Art & Business

“Begin doing what you want to do now. We are not living in eternity. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand – and melting like a snowflake...” — Francis Bacon

As a kid, I read about now-famous writers and artists who lived tragic, poverty-stricken lives working in obscurity until their masterpieces were discovered after they died. Since I, too, was poor and unknown, I kept a file of my best work. You know, in case I died of scurvy. I hoped someone might discover the file and proclaim (to whom, I have no idea), “Emily did, in fact, have some things to say and a smidgeon of talent, God rest her soul.”

In the early 80s, when I was a young teen with the artistic angst of a thousand Emily Dickinsons, writing was the one thing I did that didn’t make me feel like a fish out of water. So when I learned that my family was going to see a successful female author speak, I was both excited and nervous. I didn’t know one single female author in real life at that point.

This author’s name was Ann Kiemel and she was a best-selling author and had a film made about her called “Hi, I’m Ann” (1980). I hung on every word that came out of Ann’s mouth that night. I still remember the sound of her voice and how she opened her talk.

“Hi, I’m Ann. Jesus, and me, and you can change the world…”

Despite the confusing mixed messages of fear and duty to a God who would supposedly send me to hell for thinking a wrong thought, Jesus was a character in the Story that I could relate to. Ann seemed to agree.

I was surrounded almost exclusively by other evangelicals who believed as my family did, except for minor points of theology like whether people should be baptized by immersion or sprinkled. (I laugh as I type that because it sounds so petty now.) Anywho… Ann was well-known in our circles, yet she was probably one of the first people I ever heard speak with genuine grace and acceptance of people who looked, acted, and believed differently from us. No love the sinner, hate anything. Just love, period.

She told stories of starting conversations with people she ran into on the street or sat next to on airplanes, from homeless addicts to wealthy, powerful businessmen (there weren’t wealthy, powerful women that we knew of). Her goal was always to simply remind them that they were loved. Her soft demeanor and kind words disarmed even the most gruff, hardened people. People she barely knew would break down and weep, opening up to her with their life stories.

Ann created a sense of safety everywhere she went, just by being herself. I was in awe. She was strong & soft. Kind and fearless. Everything she said (and the way she said it) inspired me. I felt like she represented the kind of unconditional love that genuinely could change a hardened world, without using all the clichés and “spiritualese” I thought people had to use if we were going to be considered spiritual.

Later in the evening, after she spoke, someone in the area hosted a reception in their home where people could meet her in person. When I learned that my family had been invited, I was over the moon. I had no idea what I would say to her, but I just wanted to be in the same room with her and listen to whatever she had to say.

When we walked into this home, the front room was crowded with strangers. I was the youngest person in the room and my dad was the tallest. For who-knows-which of those reasons, Ann noticed us and walked over to us. I honestly can’t remember what happened next except that I felt love emanating from her in the most beautiful way.

My dad must have told her that I wanted to be a writer because she narrowed her dark brown eyes and looked into my depths, speaking words of affirmation into me as if pouring healing balm on all the angsty corners of my fragile, creative soul. She hugged me and signed a copy of her book for me. We just spoke for a few moments, but I felt as if she saw in me possibilities I couldn’t see for myself yet.

Ann believed I could change the world with words. I wanted to believe it, too, but it would take a long time to embody that belief. Now I understand more fully how important it is for all of us to see each other — really see — through eyes of love, grace, and possibility.

For years, the chasm between where I was and what I considered a “real writer” was a less-than-grand canyon. I wish my younger self could see how possible it would become.

Now, when I meet anyone - kid or adult - who has a fragile creative dream and does not fully believe they have what it takes to turn it into something they can actually do, I know how important it is to help them believe in what is possible. Even if they can’t fully believe it for themselves, they need to know someone does.

To create anything - with words, music, pictures, film, or our hands - is a sacred act. For a long time, I felt that it was too much to ask to make my living as a creative without feeling like I was compromising for the sake of money. Boy did I have some surprises waiting for me.

