What is your creative mission?
My creative mission is about better understanding the human condition in order to reduce suffering – mine and others. It’s about sharing my truth, being an activist and fostering joy.
What do you love about what you do?
I love that when I head down a path of inquiry, sometimes thinking I know what I’m going to write about, what I actually need to write about appears in the path with its own agenda. Instead of leading myself on the adventure, it feels like I’m following a living energy. Similarly, when I begin writing dialogue, the characters often take over and tell me what they need to say. It feels magical… and that’s when I know I’m truly in flow. I also love when I get to share my work with an audience and see/feel/hear them respond and be moved.
What have you learned from your successes/ failures?
That I have to write for myself. Not for production, not for approval, not for money. My life is better when I write and for me to stay sane, that must be its own reward. That doesn’t mean I don’t desire production, money and approval, it just means I have to stay focused on the work and not potential outcomes. I have to remind myself regularly to recommit to letting go in order to find my balance and enjoy the work.
How do you keep pushing ahead after a difficult challenge?
I take a break and do the things I need to do to rest, refresh and get grounded again. Then I dive back in, in whatever way I can, even if it’s a tiny step forward.
Have you ever encountered resistance from family, friends, or the world in general? How did you overcome those kinds of blocks?
I’m grateful that I never had resistance from family or friends, but I have had teachers and colleagues who had strong opinions of my work. Early on I took it to heart, often changing or scrapping a project or path altogether. But over the years my steady commitment to myself and my work helped me develop an understanding of my voice and of my vision so that now when someone has a strong opinion of my work, I listen carefully to see if there’s anything in there that is truly useful to me. If so, I take the nugget of that and consider it. Otherwise I let it go and keep humming my own tune.
How has your art and creativity healed you?
It’s related to my answer to #5. Because I learned to stand up for my work, I simultaneously learned to stand up for/believe in myself. I continue to discover how to let myself just ‘be’ as-is. It makes the odd experience of being a human much more delightful.
What are your NFA Bullet points? What steps would you recommend for anyone who wants to kick some ass and get their creative dreams off the ground?
• Start
• Try
• Practice
• Be gentle with yourself
• Tell your inner critic to go take a nap so you can experiment freely
• Be authentic
• Give yourself permission to allow your emotions into your work
• Have fun
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Find Lisa
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Hey you. Wanna share your wisdom?
Answer the 7Questions of Creativity here.
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