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Skype Call: Vivienne McMaster

Good to see this is vivian mcmaster and she is a photographer and e course leader she does a lot of self portrait it's really fun stuff and I invited her here because um she's up to really amazing work and because she's at home she can kind of show us what it's been like to participate virtually and share how she's steven here like all morning right like good lodging with us yeah and so I think you have a big vision collage to share with us as well so this is great to show for the folks at home you could be doing this you know in in front of your computer at your desk um participating alongside so even you want to say more about yourself and what you do so people can kind of get to know you a little bit better sure I'm a photographer her and teach courses and primarily the courses air centered around helping women find their way back to themselves and their bodies through photography and still fortune photography so just discovering themselves and their self image yeah great I'm in viv...

ian and I actually have worked together before which is great and so on we talked quite recently and it's been cool that kind of see how your vision has been evolving how long have you been in business for over two years now teaching the courses jassem quote would you like to show us your big vision collage that you've been working on this great, so I'm familiar bit with what vivian's up to and it's been it's going to be cool to see how it has evolved by going through this exercise? Yes, it was really need doing the visual visualization, and then this actually did it. But then did you book? Oh, fine like unaltered book kind of thing. Yeah, I had not the first page here and I because we didn't I wanted to do it in that specific amount of time. I just kept a two page spread nice and yeah, have some words and images that came up more so just the feeling that I want to go forward my big vision with business, like the energy I want having my business was kind of what I was focusing on, not specific things. Yeah, so same where about the energy that you're focusing on our evoking here? Well, the that's what came through in the visualization to was that I felt so in love with my future forward, sir, with love I've found in a book, and that just felt like it was right on on par and expand like expansive expansiveness of my business, but also just expansiveness in my potential and what I could discover and full bloom, I felt like that was something that my big division, my business, is for it to just keep blooming in a way. So and another thing that I came across a word wise was says, be your own guru and that was kind of felt a bit ironic because that's one of the main kind of philosophies in my work is that you could be your own news exactly. So how that felt? Thankful and I just said lots of images that I have, um, you know, our pillar becoming a butterfly and eating in threes, it could be really solitary. What was not being what you could really solitary doing online business got it, and so I wanted it. This felt really important to have a community of quirky people and what's the hand reaching the hand is reaching to have bookshelves grand plie ask you say more about what that is. I'm presently let a big dream kind of manifest of writing a book proposal and trying tio create a book in my future and that came up in the in the visualization to big time, so that appeared can I ask you a little bit more like what I know that's been part of your big vision for a while, like in terms of writing a book? What more do you know about it now? And it might even still be broad brush strokes, but I'm curious what has expanded for you around that vision for the book because I did what? Well that's interesting to put expand aboutthe um I guess for we well it's interesting because the image I got was both digital and a paper book hot picture I'm open to however that evolves I guess I really just need to, like push myself in this dream of creating this book and putting all of my heart of this work that I'm doing and I've been doing the last two years into his proposal so I don't know it's one of those nervous, scary parts of my business that I just have to go for all I totally get it well it's kind of that thing of like I think it was layla who said it in the chat of like she's done the visualization a couple of things that four times was it and the same thing keeps coming up so it's like we know for you that the book is really important right? So something that actually came up in the visualization was I was in five years I was working on my second book oh, nice, yeah no, it was uh what was that like exciting? Yeah, yeah it just right in a way so that cool to be in the place of like the first one that's done okay with this in the president im you know, I'm feeling so vulnerable that about trying for it so it's needed felt really need to be in a different place of it how does that shift things for when you go to focus on the book now um yeah, I just I feel extra excited about today I think after we chat on well I'm going to keep on listening but I'm going to keep on working on it today I just feel really in tune with it now I guess yeah so cool um sorry like so distract look how cool is this is color coordinated enter cool cameras, cameras one of the things that I would think would be helpful to talk through his last time we chatted you had gotten some great insights about perfect customers, right? We're still kind of uncovering what you were starting to learn about them and to kind of start teeing up for tomorrow a little bit of perfect customer stuff do you mind just sharing? I know I'm kind of putting on the spot to talk about it, but we had pretty end up conversation about it recently, so I'm curious um if you'd be willing to share a little bit about that sugar, is there anything specific? Just I'm realizing yeah, the audience and we're talking about like what concerns they might have and all of that yeah oh start chatting and you couldn't get anything else well, two years into running a business I'm still trying to figure out who my audiences I feel grateful that I had won all along like it's just been I've been cultivating it but I haven't really hadn't really got to clear up until now all right? And this is for those of you watching her audiences for your courses, right? Yes, I also do portrait photography but this is oak scene in on that okay, even so much as I hadn't even said it was specific specifically for women but when we talk to you like I guess that is women yeah e one lovely man who takes my classes but I need to focus in on women and really what? The more I'm