Creativity

Rozella Haydée White On…Faith & Work

June 15, 2015 By Courtney M. McSwain Leave a Comment

(Photo: Courtesy of Rozella Haydée White)

Rozella Haydée White is a ministry professional called to help young adults as they explore questions related to faith, identity, vocation and leadership. Rozella lives out this calling in a variety of ways – as the Program Director for Young Adult Ministry for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA); as a travel guide who leads people on “Sacred Travel Journeys,” helping them transform their heart, mind and soul; as a blogger who writes about mental health awareness, particularly among young Black women of faith; and as a social change agent who pursues faith-based approaches to social justice.

I first came across Rozella’s work on Twitter (where else?) and was instantly drawn to her commitment to working for change and transformation using faith as a foundation. More than that, I love that Rozella is someone who has found ways to incorporate varied gifts into a purpose-driven life.

I reached out to Rozella to ask her how she incorporates faith into her work. As a ministry professional, that might seem like a question with an obvious answer. But the journey Rozella shares about understanding how her faith makes up the foundation of what she does in all aspects of her life is helpful for any artist or changemaker who draws on faith to motivate their work. Here’s what Rozella had to say.

What role does faith play in your life as an entrepreneur and creative person?
I work for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (the denomination) and my main job is to direct ministry for young adults, people between the ages of 18 and 30, nationally. So my work and my faith are inextricably linked. In my tradition, we have a way of talking about what we do in terms of living out our daily lives. We talk about vocation as this place where God calls us; we use our gifts and our passions and we connect needs that are present around us. We also say vocation is not something you do but it’s also who you are – you have a vocation to be a partner, a vocation to be a parent, a vocation to be an educator. So for me, faith is all over and is the reason why I do what I do.

And all of the projects and endeavors that I engage on the side come from that same place. It’s a matter of thinking about how my gifts and passions are being called into being to actually meet a need or walk alongside folks in a particular way.

Has that always been your perspective? 
Broadly, it has always been my perspective, even though I didn’t live that out until early young adulthood. I was raised in a home that was a faith-based home. We were always engaged in church and faith-based community opportunities. But I did not have any desire to work in the church. I went to school initially to be a lawyer and thought about church as something that was ancillary. All of that changed when I actually encountered life and things kind of happened – dealing with mental illness, dealing with family, dealing with major familial and educational transitions – and it led me back to a faith-based summer camp where I used to work. I started to go deeper into what I believed and why I believed it. [Then] opportunities started presenting themselves that were connected to my faith. It wasn’t until basically I hit rock bottom – all the plans that I had for myself fell apart and I had to go back to the drawing board and figure out what I was doing – that I recognized how my faith was a part of who I was and it undergirded all that God had been calling me to do.

How did your faith help you overcome that “rock-bottom” period?  
One of the reasons I work with young adults is because I feel like behind early childhood, young adulthood is the next hugely formative time in people’s lives where so many transitions are happening and so many things are going on – questioning one’s identity, questioning one’s values, figuring out one’s purpose in the world. And so all of that was happening for me. Because I was connected to the faith-based community, I ended up working for the church as those things were happening and it caused me to go deeper into understanding my faith. I started to question and challenge and really think critically about what I said I believed and how that connected during the times of suffering I was experiencing. Because I was working in ministry at the same time that I was having some of these transformations and breakthroughs, it caused me to put the two together in a particular way.

Do you have conversations with other artists or changemakers who do not work in ministry? How do they incorporate faith into their work spaces?  
There’s a huge desire for many of my friends, and myself, to be where people are and connect with folks in authentic ways. I have friends who are faith-based people who may not work in the church. For my friends that are in the science fields [for example], there’s tension because so much of that community has a complicated relationship with God or a higher power, I think for valid reasons. When you’re dealing with science and logic—faith is the opposite of that. So they find themselves in those places trying to hold fast to what they believe even as they try to communicate also that they are expansive.

I tend to run in progressive circles, by and large, and my denomination is left-of-center in many respects. We would be the people of faith who say God created science and God created faith and the two can interact together. So I feel like my friends in science are trying to be that bridge.

I think about that too with friends who work in the political realm. So much of what they encounter is about the individual – manipulating and getting people to do what you want them to do. I think it’s a constant battle [for them] in some of those spaces to live out their faith and hold fast to the beliefs that undergird them as they are in spaces that don’t come from the same operating values.

