SYW245 – Discover Your Creative Vision

[00:01:10] Jennifer Wilson: Welcome to Scrapbook Your Way, the show that explores the breadth of ways to be a memory keeper today. I’m your host, Jennifer Wilson, owner of Simple Scrapper and author of The New Rules of Scrapbooking.

This is episode 245. In this episode I’m chatting with returning guest Jill Allison Bryan. Our conversation brings Jill’s best insights as a creativity coach to planning a fruitful year of scrapbooking and beyond.

[00:01:39] Jennifer Wilson: Hey, Jill. Welcome back to Scrapbook Your Way.

[00:01:41] Jill Allison Bryan: Hi Jennifer. Thanks so much for having me back.

[00:01:44] Jennifer Wilson: I am looking forward to our conversation today. We are gonna really dive into some fun topics, but first, can you remind our audience, uh, who you are, where you live, what you do, and all that.

[00:01:57] Jill Allison Bryan: Sure. I'm Jill Allison Bryan. I am a creativity coach and the founder of Creative Oasis Coaching. And as a, as such, , I help people bring their creative ideas and dreams out of their head into the world. I, I help people do that both with, um, professional, like I work with creative entrepreneurs, people that have creative businesses or want to use creativity to support their business via social media, that kind of thing.

[00:02:24] Jill Allison Bryan: And then I also work with people that really want to, um, just enjoy more creative fulfillment in their personal lives as well. And I do that via one-on-one coaching and group coaching mostly. I live in Dallas, Texas, and I love to travel.

[00:02:40] Jennifer Wilson: Yes, that is very true, and I think you have a fun trip coming up soon, but I think that will connect to maybe your bucket list story here.

[00:02:48] Jill Allison Bryan: Okay. All right. Yes, I do.

[00:02:50] Jennifer Wilson: I also wanted to point out for those maybe who haven't heard your previous episodes, that we are friends. Uh, also kind of like we're biz friends as well, if you will.

[00:03:01] Jennifer Wilson: Um, we met, oh gosh, seven, eight years ago now, I think.

[00:03:05] Jill Allison Bryan: It, yes.

[00:03:05] Jennifer Wilson: And have, have been friends ever since. So we bounce ideas off each other and support one another and have become real friends in the process.

[00:03:15] Jill Allison Bryan: Yes we have. And it's an awesome thing. I always love talking with you.

[00:03:20] Jennifer Wilson: So Jill, what is exciting you right now? As you know, I love to ask our guests about both what's going on in their lives as well as their creativity.

[00:03:28] Jill Allison Bryan: Right. So we alluded to it already, but the big life thing is I'm leaving for Iceland, uh, a trip with my best friend. Um, gosh, when am I leaving. Weekend after next. So, so pretty soon. And I'm very excited about that and I'm really hoping that I get to see the Northern Lights, and I know that's not a guarantee, but that's my hope for that.

[00:03:49] Jill Allison Bryan: Um, and then creatively, I am back to reading fiction again at bedtime before I go to sleep. Which uh, I mention, because I know I'm not alone in this. That even as an avid lifelong reader, And, and somebody who loves to read, that habit can slip away so easily when I'm not intentional about it. And I think it's just so easy for us to lose that precious reading time to various screens. If we don't, if we're not thoughtful about making it a priority.

[00:04:16] Jill Allison Bryan: And so I. Uh, I'm doing that again, which I'm loving. And I'm also having fun creating a little mini altered book. I'm using, I lowered the pressure by using a really small, uh, paperback hiking trail book that I picked up, uh, when I was in Colorado traveling this summer. And I'm using like a combination of small watercolor pieces that I'm creating for fun and then kind of tearing them into places, pieces, and then collaging those and, and using magazine images and doing some blackout poetry and haiku.

[00:04:48] Jill Allison Bryan: So it's like this little tiny experimental book. 'Cause I've always wanted to delve into Altered Bookmaking and this is a super low pressure way to do it, and I'm having a lot of fun with that.

[00:05:00] Jennifer Wilson: That sounds so awesome. I can't wait to see what you're creating. For sure.

[00:05:05] Jill Allison Bryan: Yes, , you will.

[00:05:08] Jennifer Wilson: Well, I had a question about your fiction. So is there a recommendation you have, like either what's what you're reading right now or something you recently finished?

[00:05:16] Jill Allison Bryan: Uh, I, I have just started diving into, I'm actually reading a a YA book right now about David Eggers, who, uh, is a really fairly well-known, um, author. And he writes both, you know, a fiction for adults and children and he has a, a publishing arm and some great philanthropic, uh, outlets and he's based in San Francisco, but he happened to be here in town.

