So, as of writing this email, my time tracking tells me that since January 12 I’ve spent 143 hours and 10 minutes on revising the Creative Focus Workshop.

That feels like an undercount, TBH.

I’ve also shut down several sources of revenue for Autonomous Creative, most notably, an entire program, Authentic Visibility. The numbers are not looking good.

And just in the last 3 weeks, I’ve spent close to $5000, said goodbye to my longest serving team member (good luck, Lou! 😢), hired a whole new team to support me and Rhi (my remaining existing team member), worked evenings and weekends as I claim I never want to do…

From the outside, it might look a little crazy. But here's the thing: I've never been more certain that I'm on the right path.

Because I’m happy. Happier than I’ve been in quite a while. Energized. Not burned out. Not resenting the work, even when sometimes it’s kind of… a lot?

How, you might ask? Why? What??

Essentially, it comes down to finally following my own teaching. I guess you could say I’ve always had the power. I just had to learn it for myself!

This only really clicked in the last week or so, but it seems that I've been applying the Creative Engine, my four-phase framework for making the best decisions possible and then finishing substantial deadline-free projects, to my own business.

And guess what? It works. Haha you’d think I know that by now.

Yennyway.

If you're not familiar with the Creative Engine, it's a four-phase process that helps you gain clarity on what you really want, make tough choices (and commit to hard tradeoffs), then take confident action on scary projects. The phases are Collect, Decide, Act, and Reflect.

The whole cycle kicked off with Reflect, which it almost always does. I started to see a pattern of problems, or more to the point, those problems that I already knew existed started to become so vivid I could no longer ignore them.

To be clear, I stand behind everything I’ve created in the almost-8 years of Autonomous Creative. I’m proud of what we’ve done and the changes we’ve helped support in our clients’ lives. But I realized that I truly can’t—and don’t want to!—maintain it all. This is the painful lesson I have had to learn, with ever-greater force, over the years. Even with Rhi and the new team, we still really can only do one thing at a time.

That’s why, in December and January, I was deep in the Collect phase, gathering data on all the overly-complicated strands of my business and getting radically honest with myself about what I want out of my work. I've looked at everything from revenue streams and time investments to personal fulfillment and long-term vision.

It took weeks. My already-ridiculous quarterly review process threatened to take over my entire life. Fortunately I had a few-days’ trip in December where I could mostly just review and think. Because the Collect phase isn't just about gathering data. It's about gaining clarity on your values and vision. On what matters most across a whole slew of contexts. That’s how you create a foundation for high-quality decisions you can trust, even when they're scary.

Over the next few emails, I'll be sharing more about how the Collect phase set me up for making substantial, painful decisions, and then how that opened the door to massive, confident action.

But for now, if you’ve got big and persistent pain points in your life and you’re careening towards the Decide phase of the Creative Engine, let’s talk about what preparation you can put in place to make that decision the best one possible.

It’s almost time for the May Simplify to Amplify Roundtable!

Join me for the next Simplify to Amplify Roundtable (STAR) on May 1. We'll be diving deeper into the Collect phase and exploring how you can use it to gain clarity and momentum in your own creative journey.

I'll be sharing more about my own process and answering your questions live. So come prepared with your own reflections and challenges. Save your seat with one click!

See you soon, STAR!

Jessica

P.S. If you're unsure what to prioritize next or having a hard time completing your big ambitious projects, the Creative Focus Workshop might be just what you need. It's my flagship program for helping creative professionals and entrepreneurs focus on what matters most and make consistent progress on their goals. And honestly, this new version is going to be incredible. I can’t wait to share it with you. Stay tuned for more!