• Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Shop
  • Club is Open!
  • Log In

Women Create Weekly

Find Yourself Through Art

in creativity· Women Create Weekly

Get out of your head and into your hands.

I’ve got a confession to make.

I’m a dude.

And I’m not Amber.

I’m Amber’s husband.

We have a dilemma, you see. This dilemma began about a year and a half ago when Amber first began to conceptualize Women Create Weekly. She had this vision of helping women identify their own inner beauty. She envisioned finally giving herself mental and physical space to create. With a peaceful “knowingness” pulsing through her veins, she envisioned the lives she would change for the better. Finally, she would be a force for beauty in the world.

Then the tumult of voices started. Well, Amber dear, this is a business, is it not? Well, it should be, and if you are going to create a business, you must develop a pricing plan. You must create a mailing list. You really ought to develop a tiered pricing plan. Offer more value but no discounts. You wouldn’t want to cheapen your worth, would you? You have to post to social media 1,378 times a day, and know all the right hashtags so everyone can find you.  You must be making money within six minutes of starting.

If not, you’re a failure.

Do I fault her for trying to make money in this business venture? No. Do I fault her for trying to start a business plan or develop a membership? No.

I fault her for listening to the “should” voices in her mind. I fault her for believing the voices that told her that because she didn’t belong to the tenth of a tenth of a tenth of a percent club (of those who have such smashing success their first try), she was a failure.

So, you see, what started as a beautiful, wonderful, uplifting, beauty-inspiring thing has become tainted by the negative voices in her head.

Ever been there?

I sure have. I kinda sorta used to but still do (i.e., maybe in the future when I’m not so busy) write novels in my “free” (ha!) time.
Those same voices told me my book was lousy because only 50 or so people bought it.
Those same voices point out my old novelist friends that I learned with who now have books in Barnes and Noble.

You could have been there, they said. But you’re weak. You failed.

So I know these voices well, you see.
And I know their kryptonite.

It is this:

Get out of your head. Get into your hands.

Amber, for the last 18 months, has spent way too much time in her head, listening to the business voices telling her what she should do and how she was failing. The whole point of this venture was to fill her soul with joy through creating. And now, she is spending every spare thought thinking about what she should do and what she is failing to do that she doesn’t even create. Which is the reason for the whole endeavor. For HER to create.

She is way too into her head, listening to the voices that make her forget why she was doing this in the first place. She just felt again and again that she was failing.

Throughout this ordeal, I told her repeatedly, “Get out of your head. Get into your hands. Go create.”

She might create a time or two, then the pressure of making videos, or writing a blog post, or maintaining her subscriber list would overwhelm her and she’d default back into fretting, worrying, and berating.

And quit creating.

“I want to create a paid membership,” she’d say. “But I need to pay 10 bajillion dollars for a course in how to do memberships.”

“No,” I’d say. “You need to get out of your head. Go create.”

And she’d do it. And while doing it, I could see this joy return to her soul. But again, the voices would return.

Well, I got sick of it. I’m not normally the prescriptive type, but I was getting a bit fed up with dispensing the same advise, over and over.

And so I forbid her from blogging. I tied her to her art desk, locked the keys to her video camera, and changed the password to her computer. (Metaphorically, of course. I’m not that punitive!)

She objected, at first. But not long after that, the burden of carrying a “business” lifted from her shoulders. Instead, the anticipation of soul-filled creation filled the vacancy left by the callous voices.

So, my dear wife’s readers, that is our story. What is to become of Women Create Weekly? We both feel that the original intent is beautiful, but we haven’t yet worked out a way for Amber to believe that “success” doesn’t mean income. Success doesn’t mean thousands of subscribers. Success doesn’t mean adoring fans filling her social media feed with accolades.

What is success?

Success is found in those moments when you are so mentally engaged in a creation that it seems to guide you.

Success is when you feel your soul lifting partway to heaven while your hands remain behind shaping a piece of wood with a chisel or caressing canvas with a paint brush.

Success is that feeling of “rightness” and beauty that comes only through being in your element. Success comes when you sit in your living room admiring that work of art you created; a piece so perfectly tailored to your quirks and preferences that it is impossible to find at a store.

Have you been there?
Do you want to be there?
Well, I hope Amber can guide you.

But in the mean time, we need to figure Amber out. We need to find a way that she can guide you without feeling the crushing negative self talk.
Any ideas? We gladly welcome it.
In the mean time, I hope you follow Amber on Instagram. She has a mandate from me to create every day. And she’s not allowed to come back until her soul is restored.
Pray for her recovery, my dear friends.

Now. Go create. Get out of your head—the voices that say you can’t or shouldn’t or that you’re not skilled or don’t have time or don’t deserve to create. Tell those voices to take a hike and…

DO SOMETHING!
Go create. Beauty awaits.

Now AMBER:

Isn’t he wonderful?? Dustin wrote that 2 weeks ago. For 2 weeks I’ve let Women Create Weekly sit.