What advice would you give those friends or others on allowing their faith tradition into their creative or business lives?
One of the things that I am realizing as I get older is the need for us to be in community – not just community from a social perspective, but community that holds you accountable, that supports you, that uplifts you and that you also do the same for.  I always encourage folks to not be isolated. If there are things that are important to you, form a community or connect with a community. It could be two people, one person, three people, a small group, a church – but be connected to something outside of what you’re doing that continues to encourage that.

The other thing I always tell people, and I practice this myself, is the importance of ongoing self-care. How is it that you are evolving in your awareness of yourself and what you value? Are you hearing from other people – whether a coach, a spiritual director, a therapist – as you are engaging in some of these issues? If it’s important for your faith to be in the forefront of what you’re doing, then how is it that you’re paying attention to yourself and your personhood as you’re continuing to develop?

***

Many thanks to Rozella for sharing her thoughts on faith and work! Be sure to learn more about Rozella by visiting her website, follow her on Twitter and Instagram and Facebook.

Dear Reader: On Faith & Work

February 6, 2015 By Courtney M. McSwain Leave a Comment

(Photo: (cc) Esther Gibbons)

Dear Reader,

Growing up, I learned there are two topics one should never discuss at a dinner party: politics and religion. Having lived in Washington, D.C., for the past ten years, I’ve given up on the politics thing; so many people work on political issues every day that they’re bound to come up. But religion remains a sensitive subject. We all get sensitive when it comes to faith and religion because our beliefs about God are very personal, and hearing something that runs counter to those beliefs can be hurtful – even if no hurt is intended.

I remember attending a conference, and one of the speakers was introduced as a former youth pastor among the many other entrepreneurship positions on his resume. My ears perked up, as I waited to see if any aspects of his faith would come through in his presentation. They did, but not how I expected. In explaining his varied life experiences, he remarked that he used to be a pastor, but that he and Jesus were now, “…seeing other people.” Rousing laughter and applause followed the line, and I remember thinking, “Okay, not a Jesus crowd.” As a Christian, I felt uncomfortable but tried to brush it off. I knew the speaker meant no offense to me personally – how could he when he didn’t even know me – yet, I still felt hurt by his comment and the crowd’s reaction because it ran counter to my own beliefs.

For a small second, I considered mentally checking out from the rest of the conference, forgetting what any of these “non-believers” had to say because, obviously, I didn’t want to learn anything from them anyway. But, I was able to bring myself back to the reality that God had put me in that seat for a reason – to learn something and to get inspired to fulfill what He had in mind for my life. So I managed to listen to the rest of the speaker’s presentation and, in fact, I marked his as one of the most memorable and meaningful from the conference. By pushing aside whatever small offense I had initially felt, I learned that:

1) It’s possible to learn from someone who disagrees with my faith beliefs; and
2) The opinion of others can’t hinder my feelings about God, unless I allow them to.

The experience also illuminated the need for a space where artists and changemakers of faith, whatever faith that might be, can explore the connection between God and their creative work. This space is especially needed for those who don’t work in religious-themed arenas, but whose work is still driven by a practice of faith.

I’m curious to know if other artists and changemakers think about how to incorporate faith with their work, and I’m especially eager to find out how creatives who successfully navigate these waters have been able to do it; which is why I decided to focus my blog posts this month on faith and work. This month, I’m bringing you two new artist and changemaker Q&As from creatives who incorporate faith into their work lives, and offer tips on how others can do so as well.

As I fulfill God’s purpose for my life, I believe I have an opportunity to reach artists and changemakers across religious aisles. Yet, I also feel an obligation to incorporate faith into my work in an authentic way, which gives honor to the source of my creativity. If you’ve ever confronted similar feelings, I hope you’ll join me in this conversation and add your comments and questions all month long.

Xo
Courtney

Waiting for Now (Alternate Title: You’re Late)

January 30, 2015 By Courtney M. McSwain Leave a Comment

(Photo: (cc) Mike)

Dear Reader,
I have a condition. I’m not sure if it’s psychological, neurological or astrological, but I’ve given it a name: wait-for-now syndrome.

“Now” is an idealized moment of perfect timing when a specific task – usually one being avoided – will get done. “Now” might also be referred to as “tomorrow.” People like me are constantly waiting for now to arrive in order to tackle things containing real or imagined difficulties. Writers, I’m convinced, have the most advanced form of this condition. Our specific strand of wait-for-now syndrome is rooted in the false premise that there will come a right moment to engage our creative work. And so, we wait for it. We wait for the sun to shine through our window at the right angle, the air to rest on our backs at the right degree, our coffee to cool to the right temperature and any number of environmental comforts to fall into alignment signaling that “now” has arrived and we are ready to write.

