Wow. It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost 6 years since I wrote my first blog. I still remember how hard it was to put ideas to paper. Like many new writers, it’s a constant mind battle between what you really wanna say vs what your mental third grade teacher says you should say.

I hated using proper words to appease the linguistic elite. Until one day I said “Fuck that! I’m not Dr. Phil, and don’t plan to be.  It wasn’t easy but I believe that creative expression starts giving ourselves permission to be outspoken, authentic and weird.  

And it al starts with a feeling….

Have you ever felt like you have something to say or do? You know it. You sense it. It keeps you awake at night with questions like “what if I tried this or that?” You wanna release your creative juices, and I believe it’s your mission to do that.

So let’s say that you love drawing and have a passion for tattoos. The problem is that you’re afraid to leave the 9-5 desk job that pays the rent.

Does it mean you can’t do it? Nope.

Do you have to quit your job? No (at least not for now).

First you need to decide to become a highly successful tattoo artist. Then you find a way to start practicing and studying in your spare time. Baby steps are the key here. You can work with a mentor or you can volunteer at a tattoo shop or maybe watch YouTube videos. You model the best always letting your creative juices flow and if you do your part eventually you’ll go from student to apprentice to the artist.

These principle also apply in the business world. Whether it’s in marketing, in sales, in management, or entrepreneurship, today’s market needs tons of new ideas. Ideas that make life better for everyone from supervisors to employees to the customer.

Here are a few ideas that’ll help you express your creative mojo.

⁃ Identify your Desires

What do you enjoy doing? What do you do that inspires new ideas? What would you do for free? The activating key is Positive Emotion. Find out what drives you no matter if you’re 7 or 70.

⁃ Get Busy

Creativity won’t come out by itself; it needs your participation. Listen to my pal Les Brown and start from where you are with what you have. My son started at 5 with just a pen and whatever scrap paper he could find. Today he’s 14, he has better tools (many bought with his allowance/BDay money) and he’s constantly refining and expanding his drawing skills at way higher levels than his pears. He’s growing because he’s getting busy. So try a new approach. Notice the feedback. Practice. Do whatever you gotta do to express this desire.

⁃ Learn the Best

Did you hear the news? Someone out there is already great at what you love. What a concept…

Having a mentor or a role model will save you years of aimless hard work. Find them. Study them. Buy their their books. Go to their seminars. See their videos. Find their biographies. Write to them. Imitate them while you develop your own style. Notice their persistence, dedication, discipline and patience. Use them as motivation.

⁃ Be You

At first you may here a lot of discouraging voices around you. Ignore them. Your inner voice is much more influential than them. Tell your overprotective mind to chill out; You’ve got this. Remember you have a mission, a purpose, a goal. Listen to your emotional GPS. Is your excitement bigger that your fears? Can you feel satisfaction just imagining what you can accomplish? Follow the signs. Dance at the pace of your own music. Shine away and embrace your weird self.

⁃ Use it All

I love music, so I purposely use inspirational stories from the rockstars I admire. I’m also a huge fan of controversial standup comedians like the late Gregg Geraldo. Thats why I like using dark humor and bad language. So why not spice up your talents with other interests? Bruce Lee mixed self defense with philosophy. George Carlin used comedy as an outlet for social commentary, injustice and to call out on people’s day to day bullshit. That’s what made them different.

Juancho