that make other social media and networking feel like a popularity branding contest, Clubhouse leaves at the door. Come as you are. Stay for a minute, or stay for the whole chat.

It’s still new and exciting.

I joined just after the new year, and honestly, I’m still getting my feet wet, so this is very much a newbie perspective. I’m not sure how long Clubhouse has been around, but it is still “new”.

I have not participated, as a speaker, but who knows, maybe today will be the day I rip off that bandaid! For now, I’m enjoying listening and finding new people I want to follow and hear more from.

Here is what I’m loving so far, and why I think Clubhouse is going to be the next big thing (if it isn’t already) for networking, education, and entertainment.

Anyone can speak on Clubhouse.

The general idea and function of Clubhouse, is that anyone can create a “room”, and just start talking. Any subject. Any length of time. And the host or moderator can invite anyone (usually a friend or contact) to be additional speakers to join in the active conversation.

You don’t have to be a headliner. You don’t have to be “famous”. You can create a room, solo or with a friend, and just chat about anything. You can also schedule rooms and conversations based on more specific topics, which users can either set reminders for, or pop in anytime. which leads me to…

I have seen rooms scheduled for topics such as Artists Chat, Social Media Q&A, Photographers Using Pinterest, Overcoming Creative Blocks, Mindfulness, and Women in the Arts.

There’s no limit to topics, and people are using the app to learn, teach, connect, chat, and have conversations that range from incredibly serious and in depth, to light and casual.

Anyone can listen on Clubhouse.

Here’s the catch. Anyone can enter your room and listen to your conversation. At first, I thought of this a bit strange, like eavesdropping. And who knows, maybe that’s part of the fun! It’s also kind of comforting to find a room that looks interesting (because of the topic or the speaker), and just pop in and listen.

I have joined rooms where I am one of 5 people listening, and I’ve been in rooms where there are thousands. And even though we are all going about our days, listening while working, making dinner, driving, painting…you get the sense that you’re connected, due to the live, raw nature of the conversations. No editing, no frills.

What happens when you enter a Clubhouse room?

There is no video. You are not watching people talk. You simply listen.

When you enter a room, you’ll see a small icon picture at the top, letting you know who is speaking. The host of the room controls who is invited to speak, and they can be brought up into the “onstage” queue. It’s good etiquette to mute yourself to keep the audio clear.

As a listener, you can touch a button to virtually “raise your hand” for a chance to be selected to speak.

You can browse the room and see who’s speaking and listening. When you touch a speaker or listener’s profile picture, it brings you to their profile, and you can learn more about them and decide if you want to follow them.

Other speakers or listeners in the room may be checking out your profile, so if you’re in there to connect and network, make sure you clearly state wheat you do in your profile, include info and links to your website and other channels.

Entering and Leaving a Clubhouse Room

There aren’t any notifications when you enter or leave a room. These rooms are kind of like ducking in and out of rooms at a party, a coffee shop or a conference. Some rooms may have a louder, “crowded” energy. Some may feel more intimate. But there isn’t any sort of “Shannon has entered the room.” There are no departure announcements.

There is a button to “Leave quietly” which will exit you from a room. Otherwise, you can browse the app or swipe out to do other things and still remain in the room, listening. I have been in rooms where they’re checking out people’s Instagram accounts or Pinterest boards while giving audits or branding advice during a Q&A style chat. You can be listening while “on your phone”, or you can choose to leave a room.

Clubhouse Blog Post Graphics.png

Networking and Connecting on Clubhouse

If you see rooms and topics scheduled that you’re interested in, you can select to get a “ping” notification, so you can get in at the beginning of the conversation. This is great if it’s a Q&A or conversation that you might want a chance at being brought up on the stage for a question or to chat.

I love how easily you can pop over to someone’s profile if they have something interesting to say, or they are local to you, or you want to hear more from them.

Once you follow someone, you can see when they are scheduling rooms, in case you find that you’re learning a lot or enjoy their personality or expertise.

It’s also just really cool that you can browse the faces of everyone in the room and learn a bit more about anyone. When you’re in person at a conference, you’re in a room with hundreds or thousands, but you have no idea who you are there with. In Clubhouse, you’re able to create connections in so many different ways.

Creating a Clubhouse Profile to Connect and Network

Like most social platforms, you’ll want a good clear photo of yourself, your logo, or some other branded image. The profile images are pretty small, so if you’re using a photo of yourself, pic one that’s a bit closeup and tight around your face.

The first line or two of your profile will be visible when people are searching and browsing, so consider that your prime real estate to let people know who you are, what you do, and geographical location if that’s important to your business or brand. Or you can keep it simple.

From there, you can go deeper into your work. I have seen people include a quick bio or hook letting people know who and how they serve. You can plug your podcast, YouTube channel, list some highlights, places you’ve been featured.

Or you can keep it chill! Whatever your goal is in using Clubhouse, you have a lot of room in your profile to share a lot of information.

Clubhouse also has you connect your Instagram and Twitter so those are clickable at the bottom of your profile.

Making Social and Connections during Covid

I think a lot of us are really missing making connections, and Clubhouse has created opportunities to find new ways to connect, even when going about our days at home, working at home, commuting, waiting in the pickup line at school.

Even as an introvert, I am enjoying the opportunities to listen and learn.

I think Clubhouse fulfills a lot of desire for social connection, like finding new people in your industry or interests to discuss ideas for Pinterest boards or geek out over the latest WandaVision episodes. Some rooms present kind of like talk radio and podcasts, in the back and forth conversations and banter style.

There’s a lot of freedom, and you can use it and make of it whatever you want. One style of room I’ve enjoyed is the longer form rooms where it’s open flowing conversation, loosely around art, creativity, photography, and letting the conversation go…wherever! Some rooms are for meditation and mindfulness practice. Some are for virtual coworking.

Apart, but connected.

Safety and Accessibility

Again, I’m fairly new to this, but I’ve noticed a couple things come up in the past week that I want to note.

For anyone with vision impairment, I have noticed certain moderators encouraging speakers to give a quick description of what they look like in their profile picture, like an alt description, and this also helps for users who have their country’s flag graphic since rooms are not limited by country.

In regards to safety, use discretion in your conversations. You want to try to stay mindful, in your conversations, to keep personal, private information to yourself, since anyone could listen in. What this means to me is: not talking about your address, where you go to work or hang out, names of kids or where they go to school, names of clients…

It sounds like people feel very comfortable getting into conversations and quickly getting kind of personal, but you also want to remember that you just never know who might be lurking, like everywhere else on the internet, and safety is most important.

Most rooms set “house rules” and give reminders on etiquette and make sure everyone knows and feels comfortable. It’s a good idea to introduce yourself before you begin speaking.

Are You On Clubhouse?

Do you like it? Hate it? Think it’s awesome or weird? I want to hear what you think!

At the time of writing this post, you do need to get an invite from an iPhone to iPhone personal contact to get on the platform. Once you’re in, you get invites to bring in more friends and contacts.

I think Clubhouse is going to stick around and continue to grow. It might change the way people decide to host podcast style shows. I can see it becoming the go to platform for education, business and community growth.

If you’re on Clubhouse, you can find me @shannonsorensen. I’d love to connect on there, and maybe, just maybe…we can chat?

Shannon Sorensen is a Connecticut artist, photographer, and creative branding and marketing specialist.

Creativity Pep Talk :: Slow Down, Breathe and Beauty in Simplicity

This week’s Creativity Pep Talks episode starts with some breathing! How often do you take time to stop everything you’re doing and breathe? It feels so good, and I am practicing taking time in my day, more than just once or twice, so breathe deeply, stretch and move my body, and tune into how I’m feeling.

Life moves so fast, and by slowing down and choosing to be more mindful, I am able to connect more deeply to myself, my family, and my creative work!

This week’s Art Oracle card draw was Charles and Ray Eames! They were the creative masters of design and architecture. I love using these cards as a playful way to bring some wisdom, encouragement and inspiration into the week, but also to take some time each week learning about artists I may not be as familiar with.

Highlights of this week’s pep talk include:

  • Allowing slowness and quiet into our days and our work

  • Lead your day with how you want to feel instead of what you have to do

  • Infusing more function and practical simplicity into our days while still making it beautiful?

  • Learning to compromise and choosing to be flexible in life

Enjoy this week’s pep talk, and don’t forget to subscribe!

Creativity Pep Talks :: A New Weekly YouTube Series

Creativity Pep Talks, Weekly Wisdom and Guidance for Creatives, Shannon Sorensen, Connecticut artist, Youtube Series

Hey there, creative friends! Happy Monday to you! It’s snowing (again) here in Connecticut, and I am over it! I thought it would be rainy today, and I was so pumped for the snow to melt.

But alas…more snow.

[insert sad trombone noise]

I’m not totally crushed, though, because I have exciting news to share…

I launched a YouTube channel!

That’s right! My senior yearbook was right when they did a spread of “Where will they be in 20 years?” and mine was starring in her own sitcom.

Maybe it’s a bit more legwork being a one-woman show, but I am incredibly happy to be sharing my journey in this new format.

Creative Living with Shannon Sorensen offers a glimpse into my life as a full time working artist (and working at home…and working at home with kids), offer creativity pep talks for exploring your creativity and doing more of what you love and enjoy, and inspiration!

You’ll get to watch me work on paintings and drawing coloring pages, with my insights into the work, the process, what inspires each piece, and some little technical details.

I will sit down for a weekly series called “Creativity Pep Talks”, offering wisdom, guidance and encouragement to get your week started.

And I want to share behind the scenes, places I love that inspire me, little Q&As, tutorials, and whatever else this channel might become!

Here’s my first creativity pep talk episode - I am using Art Oracle cards to draw wisdom and guidance from great artists - their work, their struggles, their lives - to translate into some present day encouragement and inspiration.

Don’t forget to subscribe, and let me know in the Youtube comments what you think!

Being a Multipassionate Person :: Creative Happy Life Podcast Episode 13

Welcome to episode 13 of Creative, Happy Life Podcast!

