Accountability is not a dirty word
Accountability is about the only thing that helps me stay fresh and get a lot done.
For me, accountability is a five-pronged process:
Learning by doing:
I meet with fellow fulltime Patreon creators every Monday to talk about accountability. We wade across cultural barriers, topic focussing and into a shared sense of belonging around our desire to create, make and put something out in the world via crowdfunding on Patreon.
Working to a (rough) plan:
Each fortnight, I meet with the Stardust Pod for Freelance Jungle creators to talk about accountability and creativity there, too. We chat, we laugh, we skip deadlines, we hit them sometimes too with messiness. We accept change in our goals. We accept change in each other. And there is something comforting with getting together to share and work and talk on the Discord and beyond, even as the goals we had when we started sometimes fade into the background of friendship.
Sharing the challenges:
This newsletter and the Unashamedly Creative newsletter are my reflective practice. The monthly (although slightly off that timetable right now…ahem) process I have of thinking deeply about my journey with constraints like minimal editing, honest voice, writing in one sitting, theming gently.
Running the Patreon:
Nothing keeps me more honest about continuing with the Freelance Jungle community management and the creation for the website (or running of events, classes etc) like the Patreon. I feel connected to even the most silent of people among them. They want me to create, they support me to create, so create I must.
Accepting I am one person:
Whether working for a client or working on my marketing, I am continuously telling myself that all the answers are unknown, all the decisions are influenced by others and their circumstances, and that as one person, I am a creator. But by having the bravery to connect with and accept the ideas, intuition and feedback of others, I am learning to be better all the time. And that any desire to break from that may be a sign that I am too fixed, too rigid, or too scared to move forward effectively.
Image: the silver ball and metal prawns that sit on Lake Illawarra, Warilla, Illawarra
Accountability is not a dirty word
It’s a healthy attitude that reflects on constraints and limitations. It’s meeting people where they are, excited and spurred on by their presence. It’s about looking for the inspiration in the connection and feeling the warmth of compassion and unconditional positive regard create a special safety net. That safety net we knew when we were kids and trying to play our way through the world. Where we engaged with big picture thinking and did not know of the heavy burden of perfectionism. At a time when we felt weightless as we dreamed, explored and made good on the promises to the story at hand and ourselves.
Who are you accountable to?
We have a lot to do and a heap of pressure to not only do it but do it well.
But that doesn’t mean we’re accountable. For me, accountability is asking:
1. Am I doing my best here?
2. Am I giving myself the compassion I need to experiment?
3. Am I using the constraints available to me to spur me on?
4. Am I inviting flow into the process, so the work is challenging but enjoyable, valuable and relevant?
5. Am I learning as I work? And what is it I am learning?
6. Am I accountable to how I treat others?
a) Do I recognise and acknowledge their best?
b) Do I give feedback with compassionate, uplifting intentions?
c) Am I helping others move forward with actionable advice?
d) Will sharing your work with me motivate you to do more?
e) Do I create a safe space for people to play and take risks?
Let’s be accountable to one another
Grow your arts business
Super psyched to announce I am a chosen coach and workshop convenor for Creative Pulse: The Art of Business Growth program, a program by South Coast Arts to help raise the profile of local artists in the Illawarra-Shoalhaven region. Register now to work with me. Closes Sept 17th, 2023.
Join me for a Business Development Sit-in
Are you ready to uncover new avenues to connect with potential clients and revolutionise your approach to business development? The Freelance Jungle is thrilled to present a one-of-a-kind workshop designed exclusively for our Patreon community. Get ready to dive deep into the world of client acquisition and master the art of making meaningful connections! Friday Sept 22nd, 2023.
Find out more and register: https://www.facebook.com/events/258022543709951/
To become a Patreon (or for login details), go to: https://www.patreon.com/freelancejungle
Tackle trickier topics with Gretel Van Lane
Gretel is a facilitator of discussions surrounding grief, singledom, purpose, gender, pleasure and more as dinner conversation as part of her Dinners with a Difference series. She joins us as part of Mental Health Month in October. Come play 11am Sydney time on October 20th at this free event https://www.facebook.com/events/252198550545426/
Hot Freelance Jungle member projects
Be entertained…
Check this Sydney opera show out. Attend the Sydney celebration of the 30 year anniversary reprint of “Auntie Rita”, the award-winning book of Aboriginal historian, author, activist and leader, Dr Jackie Huggins AM. Get a second chance at love with this bodice ripper.
Sharpen your business pencils…
Grab the ultimate content planner now. Here’s a cheap and cheerful way to create engagement loops, insights, and asking questions with your audience, wizer business. Check out this masterclass on how to structure your website.
Travel a little…
Explore what a week in Darwin looks like. Want to whet your wanderlust? Here’s a podcast to help. Need a vacation? Check out this tour company offering all-inclusive holidays to Asia for women, and solo mums, and kids.
If you like my stuff, come hang in the Freelance Jungle, help me create it by joining the Patreon, and check out the FJ website.
Love and other things that make us accountable to a better version of self,
Rebekah
Thanks Bek - this is a great post. I love the way you describe accountability, you bring both challenge and kindness to it. I hadn’t realised until now that I held a bit of tension around the word - which is strange because accountability is part of how I keep focussed and ensure that I’m on track! However there’s a fine line between that and perfectionism. And possible shame when things get in the way of deadlines or doing th e project activity a certain way etc.
Your questions are awesome and really helpful to tone down the pressure but still get the right things done. I have two additional questions, which probably relate to the type of work I do:
1) Am I acting in congruence with my intentions and the impact I am seeking to make? (Intentions do not always equal impact!)
2) Connected to this is most relevant to the work I do around creating cultures of belonging (or the wider framing of belonging, dignity and justice). What is the experience of the people I am working with?
E.g. about 5 years ago the Nurses and Midwives Associations updated their Codes of Conduct to include Cultural Safety, which they developed in conjunction with CATSINaM (Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives). When it was announced, Janine Mohamed, who was then CEO of CATSINaM, said that the only people who can decide whether a service is culturally safe are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Services can’t deem themselves as culturally safe.
And thank you for the shoutout about the book launch!