Now, after 30 years as a creator who would never again settle for a life that isn’t centered around creative work, I’ve learned so much about how to jump that canyon and live out dreams that once felt impossible. I’m grateful for each tiny moment, every single book, person, film, or conversation that pushed me a little closer to believing this could be my life.

Art & business is one of the most important “&s” I have ever learned to hold together. I no longer fear that making a living as a writer is somehow “selling out” because I understand the value stories and creative work can bring to the world.

Just a couple of weeks ago, I was reminded of the power of bringing people together when I hosted a storytelling retreat. I had to pinch myself multiple times. The group of people who gathered was so hungry for conversations that would equip them to share their incredible gifts and personalities through storytelling. I felt incredibly fortunate to be the one who got to guide them through that experience.

Now, more than ever, artists of every kind need to know the value of creating from a place of love—from that deep well that goes beyond our human understanding. The world needs us to dip our pens into the uncontainable and write with fearless love. Creating from that liminal place multiplies hope and helps us resist shrinking ourselves into fear-based boxes that were never meant for us.

Some people who follow my work here do not know that I have been a self-employed ghostwriter and executive storyteller for years, or that I spent two decades in a music company that combined the power of storytelling with operating a thriving business that people around the world enthusiastically supported.

While writing my story and sharing it here on Substack, I am actively building my business as a ghostwriter, storyteller, and writing coach. What has grown obvious during the past few months is how much every writer and creator I know longs to connect with other creatives.

Though Ann Keimel is no longer here on earth, I believe she would be pleased to know that the little nervous kid she spoke to that night now gets to help other people who need someone else to see what’s possible before they know it for themselves. Life is too short not to share the hope of what is possible with each other the way she shared with me.

In that spirit, I’ve created some opportunities for anyone who wants to lean into art as a balm for our souls. I’ll list three below, and I’m still working on more fun plans. It is vitally important for creatives to gather, imagine what’s possible, and embody our most courageous selves to keep making the world kinder and more beautiful.

Currently, I have three specific opportunities for the creatives among us (and those who want to be):

1. Storytelling Community - a free space here on Substack to gather, ask questions, and encourage one another to keep doing our thing. There, I share things that help me stay inspired and productive, and I’ll show up in the chat with little check-ins and prompts for those who want to jump into conversations. You can comment, interact in chats, start new discussions, or just read and enjoy.

2. Storytelling for Business is a one-day gathering on Friday, April 4 (9:30 AM-4:30 PM), for solopreneurs, freelancers, business owners, or creative teams who want to embrace storytelling magic in your business. We will work on creating alignment in your messaging so your communication, marketing, and strategies are aligned with the very best version of you and your work. We’ll meet at a beautiful, cozy event space a short distance from Hamilton Town Center in Noblesville, Indiana. (The address is private for now but we’ll send it once you’re all signed up.)

3. Nurturing Your Creative Self is happening on May 9 (9:30 AM-4:30 PM), and it’s a chance to connect (or reconnect) with that part of you that loves to create but maybe struggles to actively nurture your creativity. We will delve into the creative process with hands-on ways to find inspiration and turn up the “happy” in your soul. This event will also be held in Noblesville, Indiana, and you’ll get all the specifics on the (awesome) location after signing up.

Regardless of what you do for a living or how creative you think you are, I hope you will at least believe me when I say that there are things that lie dormant inside you that could change the world. You just have to give them a chance to take form.

So, in case you need a reminder, I’m over here staring into your soul and telling you that if you want to create…then please don’t deprive the world of what’s inside you. You don’t have to “sell out” to bring value to the world (and even make a living, if that’s your hope) through creativity. I’m living proof that a beautiful synergy is possible between art & business. So this week, I simply invite you to lean into the ideas and dreams that may feel frivolous. Who knows what’s possible unless you give them some love and realize that every amazing creative contribution to the world started as a tiny seed of an idea that someone decided to believe in.