Are you a multipassionate person? Have you heard that word before? I heard it a couple years ago, and things started to click together in my mind and in my heart, about my creative interests, skills, and the work I wanted to do. And surprising to absolutely no one, it meant going against the grain, shattering expectations, and ensuring I was the writer of my own story.

I hope you enjoy this episode! I invite you to subscribe to the podcast, leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts so we can get into the ears of some new listeners this year. I appreciate every bit of support you give, and I’m unbelievably excited for this fresh start in 2021. Let’s do this!

LISTEN TO THE LATEST EPISODE HERE, ON SPOTIFY, Or APPLE PODCASTS:

New cover art for the Creative, Happy Life Podcast

Episode 13: Being a Multipassionate Person

Hey there! Welcome to episode 13 of Creative, Happy Life podcast. I’m you’re host, Shannon Sorensen, and today we are talking about being multi-passionate.

Now, I know there are a lot of new “wordy words” out there that, you know, the branding industry, and the coaching industry, and all these industries that have emerged online over the past couple of years have kind of come up with. And one of the words that I really connected with, probably two years ago, was the word “multipassionate”.

I connected with it because it really hit home, how I feel about who I am and what I do.

So, for instance, these days if you are looking at a lot of creatives and entrepreneurs bios, their little write ups, their elevator pitches…It's kind of funny because, you know, when our parents were young, and our parents were working and in the midst of their careers, they were a banker, a firefighter, an office manager, you know, they had their title. And that was their title and that was their career that they had pretty much their whole life. And now, in this, you know, modern era of so much work being done remotely and online, and people kind of creating their own businesses and their own careers that are made up of, you know, whatever they want!

It gets a little bit more complicated now because people are coaching, and doing a side hustle maybe selling oils or consulting, or they’re teaching an online course, and they’re also an artist and they're also, you know, doing all these things! And it's so funny because in the past five years, which, you know, coincides with when I started working from home on my photography business, I started just feeling pulled in all these different creative directions. And, I felt like there was something wrong with me. I couldn't focus, and I had to pick one thing, and just be really good at it. But it really conflicted with my heart, because I have always been interested in a lot of things, I've always wanted to do a lot of things. And the idea of just doing one thing has never really interested me.

And I thought that there was maybe something wrong with me, but there wasn't actually, because there is a word for people like me, and that is “multipassionate”. Multipassionate is, when you have many interests, many passions, many things that you want to do. And I think we are very lucky to live in this digital age where it's relatively easy to do all these different things if we really want to do. If we really want to spend the time figuring out how to fit these things together within our lives. It's doable!

I was really struck and inspired by an author. Now this is a story involving my daughter's elementary school. Every spring, they have a visiting author come and speak to the kids, and read their books, and talk about being an author, and what inspires them. And when my daughter was in first grade, an author named Jess Keating was the visiting author, and she came and talked to the kids, and I was there for the day to photograph the event, and the meet and greets and everything.

But I actually walked away feeling more inspired by her words than, perhaps, any of the kids. Because what she told them really hit home for me.

A little bit about Jess Keating, this was her story that she told the kids that day. She grew up interested in a lot of things, she was interested in nature and animals and plants and drawing and writing, and science, she was interested in all these different things. And coming into adulthood, she decided, “I'm going to find a way to do all these different things that I love. I'm going to find a way to incorporate all these things that I love into what I do.”

So, she's an author. She's an illustrator. She writes books that are based in science and history and fact, and she illustrates her books, and she's a zoologist because she loves animals. She has all these things that make up who she is, and she doesn't pick or choose just one. She could have decided to be a zoologist. Or she could have decided to be a children’s book writer and illustrator. She has found a way to include all of these things that she's passionate about into her life and into her career and her work

And I thought that was a really important message that she told the kids. You don't have to just pick one thing. You don’t just choose to be one thing, you can pick different things you can find a way to make these different things work within your life.

As people, we are multifaceted. Our personalities, interests, actions and behaviors - there are so many things that make up who we are. So, why does it make sense to only do one thing with our lives and our work?

I was sitting there like 35 years old and I was like, “Oh my God, she's speaking to me.”

But truthfully, I felt she was I felt that that was something I needed to hear from another person who is generally around the same age as me, like, a little bit of validation, that it's okay to want to do different things.

For a long time. I worked a corporate career. I worked as a graphic designer. I kind of worked my way up from an admin position to graphic design and marketing and packaging. And, you know, I had a good career, but I knew I wanted to be doing something else that was creative but also on my own terms. And around 2010, when I was getting married, that’s when I started my photography business. And you know, that was 11 years ago, and I was really gung ho for shooting weddings, because at the time, I was getting married.

And I was really interested in weddings. And then, you know, over the next couple of years I started doing some family photography, and newborn photography, and I had started my own family and had Lily. And, I started branching out and finding that the more different things I was photographing, the more things I enjoyed doing all these different things. It kept it exciting!

I kind of felt this whole time, like I was doing something wrong, because all these photographers in the industry were like, “Oh, well I'm a wedding photographer. I'm a family photographer. I'm a newborn photographer. I'm a headshot photographer. I'm a product photographer.” They were a photographer for one thing, and I was like, but I'm interested in all these different things. I'm interested in the weddings, and I'm interested in the babies, and I'm interested in working with seniors or with businesses.

And, you know, I knew in my gut that it was okay to be doing all of this, but there was like, all this outside messaging where I felt like, if you just pick one thing and focus on it, and you'll do it really well and then you'll be successful. Like, if I don't pick one thing, I won't be successful. That's not true. It's just not true.

So, in 2015, when we moved up towards Hartford, and I left my corporate job, we decided I would work from home, doing my photography, and being home with Lily. I really focused in on my photography, and I was doing well. And then I got this itch to do other things!

We live in New England, and the winter is not very conducive to having a full schedule of photography work if you don’t have a studio. So, I would always have some newborns, occasionally a wedding or two, but the winter was always pretty slow and tough. And I knew I wanted to kind of fill that gap with something that I could do from home, that I didn't have to travel to do.

So, I have a creative mind and heart, I had been working on my Etsy shop, and making art prints and doing graphic design. I started making tshirts, and crocheting, I kind of started allowing myself to exploring all these different things. And the more I explored, the more I was curious, you know, the more things I tried, the more I wanted to do! One of those things I really enjoyed was painting. I know that I enjoyed holding a brush and applying paint to something. So, over the past couple year, I started painting art! It was really an evolution of my creativity.

And then, you know, so, I've had all these things that I've been really interested in, you know, whether it was painting, or making jewelry, or making tshirts, or crocheting. I've always had several different things that I really loved doing. And I felt like I was fighting myself for a long time, because everywhere I turned it was like, well, you can't have all these different things you do. You’ll never be good enough, you’ll be divided. You're never going to succeed, you're never going to make enough money. You're not gonna be able to support your family, you're going to have to go out and get a “real” job.

Yikes.

So I had all these different stories, running through my head, for the past several years.

it was hard to figure out what story was true.

And then, I was sitting in the back of my daughter's library, listening to an children's author, who's very smart and very funny and her books are amazing, telling this roomful of kids…You don't have to pick one thing.

You can be interested in many things.

And it's good to be interested in many things, because it keeps life interesting.

I said, huh. How about that. That's unexpected.

So, I guess my lesson for today is, if you are a person who has many interests, and many passions, and many things that you love to do, and enjoy, and you're trying to figure out how to make them work within your life and within your business…

Be gentle with yourself. Don't listen to anyone else's messages about what it takes to be successful, and to do a good job. You know, you don't have to focus on one thing…and take this with a grain of salt from a person who's still in the process of figuring things out.

I spent the last year painting canvases, painting jewelry, doing digital art, doing watercolor, you know, various creative things, trying to figure out, “Okay, what am I going to do? We’re in a pandemic? What should I do? How do I move forward?”

But maybe we don't have to decide…maybe we just have to keep creating, and keep exploring, and keep finding our style and our voice that feels true and authentic to ourselves.

Being a Multipassionate Person_Creative Happy Life Podcast_Shannon Sorensen

And it doesn't matter what it is that we're doing to get there. Right? It’s not being afraid that maybe it takes a long time to get there, or that it takes many twists and turns to get there.

I mean, this past year, I've been on a roller coaster. I've been up. I've been down. I've been twisted aroun,d I've gone upside down a few times. But I'm finding my way.

I know I'm not there yet, we’re all finding our ways as we go, but I am finding that the more I explore and allow myself to be open to making new things, to creating new things, to finding new ways of doing the things that I love - I am getting closer.

And there’s so much good stuff in there, in the whole process.

So, to all my multipassionate people out there who feel a little lost, who feel like maybe they don't fit into what they see every day on social media...Who are receiving mixed messages from all different directions, all diufferent industries and walks of life…Do one thing and do it great…

Well, it's funny because one of my favorite quotes is actually from the show Parks and Rec, where Ron Swanson says “Don't half ass many things. Whole ass one thing.” And I'm always like “YES! Throw yourself fully into one thing, and be great at it!”

Well, then I turn around and think, “Oh, well maybe he's not speaking to me…” But you know what? He is. Because I am throwing myself into my art.

Art is multifaceted, and I am “whole-assing” my life, in my art.

I think it comes down to finding the common tie between your art, or between your work that you're passionate about, and finding the way to combine all these things, so that feels pulled together. Even if these things might seem so different…

You know, back to Jess Keating, she is a zoologist and an illustrator. So she incorporates her knowledge, and her scientific curiosity into drawing and writing these amazing factual books for children, so that they can be excited and passionate about learning about animals. And she loves to write about the weird funky animals that you don't really study in school. It’s not all koalas and panda bears, it’s like blobfish and axolotls, and she writes some really fun, cool stories, very engaging, because it’s stuff that she’s clearly passionate about.

So for me, I'm passionate about painting, and creating art, and creating stuff that’s colorful and vibrant and interesting. So, I’m finding ways to create art that people will enjoy, whether it’s painted jewelry, or art, or drawing coloring pages that will inspire others to explore their own creativity.

And it feels like I do a lot of things when I'm making art, but I mean, I'm an artist! Right there is a big, big umbrella over my head, and there's a lot of things under the umbrella, but it's all under the umbrella that is me.

