the Art of Reinvention 

You woke up this morning to that nagging notion that you are antiquated and irrelevant. You don’t relate to very much and no one seems the least bit interested in connecting with you. Your sizzle has sagged and your current thoughts are the only things you managed to inherit from your parents. Gone are the days of youth and spirited free thinking. You are out of harmony with your life, your social circles, your professional colleagues and pretty much the flow of the entire universe.

You dread turning on the television knowing that you’ll be bombarded by a media blitz of how the young, beautiful and talentless are changing the world, building empires from meaningless content and doing it all at the speed of light. You turn it on anyway for the traffic update on your morning commute and there it is eloquently woven in with all the other sensationalistic stories that are now passed off as news...Madonna has REINVENTED herself…AGAIN!

Holy mother of God! What is she, like ninety nine years old now? She looks incredible, she’s got a whole new generation of worshippers celebrating her music, she dates boys a quarter of her age and has built her kingdom parading as a slut, a virgin, a mother, a filmmaker, a children’s book author and is second in line as heir to the thrown. Well, the last part was quite the stretch but if Queen Elizabeth isn’t diligent about putting Prince William under lock and key it could happen. She is amazingly every woman and it’s all in her because she has mastered that fine art of reinvention.

You pour yourself a cup of coffee as your prosaic thoughts sluggishly evolve into surprising fantasies of doing the same – reinventing yourself! You engage this new idea a little while longer and by the time as you’ve had breakfast, showered, dressed and successfully made your way to the office you have mapped out a sketchy plan as to how to execute this overdue overhaul of yourself. After all, you did not move to the big city to become trapped in this shell that you lug around daily. You, like those talentless world changers, made the move on the same mission but you made your move with actual talent. You owe it to yourself, your real self, to fulfill that mission. This moment of inspiration, my friend, is the first step on the road to reinvention!

What makes your reinvention different is that you are more experienced now with skill and wisdom in full bloom. You recognize that the reinvention you set out to attain must flow deeper than those mild cosmetic polishing episodes you intend to schedule on your lunch break. That gym renewal, spa treatment, consultation with a stylist and those acting and vocal coaches will fit brilliantly into your grand plan but ultimately you must also arrange a court date with your  thoughts to examine why they have held you hostage so long and what their fate must be.

Your peers, the ones that don’t connect with you anyway, may suggest that if it’s not broken then no need to fix it but finally you are turning a deaf ear to the noise and trusting your instinct on this. It is broken and on the verge of dire disrepair! You may have been passed up for that promotion by the woman in the monochromatic Anne Taylor-ed suit but you don’t want to invest your life in this “part time” nine to five when you started out as a fuel charged creative energy. Where did you lose yourself? It doesn’t matter since you are not on that trite assignment to find yourself. No, you are in fact on to the next cliché, reinventing that self of yours altogether!

In a world where evolution has never been more swift and evident it seems the act of reinvention should be coupled with your daily yoga practice. Inhale, downward dog, trim-five-more-years-off-today-with-that-botox-haircut-promo-pack-at-your-corner-salon and exhale. Amidst all this reinvention it is disturbing that the most important elements haven’t been able to keep up. Elements like those core values that tend to be shed along with the extra pounds.

As an artist you’ve explored the work of your peers on a regular basis. That dead awful play in which they portrayed the clown version of a respected Shakespearean character – oh, wait that was you. Perhaps you’ve endured the music video in which they displayed their pop, lock and drop it skills to the li’l diddy about tappin’ that booty – oh wait, you again. Suddenly this reinvention seems completely necessary if only to redeem your sold out moments. Alongside your uber superficial aesthetic makeover you will factor in the importance of living more honestly within the realm of your craft knowing that the work you produce from this day forth will live on for decades, even centuries, to come.

You will defoliate this self deprecation and adorn the beautiful new you with avant-garde packaging that the world cannot ignore! This decade is still fresh even by the new fast paced evolutionary change we have come to accept as normal. It is not too late for you to indulge in this fun exploit! You find yourself becoming more and more excited about the world premier of the upgraded essence of you and your gift. A fierce duo that will have a perpetual but profound impact on your universe.

