Answer these 36 questions BEFORE starting your Creative Business

How many of these sound like you?

Are you creative and multi-passionate and suffer from shiny object syndrome? 

Are you so scared of choosing the wrong idea for your creative business that you choose nothing?

Are you multi-passionate and worried that you will have to leave the rest of your ideas on the shelf if you are forced to choose just one passion for your creative business? 

Well, my friend, you are not alone.

Most creative business ideas fail for one of two reasons: shiny object syndrome or analysis paralysis.

Picture this. You are standing on one side of a giant river, and everything you dream about achieving is on the other side of that river. The simplest way to get across the river is to build a bridge—one single bridge. 

However, as multi-passionate creatives, we can't choose which bridge to build first. So we run backwards and forwards, building three or four bridges simultaneously. We do this because we want to ensure all of our exciting ideas for bridges get built, but instead of building one bridge at a time, we start building all of them. As a result, it takes us five times as long to get across that river—if we ever finish all the bridges.

This is how shiny object syndrome sabotages progress.

Alternatively, we are so worried about wasting our time building the wrong bridge that we endlessly walk backwards and forwards along the river bank, planning the perfect bridge. In theory, this perfect bridge is guaranteed to get us safely across the river, but we spend so much time planning the bridge and going backwards and forwards, agonising over different designs for our bridge, that we never actually build it. 

This is how analysis paralysis sabotages progress.

By the end of this blog post, I promise you will know the exact 36 questions to answer to combine your skills, experiences, passions and purpose so you can confidently follow one creative path and build your unique bridge.

I call this overlap your Creative Superpower, and I will show you why it forms the perfect foundation for your creative business.

If we haven't met yet, my name is Dominique Falla, and I teach people like you how to leverage your Creative Superpower and build a sustainable business that combines your skills, experiences, passions, and purpose. 

Twenty-five years of coaching multi-passionate creatives have taught me that it is essential to identify your Creative Superpower if you want to live a life of clarity and purpose and build a sustainable business. 

I am passionate about helping as many creatives as possible find their creative purpose, light their creative spark, and build their dream business.

I genuinely believe your Creative Superpower is ultimately something you can share with the world and make a difference in your own life and the lives of others. 

In my experience, there are four main issues faced by creatives who want to start a business.

The first is the inability to choose. We've already heard about the "do nothing" or "do everything" scenarios—which are demoralising or exhausting and keep you stuck. 

The second is the fear of following a passion in favour of playing it safe. Somewhere along the line, we were taught that work isn't fun and we shouldn't enjoy it. This is wrong. Your work should light you up, not wear you down.

The third is self-focus. Many creatives make things for themselves instead of serving an audience. Creativity should be shared, and the best ideas benefit other people.

And the fourth is value. For a business to be sustainable, it should be profitable, and not every skill set is valued equally.

So today, I want to introduce you to the Creative Superpower model, a four-step method to overcome these four problems. It is based on the Japanese Ikigai, a model for a purpose-filled life. 

I believe we all carry a unique set of skills, experiences, passions, and gifts. I call this overlap your Creative Superpower.  

Looking at the Venn diagram above, we can see this process has four stages: the what, why, who, and how of your Creative Superpower.

STAGE ONE is to DISCOVER Your Creative Superpower

The discovery stage is where you identify what your Creative Superpower might be.

STAGE TWO is to UNLOCK Your Creative Superpower

The unlock stage is where you identify why you have this particular Superpower and why it is important.

STAGE THREE is to ENHANCE Your Creative Superpower

The enhance stage is where you examine who you can help with your Creative Superpower. 

STAGE FOUR is to LEVERAGE Your Creative Superpower

The launch stage is where you understand how to use your Creative Superpower sustainably. 

Before starting your Creative Business, let's dive into the 36 questions you must answer.

1 Discover Your Creative Superpower

What are you good at?

The skills and experiences you have developed so far in your life leave a unique footprint and trace a path that you can follow into the future. By examining what you are naturally good at, what you have learned so far, and what you would like to be known for, you can discover the foundation for your Creative Superpower. 

These are the nine questions you can ask yourself to discover the what of your Creative Superpower.

1. What comes easily? 
2. What are you good at? 
3. What do you do when you are procrastinating? 
4. What did you struggle with five years ago? 
5. What are your biggest triumphs? 
6. What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail? 
7. What do people always ask you about? 
8. What do people say about you? 
9. What do you want to be remembered for?  

2 Unlock Your Creative Superpower

What do you love?

By examining what you are passionate about, why you are drawn to learn more about particular topics, and what your guiding mission is, you can unlock the purpose of your Creative Superpower. 

These are the nine questions you can ask yourself to discover the why of your Creative Superpower.

1. What lights you up? 
2. What would you do for free? 
3. What do you value most? 
4. What do you love learning about? 
5. What events do you love attending? 
6. What ways do you fill the well? 
7. What could you give a TED talk about? 
8. What do you truly believe? 
9. What is your Why? 

3 Enhance Your Creative Superpower

What does the world need from you?

By examining who you have learned from, who you can help, and who can help you share your message, you can enhance your Creative Superpower by helping others. 

These are the nine questions you can ask yourself to discover the who of your Creative Superpower.

1. Who were you seven years ago? 
2. Who could you help with your skills or knowledge right now? 
3. Who do you specifically enjoy helping the most? 
4. Who taught you the most in the last few years? 
5. Who would you like to meet in person? 
6. Who do you admire most and why? 
7. Who do you know who keeps you accountable? 
8. Who could you partner with to leverage your message? 
9. Who is playing a bigger game than you right now? 

4 Leverage Your Creative Superpower

What can you be paid for?

By examining how you can communicate your unique message, deliver value to others, and position yourself as an expert in your niche, you can leverage your Creative Superpower and turn it into a sustainable business, side hustle, or career. 

These are the nine questions you can ask yourself to discover the how of your Creative Superpower.

1. How can you best help your avatar? 
2. How can you deliver value? 
3. How can you bring order and organisation to your topic? 
4. How can you package your message? 
5. How can you pitch your message?
6. How can you communicate your message? 
7. How can you position yourself as an authority in your field? 
8. How can you build a platform? 
9. How can you build a business from your Superpower?  

I am developing a series of four workshops this November to help you answer these 36 questions correctly.

If you are a confused multi-passionate creative, I will walk you through the four stages of the process to discover your Creative Superpower, why you have it, who it will help, and how you can get paid for it.

Click here to add your name to the waitlist if you want help starting your creative business on the right foot.

Your Creative Superpower might initially feel strange, but it should excite and possibly scare you. So try your new "superhero costume" for a while, and see how it feels. 

If your Creative Superpower feels right to you, I suggest you implement it immediately and develop a business, side hustle, or career idea that best uses your gifts. 

Unlocking your Creative Superpower accesses a clear vision for your creative calling and the true purpose of your gifts. I can't wait to help you discover yours. 

Head to www.dominiquefalla.com/waitlist to be first to hear about the workshops.