Those 2 weeks were calming to my soul, and I feel happier than I have in quite a while.
I’m back. And here’s the difference: I have quieted the negative self-talk, and I’ve rekindled the feeling of possibility.

Would you watch this video?
Then click on the survey button below. It would mean a lot for my soul to hear back from you.

Thank you for everything. I love that you’re on this journey with me.

Take the survey my love!

p.s. Click here if the survey button doesn’t work for you!

p.p.s. Thank yoooooooou!

Leave a Comment

« Dancing is the best exercise
Kickstart your Creativity: New FREE download »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

More about Amber

I am Amber! I grew up in Upstate NY making cards and crafts and paintings with my artist mother. She taught me from a young age to love creating, and I am grateful to share that love with you. I have 4 children and a nerdy stats professor husband, living in the woods of South Jersey. Read about this creative journey…

Nitty Gritty

  • Terms
  • Work With Me
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • About

Let’s Connect

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Looking for something?

womencreateweekly

Art doesn’t have to be hard
🎨 inspiration to live your creative life
Online🎨class: LIVE monthly projects

Watercolor Art With Amber 🎨
Loving our project in the Club this month... paint Loving our project in the Club this month... painting birds from photo references! I love that we can make the artistic choices of how we portray feathers, and the multitude of textures on these beautiful birds! #watercolorbirds #learnwatercolor #watercolorclass #hummingbirds
Happy Easter Sunday, my friends. Whether you celeb Happy Easter Sunday, my friends. Whether you celebrate Jesus or rebirth, our hearts seek light and goodness. May we conquer darkness with gratitude today.
There’s an incredible garden in my parents’ ne There’s an incredible garden in my parents’ neighborhood I admire every warm visit. This was the first time I happened to pay attention to it in the winter. I’m not a gardener, but most of the plants were cut back in places, looking so bare and pathetic.

But I KNOW this garden. It's magnificent. 

And yet, here in the 30 degree temperature, I'm looking at blunt gray and brown stems. Empty earth, and such drab flatness. 

But it's there. These beautiful plants are resting, cut short and hiding under the soil. They can't continually bloom. But they will bloom again. Right now, they are resting. 

I want to give you permission if you are in this hibernation stage at the moment: it's really okay to do nothing and demand nothing of yourself. This stage doesn't last forever. 

Get quiet. Really quiet. 
So you can finally hear you. 

And give it TIME. Your spring will come. 

Just like that garden, YOU are magnificent.
I decided to paint 100 skies for my #100daysprojec I decided to paint 100 skies for my #100daysproject and I finally broke open my @drphmartins bleedproof white on these #galaxy night skies
Two images to show a major shift I had the other n Two images to show a major shift I had the other night. As parents we work really hard, and often have to deal with stressors and the heaviness of life. Sometimes the people we care most about get the crumbs of our emotional energy and attention. (Even if they’re getting our face time, we may not be fully present). I worked really hard for 2 months on some big projects (one being a 50-video beginner watercolor course!!) and my daughter wished we’d do something together. But I’m exhausted. Yet, I a few nights ago I took a breath and 5-4-3-2-1 decided to make a fun mini date before bedtime (thanks #melrobbins). We made matching hair in 2 minutes and then painted some watercolor valentines together. It really wasn’t a big deal, and didn’t take a lot of time. As she went to bed, she hugged me extra tight and told me I was such a good mom. Nice to hear, but I didn’t need her words to know I’d made the right choice, and that it really wasn’t even that hard. Something I thought I didn’t have the energy to do, was now done!! What about you… what in YOUR life are you deciding not to put off any longer? I wanna hear about it.
When was the last time you took yourself to lunch? When was the last time you took yourself to lunch? Only you, no coworkers, friends, or partners. #selfhealerssoundboard podcast mentioned this a few months ago, but I didn’t do it. It was only after feeling down for a few days after releasing my new watercolor course, that I realized I wasn’t celebrating. 50 videos with logical steps building a secure foundation is something to be proud of, but I was too burnt out to see it. Take a pause and with a birds’ eye view, what needs celebrating in your life? Maybe you cleaned a junk drawer finally, or sent a difficult text, or got recognized at work. Tell me… what will you celebrate? #selfcare #selfcoaching #celebrateyourself
Celebrating my 3rd child for being a decade old to Celebrating my 3rd child for being a decade old tonight... what are you doing to bring in the new year?!
Looking back on an amazing 2022! We've grown in the number of members, I surpassed my overall business profit goals, and I am launching my signature watercolor course in mid-January. I'm so grateful my soul craves to create, and the feeling I get when I do it regularly. Thank you for being here, my friend. I can't wait to see what 2023 will bring.
Hard to believe 2022 is almost coming to an end! M Hard to believe 2022 is almost coming to an end! Merry Christmas everyone! Anyone else still shopping??
Load More Follow on Instagram
· Copyright © 2023 · Women Create Weekly ·