Creative Overflow with Jenny Kiehn

Shiny Object Syndrome: How to Identify it and Let it Go

Shiny Object Syndrome is a tendency to want to get attracted to new, exciting ideas that take you away from your purpose.  Usually it happens because you know what you really need to do and don’t want to do it, so then you go looking for attractive alternatives. I have spent SO MUCH TIME being distracted by shiny objects!  They are very expensive in time and money.  It is humbling to realize how much farther I could have gotten if I hadn’t spent time on them.  However, this is the cruxt of it - you wouldn’t be attracted to them if you thought you could do what you really want to do.   So why don’t you think you can do what you want to do?  That’s the real question. This week I noticed that if I have the following fears about what I’m doing, then it’s a sign that I’m on the right track: -it feels scary and vulnerable -fear of getting rejected -what if it doesn’t work? -fear of not being good enough Sometimes just stepping out of your comfort zone is so scary you can barely do it.  However, that’s usually the action that’s going to really move the needle.  A clear sign that something is a shiny object is that it doesn’t scare you that much.  It looks attractive and exciting and you think it will definitely work.  However, after the initial phase, when it gets to the mundane nitty gritty of keeping it going, the object loses its shine!  Then you end up back where you started. Once you are clear on what a shiny object is, look back over your life and audit the shiny objects that have taken you off of your path.  Where were you when you thought of them?  What people were you with?  It’s important to identify this so you can get out of the “hype” that gets you distracted. It’s also important to slow down how you make decisions.  Impulsive decisions can take you right off of your path at times.  Take the time to weight the decision carefully. “Essentialism” by Greg McKeown [https://a.co/d/02cdP23Q] is a wonderful read to help you combat Shiny Object syndrome.  Another is this video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVqWN7IVzwU] by Sam Ovens. If you enjoyed this episode, definitely tune in every Friday because I will be releasing a new episode each week.  If you're interested in a conversation on how you can bring more abundance into your creative life, leave a review of this podcast, take a screenshot of it and email it to jenny@jennykiehn.com. I'll invite you to a free group coaching class about exactly that! If you’re interested in deeper weekly support, email me at jenny@jennykiehn.com [jenny@jennykiehn.com] to ask about the Creative Abundance Circle.

How Imagining Freely leads to Manifestation

In the past week or so I’ve been diving much more deeply into the Law of Attraction.  The basic tenet of The Law of Attraction is “that which is liken to itself is drawn”, meaning that like attracts like.  This means that whatever you think about, you get, whether it’s what you want or not.  So if you think about negative things, you will draw more negative things toward you.  If you think about positive things, you will draw those things toward you.     In the past, I had basically thought, “well, if I think more positively, then I will bring more positive things toward me”, so I went about my life trying to react positively to the things that were in my world. I spent time practicing gratitude and tried to keep my mood as upbeat as relaxed as I could.   This is a great thing to do, but it’s very reactive and its strongly affected by the outer world.  Now, I want to dive deeper and actively CHOOSE what I draw towards myself. The way to do this is through imagining.  Neville Goddard says that your imagination is holy, like an active part of God within you.  When you use your imagination, you do so with the power that creates worlds behind you. This brought me back to the pastime of imagining things as a child.  As a kid, I loved to fantasize about things and get lost in the joy of it. Now, I want to bring that same playful pastime back into my life.  Imagination and holding the feeling of your desired future is supposed to be the fastest path to manifestation.  Now, I wonder if I can be playful about it like when I was a kid? What if imagining (and consequently manifesting) was just a fun thing you do because it feels good? This seems like what Abraham Hicks says - “the only reason you want it is because of how it’s going to make you feel”. Maybe I can just jump into enjoying my desired future as a fun, creative pastime.  I feel like this is a step to the next level for me. If you enjoyed this episode, definitely tune in every Friday because I will be releasing a new episode each week.  If you're interested in a conversation on how you can bring more abundance into your creative life, leave a review of this podcast, take a screenshot of it and email it to jenny@jennykiehn.com. I'll invite you to a free group coaching class about exactly that! If you’re interested in deeper weekly support, email me at jenny@jennykiehn.com [jenny@jennykiehn.com] to ask about the Creative Abundance Circle.

Make More Money by Plugging the Leaks in Your Art Business

Have you got leaks in your business?  Maybe you have trouble keeping track of sales leads and don’t follow up enough?  Or maybe you have a pretty good following but don’t have many people on your email list?  Or maybe you meet people who appreciate your art regularly but don’t capture their contact details?  Or maybe you put off putting your artwork on your website? These are all leaks that are costing you money!  It’s like a bucket with a hole and the money is pouring out! I recently did a pretty stern audit on the leaks in my business and it was an eye opener!!  I realized I’m losing tons of money because of them and if I want to get to the next level, it’s time to sort them out.  In the episode I talk about my personal experience of doing an audit and systematically plugging the leaks.  Then I give advice on how you can do the same for your art business too. This is something that has to be done regularly at every stage of business.  It’s one of the things that helps you grow. If you enjoyed this episode, definitely tune in every Friday because I will be releasing a new episode each week.  If you're interested in a conversation on how you can bring more abundance into your creative life, leave a review of this podcast, take a screenshot of it and email it to jenny@jennykiehn.com. I'll invite you to a free group coaching class about exactly that! If you’re interested in deeper weekly support, email me at jenny@jennykiehn.com [jenny@jennykiehn.com] to ask about the Creative Abundance Circle.