As often as I’ve waited for such moments to appear, they never have. They do exist, but not in the magical way that I hold out hope for. When I write something, no matter what it is, there is always a moment when everything falls into place and the words start to feel good on the page; but that only comes after some intense agitation. Perhaps that’s why those of us suffering with wait-for-now syndrome get stuck, because our memories deceive us. We hold onto the excitement of writing something that we are proud of in the forefront of our consciousness, but subconsciously we remember the creative pain we had to endure to get there. Thus, our subconscious convinces us to stay in waiting mode where we can hang onto the enthusiasm of our ideas without entering into the necessary struggle that accompanies their creation. However, our condition inhibits us from mindfully connecting the dots between the journey and the end result, known to many as the process.

For me, the writing process never changes. Once I’ve decided to actually start something, I outline my thoughts; write a bunch of disjointed sentences; cry out, “Why is this so hard!?”; pace a little; find a snack; sit back down; write some more and continue through the sludge until, at some point, it gets easier. And I’ve noticed that life follows a similar pattern. An idea is born; we hide from it until courage, curiosity or desperation compels us to do something; we find it difficult and non-linear; we eat our frustration; we somehow manage to get back to work; and if we can figure out a way to keep going we find that, at some point, it gets easier.

What we must do, us wait-for-now people, is constantly remind ourselves that this is how it always is…and it always gets easier. But only after we start, and stay, in the process. We can’t keep waiting.

xo
Courtney

P.S.

Sorry to keep you waiting on my posts for 2015. Next week we get back to our monthly themes. In February, we’re exploring “Faith and Work.” See you next week!

Nancy Belmont…On Fear

November 14, 2014 By Courtney M. McSwain Leave a Comment

Photo: Courtesy of Nancy Belmont

In past blog posts, I’ve made reference to the “creative coach” who helped me recognize I was living with some pretty big fears. That coach is Nancy Belmont.

Nancy heads the brand- and culture-building company, Belmont, Inc., and I met her quite serendipitously. While looking for an office to rent, I came across a space Nancy’s company was subletting. Their sunny office, decorated with inspirational words and phrases, made me feel instantly at ease, and I signed up immediately. As it turned out, Nancy also acts as a coach, helping leaders define who they are, what they stand for and how they want to show up in the world – all areas I needed to work on. How convenient?! I worked with Nancy at the beginning of this year, and her coaching provided a looking glass, a sounding board and some guided direction toward a much more meaningful understanding of why I decided to start my own writing business. One of the biggest discoveries I made was the presence of fear.

Recognizing and learning to deal with creative fear has been a total game changer for me. I couldn’t keep Nancy’s insight to myself, so I invited her to share her thoughts on fear for other artists and changemakers. Here’s what she had to say.

What role does fear play in the life of a creative person?

Fear helps let you know that you’re doing something that really matters to you. When you feel that fear, you know that you are stretching beyond your comfort zone and taking a risk. You know that your heart is in it.

Has there been a time when you hit a wall of fear and overcame it? What happened and how did you persevere?

Sure, I’ve run into the “fear wall.” The most important thing is to realize that’s what it is. Sometimes it shows up as procrastination or an uninspired feeling. If you believe the problem is that you’re uninspired, you don’t have any power. Once you recognize that fear is the culprit, you can put it in its proper place. Don’t get me wrong – the fear is still there; but once you acknowledge it, you can disassociate the fear with your ability to get the work done.

A trick I’ve used is to thank the fear for showing up, invite it to sit across the table if it insists on staying, and then get about your work. The fear is not you. The fear is simply a signal that what you’re doing matters. Another tactic I’ve used is to tell myself that this is going to be the very first draft of something so it doesn’t have to be anywhere near perfect. I do a rapid fire to get as much as I can down on paper then go back and look at it later. Usually, it’s not bad!

What practices help you deal with fear in your daily life as a creative person?

If I’m worried about someone else judging my work and thinking negatively about it, I applaud myself for putting my work out there. There is a great quote by Theodore Roosevelt called Man in the Arena that helps me build my courage and protect me against the real or imaginary critics.

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena. . . who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” ~Theodore Roosevelt

If my fear is rooted in feeling like I have nothing new to add to the body of work that is similar to mine, I remind myself that I have a point of view that could be just different enough to touch even one person. As long as I believe I am making a positive contribution to somebody, it builds determination in me to move forward.

Do you have conversations with other artists or changemakers about fear? What lessons do you take away from those conversations?