So, I'm never going to feel like I'm doing it wrong, because to me, what I'm doing, all the different things that I'm doing, are true to who I am and the things that I love. And that is what it is to be multipassionate. And being multipassionate just means, we get to do more! We get to explore more, and we're open to trying new different things.

There are a lot of people in the world who are multipassionate, and will never feel happy or settled or satisfied just doing one thing. And that’s ok. Don’t ignore all those things. So don't push them aside. Don't suppress all the weird, fun, colorful different things that you love, because those are the weird, fun, colorful things that make you who you are.

All right, we don't need more grey in the world.

We need more rainbow.

Some people live in the gray and they're happy in the gray with their things. And that's perfectly fine but there are those of us who need a broader spectrum. We need more color. We need inspiration.

So, I want to know if you are a multipassionate person. I want to know what it is that lights you up. I want to know all the different colorful things that you love.

Hop over to Instagram. Come find me at creativehappylifepodcast, and let me know in the comments or shoot me a DM, and tell me all the things you love. Tell me all the multipassionate things in your life, because I want to know what amazing things you are creating. I want to know what amazing things you were dreaming up. I want to know the amazing things you're curious about. I want to know the things that you are bringing, creating into this world, into this universe, to make it a more beautiful colorful place.

I want to know all the odd things that you are bringing together under the umbrella that is you. Because there is no one else like you!

Think of your top 5 things that you’re interested in. Or maybe the 5 odd things that you’re interested in that you pull into your work.

For me, I love the ocean, flowers, vibrant colors. But I’m not going to try to paint some detailed, fine art seascape. My style is very whimsical and energetic and textured, and a little crazy looking! That’s what I like! And I like taking that style and painting it on jewelry. Because jewelry is fun! It’s fun to get dressed up and pick out some shiny things in the morning, even though we’re all wearing sweatpants.

We find ways to pull together the things that we love. At the end of the day, I think a lot of us are trying to do things that are interesting and bring us joy, and those things look different to everyone. It might be creating portraits of our favorite TV characters. It might be coloring. It might be crocheting Bernie Sanders on a folding chair wearing mittens.

We all have our weird, odd interests, and that’s a good thing! It keeps life interesting! It keeps life colorful. And beautiful. And joyful.

And I think if there’s one thing we could all use, after the year we’ve all had, it’s more joy, and more color, and more happiness and weird funny things on the Internet. You know, the world is weird and absurd and you never know what YOU might be inspiring. You never know WHO you might be inspiring, doing all these different things.

So shine your light! Wave your freak flag around. Embrace all the different things you love, and don’t be afraid to put it out there into the world.

You do not have to do one thing.

You are not a flat white piece of paper.

You are a beautiful, amazing, colorful, creative person. And only you can bring your special flavor of weirdness into the world, that is going to make it a more beautiful place.

Thank you all for listening this week. I hope you have a great week. I hope it doesn't snow too much, it just started snowing outside. We're in that weird week in January where it's just kind of like really gray and cold and blah.

So, let's add some color to this week! Hop over to Instagram. Tell me what you love. Share this episode with your friends if you enjoyed it. Tell me what you're passionate about, and I really do hope that you have a beautiful week. Whatever you’re creating, enjoy it, and take care, my friends.

Become an official patron

Patreon is a platform for creatives to connect with their fans, spend more time creating and doing the work they love, and less time worrying about where their next meal or rent payment will come from. Patreon gives creatives the ability to create freely and give back to their subscribers in a variety of ways, while their fans make a monthly investment in their creative work.

For $5 a month (less than a fancy cup of coffee), you can become an official supporter and Patron of my work! I have a private community where I share behind the scenes, my works in progress, chat with you and offer creative encouragement. I do Q&A videos, and every month, I send you four new printable coloring pages!

If you’ve followed my work over the last several years, you know I am always creating, sharing, and hoping to inspire, through my art, writing, and this podcast.

If my work has connected with you in some way, if you enjoy seeing my art, listening to this podcast, or my writing has inspired you, I hope you’ll consider becoming a member! Memberships renew on the first of each month, and February is coming up next week. I hope to see you in there!

Share the happy!

It would mean so much to me if you’d share this episode with friends, leave a review in the comments, and follow @creativehappylifepodcast on Instagram for bonus content and a glimpse behind the scenes!

Being a Multipassionate Person_Creative Happy Life Podcast_Episode 13_Shannon Sorensen.jpg

Why I'm Loving Block Scheduling :: Creative Happy Life Podcast Episode 12

Hey, there! It’s time for episode 12 of Creative, Happy Life! Huzzah!

As a working artist, working at home with two young kids during the pandemic, join me to hear more about a method of planning my days that allows me to create boundaries and balance between personal time and work time, flexibility in my day during personal time, and how I'm getting more focused and productive in my work. I came to a realization that my days felt busy, but not much was actually getting done. And the already blurred lines between my personal and professional life had become even more blended. It was time to regroup, and rethink, and re-prioritize how I spend my days.

I hope you enjoy this episode! I invite you to subscribe to the podcast, leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts so we can get into the ears of some new listeners this year. I appreciate every bit of support you give, and I’m unbelievably excited for this fresh start in 2021. Let’s do this!

LISTEN TO THE LATEST EPISODE HERE, ON SPOTIFY, Or APPLE PODCASTS:

New cover art for the Creative, Happy Life Podcast

Episode 12: Why I’m Loving Block Scheduling

Hey friends! Have you purchased a planner for 2021? Have you explored some new ways of getting organized and scheduling your days? This week I want to share about a new style of schedule I am learning to work with, why it’s a good choice for me, and why you might want to consider giving it a try.

First, I have to talk a little about working from home, having kids at home, and why I ultimately decided to give block scheduling a try. If you’re anything like me, you’ve tried all sorts of planners and organizers, and no matter how hard you try, no matter how busy your day feels, you somehow end up feeling like nothing got done. Can you relate? You have projects to work on, things to get done, and somehow, nothings ever finished. Housework gets pushed off. Or your work-work gets pushed off.

I’ve been working from home for over 5 years now, with varying stages of kids being home, or at school some days, or suddenly home for long stretches. Especially in the last year, we’ve needed to learn to be flexible. Things can change quickly with school, but we’ve gotten pretty good with changing gears by this point in the school year. At least, the kids have.

For me, I have my own schedule to manage, client projects that are long term or short term, plus my own work that needs to be done to grow my art business. If I’m not making art, I’m not making money. It’s as simple as that!

I realized that a lot of days were going by quickly, and I’d chip away here or there at the work, but it was actually taking a long time to complete. Or it was never getting finished. Or started. I made lists, and I made lists for my lists. But I also wanted to make sure I was getting dishes and laundry done, meal planning, spending time with the kids…It would be time to make supper and I’d feel obligated to keep working because I didn’t feel like I did enough, I was unfocused and stressed. And the to do list just kept growing.

I remembered back to high school and the block schedule we used to follow. Instead of cramming every subject into every day, we’d have 4 classes that would last 85 minutes each, allowing time to really dig into the work and get a lot done.

Why not give that a try for my own daily schedule?

So two weeks ago, I created a block schedule template for myself, and I am working on making it work. Am I an expert and fully immersed in it? No, but I will tell you why I like it and think it will be good for me to stick with moving forward.

The way block scheduling works is, you give yourself longer blocks of time to hyper focus on one task or project. Whatever you assign to that block of time, is all you do.

So before, I would sit to check my email and social media, and then I’d remember I need to throw in a load of laundry, and then I’d see the playroom was a mess and would tidy up for a few minutes. Then, I’d sit to do some work but my son would need a snack and I’d see another project I needed to attend to. A text would pop up and I’d spend time responding, and before I knew it, it would be lunchtime and nothing would get done. But I’d look forward to my son’s nap, because then I’d have 2 hours to myself, to get work done!

Would I get work done, though? Sometimes. But usually, I’d remember to change the laundry over, place a grocery pickup order, spend some time bouncing between painting or writing or podcast editing or website updates, and then it would be time to wake up Roo, go pick up Lily, run a few errands, and come home to make dinner.

Are you noticing a trend? Yes, I am easily distracted and unfocuised. And I know I can’t be the only one trying to find a way to work more efficiently and focused while at home with kids. It’s not easy. But I think the solution for me, and maybe someone else out there, might be to do less.

IMG_1911.PNG

By doing less each day, we can ensure that more actually gets done. And here’s how…

A block schedule allows me the flexibility to look at my days or week ahead, prioritize what needs to get done, and spend focused time working on that thing. When the time block is up, I move on to the next block of time.

So for instance, I typically break up my days into two morning blocks, and two or three afternoon/evening blocks, generally assigning the following to them:

  • 8-10am is personal time. I get Lily ready for school, drop her off, Roo and I do a grocery pickup or other errands, and then we come home and do some home preschooling. If we aren’t doing preschooling, sometimes I do a 30 minute workout. Sometimes we go to a playground. This block of time is flexible and gives us time to get the day started.

  • 10-12pm is for me to work. Roo gets to play independently, or watch a show, while I work on whatever I’ve assigned to this block.

  • 12-1pm is for lunch, and maybe doing 1 or 2 household tasks, like laundry or dishes. When lunch is over, it’s naptime for Roo.

  • 1-3pm is my other main working block. I try to assign things to this block that are easier to do without any distraction, like if I need to do a Zoom meeting, record a podcast episode, or work on painting.

  • 3-4pm is a personal hour where I wake up Roo, we pick up Lily from school, and we run any other errands we may need to do before coming home.

  • 4-5:30pm is playtime for the kids, work time for me. I reserve this block for wrapping up whatever I was working on earlier, or doing something like social media planning or writing. Then we spend 30 minutes cleaning up, and winding down for the day.

  • 6-9pm is family time. We make and eat dinner, clean up, baths, reading and bedtime. It’s not really scheduled, but evenings are generally the same across the board.

So how is it possible to get stuff done when it seems like I’m only really working for 4 hours a day?

In short, by cutting out distractions, and staying laser focused on the task at hand. I waste so much time on social media. Like, an embarrassing amount of time. I also get lost in emails and thinking about all the things I have to do. So I decided to turn off my phone, or leave it in another room, so I wouldn’t be tempted to mindlessly scroll.

