Emanate Creative Services welcomes you! Thank you for stopping by.

Today’s post is all about the miraculous moment when I chose the name for my business.

Naming a business is a big, scary decision. It’s somthing that will (hopefully) stick around forever. It’s something you will have to believe in, brand, and promote. It should be unique, give insight into what you offer, and if you’re lucky, have a short url! That is a tough one considering that anyone can buy a domain name for $12. There is less and less names to choose from all the time!

I googled ideas for hours upon hours.

Mostly everything I thought of was taken in some form or another. Eventually, after two months of researching, brainstorming, and googling, I had two names to choose from: Triple Creative or Emanate Creative Services.

Triple Creative was practical. It suggested an abundance of creativity, and also spoke to the fact that I offer three different creative services: art, illustration and design.

Emanate Creative Services was a little more abstract. It had the word “Em“ in it (my nickname), and had a more personal connection to me, as it spoke to how I conduct myself in business and life. I am very mindful of the positive energy I share with the world through my creations and my actions.

Both had their pros and cons. I couldn’t choose … So I did the classic “Eenie meanie minie moe“. … After which, I still wasn’t sure … So I wrote them both on a piece of paper. I closed my eyes and said, “When I open my eyes, the first name I see is the one I will go with.“ … Still unconvinced, I went to a co-worker for an answer. She wrote each of the names on a sticky note and mixed them up behind her back. “This time I would choose for sure. Third time’s a charm!“

All three times, I picked the same name … Emanate.

But I couldn’t commit! For some reason, every time I imagined my business with the name “Emanate Creative Services“, my stomach would get a terrible anxious feeling and my hands would get sweaty. I thought to myself, “Why do I keep picking Emanate?! It doesn’t seem right!“

After some pondering I remembered a conversation I had with a friend of mine. She had told me about a friend of hers, who’s mantra in life was “When it comes to my dreams, if it makes me scared, I know I have to do it.“ Sounds pretty crazy, but it actually made sense to me. Fear and anxiety are common when moving forward, changing and growing, and growth is a good thing!

But why was I so gosh darn afraid of Emanate anyway?

Because Emanate not only spoke to the services I provided, it also spoke to who I am as a person. I was terrified of branding my business based on my personality, because it made me vulnerable. However, like my friend’s friend says, when you are afraid, have faith and move forward!

So, I did. I had faith, I faced my fear, and at 2:52 p.m. on a Thursday, I chose Emanate — focusing not just on the services I offer, but how I offer them to you — from my heart.

(Google Angel Number 252, if you dare. 🙂 )

8 classes, 11 projects, 7 days of deadlines, 3,000 coffees … does this sound familiar? Just reminiscing about design school gives me hives. It was stress on top of stress on top of stress. However, it was also one of the most rewarding times of my life! The projects were tons of fun, the friends were irreplaceable and the knowledge and experience was priceless! 

So how can you leave design school feeling charged and ready to take on the world?! Rather than sleep deprived and resentful?? 

These tips should help!

1. Sleep. This is the BIGGEST contributor to a successful rewarding experience. For me, 7-8 hours was enough. For others, 5-6 will do (what?!!), and for the unfortunate few a minimum of 9 hours is needed to function at their best. Whatever your number is, once you figure it out, do your absolute best to stick with it. Make it a priority!! I understand the odd late night here and there when you have no choice, but trust me, you’ll thank me later if you follow this advice. Not only does your brain function at a higher level on a good night sleep, your mood and memory will improve immensely. All of which contribute to learning more, getting more done, being more efficient, and more productive! Those few hours extra every night will make your life easier, leave you happier and will allow you to get more done — a win win win!
2. Frozen veggies. Nutrition is essential for feeding your brain, which in turn is key to feeding your creative juices. However, I understand that time is not always that easy to come by during the hustle and bustle of college life, so quick diners like KD and hot dogs are often the best go-to. Well, one thing I found suuuuper helpful while in the fast paced college life was frozen veggies. You can skip the preparation of fresh veggies, they take 10 mins on the stove to cook, they provide tons of nutrients and with a little S&P they are extremely tasty! So next time you go for that Mac n’ cheese, consider adding a side of steamed veggies. Your brain will thank you!
3. One day at a time. This is the most effective motivational saying I heard while in school. It’s easy to think too far ahead about the million, crazy, huge projects that have to get done and wonder, how the hell am I ever going to get these finished?!! But rather than spending your time thinking about the end, learn to focus on “what can I do right now?” And “what can I do today?” keeping in mind that one day at a time, one task at a time, you will accomplish your greater goals. This helps to avoid those major melt down moments and as a bonus keeps you present in the moment. 
4. Plan something fun. If motivation is something that you struggle to find from time to time, I suggest planning something fun and blocking out a certain amount of time every week for that activity. Whether it’s 20 mins every day, or one night during the week, if you have something to look forward to, it’s easier to work hard during your working times knowing that you’ll have fun later. Work hard, play hard!! A great way to balance life. 
5. Mind over matter. Another thing I noticed while in school was the level of negativity near the end of each semester. Due to feelings of being overtired, overworked and over stressed. Something that I came to realize was that “life is truly what you make it.” So if everyday you tell yourself and everyone else that school sucks, your sick of school, your projects are way too hard, there’s too many things to do, your never going to get everything done … guess what? Chances are, that is exactly what you will find. However, if you take the glass half full approach and tell yourself everyday, “today is going to be a good day! I’m going to get so much done! I love these projects! This is actually so easy for me! How does it get any better than this?!“ that in turn will be exactly what shows up in your life! It might seem impossible to stay positive when you are surrounded by grumpy pants, but if you stick with it, you’ll find your life to be much easier and enjoyable, and those around you might change their tune as well!