creating these courses, the more I can realize it's more specifically what I have to offer them and that come up as people who are looking maybe he kind of looking to find their way home in themselves in way it's like me I'm kind of the places I've been in my life yeah in the weight the things that brought me here are such common experiences that I feel like that's a big guide to whom I audiences that they um they might have lost their way a little bit or they may not be feeling totally present in their body are loving the way you look in images um they may be searching for a creative um could guide to get them back to themselves and feel differently about their self image both in a photo and in general yeah, the thing that I love about what you're saying and I want to play people too is she's learning about her perfect customers by engaging with them by holding these courses so the fact that like maybe she wasn't totally clear who her customers were to begin with she still was like really passionate about self portrait or photography or using photography is a way of doing self expression so she put those courses out and the more she does that the more she's hearing oh this is what sparks for people this is what people are interested in this what they want to hear more about and that's giving her even more information more data really it's left well it's a qualitative right but it's still information that's helping you get to know who your perfect customers are to then help home you know this offering of the book so it's kind of like how she's got her big vision right? And then there are the ways she's delivering even those like the big vision she has still always a work in progress but she's still offering courses she's still working with people like she's not hiding out because she doesn't have the rest of the pages done on her plan right she's still out there in the world sharing her gifts and as she shares her gifts, she learns more about what's resonating with people what she's interested in what she is passionate about like the whole thing about understanding people, stories and even the body part right like being comfortable in your body it was also some new insight that you were gaining from being in conversation saying help people are reacting to the horses just then informing the book so I wanted to bring them on here because it kind of shows how you let the process unfold even though like you know you're still working on the book proposal but then there's the course is going on all of it's informing each other and I know sometimes it could feel like oh my god, what am I doing there's so many things and and yet they're all interconnected, you know, and she's still like bringing an income while she's figuring this out you don't need to have it all figured out at the beginning now you can't you really can't there's no way should you just show up here your gifts um whatever, um insights have you been getting just today from giving yourself space to work on this quite heard from the team that I blocked out the whole day to work on this and I know you know, normally you got lots of things going on your you're busy right by an entrepreneur right? Yeah so what was it like for you to make that commitment like I'm participating you know for this block of time and I'm I'm in it to treat I actually have a big mess off where you can see because I had to pull it all my craft supplies that I rarely access yeah so it really felt like a gift to have this day to participate and to really you know get messy and do this I did another a vision board collage on the weekend so I felt it like it was nice and easy for me to dive right into the right brain I haven't really been on the chat so much because I just really wanted to get as much out of my intuition as I could run those tests right really cool so it helps to have that time you know, she dedicated she had a little bit of accountability she knew she was going to be on here have to show something but it shows how much that that uh giving yourself that commitment and blocking out the time you can make things happen so very cool anything else you'd like to share with us then we we have a couple of questions for video max yeah go for it weii do so how has doing the right brain business plan changed or shaped the direction of your business what has been your largest hurdle to jump hmm um right taking a right brain business approach to my own business um I have a lot of I'm not very left brain I don't come from a background does corporate life so I I'm kind of scared of a lot of the left brain things and this is the language that I speak the collage in you know I don't do it as much as I'd like it it's really a ideal format for me teo have the freedom to do things outside of the box um like the way that and is helping me work on this book proposal isn't on a word document it's in a binder it's you know, piecing things together and I'm really excited actually cause this afternoon I want to keep collage and I want to make myself up a mock book cover I think the nice good yeah and you understand I think one of the biggest hurdles is ourselves and our fears and just for me that's been getting in my own way and and not believing in myself has probably been one of the biggest colonel so um in with photography workshops and teach I'm always trying to get people over there left brains of joining aperture during the shutter speed what what should I be doing? Is my camera enough to just be playful and to get creative and once we kind of access the creative aspect it's not that hard to do the more left brain technical things we feel more inspired to so do you mind sharing you know the piece about getting your own way what are some of the things in the past you've heard yourself say that get in your way and how have you overcome that? Mmm mmm mmm well, you know, one of the biggest big ones is well, my to do this like remind to run this business and have be one hundred percent self employed and b in a way I'm created the work for myself that is my dream job and so a lot of a lot of the you know, things getting in my way is not feeling worthy of it or that but I guess one of the best ways that I've gotten through that is to listen when people are telling you how they feel about your work. Yeah, um yeah, yeah, the impact that you're having, how you're helping google my my brain could be saying one thing and then I'll get an email being like telling a story of how my work has helped them. So I guess listening to your clients in a way which is great and it kind of goes back to that being in conversation with the clients and having that help tell you what's working into remind you have how great you are