You will not waste time rebelling against Hollywood’s ageism, sexism and obsession with empty vessels draped in haute couture because you have a master plan to expand your kingdom well beyond the shallow limitations of Hollywood’s borders! So much so that perhaps it will all come full circle and the Hollywood rejections will suddenly morph into meaningful work, magazine spreads and unlimited red carpet appearances.

You will not only reinvent your wardrobe, tech gadgets and social standing but your craft, work ethics and community outreach. Your next story will have a fresh spin that has undergone reinvention alongside your new rock hard abs and VS (Victoria’s Secret) clad hips. Your new web series will be directly proportional in both quality and value to your new cougar sex appeal. The sexier you get the deeper your connection will be to the grounded spirituality that gives rise to goddess status. You have seen figures of gods and goddesses. They are forever enshrined in beauty and majesty yet they serve their universe with every atom of their pure and powerful essence.

Spring is swiftly approaching and you’ll soon be feeling the need to nest your home, spring clean your relationship closets and prepare your summer body for unveiling. This time you are actually going to see it all the way through. You have so much more to offer. The security of your future and the legacy you desire to leave behind can’t risk being swept away by complacency ever again. Your gift can positively influence the spread of socioeconomic reinvention globally. You will sow a seed into the soil of the beautiful generation to follow. You recognize that the art of reinvention is not simply sprucing up the packaging and launching a full on marketing blitz. The very art of reinvention is the relentless pursuit of the perfection of pure, genius talent with the presence of a consciousness that will give back and pay it forward at once.

You get home from your “part time” nine to five and fawn over wardrobe sketches for a new show idea. You are thrilled to be reconnected with fun, flirtatious pieces after having gone through what felt like a major fashion disconnect. On the other side of the table is the new screenplay you had abandoned. You pull it closer and dust it off. You jot down an outline of the brand you want to create for your new company, YOU, Inc. You have decided that reinvention will be a mainstay. You will never get lost in complacency again. You blow your new Madonna doll a kiss and thank her for being your inspiration. You are not perfect and that is precisely why you must embrace reinvention as an art. Fresh, new, ever changing, ever growing, ever evolving, in the moment, relevant ART!

LUCKY NUMBER 13

There is the theory that success happens precisely when opportunity meets preparation. I like to believe that success happens precisely when mister opportunity and mister preparation encounter a little bit of lady luck. She brings with her an extra umph to this potent equation thus reinforcing my belief in the power of three.

We can create opportunities. We can prepare to the hilt. But can we romance the goddess of good luck into giving us that great fortune we desire? I believe there are a number of things we can do to woo her but there are thirteen action steps that would be especially effective in drawing lady luck into our creative circle. A space she’ll find hard to resist because she seems to be fond of the company of misters opportunity and preparation. I call these action steps my lucky number thirteen.

1.   Begin at the end

What is it that you want out of your creative day? Be very specific. It does not have to be grand but I encourage you to make it at least a tad bit challenging. After all, if we’re going to woo lady luck we want to be sure that we are presenting something that we know we’ll be needing her help with and not simply a desire that we can take care of ourselves. If by the end of the creative day you want to send out a mailing add the extra challenge of making a direct and positive connection with that casting director you’ve been longing to audition for.

2.   Don't curse that which or that whom you aspire to become

Celebrate the success of others and lady luck may smile favourably on you. She was more than likely the one who helped that filmmaker you despise because her story concept sucked to high hell but she still  managed to get it sold and made anyway. Misplaced hatred can be very damaging to romantic laisions and, remember, we are trying to romance lady luck. I would advise against doing so while sowing bad karmic seed. Lady luck is not prejudiced. She’s impressed by those who move confidently in the direction of their dreams, regardless of our personal opinions of them.

3.   Readjust your perspective and focus

Perhaps the concept of that show you’ve been sitting with since childhood is in dire need of an attitude adjustment. Maybe you’ve been mailing headshots and submitting electronically with no bites. Enlist the help of a colleague to write that perfect role for you and then form a dream team of other creative energies to manifest it. Lady luck zones in on ambitious, forward thinkers and targets their avante garde energies for a sprinkle of good fortune.

