Signs you might need a breakthrough: * you’re bored * you don’t want to paint and find other things to do instead * your studio is filled with half-finished pieces you no longer care about * you look at your work and feel like something’s missing Beyond the Obvious with Mike Bailey (http://mebaileyart.com/workshops/) Arches Oil Paper (https://www.dickblick.com/products/arches-oil-paper/) Stephanie on: Instagram (http://instagram.com/thestephanielam) Facebook (http://facebook.com/thestephanielam) Twitter (http://twitter.com/thestephanielam) stephanie@highonpaintfumes.com

High On Paint Fumes

Episode 17: Generate Your Own Creative Breakthrough!

Let's be real, rejection hurts! I recently got rejected and share the steps I went through to work through it. Marie Forleo interviews Bryce Dallas Howard (https://youtu.be/E-DF4LUm0Rc) Tony Robbins' shares Sylvester Stallone's story (https://youtu.be/YPwA_GbEIGY) Stephanie on: Instagram (http://instagram.com/thestephanielam) Facebook (http://facebook.com/thestephanielam) Twitter (http://twitter.com/thestephanielam) stephanie@highonpaintfumes.com

Dealing With a NO: Getting Stronger from Rejection

Do you ever experience disappointment because what you've made and what you WANT to be making aren't the same? Ira Glass speaks to this difference of "taste" and Todd Henry calls it the "Aspiration Gap." Everyone agrees that the way out to make a TON of work to grow your skills. But is there a gap between vision and ability that can never be closed? Ira Glass on Storytelling Part 1 (https://youtu.be/f6ezU57J8YI) Part 2 (https://youtu.be/dx2cI-2FJRs) Part 3 (https://youtu.be/X2wLP0izeJE) Part 4 (https://youtu.be/sp_8pwkg_R8) Ira Glass Lyric Video of Part 3 segment (https://vimeo.com/24715531) Todd Henry's book Louder than Words (http://a.co/9ke3y0s) Bayles & Orland's book Art & Fear (http://a.co/6rUXeVI) Stephanie on: Instagram (http://instagram.com/thestephanielam) Facebook (http://facebook.com/thestephanielam) Twitter (http://twitter.com/thestephanielam) stephanie@highonpaintfumes.com

15: The Gap Between Your Vision & Your Ability

When was the last time you have a 'win' on your journey toward achieving your goals? In this episode, we explore the importance of frequent, small wins to keep our motivation and engagement high. The science of animal training, offers a helpful model! The Motivation Myth by Jeff Haden (http://a.co/97szaX7) Stephanie on: Instagram (http://instagram.com/thestephanielam) Facebook (http://facebook.com/thestephanielam) Twitter (http://twitter.com/thestephanielam) stephanie@highonpaintfumes.com

14: How to Keep Your Promises to Yourself (Part 2)

When was the last time you kept a promise to yourself? Most of us have a poor track record at honoring our own goals, but that can change. Today's episode is Part 1 in a series on keeping promises to ourselves. Because who can we rely on to achieve our dreams, if not us? Strategy 1: learn to separate your thoughts and feelings from your actions. ACT! Don't wait for the ideal mindset or thought life to take action. Contrary to a lot of popular self-development, you don't need the right thoughts to take the right actions. UnFu*ck Yourself by Gary John Bishop (Amazon) (http://a.co/5mqn5zi) UnFu*ck Yourself by Gary John Bishop (Audible) (https://www.audible.com/pd/Self-Development/Unfu-k-Yourself-Audiobook/B0731R4RFX?ref=a_search_c3_lProduct_1_1&pf_rd_p=e81b7c27-6880-467a-b5a7-13cef5d729fe&pf_rd_r=99TJBK9Q195AJBHYAJWB&) Stephanie on: Instagram (http://instagram.com/thestephanielam) Facebook (http://facebook.com/thestephanielam) Twitter (http://twitter.com/thestephanielam) stephanie@highonpaintfumes.com

13: How to Keep Promises to Yourself (Part 1)

