We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Dawn Duncan. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Dawn below.
Dawn, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?
I am a writer, artist, dancer, lover of music, book author, and really all things leaning into the world of creativity. I am a creativity coach who teaches classes and courses on art, writing, self-care, health and wellness as it relates to creative expression and productivity, and much more. This being said, it’s critical that I keep my own creativity alive, as I not only benefit personally from this, but I have to be a role model for my students and clients. They are depending on me to spark their creativity and teach them ways to sustain and grow in through different forms of artistic expression and lifestyle.
My recipe for success in maintaining that creative fire is to make art every day. That sounds farfetched to most, I am sure, but what people don’t readily realize is how easy it actually is to express yourself daily. Sometimes that expression may just be with yourself in a journal, for instance, but it’s still being creative. I love to paint and watercolor is one medium that is easy to set up and tear down in just a few minutes! If art supplies are organized and easy to grab, then it doesn’t take time to sit down and start painting. I work from home, so I have full control of my time and lifestyle; I get up (willingly) at 4 am each day and between that time and 5:30 am yoga class, I journal, do a “gratitude walk” with my German Shepherd, Reva, and sometimes I whip up a painting.
It’s important to have many interests and hobbies so you can create using whatever you feel like in the moment. I even have an etching tool that I can carve designs with onto hard surfaces like rock and glass. Grab a rock, etch a cool motif and there you have art in a matter of five minutes.
I practice a lot of self care and I live a healthy, routine lifestyle. This was not always the case, as back up five years and I was living a chaotic, overworked lifestyle where I numbed stress with alcohol and pills. Now clean and sober for five years, my mind is so clear and I have abundant energy; that alone keeps my creativity on fire and there isn’t enough time in the day for me to create all the things I feel compelled to express.
This vibe, this natural drive is what I work passionately to not “teach” others, but to ignite in them. We are all born massively creative, but for some, creativity becomes a pushed aside or even frowned upon thing. I work with people of all ages, but many who are near or in retirement and they have spent their lives working, taking care of their families, and not focusing on themselves. Creativity has been non-existent and suddenly they are in that later phase of life looking for purpose and hobbies. This is where I pour my heart and soul into my work, to light that match that brings what is actually already inside of them to life, just like when they were kids.
I tap into my inner child/inner artist daily and that makes creating art and writing regularly so easy. If you ask a child if they want to paint, draw, act out a play, dance, sing….they say YES without hesitation. That is what I want to keep alive in myself and in others as life is more enjoyable when it’s less work, more play.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
My company, Yellowbright, has evolved tremendously in its 11 years of existence. Originally, it started as a publicity and booking firm in the music industry in Colorado. It operated in that vein for four years until I shifted it to be more of a PR and marketing firm for businesses and non-profits. I focused on the written communications sector of these fields, providing small businesses and non-profit agencies with marketing copy for collateral, social media content, and other special projects.
When the company celebrated its eighth year, I relocated to my home state of Minnesota and the company again shifted. My life evolved and the company followed suit, as I have focused since the beginning on personal branding more than touting my company name. This way, I have learned over the years, I can grow the business how I want and when I see an opportunity to flex a different skill set or take the business in a new direction, people tend to just roll with it because they know me and my strengths. Everything is rooted in creativity; writing, art, and marketing savvy, so these shifts allow the clients to stay along for the ride, with perhaps little changes in offerings and style here and there.
What’s relevant is that in this geographical area, i.e. lakes country of Northern Minnesota, no one is doing things quite like I am; I am a solopreneur offering many courses each year as well as classes, simultaneously marketing my first children’s book and coaching other authors, I set up a publishing house for my books and eventually for others to consider, and I’m actively selling my writing and artwork. I teach a course based on Julia Cameron’s book, The Artist’s Way, and offer the six-week course several times a year. This course has proven to be my best offering and it has a five-star rating! I’m proud of the 40 graduates of the course this past year; they have explored so many art mediums while digging deep into the spiritual path to creativity and becoming “unblocked.”
The Artist’s Way: This course will be taught for six weeks starting September 6, 2023 in Detroit Lakes, MN as well as another round that begins on October 25, 2023 in Detroit Lakes, MN. These are limited to 8 students each and take place at Chapel House. I’m also offering watercolor classes (1, 2), acrylic painting, and several other mediums, including in a six-week art intensive that will be in Frazee, MN starting September 19 at Karinall Estate. I teach private events upon requests, plus am co-hosting the 2nd annual SoulSetter Day Retreat for Women with Stephanie Disse on September 9 in Detroit Lakes, MN.
