About this column
Tori Deaux from CircusSerene.com
In this thirteenth episode of the Creative Solopreneur Podcast, I’m talking with Tori Deaux from The Circus Serene. Tori is an artist and a ringmistress of the “OH NOEZ!” that crop up when creative people push their comfort zones. She’s the voice of #Emmit, the zany and precocious right-brained business plan {search #emmit on Twitter and you’ll see what I mean}, as well as the creator of the upcoming Habit Habitat.
Here are links to the people and ideas we talked about:
- Havi Brooks, The Fluent Self
- Jennifer Lee, Right-Brain Business Plans
- Michael Port’s “red velvet rope” from Book Yourself Solid
- Tori’s definition of ‘quirkipreneur’
- Third Tribe
- Hugh McLeod, Gaping Void
- Emmit on Twitter
- LaVonne Ellis
Listen in as Tori shares what her ‘circus serene’ metaphor really means, how she leads her community of quirkipreneurs, how to individuate yourself from your mentors, and why corporations are emulating the strengths of solopreneurs.
Right click here and select Save Link As to download the podcast to your hard drive, or left click to play in-browser.
P.S. Tori will be hanging out in the comments to chat. :)
Hello, you.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
I just want to say thank you, again, to Abby, for doing this interview!
And if anyone has any questions for me (or for #Emmit!), I’ll do my best to figure out an answer :)
Tori, you rocked this. Thanks for being such a great guest. :)
Thanks for being such a great host! (I love these little mutual admiration societies, even if they make others crazy ;) )
Hi Tori & Abby,
Enjoyed the podcast. Love what Tori said about Success not being limited to business (like making money.) That’s such a myth that success only comes in one size and must follow a set path.
As an Inspirational Rebel, I refuse to go along with that limited program/mindset. A lot of conventional successful folks are not happy on the inside. We each need to create our own definition of success.
I’m an artist too, so I understand how long a painting can take. six months to a year sometimes of going back and forth, oil drying, edits. Yet folks want to pay $100 for it … And I’ve spend five years on an essay, then I sent it out to be published. Creativity can be a long road with many bumps in it.
Work costumes are just that!
You sound serene … Best wishes for Circus Serene!
Giulietta
Hey, Giulietta —
{Beautiful name, and I love the spelling.} So glad you enjoyed the podcast and Tori’s particular take on creative solopreneurship. I think ‘happiness’ is a highly idiosyncratic state. One person’s dream work life is another person’s anything but that — and vice-versa. I agree with you — the bumps are an important part of the journey because, in my view, they help us shift. Nope, that didn’t work — but I think this might.
Thanks for listening and commenting!
Sorry for the crazy italics! Not my intention. :)
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Giulietta, and even while I wish I was the only one to spend eons on a single work that will never sell for what it should, I appreciate the reminder that I’m definitely not alone.
Regarding success, here’s what I once wrote about it on Circus Serene:
“Success. Accomplishing your intent. Meeting a goal, objective, aspiration, target, hope, wish, dream. Achieving something, achieving anything, in fact, that isn’t nothing. (unless, of course, nothing is your goal).
Success is selling 500,000 copies of your book, success is writing 500 words,writing one sentence, or pointedly not writing at all. Objective only in relation to a defined goal, the specific measure of success is personal, even though we like to pretend it’s universal. The clown succeeds when he makes you laugh, the circus barker, when he sells you a ticket, the trained poodle, when she earns a pet and a treat from her handler. ”
I have to remind myself of that all the time.
Now, off with us, to the creative, bumpy road and beyond!