I don’t think many people would automatically name the issues they’re facing as fear. I hear a lot of individuals talk about writer’s block or a shortage of time, or a lack of resources. Every day I hear people give reasons why they can’t do something or claim they have no choice. There is always a choice; you just have to open your eyes. Once you realize that every action or inaction is a choice, you can see how the fear has twisted you up into thinking you have no choice. It’s easy to see this in others, but not so easy to see it in yourself. So the lesson I take away from those conversations is to ask myself, “What are my choices in this situation and what’s holding me back from doing what I want to do?”

What advice would you give artists and changemakers on how to recognize and confront fear?

Know how fear shows up for you. Sometimes it appears as an inaction – people feel stuck but can’t determine why. Other times it looks like a lot of action around the wrong thing. If you feel stuck, ask yourself the question, “What might I be afraid of that has me stuck here?” Name those fears. Write them down. Then ask them to take a seat and be quiet so you can get on with being the creative genius you are!

Thanks Nancy for sharing your story! Be sure to follow Nancy online through her website, Facebook and Twitter. Also check out Belmont, Inc., on the web, Facebook and Twitter.

Robyn Peel On…Celebrating Failure

October 10, 2014 By Courtney M. McSwain Leave a Comment

Photo: Courtesy of Robyn Peel

This post is part of the Q&A series, “Artists & Changemakers On…,” where artists, creative entrepreneurs and social change agents share their thoughts on each month’s blog theme. Today I’m thrilled to have Robyn Peel share her thoughts on celebrating failure.

Robyn Peel is a coach, mentor and facilitator who wants everyone to live bold, meaningful and fulfilling lives. Like last week’s Q&A guests, I met Robyn while attending the Pioneer Nation conference earlier this year (seeing a pattern?). In truth, I owe Robyn a debt of gratitude for inspiring this month’s theme. It was while talking with her during one of the conference sessions that the idea of celebrating authentic failure – the genuine attempt at creation that completely bombs for one reason or another – began to crystallize. Robyn and I both agreed that, too often, we rush to judge people whose projects aren’t home runs the first time around instead of viewing failures as an opportunity to dissect the situation, figure out what went wrong and make adjustments for the next attempt.

Naturally, I had to invite Robyn to share her thoughts on celebrating failure for the blog this month. Here’s what she had to say.

What role does failure play in your creative work?

Over the past few years I have become much more willing to try things out with no expectation as to whether they will work or not. I use the word “play” when I am starting on something new, as it allows there to be more lightness about the journey. And it is almost impossible to fail at playing! I use this play as a time to explore and learn; to notice what works and what doesn’t and to learn from both. I believe we can always improve and grow in our lives. The things that work and the things that don’t will always teach us something.

What’s the best lesson you’ve learned on failure?

Failure is a perception not a reality. What one person deems a failure another person deems a success. And the way we respond to what doesn’t work will shape our future. The people who are seen as successful have a different attitude to trying and failing. They are willing to throw mud at the wall and see if it sticks. If it doesn’t they will try something new and see if that sticks. They just keep trying and trying and then one day will be deemed an overnight success!

I believe failure leads to innovation and change. We are not going to get something new if we are afraid to try and risk failing. We need to be bold and try things to get the brilliant and life-changing actions this world needs.

Have you ever celebrated one of your failures? What happened and why was that failure a good thing?

Last year I planned a “walk and talk” event where a group of people would come together to discuss a topic (Redefining Success) and walk through nature at the same time. It seemed to sit so well with my mantra: “Connect with Yourself, Connect with Others, Connect with Nature.” Rather ironically, with the topic as it was, no one turned up!

So I just did the walk myself and thought about what success meant for me. What once would have shattered my confidence – having no one show up at an event – became an opportunity for me to get clearer in my head about what I wanted in life and what success meant for me (and it isn’t about the numbers in any sense of that word – income, blog hits, number of clients or number of people at events). I embraced and celebrated that failure so much that when I came home so happy my partner presumed I’d had a great turnout!

What do you think keeps people from talking openly about failure?

Too often in the public arena and in the media people who fail are picked apart and dragged through the coals. They are publicly ridiculed, and that is something we are so afraid of. We deem failure to be something that we must keep to ourselves at all costs.

As a society, we seem to celebrate successes so openly but keep failures hidden away. I think this keeps us from changing or finding solutions to so many problems we face. It’s time to talk about all the things we try, whether they work or not; someone else could take our lessons (or failures) and find an amazing solution.

What advice on failure would you give other artists & changemakers?