What's new pussycat? Tom Jones' creative career is a reminder of what is possible for us as creatives: longevity, persistence and a desire to serve an audience with our creative gifts for an entire lifetime. I saw Jones in concert and was BLOWN AWAY. The man still has it. We need more examples like this! We need to seek out and absorb the lives and stories of those we admire who have stayed in the creative game and devoted their lives to their art. If you don't have any inspirational figures like this, you need to find some! We often lack motivation because we lack vision. Folks who are farther along than we are can provide that inspirational vision. But we must seek them out. Tom Jones sings Leonard Cohen's Tower of Song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JWiPFT0v2c) Stephanie on: Instagram (http://instagram.com/thestephanielam) Facebook (http://facebook.com/thestephanielam) Twitter (http://twitter.com/thestephanielam) stephanie@highonpaintfumes.com

12: Tom Jones is My Hero (and Could Be Yours Too)

Emotions can be tricky things! I share a special tool - and why naming specific emotions can make a difference for you as a person and an artist. FREE FEELINGS CHART! (https://stephanielam.us8.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=595728cf4efcc1db6354490f2&id=d78229b95a) (enter your email and an email with the link will be sent to you) Susan David's book Emotional Agility (http://a.co/dTgtFUn) Susan David's TED talk (https://www.ted.com/talks/susan_david_the_gift_and_power_of_emotional_courage) Susan David's website (http://www.susandavid.com/) Paul Ekman's website (https://www.paulekman.com/) Inside Out Clip - Sadness Helps Bing Bong (https://youtu.be/QT6FdhKriB8) Stephanie on: Instagram (http://instagram.com/thestephanielam) Facebook (http://facebook.com/thestephanielam) Twitter (http://twitter.com/thestephanielam) stephanie@highonpaintfumes.com

11: How Well Do You Know Your Feelings?

By examining the way novelists construct compelling characters, we can actually look at our own lives with a bit more objectivity and a little less self-judgment. Adrienne Bell's book PlotMD (https://www.amazon.com/Plot-MD-Personal-Prescription-Compelling-ebook/dp/B07CGNN9WD) Rachael Herron's podcast/YouTube How Do You Write interviewing Adrienne Bell (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ia1NyANg_ZA) Stephanie on: Instagram (http://instagram.com/thestephanielam) Facebook (http://facebook.com/thestephanielam) Twitter (http://twitter.com/thestephanielam) stephanie@highonpaintfumes.com

10: Imagine Yourself As the Character in a Compelling Story

I'm guessing that you, like me, have choices and decisions we wish we had stuck with or done differently - last month, last year, or a decade ago. If only we could get ourselves to make those wise decisions TODAY! How grateful our future selves would be! Enter: future self continuity. This research shows that the more real we can make our future selves to our present selves, the more likely we are to act in ways our future selves will appreciate. I take this info and put it in the context of art-making and creative work and YES. I want you to take your future self out on a date. Hal Hershfield's TEDx talk on "How Can We Help Our Future Selves?" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJotBbd7MwQ) Hal Hershfield: Future self-continuity: how conceptions of the future self transform intertemporal choice (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3764505/) Daniel Goldstein's TEDSalon talk on "The Battle Between Your Present and Future Self" (https://www.ted.com/talks/daniel_goldstein_the_battle_between_your_present_and_future_self/transcript?language=en) Dan Gilbert's TED talk on the Psychology of Your Future Self (https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_gilbert_you_are_always_changing) Stephanie on: Instagram (http://instagram.com/thestephanielam) Facebook (http://facebook.com/thestephanielam) Twitter (http://twitter.com/thestephanielam) stephanie@highonpaintfumes.com

9: Starting Dating the Future You

Do you feel conflicted about engaging in social media? Do you feel like you need to be more or have it all figured out before you engage? Gary Vaynerchuk and Brené Brown have some helpful insight that applies to this topic. Crushing It! (http://a.co/61wDhmi) by Gary Vaynerchuk Brené Brown's website (https://brenebrown.com/) Stephanie on: Instagram (http://instagram.com/thestephanielam) Facebook (http://facebook.com/thestephanielam) Twitter (http://twitter.com/thestephanielam) stephanie@highonpaintfumes.com

