Unstuck

Sometimes it’s worth pausing and asking ourselves for a moment if a project shouldn’t be paused, or even stopped. It’s very easy to prefer to just keep going. There can be comfort in that, but also risks. Checking in every now and then with ourselves is very much worth it - Unstuck is a podcast about how we often get ourselves stuck in all sorts of ways, in particular as freelancers and creative people. Andri

Rationalising something is often the go to tool to be able to understand something. A muscle well exercised and tied to reason and logic. Emotions, ours and those of others, are an undercurrent of everything we think and do, and yet we often ignore or dismiss them. Emotions are there to protect us, and are often part of our personal story, and give shape to our character, both inwards and outwards. Knowing them better, recognising them, and acknowledging how we or others feel can be such a key part of understanding our stories - Unstuck is a podcast about how we often get ourselves stuck in all sorts of ways, in particular as freelancers and creative people. Andri

Priority management is challenging. Which stakeholder do we prioritise for? What if it clashes severely with our own priority? Try looking at the situation from a few key angles. Combine the result with your own personal priority. You might get closer to a balance of priorities - Unstuck is a podcast about how we often get ourselves stuck in all sorts of ways, in particular as freelancers and creative people. Andri

Sometimes the tried and tested way isn’t the only way. Sometimes the obvious won’t cut it. Sometimes a little (kind) experiment can deliver unexpected results - Unstuck is a podcast about how we often get ourselves stuck in all sorts of ways, in particular as freelancers and creative people. Andri

How do you feel? It’s a generous, kind act to ask this question, to ourselves and to others. Mental health is a world/concept I’m slowly getting to know better, and I should stress I’m not a professional of any kind, and do please seek one when in any doubt. What I can say is that it’s a place which can give back so much. It’s often intimidating and difficult, and takes time, but it can bring so many good things with it. Being anyone is tough, a challenge. Sharing those challenges and being honest about them with yourself and with others can lessen the burden immensely. Unstuck is a podcast about how we often get ourselves stuck in all sorts of ways, in particular as freelancers and creative people. Andri

Try asking questions more. In your personal life, in your professional relationships, and to those you seek to help / your customers. It shows both respect and interest, and is an incredibly generous act - Unstuck is a podcast about how we often get ourselves stuck in all sorts of ways, in particular as freelancers and creative people. Andri

There are so many almost invisible ways our characters affect how we do our work, how we are with who we are seeking to help, and the expectations and hopes that go hand in hand with our work. How does your personality affect your work? Unstuck is a podcast about how we often get ourselves stuck in all sorts of ways, in particular as freelancers and creative people. Andri

Bandwidth - our capacity as individuals, professionals or organisations is limited - spend it wisely. Unstuck is a podcast about how we often get ourselves stuck in all sorts of ways, in particular as freelancers and creative people. Andri

If we do good work, we should be comfortable shouting about it. If we seek to help or inspire people with what we do, there has to be a mechanism for getting it to them with confidence (and class, ideally). It’s a kindness rather than a violent act, even though for all sorts of reasons it can feel like the latter. Fear, shame, imposter syndrome, there are so many “good” reasons we default to in order to avoid potential pain and disappointment. These aren’t always helpful however. Not if we want to grow and help others grow as we do so. Share your work. - Unstuck is a podcast about how we often get ourselves stuck in all sorts of ways, in particular as freelancers and creative people. Andri

What’s your ideal workflow? Is there such a thing? - Unstuck is a podcast about how we often get ourselves stuck in all sorts of ways, in particular as freelancers and creative people. Andri

Knowing ourselves better as individuals can help so much. In understanding better how and why we expect things to be a certain way, why we react the way we do in particular situations. Knowing ourselves better is perhaps one the richest most powerful ways of helping ourselves. It can seem scary at times, and this is normal. Step by step it’s possible to get to know ourselves better slowly and deliberately and by doing so reap huge rewards in all parts of our lives, professionally and personally - Unstuck is a podcast about how we often get ourselves stuck in all sorts of ways, in particular as freelancers and creative people. Andri

Stop for a moment. How do you feel? Take a moment. Amidst the pressures we put ourselves under, or that come from the external world, it’s important we stop and give ourselves a bit of mindful space. Sometimes you’ll stop and notice built up tension, somewhere in your body or your breathing. These can be from old habits - ways of being that might not help us in the here and now. When we stop, sometimes we can let go of them, and slowly release our grip, our tension. I’m not a psychologist but in this episode I touch upon some topics that I’ve explored over the last year or so. Always speak to a professional if you notice something that you need help with - Unstuck is a podcast about how we often get ourselves stuck in all sorts of ways, in particular as freelancers and creative people. Andri