[00:05:43] Jill Allison Bryan: Uh, and a friend of mine was interviewing him recently. And so I'm kind of on a David Eggers kick right now. And he's got a beautiful YA book out, oh. And now of course the, the name is gonna escape me 'cause I'm, I, the, I will, I'll come back to you with it. But it's a beautiful book and the outside of the book is actually a beautiful carved wood piece. So it's like a cul, yeah, it's like a sculpture. And then on the inside of it, there are, um, they got permission from, uh, museums to use these images from famous American, uh, paintings. And then they painted the, uh, the hero of the book, which is a dog, uh, into these paintings. So it's just like a very special book. And so that's, I'm loving that right now.

[00:06:30] Jennifer Wilson: Oh, that sounds beautiful.

[00:06:32] Jill Allison Bryan: Yeah.

[00:06:33] Jennifer Wilson: Fun fact, Dave Eggers went to the U of I We.

[00:06:36] Jill Allison Bryan: Oh.

[00:06:37] Jennifer Wilson: We often chat in this town about people who went to the U of I or invented things here, and so I, that often comes up in trivia competitions that we go to.

[00:06:47] Jill Allison Bryan: How about that small world, Heemeesheemee. Very cool.

[00:06:51] Jennifer Wilson: So Jill, you may not be a traditional scrapbooker like many of our listeners, but you are very wholeheartedly a memory keeper. So after you visit Iceland, I'm curious how you think you might document that adventure.

[00:07:07] Jill Allison Bryan: I started a special small travel journal. Uh, I believe it was about in 2015, uh, when I was traveling to Japan with my best friend who, who's the same person I'm gonna be going to Iceland with. And I really only write in this journal when I'm traveling and even more specifically, usually traveling. It's something a little bit bigger than even smaller, like usually international or just something that has more weight to it than just like a little weekend trip or something like that. So I will be bringing that with me and it's become like, um, kind of a really lovely tradition and ritual for me to go back and read over my entries since it's not a very big journal. There's not a, a lot and just be reminded of these amazing travel experiences that I've already had and kind of set an intention for the upcoming trips. So that'll be part of the memory keeping. And then as far as, and I think we touched on this, uh, in one of the other episodes that, that we spoke rather than traditional scrapbooking,

[00:08:08] Jill Allison Bryan: I do have these travel boxes, like memorabilia boxes that I sh where I can kind of, they're like a treasure chest of memories is the way I think about it. And so if I get, if I collect any ephemera or post, I'm talking with my hands now, you can't see a postcards or are, uh, uh, you know, menus or whatever.

[00:08:27] Jill Allison Bryan: They don't do matchbooks anymore, but that kind of thing, I, I know I'll have a place to put those. Um, so that's, those are two things that come to mind. And then of course I have my phone, which nowadays is just like insanely easy to take gorgeous pictures and videos with.

[00:08:41] Jennifer Wilson: Yes, yes, yes. It's gonna be so awesome. That's definitely on my, uh, personal travel bucket list is to go to Iceland. So I can't wait to hear what you think.

[00:08:50] Jill Allison Bryan: Yeah. I just wanna circle back and say the name of this beautiful book is The Eyes and the Impossible by David. David Eggers.

[00:08:58] Jennifer Wilson: Okay, awesome. Yeah, no problem. We'll link that up in the show notes for sure.

[00:09:01] Jill Allison Bryan: Uh, great.

[00:09:02] Jennifer Wilson: So the two episodes you were on before were 103 and 170, and you talked about morning and evening routines. We kind of created those as bookends to each other. Uh, before we go in a little bit deeper, can you talk a little bit more about what you do and in particular how you help individuals with their personal creative dreams?

[00:09:23] Jill Allison Bryan: Sure. So I think, um, I help people by helping them to get clear on what it is they want to do. Which we're kind of gonna be talking about a little bit in, in a minute here too. But really, I guess no matter what people are coming to me to work on, because I do work with a variety of creatives, I work with artists, writers, um, photographers. Again, pe, you know, coaches, people that own, uh, various kinds of creative businesses. Or they're like in their retirement and they've had these creative projects that they've been putting on hold for a really long time. And now it's their time to really enjoy that part of their life. And no matter what the creative endeavor, the, the blocks are the same, right? We, we bump up against things like procrastination, perfectionism, overwhelm, inner critic voice. And so it's my work to help people, just kind of work past those blocks. Find ways to dissolve those blocks. And not let them continue to hold them up. So that they can, move forward and really just, my goal for, for everybody that I work with and everybody that I help, is that they can wake up in the morning and say, I, I love my life. I love my creative life. And that doesn't mean that we're not gonna have bad days. That doesn't mean that we're not gonna have challenges. Of course we will. That's life. But overall, if you can wake up feeling really energized by your creative life, because it's not just a dream anymore, and you're actually showing up and taking consistent, inspired action to make it happen. That's the stuff that's, that's what I'm here to help people do.

