Voice Notes is an occasional special feature. We take you inside the online brand presence of a business owner we think you should know — through a dozen evocative sentence-starters.

Abby (Chief Voice Bureau Officer) says:

Long ago (in internet years), when Danielle LaPorte used to offer her now-retired Fire Starter Sessions at $300/hour, some retail blogging friends of mine went in together and got me one as a gift. During that call, Danielle told me that I should look to Susannah Conway’s blog as inspiration for what I could do online. At the time, I was a lifestyle boutique owner (brick and mortar with an online presence). DLP told me to look at Unraveling: The e-Course and said I could be the “Susannah Conway of retail.” :) I didn’t exactly go that route, but that call with DLP, and finding my way to Susannah’s site, and then to so many more wonderful creatives’ sites from there, was the beginning of my adventure in creating community online and making offers from the heart. And I’ve never looked back.

 

Today, I’m still enchanted with Susannah’s artist eye. She’s one of my very favorite Pinners. I admire her writing voice. And I like the way she puts learning experiences together for creative people to invest of themselves in. She’s inspiring in so many ways.

 

This year marks the one-year anniversary of the publication of Susannah’s book, This I Know: Notes on Unraveling the Heart. To celebrate, she’s hosting The Big Book Giveaway on her site — a contest you can enter to win 21 beautiful books.

And now I’m glad to bring you — Susannah . . .

Susannah Conway, Photographer & Author

Susannah Conway is the author of This I Know: Notes on Unraveling the Heart (SKIRT! Books). A photographer, writer and e-course creator, her classes have been enjoyed by thousands of people from over 40 countries around the world. Co-author of Instant Love: How to Make Magic and Memories with Polaroids (Chronicle Books), Susannah helps others reconnect to their true selves, using creativity as the key to open the door. You can read more about her shenanigans on her blog at SusannahConway.com.
Find Susannah on: Twitter; Facebook; Pinterest; InstaGram

My top 3-5 Voice Values are:

#1: Playfulness and Love. #2: Intimacy, Transparency and Helpfulness. (These are all spot-on!). (Note: Discover your own Voice Values when you subscribe to The Voice Bureau’s Insider Stuff e-letter. Look for the sign-up box in the upper righthand corner of the site.)

I knew I’d ‘come into’ my writing voice when I:

Started blogging. I have a degree in journalism and worked as a fashion editor and freelancer for many years, but it wasn’t until I started blogging in 2006 that I allowed my true writing voice to come out and play.

If I could invite 3 people to dinner to give me their take on my work in the world, I’d invite:

Natalie Goldberg, Cheryl Richardson. Martha Beck.

On social media, I find I get most triggered when I see:

The seemingly never-ending stream of promotion. We have to get the word out about what we’re doing, absolutely, and there are elegant ways to do it. But my brain starts to hurt when I see the same words popping up again and again: free training call. Free video series. Free this, free that. So much of what I see is purported to be full of ‘value’ yet it actually contains nothing more than hot air. It’s all so formulaic it drives me nuts.

Personality typing? Why, yes!

My Myers-Briggs type is INFP (“The Harmonizer Clarifier”). On the Enneagram I’m a 4 (the Individualist). I’m also an Aquarius.

One thing I know for sure about my Right People is:

They are filled with heart and soul and want to connect deeply with themselves and the world.

The best compliment I’ve ever received from a client is:

“You touch so many women on such a deep soul level. You’ve made journal writing sexy and sacred.” ←— this makes me unspeakably happy.”

The next big business challenge for me is:

Working on my next book and creating my most ambitious project to date: a 6-month course launching in 2014.

I do the work I do because:

My deepest desire is to help people feel less alone.

I can never get enough:

Sunshine. I live in the UK where we famously exist on a meteorological diet of cloud with a side of rain. But on those rare days when the sun comes out, the city blooms like a smile. I live for those days.

The one ‘essential’ I could totally live without is

A television. In fact, I gave mine away last year and haven’t looked back.

If I couldn’t do the work I’m doing now, I’d be:

A rock poet à la Patti Smith.

In the comments, we’d love to hear:

What inspired you in this Voice Notes feature on Susannah? We look forward to connecting with you in the comments.