4.   Manage your time as you would your money

Recent recession related experiences have compelled many of us to pursue greater financial savvy. Why not do the same with our time? Better budgeting of those precious hours in any given creative day can be incredibly productive. Countless distractions severely challenge our time management. There’s always one more facebook post to reply to; one more tweet to send; Jenny needs to bitch and moan about her stalled career over coffee for the third time this week. Dedicate a block of time to these mindless acts and turn even that time into productive business payoffs. Maybe write Jenny as a character in your next story or make her the star of her own reality show - “Latte Losers” - with you as executive producer, of course. Invest your time in all this so that it works for you at the end of the day and if it doesn’t then eliminate it. Lady luck is an efficiency expert. She makes the best use of her time and expects the same from her companions.

5.   Communicate

Deal with every source of communication that makes it’s way across your desk. YOU are your business. Businesses don’t look down at the phone and say, “I don’t know that number so it’ll have to wait.” or, the classic, “I don’t answer blocked calls.” Muse flash, Oprah probably calls from a blocked number. Sometimes those blocked numbers ARE the money calls so pick them up. There are some legitimate exceptions for not picking up calls (meetings, hospitalizations, etc.) but if a call is missed return it promptly. Since you whispered your desire in lady luck’s ear at the beginning of the day chances are she’s sending the fortune you need. Don’t shut her down.

6.   Embrace technology

Those who thrive in this new era balance the time tested old with the uber efficient new. I am so turned off by the proud proclamations of those who claim ownership to technological ignorance like it was some prime real estate. There was a time when the television set was considered to be the devil but flash forward a couple eons and you’re working in that very demonic field your great-great-grandparents warned of. Organized rallies and protests against change will not curtail it so embrace it in the most healthy way possible. Those of us who have been around a little longer have some advantage over our younger counterparts. We own the experiences of richer stories. Imagine the possibilities when we take the beauty of a strong and timeless story and merge it with technological savvy. James Cameron did and it would be fair to say here that he and lady luck are probably on a first name basis.

7.   Make one new connection daily

The creative business can be a lonely one but it’s a lonely one that can’t happen without team effort and support. Even if you’re huddled in a corner of your house writing a story, ALONE, you’re doing so based on characters that you’ve encountered at some point within your very populated world. We’re hard pressed to write well without making human connections. We cannot fill theatre seats without making human connections. We have no camera operator to film that scene without making human connections. Lady luck is not a loner. She always wants to be in the company of opportunity and preparation as they scout their next connection.

8.   Be genuinely interested in someone else and their needs

It is difficult to truly hear someone and learn about their needs if you’re always in your head or dominating the conversation witht your own needs. Practice actively listening, without judgement, to others. Creative types can really impress lady luck here because if we are interested enough in the needs of others sometimes we can have our own needs met by teaming up with them to solve problems. Isn’t that what our industry thrives on, creative problem solving? Be the hero in the story of your life by taking an interest in someone else’s well being.

9.   Give time and money

This is a simple, no brainer action step that needs no lengthy exposition. Be a giver. Sow a seed in the life and work of someone else. I find that givers make the best recievers because more and more naturally comes into their lives. Lady luck favours a giver with increased great fortune.

10.  Say "thank you" when you receive

When lady luck bestows her gifts upon you please remember to say “thank you”. That means taking the time to express gratitude to each and every person who impacted your life by supporting that project and working with you on it from development through manifestation. Cheques are preferred but if it’s a passion project be sure to express gratitude and return the favour.

11.  Take in each new day by moments

Pack up your bags and move out of the past but don’t ride the train to your destiny with your thoughts stuck in the future. Live in awareness of each moment. Make your plans and then release them. Often times lady luck will test your flexibility. If you are so sure of your plans that you cannot adjust and live in the moment she may be gravely offended and move on. Why should she help you if you have all the answers or are already certain of what path leads to which outcome? While I understand planning and yes, also enjoy the company of mister preparation, I’ve found that mister opportunity is a bit more capricious and he definitely keeps life fresh and exciting –elements every creative energy should happily embrace.

12.  Make time to decompress

At the end of the creative day sit with mister preparation, mister opporunity and lady luck over a glass of wine while basking in the golden glow of the sunset. Thank them for helping you achieve what you wanted from the day. Reminisce over the adventures, the lessons learned and those oh so lucky moments that you would not have encountered without them. Chat casually about the preparations to embrace the opportunities presented in the day to follow with the flexibility to be open to…

13.  Begin again

-Yaphathtoar Colebrooke

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