Do I still mindlessly scroll? Yes, yes I do. But much, much less. And the less I do it, the easier it is to recognize in the moment when I am starting to lose myself in the Instagram feed or a comments section. The more I say no to social media, the more I can say yes to my art and my family.

The part about focusing is still a struggle for me, and I have honestly wondered if I need to see someone about it. But for now, I am doing my best to devote these two hour blocks of time to what really needs to get done. And if I need to go to the bathroom or get more coffee or water, I use that as an opportunity to stretch my legs, but anything else has to wait for another block of time. The dishes can wait. The laundry will still be there.

There will of course be times when I assign a task to a time block, complete it, and still have 30, 60 or 90 minutes left. In those cases, I think about what I can complete in that time. It might be writing my weekly email newsletter, replying to an email, or working on new Etsy listings.

Another thing that helps is prioritizing work that moves my business forward. After a year of spending so much time worrying about growing my social channels and interacting in Facebook business groups, I realized those were all times I could be making new art, sharing my newly made art, and working on sales.

Simply talking about business isn’t going to grow my business. I had to spend some time really thinking about what my goals are and how I’d get there. And when I took a good hard look at 2020, being home every day, my work and personal life blended to a point of really losing myself. I lost focus. I made myself available to anyone at any hour because I was home. I literally told people (frequently) to call me anytime, I’m home. Text me whenever, I’m home. We can do a playdate anytime, we’re around and not doing anything. I minimized my own productivity and the worth of my time. And there are layers and layers that could be dissected here, but the long and short of it is that I needed to come to this realization and recreate my own boundaries, for myself, my work, my family and relationships. I had to start looking at my days as work days, as I would if I were in an office or other work environment.

As a self employed person, if nothing’s getting done, that’s on me. I can control what I let in and out of my days, from social media to texts and emails and calls, by controlling when I let them into my day.

And if you’re wondering, well, why not just break down the day and assign things to an hourly schedule?

That definitely works for many people, I’m sure. The nature of what I do, and needing flexibility with the kids, means simplifying my schedule as much as possible. I’ve tried saying I’ll do laundry at 8:50, 1:20 and 6:05 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, so far as assigning different laundry baskets to different days. I’ve scheduled myself solid by the hour or half hour. I’ve watched myself fall behind daily and wallow in feelings of failure because I was distracted, procrastinating, trying to do it all, but all was simply too much. Oh, and nothing ever got done.

Block scheduling allows you to be flexible with your time, which is what I realized we needed with all our different daily schedules. Some days I work for an hour. Some days I work more like 8 hours, including after the kids go to bed (although, I really try not to do that anymore, because boundaries). I know that I can try to schedule a couple blocks on Sundays when Sean is working, so I have more flexibility on Fridays when Sean is also home. I don’t schedule exercise, because that’s one of those things that I might do at 9am, 12pm or 4:30, depending on the day and how I’m feeling.

When quarantine life started, I thought having a fully scheduled day would be how we keep a sense of normalcy in this crazy world. But like wearing masks and carrying sanitizer everywhere and all the things we’ve adjusted to over the last 11 months, scheduling is one of those things that there’s no easy answer for. It’s a matter of looking at what works for you and your family, and giving it a try with a little flexibility and a lot of grace.

So if you’re thinking about trying block scheduling, here’s what I recommend. Look at a typical day, and think about where those 1.5 to 2 hour chunks of time naturally occur. For me, my days are pretty well segmented around the school day. You might have a 2 hour block from 6-8am doing a workout, showering, getting dressed and having breakfast. I don’t track that myself. You might leave your mornings open for personal time and choose to break up 12-8pm into four 2-hour blocks for working.

Once you determine you time blocks, start assigning your work or tasks to your blocks. I fill mine out in pencil so I can easily make changes as needed. I created a printable that I use for this, which you can grab in my Etsy shop. Or, you can create your own using a spreadsheet, if that’s your jam!

Keep in mind that each block is ideally given one assignment, or subject, to focus on. For me, I might assign something general, like “work on podcast”, or I might decide to be more specific and say “Work on podcast edit”, and will focus on that from start to finish. Not graphics, not writing a transcript or popping into the Creative Happy Life on Instagram. Just getting the episode edited and done.

Become an official patron

Patreon is a platform for creatives to connect with their fans, receive monthly financial support from their subscribers, and get to spend more time creating and doing the work they love, and less time worrying about where their next meal or rent payment will come from. Patreon gives creatives the ability to create freely and give back to their subscribers in a variety of ways.

So for $5 a month (less than a fancy cup of coffee), you can become an official supporter and Patron of my work! I have a private community where I share behind the scenes, my works in progress, chat with you and offer creative encouragement. I do Q&A videos, and every month, I send you four new printable coloring pages!

I chose to set up my platform for general support and interaction, because if you’ve followed my work over the last several years, you know I am always creating, sharing, and hoping to inspire, whether it’s through my art, writing, or this podcast.

So, if my work has connected with you in some way, if you enjoy seeing my art, listening to this podcast, or my writing has inspired you, I hope you’ll consider becoming a monthly member! Memberships renew on the first of each month. I hope to see you in there!

Share the happy!

If you enjoy this podcast, it would mean so much to me if you’d share it with friends, leave a review in the comments, and follow @creativehappylifepodcast on Instagram for bonus content and a glimpse behind the scenes.

 
Why Im Using Block Scheduling.jpg
 

Creative Happy Life Podcast Episode 11 :: Letting Go of Expectations

Hey, friends, happy new year! A couple quick things before we get into the first episode of 2021!

I am hitting the reset button on this podcast, moving forward with weekly episodes that will be shorter in length, around 10-20 minutes each, in an effort to explore more topics, stay on point (hahaha) and personally, challenge myself to be more focused and scheduled with this piece of my creative work.

Next, I am asking that if you enjoy this podcast, my art and the work that I do, please consider joining my Patreon group. Patreon is a platform for creators to receive financial support each month by their biggest supporters and fans, and in turn, have more freedom to keep creating, and give back to their fans. I’m proud of the work I’ve done and the direction I’m headed, and can do even more if you consider supporting me each month. Every little bit helps, and I’m always grateful for your support, no matter where it comes from. Join my Patreon.

I hope you enjoy this episode! I invite you to subscribe to the podcast, leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts so we can get into the ears of some new listeners this year. I appreciate every bit of support you give, and I’m unbelievably excited for this fresh start in 2021. Let’s do this!

LISTEN TO THE LATEST EPISODE HERE, ON SPOTIFY, Or APPLE PODCASTS:

New cover art for the Creative, Happy Life Podcast

episode 11 transcript

Welcome to a brand new episode of the Creative, Happy Life podcast! This is the first episode of the new year, and it’s good to be back!

This past week has been tumultuous, and it wouldn’t feel right not to address what’s going on in our country. Watching the events of this past week unfold has been angering and upsetting. It’s not the topic for today’s episode, but I just want to say, if you’re feeling stressed out, anxious, angry, feel the emotions you feel. Your feelings are real, and this is a lot. But do what you can to take care of yourself. Watch the news and stick to the facts. Email or write letters or call your state representatives. And then, do what you need to do to take care of yourself. If it’s too much and you can’t function dduring the day, it’s ok to turn off the news, get off social media, put on some music, do your work, make some art, spend time with your family. Do something that makes ou feel better. This is going to continue, and we need to try to not let it consume us. We can be aware, and we can take action, but we can’t forget to take care of ourselves and our people at home.

All right, getting into this episode, I’m excited you’re here! This past year was a doozy, and I didn’t record as much as I wanted to. So, my first big goal of the year is to make new episodes every week. To show up, to be messy, to stumble over my words, enjoy the process, and put it out into the world.

When I started this podcast, I was so energized, and then everything shifted last year and I was drained of any extra energy I wanted to put into make and growing this podcast. I decided going into this year that I’ll record weekly episodes, about 10-20 minutes each, with guest episodes being a bit longer.

This week I want to talk about finding enjoyment in creativity, and letting go of expectations of the desire to be perfect. We’ve discussed in previous episodes - perfect doesn’t exist - but we think that so many things have to be a certain way, or that we have an expectation of what the result of our efforts should be. And then we sometimes feel disappointed when the outcome is not what we hoped or expected.

For instance, this is a prime example, when I’m recording the podcast, I get so much into my head about my voice, my words, my inflection, if I have to pause to gather my thoughts. Then I go back and listen, and I don’t like what I said, I want to re-record, and write a script….I overthink every aspect of it instead of just doing it.

IMG_1730.PNG

I really do love making this podcast! It’s funny, I’m sitting in my closet recording this, sitting on a little plastic stepstool from IKEA that we keep in the bathroom for the kids. The microphone is perched on a moving box, my laptop is perched on comic book boxes. I’m surrounded by sweatshirts and scarves and linens and even more boxes…it’s not by any means a “cloffice” (closet-office).

When I’m preparing to record an episode, I get so into the details of setting up and preparing, and being “ready”. And then I freeze up. I get frustrated because I’ll be in the middle of cooking dinner or in the shower, and these ideas come to me for episodes, and I think “Ugh, if only I had my microphone right here so I could record these thoughts at this very moment, I’d have an amazing episode.” And then when I do sit down to record, if it doesn’t go the way I hoped or expected, I get that feeling of disappointment.

It’s too much time in my head, instead of just sitting down and speaking freely, and enjoying the process.

As a parent, doing crafts and teaching art to our kids (or anything), it can be hard to allow them to stray. Whether it’s straying from directions…or following the directions, but then they take what they created and crumple it up and make something else, it’s like….AGHHHH what are you doing?! This happens to me a lot! I wish I could be more laid back and easy going about creativity. And this is why I wanted to discuss this topic, because there’s beauty and playfulness in the process, if you just let go of the idea of what something should be.

I’ve been thinking about this in terms of new year’s resolutions. We’re all familiar with resolutions, right? New goals,ideas, desires to change habits, create systems. We generally hit the reset button January 1st. But often, we forget our resolutions, or give up, before we even get started. If you think about it, we focus so much on the end goal, no matter what that goal may be. There are so many things we want to do, and we want to do it all on January 1st. We have the end goal in mind - cleaner house, healthier bodies, sticking to a better schedule, etc. We picture in our heads what it will be like, but we have a hard time imagining what it’ll be like getting there, along the way.

