So… what are you sitting on that the world needs to see?
Expressing Yourself
Unleashing your ideas, your gifts and your message on the world.
If you’ve ever had an idea follow you around for years, welcome. Maybe it’s a book, or a business, or a talk you’ve already given a dozen times in the car. It’s been waiting long enough. This is where we get it out of your head and into the world, where it can actually do something.
What does expressing yourself really mean?
Expressing yourself is giving what’s inside you (your thoughts, ideas and gifts) a form other people can interact with: a book, a talk, a business, a post, an outfit, a meal.
What it is: Sharing your passions out loud, and not just to the people who love you. Telling your partner about your book idea counts for something, but writing it and letting strangers read it is a different kind of courage. This hub is for your most audacious self who wants to make something memorable. You’ll find resources on craft, strategy, messaging, business building, and creativity.
What it isn’t: Expressing yourself isn’t about waiting until you’re the expert, or watering yourself down so nobody could possibly object. It’s about bringing the most alive version of you into the greater community so we can connect with your unique gifts.
How I approach it: I’ve spent more than a decade helping executives, ambitious leaders, and writers get their most alive selves onto the page or into their business. I treat expression, business and the business of getting your ideas into the world as a creative act.
Start here
A curated collection to get started
-
Note
On Restlessness
Sometimes we feel restless because we need to take a deep breath and remind ourselves that everything is well and truly fine. But sometimes…
-
Note
On letting the pen do the talking
Sometimes when I feel off, I pick up a (red) pen and start moving my hand without any rhyme or reason. Whenever I do…
INBOX INSPIRATION
Emails to get your ideas out of your head.
Insight, inspiration, and instigation for making and sharing your work.
Everything on expressing yourself
14 pieces, all on this page.
Creativity
Being seen
Business of creative work
Getting better at writing
Perfectionism and finishing
Speaking
Voice and expression
Ideas to Take With You
Ideas you’ll hear me say on repeat. Take them to-go like your favorite pizza.
Your Rebel Creative already knows this. Do you have the audacity to go against the grain?
The critic, the creator and the consumer
Which one do you really want to be?
When in doubt: write to one person
Picture one person, then decide what you’d love for them to feel, know and do.
What we can mention, we can make memorable and meaningful.
Questions people ask
How do I start writing a book?
If you’re like me, you think about writing a book for 3 years first. But really, starting comes down to having the courage to let yourself put messy words on a page.
FULL ESSAY COMING SOON
How can I be more creative?
Widen what you count as creative! Creativity isn’t only arts and crafts, it’s a way of thinking which means it’s also how you lead a meeting, plan a dinner or solve a problem. My husband feels creative deep in a spreadsheet. I feel creative with a pen or a fridge full of ingredients.
Listen: Redefining & Tapping Into Creativity with Amber Pope
How do I get past a creative block?
I can report procrastisnacking does not in fact help. What might actually help is wringing out your metaphorical sponge. We often experience creative blocks when we’ve taken in too much information and now we’re a saturated sponge that can’t do our job properly. Consume less for a few days, try making a list of everything you’re thinking or scribble across a page. Sometimes the motion is enough of an energy release to let an actual idea you want to pursue come through.
Listen: Is Your Desire to Learn Turning You Into a Saturated Sponge?
What’s an inciting incident?
It’s the moment the main character’s ordinary world tips and there’s no going back: the event that sets the story moving. In real life it’s often the moment you knew something had to change. They’re great entry points when you want to introduce people to your world whether you’re writing a marketing email or a novel.
FULL ESSAY Coming SOON
How do I find my voice?
You don’t find it so much as stop diluting it. Notice where you water yourself down to fit in, and risk saying the fully saturated version. You can also keep a note of all the phrases you say on repeat–they leave clues to your most authentic voice. Talking to yourself in voice memos can also break the polishing spell.
FULL ESSAY Coming SOON
How do I overcome imposter syndrome?
Okay, sometimes we feel like frauds because we have a true skill gap. Other times we feel like frauds because we’re actually faking enjoyment of what’s in front of us, so of course we’d feel like a fraud. Often, feeling like an imposter points to a gap between what you’re currently doing and what you want, not a gap in your ability. I love this convo, more at the link below.
How do I stop being a perfectionist?
Perfection is a made up thing without a true marker to know when we’ve reached it. I find it more helpful to aim for excellence instead of perfection. Start before you feel ready, strive for excellence in the process but publish when it’s good enough, and let feedback guide the polishing.
Read: Stop Stalling and Get Started: Your Permission Slip to Leave Perfection Behind
How do I become a better storyteller?
Great storytelling is a fun dance between honesty, relatable humor, emotion, and timing. But at its core, storytelling is about noticing, and being able to transform something you noticed into something people can connect with.
FULL ESSAY COMING SOON
What is automatic writing?
I’m SO glad you asked! It’s one of my favorite ways to tap into the magic of the creative process. Automatic writing is picking up a pen and letting your hand move without direction or agenda.
Ask Alyssa
Have a question about your book, your creative work or getting your message out into the world? Ask it here.
Dear you,
Sent! Thanks for the inspiration. I’ll take a look and you might see my answer in an email, post, or on the show.
xx, Alyssa
Next door
Hub
Inner Work
When you discover the beliefs and stories secretly running the show, it becomes a lot easier to create what you actually want to create.
Have a book, a talk or an idea you’re working on? Perspective Consults are 90-minute conversations for editing, advising, and getting your next dose of clarity.
Your turn
Get fresh perspectives for sharing your ideas with the world in your inbox.
Insight, inspiration, and instigation for people with something to say and the courage to say it.