cool they're more questions from the audience for and we have a question from meg ray on you know who's asking vivian how did you get your first clients to your courses? Mmm I just went for it I put a I already head of web log and so I had created this self portraiture sixteen key course and I just did a sales page I didn't there was there was some courses around that time a few years ago but not a ton but the way it is now and I I just connected with people in places online that felt kindred to me it seemed like they would be the type of people who would like to take this course and it was pretty much word of mouth the way I kind of gathered my first audience and I had a number that I wanted tio number clients are participants I wanted to have and I met that goal the first class which is really helped me believe that I could do this beyond just one course right? And I think the thing to note is you're already kind of out there in the online world like logging and already had built those relationships so it's not like one day you know, she was she wasn't online and then allison she opened up a web site and then people started signing up her classes so I think it's worth underscoring you know, it's important, what you're doing relationship building kind of putting yourself out there so that foundation you already had some of that, and then when you launched it, there was kind of this pent up demand in a way, you know, so make sure you know, if you're still looking for that first client, make sure your continued to build relationships now and have people get to know you, you know, maybe there's offering free things, stuff like that, which will make it easier to convert to a client. One other thing with that, too, is that I and that I hope people will work for them because I was living what I was teaching. Yes, I've been sharing a lot of self portraiture, and just so it wasn't a surprise when people wanted I decided I was going to teach the sea course, it was kind of made sense, so whatever business you're having, I think it's great to have that blawg where or that online presence, where you're practicing what you're preaching, what are exactly? We talked a little bit about that this morning think nathan had brought something like that up and that your big vision collages will help remind you of that and that's kind of that. What you're passionate about what you're sharing as your gets well can it did you have we just have some wonderful comments come in love vivian for baby a who said from victoria said I really resonate with vivian's comment about not feeling worthy of creating your own dream job and personally that is something I struggle with myself I'm not worthy and so getting over exactly I know that I know that's something we stroke which is why I wanted to hear a little bit more because I knew it would resonate and people be like oh my god you two really right like yeah I think we all have those thoughts and um knowing that that's happening and knowing like oh that's actually this inner critic that's happening and I think the more that you are getting into but with your big vision so like the fact that we spent this time allowing for that big mission to happen and grow you might notice in her critics trying to come out I mean even kathy you're like the left brain was like well what does this mean you don't have this figured out it's like the inner critic is going to come in when you start really going after that big vision so it's an interesting balance but thank you so much for that acknowledgment of vivian so cool we also have some more love for vivian I wanted to share take this and live theo has such a unique and creative voice really inspiring. Awesome yeah, same thing. Yes, you're touching on important subject matter that we all go through won't will number, vulnerability, self belief and getting into conversations here about how you overcome self doubt. How do you overcome self doubt? Me pidio yes, I do. I mean, I offer you courses very regularly and it's it's good in a way to, like, be putting in a new content or new products for your business because it comes up every single time, not self doubt it's not it's completely part of the process on dh to get over it. I I just said, you have to get through it, just keep on trying and putting it out there. I think the worst possible thing to do is just listen to it completely and hide and don't let the world see your light. Yeah, that's gonna, you know, you just get well practiced at and I think a cz you run a business. Exactly. And sometimes that happens. I know there was a dip recently for you, like a kind of the wanting to hide, right, and then it's like, ok, snap out of it, I'm back, but having gone through the def, you actually got some new insights from that what do you care to share about that? Yeah, this fall I think it was definitely related to this big dream of doing are writing a book, right? I almost wanted to quit I was just having his negative voices in my head that I hadn't really heard when I hadn't had a different level of self doubt coming up threw for putting of course is that something bigger like a bigger dream? I just brought my grant ellen's big time and they really, really for a bit and um I just had to find my way out of it and doing a lot of, you know, just wondering going on walks and just engaging with the part of my work that I know is so true that sustains me every day is just taking pictures. So um I just tried to stick with that the parts that that I there was no self doubt in the fact that I needed to go outside and take some pictures today so great and the thing by going through that process, I think it helped put you in the shoes of what you're perfect customers go through of self doubt doubting themselves so it's like paying attention to your own internal processes, how for oftentimes and understanding where your clients are, what challenges they might face and how you could help them because you got yourself out of that and there are some things by continuing to take the photos which is what you do in your classes like you walking your talk you know is helping you grow personally yourself and then also understand like oh so my perfect customers also would experience this how would I be able to help them with you know a new course this book that anything cool just checking if there's anything else from that their online just every week there are so many so much aziz keeping keep coming um yeah it's it's great conversations about doubt and people are also asking again vivian where where can people find you great thank you if you made master dog so it's got the I d I e and e and cme str dot com and I'm on facebook and twitter as well