Over the past year, I have been able to link up with various artists and artisans to create work and the one thing it has reminded me of again and again.

I love collaboration.

That spark and joy occur between people when ideas come together and boost themselves into something bigger, fuller, broader.

Collaboration isn’t always easy.

It can be confusing, sticky, challenging and a bit like therapy.

Always trying to communicate in some creative and haphazard way that may only work between you as that team coming together to make that specific thing.

Currently, I am working on developing a project with a dear friend, and it has us all over the place with love for each other, the project and the heart behind it.

And that is genuinely what collaboration is all about.

Realizing the heart behind the work.

Use your intellectual mind and skills to bring them forth with a common heart and goal.

It’s where all people involved can shine. Bringing their beautiful souls to the surface of the work and letting them work speak for itself.

Although all of these projects are long-term and not at all ready to be shared, we can know that despite the collaboration process being hard work and extended, it can be some of the most rewarding and beautiful things.

Examples of Beautiful Collaborations:

Sunrise Trilogy: Ethan Hawke, Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy
The Last Mrs, Parrish : Liv Constantine aka : sisters Lynne Constantine and Valerie Constantine.
Little Fires Everywhere (Limited TV Series): Kerry Washington , Reese Witherspoon, Celeste Ng
We are the World | Lionel Richie & Michael Jackson & various performers others (MJ’s work and reputation have clearly been tarnished by much of what the public now knows. For me, it does not tarnish this song and the deeper meaning and cause it was created for.)

at my desk ‘21.

Maintaining motivation and energy for showing up to various ideas, projects, applications, and pitches does not happen without game planning.

In truth, it requires a hefty amount of margin in life to work through the bull shit that gets thrown ones way.

Expectations of oneself, from others and those bred through any industry create a complex air space for the creative mind.

What I have and continue to learn to put into practice is the art of finding fun amidst the chaos.

Protect your favourite work and create times.

For me, this is from 6am until about 1-2pm for administrative, editing, hard thinking work. This is where the craft is honed. For the creative side, I work best from 6pm - 10pm, as long as I've kept my day calm, paced out with not much going on. My energy builds up over the day, and everything pours out naturally.

I have learned that I become highly resentful when I cannot honour these times.

Find and cultivate a handful of routines that works for you.

I have learned that I work best breaking it up into four sections of four hours each on days that need the most structure (mostly Monday - Thursday). 6am-10am desk work, 10am-2pm exercise & shower etc. These sections can change in their intention but help me stay on task. Four hours of hard concentration can produce higher quality work than picking at something over a whole day.

That being said, I have also learned that there are days when I need to spread out the work for personal reasons (possibly having a child homesick that I need to attend to or, knowing that if I spread out editing, for example, I will see things with a clearer mind). On days like this, I usually lay out my tasks at my desk and on my laptop with a book or list of other things I can do in-between and allow myself to work through these things as I go about my day. In my head, this form of work and living is called "Creative Rounds."

Keep track of your musings, quotes, ideas, anything that inspires you.

Always have a notebook or list on your phone that you write things in. It sounds cliché or just plain obvious, but the truth is, inspiration hits at the oddest times, and I am learning to never discount a tiny small revelation. They can be the thread that leads to something bigger.

Don't judge your ideas.

You don't have to have it all sorted in your head at first. Odds are, if you have an idea, someone else would like that idea too. Let yourself mull it over, write about it, try it out. Over time it will form itself into something tangible.

Be okay having many projects/stories in various stages.

I was asked how many projects I have on the go or at least in fuller states in files. I was surprised to realize the number was higher than just a handful. In fact, if I was even more honest, I probably have about 15-20 well-thought ideas sitting around. That can seem daunting, lazy or even shocking, but the truth is, everything has its purpose and time. Some projects occur to teach you something, some occur to hone a craft, and others arise waiting for just the right moment and pop out and say, "Hey, it's time." let's do this.

Get comfortable revisiting your various ideas and projects every season and year to see which one needs to see more light or have more tended to.

The best books, movies, television series often have taken decades to make.

Find the incentive/challenge.

I am the queen of making a new game out of a goal. Games are best played if you want to play them. Find a goal that excites you, feels reasonable and has some challenge to it. If it excites you.

For me, this is Pitching / Applying once a month. This equals a total of twelve pitches/applications a year. In truth, this seems small to me. But in actuality, it pushes me to stay attentive, finding the next suitable opportunity, the next proper challenge and the next right exciting thing.