Think about the process of running. A lot of people decide they want to become a runner. If you’re a couch potato like me, you might start imagining how it feels to already be a runner. When I decide I want to be a runner, I’m picturing my already trained, healthy, stronger self who can endure running a 5K easily. What I’m not focusing on is every single day of getting to that point.

If you’re a beginner, it’s going to take time to get there, to become a runner who has endurance, and strength, and the discipline to go out there and run. But before you get started, if you’re like me, you get all up in your head. You think about how uncomfortable you might be going out to run on the road, and if people are looking at you, seeing this person who is jogging really slow, not wearing “official running gear”. I am who I am, and I worry about these things, and think about these things, if I’m going outside to do a fitness activity. How do I appear to others? I worry so much about what others think instead of focusing on my own goal and how I feel.

I think, “Is it going to be painful to become a runner?” Yes, it’s going to be uncomfortable, and maybe a little painful and sore, because you’re training your body. You can’t go 0 to 60. Maybe these thoughts, and staying in your headspace too much, causes you to stop before you even get started. Or you go for a week and think well, I tried. What’s the point?

I’ve done the Couch to 5K program so many times, I’ve started so many times, I’ve never finished it. And honestly, it’s one of the things I wish I had stuck with and finished and kept as part of my life. Who knows? Maybe I’ll start it again.

By setting a new years resolution, setting a goal, you’re saying I want to change my mindset, I want to change a habit or create a new system. But you have to do the work in order to do that. All of those things have building blocks. You can’t just do it all in a day or week. These things take time. So, instead of getting so caught up in what you expect in the end, start with step one. What is step one? Is it putting on sneakers and going outside? Is it grabbing an empty box and grabbing some clutter and trash you know can go right out into the dumpster? Is it sitting down and looking at a calendar just for tomorrow - not planning out a whole month - but just planning out tomorrow to take myself one step closer to my goal.

It’s not so much the breakdown of the goals, but…why are we doing these things? When I’m running, it’s not so much to run a 5K, it’s because I want to feel good, and healthy, and strong when I am running. I have full confidence that if I trained to be a runner, and could go out and run a race, that would be a great accomplishment. But what about the everyday aspects of being a runner, of having the self discipline to go out even when the weather isn’t great, or when I don’t feel like it…having the discipline to do it anyways. Because I know that while I’m doing it, I’m going to feel good. Or maybe I won’t feel good, but I certainly won’t regret it. Because from what I’ve heard from friends who are runners, is that you hit your stride, your momentum, and get that runner’s high. That feeling that you can just keep going. You feel good, you feel peaceful and strong. You’re in the zone. That’s what I hope for when I decide I want to run. It’s not to collect medals (although that is perfectly legit). I want my focus to be “How does it make me feel? And how do I get to that point?”

You have to start. It’s certainly not going to happen sitting on the couch. I know that I just have to start. And the same goes for my art.

When I’m dreaming up what I’m going to start making, I have a picture in my head (maybe), but that doesn’t mean that’s where I’ll end up. But I create, I paint, and I work on these things, for how it makes me feel. It makes me calm, it helps me relax, I feel good and happy and present in my body when I’m making something. It doesn’t matter if I’m painting or crocheting or baking; you know that feeling when you get in the zone doing something you love. You just feel good.

And I know that doesn’t come easily to people who feel like they’re not good at something. When I think of how I want to feel as a runner, I’m not there yet. I’m not disciplined yet, it’s not part of my routine, I don’t have the physical strength and endurance yet. I know that I’m going to feel good when I’m painting because I do it regularly. It’s part of my practice and my routine. I can get out of my head and into the creative flow.

If there’s something you want to do or try, I want to challenge you to change your mindset. Everything starts with an idea, but how do you get there. How do you get into the creative flow? How do you get to the runner’s high? How do you get to a regularly clean and decluttered house? It’s the process. It’s the process of putting paint on the canvas. It’s putting on your sneakers and stepping out the door. It’s getting out of your head and taking those limiting beliefs that say:

“I can’t. I’m not good enough. It’s going to be a chore. It’s going to be uncomfortable. It’s going to stress me out. I’m not good, I’m not good, I’m not good…”

Good Things Take Time_Creative HappyLife Podcast Episode 11_Let Go of Expectations

So much of this comes back to “I’m not good” or “I can’t”, and we can do these things that we set our minds to, but it takes that first step. We can’t focus solely on the end goal. The end goal is always going to be there. But think of Anna in Frozen 2, saying “Do the next right thing.” Take one step at a time.

I’m thinking about my husband, who sat down a few times with the iPad and an Apple Pencil and he sketched and drew, and he said “I get frustrated because I have this picture in my head of what I want to draw, but then I can’t do it. I can’t make it happen.” And I say “Well, first of all, you just sat down to draw. There are so few people in this world who can just sit down and just make a masterpiece” We have these crazy expectations of ourselves and what we should be able to do with little discipline and little work. We have to do the work.

And we have to have fun with it! I think about the things I least want to do with my time: cleaning and workout out. I’m sure that is shocking to many people. But, I don’t like doing these things, especially folding and putting laundry away, or doing dishes. So, I think to myself, what can I do to make this enjoyable, and less of a chore? I put on music or a podcast. I put on something that gets me out of my head, singing or moving my body, and I make it fun!

It’s a mindset shift., I could slog through my day, doing all these things that I don’t enjoy, and say “Ugh, it was a terrible day. I had to do dishes, and laundry. I had to run errands. I had to make dinner. I had to do all this stuff." Ugh, what a horrible day.” Or, I can say “Hey, I got to listen to an audio book while I was running errands, I don’t usually have time to read, so I caught up a bit. And then I listened to some reall good jazz while I was putting dishes away, it made me feel really good. And hey, I put my laundry away and my room is clean, and I’m going to just take this moment in, before it turns back to a disaster in a couple days.”

We all have the opportunity to take something not great, and see the good side. No matter how ridiculous or pointless or silly it might seem, these little things do add up.

And if you’re worried you’re going to spend time doing something, only to give up, and feel like it’s going to be a waste of time…it is never a waste of time.

I’ve spent hours coloring pages that end up looking like crap.

I’ve spent days and weeks on crocheting projects that I’ve suddenly decided to start over. And I unravel hours and hours of work.

And I’ve learned to be ok with that, because it’s never a waste of time to do something you love, or try something new. Or working towards a goal.

It’s never a waste of time to be present in the moment.

If you find that zen zone…if you get in that creative flow…if you hit that runner’s high…if you feel happy, and playful, and joyous - all of these things add up. They add up to learning, experience, lessons. It’s always worth it.

So if you have something ahead of you, and the “why bother” thought is creeping in, let go…let go of the expectations. Try to see the lesson, or how you want it to feel. And get going. You have to leave point A, to get to point B.

And you might never reach “point B”, but there’s a lot in between A and B, and it’s all good, and it’s always worthwhile.

Start shifting your mindset.

If you’re starting to train to run and getting caught up in your head? Put on some music. Look around. Feel the earth under your feet. Notice things on your route you’ve never noticed before.

If you’re picking up a paintbrush, and a blank canvas is in front of you, and you’re already thinking you won’t make what you want, that’s fine! Make something else. See where it goes.

That’s the beauty of living. We get to see where it goes. We can plan all we want. We can dream all we want. We can make goals….and so many times, we’ll end up on a different path than we expected.

But you have to start taking those steps.

You can always change course. You can always start over. And once you learn to be ok with that, life will be so much more fun.

Become an official patron

Before you go, I want to tell you real quick about Patreon, and ask that you consider becoming a monthly supporter! Patreon is a platform for creatives to connect with their fans, receive monthly financial support from their subscribers, and get to spend more time creating and doing the work they love, and less time worrying about where their next meal or rent payment will come from. Patreon gives creatives the ability to create freely and give back to their subscribers in a variety of ways. So for $5 a month, which less than a fancy cup of coffee, you can become an official supporter and Patron of my work and the Creative, Happy Life Podcast. I have a private community where I share behind the scenes, my works in progress, I do live drawing and painting videos and chat with you and offer creative encouragement while I paint, kind of like Bob Ross. I do Q&A videos, and every month, I send you four new printable coloring pages!

I chose to set up my platform for general support and interaction, because if you’ve followed my work over the last several years, you know I am always creating, sharing, and hoping to inspire, whether it’s through my art, writing, or this podcast.

So, if my work has connected with you in some way, if you enjoy seeing my art, listening to this podcast, or my writing has inspired you, I hope you’ll consider becoming a monthly member! You can go to patreon.com/shannonsorensen to learn more and sign up! Memberships renew on the first of each month. I hope to see you in there!

Share the happy!

If you enjoy this podcast, it would mean so much to me if you’d share it with friends, leave a review in the comments, and follow @creativehappylifepodcast on Instagram for bonus content and a glimpse behind the scenes.

 
Letting Go of Expectations.jpg
 

Personal Branding Session :: Norwalk, Connecticut

While last year was a quieter year for me and photography, I still had some really beautiful opportunities to work with families and friends I’ve known a long time and/or work with regularly.

Daryn reached out to me in the fall about doing some branding photos for her new business, and we met up near my old stomping grounds in Norwalk, using the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum as a historical backdrop. It was a gorgeous fall morning, and personally, a really nice break from being at home.

Working so early in the morning, it was easy to keep a safe distance and take all the necessary precautions to keep each other safe while being productive and having fun. That’s the trifecta for me: safe, productive, and fun.

Here are some favorites!

The Creative Happy Life Podcast Episode 10 :: What is Your Big, Scary Dream?

Hey, welcome back! It’s been a bit since my last episode, and I am kicking things off fresh with a new “season” of episodes that will get your creativity flowing, boost your spirits and hopefully help you enjoy doing more of what makes you happy!

