Today, I'm thinking a lot about what people want from content when it comes to expressive artists, so I can better learn how I want to steer my own content. 

There's the obvious content that shares finished works whether visual art, music, dance, fiction, etc. 

But often finished pieces take a long time. 

Most content advice talks about providing value, often through education. 

For expressive creatives, this can be a slippery slope if education isn't a big part of their revenue strategy; i.e. the art account catering only to other artists instead of their customers. 

Or, there are entertainment-based content creators, where their art is their content, so they go as funny or radical or hype-y as possible to get the most views. 

For expressive creatives that are making work outside of their content, making the most viral-type content possible isn't the most sustainable, because they really need to spend most of their time on their craft. 

So, what do successful expressive creatives post that isn't focused on educational or mass-appeal entertainment content? 

Well, after skimming through a lot of YouTube and Instagram I'm finding some interesting stuff:

While expressive creatives can and sometimes include a moral or a takeaway in their content, I think it's more a by-product of sharing where they're at and what they're doing. 

After some self-observation, I found that what I often want from creatives as a viewer is a creative's vulnerability and authenticity whether it's in the form of their artwork or what they're choosing to share in their content. 

I don't want my favorite artists to teach me something like a robot step-by-step unless I'm taking their course. 

What I really want is for them to make me feel something in my heart - feel-by-feel, thought-by-thought, beat-by-beat. 

Share something with me about how you see the world whether big or small, emotional or amusing, heavy or light. 

As GaryVee puts it, "document, don't create" when it comes to content, though for expressive creatives I guess it's a little more like, "Document as you create". 

Note to self: 

You care most about making the stuff that lights you up, but you want to grow an audience over time that cares about you and also the art (painting, cartoons, short stories, etc.) that you make. 

Put the majority of your creative energy into your art. 

When it comes to making content, focus on the following: 

- Connection over perfection. 

- Personal discovery over authoritative education. 

- Authenticity over virality. 

What about you? 

What do you find you most want from content from expression-based creatives other than their finished work (painters, illustrators, dancers, musicians, fiction writers, etc.)?

Day 13/13 @Ginny Branden

Wow! I just received a powerful message from the Divine.
Care to listen?
I was composing some content about healing.
In one particular moment, I focused on the idea of "Don't worry about the how" -- meaning, HOW you are going to "get there."
I emphasized the importance of "staying open to possibility" and "trusting in the process"... like any good manifestation protocol...
...when all of a sudden...

... a beautiful brown-speckled sparrow flew in through the open window of my office!
It realized that it was going the wrong way...
...then it turned around and got stuck on a second, closed window, all the time flapping its wings frantically....
I stood up and guided it gently with my hands towards the opening again, and it found its way out!

What's going on here?
A random happening?
No, of course not.

When you're a manifestor and co-creator, nothing is random -- you look for the inner meaning to learn about yourself and life in general.
Thank you, Mr. Sparrow, for showing us a vivid illustration of what happens when we worry about the "How"...
...how I will heal myself?
...how I will fix this relationship?
...how I will make more money in my business?
...how I will help my children get what they need?
...how I will buy that house?

When you look at this these questions, do you feel expansive or constricted?
I don't know about you, but when I look at these questions, I start to feel closed. If I stay in that space, then surely despair and hopelessness may settle in.

So instead, I might ask "I wonder..."
I wonder how I will heal myself?
I wonder how I will fix this relationship?
I wonder I will make more money in my business?
I wonder how I will help my children get what they need?
I wonder...how I will buy that house?
Asking "I wonder" creates a kind of vacuum that allows Divine Source to step in and become your partner in creating what you want for your life.

Check again and notice how you feel when you look at the "I wonder" questions... Did anything change? Do you feel expanded or constricted?
When you worry about "how" to get what you want, you get stuck, like that sparrow.
Your mind gets stuck trying to figure it out. Your body feels constricted. Your emotions follow in a downward spiral that may be hard to get out.

The reason why asking the "how" may not be immediate helpful, is because the answers are in a different dimension.
As Einstein said, "We cannot solve a problem with the same thinking we used when we created them." We must enter into a new dimension.
The question "I wonder" helps you get into that dimension.

So back to the sparrow. That bird was a free spirit, flying outside.
In my office, it gets stuck. That's not where it belongs. It will struggle to get free again. That's the mind asking "how"? And since the answers are in a different dimension, and the mind wants the answers NOW, it feels stuck!
Your spirit is free when you open up to Divine support. In your mind it gets stuck. And it will struggle to get free again. In that struggle, healing is not possible and remains a struggle.

So instead of wasting time struggling in your mind trying to figure out the "how"...
...I encourage you to open up to curiosity and trust that the Divine will send you clues of the steps you need to take. Then take them one at a time.
If you keep going in this way, you will surely get to your next highest level of healing.

Does this resonate? Let me know what you think! 
...

Open any newspaper, watch any news, turn on your favourite streaming service, and it seems like you cannot avoid a devastatingly dystopian view of the future. Everything is terrible, life is going to be awful. We’re on an inexorable and inevitable nosedive into apocalyptic disaster. (​Watch video​)

The only alternative that is readily available is some rather delightful utopian ideas about how things could be, you know, if only we all just banded together, and were friends and just kind of denied the existence of any difficulty in life. If you’ve seen ‘The Good Place’ or similar shows you’ll know what I mean. Everything will be just fine. 