Treat Yourself

Always treat yourself. I have champagne in the house reserved for when I sell an idea or get a contract. Every time I get an agreement, we pop the champagne. I intentionally invest back into my business and work once a season (outside of memberships and maintenance purchases). One of those purchases this year was a screenwriting software of higher quality than the one I was using. This past season, it was a camera.

The truth is, the wind is not always going to be in your sails at any given moment, but how we position ourselves when it isn't is how successful we will be when it does hit.

Harness what works for you.

And celebrate the wins along the way.

The days ticked by in December.

I still hadn’t identified my one word for 2020.

A year that looks and feels like something special. 100 years ago, women in North America and beyond were beginning to modernize and break out of the molds that had been set for them. It seems fitting that we are entering a new decade where #metoo, cultural sensitivity and gender parity are topics on the table. Ten years ago I graduated as an American Sign Language English Interpreter, got engaged to my now partner in crime and started my first career-focused job interpreting at a high school. I was attempting to fit the mold I believed was what I was made for. Part of it was learned, part of it was my own interpretation of what was expected of me, and part of it was fear of not having a place in this world. So I made it myself.

I didn’t ask permission then, and thankfully I don’t ask permission now.

It was seeing a simple posting from a professional entity on social media mid-December that moved me into 2020. A simple post about an opportunity. So I clicked. I clicked through many links and read through all the information and then it dawned on me.

This is my next BOLD right move.

Bold

bold | bəʊld | adjective 1 (of a person, action, or idea) showing a willingness to take risks; confident and courageous

It’s wasn’t the certainty that I could get something that made me sense the rightness of it. It was the realization that I had come to a place, somehow in the past 365-day journey where I could click through all of these links and recognize that who I am matched what was being asked for. That I could step up, raise my hand and ask “How about me?” and do that with a nervous heartbeat, but one that was assured, confident and ready to step out and welcome the risks.

I am ready.

2019 was, in many respects, a difficult year. It was also a year of growth and seeing that growth made me realize that it is time to be making moves.

Not rushed and unsure moves.

Just simple, patient and the next bold right move.

Autumn came with a beautiful gust of change.

Beginning with the release of Brilliansea’s short film ‘Her Business Your Story Our Calling’, moving through with the a completed outline of a one-woman show and it’s final rewrites to create it’s full first draft, a word goal completion for a personal project, continuing to curate and interview women for the spotlight series and getting immersed into what it means to be on the Board of Women in Film and Television.

This season has been full, enrapturing and exciting.

What I have learned

Enjoy the Process

With hard work put in both personally and professionally, I felt the instinct to let go of the expectations of others, myself and even the outside world. To simply enjoy the work before me. Board meetings, writing sessions, rewriting sessions, they all are apart of the process and have allowed me to sink deep into where the projects and work are asking for me to go.

Be Okay Going it Alone

I have realized that although I value and desire to lift others and bring them to where they need to be, I also am worthy of that cause myself. My work has weight and merit too. I can’t remain demure, simply because I enjoy the collaborative process. I can be both a team player and an advocate for my own independent projects.

As Autumn has been fading the past few weeks

I sense an exciting ripple effect beginning as I plan to release new projects, concepts and work into the air in 2020. I hope that as I continue to cultivate, curate and breathe life into existing and new projects, that I continue to honor the integrity and core of them as each new stage reveals itself.

As students go back to school there is no reason us adults can’t get a work refresh as well. With new work coming my way, I figure it’s time to recenter and recalibrate.

Here are a few essentials to think about:

Materials

Know exactly what materials you need and will create a productive atmosphere for you. For me, this is my MacBook Pro, headphones, notebook & bullet journal, along with whatever beverage I am drinking (water, coffee, tea, etc.).

Nutrition

This is the time of year that colds start getting shared & I am loath to get sick. When I do get sick it’s usually a doozy, so I do everything I can to avoid it, including taking vitamins (specifically, probiotics, garlic tablets, vitamin C and my regular multi vitamin), eating salads, kale smoothies and adding meat to my diet when I feel I need it (I specifically know that I crave and need extra portien when approaching my period).

Movement

Getting some sort of exercise is not only known to help with mental wellness, it is key when working at a sit down job. As a writer, all I do is sit down to work. I make a huge effort to maintain an equal amount of moment into my life. This usually means, 20 mins of yoga, 20 mins of cardio and a walk during the day. Extra movement looks like: (skating, swimming, swing dance, nature walks / hikes, hot yoga).