so there's links at my website for that again a lot of people just kind of relating tio odd says this is a good to hear from vivian because I encounter so much self doubt it gives me hope I can make it to yes and I do have a what do we have time playing we totally dio cool this one comes from meg karyono did so we're talking about self doubt but then she says did anyone doubt you the external critics like your family or your friends and did that empower you or did it bring more self doubt through your inner critic because I know a lot of us who decide to say a lot of people in here I left the corporate world, I'm trying to go out on my own and a lot of times you have some encouraging family, but other times you don't. So how is that experience meant for you? Oh that's, such a good question, my family has been totally supportive. I'm very lucky to have a very loving in creative family, so it took them a bit, but they get they get what I'm doing, so I definitely feel believed there. I have felt doubt it even in some ways within my creative community, but I want to acknowledge that I think like sometimes we interpret things as simple, downing us not best it's easy to catch on to not feeling accepted into one part of the business world you're working in like, say, your life coach and now feeling really welcomed into into the light coaching world can can be we can interpret that a self doubt, and I definitely have come across that along the way where I didn't feel accepted. But what I realized through that is that I needed to find the community, that I am the creative court cohorts, that I did feel a kindred teo and, um, it really helped me clarify where I want my business to go and and who I want to help, so, yeah and we have a question and I want to pose this to both of you this's from adrian far england when you were inspired by so many people but are overwhelmed by all their successes how do you overcome this right? Like we have mentors or people were like, oh my gosh one of the things that I think it's helpful for me is we kind of see them like they're in their stardom and we don't always realize all the stuff that happened beforehand when they were just starting out eso kind of doing that like sometimes you can go back to people's blog's even in see kind of early entries of what they were going through you know, maybe five years ago or something that might feel more like oh yeah, I am relating to that like coolest see that that can then expand out into maybe your big similar to what your bigger dream is so I like to kind of keep that perspective of it takes time um no live do you have room that too especially in the photography world it's pretty easy to feel intimidated or overwhelmed by how many people take incredible images on I love to go back on their flick if they have a flicker page and just see what their first few images they publicly shared our and watch kind of the way they evolved to where they are think that's incredibly incredibly inspiring him I also I do get overwhelmed sometimes I'd like to remember that I get to curate um inspirations that come in yet whether that's through my blood reader what I you know what I'm following and I get to decide what kind of inspiration comes to me so yeah well one of the fun things about creative live is when we announced somebody's website online we often crash it looked really crash of insight way that way everyone when people go there at once it's kind of the volume of people at once so check again and in a little bit I'm sure it'll be back up again but that that's awesome oh cool I'm curious to know the folks institute of do you guys have questions for vivir what you're learning just kind of hearing her process here what's resonating I feel like my I'm really after like a few years of being in business for myself I'm really comfortable with failing nice but I feel like I'm on the verge of like a really new exciting chapter in my life and I find that I'm more afraid of success then failing at this point and I've been finding that like what you're saying about um like curating your inspiration and just focusing on receiving I think has helped me fear that less I guess I don't know but I just find that interesting yeah when it comes that point of lake what are you really afraid of? Cool thank you so much, vivian for coming here and opening up and sharing being that vulnerable with us sharing your big vision collage and also giving us a peek into what your process has been I mean, it would be helpful for people that kind of hear someone who's it's been kind of going through the process you know with me for a bit but then also like to do the exercise this morning but just to hear some real life stories of that self doubt that comes up especially when you're going after your big dream like the book and all of this goodness, you know and so just to keep going I think vivian exemplifies that really well and so that's why I wanted folks to get to know you and hear your story how funny because you're about having other people share their stories and you got to share your story here and how much that helps to illustrate you're not alone. You know, people have some of the same issues, teo and by reaching on being in community and knowing other people are going through this to that that can help you continue to persevere and continue forward so thank you so much with england jin okay, great. Um I just wanted to read a couple more comments that came in um odd said jennifer you earlier you said trust your inspiration and they wanted to add to that and I add trust yourself nice so kind of based upon that that conversation there what so you were into trust rio? Yeah, yeah, I have a good question from alison's I photography and it's it was supposed to both you and vivian but how do you define success? Well, according to this badge of honor I get to define I defined my own success, eh? So, you know, I think for me personally it's m I fulfilled am I happy? Um I do have, like, financial goal success, you know, metrics that I hold myself, teo, and that helps me continue to move forward. And yet that's not my only definition of success so mostly and it's actually it's such a good question because when we head into values it's really about what lights you up, what is fulfilling so for me, when I'm in that place of happy satisfy like, oh yes, right, that to me is success thie other piece of success was one of the things that's important to me is helping other people and helping other people realize their dreams. So when I see that when I hear vivian talking about what she's up to like, that feels like success to like yes there's another creative soul out there who is going after their big vision