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What Inspires You? Win a Limited Edition Print to Spark Your Creativity

Print of the words Sing in me, Muse, in gold on dark background

EDIT: The competition is now closed for entries. Mike will choose the winners and we’ll announce them here on the blog shortly.

OK the holiday season is upon us, so it’s time for some fun. :-)

Designer and Lateral Action writer Mike Kammerling has kindly created a limited edition of five inspirational prints for Lateral Action readers, which we’re giving away on the blog – so read on for details of how to win one.

The prints feature Mike’s treatment of the opening words of Homer’s Odyssey, as the poet appeals to the Muse for inspiration:

Sing in me, Muse

Whether or not you take the idea of the Muse literally, I think we can all relate to the experience of a certain indefinable something – call it inspiration, the unconscious mind, the creative zone, or whatever – that takes over at certain times and touches our creative work with a little unexpected magic.

As a poet myself, I love Mike’s choice of subject and his treatment of the text. And we’ve debated the idea of the Muse on more than one occasion here on Lateral Action, so I was delighted when he approached me with the idea of giving the prints away on the blog.

For the competition, Mike has created an extremely limited edition of five copies of the print, featuring the name ‘Lateral Action’ as well as ‘Tinder and Sparks’ (Mike’s own brand), and printed on luxurious reflective gold card.

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Three Roadblocks to Success as a Creative Entrepreneur (and How to Get Past Them)

Mountain road closed, with no entry sign in Spanish

When you set out to earn a living from your creative talent, you will inevitably encounter obstacles.

Over the past week, I’ve been hearing about plenty of these, from students in the process of signing up for the Creative Entrepreneur Roadmap. So I thought it would be helpful to share three of the most common roadblocks to success I’ve been hearing about, and offer solutions to them.

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The Creative Entrepreneur Roadmap Is Now Open

EDIT: Registration for the Creative Entrepreneur Roadmap has now closed for 2011 and I’ve started working with the group to take their creative businesses to the next level.

If you’d like to be first to know when the course is offered in 2012 – and to receive plenty of free education to help you succeed as a creative professional – sign up for my Creative Pathfinder newsletter here.

Why Branding Your Creative Business Should Be a Revelation

Crowd watching sunrise from Mount Fuji

Photo by raneko

A few years ago I felt like a liability to my business.

I was working as a consultant, running coaching and training programs for large corporations. I worked really hard to do a professional job and project a professional image.

I had a smart suit, smart shirt and tie, and carried a smart briefcase. We had a professional logo on our business cards, brochures and slide deck.

And I’d learned enough business lingo to understand what people were talking about, and couch my suggestions in terms they understood.

But I had a secret.

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How to Publish Direct to Kindle and Hit No.2 on the New York Times Bestseller List

C J LyonsThe book industry is in turmoil and many publishers are tearing their hair out.

But the changes have created some amazing new opportunities for writers – and CJ Lyons is living proof.

CJ is a Pediatric ER Doctor turned bestselling author of ‘thrillers with heart’.

In this audio interview I talk to her about how she published her novel Blind Faith direct to Kindle and promoted it to her audience of passionate fans via her website and mailing list.

She asked her readers to help her ‘make a dream come true’ by breaking into the Amazon Top 20. In the event, they responded with such enthusiasm that her novel reached No.2 on the New York Times Bestseller List, selling well over 200,000 copies.

As you can imagine, those legions of enthusiastic fans didn’t come from nowhere overnight. CJ worked really hard to attract them – and deliver such a great experience that they were only too eager to snap up her latest book.

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