So there you have it, five things that seem small, but will make a huge difference. If you have any other tips, share below! Always up for advice on how to make stressful situations, fun and easy!

Are you one of those people that keep a list of all the amazing things you would like to accomplish in your life? But every time you pull it out you’re adding to it rather than crossing things off? Is it because you’re lazy? No. Is it because you’re unorganized? No. Is it because you’re full of excuses? Perhaps. But why all the excuses anyways? Often times the underlying issue for not moving forward is fear!! Fear of failure and making mistakes, fear of what other people will think of you, fear of losing what you have or change … So many people, especially creative people, have brilliant ideas inside of them that they dream about day in and day out, that never get created because it is easier to stay inside that good old’ comfort zone, than putting themselves out there and risk being judged for doing what they would really like to do, or create.

This was definitely the case for myself and still is!

You know how to work hard. You know what you want to create. You know you are fully capable of achieving your dreams. But everyday you keep writing on that list, dreaming about your future, rather than checking things off and turning your dreams into reality.

How can we get unstuck? Move out of fear and into action?

These 4 tips and tricks have helped me and will hopefully help you!!

1. Do it scared. This is called bravery. When you’re terrified, do it anyways. The truth is you can’t fail. Because if you do it, and it’s not what you imagined, you learn something. Or, if you do it, and it’s greater than you imagined, you learn something and you’re happy and successful. It’s a win, win. The cool thing about doing things scared is the feeling of relief you will have once it’s done and you look back afterwards and realize, ” hey that wasn’t so bad after all!” “What can I do next?!”
2. Baby steps. Look at your list and ask yourself, “what can I do today to build my dreams right away?” Once you ask, don’t immediately start trying to answer, just allow yourself to be open and take note of the first thing that pops into your head. Once you acknowledge whatever it is that pops up, trust that is what you are meant to do, and go for it!! Even if it’s only a small thing. Large things are simply a compilation of very small things over time. Imagine if you worked at your dream for an hour every day for the next year! Your life would be drastically different at the end of that year, and all it would take is an hour a day!
3. Trust your gut. If deep down you know that writing that novel, painting that picture, singing that song, etc. Etc. Is what you are meant to do, DO IT. Your gut will never steer you wrong. Know this, trust this, do this, and let your gut take care of the rest.
4. Action. Lots of us are really good at making lists, am I right?! Often times we’ll spend more time working on planning than actually getting anything done. Try, for one day, not planning anything. Wake up in the morning and ask, “what am I going to do today?” What can I do to step towards my dreams right away?” “What is true for me to do right now?” Let your awareness set in. What is your gut telling you to do? Drink coffee? Have a banana? Meditate? Whatever it is, do it, and once your done, ask again. “What is true for me to do right now?” Keep doing this all day long. At the end of the day you will be amazed at the things you get accomplished!! It’s a fun adventure to try! You might be surprised how much more you get done too!

We are all here for a reason. If you are creative, or have ideas that contribute to the world in one way or another, chances are you are meant to share those with others! So squish that fear, take action, do it scared, make it a priority, and be amazed at the changes it will bring to your world.

Hugs,

Emily