How can we find joy in what we do? It’s a question as well as a prompt/challenge. I think we need that prompt sometimes to remember to enjoy the parts of what we do that we find difficult or would rather not do. At the very least it can be a reminder to be kind to ourselves and those we work with / make things for as, well, it just makes everything a lot easier. There could be many avenues to doing so; gratitude, humour, or an inane little sticker with a smiley on it. These can be invitations to take on what we do a little differently - Unstuck is a podcast about how we often get ourselves stuck in all sorts of ways, in particular as freelancers and creative people. Andri

It’s sometimes easier to help others than it is to help ourselves. Try starting with a little love for yourself and you might be able to show up more often - Unstuck is a podcast about how we often get ourselves stuck in all sorts of ways, in particular as freelancers and creative people. Andri

How can we best (I stress this word) be of service to those we seek to help? Being a solopreneur, entrepreneur and teacher involves stopping every now and then to decide where to focus our resources and how to deploy our skills to best help our customers, tribe members and supporters. I come back to the question regularly, and finding an objective answer can be truly challenging. Mix in the usual tug of war in one’s brain between various egos and you have a truly interesting scenario. In the end though perhaps it’s simple: what might we do less of in order to do more of something else which is more effective in being of service to those we seek to help? It’s a question worth returning to time and again I would argue - Unstuck is a podcast about how we often get ourselves stuck in all sorts of ways, in particular as freelancers and creative people. Take care, Andri

Brands are akin to people at times. There can be a sense of loyalty between a brand and a consumer. We have expectations of brands which are people-like at times. We often accept or assign values to them which if not met can lead to an impressively strong emotional reaction. This goes for me as a consumer and as a creator, and in both directions as I have my own “brands” which I cultivate. How do we as creators or entrepreneurs meet these expectations? I think we have to start with how we would like to be treated as a customer. Take our values and expectations into what we do, and when we get feedback that suggests we haven’t reasonably met those, that we take that as an opportunity for growth - make the change we seek to make, but also be the change we’d like to see in ourselves and in the world we’re curating - Unstuck is a podcast about how we often get ourselves stuck in all sorts of ways, in particular as freelancers and creative people. Take care, Andri

Relationships of all kinds, personal, creative or business are uniquely challenging things. They are downright fascinating in fact. There is always so much to learn and to consider. So many different angles to consider. And yet there are also those relationships that need changing, and this is ignored at our peril. Ultimately I suppose that we can only really manage how we ourselves are in the world, and aim to make it clear what we hope for in our relationships of all kinds - Unstuck is a podcast about how we often get ourselves stuck in all sorts of ways, in particular as freelancers and creative people. Andri

Focus isn’t always calm and zen. Focus can also be full of energy, almost nervous, statically charged by events in the outside world. Sometimes this can be useful. Being able to embrace and lean on certain different kinds of focus can be useful. Perhaps it’s worth making space for these different kinds of energies, akin to putting our mind into different gear. In an ideal world I feel I’d like to be zen, calm, and full of abundant energy for what I’m doing. Since the world isn’t yet ideal and neither am I, I suppose I should slalom between the modes of focus I do find, and let them help me get to where I’m going - Unstuck is a podcast about how we often get ourselves stuck in all sorts of ways, in particular as freelancers and creative people. Andri

Everyone is sensitive and human. We can expect from everyone and of course ourselves moments when the balance of what is said or what is felt is challenging. It’s easy to forget how powerfully we as human beings can be nudged or even pushed into a feeling or state of mind that we’d rather not occupy. Being mindful of this, and generous towards ourselves and others helps. Our nervous system is set up and ready to look for danger, and can be triggered without us noticing or being able to calm it down quickly enough. Breathing exercises do too. I’m not a health expert but these are ideas and exercises that help me. I mention these ideas in the context of working a lot on my own, but still putting work and ideas out into the world, where they inevitably sometimes meet friction of some kind. The act of creating something involves friction, and can affect how we feel and how we are, as well as those we seek to share our work with. It’s worth bearing in mind I think. - Unstuck is a podcast about how we often get ourselves stuck in all sorts of ways, in particular as freelancers and creative people. Take care out there, Andri

For anything to change in the universe, there is some kind of friction, energy exchange or metamorphosis necessary. This is the same for our projects, creative or entrepreneurial. If we recognise that this is a healthy and natural part of the change we seek, we might learn to love it. We are growing a garden and our projects are our plants. They need tending, they need care. Unstuck is a podcast about how we often get ourselves stuck in all sorts of ways, in particular as freelancers and creative people. Take care out there. Andri