[00:10:58] Jennifer Wilson: Oh, so awesome. I love spending time with you because I just, I love to soak up all of your wisdom. For sure.

[00:11:06] Jill Allison Bryan: I feel the same about you, Jennifer.

[00:11:10] Jennifer Wilson: So I wanted to specifically dive into creative visioning, 'Cause this is late December when this episode is going out. And In early January, we'll be helping our listeners finalize plans for the year and identify some of their specific objectives for the two months. But if you don't have any kind of broader vision, I think that can derail even really specific and comprehensive plans. Because suddenly you are not doing them because they're not truly aligned. How kind of stepping back in terms of thinking about your vision, how does it all fit together and move you to where you wanna be?

[00:11:46] Jill Allison Bryan: Well, I mean, just what you said for, for one, I think, you know, um,. what I've really come to, to learn as, you know, working with people because I've been doing, I've been a creativity coach now for over 15 years. And, um, seeing the commonality of the threads, uh, of why people succeed and, and, and why they ha, uh, love and have success and satisfaction in their creative lives versus why they don't. Um, that the first piece, you know, a awareness is everything, right?

[00:12:18] Jill Allison Bryan: So really, uh, like you were saying, having a vision and, and also knowing your why, which I know is a big catch phrase. And, and, and we're hearing that a lot. But, but there's such truth to it. So, um, I think that I've really found and created over the past few years kind of synthesized this, what I call the crystal clear creative vision process as a way to help people get really clear on what it is that, that they want to do, and then commit to it. Um, so that they can show up and make it happen. Instead of just, what happens with so many of us and our creative desires is that they're more like a weight around our neck than wings. That could make us, you know, that we feel energized by.

[00:13:04] Jennifer Wilson: Yes, yes, yes. I, I'm thinking of a particular creative dream that I have that is resonating with the things that you're saying.

[00:13:12] Jill Allison Bryan: Oh.

[00:13:12] Jennifer Wilson: But can you share some of the, the broad strokes of the Crystal Clear Creative Vision process?

[00:13:18] Jill Allison Bryan: So the Crystal Clear Creative Vision process has three main areas of focus, which are curiosity, clarity, and commitment. And then within each of those areas there are, I share prompts and exercises and experience that really help you, um, as you're going through each step to continually narrow down and focus in on what will in the end be your clear creative vision for the next six months.

[00:13:47] Jill Allison Bryan: And the reason for me, for it's the next six months in my world, is because I think this, the, the stereotypical, you know, vision board or plan, and we think of like what we're gonna do for the year. And we know we've all heard the, like people making their wishlists or their resolutions or whatever on January the first. And then come March the first, they're like, oh, no, I'm not, what was I gonna do? I, I have, I'm not doing any of that anymore. So in, in order to avoid that, I think it's, uh, important to have a doable amount of time. And so for me, I work with people six months at a time and I think that I've just found that that works really well. Um, the first phase, curiosity is an opportunity to really

[00:14:37] Jill Allison Bryan: follow your curiosity, play in possibility. Um, this is not something as adults that we normally give ourselves time to do. We do it in the process using a, a variety of journaling prompts. We use mind mapping if you're familiar with mind mapping and other TE techniques so that it's really all about intentional exploration. And

[00:14:59] Jill Allison Bryan: It's so funny how resistant, you know, people are not to that. But what I'm challenging people to do within the first couple weeks of this program is to not only play in possibility and follow their curiosity, but to do that without the pressure of needing to make the right or best decision right away. Which is what we wanna do. People are like, oh, I had this thought. Like that's the thing. Like maybe I should just do that. You know? And we're second guessing ourselves before we can even get out of the gate.

[00:15:31] Jennifer Wilson: Yes. That happens so often. I think with.

[00:15:34] Jill Allison Bryan: Yeah.

[00:15:35] Jennifer Wilson: I can think of specific creative analogies here in scrapbooking with, oh, this sounds like an amazing project. And either we run ourselves over by jumping in, before thinking it through. Or we second guess it to death and then end up not taking any action or, uh, not buying anything and not moving forward at all.

[00:15:56] Jill Allison Bryan: Yes. Yes. That's it. That's it. Exactly. So it's, it's actually, I think once people give themselves permission, which, you know, I'm big on that. To, to really and truly be in this phase of what if and, and curiosity and, and remembering things they used to love to do and, and, and what are some things that maybe they've always wanted to try and, and to have that freedom to think about those things and, um, explore those options without

[00:16:27] Jill Allison Bryan: the pressure to choose, uh, right. At least at first is, is so freeing when they will do it. But boy are people, we're resistant to that at the beginning. So, um, I think that's a pretty unique thing to offer people, a safe space to do that. And then of course, we don't stay there, right? We, that's where we start. Then we move into clarity. That's the second phase. And after we've had a sufficient amount of time to spend pondering the possibilities, we do move into the decision making phase. And that's where we put time and energy into really being intentional about choosing the creative vision that you're gonna prioritize over the, you know, the next six months. And that can look like, you know, deciding not only what you want to do and what you wanna focus on, but can also look like lovingly deciding what you're gonna set aside until later, right?

