The Hands-Up How-To Project

Sometimes we get stuck on our creative journey. We get stuck with emotional stuff, with art wound stuff, with finding the courage it takes to become the creative being we’re meant to be. Plus we get stuck on practical stuff, like we want to start a podcast or write a book proposal or make a banner or start a blog – and we haven’t a clue where to begin. This is such a painful place to be!

And then sometimes, once we finally manage to figure it out, the knowledge was so hard to come by that we’re protective of it, like, “Hey, I had to work really hard to figure this out, so if you want it, you can do the same.” I totally get that feeling. When you’ve fought your way through the tangled jungles, hacking your path with a machete with no map, no help and no surety, you’ve really earned that knowledge. It seems so unfair when someone moseys down the cleared path, all like, “Hey, check this out. That wasn’t so hard!”

But here’s another perspective. What if back then, when you were sinking in the quicksand, when you were scared, when you were unsure, when you had no idea where to go, what if someone had given you a hand up? What if someone had said, “Hey, I know someone who can help with that” or “Sure, I’ve got 15 minutes this morning. Give me a call and I’ll tell you what I know.” Imagine what that would have been like! At times in our life, we all want to meet that person, that person who will give us a helpful hand up.

What I’m inviting you to do this season is to BE that person.

Share what you know. Trust me, you know something, something that someone out there is aching to know. Maybe it’s how to make the best chocolate chip cookies ever. Maybe it’s how to balance your cheque book, especially when your income isn’t predictable. Maybe it’s how to make origami stars. Maybe it’s how to start an Etsy shop or a blog or a business. Maybe it’s how to make postcards. Maybe it’s how to write a cover letter or a jingle or a great About Me page. Maybe it’s how to get a Christmas tree out of the house without covering your living room floor with needles!

Share your knowledge. Give someone a hand up. Be the change you want to see in the world and the world will be a brighter place. We’ll all get a little farther and we’ll get there together.

And if you want to share online…

If you have a blog, I invite you to write a “Hands-Up How-To” post. Share something that you know, something that would have made all the difference if someone had shared it with you. Send me a link and I’ll share all the links here, at Jamie Ridler Studios, on Christmas day!

• Write a Hands-Up How-To Post
• Email me a link by December 21st

What a great gift you could give to this creative community – sharing where to get great business cards or how to start a mastermind group or an art journal. I hope you’ll join in.

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