If you’re developing an online product or service, inevitably you’ll enter the world of social media marketing. That’s the world I found myself entering when I decided to create an online course and coaching program on creativity for therapists. If you’re thinking of creating and delivering something online, you’ll hear some pretty insistent directives “if you want to succeed.”

First and foremost, you’re told you have to deliver “what they want.” You’re told to identify an “ideal customer avatar,” speak to their “pain points,” and offer a solution, a desired result. You’re assured that this is the way (the only way, according to many experts) to build a successful business. No doubt those advocates have realized their own successes through these methods, tried and true (for them), but I like to think it’s only one way of going about things.

I used to be a professor, and my...

Going into private practice is a dream for many helping professionals, even while in graduate school. It certainly was for me. So even as I accrued my requirements for licensure, even as I studied for my credentialing exam, I dreamed of private practice. It was a dream I actively nurtured by “starting” the practice well before it became a reality.

How did I start? By looking at available office spaces online and by envisioning myself in those spaces. By preparing my intake paperwork packet. By designing my business card and website, going through many, many versions until things felt just right. By thinking of who I wanted to serve and how. By drafting my Psychology Today listing.

In short:  I started by using my imagination.

I took the initiative to actively visualize the look and feel of my practice, my clients, and the kind of day I wanted to experience. I imagined what my office would look like, where it would be located, and the tone it would convey. I worked...

Whenever you create something, you risk the vulnerability of exposure. What will they think? Do I look foolish? Who will they think I am? Who do I think I am? A flurry of self-doubt and anxiety arise with the prospect of sharing your creation.

This can be enough to stop us in our tracks. Better to remain safe than sorry.

I’m feeling this way right now. In building my new online business, The More Creative Therapist, I just created a free online mini-course to share with whoever might be interested. It's called More Creative in 5 Days (how's that for audacious?). I’m announcing sign-ups this week, and you know what? I feel scared! You know all those self-doubt questions I mentioned above? They’re running through my head right now!

Something about self-exposure makes you (among many things) a magnet for the strong feelings of others. We can never fully anticipate what our own creations will bring up. I got some negative feedback a while ago about a free offering on...

Usually we think of problem solving as a mental activity, as figuring things out. And while this can work, it can also lead to rumination and anxiety. As long as we’re in our heads, we run the risk of getting stuck there. The power of imagination can help dislodge us, but when we’re overly “problem-focused,” imagination can scarcely find its way in.

When I worked as a designer, I learned that the antidote to being in my head (as a mental problem solver) was to make something. This could be as simple as a sketch, doodle, or collection of sticky notes, or as complex as a mock-up, model, or prototype. This helped physicalize the problem by externalizing it and making it tangible, no longer just an abstract idea. And as something real in the world, it became something else altogether, available to others for further exploration, feedback, and play.

Now, as I work to develop a new online business including online courses, I’m constantly prototyping my...

While I welcome each new year, I always make an effort to say goodbye to the old. On the final day of the year, I consider all that has passed and attend to the thoughts and feelings that arise. Many emotions: relief, gratitude, frustration, gladness. It’s a great opportunity for self-reflection, taking inventory, and anticipating the year to come.

No wonder many of us begin each year with resolutions. Planning is a tool for strengthening our resolve. And at the end of the year, motivation is high for acknowledging unfinished projects, recommitting to big dreams, and prioritizing time and resources for the coming year.

So I end this year with that mix of wistfulness for the year passed and excitement for the year to come. I’m planning for big things.

Toward that end, I’m doing things differently.

Years ago, I left behind most of the organizing practices I’d relied on to structure my days. I set aside my agendas and planners, my checklists and folders. I was...

I did my first Facebook live yesterday. Wow! It was as terrifying as everyone says. Especially for someone like me, not especially interested in mediated exposure, an introvert at heart. Still, when you’re growing a brand new business and an online community, the willingness to make yourself known through writing and images in the form of posts - whether on a blog like this or social media platforms - is a must.

It was an extemporaneous ramble in the form of a Facebook group “open house” that turned out to be just me, my iPhone camera, and a few visitors. Fortunately, my new business offering is on creativity, and the subject of fear naturally came up. Isn’t that one of the biggest creative hurdles? I was able to share my own anxieties openly. I was in feel-the-fear-and-do-it-anyway mode. It was so helpful to just admit it. And keep going. On camera no less. Live.

Creativity opens us to vulnerability. Putting ourselves out there is tough. It’s hard to...

If you're reading this, welcome to my very first blog post! I'm thrilled that you came to my website with enough curiosity to dig a little deeper. You may well be my very first reader.

I wonder whether to share what I'm about to say, for fear of seeming too candid, maybe "unprofessional." But I realize I want to let you know that The More Creative Therapist is a brand new adventure for me. I don't have course and coaching material already packaged that I've decided to sell online. It's all brand new. A work in progress. And so far, what a journey! I'm learning new digital production tools, diving into social media, and culling from decades of experience to harvest lessons learned that I think will benefit you.

Part of me hesitates to let this be known. After all, chances are we don't know each other. Maybe you found your way to this site through Facebook or a Google search. Maybe you joined my (also brand new) email list, and you want to know more. Perhaps your curiosity is...