[00:17:18] Jennifer Wilson: Oh, that's so important because we can't possibly do everything. And accepting that reality is is such a huge step towards moving forward at all.

[00:17:29] Jill Allison Bryan: It really is. Yeah, for sure. And so I know you have a tool, like I have the, the Creative Oasis Clarity Finder. You have the Focus Finder, um, they're at the, that phase in the clarity we're using that, that tho that kind of a tool. We're also using something that I call Braveheart versus Fear Reflex, which is really a time to, um, look at your choices that you're making and, and really, uh, lovingly look at are they coming, are you're making these choices from a place of fear or from an empowered loving place?

[00:18:00] Jill Allison Bryan: And you might be like, well, creative pro, like fear, but like, we can. We can be making our choices based on what we think other people want or don't want. You know, or, uh, there's all kinds of of reasons. And so having this kind of very, uh, structured way or lens through which to look at the decisions as you're making 'em. Really helps you to, um, make your choices as your final choice of what your creative vision is gonna be from an empowered, loving place.

[00:18:28] Jennifer Wilson: Now, I know you've taught specific vision board workshops in the past. And where would something like that in terms of a, a visual representation of your dreams, where would that fit into this process?

[00:18:40] Jill Allison Bryan: Well that, okay, so we've talked about phase one, curiosity, phase two, clarity. Phase three is, um, commitment.

[00:18:48] Jennifer Wilson: Okay.

[00:18:48] Jill Allison Bryan: So this is where I'm gonna ask people to, uh, name and claim their creative vision for the next six months. Um, and, and also to do that on a spectrum of certain, possible, and audacious. And we could talk more about that if you want to

[00:19:05] Jill Allison Bryan: later. And also really know their why. So once they've done all of those things and they really are super clear about what their creative vision is for the next six months, then we talk about a variety of, um, visual and written and analog and digital reminders that can help keep us on track.

[00:19:24] Jennifer Wilson: Oh, that sounds terrific because I think we're all so unique and we might need different things. We might express ourselves differently and want certain types of tangible, and I mean that both in a physical and digital way, but tangible ways to stay connected to, um, that commitment.

[00:19:43] Jill Allison Bryan: Absolutely. Yes. Um, and I'd love to speak just a little bit more about this idea. Because, 'cause when I hi, hit on it, which again, this, this, the . , this process is based on obviously years of, of all kinds of Creative Oasis, I mean, of Creative Coaching. Plus, uh, like you were saying, vision board workshops, vis vision board retreats, and kind of realizing that, um, having more spaciousness and time around it and that it's more, I mean, it's just to sit down and do a vision board is awesome. And I would always, I would never, um, tell anybody to not do that.

[00:20:18] Jill Allison Bryan: If, if they want to do it and you can find magazines, go for it. But also that this process, um, really, you know, lends itself to having a, a much stronger, clearer vision. And, um, so the idea of, because we want to jump to the binary, the good, bad, uh, right, wrong, successful, unsuccessful so quickly. Because I, that's society and the way we're raised in school, you know, in Western culture, usually. I, I think remembering that most things in life we learn on a spectrum. We, you know, we can't run until we crawl and then walk and, and, and we, we understand that with physical type things. But it's the same thing with our creativity. So we can also, you know, be setting ourselves up for failure when we only have this one, our vision is like, publish a book. And that equals success. Well, oh my goodness, right? Think of all the steps that need to come before that day actually comes. And so, um, this idea came to me of really helping people to see their vision and name their vision on a spectrum of the certain. And the certain is probably can be just like I'm starting. I'm gonna prioritize my podcast. We'll say, you know, um, I'm gonna, I've had the idea for three years. And I'm not sure what it's gonna look like exactly. But I know I'm gonna spend time and energy and resources to start the process. And then possible might be, uh, built on the certain, uh, I'm gonna do all of that and my goal is to have one episode created. And then your audacious might be, um, to have three episodes, uh, created and, and promoted to the world. And so you won't be wrong if you only start your podcast. Because at least you'll have started something that you had had been on your heart for years, but you hadn't given yourself permission to try it. But you've got the spectrum of, of, of what success looks like, that you can celebrate all along the way. Instead of waiting until the end to say, oh, I'm doing it.

