Category: Creativity

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discover your brave self!

Brave

Creativity is not for the faint hearted.

I don’t believe creativity is a personality type, a preference, a gift or a disposition.

I believe creativity is a skill, a culture of ones life, where we open our hearts and lives to innovation and inspiration.

The only reason some people are more creative than their neighbours, is they take time to position themselves in a stance to receive and be inspired with creative ideas and opportunities.

Fear so often holds us back from expressing the fullness of our potential.

Fear of being disliked, fear that our produce won’t be good enough.

Afraid of our imperfections.

I love this quote from Alan Ada;

“Be brave enough to live creatively. The creative is the place where no one else has ever been. You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. You cannot get there by bus, only by hard work, risking and by not quite knowing what you are doing. What you will discover will be wonderful.”

What new opportunity do you need to put your brave undies on for?

What have you always wished to do, but have been paralysed in fear?

Maybe an internship opportunity like this? Creative Internship

internship

 

or maybe committing to a project like this? Inspire 14 is all about committing to something everyday for the year of two thousand and fourteen.

#inspire14

What is it that you are afraid to do?

Conquer it.

Conquer yourself.

Commit!

See you tomorrow

Amanda

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the fear of…

max christmas

The day I gave birth to my son was not a day full of beauty and glowing moments of peace and wonder, it was scary, it was overwhelming, it was out of control.

I started the day quite simply, rolling over and seeing my husband and smiling, so grateful for the blessings that had been bestowed. Then it all went out of hand from there. Like completely cray cray.

I leaned over to my husband and a massive splash of water proceeded to break. I squealed a little as I thought I had wet the bed, but it turned out that my waters had well and truly broken.

My husband jumped quickly and grabbed our hospital bag. He had rehearsed our trip to the hospital and was prepared for the mad dash there. His GPS was set, his heart was nervous, he was ready for this significant change in our lives. I stopped him on the way out of the house though and said ‘I need to go to the coffee shop!’ He was like ‘You are crazy why?’ I said ‘I know it’s going to be a long day, so I need a coffee and some breakfast otherwise I am not going to make it through the birth’.

My Mr knew that when I had my mind set on something he could never convince me otherwise, so there we found ourselves waiting at ‘the dome’, me in the car writing my blog post (I had committed to writing everyday that year) and him shaking his head and hands as he asked for two fierce flat whites to go.

Commitment.

When I said I was going to write every day for 366 days of that year. I did.

Was it easy, no.

Were there days that I struggled, yes.

But I did it.

The rest of my first little one’s birth day wasn’t as smooth as expected. He came two weeks early, as we ran into the hospital I threw up every bit of the coffee and wrap I had eaten in haste for sustenance and strength.

We were then sent home, to wait for the contractions to beat.

When we got home, we forgot that a tiler had been booked to finish our bathroom renovation.

So I huffed and puffed in my room and a few feet away a complete stranger fixed our bathroom so our baby could have a room to bathe when he came home.

Awkward, yes.

We went back to the hospital late that night and were quickly rushed in for an emergency Caesarean, because a cord was around my little man’s neck and every contraction constricted him to a point of heart slowing down and near death.

Chaotic, yes.

Crazy, yes.

Not how I imagined, of course.

Beautiful beyond measure however? indeed.

Commitment is a very unpopular word these days.

It is easy to say yes to something, when it is exciting and overwhelming and green.

It is hard to follow through on your word, when those days get difficult and you are unable to face the fears of your heart.

What are you afraid of enduring to see your dreams truly be realised?

Face that fear of commitment and decide to see something significant through to the end.

Is it writing every day?

Is it painting every day?

Then join me in #inspire14 and do something everyday for the year 2014

Is it saying yes to that relationship you are fearful of?

Is it moving your family to a new space to start again?

Commit to it.

You will never regret committing, but you will always regret not.

Maybe this internship is something you want to commit to? Creative Internship

All my love

Amanda

 

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Why I love mentoring

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Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.
Benjamin Franklin

Tonight I spoke at a creative arts night full of young creative people who are week in week out mentored in all different facets of the arts.

It was a fantastic opportunity to spend time with them because I feel so passionate about the power of mentoring.

The best mentoring environments that I have been involved in before are those that create practical teaching spaces, where both the mentored and mentor learn from one another.

A practical space of mutual respect.

A practical space where the mentor not only teaches but lives what he/she is teaching.

I love Benjamin Franklins’ quote above, tell someone and they will forget, teach them and they may remember but involve them and they learn.