When I launched the Creative, Happy Life podcast last September, I wasn’t quite sure what I was doing, and I didn’t have much of a plan for where I wanted to take it. If you know me personally, I’m sure this is sooooo surprising! Can you sense the sarcasm?…But if there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s learning and figuring it out as I go! I’m proud of where I started and am glad to have you along for this journey! At the end of the day, I hope to entertain, inspire, and make you feel happy!

Before we get started, join me in the Creative Happy Life Community on Facebook so we can keep the conversation going, ask questions, get inspired, and connect with other creative minds!

LISTEN HERE, ON SPOTIFY, OR ON APPLE PODCASTS:

Creative, Happy Life Podcast Episode 10 What is Your Big Scary Dream by Shannon Sorensen

What is your big scary dream?

I wrote this question on a little post-it note and stuck it to my work computer back in 2009. That sticky note moved with me several times over the past decade, and I always kept it on the bottom of my monitor as a reminder to never stop dreaming or reaching for the things I want in life. In 2009, that dream was building a photography business, becoming my own boss, getting married and having a family. My big scary dream was to be the biggest and best photographer in New England, with a super cool blog and I would travel to conferences and tell people to follow their own dreams.

Well, plans change. Life throws curveballs. Dreams evolve. So my question for you today is…what is your big scary dream? Not from childhood. Not from your college years 20 years ago. Wherever you are, right here and now.

What is your big scary dream?

[intro] Hey, I’m Shannon, and you’re listening to the Creative, Happy Life podcast! Join me each week as we share real stories, struggles, wisdom and conversations about life, creativity and the pursuit of happiness. So grab a comfy seat, settle in, and let’s get to it!

Creative Happy Life Podcast Episode 10 What is Your Big Scary Dream_pin.jpg

Show TRANSCRIPT

Episode 10: WHAT IS YOUR BIG SCARY DREAM?

Hello, friends! Welcome to the Creative, Happy Life podcast. I’m your host, Shannon Sorensen, and I am so glad to be here! I am back! It has been about 6 months since I pushed out my last episode, and oh my goodness…It feels like a lifetime ago, if I’m being honest, and I think many of you would agree. Six months ago, it was April, we were still very much at the beginning of all of this. Most people were still staying home, schools and businesses were closed and there was a lot of uncertainty if, when, and how things would open back up. We were still at a point of not knowing just how long this would stretch out for.

There are still a lot of questions, and some rising uncertainty with case numbers starting to really spike again, the Presidential election is next week. We’ve kind of been operating at a high level of anxiety, trauma and exhaustion that has been taking a toll. I’ve been feeling it, I know many of my friends who are teachers and healthcare workers are feeling it. So I just want to send out some love and support to you if you are listening right now and feeling the burnout. You are appreciated. You are loved. You are supported. I hope this episode helps you feel better, inspires you, and gives you a push to do something for yourself today, even something like going to bed an hour earlier or making a delicious cup of coffee, tea or cocoa and enjoying it while it is hot.

It’s the little things, right? You deserve to enjoy the happy little things in each day. In a world that feels like we’re teetering on the edge of a cliff, with hope and potential to our left, and plummeting to our doom on the right, we have to find ways to love and support ourselves, and each other, and create moments and spaces of safety and comfort. And that looks different for everyone, but I hope you can prioritize your needs in whatever way feels right, whether it’s asking for help, going to therapy, calling a friend, or communicating your needs to a loved one. It literally takes a village some days, so I hope you can cultivate a circle of loving support. We all need to hold each other up and some days we need more support, other days we can give more support.

So, what’s good right now? My daughter is at school 4 days a week, for now, and we’re doing everything we can to keep it that way, but we’re also being flexible. We talk a lot about being flexible these days. My husband is back to work, at his place of work, not working from home. I know a lot of people are still working from home for the forseeable future, so we’re still “in it”, just a different “in it” than we were a few months ago.

I took this break from recording the podcast because I really needed to focus a lot of my time and energy on my kids and home, and my creative work, because for me, my work pretty much just stopped. The photography industry, like many industries, has taken a major hit. I’ve been a photographer for almost 11 years, and when all of this happened in March, my newborn sessions were postponed indefinitely. I typically go to people’s homes to photograph their babies and family life in those early days with their newborns, and I spend a couple hours in their home. And I couldn’t do that! I had a wedding postponed from September to next April, so we’ll see what happens over this winter. And then all the family sessions I usually have throughout the summer and into the fall were significantly reduced or stopped.

I realized pretty quickly that I had to get creative and think of other ways to work. And one of the things I immediately turned to, which ties into what we’re going to talk about today, is painting! I started making real time for myself back in January, before any of this Covid-19 stuff was really on our radar, because I love it! I always knew I loved it, but it’s one of those things I simply didn’t prioritize in my life. I’d break out my paints and brushes every 6 months or so, often longer, and get into it for an hour, and then I’d put it away for another year.

But in that hour or so, I’d experience this incredible calm. This feeling of peace. I just felt good, and happy, and creative, and present in the moment, in my own body. There are a lot of things we do everyday where we can be multitasking, and bouncing around from one thing to another, and thinking of a million other things…But when I’m painting, all of that falls away. It’s like a meditation, or what runners talk about, the “runner’s high” they experience when they hit their stride, and they’re in the flow. That’s painting for me. It’s a time to be focused and purely creative, to paint whatever I’m feeling, whatever emotion, whatever I’m going through. I don’t know what’s going to happen, I just allow myself to play, and explore, and express.

So I have been spending more and more time painting, and it’s bringing me joy! It’s something I felt called to do, and explore, and put more of my time and energy into, and I’m finding that it fills me up. It makes me feel more whole.

So, as we get into today’s discussion, I want to take a moment to pause and say hello, and welcome. If you are new to the podcast, or if you’ve listened to past episodes, I’m grateful for this space and I have some really fun, beautiful episodes planned for you. I am working on ramping up to recording weekly episodes. I love every aspect of creating this show, and want to use it as a vehicle to inspire you and empower you to truly find ways within your day to day to prioritize and explore your creativity, and do more of what makes you happy. I believe in the healing power of creativity, that the simple act of thinking creatively can lift your mood and signal your brain to release those happy, peaceful feelings. And I say that as a person who does not know the scientific ins and outs of the brain, but speaking from my own experience and wisdom and conversations and experiences with others, that’s really what I’m here to share.

And speaking of “here”, I want to make sure this show is as accessible as possible. I know some people enjoy listening to podcasts, some enjoy watching videos and some enjoy reading, so I am producing audio, video, and a written transcript of each episode going forward, so you can enjoy it any way you like, whether that’s on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Youtube, or reading the transcript on my website. So wherever you are, I’m glad you’re here!

If you enjoy my work and feel inspired to further support it, I just want to highlight a couple quick and easy ways you can do that, and then I promise, we’re going to get into the good stuff.

If you are listening on an audio platform, you can subscribe, follow, leave a 5-star rating or review. You can always take a screenshot on your phone while you’re listening and share it to your Instagram of Facebook stories, and tag me so I know you’re listening and can do a little happy dance. If you’re on Youtube, hit subscribe and thumbs up under the video, and if you’re reading the transcript on my blog, you can comment, pin a picture or two on Pinterest, or simply share a link to the post on Facebook or Twitter!

I want these episodes to be like a big party, a gathering of creative minds and hearts, where we collectively inspire and empower each other to live more creatively, live more fully. My goal is to build a table where everyone has a seat and feels welcome here, and you are free to mingle and connect. Come as you are. If you enjoy crafting or writing or coloring books or painting with oils or reading about art history or gardening or home decor, we are all creative in our own ways. We all have our gifts and skills. We all have different paths, but at the core, we are all creative, and in the words of David Rose, I feel like that needs to be celebrated. So if you are a fan and want a place to meet new creative friends, join us in the Creative, Happy Life Community on Facebook!

As always, thank you for your support. It has taken me a few different takes at recording to get some ideas out of my brain. I tend to, surprise, surprise, put a lot of pressure on myself. That pressure turns into fear, and then I just don’t…create. And that’s not a good thing. We need to be creating. We need to rip off the bandaid and get to it.

Creative, Happy Life Podcast Episode 10 What is Your Big Scary Dream by Shannon Sorensen

So, today, in sharing about my painting and what pulled me to paint more, we’re going to talk about your wants, desires and intuition. I am wondering if there is something that you are feeling pulled towards or called to do or called to be or called to explore. And we’re going to start by approaching this from a perspective I think a lot of us can understand. And that perspective is the Disney Princess “I Want” song. So what’s an “I Want” song? Lin Manuel Miranda explains this incredibly well. He wrote the musicals Hamilton, In the Heights and songs from Moana. He’s a creative genius, in my opinion, and I remember in the first year that I was listening to the Hamilton soundtrack, hearing an interview where he talks about the “I Want” song, and how in Hamilton the Musical, the song “My Shot” is Alexander Hamilton’s I Want song. He’s proclaiming and putting it out there into the world that he has this desire, he has something calling him to do more, and he’s not sure what it is. But he knows that it’s there, and he’s not going to ignore it. He knows that he has skills, he knows he’s smart and drive to push forward and do something with his life that’s meaningful and important. So he’s setting this intention at the beginning of the show that this is something that he wants. That this is his intention for his life.

And we see this song in most Disney movies, right? So, in Frozen, Anna sings about wanting to open the gates and experience life outside the castle walls and to have the windows open and maybe fall in love and have a life she’s dreamed of, but wasn’t sure would be possible.

When Elsa sings Let it Go, she knows she has powers and she’s learning to explore and embrace them instead of suppressing them and living in fear. She gets playful, and the more she plays and creates, the more confident and joyful she becomes. And then in Frozen 2, I hope I’m not spoiling anything, if you haven’t seen it, skip ahead a bit, but Elsa is literally hearing a voice calling to her, and she can’t ignore it, she doesn’t know what it is. She sings about having to find the voice and figure out who or what it is, and figure out what else she’s being called to do. She knows she has powers She’s already come so far with embracing her powers, but there’s something even greater out there for her, and she’s nervous, but determined to discover what it is, so she can fully step into her power and who she’s truly called to be, beyond the position of queen of her kingdom. There’s even more for her, and that is something unexpected. She already has what she thinks is enough, with her sister and little family, her kingdom, and using her powers. So realizing there’s something even more out there, deciding to go “Into the Unknown”, requires her to open up and embrace the possibility of more change, more uncertainty, but maybe more wonder and good, not just for her but for the world.