Expect a second children’s book (sequel) by the end of the year, plus an adult book, too! 2024 will be my year to really expand as I am moving into the digital realm of online teaching and also mini and extended courses that will be recorded. E-books will coincide and I am beginning to expand presently to my “other home” where I lived for 26 years: Colorado.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
I believe you can learn skills and absorb knowledge. Whatever you want to know, you can in a matter of minutes online, so I tend to concentrate on qualities–intrinsic and perhaps honed—because when it comes down to it, you are who you are. Your core self is what’s raw and real and that is what will really pull you through (or not) in life. Those qualities that I believe have personally and professionally helped me are creativity (vision), work ethic, and resilience. First, I have always been a person who instantly goes into the creative realm to solve problems. My mantra (one of them) is “figure it out.” I don’t react negatively to situations where I don’t know what to do; I just start brainstorming what might work and then I quickly launch into trying things. Sometimes they are failures and I have to try again, but I don’t really feel set back when this occurs. As I have gotten a bit older, I care less about how failure feels and more about how I can change things so that I am back on track. I am a visionary person. I will execute ideas, but I live more in the “we could do it this way” realm, getting excited about the idea and overarching theme of something than the finite details. I delegate that which I am not good at doing (insert bookkeeping, using power tools, math…..) and focus on my strengths.
I have very intrinsic work ethic and I believe my parents instilled this. I was raised in a second and third-generation Norwegian immigrant family and by parents who have a small business. All three of their kids are self-employed and we have been taught to be dependable, on time, and diligent. We’ve also been taught honesty and to own our mistakes immediately; I haven’t always been a master of that one, but again, maturity helps! Now, I just step up right away and when I do that, it’s so much easier to work though the mistake and maintain good relationships. Just own it and then fix it.
Lastly, I mentioned resilience and this, to me, is THE thing that I’m all about. I’ve gone through hell and back many, many times in my life. Some of that was personal, but also professionally. I’ve been an entrepreneur nearly my entire adult life and now, at 52, I can say I have had some real wins, but wow…some big, gross failures, too. Yet, here I am and I am the best version of myself yet; healthy, happy, and thriving. I’ve learned to weather comments, failed launches, financial hits in business, and generally “losing” at times when I really thought the outcome would be success. Learning to manage your mental health, your physical health, and your lifestyle are all key—paramount, actually—-to succeeding in life. Without these, you’ll be a mess and I have gone through challenges in all of these areas, thankfully coming out on the other side a better person, more successful entrepreneur, and kinder human. Resilience is what sets us apart—Life is all about how you choose to react to situations and learning to see “through” what’s happening, trusting your intuition to guide you, so that you can make the best decisions for you and your business.
Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
The most impactful thing my parents did for me was model kindness, love, encouragement of creativity, and stability. They are still together after 65 years and my dad has had his own business for 64 of those. At nearly 88, he still chooses to work, stating that it brings him purpose. He doesn’t want to retire, he wants to continue to serve others. The list is so long when stating what my parents have done for me, but one really significant thing that I think all people can benefit from is coming from a place of gratitude. Saying thank you to people for gifts, service, a helping hand…this has serve me better than anything in life. Hands down. I learned to write thank you cards and mail them at about age five and I have been known for this practice my whole life. I’ve sent handwritten cards to top executives when I was just a young entrepreneur—I didn’t have all the life experience or successes yet, but I expressed gratitude for them taking time to coach and mentor me or do business with me. If someone gives me a gift, they get a handwritten note right away (I have a one week window, basically). This may sound rather common, but in today’s world, people don’t take the time to do “old fashioned” things very often. That is why, if they do, it is really noticed. When people do things to help you, tell them thank you and mean it. Show it. Gratitude is the thread of life for me and I learned it from my parents who are grateful every day for what they have.
Contact Info:
- Website:yellowbrightinc.com
- Instagram: yellowbrightinc
- Facebook: yellowbrightinc (and it’s okay to list my personal one: Dawn Marie Duncan —this is way more active)
- Youtube: yellowbrightinc
Image Credits
These are not images that require photo credit.
