Ari from LifexAri
I’m super excited to introduce you to Ari from LifexAri! If you can believe it this interview has been in the works since last spring. Definitely, a long time coming right?!
Ari and I connected through another blogger who was my very first Creative Command feature – Danae. It just reiterates the importance of getting out there in the blogging community and taking the time to foster real relationships. You never know who you’ll run into or who you’ll get to meet.
As I prepare to move to D.C. next summer the relationships I’ve made through blogging are becoming more and more important to me. I expect that I’ll have to get into the habit of meeting new people and making new friends and I’m hoping that I’ll be able to leverage my online blogging network into offline relationships.
We’ll see how far I get on that one but in the meantime let’s get back to today’s focus – Ari from LifexAri!
Ari embraces the creative process while still giving herself room to grow and discover new things. She is an incredibly relatable creative with a fun sense of humor and a real interest in helping other passionate people succeed. With a mindset like “community over competition” what’s not to love?
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1. Tell us your name, about your blog, biz, or creative pursuits!
My name is Ari and I like to call myself “Your Idea Strategist”! I work with dope visionaries and their creative/ “out there” ideas and help it all become a reality. I have come to realize that having a great idea is one thing, making a plan to help it come to life is a whole other, and most people aren’t good at both. So, I’m the bridge.
I have to say it’s been the most fulfilling and liberating (on-going) experiences of my life. I know it sounds cliché, but I love to see things come to life. Right now, I am currently building my fantastical YouTube channel and it’s been a lot of stressful fun thus far! (I can’t tell you how hard it is to see and hear yourself on camera. *rolls eyes*)
I’m having fun opening up and being transparent about life in general and I’m hoping it will be successful! If you wanna stalk me on the web, feel free! You can follow me and my quirkilicious-life below!
LifexAri Blog || Facebook || Instagram || Twitter || YouTube
2. How would you define “Creativity”?
I always say creativity is when experience meets inspiration. That simple. When you’ve finally reached a point in your life where you’re open to the experiences that you will come across the inspiration to produce something innovative grows exponentially.
3. What inspires you to create and achieve your goals?
God, for one. And the belief that I’ve been embedded with a great ability, a great talent, a great purpose since I arrived on the planet. To know that it’s already in me? I’m hungry to pull out and uncover my creativity and my potential.
4. What does it look and feel like when you’re in creation mode?
Haha! It feels like a ball of confetti burst in my head. Then I going into like a “stream of consciousness” type of conversation. The whole thing is like one big sentence. I just have to get it all out.
5. What is your initial reaction when you realize you’re in a creative rut?
“Dang this sucks.” — Literally, every time. Believe it or not, I hit creative ruts often. Which has grown to be less of a surprise over time, because I consistently challenge myself to create from scratch. After that moment it’s, “Ok you have 5 minutes to worry and then let it go.”
Usually, when I hit a rut, it’s because I’ve been overthinking and/or overcomplicating so things aren’t working cohesively. I take the rut as a sign that I’m trying to hard. Once I learned to embrace the ruts, they became less of a disappointment and more of a landmark. “You are headed in the wrong direction.”
Obviously, ruts are different for everyone, but acceptance that you’re in a rut and that it won’t be the last is the greatest effort you can make to maintain your creative fervor.
Ari from LifexAri VEDA (Vlog Every Day August) Challenge
6. Have you relied on an outside source to get you out of your rut? (eg. support group, coach etc.)
Every time I get in a rut, as I said before, it’s because I’m overthinking and overworking. That is the DIRECT result of not taking time to get my mind in order. I have a routine in the mornings, I call it “Morning Me Time”, where I set aside time to relax, read (an activity I enjoy), and pray.
I block out the time mostly to pray because I believe that the only way that I will be able to get to where I want to be in life is to be in tuned to the direction of God.
Not in a “blindfold”, “Marco!…Polo!” type of way. Which is what I’m sure most people see it as. But, more so, a help me to pay attention to the details in my life that are pointing me in the right direction. I’m sure we’ve all had experiences where we’ve looked back on our lives and pointed out the specific place in which we should’ve paid closer attention to the details that were indicators. (Right, right?) *exhales*
Yep! I’m at the place in my life where I’d rather seek the direction from God and pay attention to the intricacies of life, rather than take control of what I don’t control.
7. If you take a self-esteem hit or if you become negative how do you combat that?
Oooooo! This is what I struggle with the most. I can’t tell you how many times comparing myself to others has hit my self-esteem and kept me down. I don’t know why creatives do it, but we do. Comparison only breeds negativity and that never leads to inspiration.
I still have trouble combatting self-esteem blows and negative train-cars of thought, but the best tool I have is my support system.
It’s so easy for me to talk myself into a spiral downward, but if you surround yourself with those who refuse to let you fail, you’ll snap back quick. It took me some time to get my inner circle to where it is now, but they hold me down and accountable to the bad habits that I keep perpetuating in my life.
They’re quick to let me know that I’m tripping. They’re quick to let me know that I shouldn’t care what others may think about what I’ve created. Creativity is definitely subjective, but it takes a village as they say.
8. What tools or tips would you offer to other creatives (in general or specifically in your field) who find themselves uninspired?
Do something that new. Something that you “would never” do in a normal situation. Doesn’t need to be anything crazy, but definitely do it alone. Make sure that whatever you do, you’re taking the time for yourself.
As I said before inspiration is directly tied to experience. You uncover more of yourself, more of your confidence, more of your dislikes, more of you passion, more of your potential, more of your creativity when you take the time to discover yourself.
9. We all have people we look up to. Who’s creative work inspires you?
I look up to anyone who dares to be 100% real with anything they produce. Authenticity is the greatest marker of a true creative. If you’re hungry to innovate, I admire you. Plain and simple.
Ari from LifexAri VEDA (Vlog Every Day August) Challenge
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