Creative coaching, creativity, productivity

If You’d Like Some Help Achieving Your Goals for 2012…

By Mark McGuinness | January 27, 2012 |

Hand clenching a lightning bolt It’s the time of year for dreaming and planning big for the next twelve months.

So if you’re setting yourself a big challenge and would like some help making it happen, you may like to consider my New Year’s Resolutionizer coaching program – back for a second year running.

It’s a combined coaching and e-learning program to help you keep your New Year’s Resolution – or achieve any of your big goals for 2012 – by harnessing the four most powerful types of motivation.

The Resolutionizer is based on my own approach to motivation and goal-setting – which landed me a feature in the Wall Street Journal, when they found out I’d manage to keep a challenging New Year’s Resolution without relying on willpower.

As well as e-learning materials to teach the principles of powerful motivation, the Resolutionizer includes one-on-one coaching time with me, to help you apply the lessons to your own unique situation.

For all the details, click here. (The signup page has some detailed testimonials from clients who took the program last year.)

The New Year’s Resolutionizer is only available for a few days each year – registration will close on 31st January (unless my schedule fills up before then).

If you have any questions before deciding whether you’d like to take the program, feel free to contact me and I’ll get back to you as a priority.

The Real Value of Tablet Computers to Creators

By Mark McGuinness | January 23, 2012 | 16 Comments

Tablet computers showing images of sky

When the iPad was launched, amid all the huzzahs and hoopla, there were a few murmurs of discontent from the creative community.

“Sure, it looks slick, but you can’t make anything with it.”

“If this isn’t ‘lean back’ media, I don’t know what is.”

‘Lean back’, of course, was a reference to Jakob Nielsen’s well-known distinction between television (‘lean back’ = passive consumption) and the Web (‘lean forward’ = active creation).

So criticisms of the iPad as a ‘lean back’ device were effectively suggesting that Apple was selling out – abandoning its traditional role as the creator of computers for creators, and pandering to the masses, by giving the couch potatoes the ultimate couch surfing device.

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7 Ways Learning to Draw Can Improve Your Productivity

By Will Kemp | January 10, 2012 | 15 Comments

Pencil drawing of Rome

Drawings by Will Kemp

Ever wanted to learn to draw?

Have you daydreamed of just picking up a pencil and sketching?

But inside there is a lingering doubt.

A distant memory of a school teacher who told you once you were bad at art.

An inner critic that holds you back…. Even before you begin.

But what if you could learn to draw?

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Why It Pays to Panic Early (and How to Do it Effectively)

By Mark McGuinness | January 3, 2012 | 17 Comments

Cockerel/rooster

So. We have a whole new year spread out before us. Like a pristine sheet of paper.

We can create anything we like, and it feels like we have all the time in the world.

Pretty good huh?

It’s exciting – but like all opportunities, there’s a flipside.

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Competition Winners – and a Special Bonus Prize for You

By Mark McGuinness | December 20, 2011 | 3 Comments

Print of the words Sing in me, Muse, in gold on dark background Thank you to everyone who entered the What Inspires You? competition by leaving comments on the original post about your inspirations.

Fittingly, the comment thread turned out to be an inspiration in its own right, with over 100 entries that reminded me what a special group of people read this blog.

We had such a great response that I was glad I’d delegated the difficult task of judging to the artist himself, Mike Kammerling, so that I could simply enjoy the comments for their own sake.

Mike has now chosen the five winners, listed below, who will receive a very limited edition print of his inspiring image, on gorgeous reflective gold card, bearing the words ‘Tinder and Sparks’ and ‘Lateral Action’.

And as a bonus prize and Christmas gift for Lateral Action readers, Mike has kindly provided a hi-resolution graphics file of the image, which you can download for free by clicking here.

You are welcome to share the print with your friends and make use of it in any way you like – printing it, putting it on a t-shirt, using it as screensaver etc – as long as you don’t sell it or otherwise use it commercially.

And Mike’s too modest to say so himself, but I should point out that he has a whole range of creative, funny and inspiring prints on his website, which you can check out here.

So without further ado, here are the winning entries, introduced by Mike.

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