Making it happen in the creative world can be tough. Forces appear to conspire against us. F* that. The biggest forces conspiring against us are generally within. And we all hold power there.

I’ve got my own list of Not F*ing Around bullet points that have helped me navigate the treacherous waters of myself over the years. The outcome— hundreds of songs, a half dozen feature length screenplays, films, poems, gigabytes of photographs, etc. etc. If you read my book or click around the site, you already know my NFA list.

In the effort to up my own NFA ratio even further I asked a bunch of other powerhouse creative types what helps them bust through the bullshit to make things happen.

With a little cutting and pasting from The 7Questions of Creativity, here’s a sampler of NFA awesome. Just for you.

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“I put my trust in what people call sweat equity— disciplined, sustained effort. I don’t believe in talent. I believe in consistently applying yourself. Period.”

~Aaron English  Singer/ Songwriter, Producer, Band Leader

nicholeheidi464“Get in the conversation, follow your favorite artist on Instagram for inspiration. Take classes and meet fellow creatives. Read creative blogs like this one, every day. Devour books on creativity like NFA, Big Magic, The War of Art, and Steal Like an Artist. Every morning, visualize yourself doing what you love. You’ll be amazed how your life unfolds.”

~Nichole Crawford Artist

wp-lark“Eliminate distractions. When I decided to fully pursue music, the first thing to go was the tv.  Initially it was more of a short term thing, but after having so much more time to focus on my goals, I quickly made the decision a permanent one. I also will deactivate or take a break from social media apps when I feel that I’m being too distracted or unproductive.”

~Lark Remy Singer/ Songwriter