[00:22:28] Jennifer Wilson: It also seems like this process is the difference between and and the, this, we've been talking about travel and analogy came up my mind. To say I wanna go like, visit Colorado. Or I wanna go out west and saying, I wanna go see a concert at Red Rocks. And then, uh, a couple days later, I want to go hiking where it's still snowing the mountains. Like that's very specific.

[00:22:52] Jill Allison Bryan: That's a perfect analogy. I, I love that analogy. I think I've used it in a masterclass before. 'Cause it makes so much sense. Because people do the same thing to themselves. They, they'll be like, oh yeah, I wanna travel. to wherever, like Colorado or something like that. And then they have to decide when they're gonna do it.

[00:23:09] Jill Allison Bryan: They have to commit. And usually it's like time, energy, resources, like anything we really want in our life. And then, and uh, and the other thing, that's a great analogy because think of what we put on hold. Think of what we say no to, to say yes to a trip.

[00:23:23] Jennifer Wilson: Yes, yes.

[00:23:25] Jill Allison Bryan: So, um, so we need to, to do that as, as well. So, and then, yeah, and then as far as, once you're able to really, um, be super clear on these phases of, of what your vision looks like for the next six months. Then it's super helpful, as you know, to have a vision board or, I mean, one of the things that I love is Pinterest boards as vision boards.

[00:23:48] Jill Allison Bryan: You know, that's a great, uh, digital version. There are also some really wonderful apps that have like affirmations and reminders and that kind of thing. Um, and then of course just being in a group with other people who are also on that same journey and, and you're being reminded week after week that this is, you know, what we're moving towards can be really helpful.

[00:24:10] Jennifer Wilson: I am curious how you help your clients bridge the gap between their current reality and their dreams. Because I can see sometimes where it feels like there's this insurmountable gap and, uh, maybe, maybe you help them identify what is, what is that gap or what's preventing me from closing it? But I'm just curious, to to hear more about that.

[00:24:32] Jill Allison Bryan: Well, I mean, I think it all ties exactly to what you're asking about in this episode. Is, is it goes back to being as clear as possible about what you want. Um, because so many people, especially multi-passionate creatives, which I work with a lot. If you have a lot of ideas, the gap between reality and dreams is that, is could be just the, the amount, right?

[00:24:54] Jill Allison Bryan: Like there's so many and there's just not enough hours in the day. I have a client who's always joking with me. He's like, Ugh. Can you remind me again this week that there's only 24 hours in a day. It's like, yep, that is still true. Sorry. Um, but yeah, so being as clear as possible, setting those expectations and creating your intentions really based on knowing what matters the most to you, which goes back to the clarity piece, right?

[00:25:19] Jill Allison Bryan: To, to really giving yourself permission to prioritize. It's just so important. Um, And you know, there's a part of it of most of us that think just because we want to do a thing or we're interested in a thing that it's gonna happen. And then we're like dumbfounded when it doesn't. It's like, wait a minute, I, but I bought all the stuff.

[00:25:39] Jill Allison Bryan: Or, you know, I thought about it. But there's, there's other steps along the way. So I think realizing that we really, we need to make space in our lives for what's important for us. We need to make choices as to what we'll prioritize and let go, if not forever, at least for now. And we also, and I think we did talk about this at least in one of the other episodes, and maybe both, but to honor the seasons of our lives.

[00:26:04] Jennifer Wilson: Yes, yes, yes. We talk about that so much here on the show and inside our community.

[00:26:09] Jill Allison Bryan: It's so important.

[00:26:11] Jennifer Wilson: It's huge. Particularly as you know, we're talking about life here. Life goes on and on, hopefully if we're lucky, right? So, but we all go through different seasons of life where we have more time, energy, motivation. And if you're not respecting that, you're gonna be fighting against it.

[00:26:29] Jill Allison Bryan: Right, right. And yeah, absolutely. So not comparing your journey to somebody else's journey, super important.

[00:26:36] Jennifer Wilson: One thing that I think clarity can also help with, and maybe you can t tell me I'm right or wrong here, is the ability to, once you hone in on the thing that you're going towards, you can start seeing multiple paths to get there.

[00:26:54] Jill Allison Bryan: Right.

[00:26:55] Jennifer Wilson: But I think if you don't ever narrow it down to this is where I'm going, you don't, you can't see those paths in front of you.

[00:27:02] Jill Allison Bryan: Absolutely. So yeah, so this is going, talking about what's achi, how do you know what's achievable. And so it is, you know, using, you know, using tools or, or on your own whatever, finding, you know, clarity. Um, and, you know, having a group or, or a, guide or a mentor, or a coach or whatever. Who can help you take an honest look at your dreams and desires from a very non-judgmental perspective.