The Fear of Outshining Others

This podcast is about a sneaky fear that a lot of artists have and which can cause definite blocks to your success. The fear of outshining others is the fear that your talent, humor, beauty etc will somehow have a negative effect on someone else.  For instance, it could make a younger sibling feel bad about themselves, or your parents might have gotten grumpy and uncomfortable because they didn’t have the bandwidth to support you.  This fear usually forms early in childhood and can be an unknown cause of blocks in your professional life. In the podcast, I tell my story with my fear of outshining others and how I’ve healed it.   Once you identify that you have an fear of outshining others, I offer two ways of healing it: 1).  Notice the part of your body that the younger version of you is located in.  This will be wherever the pain is coming from.  Make safe space for the younger version of you that is in pain, and allow it to tell its story.  It helps if you can imagine the pain flowing out and down into the ground.  Just hold safe space for that part of yourself and let it all out.  By doing this, you become the parent you always needed.   2).  Flip the belief and let it sink in.  Instead of "When I outshine others, my family stops loving me" flip it to "When I shine, I inspire others" This fear can also create a block against receiving money for your creations.  You may be willing to make them, but unconsciously think you need to punish yourself somehow for doing so.  Or you might just simply think you can’t make your creations AND receive ample money for them because that is shining too brightly.  The beautiful thing is once you identify the problem, you can start to heal it and let it melt away.   This is life changing!! I also referred to “The Big Leap” by Gay Hendricks [https://www.amazon.com/Big-Leap-Conquer-Hidden-Level/dp/0061735361/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.WPTK4393sTVJzfOVNlgw1o2N_gbiD3lX8AQsfBojqY0PRObZoHK0Q7yNeEGW-AzcLTqkROrTA1-BIqsAd6ITrTagXIWMkYIvmq45C6mDxvxkg_on5xbIIKNErs4zhzwh6l7r7xjDZXJAIbJdOG8wfNGaDEhqs1Ytotrnx_92JOXOk2Gvw9nIPe99KoU1GrZ9WyacWIw89GAgnwj9dDzIPvdkMLBYsivT6AY67Zly0TI.jpb-bdO3YvkCyKPDBwc2PBnAMEb8i0ZUHcehYfRLwu0&qid=1777057591&sr=8-1] because it has an incredible section about the fear of outshining others. If you enjoyed this episode, definitely tune in every Friday because I will be releasing a new episode each week.  If you're interested in a conversation on how you can bring more abundance into your creative life, leave a review of this podcast, take a screenshot of it and email it to jenny@jennykiehn.com. I'll invite you to a free group coaching class about exactly that! If you’re interested in deeper weekly support, go to jennykiehn.com/podcast-coaching [http://jennykiehn.com/podcast-coaching] to find out more about the Creative Abundance Circle.

The Key to Manifesting

Just this week, something has finally clicked for me with Manifesting.  I had thought I was pretty good at it, but now things are really starting to fall into place for me.  I am manifesting things thick and fast right now. Here’s the key:  You’ve got to daydream (or visualize) as freely and outrageously as possible.  Just enjoy it and whatever you do, don’t “be realistic”.  Just enjoy the beautiful feelings you experience when you imagine yourself being/doing/having whatever it is you want.   I also like to imagine myself six months after I reached the goal I’m trying to achieve.  That way the actual achievement of the goal feels settled, calm and unquestioned.  It’s like, “obviously I achieved it - I did it a while ago”. Basically, you’ve got to daydream in an unimpeded way.  When you were a child, you were brilliant at this.  Unfortunately, by the time most people reach adulthood, they have been trained out of this magical, creative skill.  However, you can definitely “remember” it if you take the time to get comfortable doing it.   The first time I really dared to dream outrageously this week it took me about 40 minutes to get comfortable with it.  I used Abraham Hicks’s “Money and the Law of Attraction” cards and journaled for a while before I felt ready to go for it.   Then, when I got into that blissful daydream, I felt this sense of ease, peace and satisfaction steal over me.  I felt incredible.  I soaked it up as much as I could. Since then, I’ve been doing the visualization/daydream three times a day.  Once for about twenty minutes first thing in the morning, sometime in the middle of the day for about five minutes, then again for about ten minutes right before going to sleep.   I feel a million times better and I’m telling you, beautiful things are falling into my lap. Give it a try! If you enjoyed this episode, definitely tune in every Friday because I will be releasing a new episode each week.  If you're interested in a conversation on how you can bring more abundance into your creative life, leave a review of this podcast, take a screenshot of it and email it to jenny@jennykiehn.com. I'll invite you to a free group coaching class about exactly that! If you’re interested in deeper weekly support, email me at jenny@jennykiehn.com [jenny@jennykiehn.com] to ask about the Creative Abundance Circle. You can also find out more at https://jennykiehn.com/podcast-coaching/ [https://jennykiehn.com/podcast-coaching/].