Dress

Using the ‘getting ready’ part of the day as a mindful exercise in preparing and choosing items to wear that will help me embrace the work I am about to do is essential. I am highly aware it is a privilege and a luxury to have items to choose from, products to use and the time to set aside to prepare for the day. I mindfully express gratitude as I prepare and never forget that although I may at times believe I want more, that I in fact, have more than enough and am content with the life I am breathing this day.

Inspiration

However you work, it’s important to have what inspires you in proximity. For me this is having a few privately chosen places for knick knacks that are meaningful to me and that only I can see. A tab on my laptop specifically for bookmarked articles, videos relating to my professional development that will help me grow, a background on my laptop I love and music that I can play while I work if the work fits that.

However you refresh your work lifestyle for the Autumn, do take it into account.

There is nothing like realizing you can do something to boost your ‘practice’ to be more full, enjoyable and productive.

It's no secret that I carry my Bullet Journal close to get me through my days and ADORE sitting down to plan a fresh week.  But the truth is, I do it for the sanity.  For the ability to juggle my personal and professional life. 

Planning for a new week takes me from mid Friday to Sunday night.  If I am blessed to have an open stretch of time then it might only take me one day, but non the less, to have sanity I carve out the time despite how busy a weekend may be to plan the new week to come. 

How?

1. Schedule the dailys.

Chores, exercise, and hygiene/beauty regimen all get scheduled in without question.  A clean home, ability to move my body and take care of my physical/emotional self are high values for me.  I make them a priority.  

2. Ink in the meetings/events/appointments.

Being that I am the main care giver for my almost three year old and a writer for theatre, film & television, any event, work meeting, appointment and child care has to be planned ahead and chosen wisely.  I know my point of exausthion and do my best to make sure that I rarely hit it so that I can always be giving my daughter, colleagues friends and family the best and healthiest version of myself.  This also means that every week looks different from the next.  Scheduling can feel like a game of chess at times.

3. Empty inboxes & links saved.

I am a huge fan of starting the week with a fresh inbox, knowing that I have dealt with the weeks correspondence and along with that, any links that I have saved to be read, watched or looked into are carefully minimized and put in folders such as "Professional Development".

4. Update budget, groceries, meal plan, etc.

Being wise with our finances, and eating healthy whole foods are values of our little family.  This means we have to make a weekly effort to prepare for the week to come.  It is all to easy to buy cheap processed food and buy needlessly.  Taking the time to review our spending and financial goals once a week along with what recipes we want to make has helped us hugely in maintaining our financial and physical wellness. 

5. Pre set rooms, technology and laundry for Monday.

Nothing says it's a new week better than fresh sheets on the bed, laundry washed and folded and phones and laptops charged and cleaned.  (I have a habit of working while eating a snack or dinner and I ALWAYS end up with a dirty screen and keyboard by weeks end)

This may seem excessive to some, but for my personality, whom thrives on maintaining my inner and outer expectations, this routine not only ensures that I maintain my own contentment but also my follow through with that and those I commit to.  

Week Planning is the foundation of my personal and professional life.

It's no secret I spend many a week night at my desk. I have forever been an 'early morning' or 'evening' creative.  My thoughts are clearest after a workout or when the sun begins to set.  It's the way I have always been.  Naturally, as a writer, I capitalize on knowing this about myself.  

Five years ago I began what I call "Write Nights".  It started when I wrote my first play.  "The Chronicles of the Dramatics Society".  I knew I wanted to pursue the project and so I chose a few nights a week (At that specific time, I would go to 'Obladee' downtown) and write all evening.  That process was magical to me and really helped me understand the process of writing which worked best for me.  

My next project didn't get past the editing stage, but I began to enforce these "Write Nights" with any project onward that I would work on.  

Write Nights can start as early as 5pm but no later than 7:30pm and always end no earlier than 10pm.  If I am truly on a roll it edges close to 11pm.  But so often I find that even if I am on a roll I want to end on a high note and feel that creative surge in my veins when I leave the desk.  

They also always must consist of a beverage even if only water, but I adore it when wine or coffee is a possibility.  I light my 'writing candle' during the times I write and use a string of battery operated string lights from time to time.  

The sound track is essential.  Generally, the music I play must be in theme of my projects.  Currently that would mean a '1920s-1940s' Jazz playlist or a 'femme fatale' playlist.