[00:27:29] Jill Allison Bryan: Um, because it's challenging to do it on our own. Most of us overestimate what we can accomplish and underestimate how long it's gonna take. So, uh, and so, uh, I mean, uh, I start, I start many a coaching session with the, with the words, with love, let's look at this. Because you know this, you know, can you see a day?

[00:27:51] Jill Allison Bryan: The, the great example is somebody coming to me saying whatever their creative endeavor is, and, and their desire is to do it for an hour every day. And they're not doing it right now at all. And I'm like, okay, but can you see a week where that's just not gonna happen? Where you're either only gonna get to 15 minutes or you're not gonna get to it three days in a row?

[00:28:11] Jill Allison Bryan: And when that happens, and we've set the expectation that success in air quotes looks like doing it in hour every day. Then that's when our, you know, brain come, pipes up and says, well see, you're not doing it. You can't do it. That's you, you, I knew you weren't gonna be able to do it. Versus, you know, really lowering expectations and saying 15 minutes most days.

[00:28:31] Jill Allison Bryan: And if you can get to an hour, several days, great. But you're, you're so much, you're setting yourself up for success when you really, uh, have some, your expectations that are realistic. That's another reason why I love the certain, possible, audacious. Is because you're, you're certain might be a few times a week at 15 minutes and you're audacious, might be most days at an hour. But then you've got that spectrum so you're not just like right or wrong with it.

[00:28:58] Jennifer Wilson: Yes. We've talked a lot this year in particular and a little bit last year about more aggregate goals, whether it's like a week or a month.

[00:29:06] Jennifer Wilson: So that the actual amount of time and the number of sessions over that period doesn't have to be equal. And you don't have to feel bad about making a different choice on one particular day. As long as you're still moving towards your goal of, you know, however many hours, uh, in a certain period of time.

[00:29:26] Jill Allison Bryan: Right. And I think even, even our default to wanna fall back to the amount of hours spent with something is such a societal trope. And, and what if we, what if we were more like Bhutan? What if we were like, how much joy did I experience while I was working on my scrapbooking project? How much joy, um, has it brought me to have this podcast?

[00:29:46] Jill Allison Bryan: Or, you know what I mean? Like, there, there are other ways to measure, uh, our, our life. You know, and, and, and these projects that we're doing. So, um, I think the other, the other piece of this, how can, you know it's achievable is, um, being honest with yourself and kind to yourself. Because I've noticed, um, in, in teaching or sharing this, uh, creative visioning process with more and more people. That once we get into the clarity part, Into the commitment part that, a phrase that that keeps popping up is if I'm being honest with myself. And you know, in my, I'm always like smiling, saying, well, by all means, be honest with yourself, please.

[00:30:29] Jill Allison Bryan: You know, don't lie to yourself. That won't help anything. And so when people, you know, it usually leads to a really good place and it helps them make decisions that lead to these healthier, happier outcomes. So, I wanna offer that being kind to yourself versus beating yourself up to achieve an outcome is the way to go. Because honestly, you can do, you can go either route to achieve something, right? You could just like be relentless with yourself and not enjoy the process. But then you have to continue doing that to keep that outcome going. Or you can be kind and loving to yourself, you know, as you're creating this outcome. And then that will be your, baseline for how you create.

[00:31:13] Jennifer Wilson: Yes, yes, yes. Are there other potential pitfalls that our listeners should be aware of as they're diving into this, either on their own or with the support of, of a coach?

[00:31:24] Jill Allison Bryan: Mm-hmm. . Yeah. I mean, I think we, we ki, we already touched on some of 'em. But, you know, to to, to circle back around. One very common pitfall is wanting to leapfrog over pieces of the process, right? We just wanna know. We just, just wanna know how to do it. And, and we also want guarantees. I wanna know how to do it.

[00:31:44] Jill Allison Bryan: I wanna guarantee that it's gonna come out perfectly. Right? And, and, you know, so many of us have that strong desire to already know what it is. Um, and so choices get made. Are fueled from, im, they feel impatience, right? Or an unwillingness to take the time that it needs to kind of, that we need to really and truly follow our curiosity and, and make, and then make a decision and make discerning choices.

[00:32:09] Jill Allison Bryan: Um, so that's one pitfall. Another one is to assume or hope that what works for someone else is, is go going to work for us. So to just circle back to what you just shared, there's so many different ways to memory keep. There's so, and you know this, that's what your whole platform is. That's what Simple Scrapper iss all about, right?

[00:32:27] Jill Allison Bryan: Scrapbook Your Way. That's what this is about, this podcast. And so even though, um, you do a wonderful job of, of reminding people of that and giving people a place where they can do that. I think on our own and on default, we tend to sometimes be like, well, if somebody would just tell me how to do it step by step by step. Then I could, I could do it.

