As I was doing some research on Anna Wintour for my Facebook community, Creative Impact Studio, I was watching a number of YouTube clips of The Fashion Fund.
Watching what the fashion community is doing for the American fashion industry, inspired me to put together these five things we can all learn from this program.
The Benefits of Nurturing Creative Self-Expression
Everyone has their “thing”, the way that they show up in the world. They way they filter and channel creative energy. For some people this is music, for some food, for some writing, engineering, construction, teaching.
What I know from my own clients is that stifling this creative energy is damaging to their mental and emotional and sometimes even physical health which is why we work to help them use their creative energy in a productive way.
The fashion industry recognized the opportunity to facilitate creative self-expression through fashion and went about to set up a program to help nurture and guide young designers.
Having a system or program or process to help you know yourself better and express yourself in a way that feels natural and authentic is an important part of living and being in the world.
The Strength in Combining the Masculine & the Feminine
In these clips you often see the mentors talking about the integration of commercial and creative. As they filter through the selection process, they are looking for designers who both have a strong aesthetic and unique point of view as well as a strong head for business.
This is a great example of how the masculine and feminine work together.
The feminine is the vision, the imagination, the experience; while the masculine provides the systems and the structures that support the feminine into being (please don’t confuse this with gender).
The finalists in this program demonstrate the best integration of both masculine structures and feminine vision – the commercial and the creative.
The Power of Mentorship
As we identify and work toward our goals, a mentor can help us by guiding our steps and opening doors.
It is our job to take the risk and find the courage and confidence to walk through those doors, but a mentor can help things go faster and smoother and help us avoid pitfalls along the way.
The Importance of Giving Back
In both of our religious traditions, my husband’s and mine, there is a history of “tithing” back to the community.
When we were first married, we studied the history of tithing and read about how farmers would notice that if they did not collect 100% of the harvest, but left a small percentage on the field, that it would grow up next year, and create even more bounty.
Giving back creates even more abundance.
For the fashion community, they are investing in the development of the future of their industry, nurturing talent, sharing experience, and paving the way forward.
How Being Challenged Helps You Grow
Erin Beatty of SUNO said of the program, it’s a “terrifying process, but amazing the results that you can get out of yourself.”
This made me think of what one of my coaches often says, that you can’t solve a problem at the same frequency at which it was created.
You become a different person in the process of solving problems and overcoming challenges.
You grow and transform.
A good coach and mentor will do this for you – they will push you so you can see how strong, resourceful and capable you are.
What form does your creative self-expression take?
If you are a thought leader, big thinker or idea person, I invite you to join our community of creative visionaries in the Creative Impact Studio. You will get support from me in the form of thought-provoking posts, personalized answers to your questions, training videos, and the opportunity to connect with like-minded thinkers and doers.