Write Nights are my version of creative bliss and I however one finds their creative bliss / time, always elaborate on it and make it as alluring for your spirit as possible.  
 

Motivation isn't always an easy element to find.  In life, as emotional and dynamic human beings we are often affected by our atmospheres and circumstances.  We can wake up feeling energized only to hours later feel the empowerment drain from our bodies and spirits.  

Discipline hasn't always come easy for me, but I remember when I started to really understand it.  

I was in highschool and something in me wanted to learn how to figure skate.  I barely knew how to skate forwards let alone attempt a simple waltz jump.  But there was something in that sport I loved.  A combination of artistry, athleticism and determination.  

Discipline.  

To be an athlete you have to be disciplined.  I put in the time of joining a class of 4-6 year olds, being the single sixteen-year-old amidst them, our helmets on and learning the simple basic elements of skating.  I showed up at the rink during my free periods, after school and on weekends I started realizing that not only was I loosing weight, feeling fit, learning a skill I was aching to learn, I was also learning what it took to be disciplined. 

Elements of Discipline
 

Show Up

When you have a dream, goal, vision, desire, the first step is showing up.  That is LITERALLY 50% of the battle.  Then you do the work.  It could be sucky ass work.  It could be work that isn't showing any progress but it ALL counts.  

Set the Atmosphere

Whatever it is you are trying to do, it can't be done well if the atmosphere goes against it.  As a writer, for me, this looks like dressing the way I think my type of writer would dress, keeping a tidy and clean desk space so I can get to work at a moments inspiration, having a scented candle to light while I write, a fuzzy mat for my toes and fun mugs for my coffee.  It means having a Living Room that is centred around stories, sharing and music, it means having healthy meals pre-made so I can think less and yet still be wooed by my palate.  Think about what you are trying to do and all the elements that can come along side to support it.  

Quality Over Quantity

We live in a world of excess so it's easy to get distracted with the events, requests, desires and life going on around you.  The truth is, the work is always better when it is given quality attention.  You can put time in that is empty of value because it had less than half your true attention.  Reach for the quality.  For me, that means three solid writing sessions a week.  I get more done in those single three sessions than if I had five.

Tailor Life

So many expectations from others, yourself and circumstances.  What is important is that any distractions and unnecessary elements to the work is stripped away.  This means saying no.  Saying no to things you might be relieved to say no to and saying no to things that might be hard to say no to.  

Give Grace & Move On

& there are times when we are just completely overwhelmed, shocked or hindered because of how life treats us.  We just can't do it today.  That is okay.  That is when we give ourselves Grace and keep going.  Let yourself feel it, experience the grace and then move on and get back to it. 

WOMAN WHO HAVE INSPIRED ME IN DISCIPLINE

Tessa Virtue

Ellie Knaus

Hannah Brencher

Heres the dang honest truth!

I don't know what I am doing until I am doing it.
Showing up for 'the work' is often how I find out what 'it' is.
If binging on Netflix made me happy for long periods of time, I would do that instead. 

With that in mind, now you need to know:

Making work that is collaborative, insights discussion, and creates vulnerability is my happy place and motivation.  I will do anything to keep on that track.  In fact, when I am not on that track I am miserable.  I get anxious, unhappy, fidgety and restless and destructive.

Thats what you need to know about yourself.  What is your true motivation for anything?  Once you tap into that, aligning your life and decisions with your motivations will create an amazing burst of energy.

Self - awareness is motivations best counsellor.  You can know all there is to know about something, but if you aren't self aware enough to take a step back and see what is taking away your motivation to be enjoying, doing, creating... then you miss out on that boost to go farther.

For me?  I just work on showing up everyday for that time that I have been given.  On a good day, I don't overthink it or get caught up in the "who the heck do I think I am concept."  I just show up and do.  There will always be a little person on your shoulder trying to whisper in your ear that nothing you do is going to create a difference.  Our job isn't to live without that little person, but to acknowledge it's presence and that everyone has one.  Every single person in this world lives with that self-doubt and when we recognize that humanity, we recognize how silly it is to get caught up in our own importance, our own ego and self-bigness.

You are called to show up to what you feel you are called and led to do.  That is it.  Show up, and maintain enough self-awareness that reminds you of your calling and that no matter what part you are playing it is an important part.  

And if you happen to look over your shoulder after a while and see how far you've travelled, do yourself a favour:  acknowledge it, give thanks for it, and then get back to work.