I think placing yourself in a mentoring relationship is imperative if you want to achieve great things in life.

It is not until you have listened and been silenced, been encouraged and discouraged, lived openly with accountability, that I believe you grow into the fullness of your potential.

Strength is gained in the struggle.

Iron sharpening iron.

This is truly living.

I am offering an creative internship for 2014 if you know anyone who would be interested pass this information onto them: creative internship

Speak soon

Amanda

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Creative Internship 2014

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I am passionate about volunteerism and mentoring. I always have been.

I remember being a young girl in year 5, running into year 1 in my lunch breaks at school and beg to be the teachers helper.

I was a student teacher at my dancing school as a teenager and I have always volunteered in more than one organisation my whole life. In my previous roles in large organisations I have always brought younger creative people alongside me in the projects I have worked on, and consequently have people all over the world who are now working in the creative and event management fields who have been trained in my departments.

I believe I was afforded many opportunities through out my life by being mentored. Some of my greatest lessons have been learnt in this environment. I believe whole heartedly that volunteers make our community thrive and mentoring is such an important facet of career development.

In this season of my career, most of the projects I  lead and am involved in are voluntary ones in the community. Although they are voluntary they are wide reaching. It is amazing place of experience, growth and challenge.

I was discussing 2014 last week with some friends and I was saying how I am unsure how I can commit to all the opportunities next year because I am unable to sustain their growth, without a team of people working with them. In the midst of this discussion a friend suggested I get an intern.

At first, I dismissed this idea, feeling like it was a little pretentious, but as I began to think about it, I became excited, because I am so passionate about mentoring in the creative fields. I already mentor quite a few people and it is just increasing the responsibility of this forum to a formal role.

I considered hiring a PA, one day a week to help me continue in the momentum of these creative endeavors, but am not in a position yet to do this.  (maybe by the end of the year, this internship will result in a job?)

So here it is. 2014 will be the very first year that I am offering a ‘Creative Internship‘.

I have detailed all the job skills, job description and job opportunities that the intern will be exposed to in this Application Form: Creative Internship

All you need to do is download it and print it out, or answer the questions in your own typed document and apply.

Applications close December 31 and interviews will happen first couple of weeks of January and then the internship will begin at the end of January.

The applicant will need to commit to one year of training, mentoring and coaching as a part of the three main opportunities that I lead;

  • Capture: 30 days
  • Kinwomen
  • SPARC (Perth)

I am so looking forward to meeting people who are interested in the same fields as I work in and mostly I am excited to mentor and train the next generation.

Yours Sincerely

Amanda Viviers

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Just a touch of magic

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For a long time, before I had my little man Maximus, I was a creative director and event manager involved in many large scale productions. Ever since I can remember I have always been a part of communities putting together shows. I fondly remember my first audition when I was five years old for ‘The Sound of Music’ and I got one of the lead parts in that show.

The lure of the stage, the smell of the lights as they burn off the dust when first charged, the costumes and the camaraderie of local theatre marked me.

I think that is why even a hint of Christmas carols in December, makes me sparkle.

I am slightly confused when I read a status update criticising the heralding of Christmas carols in the shopping centres, I countdown the days until I can get my record player out and my Christmas collection of vinyls.

There is a magic about it.

There is something nostalgic and exciting about people gathering together, lighting candles and heralding in the season.

Every Christmas eve as I watch my friends at the Myer Music Bowl, singing my old time favourites, I am far from rolling my eyes, often my I am crying with joy.

My heart leaps.

The lights, the candles, the people, the memories of friends who have been lost.

It is truly magical.

‘And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.’

Ronald Dahl

It is childlike.

It is sublime.

If you are preparing and organising an event this Christmas, don’t lose the magic.

That atmosphere of mystery and poise.

Don’t let all your secrets out, over promising and under delivering.

Allow the simple beauty of moments to ring.

Allow your teams and your volunteers the time and the space to enjoy the magic of the moment.

Don’t stuff your calendars so full, that you are drawn to a place of stress and cynicism.

Take the time to prepare well, communicate clearly and then sit back and watch the moment unfold.

Events and productions that are disorganised and over zealous in their attempts often end up making the whole crowd feel insecure and awkward.

Do the simple things well and make sure everyone knows the details and the plan.

Then let the magic happen.

If you need some more Christmas inspiration download my Christmas Ebook ‘Capture: 30 merry days, a creative guide to christmas kindness’

Can’t wait to carol with you this year

Amanda