The Creative’s Workshop continues, this time with a prompt that had me struggle and shirk away from the full extent of it. Asked to identify a hack, an amateur and a professional within my given creative outlet, I had the following to say:
Hm. So. My creative outlet is, to a large extent, my blogging, the writing process is the thing. So I’d have to look there. I don’t make any money from my blogging, which I guess makes me an amateur. I certainly don’t have a vast and adoring public either, but drip by drip, it’s increasing slow but steady. But who are the glorious amateurs, the successful professionals and the hacks? That prompt sure makes me dig deep. Especially so as I am Swedish, and still want to share people writing in English here, so you might be able to discover someone new.

The glorious amateurs. My friend Anna Brix Thomsen. She’s powerful. She’s brave and courageous. She definitely doesn’t hold back from sharing generously and with huge amounts of vulnerability. And boy does she ever provide #tankespjärn! Her sharing revolves a lot around parenthood, and unschooling/learning, but the underlying theme of it all is self-discovery, I’d say. And anyone who’s a parent knows the amount of inner work that having a kid entices. She’s got a daughter at home and has had less time writing her-style-long-posts, so a lot of the sharing these past years have been done on Facebook and/or Instagram rather than on her blog, but she’s picking up blogging again from what I understand. I hope, and think, that she’s stepping into the professional arena. And I for one am cheering her on, wishing her great success, for she is definitely glorious!

The successful professionals. Well. That one’s given. Seth Godin. Daily. Definitely showing up with enormous generosity – both in the blogging, the podcasting, the course materials etc, and also live. I attended #SethinLondon in 2015 [Shiiiit, time flies!] and the generosity and warmth that Seth exuded was amazing. Tangible. I was totally star-struck upon meeting Seth in person, and with the most caring down-to-earth:edness, Seth put me right at ease. Very inspiring!

Buuuuut, it’s a bit too easy to point to Seth in The Creative’s Workship, created by Seth himself, isn’t it? However, as I’ve basically stopped reading blogs (once Google shut down their Reader, I really haven’t followed blogs, with one exception, and you know who’s blog that is…) I struggle to come up with another name.

Luckily, I do follow one more person, who blogs, and who is in my view, a successful professional, and who is inspiring also as an entrepreneur, as he’s created the life he wants to live. I am talking about David Stiernholm, known in Swedish as Struktören, which is another make-believe Swedish word (another reason I have a soft spot for him!) which basically means the person structuring things. I have followed David more or less since he started as a Struktör in 2004, and have found an endless amount of resources, ideas and hands-on-tips on structure from him. And if you think that sounds boring? Think again! David shares his knowledge with a sense of humor as well as with great simplicity and pedagogy. I follow him in Swedish, but he does work in English as well and he’s well worth checking out!

The hacks. Hm. Even more of a struggle this one, mostly because I don’t really follow people whom I experience as hacks, in any area. Nah. Nothing and no-one, comes to mind. Nada. Zilch. I’ll sit with this one though, and if I come to think of someone, I’ll revisit this prompt!