Both of these are very tempting depending on our mood or natural tendencies. They’re so appealing because they’re both so extreme and seem to offer some kind of certainty which, even if it’s bad, does at least give us a sense of some kind of stability. 

There is another option, however, and it is called a ‘Thrutopia’. Coined by the writer and Program Leader ​Manda Scott​ it's the idea that there may be some far-off, distant goal that we really want to get to, and we can still aim for it even though circumstances are difficult and uncertain.

For me, it's a much, much more appealing option. It doesn't have the certainty of either dystopia or utopia, but it does actually offer a realistic perspective and a much greater chance of creating a future that we actually want. 

@Heather Tobin

If this makes you uncomfortable, take your time to process these ideas, these words, these phrases, and test the waters of questioning your own excuses. Is your excuse really, truly deep down the thing that's stopping you? How might you test your assumption to either prove it right or wrong? 

I wish you all the best in your personal growth journey. <3

Recently I was asked how to cure yourself from chronic and even terminal illness. 
While there is no magic formula, I have the honor of sharing some insights of what helped me recover overnight from Multiple Sclerosis about a year after my diagnosis. 

I came up with a memorable phrase to help you tap into your body’s innate ability to heal: 

 CHAT 

 STEP 1: Curiosity. Be curious about what’s possible for you. When I healed with faith from Multiple Sclerosis, I was open to the miraculous. I saw how quickly my eye had healed, so I already had evidence that healing was possible. The next step was to heal the rest of me! 
I opened up to the possibility that God could heal the rest of me. 

 STEP 2: Humility. It’s important to let go and let God. Know that you are here to learn powerful lessons for your soul’s evolution. If you are used to fighting against life, now is the time to soften and allow the healing to happen and be able to receive it. This is only possible with humility. God has a special place for those who are humble in His heart. I know from personal experience that when we are arrogant, we get knocked down again and again until we learn the lesson of humility. 

 STEP 3: Action. After you let go and let God, there is still work to do. What are the smallest baby steps that you can take in order to move forward towards recovery? Would meeting with a medical or alternative medical professional be helpful? What changes do you need to make in your lifestyle, including diet, sleep and exercise? How can you transform your environment into a supportive one that will aid you in your healing process? 

 STEP 4: Trust. While you are taking your action steps, trust that the Divine is here to partner with you to help you get to the next level in your healing journey. You are a spark of love in the Divine eye. Know this, and let it motivate you to truly believe that you can reverse your condition and regain your health and well-being. 

I hope these ideas inspire you towards your next highest level of healing. 

 Let me know if this was helpful.

Human well-being is made up of human needs.

The more I’m able to care for my needs the more I increase my well-being.

Examples of needs are - the need for security and certainty, the need to be seen, heard and understood, the need for play and fun, the need for freedom and independence, the need for meaning and contribution and the need for connection, belonging and community.

A comprehensive list can be found here

In fact this is what we are all “doing” here on earth. We are all longing and moving towards the fulfilment of these needs.

For example we all long for security and certainty and we take actions which can meet these needs.

Think of any action that you’ve taken today and you will be able to find the 1 or more human needs that you were trying to meet through that action.

Brushed my teeth - health
Listened to a podcast - learning, growth, fun
Argued with my partner - to be heard, understood, acknowledged
Cursed the driver in front of me - reliability (that I can get to where I need to get on time), safety (on the roads)

So well-being is about being conscious of what needs of mine are calling out for my attention and then imagining different ways to meet them.

I might be feeling exhausted lately and notice that my needs for fun and play are not really being met much in my life (I am a dad of 2 little ones so yes I am really longing to have more fun and play - with people my age, I play plenty with them).

Once I’m aware of what needs might be going unmet I am empowered to think of ways to meet them.

For me I love playing tennis but haven’t played in months. So this week I’m going back to play. Tennis for me is fun and playful amongst other things. It gives me energy. So this is a step that increases my well-being.

Again the process is:
Consider which needs of yours are going unmet lately
Imagine ways to meet them and take those actions

Another example might be that I’m feeling a lot of anxiousness and loneliness lately. Perhaps I’m needing connection and friendship.

I notice that I haven’t been in contact with friends too much lately (also true for me) as I’ve been so engrossed in my everyday life and haven’t reached out.

Once I’m clearer on the fact that I’m needing more connection and friendship then I can take actions to meet those needs and thus enhance my well-being.

Maybe I’ll call a friend and share with them some challenges I’ve been facing lately. Maybe I go and drink coffee with a small group of friends and have a good laugh and connecting chat.

The beauty about needs as being the building blocks of our well-being is that needs can be met in infinite ways.

There is no limit on the ways that I can meet my needs for play and fun for example.

Build a DIY something, make popcorn and go on a netflix binge, cook a soup from a recipe you have never tried before, juggle, do a dance class on youtube, go for a walk, run or swim.

And needs can be met with a range of people. With your partner, kids, friends, one friend, colleagues, parents, siblings or with yourself.

Plus needs can be met in infinite times. You can do these things now, later today, tomorrow, once a week or in a few weeks. They don’t have to be done right now.

So for me well-being is about this awareness of my needs and a creativity and skill in going about meeting them.

Anything resonate with you here?

What is well-being to you?

@Susan Tutt