WEEK 19 - REWARD đź’° IF đź’° FOUND: My Beloved Creative Spark
Hey there, thanks for joining us for Week 19 of HOMwork 2020!
Hello friends! Lately I’ve been talking all about finding and refining creative voices and THIS week’s assignment is about what to do if you’ve lost some key element of your creative life. But before I get into the assignment, let me tell you what got me thinking about this.
My neighborhood in Detroit has lots of pets and on the rare occasion that one goes missing owners go ALL OUT to find their fluffy pals. Of course, “lost” posters are an essential part of the equation, but that’s just the beginning. These folks retrace their steps, get neighbors involved in the hunt, go door to door, check local shelters or businesses that may have information…
They leave no stone unturned. It’s like a 90’s movie montage of can-do problem solving!
All this has me thinking (of course) of how we deal when less tangible things - like stuff from our creative lives - go missing. We aren’t quite as good (at least I’m not) at doing the work that will help us find those missing things. Sometimes we don’t even notice it’s gone!
So this week’s HOMwork assignment is about taking the first and most actionable step in the “lost” process: identify something valuable in your creative life that’s gone missing and start to get the word out.
For me, it’s my creative spark. I don’t mean creative inspiration, enjoyment, or satisfaction. I still love my job, am consistently inspired, and am so happy to go to work every day. What I’m missing is my sense of adventure and a little bit of that adrenaline-inducing fear… the thrill.
It took me a while to even realize it was gone. But now that I’ve had that realization it’s time to figure out how to describe what the spark “looks like” and then start acting like I would if I lost my best four-legged buddy: retrace my steps, get my network involved, think about every possible place I could look, ask for help, etc.
Because one of the first steps in recovering something valuable is to start actively looking for it.
Which brings me to this week’s assignment…
Your assignment: Create a “lost” flyer for something you feel is missing from your creative life. [Nothing missing? Look below for an alternate assignment!]
Thought starters: How did you lose it? Where was the last place you saw it? What was changing around the time it went missing? Does it know where to find you? Could there be an environmental reason it went missing? Have your friends or neighbors (or network) seen it?
Design tips: Use the key points of a traditional “lost” poster as inspiration: a picture or description, last place seen, some key characteristics, and maybe a reward.
Caption suggestions: Explain how and when you noticed this important part of your creative life had gone “missing.” Use the caption as a way to get your network (they’re your “creative neighbors”) involved in helping with your search!
Alternative Assignment! Create a “found” poster for something you've recently discovered in your creative life!
My neighborhood also includes people who go above and beyond when they find a pet - putting up “found” posters, getting the info into online forums and local social media, and making sure people nearby know that a treasured friend has been located.
The same might be true for some of you in your creative life! You may have recently discovered a new technique or developed a practice that has taken your creative work into the stratosphere. If that’s the case, share your “find.”
Don’t forget to use the hashtag #HOMwork2020 and tag me @homsweethom when you post your work on Instagram. I’ll be sharing some of my favorites in my Story all week!
Xoxo Lauren
P.S. Have you ever gotten an email from a publisher inviting you to have your work featured in their book for a fee? If you haven't yet, chances are you will eventually. I've recently answered a question on whether these pay-to-play offers are worth the investment. Watch it on IGTV.