[00:32:48] Jill Allison Bryan: And so I liken it to. exercise. Like some, I heard somebody, maybe it was my personal trainer, say one time, the very best exercise in the world that you can do is the exercise that you'll do. Right? It, it's not running, it's not weightlifting, it's not yoga. It's the thing that, that you're really like to do and you're gonna do it consistently.

[00:33:06] Jill Allison Bryan: And it's the same thing I think with our creativity. So, all of that to say in the end, the more you can practice trusting your own instincts and and trusting your intuition, I think the better off you're gonna be. And I really believe that the more joy and satisfaction you're gonna experience within your creative endeavors, um, I'm always trying to lead my clients back to themselves in some ways.

[00:33:28] Jill Allison Bryan: In some ways it's directly, um, with just questions. And sometimes it's through kind of, you know, fun, creative endeavors. Like the Cabinet of Creative Council. I think we've talked about that on here as, as well before. Which is a, you know, having a, a. And imaginary board of directors, if you will, creative people that you look up to that if you took a problem to them or a question to them, how would they answer it for you?

[00:33:52] Jill Allison Bryan: And, and it's so fun to see how people come up with this. Really, they're unearthing this amazing wisdom that already exists within themselves, but because we're kind of going in the back door to it, instead of them having to figure out the right answer, um, but they're talking to, uh, Frida Kalo and she's got the right answer for them. It's a lot more fun. and available. Yeah.

[00:34:13] Jennifer Wilson: For sure. Well, it sounds like we need to, a lot of us need to do more of that practicing, of being honest with ourselves. And stop making the, the not being honest, the lying to ourselves be the default. Even if we think we're, it's the best thing for us. So that's what we should do. You know, we always get in trouble with should, if we're really honest, it sounds like that's gonna offer also much more, um, freedom and openness to actually make progress.

[00:34:41] Jill Allison Bryan: Yeah, for sure. And, and, and you, and we can practice even asking that question. Am I being honest with myself? And you know, another phrase I'm always saying is like, grace. Like showing ourself grace. So even if you were like, oh, I, I'm not, it's not that I'm trying to lie to myself, but I really desire this other thing. But if I'm being honest with myself about the amount of time, energy, and resources I have, how much better to choose a project or projects or, or direction. That is feasible and that I'm actually gonna show up for and create and feel that sense of creative satisfaction with. Then continuing on to raise the bar so incredibly high or try to follow somebody else's way of doing it, that doesn't jive with my way of being that um, I don't end up doing anything.

[00:35:30] Jennifer Wilson: Yes. That's not what we want.

[00:35:31] Jill Allison Bryan: No, never

[00:35:35] Jennifer Wilson: So the time between the 25th of December, the 1st of January always feels like just this very interesting transition period. Whether you have end up with a lot on the calendar or nothing at all. I think we're all kind of just. Flexing our muscles and stretching our brains to figure out, okay, what's really gonna be different on January 1st and beyond?

[00:35:59] Jennifer Wilson: So if you had to leave our listeners today with just one thing to do next, what would it be?

[00:36:06] Jill Allison Bryan: Ha, this is like such a, a loaded question. Because you're right. It's such a funky, uh, period of time that, that, what do they call it? There's like, some people have a wait, just, just not a no man's land, but it's just, it's just a very, yeah, it's a strange, funky week that week between Christmas and uh, and New Year's.

[00:36:26] Jill Allison Bryan: And I'm just gonna tie it back and go back to what we were kind of just talking about. This, just no matter what you decide to do, this is a wonderful time to practice giving yourself permission. To practice, um, to be listening to your own heart and trusting your intuition and valuing that information,

[00:36:45] Jill Allison Bryan: most of all. Because, you know, the first of the year is also a time where everybody has solutions for us. You know, and I mean, and that's not a bad thing. Like I'll probably have a solution available for you as well. And it, and I mean it from, you know, it comes from the best place. Also, but when there's that many things to choose from, then really being able to discern because you are trusting yourself and you're being honest with yourself is, um, is so important.

[00:37:10] Jill Allison Bryan: And even when you do use someone else's process, remember that ultimately it's how you can fit it into your life. And, and, and how much you love doing it, that is the predictor or the, you know, the most important predictor of actually using it and having success with it. So in a nutshell, practice trusting yourself, being kind to yourself and showing yourself grace. Around whatever you decide to do in that time and, and looking forward.

[00:37:39] Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, perfect preparation to be intentionally responsive to all those solutions that are thrown at us, um, after the 1st of January. Because it's, it's, it's so full of possibility. It can feel fun and exciting. But then I think sometime later in the year, we may end up with the, uh, regret, disappointment, frustration that maybe we took on too much.

[00:38:04] Jill Allison Bryan: Yep.

