Creating your work through risk
A call to arms - it’s time to find the excitement hiding behind the anxiety within. Plus questions, events, things to read, and arty things.
Today, I am forty-nine. I ditched some cheeseball idea to write 49 creative laws and decided to speak to you honestly about how I’m feeling.
If, as Rick Rubin says, “your art is a byproduct of a greater desire,” I think what is becoming clearer to me with every passing moment a heady mix of no longer caring what others think, using creativity as a protective mechanism, wanting to lessen the digital noise, writing outside the audience’s eye, and being fed up with bullsh*t.
I’m an emotional Plesiosaurus, some digital Loch Ness monster, waiting for the internet to rise from the increasingly big-box, prefab, regurgitation-driven internet to rebirth as a lost creative frontier. I want creativity, freedom, recovery from bad clients, less on my to do list, super early dance parties, a return of the riot grrl movement, comment on the lack of modern privacy through data usage, and intentional productivity.
How I manage to pull that off next year with continued inflation pressure, Trump, and 90% of content predicted to be AI by 2025, is anyone’s guess. But I’m going for it.
Are you with me?
Sometimes, I wonder:
1) What are we giving up in favour of speed and convenience?
2) Where will this desire for proliferation lead us in the end?
3) What does a thinker’s legacy look like when we’re defined by visibility, fandom, and earnings?
4) And in thoroughly mid-life crisis mode, is there still a place for me?
Before circling back to ask:
5) How do we capture the times we live in?
6) How is that balanced with making money?
7) How will this influence our creative principles?
What else can we do?
We either accept the times we live in are defined by uncertainty and get comfortable with risk as an everyday occurrence. Or we cling tenaciously to a ‘return to normal’ that isn’t coming and was never really shared.
image: polaroid of Frankie from the Dollhouse Theatre naked on a unicorn in a cafe with the caption “create like capitalism ends tomorrow. It just might!”
Take a chance on yourself
I don’t know what the future holds. But I believe getting comfortable with risk is part of it. Let’s take risks, make waves, and be intentional together. I invite you to walk me through your business by the hour in Windang, join me online for an hour of online coaching, make a creative change with me online over three sessions, or uncover your strategic spark with your very own customised plan.
Fortune favours the brave, so if you contact me before Nov 19th and I’ll reward your bravery with 10% off as my birthday gift to you.
Affected by the UOW Redundancies? Apply for Free Coaching
The University of Wollongong has announced 200 to 300 jobs to go at UOW by end March 2025. If you are impacted by the UOW redundancies, I’d like to help. I am offering five people a free one-hour session if you’re looking to move from academia to self-employment. You can read about it here.
Events, events, events
As I hurtle towards the end of the year, I want you to be right there with me in the following places
Designing for Inclusion in Online Learning with Amy McKernan – FREE
When: Nov 15th, 11:30am (Sydney time)
Learn how to make online learning fun, inclusive, and accessible for all. It is a must-see for anyone planning a course or workshop next year.
Event link: https://www.facebook.com/events/3756151811382243/
After You’re Gone at Lifting the Lid Festival
When: Nov 17th, 6pm (Sydney time)
Join Unashamedly Six (Rebekah Lambert & Jessica Harkins) to creatively prepare for life’s end, creating stories and touchstones for your loved ones.
Ticketed event (£15 suggested): https://www.tickettailor.com/events/liftingthelid/1372437
Virtual Crafternoon with Hayley Rollason – FREE
When: Nov 22nd, 1pm (Sydney time)
Consider this your end-of-year catch up. Relax, craft, and connect with fellow freelancers in the last creative session for the year.
Event link: https://www.facebook.com/events/2049244688788023/2049244695454689/
Risk Taking: Why Now Is the Time
Struggling to take risks in your business? Join Rebekah Lambert and Monica Davidson for a session on embracing new directions, shifts in services, or pricing changes.
When: Zoom Lunch Club, $15 for non-members, Free for Gold Members
Tickets: https://www.rachelslist.com.au/toolkit/product/lunch-club-risk-taking-why-now-is-a-great-time-to-take-risks-in-your-freelance-biz-and-how-to-do-it/
Why Your Story Matters with Jessica Mudditt – FREE
When: Dec 6th
Hear author Jessica Mudditt’s inspiring take on why your story deserves to be told.
Event link: https://www.facebook.com/events/1726469678167367/
Final words on risk and change
Behind the syrupy fear of risk is a curiosity that is warm and heartening. Optimist me has to believe to survive. We’re already in pain from living, how more painful can the change be?
Love and other creative forces that keep us safe,
Rebekah
Happy Birthday Bek. Looking forward to seeing where this ride on the wild side takes you.