8: You Don't Have to Be Fully Formed to Engage

Metrics are your weapon against discouragement! Tracking your progress helps you rise above your daily circumstances and feelings. I outline a few methods and apps I use to track my creative progress - no spreadsheets required. FINISH by Jon Acuff (https://www.amazon.com/Finish-Give-Yourself-Gift-Done/dp/1591847621) Geofency app (http://www.geofency.com/) Hours Time Tracking app (https://www.hourstimetracking.com/) Way of Life app (https://wayoflifeapp.com/) Strides app (https://www.stridesapp.com/) Productive app (http://productiveapp.io/) Stephanie on: Instagram (http://instagram.com/thestephanielam) Facebook (http://facebook.com/thestephanielam) Twitter (http://twitter.com/thestephanielam) stephanie@highonpaintfumes.com

7: Your Weapon Against Discouragement: Metrics

Doing our 'best' is an ambiguous, ever-changing concept. I outline a few reasons why exhorting ourselves to 'do our best' is unhelpful when it comes to making more (or better) art. - Our 'best' changes over time. - Our 'best' is subject to things outside of our own willpower and effort. - Doing our 'best' doesn't guarantee we will feel good about the end result. - Our perception of our 'best' isn't fixed and can change retroactively. Plus a handful of questions that are worth asking instead. Stephanie on: Instagram (http://instagram.com/thestephanielam) Facebook (http://facebook.com/thestephanielam) Twitter (http://twitter.com/thestephanielam) stephanie@highonpaintfumes.com

6: Don't Do Your Best

Do you have a creative manifesto - a document that lists the important creative truths you want to keep top of mind? If you were to create one, what would you write? Stephanie shares a few points on her work-in-progress creative manifesto. Sh*tty first drafts lead to a satisfying end product. The answer is in the next painting. My work is not in vain. Every piece has a 'throwaway' moment. Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott (https://www.amazon.com/Bird-Some-Instructions-Writing-Life/dp/0385480016) Lemon Cake Recipe by Ina Garten (https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/lemon-yogurt-cake-recipe-1947092) (Stephanie adds 3 tbsps of poppyseeds!) Gretchen Rubin's Manifestos (https://gretchenrubin.com/about/manifesto/) Stephanie on: Instagram (http://instagram.com/thestephanielam) Facebook (http://facebook.com/thestephanielam) Twitter (http://twitter.com/thestephanielam) stephanie@highonpaintfumes.com

5: What's Your Manifesto?

Do you walk into an art store and get sidetracked trying to figure out what paints to buy because you’re overwhelmed by all the different color options available? Do you find mixing the colors you want to be frustrating, elusive and inconsistent? If so, I have a piece of information that - I kid you not - will change your life. Handprint.com - Color Index Names (https://www.handprint.com/HP/WCL/pigmt6.html#label) Bruce's Color Wheel (https://www.handprint.com/HP/WCL/cwheel06.pdf)

4: What's in a (Paint) Name?

Do you equate marketing with telling people what you think they want to hear? Do you feel pressured to conform to artist stereotypes or what's trending? Author & global marketing expert Bernadette Jiwa has a welcome wake-up call for us! Stephanie shares two points from Jiwa's book, Story Driven. They're helpful reminders that we're the most compelling when we're ourselves. Story Driven by Bernadette Jiwa (https://www.amazon.com/Story-Driven-dont-need-compete-ebook/dp/B07B4NBDSG) thestoryoftelling.com (http://thestoryoftelling.com)

3: Tell Your Real Story

Do you feel stuck, overwhelmed or isolated in your creative work? Do you wonder if other artists struggle with the same things you do? Artist and writer Stephanie Lam explores the psychological and practical issues that come from trying to create stuff. She takes insights, strategies, ideas and questions from a wide range of fields and condenses them into short episodes geared specifically to help artists grow as creators and evolve in their work.

hubhopper

High On Paint Fumes

hubhopper