[00:38:05] Jennifer Wilson: Didn't really think, really closely about what our values were, our priorities were, and, and, and of course that, that sense of honesty of, I really gonna take action on this.

[00:38:18] Jill Allison Bryan: For sure. And so, you know, like some of the people that I've worked with, um, . Use, you know, coach them through this process. At the, you know, when we're getting to the point of clarity and commitment. And, and if they're like digging in their heels and saying, well, I don't wanna choose one medium. And, and I'm like, it's not my desire to make sure, like, you're just choosing one thing.

[00:38:43] Jill Allison Bryan: If you're really, like, let's say you're an artist who does oil, acrylic and watercolor. And you're like, uh, I don't wanna focus on one for the next six months. I'll be like, great, but let's look at what does that look like exactly for you? And, you know, be intentional about this, this reminder of what your spectrum of possibility looks like.

[00:39:04] Jill Allison Bryan: So that two months from now, you are give, you know, you're kind of preemptively giving yourself permission to not beat yourself up. Oh, guess. Turns out, I've only been playing with watercolor and I said I was gonna do all three. Don't use that as a reason to beat yourself up, because you are giving yourself permission to play with all three.

[00:39:22] Jill Allison Bryan: And if a couple fall away, that's okay. We're always, it's like on default, we're always kind of looking for these reasons to beat ourselves up. But I think just being, and again, being intentional about that, that's a possibility that that could happen. And just knowing that ahead of time, so when it does happen, we can be, oh, nothing has gone wrong.

[00:39:39] Jill Allison Bryan: This is just life. And me having a human brain and, and going off into another direction a little bit. And the same thing. We can do the same thing in the opposite direction. If we really do choose one single thing that um, is like, let's say there's one scrapbook project that you really, you know, have had your heart set on that you've wanted to do for a long time, and, and you allow yourself to have that be your main, project or vision, you may find if you're, because you, if you set, set yourself up in a way that's very doable to spend more time with that project. That you end up doing other things as well. And that's okay. It's, it's not that, you know, I'm not saying no, you can't enjoy that as well. You might end up setting yourself up to have even more joy and success than you could have thought. Because strengthening that, creative habit becomes easier. And so all of a sudden, yeah.

[00:40:34] Jennifer Wilson: It's so true. Focus is such a momentum builder. Even

[00:40:38] Jill Allison Bryan: Yes.

[00:40:38] Jennifer Wilson: When I give myself permission to, to not do something, I immediately want to do that. Maybe it's a personality thing. But like once that pressure is off, it becomes easier to take the first step.

[00:40:51] Jill Allison Bryan: Mm-hmm.. Yeah. And there's so much, and I'm gonna even say like in looking for playfulness around that. Whatever it is, because how, how can we weave some of that in? Um, a, a person that is in a group of mine right now just came up with this beautiful idea. She's calling it her creative energy jar. And, and I call those like Creative Oasis moments.

[00:41:11] Jill Allison Bryan: So what are the fun super, just for the fun of it. Things that I love to do when I was a kid, I wish I could do more of. Now, a little bit like my book that I was talking about, the tiny altered book thing that I'm making. There's no end game with that. I'm just enjoying the process. And she came up with all these things and she got really excited about 'em, and she's gonna put 'em in the jar, like, kind of like a honeydew jar.

[00:41:32] Jill Allison Bryan: And she said, uh, but is, is this just, am I just avoiding, uh, doing the real thing? I'm like, no, because look at how excited you get and how energized you feel when you pick one of those out and do it for 15 minutes. And then you can intentionally take that creative energy, and bring it over into your other project or you know, whatever your main vision is. So I think it's part of the process.

[00:41:57] Jennifer Wilson: Yes. Yes. Jill, this has been so delightful. Can you share where our audience can find you online and anything you might be planning for 2024?

[00:42:07] Jill Allison Bryan: So 2024. Hmm. I know it's closer than it seems. . I'm sure there'll be, uh, probably some more of that, uh, Crystal Clear Creative Vision. And might look a little different than it looked in 2023. We'll see. But if you, uh, follow me on Instagram at @CreativeOasisCoach, If you, um, come to my website at, at, uh, creativeoasiscoaching.com, I will always be sharing updates and what's new and good, uh, at those places.

[00:42:36] Jennifer Wilson: Sounds awesome. We will definitely include those links in the show notes for this episode.

[00:42:41] Jill Allison Bryan: Thank you.

[00:42:41] Jennifer Wilson: Thank you, Jill, for spending time with me.

[00:42:44] Jill Allison Bryan: I always love spending time with you, Jennifer. Thanks for the conversation.

[00:42:47] Jennifer Wilson: And to all of our listeners, please remember that you have permission to Scrapbook Your Way.