Happy Halloween! Kathleen here. In the spirit of the spookiest of holidays I have a confession to make: I kind of want to be a witch. I crave the kind of structure that comes with casting spells and wielding energy to make magic happen. Plus, growing up I really loved magical movies featuring badass witches including, but not limited to, The Wizard of Oz, Mary Poppins (she was totally a witch, right?), Hocus Pocus, Practical Magic, and as a moody teenager I totally wanted to join the cast of The Craft. I missed the window for Harry Potter but can’t wait until I can read the books and watch the movies with my baby once he gets a little older.
So, here at Braid Creative we believe in blending who you are with what you do, and with the blend, I like to bring a little magic into my work. Today, in celebration of Halloween, I want to share a few tips on how you can make your work a little more magical too.
MANIFEST MONEY WITH A MAGICAL CHALKBOARD
If a witch wields her intention with a wand we do it with a big chalkboard. Every quarter we draw blank spaces on the giant chalkboard wall in our office (which can feel quite intimidating) as a way to attract and make space for our dream clients. You can read more about our magical chalkboard method and how we manifest money here.
MAKE A MANTRA
When witches cast spells, the words they say hold a lot of power (or at least that’s what I gather from all those witchy movies I watched as a kid). So a mantra, the words you repeat over and over again, hold power. What you say today will become your reality tomorrow. “Be a farmer, not a hunter” is our money mantra and when I went from being “crazy busy” to “wildly productive and living the dream” my life started to feel much more, well… dreamy and productive.
DEMAND A TENFOLD RETURN
When Tara and I first started Braid Creative we each put $3,000 dollars in our bank account for our startup cushion. As we deposited those checks I told her “we’re going to see a tenfold return on this investment within the next year.” And we did.
These days I demand a tenfold return for the investment my clients make with us. Every time a client sends us a check I say a little spell and make the intention that the work I do for them will get them a tenfold return (and then some). It’s common for creatives to feel awkward asking for money, but this little bit of tenfold magic is why I never feel bad asking for money or guilty for the amount we charge.
DON’T OVER-COMPLICATE THE SPELL
If your spell involves lots of exotic ingredients, complicated words, and unlikely circumstance you have more chances of messing it up and seeing zero return on your magic-casting. So if your spell involves boiling frog legs in a twenty gallon cauldron boiling with rosemary and turmeric in fresh spring water while the moon is 22.5º degrees over the horizon while the wind is blowing from the East, all while reciting the equivalent of a TED talk in ye olde English – you’re probably going to mess it up. But if you have a simple spell, such as lighting a yellow candle and reciting two words with intention – you’re less likely to flub it up.
What part of your work, your offerings, or your creative process are you overcomplicating? How could you simplify the spell?
CHECK IN WITH THE MOON AND THE STARS
I’m not sure how much I believe in the moon and the stars, but recently I was having some relentless computer problems and it turns out Mercury was totally in retrograde. Of course it was. So because of that I allowed myself a little more wiggle-room to get my work done and tried to avoid scheduling Skype meetings and signing contracts during this time. I’ve also recently found that I’m most creative leading up to a full moon – so I use this time to knock out lots of blog posts. And I feel more strategic and dreamy during the new moon – so I use this time to do some goal-setting and reflecting. If you’re feeling a little woo-woo, pay mind to the moon and the stars and see how it affects your creativity and plan accordingly.
LOOK FOR THE MAGIC
The biggest way to make magic is to keep your eyes peeled for it. Notice moments of synchronicity, serendipity, and coincidence. Sometimes your goosebumps will tell you, sometimes the look on the face of your client will tell you. Know that it’s magic and you’re making it happen. Better yet, acknowledge those moments with those powerful words of yours, even if you’re just saying them under your breath to yourself, “ah, yep, it’s happening… that was magic.”