Moana sings about the ocean, it calls to her, she feels the need and desire to go out and explore. She has this life on her island where she’s expected to be the next leader and stay where she is, and solve problems where she is. But she feels this pull away from the island, her intuition and her wise old grandma tell her that she has to go beyond the reef. Even though she doesn’t know what’s out there, even though she doesn’t know how to sail, even though it’ll go against her father’s wishes and possibly disappoint her entire village.

So there are all these times that these princesses and characters are proclaiming to the universe, there’s something out there for me, I don’t know what it is, but I can’t ignore it. I know I have these skills, gifts, talents, powers. I don’t quite understand the big picture yet, but I know deep down in my gut, in my soul, in my heart, in my brain, wherever you hold your intuition, I know there’s something more for me.

These “I Want” songs challenge us to face the very real aspect of fear and the unknown of stepping away from a place of comfort and safety and familiarity. A decision has to be made to trust themselves, even though the path isn’t clear. That even staying and following the clear path doesn’t guarantee safety and happiness. And that trusting themselves to go against the status quo may mean disappointing or upsetting loved ones.

So those are some pop culture examples, but I think many of us, myself included, feel these intuitive pulls, at different times in life. So in these movies, these princesses and queens and characters are usually young, on the cusp of becoming an adult, coming of age, stepping into a time when they’re going to be a leader…but what about other times in our lives when we feel called to something new? When we’ve gotten married and bought a house, or have spent 20 years on a career path. Times of change and major life shifts are sometimes exacerbated when something in the world is shaken up. A chapter is closing and we’re on to something new. There’s a problem and we feel stuck. Something happens that rocks us to our core and breaks our hearts open. And it’s not always clear what this pull is, but we know it’s there and can’t ignore it.

What do we do if there’s something we’re intuitively feeling that we can’t ignore? After all, we aren’t living in an animated movie. We’re living very real lives with very real responsibilities. So how do we balance that pull with respect to those around us, our loved ones, who our actions may have a direct effect?

I wish there were an easy answer.

Creative Happy Life Podcast Episode 10 What is Your Big Scary Dream

We are in a moment of collective shift, and change. With everything that has happened in our personal lives, in our families, in our work and schools and in the world, we’ve all had to make major adjustments. We’ve had to face some fears and hard truths. Either directly because of the pandemic, or because the effects of the pandemic brought this to the surface, many of us have taken this time to examine how we live, where we live, how we spend our money, how we consume, how we spend our time, who we spend our time with. This is a time of change. Like it or not, it’s happening. And no, not everyone is going to go out and do something new, move to a new place, change jobs, leave the city for life in a more remote setting. But I bet there are many people who are. Because there is so much on the horizon that we still don’t know. And many people may decide, you know, now is the time to do this, to find a job that makes me happy, to move somewhere new and make a fresh start, to change things up, because we are reaching a point where the desire to try something new, and hope it’ll be better, outweighs the fear of letting go of the comfort and safety of what we’ve known for so long.

For me, not being able to go out and do my photography work has been very hard, for many reasons, but most importantly, it’s how I support my family, it’s my job, it’s the business I’ve built for over 10 years. When I started, I was working a corporate job, and I would do my photography on the weekends and every day after working from 9-5 I would come home and work, work, work, work, work to build this business and this life as a photographer. So that when people thought of me, they’d think “That’s Shannon, she’s married, has two kids and she’s a photographer.” It wasn’t just a job I did, it became a core part of who I am. And I’m very proud of the work that I have done.

But what do you do when a core part of you changes? Because in March, it just went away. I couldn’t work. It was very scary. I lost income, I couldn’t plan ahead for work that I would typically depend on. And the scary part of having your own business and being your own boss and being an entrepreneur is that if the work goes away, that’s it. You have to figure out something else. Many small businesses don’t have a cushion, so the fragility of job security during this time has been very apparent.

So, when my work went away and got put on hold, I quickly had to change course. I was on a sailboat in the middle of the ocean and there was no wind, so I had to build some oars. I had to figure out something else. And I quickly turned to painting, and made even more time for it in my days and weeks at home, because it was something that brought me joy. It’s something that when I went through my miscarriage two years ago, I didn’t go to therapy. I probably should have and maybe I will go in the future, I think therapy is great and everyone who can should go to therapy. But I was very open about my experience, and I wanted to share that experience, and how I felt, and the different aspect of grief and the grief journey.

And I didn’t quite know the best way for me to do that, in a way that honored my loss and my experience, and help people understand the lasting and lifelong ups and downs that follows losing a baby. For a while I thought that I would write a book, and that’s not off the table. But I wanted to find some way to process and express what I went through. And everyone has different ways to deal with things in life, whether it’s loss or hardship or depression or coping mechanisms. Some people listen to music, some people journal or go to therapy, some people meditate. And for me, I really found that fulfillment, that support that I needed, in painting. Through the process of painting, I can fully embrace who I am in the moment. It doesn’t have to be good. I don’t have to paint for anyone but myself. And in that way, painting became an important part of the healing process for me.

And then back in the winter when my grandmother was sick, and when she passed at the end of March, it became even more important. Because I started recognizing in myself how I felt when I painted, and when I took the time to create just for me. And I listened to myself, and started trusting myself, and that feeling, that voice telling me, “You should do this more, you should do this, this is something that’s good for you, this is something you enjoy. It’s something that you’re good at, and it’s putting something beautiful into the world.”

Anytime you create something, you are making the world better in a very special way. You are sharing a part of yourself, whether you’re the only person who sees it or if millions of people see it, it doesn’t matter, it is beautiful because it was not there before, and now it is, because of you.

So, the creative process of painting, for me, became my “I Want” song of, I know this thing is here. I know I have the desire to paint. I know it’s part of me. I know that I’m good at it and enjoy it. I was really scared to put it out there into the world that this was something I was doing, because for so long, the core part of me that people recognized was being a photographer. And what I really wanted was to proclaim to the world that I’m an artist.

And that was a scary thing. That was stepping out of my comfort zone to proclaim and put it out there that I’m an artist. Yes, I’m a photographer, but look at this other stuff I am creating, that I love, that is a reflection of who I am and an expression of my experiences. And maybe it’s something I can do with my life, that other people might connect with and enjoy. And if not, that’s fine, too.

The more I started listening to myself, and allowing myself to explore this side of my creativity, not to get dramatic, but the world started opening up to me. I felt more like myself, comfortable in my own body, and comfortable in my own mind and comfortable in my own heart to express myself in a way that I hadn’t really known how to before, despite being a very open person when it comes to sharing my journey as a creative person, and as a woman and a mother. I stopped feeling the need to try to fit into anyone else’s idea of who I am or who I should be. It was like coming home to myself, returning to who I knew I was as a child, and realizing I have everything I need, and am worthy of a happy, beautiful life.

So I want to ask you…do you have an “I Want” song? Do you have a desire in your heart, a yearning, a gut feeling, something that you just can’t ignore…something that you want to do, that you want to explore…trust it. Trust your intuition, trust your brain, trust your heart, trust your guts.

You never know where it might lead you. And it’s scary! Think about these princesses - they’re in their comfort zones, they’re in their castle on their island, surrounded by familiarity, surrounded by family and a feeling of safety. And often times, when you are feeling this pull towards something, it might mean having to leave your comfort zone, even just a little bit, and to see yourself in a new way. It might mean having hard conversations, or finding the courage to speak up and proclaim your desire into the universe. You could be standing alone in the middle of a forest and just say it, to the trees and the air and the squirrels and the leaves, but words are powerful, and when you speak your intention out loud, it will change you.

Maybe this is what they mean when they say “speak your truth” - it’s already inside you, it’s already there…it’s already a part of you. But will you listen, and accept, and give it life, by breathing it into existence, out of your body, and into the world.

Sit with this, even for a few minutes today. Allow yourself to dream, to let your mind wander. Allow that pull on your heart to lead your body and your mind to a new place, a new perspective.

And I am going on the record here to say I am not talking about major life changes, like leaving your job, or moving your family across the country, but for some people, that might be it. But it could also be small incremental change in your life. Prioritizing yourself and the things you love. Finding a balance within your home and relationships where you feel peaceful in how you choose to spend your days. Learning to listen and trust your intuition if you feel like your brain is always holding you back from things that feel a bit wild and uncertain.

This life is not scripted. It’s not a movie with a predictable plot. It’s not linear. There are twists and turns, pandemics and losses, thrilling adventures and the comfort of returning home. We do not have to exist in a state of chaos. And we do not have to exist only within our comfort zones. There’s a quote, I’m not sure who said it, but it goes “A ship is safe in it’s harbor, but that’s not what ships are for.”

We are not trees. We do not need to stay rooted exactly in one place for our entire lives. And I think if anything, we’ve learned in the past few months to be flexible, and to be resourceful, and not to get sappy or sad or anything, but life is short, right? We have this one life, and what we choose to do with it might determine, plain and simple, if we enjoy our lives. We want to be happy. We want to feel fulfilled. We want to feel loved.

So instead of feeling held back by familial obligation, or anyone else’s idea of what your life should be, or your own hangups, because we all have these hangups. We all have things we get stuck on.

What if you just go for it. What if you slowly start giving yourself the time and space to do something new. What if you allow yourself to play a little more? What if you take the time to dream and then start acting on that dream? What do the first steps look like? What if the first step is listening to your own intuition, and learning to trust yourself, that you have what you want and need within you?

A lot of this has to do with trust. In life, there are risks, and we weigh the possible positives and negatives that might happen when we take a risk. But here’s the kicker. Even if the thing you want and desire and explore and feel pulled to doesn’t work out, it’s not a failure. There’s always a lesson to learn. Always a silver lining. Always a takeaway that you can use to determine your next steps. Use your experiences as stepping stones, each one bringing you higher, further, to a greater understanding and sense of purpose.