Let’s start by not actually calling it failure. You tried something and it didn’t work out as you had envisioned. You have learned, you haven’t failed. To me it is much more important to try than to succeed. By giving something a go, you are much more open to success than if you stand on the sidelines hoping and wondering “what if?” Be open and curious about the things in your life that didn’t go as planned. What can you learn from them? What can you do differently next time? Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater – learn and grow with every experience.

Thanks Robyn for sharing your story! Follow Robyn Peel as she works with 20-somethings to help them get clear on who they are, what they want and then to make the conscious choices to bring that dream into reality. You can connect with her on Twitter and Google Plus.

Jen Adrion and Omar Noory On…Celebrating Failure

October 3, 2014 By Courtney M. McSwain Leave a Comment

Photo: Courtesy of These Are Things

This post is part of the Q&A series, “Artists & Changemakers On…,” where artists, creative entrepreneurs and social change agents share their thoughts on each month’s blog theme. Today I’m thrilled to have the illustration duo Jen Adrion and Omar Noory share their thoughts on celebrating failure.

I first came across the work of Jen Adrion and Omar Noory, the creative duo behind the paper goods and brand illustration studio These Are Things, while at the entrepreneurship conference Pioneer Nation. The two were keynote speakers sharing the evolution of their company, which delivers travel themed art to customers and retailers in all 50 states and over 40 countries. Jen and Omar have grown their business to the point where they work with major brands like AFAR, Airbnb, American Greetings, HOW and Southwest Airlines. Luckily, they didn’t shy away from discussing their growing pains during their talk. Hearing that they had endured stumbling blocks and, dare we say, failures was a breath of fresh air. It was great to know that, despite any setbacks, they continued to fight for their creative dreams and were willing to examine missteps to glean lessons for the future.

Encouraged by Jen and Omar’s story, I immediately thought of them when I decided to devote the blog to failure this month (wait…did that come out right?) I invited them to share their thoughts on failure within the context of their work, and here’s what they had to say.

What role does failure play in your creative work?

J: Failure is an essential part of any work, and I feel like this is especially true for creative endeavors. It’s a natural part of the creative process.

O: If you really are doing anything worthwhile, you’re going to stumble as you’re learning and growing. Failure is such an intrinsic part of our everyday life that we don’t even notice it anymore. It actually feels strange if we aren’t failing because that means we aren’t pushing ourselves or trying anything new.

What’s the best lesson you’ve learned on failure?

J: Everyone fails, whether they choose to share it or not. Everyone. No exceptions. It’s just a natural part of life. All great successes are built on a mountain of failures, so learning to embrace failure is the quickest way to rack up more successes.

Have you ever celebrated one of your failures? What happened and why was that failure a good thing?

J: Very publicly, actually. In 2013, we fulfilled a longtime goal and moved from our home state of Ohio to a beautiful apartment in NYC. It took us years to build up the courage to make the move, and once we finally did, we were so happy. But a few months into the experience, we realized that we were in over our heads. Our business, which was still running out of a warehouse back in Ohio, was running into problems without us there to oversee it. So, we made the difficult decision to bail out of New York after only eight months.

O: The worst part is that we were scheduled to speak at a conference in Cleveland two weeks before we moved back. It was our first big speaking gig as These Are Things. The timing was terrible. Neither of us felt comfortable getting on stage and talking about our “success” when we were in the middle of what felt like a crushing defeat.

J: So, we got on stage in front of a few hundred people and told our story, including all of the many ups and downs we’ve experienced as we built our careers as illustrators. You can watch the talk here. It was a terrifying experience, but today it remains one of the best things we’ve ever done as These Are Things. People really connected with our talk and we left the stage feeling like we’d been honest about our journey.

What do you think keeps people from talking openly about failure?

J: I think it comes down to a fear of being judged. There’s a lot of pressure to make it seem like everything is 100 percent perfect all the time. Especially with social media – who isn’t intimidated by a perfectly curated Instagram feed? When all we see is perfection, it makes us feel like we’re the only ones experiencing failure, which isn’t true at all. If you can change your perspective and view failure as a sign of growth and progress, it becomes much easier to speak freely about your own experiences in a real, authentic way.

What advice on failure would you give other artists & changemakers?

O: Failure is not a permanent place. It’s never as absolute or final as it may seem. While a failure may feel disastrous in the moment, in reality, there aren’t many failures that you can’t walk away from. You learn something and you move on, stronger and smarter than ever.

Thanks Jen and Omar for sharing your story! Get more advice from Jen Adrion and Omar Noory in their new ebook, “Designed To Sell: The Unconventional Guide to Creative Freedom,” which provides a proven step-by-step plan for building your own successful creative business. And be sure to follow These Are Things on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.