[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”26820″ img_size=”full” style=”vc_box_shadow_3d”][vc_custom_heading text=”“The creative process is not controlled by a switch you can simply turn on or off; it’s with you all the time.“” google_fonts=”font_family:Montserrat%3Aregular%2C700|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal”][vc_custom_heading text=”~ Alvin Ailey” google_fonts=”font_family:Montserrat%3Aregular%2C700|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal”][vc_column_text]What’s the most interesting thing you could share about yourself? Why is it that creativity is so fascinating? What’s the best part of your story?

It’s easy to think about people in terms of ‘what they do’. Or to classify them according to ‘what they are’. And obviously there are folks with such outrageous tales of adventure that the story itself becomes the focus.

After all, entire industries are predicated on the art of storytelling. Movies, television shows, and more recently podcasts, are all based around the relating of a narrative arc in one way or another.

On the other hand, how much content are you exposed to on a daily basis that is totally boring? Take a look at the promotions folder of your inbox, how many of those newsletters do you actually read? (And yes, I know that this is yet another one, but I trust that if you’ve made it this far you’re a regular reader!)

In my work as the leader of the Dance First Association and head ofConscious Dancer , I spend a great deal of time teaching our members or working with clients one-on-one about how to easily create a consistent and steady stream of creative content.

One of my core messages is to tend your social media accounts like a garden, with the aim of harvesting email addresses to get people on to your list. So people are often asking me what to write or talk about in their newsletters.

And face it… Even if you have a compelling back-story, there’s only so many times you can tell it. Small talk about the weather or the seasons doesn’t go far at all. Vague pontifications in a neutral third-person voice are boring before you even begin.

So there are probably a number of different ways to effortlessly generate good content and maintain interest, but for me, it comes down to a couple of main tracks.

First of all, if you know your audience’s interests, and can reliably add value in some way or another, then you’ve got a gold mine of content to dig into and can deliver it in bits and pieces for a long time.

The second piece however, is one that people often miss. They think that folks are most interested in the “thing” that they do, or the “what” that they are. But the fact is, those are probably not really unique. The world is full of facilitators, practitioners, artists, writers, and coaches who create practices, choreograph dances, paint pictures, write books, or develop training programs.

What ‘IS’ unique, and all-to-often overlooked is the window into the creative process that each person uses to manifest their creations. If you think about it, this is the nitty-gritty of every great biography or historical retrospective and it’s the part of your own life that people will find endless fascinating.

So for instance… let’s say you’re a facilitator of a conscious dance practice, and you’ve come up with a new movement or passage to guide your group. What’s going to be the most interesting for your fans is the story of how you were doing yoga in the park and noticing how the ducks behaved and how you realized that there was a metaphor hidden in the way that they would all stay on the shore until one got in the water and showed the group it was safe and the rest would follow.

Or something like that. Any insight that you can share about the hidden wellsprings of inspiration that guide you to do what you do are going to be totally relevant and interesting. And once you learn to look through that lens into your creative process, you’ll find that there’s an endless supply of stories and anecdotes, as well as ways to express them.

Of course there are many other aspects to consistently creating quality content such as developing healthy habits, having a reliable format, and mastering certain skills, but those are all topics for another time, (and this newsletter is full of clues!). It’s when you have the aha moment and realize that your creative process, in and of itself, is actually quite compelling that you open the door for far more easy and magnetic messaging.

Cultivating creativity is the key to contributor culture. Your path from inspiration to completion is entirely unique to you, and a more abundant source for content creation than you might think. Let people learn what goes on behind the scenes of your creative process and you’ll realize just how much you have to offer!

Wishing you well for another great week, much love until next Monday!

M+

Mark Metz
Director of the Dance First Association
Publisher of Conscious Dancer Magazine[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Dance First Member Spotlight :: CoCréa with Wren LaFeet” google_fonts=”font_family:Montserrat%3Aregular%2C700|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal”][vc_single_image image=”26821″ img_size=”full” style=”vc_box_shadow_3d” onclick=”custom_link” link=”http://dancecocrea.com/retreat/”][vc_column_text]This week’s Dance First Member Spotlight shines on Wren LaFeetand his “Mindful Partner Dance ” practice Cocréa. Wren is a well-known movement pioneer and long-time Conscious Dancer community member. With deep roots in the partner, contact improv, Cuban-Salsa, fusion dance, Jazz, and ballet world, he brings a unique and vibrant sensibility to his work.

Cocréa is far more than simply another way of interpreting partner dance, it’s a full-spectrum philosophy that embraces the quality of connection and the raising of consciousness that can happen in a somatic sharing space with another person or persons. Dive into the five uniquely named Core Principles, (Spinaesthesia, Kintimacy, Communiyum, Uniquilibrium, and Facilitainment) and discover a realm of somatic movement unlike any other.

Coming up March 6-10 at the epic Danyasa EcoRetreat Center in Playa Dominical Costa Rica, Wren and his team of talented co-facilitators are hosting “Dance Your Medicine – A Cocréa Mindful Partner Dance Retreat” This retreat is all about “reaching your peak vitality through practicing intentional movement and community, imbibing pristine nature and food, embracing your sensuality and learning how to harness it for creating good in the world.”

In a Cocréa practice you are invited into a contemplative movement journey through 6 Connection Realms towards embodying Five Core Principles using the 4 Step Invitation Circle. At Danyasa you will “adventure with Cocréa’s brilliant team of facilitators as they masterfully weave the themes of consent, emotional intelligence, radical self-expression and holistic living through the mediums of movement, breath, music and touch.”

Wren is a mover and shaker on many levels. You can watch his TEDx Talk here, and learn much more about his wide-ranging and diverse background here.

Make plans now to journey to Costa Rica and join Wren and his co-facilitators along with Danyasa founder Sofiah Thom for “Dance Your Medicine”, a very special opportunity to connect and luxuriate in paradise!

Dance Your Medicine :: Cocréa Mindful Partner Dance Retreat
Mar 6-10, Danyasa, Costa Rica

Learn more at www.DanceCocréa.com[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”26492″ img_size=”full” style=”vc_box_shadow_3d” onclick=”custom_link” link=”https://theshiftnetwork.com//YourInnerCritic?&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=infusionsoft”][vc_raw_html]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[/vc_raw_html][/vc_column][/vc_row]