I’ve been through some incredibly hard, difficult, devastating things in my life, that I can look at and see the glimmers of light within the darkness. So when you are going to take a risk, or try something new, and you find that fear is holding you back, ask yourself this - what is the worst thing that could happen? What’s the worst possible outcome if I do this. And dig deep. Get to the core of the fear.

When I decided to start painting and proclaim to the world that I’m an artist, I confronted a lot of fears.

Who am I to call myself an artist? What if no one really believes I’m an artist, that I’m just some imposter? What if no one likes my work? What if I can’t sell my work and my family doesn’t have money to pay rent and buy food? What if no one takes me seriously? What if, what if, what if…

And what I found was that my fear was tied to a projection of how I thought people would think of me. It was all about perception. And not about the actual painting and creation of art.

So I just started making art, knowing how it made me feel. And I learned and grew to know that it doesn’t freaking matter what anyone thinks of me. I don’t have time in this life to stay small and safe. I have big ideas. I have ideas pouring out my body these days. Who am I to bottle that up and keep it on a shelf for safe keeping?

Because I’m 37? Because I’m a mom? Because I’ve done things a certain way for a long time and now, like Ross in the stairwell holding up a sofa, I’m screaming PIVOT!

So, if you’re finding yourself in a place where you’re also screaming PIVOT, or feeling a pull, or needing a change, I hope you will give yourself the time and space to explore it. Whether it’s a necessary change due to circumstances that may or may not be within your control, or a simple yearning to try something new, I hope you give it a try. Sing that song in your heart, into life. Fear be damned, give it a try. Because one way or another, even if it’s hard, even if it’s scary, even if it doesn’t go the way you expect, it will be worth it. And you are worth it. This beautiful life is worth it.

Thank you so much for listening to this week’s episode. I am grateful for you, and hope you have a wonderful week!

Join the Creative, Happy Life Community on Facebook

Hey there, we just wrapped up an episode of the Creative, Happy Life Podcast. If you enjoyed it and want more - more discussion, more inspiration, more creative community, I invite you to join us in the Creative, Happy Life Community on Facebook! It’s a private group where we discuss episodes, share creative ideas and projects, and generally just have a fun time entertaining each other. Go to Facebook and search for the Creative, Happy Life Community group. There are a couple very simple questions to answer, and then you’re in!

Become an official patron

And before you go, I want to tell you real quick about Patreon, and ask that you consider becoming a monthly supporter! Patreon is a platform for creatives to connect with their fans, receive monthly financial support from their subscribers, and get to spend more time creating and doing the work they love, and less time worrying about where their next meal or rent payment will come from. Patreon gives creatives the ability to create freely and give back to their subscribers in a variety of ways. So for $5 a month, which less than a fancy cup of coffee, you can become an official supporter and Patron of Shannon Sorensen Creative. I have a private community where I share behind the scenes, my works in progress, I do live painting videos and chat with you and offer creative encouragement as I paint, kind of like Bob Ross, I do Q&A videos, and once a month I do a live video where I draw a coloring page that my Patrons get to vote on, and then you get a digital file of that coloring page to keep and enjoy! I chose to set up my platform for general support and interaction, because if you’ve followed my work over the last several years, you know I am always creating and sharing, whether it’s art, writing, or now this podcast show. So, if my work has connected with you in some way, if you enjoy seeing my art, listening to this podcast, or my writing has inspired you, I hope you’ll consider becoming a monthly member! You can go to patreon.com/shannonsorensen to learn more and sign up! Memberships renew on the first of each month, and November 1st is coming up this weekend. I hope to see you in there!

Share the happy!

If you enjoy this podcast, it would mean so much to me if you’d share it with friends, leave a review in the comments, and join me on Facebook to continue the conversation! Follow @creativehappylifepodcast on Instagram for bonus content and a glimpse behind the scenes.

 
Creative Happy Life Podcast Episode 10 What is Your Big Scary Dream_pin.jpg
 

Shipyard Beach Family Photography :: Duxbury, Massachusetts

I met up with Sarah’s family for their annual family photography session at the end of August, and as always, it was amazing and fun seeing how much the girls have grown this year! They always have the PERFECT matching dresses, this time featuring colorful ice cream treats - I wish they made it in my size!

We enjoyed a quiet morning running around barefoot, with Duxbury Bay as our beautiful background. Here are some favorites!

October Art Challenge Day One :: Connecticut Artist and Photographer

Pin and share the love.

Pin and share the love.

Happy October!

I’m going to channel my inner Donna Meagle and Tom Haverford when I sing IT’S THE BEST TIME OF THE YEEEAR!

Fall brings all sorts of monthly art, writing, photography or otherwise creative challenges, and they tend to pop up this time of year, no doubt, because it is a time where inspiration and creativity flow. The air is cooling, people start thinking cozy thoughts about what makes them happy. And spoiler alert, creativity is a shortcut to happiness. ;)

I was looking for an October art challenge, but I wasn't drawn to anything (heh...), and when I thought about it for a minute, my art tends to be off the cuff, whatever is inspiring me in the moment. The challenge for me isn't following a list of ideas, but just the act of creating something new every day. I'm feeling more called than ever to create, create, create.

So, this month, I invite you to join me as I draw, paint, and make something every day! I will do live videos or first looks each day on my Patreon’s private Facebook group. It will be 31 days of pure creativity...I'm so excited for this. And I encourage you to find time to create, just for yourself, this month!

I began yesterday with some watercolor because I've had an image that’s been inspiring me. It was a bouquet of nasturtiums and the colors were golden, reds and really vibrant.

Floral Harvest 1.jpg

Buy a print here.

October is also my birthday month, and a time when I feel most inspired, and my creativity flows in abundance. It’s a season when I feel most connected with myself and motivated to paint, draw, crochet, or work on other creative projects like cooking, playing the piano, writing and decorating my home to make it a cozy, happy space.

This is my painting from yesterday, day one. I am loving this start to the month and wish you could see it in person. The darker pigments have this smooth sheen that catches the light *just right*.

Today for day 2, I drew the October coloring page that I do each month in a live drawing session for my Patreon page. My group members voted and the design is cozy fall Hygge themed. If you join my Patreon, you receive the monthly page free as a reward!

You can join my Patreon group anytime, and get to tune in and watch me create these pieces live each day. Like I said, today’s (day two) creation will be the monthly coloring page, which you also then receive as a member to be able top print and enjoy coloring.

Finally, friends, I want to I encourage you to let your own creativity flow. Make time each day to do what you love! Share it, celebrate it...you might be the spark that inspires someone else!

 
October Art Challenge Connecticut Artist Shannon Sorensen Watercolor Painting
 

New Home, New Chapter :: Connecticut Artist and Photographer

Connecticut Artist and Photographer Shannon Sorensen, New England Artist, Boston Artist, Hartford CT Artist

I'm typing this from my new dining room...because we moved!

There are boxes and bags and piles of stuff everywhere. There's art that needs to be hung, and honestly, a lot of things are going to go straight into storage for now.

This is the first really peaceful morning I've had in a while to sit down and focus on my own work.

A couple short weeks ago, I had just finished prepping our basement as a preschool/playroom/home learning space when we got a call that our landlord was planning to sell our condo. It felt like our world got completely turned upside-down, but thankfully, we found a new place very quickly! The Universe did us a huge favor and we were able to stay in the same complex, the same school district - actually, the only address change is our street number!

In the grand scheme of things, I feel very lucky. We have an amazing support system of family and friends, and we are safe and healthy.

When big changes happen, it puts a lot into perspective. This move meant taking a lot of emotion out of the equation in order to let go of some things we had stored away for a later time. It was stressful in the short term, but in the long run, this will be a great place for us and the kids. They’ll have space to run around safely outside and our new place will serve us better during this time of home learning, working at home, home pre-schooling, etc.

Since I essentially hit pause on my work a month ago to deal with all of this, I'm itching to get back to my work - to paint, and to dig into the fall photo season. I am still booking fall family photo sessions! I will be in Massachusetts this coming weekend, the 26th and 27th and have two morning openings. I will also be in Massachusetts October 10th and 11th with morning sessions available!

If you're looking to book a session, simply hit reply to this email, or message me at hello@shannon-sorensen.com. I can't wait to hear from you! The chilly weather this weekend has me ready for boots and sweaters! :)

Have a beautiful week!

Peaceful Sunset on the Beach :: New Art

This week we are in Massachusetts, having a quiet staycation with Sean's parents before we gear up for the new school year and back to who knows what...

We aren't doing a whole lot, and if I'm being honest, that’s my idea of a real vacation. It’s a break from planning and obligation and the usual day to day worries. We are very lucky to have access to beaches, so we go early in the morning, later in the afternoon, or on days it's cloudy and no one else wants to go to the beach.

It's easy to practice social distancing when you enjoy the beach at odd times!

One of my favorite things we’re doing tonight is getting subs and chips from the local sub shop, and bringing dinner to the beach to hang out and let the kids play while the sun gets low. Then we’ll swing by our favorite ice cream shop in the harbor on the way home!

My art is largely inspired by where I live and grew up. My hometown, as well as Sean’s, are nice beachy communities south of Boston. Any time we get to spend around here is time well spent. My favorite time of day is early mornings and the end of the day, when things are a bit quieter, calmer, and feel peaceful. Beach sunsets always take my breath away. Sunsets in general, but especially at the end of the day with the sound of waves and the sand turns golden pink.

I spent an afternoon making two new pieces, inspired by that sunset feeling. They’re inspired by the same photo, and I challenged myself to create two completely different styles of art using the same palette.

“Meet Me at Twilight”

Meet Me at Twilight, Fine Art Print by Shannon Sorensen, New England Artist, Sunset Art, Coastal Art, Colorful Boho Art
“Meet Me At Sunset”Buy Print

“Meet Me At Sunset”

shop this print

“It Was All A Dream”

It Was All A Dream, Abstract Fine Art Print by Shannon Sorensen, New England Artist, Sunset Art, Coastal Art, Colorful Boho Art
“It Was All a Dream”shop this print

“It Was All a Dream”

shop this print

I appreciate you checking out my work! I have art prints available here, and I also sell my art on Society6, where it gets printed on fun products like home decor, furniture and iPhone cases!