Kim Werker runs Mighty Ugly. She's a writer and freelance editor whose latest book, Make It Mighty Ugly, is coming in the fall of 2014. Kim tries to make something – anything – every day. Many of those things are awful; some are not. Learn more about her work, teaching schedule and ragtag adventures at kimwerker.com.
@phunphunphun on Twitter just linked to this article about a monthly Ugly Crafts Night starting up at a library in Fort St. John, BC. What a great idea!
If you’re a librarian (or any other kind of programmer) and want to start something up at your branch, I’ve compiled some resources to help you get started.
It was five years ago today that I launched mightyugly.com. Five years!
Before Mighty Ugly, I was struggling through my post-crochet world without a clue as to how I’d ever find something else to do with my life.
And then the ugly took over.
Ugly has introduced me to so many new people. To new communities. To new ideas.
It’s led me on grand adventures in teaching, speaking, writing, reading and doing.
It’s my first book of words.
It’s opened up a world of art and making to me.
And I know it’s had a similar effect on many other people, too. Maybe you?
Thanks for being on this grand adventure with me. It wouldn’t be the same without you. In fact, it wouldn’t be much of anything without you.
Onward!
I’m just so excited about this class! Usually, I have only an hour to teach my business-focused Mighty Ugly class, but Embrace the Ugly: How to Break Through What’s Holding You Back in Business is a full day. Online. For free during the live broadcast. You can participate from anywhere in the world! And if you can’t make it for the broadcast on February 10th, or if you can’t spend the whole day on the class, it’s just $29 to gain on-demand access to it.
This is one of my favourite classes to teach, because people get so, so much out of it. The whole point of Embrace the Ugly is to gather your wits and take a long, deep look at the thing(s) inside your brain that hold you back. These aren’t the business problems you already know how to address. These aren’t even the issues that give you butterflies in your stomach when you think about them. No. These are the issues that, if you let them, keep you awake at night because you know in the depths of your mind and body that they make you not good enough to succeed.
Which means that this class will be uncomfortable. It will be hard. By which I mean it will be hard. And at the end of it, you will have a list of things to do to address that deep dark ugly thing. And you will be certain that you are not as alone as you think you are, because you will have heard from many people who also have deep dark ugly things that hold them back in their businesses. You will have shined some light on that darkness, and it will feel good.
Here’s some more from the class description:
In this class you’ll learn about the concept of Mighty Ugly, a framework that celebrates the benefits of failure. Through interactive lessons, Kim will help you identify and embrace the ugly parts of your business – you’ll get help addressing what holds you back so you can shift “the problem”, and resolve it. You’ll learn tools that will help you:
- Overcome self-doubt as an entrepreneur
- Abolish professional perfectionism
- Dismiss your fear of failure
- Eliminate irksome business blocks
- Conquer procrastination
Kim will teach you exercises that will keep you creative even as you struggle with balancing your books, promoting your work, managing social media, or whatever else holds you back.
Embrace the Ugly: How to Break Through What’s Holding You Back in Business will empower you to confront the most personally challenging aspects of being a working creative. You’ll surface the problems that are unique to you and learn universal skills you can use to embrace and, ultimately, overcome them.
RSVP for the class today, and CreativeLive will remind you about it! The live broadcast will involve lots of opportunities to participate via chat, and more, and I’m excited to be able to have a big conversation that’s not limited by room size or location. And even if you can’t attend live on February 10th, all that conversation will be a part of the on-demand class you can access anytime after purchasing.
Have any questions about how this works? Ask away!
I hope to see you in class next month!
I’ve finally opened an online shop. Twice! (Why do it just once when you can do it twice?)
I’ve stocked these shops with copies of Make It Mighty Ugly that I will sign for you, for your friends and family, and for anyone else you’d like to give a signed book to (including that art teacher in high school who said you were doing it wrong, and your neighbour who’s always so desperately interested in all the projects you do).
I’ve also put bookplates in there, for people who already have a copy of the book but would like to have it signed (a signed bookplate is a sticker, signed by me, that fits perfectly on the title page of the book).
And for kicks, I’ve also listed signed prints of Be Explicit, since I had those made up last spring, so why not. One of those would be a great gift for a writer or editor you really like.
Shipping both within Canada and to the U.S. ain’t cheap, but I hope you’ll think it’s worth it for some signed bookish treats. I’ll certainly include an extra wee treat or two in your package, because obviously. In fact, until I run out, I’m writing quick notes on Wonder Woman stationery. Again, obviously.
If you have questions about any of this, let me know!
About a month ago I had the pleasure of speaking with Meighan O’Toole for her podcast, What’s Your Story. We spoke quite a lot about feeling like a freak for any number of reasons, often in the context of various experiences I had with jobs, including those related to CrochetMe.com and Interweave Crochet. And obviously, we talked about the book. And for the first (only) time in my life, Meighan quoted me to me, which was both unsettling and lovely. Have a listen, eh? If you enjoy it, give it a heart over on SoundCloud or a rating on iTunes – those make Meighan super happy, as they should.
Meighan is giving away two copies of Make It Mighty Ugly over on Instagram – check out her post for simple instructions on how to enter. (If you aren’t on Instagram, perhaps this will be the thing to nudge you to join. It’s wormed its way deep into my heart, such that I now consider it equal to Twitter in the joy I derive from it and in how tremendously useful it is for work. Follow me there, eh?)
Oh, one more thing about the podcast. We talked about how problematic I find it when people attribute their successes to luck, and we briefly – too briefly – touch on the topic of privilege. Privilege is certainly a factor of luck, and it’s an important thing to consider when assessing one’s particular circumstances. I’ve become quite comfortable taking credit for my successes while also acknowledging the factors I have no control over, but I also experience all things in my life through the prism of some pretty undeniable privilege. I’m a straight white woman from a middle-class background who lives in a country with guaranteed healthcare. Each of these factors – and countless others, to be sure – contributes to the kinds of opportunities I’m presented with and to my ability to seize them. It’s important to think about this, because when I say things like, don’t attribute your successes to luck – you’ve earned them, I say it knowing that some people really do have more luck than others; more importantly, some people have considerably less luck.
A couple of weeks ago, I had a chat with Sean Cranbury, who seems to be involved with almost everything related to books in Vancouver. He has a podcast called Books on the Radio, and has been collaborating with the Canadian book blog 49th Shelf to create a podcast called The Interruption.
In the interview, we talked about how Make It Mighty Ugly came to be, about the weekend when I pulled my hair out while writing it, and about the book tour in October.
Sean also asked me to read from the book. It was my first time ever reading from something I’ve written, and I was very grateful for my copyeditor, who while editing the manuscript put a note in to indicate a section she thought would be great for readings. Without her, I’d have had no idea how to choose, and I’d have been intensely nervous. Instead, I was like, “I got this.”
I had such an amazing time delivering the Creative Mornings Vancouver talk for August last Friday. The global theme for the talks this month is failure, and I used the opportunity to think about and flesh out some ideas that had started circling at the back of my mind. I wrote more about it on my blog. Please let me know what you think! Are there stories you tell yourself about failure?
This was the first year I wasn’t involved at all with the planning of Vancouver Mini Maker Faire, and my experience at the event was pretty magical. I got to watch my son Owen, who’s attended every year since he was six months old and is now three-and-a-half, finally really experience being wowed by all the amazing things to see and touch and make. I got to talk to makers, see friends, and make stuff, myself.